Cindy asked Knox, "But… what should we do now?"
Hearing Cindy ask that right after saying it would be fun, Claudia and Merida reacted in a very comic-like way.
Claudia's mouth twitched slightly, her expression freezing for a second.
Merida blinked… then slowly stiffened, like her brain had just lagged.
Knox shook his head and stared at Cindy, as if looking at some kind of emergency food.
Cindy immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Knox… why do I feel like you're thinking something rude?"
Knox looked up at the sky.
"Rude? I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're definitely thinking something rude!"
The next moment, Cindy lunged forward.
Knox turned and ran.
One chased. One ran.
Like a cat and mouse.
Meanwhile, the two green-haired girls just watched the whole thing in silence, their expressions flat as they followed the childish chase with their eyes.
After a short chase, the two returned.
Knox cleared his throat.
"Alright, let's get back to the topic. I think I have some ideas. But first…"
He glanced at the three of them.
"…let's be honest. Between the three of you… can any of you cook?"
Silence.
It was as if all three of them had just been hit by a truck named 'Reality'.
Cindy clutched her chest.
Claudia froze on the spot, her expression cracking like a statue.
Merida's eyes slowly lost their color.
"Ah… ha… ha…"
"I can cook. I can cook. I can't cook…?"
Claudia muttered like a broken robot.
Merida blinked a few times, then somehow managed to recover slightly.
"Cooking… unnecessary."
Knox let out a sigh.
"…I wouldn't be surprised if, during the survival evaluation, you all eliminate yourselves because of your own cooking."
It was as if a giant text appeared above their heads.
CRITICAL HIT!
The three of them immediately collapsed to the ground, both hands hitting the floor.
The rest of the day shifted into a survival training session, but not in the way they had expected.
Since they were still within the academy grounds, Knox focused on preparation rather than direct practice.
He began with the fundamentals.
Using simple materials around the training area, he demonstrated how basic traps were constructed. Branches were bent and secured, vines were used as bindings, and small adjustments in placement turned ordinary objects into something functional.
Even without real prey, the logic behind each setup was clear.
Position mattered. Direction mattered. Even the smallest detail could determine whether a trap worked or failed.
From there, Knox moved on to environmental awareness.
Instead of tracking real animals, he broke down the theory behind it. How to read footprints, how to notice unnatural disturbances, and how to identify patterns in movement. He used the ground around them as examples, pointing out marks and imperfections that most people would normally ignore.
Everything was explained in a way that made it easy to imagine applying it in a real setting.
Next came food preparation.
Without actual animals or monsters to demonstrate on, Knox explained the process step by step, using simplified examples and substitutes where needed. He went over which parts were typically safe to consume, which should be avoided, and the importance of proper handling.
He also introduced the basics of edible and dangerous plants.
Several herbs that could be found even within the academy grounds were used as references. Some were harmless, some had minor benefits, and some could cause problems if misused.
It was enough to give a general idea of what to look for later.
The session continued with repeated explanations and small hands-on attempts.
Building, adjusting, and understanding.
It wasn't flashy, but it was necessary.
By the time they finished, the sun had already begun to set.
They hadn't caught anything. They hadn't hunted anything. But they now had a foundation.
Something they could rely on once they stepped into a real environment.
And that would happen the next day.
***
A golden weekend morning, right after the midterm exams.
The front gate of Kizen was bustling with students trying to head down to Rochester.
On one side of the gate, carriages that had been booked in advance were lined up, waiting. Students hoping to go for picnics to the valley or the beach were busy haggling with the coachmen.
While some students were excitedly looking forward to a blissful holiday,
"Ah—seriouslyyy! What is this?!"
There were also students hanging on to a rampaging wild hippo from the early hours of the weekend, and there were also students riding skeleton horses, galloping in a fast way.
And our protagonist group were the latter.
"Woo hooo!" Cindy yelled.
While Claudia was looking around with eyes full of interest.
Meanwhile, Merida somehow was able to gallop while sleeping. Anybody would think that this huo huo was getting possessed by Mr. Tail.
In front of them was Knox, taking the lead while also riding a skeleton horse.
Each of them rode their own skeleton horse.
Then, Knox looked behind him and said, "Alright guys, soon we will arrive at our target destination!"
Then, their skeleton horses, under their master's command, which was Knox, got closer to each other while still running.
Then Knox started reviewing their plan.
While teaching monster recipes wasn't difficult, they would need something to cook first. So Knox proposed a plan to hunt a real monster called the Nusluck as an ingredient for their cooking.
According to the original, the Nusluck was an invasive species causing ecological damage and wreaking havoc in the forest of Roke Mountain.
It originally lived inland, but somehow made its way to Roke Mountain, and its population exploded due to its monstrous appetite and reproduction rate.
Then Knox said, "Our objectives are simple. Hunt down a few Nusluck, then later, hunt down the alpha specimen as well. Since we also need training, we can do both at the same time. Hitting two birds with one stone."
Since they would be butchering and eating it after the hunt, it was crucial to capture the boss monster with as few injuries as possible.
It was also important to not use large-scale attacks, to prevent destroying the meat.
With that, the Nusluck's fate was sealed. They had no idea a devil and his group were already on the way… discussing menus.
While the four of them were galloping, Merida suddenly called out.
"Hmm…? Guys, look there…" she said, pointing ahead.
Cindy and Claudia turned their heads.
Three Nuslucks, having caught the scent of humans, were shambling toward them.
They had short, stocky bodies covered in teal fur, and their faces looked like a cross between a gorilla and a pig.
"…Is it too late to turn back?" Merida said.
"We're supposed to eat those things today?" Claudia grimaced.
"Report, Captain Knox! Can we abort the mission?!" Cindy said in panic.
Knox chuckled.
"Rejected, Private Cindy. Honestly, although their faces are a bit… unappetizing, the taste isn't that bad~"
"..."
Merida, Cindy, and Claudia stared at Knox, completely speechless.
————————————
Character Voicelines · Group 8: About Nusluck
Cindy: Knox.....do we really need to use those Nuslucks as cooking ingredients?
Knox: Yup! ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Cindy, Claudia, Merida: ...
Knox: Come on, those monsters aren't that bad. At least they won't throw dung at you guys. Or, you know... send you flying with their farts.
Cindy: Eww, disgusting.
Claudia: They... won't actually do those things, right?
Merida: Eradicate.
Somewhere in the Monster Hunter world...
Congalalas: How rude! Did we even do anything to you guys?! ⁽⁽(੭ꐦ •̀Д•́ )੭*⁾⁾