I Have Tamed a Spider Monster - Chapter 91 (Patreon)

Using the White Rank Equipment
A certain new adventurer’s Point of View
The day after we had prepared our equipment, Shellche and I set out for a monster hunting adventure.
Our main target for today was a creature known as "Angry Chicken."

These birds can't fly, but they are quite agile, with a body that's about one meter in size and a moderate weight.
They have sharp claws and a beak, making it a somewhat unpopular monster to hunt.
However, the profit from properly processing and bringing back the meat is significant.

I only know about this from when Shellche read to me from the Aventurers’ Guild's guidebook, but apparently, a single bird can be worth up to 1,000 Rubies.
The meat is highly valuable.

If you defeat one, it's best to let the Adventurers’ Guild's staff handle the butchering after bleeding it.
They'll offer a higher price for it.

There's no choice but to give it our best shot.
Now, about these Angry Chickens, they are known to nest in pairs within the forest.
They constantly make distinctive calls to appeal to their mates and family, making them relatively easy to locate.
However, it takes time to defeat them, and if not done quickly, they can gather reinforcements and become a formidable group to deal with.

They are herbivores, so they won't attack first, but they are known to ruin clothing and equipment.
Therefore, today's mission serves as both a test for our equipment's performance and a one-shot chance to succeed.

"Ulla, be cautious."

"I know. Oh, there's an Angry Chicken nest over there."

"... Only the female Angry Chicken seems to be present. Where could the male be?"

"I don't know, but it's our chance to defeat it. Shall we make our move?"

"That sounds like a plan. I will be the decoy, Ulla, you attack from the side."

"Okay, got it!"

Once we had our roles defined and took our positions, Shellche immediately dashed forward to get the attention of the Angry Chicken.

"Baaawk!"

The Angry Chicken quickly sounded an alert cry and charged at Shellche, but she skillfully parried it using her shield.
I then leaped out from the side and delivered a powerful strike to the side of the Angry Chicken's head with my mace.
The Angry Chicken staggered a few steps after being hit by me and then collapsed on its side.

"... Did I kill it?"

"No, it's still alive. You can see its chest moving."

"Should we slit its throat right away then?"

"That seems like a good idea. I will keep an eye on our surroundings while you do it."

While Shellche watched the surroundings with her shield ready, I quickly slit the Angry Chicken's throat.
The Angry Chicken couldn't even make a sound, and soon it stopped moving.
With this, it's our victory.

"... We defeated an Angry Chicken, didn't we?"

"Yes, we did. Even though we upgraded our equipment, it was surprisingly easy, wasn't it?"

"So, it's not that we've become stronger?"

"Of course not. We mustn't become complacent... Ulla, watch out from behind!"

"Huh?"

My guard was down after taking down one of the Angry Chickens.
Likely the mate of this female, an Angry Chicken leaped out from the bushes and kicked me hard, sending me flying.

"Ulla!?"

"I'm a bit sore, but I'm okay! More importantly, we need to deal with this one!"

During the fall, I had dropped my mace.
My shield, fixed to my left arm, was still intact, but not having a weapon was troubling.
I had left the sword I used before at the inn because it was cumbersome.

"Ulla, what should we do?"

"We have to defeat it. If we run, our hard-earned prize will go to waste."

"No, if there's a guarantee of safety, fleeing is a viable option… But for now, let's fight a little."

Shellche was being cautious, but I decided to challenge Angry Chicken with all my might.
Since I didn't have a weapon on hand, I picked up small stones from the ground and threw them at the Angry Chicken.

It was quite a bold move, and the Angry Chicken obviously saw through it, but it seemed that its attention was so focused on me that it didn't seem to notice Shellche.
As the Angry Chicken moved its head to avoid the small stones, Shellche swung her mace, catching its head.

However, just that wasn't enough to bring down the Angry Chicken, so I picked up the mace while running towards it and gave its temple a hard blow.
This caused the Angry Chicken to be blown away, convulsing as it fell to the ground.

"... It seems like we've won."

"Yeah. Let's quickly drain the blood and head back to town."

"Agreed. Let's get it done quickly."

Angry Chickens aren’t very strong, so they don’t inhabit the forest where carnivorous beasts dwell.
However, the smell of blood could attract other monsters, so we didn't want to stick around.
We quickly drained the blood, put the Angry Chickens’ meat in our bags, and headed back to town.

When we returned to the Adventurers’ Guild, we handed them Angry Chickens for dismantling, but in the meantime, the receptionist called out to us.
I wonder what this is about?

"Is it you two? The pair who took down the Angry Chickens?"

"Yes, that's us. Is there a problem?"

"No, I just noticed you were wearing Lily's shop's armor, so I wanted to say hi."

"Lily’s shop... the Spider's Silken Cloud?”

"Yes, that's the one. How did you find the armor? Did it work well for you?"

"It was quite useful. I was kicked by Angry Chicken and tumbled, but I only ended up with minor scratches when I hit the ground."

"Kicked? Where?"

"On my back... Is that unusual?"

"Could you please show me your back for a moment?"

Saying that, the receptionist moved around to my back. Shellche also joined to inspect my back, but when they returned, both of their expressions were strange.
I wondered if something had happened.

"Well, Miss Ulla, aside from the minor scratches, you don't have any other physical issues, do you?"

"No, just some pain from the fall..."

"Your armor is dented."

"Huh?"

"Your armor appears to have been gouged as if it tore through flesh. It seems like only the first layer of the supposed three-layer protection was gouged, but if you had been unprotected, you would have suffered a rather deep wound."

Shellche's explanation left me feeling a bit queasy.
I had no idea this armor had such strong defensive capabilities.
I had been misled by the material, Large Frog leather, but against White Rank monsters, it should be effective against most opponents, I suppose.

"Ulla, once the order here is done, let's go to the shop from yesterday as soon as possible for armor repairs or replacement. After hunting Angry Chickens today, we should have enough money to spare."

"Yeah, let's do that..."

We earned 2,440 Rubies from the two Angry Chickens.
They bought them at a high price since the meat was undamaged and the feathers were intact.
I didn't even know they would buy feathers.
After receiving the money, we went to the Spider's Silken Cloud and asked the owner for leather armor repairs.

Surprisingly, the owner was skilled in magic tailoring and made everything from clothes to leather armor in the shop.
My leather armor was quickly repaired and returned to me, looking brand new.
The repair cost was 150 Rubies.
The escort adventurers warned me not to act too recklessly just because I have armor, but having it certainly provides a different sense of security.

Next: https://www.patreon.com/posts/92507117