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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Heavenly Death Star Goes Hunting
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"Oh my, our Enoch...! Look at him toddling along...!"
[Does that look like toddling to you? Aren't your eyes a bit off?]
Rionne and Undine whispered to each other from their hiding spot in the tree.
Rionne was making a huge fuss over how cute Enoch looked just walking, but Undine didn't see it that way at all.
'That cunning little brat. Today, I'll make him reveal his evil true nature!'
Undine grinned wickedly.
That gait of his didn't make any sense to begin with.
A kid who'd flawlessly mimicked her footwork after seeing it just once was walking like that?
It was laughable deception.
'Come on! Show me your true colors!'
Undine's smile deepened just a bit more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Enoch scratched his head, feeling a sudden itch at the back of his neck for some reason.
He glanced around, but nothing caught his eye.
Was it that blue fly?
That blue fly who always buzzed between him and Rionne turned out to have surprisingly impressive skills.
It was only natural that even Enoch couldn't detect its presence right now.
"Ah."
As he wobbled along unnecessarily, Enoch's eyes landed on a cluster of black, round mushrooms.
Deer ear mushrooms.
He stuffed them into the large bundle he'd brought, then stretched his back with a satisfying shuuuuck.
Now all that was left were rabbits, tri-tone grass, and a few other miscellaneous herbs.
Everything but the rabbits could be found nearby, so it probably wouldn't take long.
Slinging the now hefty bundle over his shoulder, Enoch scanned the surroundings for his next target.
'Rabbit and deer ear mushrooms mean barbecue for dinner tonight.'
He strolled along humming a cheerful tune when he spotted another one.
It was tri-tone grass, an herb whose leaves felt cool to the touch.
It was mainly used for reducing fevers, and it seemed like he was gathering it for when he got sick himself.
About ten minutes passed like that?
Enoch had gathered most of the items listed in his memo.
Only the rabbit remained.
But for some reason, there were hardly any animals around today.
Normally, by this point, you'd spot at least one or two rabbits or deer.
"Hmm..."
After pondering for a moment, Enoch headed deeper into the forest.
It didn't seem particularly dangerous, and if it got risky, Rionne would handle it.
If she wasn't following him... well, that would be a shame.
Tap, tap.
The deeper he went into the forest, the denser the trees became, and the surroundings grew dimmer.
Strange chirping birds flitted briefly between the branches.
Should he just catch one of those? Enoch shook his head.
Meat had to be rabbit. At the very least, deer or wild boar.
Did the universe finally heed Enoch's earnest wish?
Shiiiik───!!
His ears perked up at the sound of heavy snorting.
A wild boar.
He was about to hide and approach when, oddly, the sound started drawing closer.
Thud! Thud! Something colliding,
Crack! Thwack! Trees snapping and crashing like they were falling.
"Oh...?"
Soon enough, a tree in front of him toppled limply like a slender maiden, revealing a massive bulk.
No need to say it—it was a wild boar.
But an enormously huge one.
The boar was the size of the house he lived in with Rionne.
Enoch swallowed hard at the size that defied common sense.
'That thing's big enough to feed us for months.'
Plus, strangely enough, the bigger these beasts were, the tastier they got.
According to Rionne, ones that huge usually carried mana, which was why.
"Dinner menu."
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Furious Eagle Claw Technique
Shiiiik──!! The wild boar snorted, seething with rage.
Then, in one moment,
Crackle!
The boy and the boar charged straight at each other.
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"W-what do we do...!?"
Rionne panicked and hopped around frantically.
Yet the tree branch she stood on didn't even sway.
[What do you mean, what? He'll handle it fine on his own.]
"Shouldn't we help him!?"
[What nonsense is that? You're the one who trained him.]
If he couldn't handle a single boar like that, he might as well go die.
Undine sprawled lazily on the branch, spectating the fight with indifference.
The combatants: two.
The arrogant brat and an inexplicably furious wild boar.
Why was it so mad? Thinking it over, something came to mind.
'Oh, that boar family?'
The boar whose throat that brat had torn out last time.
If this was family, it made sense.
Those kinds of beasts usually had weird abilities, so it wouldn't be strange if it recognized the killer as a kid.
[Oh, it's starting.]
Undine lit up and munched on the dew clinging to the tree.
Kya...! Nothing beat dew for fight-watching!
Splash!
[First strike from the arrogant brat! A massive gash on the wild boar champion's face! This is way too one-sided! Boring!]
Rionne glared at Undine, who had suddenly started commentary, but Undine ignored her.
[Ahh! The boar champ endures! Don't underestimate the rage of lost kin!]
"Undine, you..."
Haa... Rionne sighed.
But as Undine said, the fight was one-sided.
Enoch was pressing the boar.
He'd started with a surprise Furious Eagle Claw Technique, leaving a huge wound, then calmly used footwork for minor probes.
Her rising worry faded, replaced by pride as his master.
"Ah!"
At that moment, Rionne clenched her fist.
Enoch had touched the ground, secretly leaving a magic circle.
The boar charged blindly and—
Flaaash─────!!!!
—was struck full in the belly by lightning surging from the earth like it was leaping to the sky.
"Did you see that!? Did you see!?"
He showed no progress in other magic during lessons, but lightning magic advanced at an astonishing pace.
Having the power of lightning gave him an edge, but even accounting for that, it was incredible.
Before she knew it, Rionne had forgotten her worry and was cheering Enoch on vigorously.
"Go, Enoch...!!"
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Purruk...
Enoch closely observed the weakened boar.
He couldn't tell if that was smoke or not.
No need to approach, then.
Thump—, mana waves pulsing with his heartbeat.
He hooked the ring on his finger and drew an image.
'Fast and strong.'
With the power of lightning, he could skip many steps.
Erasing the circuits for current generation and output, he filled them solely with paths for speed and power.
"Purruk...!"
The boar thrashed wildly, sensing some threat.
Then it mustered its last strength and charged at Enoch.
Its unnaturally massive bulk alone was intimidating.
But even more so was the mana it harbored.
Whoosh!
The boar's eyes glowed red as it suddenly accelerated.
It was startling, but Enoch stayed calm.
"Rip, sear, kill."
Chants were a mage's personal image for the spell being cast.
With his brutal incantation, Enoch slowly took one step forward.
Step. His body advanced diagonally.
At the same time, the boar's tusk grazed his side.
A tiny bit closer, and it would've punched a hole in his flank, but Enoch paid it no mind.
Instead, he thrust out his hand to complete the spell.
"Lightning Bomb."
"Rip, sear, kill."
⟨ Lightning Bomb ⟩
A purple sphere of condensed electricity shot toward the boar.
The boar startled and tried to veer away, but the spell was faster.
Rumble──────────!!!!
With thunder, the forest flashed brilliant purple for an instant.
Birds burst into the sky in fright; animals held their breath.
Enoch, who'd cast the spell, patted his slightly sore chest from overusing mana and stared intently at where the boar had been.
"Hm."
Before his view cleared, a delicious roasted scent tickled his nose.
Confident the boar was fully cooked, Enoch waved his hand.
Whoosh!
Lightning-laced wind blew at his gesture, clearing the smoke.
And sure enough, as he'd guessed, the boar lay dead on the ground.
Tsk—, Enoch swallowed his drool and approached.
"Hm-hmm~."
With such a bountiful dinner, a tune naturally escaped his lips.
Rionne would praise him, right?
He looked forward to it.
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Rionne, who'd watched Enoch hunt the boar to the end, pondered briefly.
'Should I help him carry it?'
That house-sized boar didn't look easy for Enoch to haul.
But stepping in now would give away that she'd followed...
[He's got a brain; he'll cut it up and bring pieces.]
In the end, Rionne let Undine's persuasion win and headed home first.
She waited, loaded up with praise, when—
Crack!
"Ah."
Trees splintered in the forest as a massive roasted boar came tumbling out.
Enoch scratched his head sheepishly, then waved energetically.
"Errands done!"
Should she tell him to be kinder to the trees? Rionne wondered briefly.
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That evening was a barbecue party.
Rionne had ultimately lavished Enoch with praise and thrown the party.
[Sigh. Such a doting fool. Idiot.]
Undine grumbled as she chugged whiskey.
Rionne sipped her own happily, then noticed Enoch's gleaming eyes and asked,
"Want to try some?"
He nodded without hesitation, and Rionne smiled faintly as she poured whiskey into his glass.