「It was all made up, huh?! What a waste of effort and time in paying attention to it seriously! I don’t need that kind of past setting in the first place! Everyone in the village knows about my background! If I told them such a story, they’d all think I’ve gone crazy! Or rather, stop with that smug look of yours! It’s so irritating!」

What a short-lived bond of master and disciple. Life truly was full of ups and downs.

「Oioi, will you be alright? That’s a path suitable only for advanced players, you know?」

Tanaka began to worry about the solitude and lonely life that was about to befall Murgai. He was truly a kind-hearted man.

「That’s none of your business! Just leave me alone!」

Murgai turned away in indignation. The time was noon, right before lunch time. The place was on the back of a Dragon Turtle, the most powerful monster in the region. As for why such a situation unfolded in such a place. It dated a few hours back in time. It all started early in the morning when Murgai carried out his on-duty patrol.

◇ ◇ ◇

After this and that, team Tanaka somehow ended up staying at Murgai’s house. This was the result of Tanaka, who felt a little ill of ease, relying on his brother, Murgai. The Horned tribe was originally an insular clan. Tanaka, a man possessing small-man’s sense, keenly sensed that.

However, the Horned tribe was about to change. Inviting Team Tanaka into the village was also a part of that change. At the moment, Team Tanaka was the only outsiders there, but they planned to accept many more people in the future.

On a certain day, Murgai said he was going to make his rounds, so team Tanaka decided to accompany him in an over-familiar manner.The horned tribe took turns patrolling the forest surrounding the village. It could be said to be a natural policy, considering the safety of the tribe.

In the forest, team Tanaka continued with their idle chat without any sense of tension. Just as Murgai was about to lose his temper, the incident occurred.

The earth rumbled faintly. Murgai promptly switched his gears and started to move. As expected, even team Tanaka could read the mood, as they simply followed after Murgai in silence. As they made their way through the forest, the earth tremor grew even louder and louder. And when they arrived at a slightly open part of the forest, they saw the source of the earth tremor.

A gigantic body– An overwhelming sense of presence radiating from it. It was much larger than a normal dragon. Its body was protected by a solid shell, and it was said to be the most sturdy monster among all monsters. It was the Dragon Turtle, the king of all monsters in this region.

Murgai was dumbfounded. If it continued to move forward on its current path, it would definitely notice the village. Based on Dragon Turtle’s nature, it would most likely overrun the village. There was a powerful barrier surrounding the village that had protected it on numerous occasions in the past. However, no matter how powerful this barrier might be, it was unlikely to be able to withstand the charge attack of the super-heavyweight class dragon turtle.

There would be horrible casualties–. Murgai’s legs trembled in fear. However, he quickly straightened up his mind and pulled himself together. There was still a way out, Murgai reprimanded himself. If he could lure the Dragon Turtle and alter its direction of travel, he might be able to drive away this crisis.

Fortunately, the Dragon Turtle’s legs were not that fast. There was a good chance of success. He was about to turn himself into a decoy with the resolve to die, trying to move his trembling legs forward, but….

「So huge. What is that thing? Do you know what it is, Kaku-san?」 In contrast to the tense Murgai, Tanaka let out such a remark carefreely.

「It’s a Dragon Turtle. It’s stronger than a normal dragon, but it’s slow and unable to fly, so in human society the two are classified on the same rank. Well, it’s probably the strongest monster around this area, though.」

Kaku-san, Team Tanaka’s fountain of knowledge, explained.「Oh… on the same level as a dragon, huh. Moreover, it’s not fast either, so it’s definitely no match for us, who use swiftness as a weapon. Kukuku, I shall grant it the privilege to become the foundation of our path to the strongest. Suke-san! Kaku-san! Finish it!」

「Affirmative!」

「Ou!」 Suke-san rushed out before Murgai could even move to stop him.

What happened next was truly world-shaking for Murgai.

The first exchange of attack and defense. To Murgai, it seemed as if a black phantom had just passed by the Dragon Turtle. It was the preemptive attack of Suke-san, the captain of Team Tanaka’s kamikaze unit. Running in all directions, he unleashed a storm of scythe slashes. Immediately after, a deafening scream echoed around the area. Looking closely, you could see that all of its four limbs had already been minced to shreds.

An opponent that he thought to be an absolute powerhouse had already been immobilized in an instant. Murgai couldn’t understand what was happening at all. And before he could even begin to digest the situation, a barrage of a huge lump of rock rained down incessantly from the sky. It was Kaku-san’s bombardment from the sky. The shell of the Dragon Turtle, which boasted the best defense of all monsters, was cruelly pulverized.

It took less than a few seconds for the Dragon Turtle to cease its pulse of life. And then, it was unknown when he made his move. Tanaka was striking a cool pose on top of the Dragon Turtle’s corpse. The hand over his face, the point of view, the positioning, the angle. SImply perfection.

Overwhelming–

It was like a hero who appeared in the legend or fairy tale.

Murgai walked up to the Dragon Turtle with an unsteady gait, as if he had a fever.

It was dead…. The Dragon Turtle, which had radiated the presence of a ruler until just a moment ago, had been turned into a measly lump of meat.

「Unbelievable….」

In this region, the Dragon Turtle was considered to be a natural disaster. And yet, it went down without putting up the slightest amount of resistance. The culprit for this was Team Tanaka. Murgai shifted his attention again. The three of them were on top of the shell of the Dragon Turtle. They were chatting merrily as if nothing had happened at all. Murgai climbed up the Dragon Turtle’s shell and moved toward Team Tanaka.