Chapter 106: Hostage (2)
ci6NThe two gorillas that had sneaked back into Grills’ house.hWm
l2QOne of them was brought down by Grills’ arrow, but the other escaped desperately.3wuac0h
lLxlIt rushed through the dense undergrowth and thick trees, climbing onto branches and leaping from one to another.pu0UTIk
7dje4An incredibly agile speed for such a large gorilla.mYVaqI
uu5YWThat could only mean one thing.BmGrxq
RxQHThe situation was urgent.k2dsl
xpowLfD“Uuu! Uuu!”7lUAYge
aBGwIt didn’t take long for the fleeing gorilla to reach the rest of the troop.L4R4
E5F8The gorillas were currently celebrating an unexpected fasting-pill feast.IrIvQrc
RraBut when they saw their companion approaching with such a desperate expression, they had no choice but to stop the party.ozXu
j8Q“Uu?”kop3TYQ
HGiHgi“Uuu! Uuuuu!”2EXz
F6VSensing that something was wrong, the gorilla leader stepped forward.Kg3
18uSThe fleeing gorilla then explained the entire situation.yrYOvdE
6twqmAfter hearing everything, the leader wore a serious expression before issuing an order.yoFeSgw
ECuxYzB“Uuuuu. Uu!”fqMA
B613WZW“Uuu!”pq0z
y9NpjoFirst, send scouts and observe the situation.CHdHgbA
vkwC9After all, we were the ones who invaded his territory.Ymf
pHrPHIf the territory’s owner killed one of ours, then we can take revenge.LFXajAu
fSwThat seemed to be the message he conveyed, because the other gorillas nodded.gczA
wUJ74“Uuuhu.”3CsGV
rd4“Huu…”ZGLA
F57The leader handed a fasting pill to his companion to calm him down.8hZvx
glPbT60It seemed there would be a fight soon.nRL9
aQC7FCThat was what he thought.lc5amaI
Y6E***QEjyboR
w1xIOAfter completely subduing the gorilla, the first thing I did wasn’t kill him but tie him up.p9k185V
P4ryLHonestly, I wanted to cut off his head and display it as a warning, but that wasn’t really my style.enenc0O
4AmgMore importantly, they were fairly intelligent creatures, so there were many things to consider.1Dh7GFH
TeCr‘If they have a sense of camaraderie, they’ll definitely come back. It’s better to keep him alive for that moment.’grYLy7
oM1HRNiSeeing one of their own dead might only make them even angrier.TMkucH
gyyx8GAIf it were just one, it wouldn’t matter, but if several attacked me at once, the fight would be complicated.n17KG
HixG1Even with the sloth and Wonmo, I still didn’t know how strong the gorilla troop really was.bLvuI0R
mXjWhat I needed was information.1p8Ty
GJIeYTAnd the best way to get it was to use the captured gorilla as a hostage.hstT
stgsQ‘Let’s see, arms behind his back, legs too. Since he’s incredibly strong, I’ll have to tie him tightly.’ZFqyC2f
H4KGorillas possess monstrous physical strength among all primates.M55
QLPBWAnd this place was the Forest of Four Seasons.uu5wZd
KVS2sA place where seemingly normal animals turned out to be far more terrifying.DCG
eDRMSo I tied the unconscious gorilla up with ropes as securely as possible.nMywI
ZTQxQY4Enough that he could never break free through brute force alone.03g
UaijtKxAnd what did I do about the arrows stuck in his body?cqn
DonjFANothing special.HSBfON
27EiuSince they had penetrated cleanly, I simply snapped off the parts sticking out.Ytwr6mQ
cuWElixir?i7O
vWgwb7II wasn’t about to waste elixir on damned thieves.LLU
47c7N8I just bought the cheapest potion available from the auction and roughly bandaged him up.obiUVQ
DekoTTitle) I captured the thief alive.Krd9R0
AkrGtyWildGrillsOAEZ73
Kmyb(Photo of a gorilla completely tied up with ropes)HnaA
D8qAn anonymous user said it.dWMEMT7
1oNlThe criminal always returns to the scene of the crime.zm08y
HbZThese bastards weren’t satisfied with the fasting pills and even tried to steal my fish.SEwFtIb
P0DDvThere were two of them. I brought one down with the crossbow, and the other escaped.BavH68l
qgLFor now, I plan to use this bastard as a hostage to gather information.7oB
oCY└HeavenlyDemon: You tied him up quite well. Since ancient times, those who stole food were punished with whippings.PuWrG
JLW└WildGrills: To me, food equals life, so I’m thinking of giving him an even harsher punishment.wy53
PYBE3lR└HeavenlyDemon: Cutting off his wrists so he can never steal again wouldn’t be a bad idea either.zxLM
QziFlIR└WildGrills: Ugh… I think I’ll stick with the whippings.kQm
YSt4h└Swordmaster: Just cut off his wrists. As far as I know, repeat offenders in my country get that treatment too.fmEO
SGwNS2└WildGrills: ;;;2lUyN
WQwJLooking at it that way, it was a brutality very fitting for the era.hGv
vVDI9poIt seemed savage, yet strangely reasonable at the same time.OTdcvW
VCZhqDE└AllFather: You’ve completely immobilized him. Looking closely, he’s definitely a gorilla.tam
NyH└WildGrills: Right? I thought they were herbivores, but they even tried to steal fish.bZW
ERBC└AllFather: It seems their eating habits have changed. Be careful. Others of his kind will undoubtedly come.BIvALU
N7mA└WildGrills: I’m already taking that into consideration. I’m waiting for them.cqI
U3sb9H└SuspiciouslySpecific: But… is that a male or a female?rPtKn
lKXA└Why are you even asking that?1gApk
pmM└SuspiciouslySpecific: I heard gorillas live in matriarchal societies.9JfF
mLyu└Aren’t you confusing gorillas with orangutans?TXgv7n8
yUW7y└I also heard male orangutans live alone.ItsQ
k98vYJ└How can a furry not know that? HahaJcK8Z
T7q18└SuspiciouslySpecific: I CAN NOT KNOW, DAMMIT!2NaXl
NoeRcWqThe gallery always ended up filling with weirdos.9vyqTa
eD4kI smiled faintly and didn’t even bother responding.Dxo3sb
5az4It was better to let them play among themselves.Ejq7rO
pvM2SIf they crossed the line, the moderators would handle it.060D
Ka52There was no need for me to intervene.oaMT
6hbyKGG‘Speaking of which, when is this guy going to wake up?’gt3Dme
PqJegJI stared at the gorilla who was still unconscious.682CZJ
5A50The same one who had foamed at the mouth and fainted the moment he saw the sloth.Sxpar
j02TThat made me curious about the sloth’s past, but it wasn’t important right now.EXzEm
QxtWhat mattered was information.ZBQzfu
pmtFvFor now, it was best to leave him alone.30pLn
osayz‘I wish I could talk to animals.’janTm
hOLqThe ability to communicate with animals.gOLQ
EknWhat people commonly call a druid.O642r6
GmvJTSince this was a fantasy world, I had looked into whether such a thing existed, but it didn’t seem to.tOaM
oNnAokThere were people who claimed to understand animals, but most of them were frauds.6diszZ
zqB‘If even humans have different languages, it must be much worse with animals.’ecKi3Bh
UN2gIVThinking nonsense, I carefully observed the gorilla.9lW
Gyw4wwA gorilla much larger than me.aBNg9
wErFqACOther than that, he looked completely normal.Q2F
UQF7I couldn’t find anything particularly special about him.s01cz
JvQHwpb“Sniff sniff.”9gyfhQ1
Rk5E3m“Wonmo. Don’t eat him.”FeBaAW
FWsk“Kyuu?”2sc
C6b1OI had to stop Wonmo in case he tried to eat the unconscious gorilla.YvDhB4
IlrhPAll I had to do now was wait for his companions to arrive.WGy7HHZ
YIk4zjOAnd if they didn’t come, then there would be no alternative.f83MlO
s6GI’d have to kill him.mYc
KHsRqeVGetting rid of the body wouldn’t be difficult either.73gNht
N453I could simply bury him or throw him into the river.KPf6
uWWvi6c‘Just in case, should I dig the hole now?’GhT
tql3Just as I thought that and slowly picked up the shovel.HrwhJ
4kpY6“Uugh…”4bfnMP
lh0BtsThe unconscious gorilla slowly began to regain consciousness.6dYEbS
DWCwMlMSeeing him wake up, I slowly lowered the shovel.V206Pe
R7dTe“Hey. You’re awake?”EDWW
tGxlQ“Uuugh…?”WFFrf
KI1zG0Still dazed, the gorilla looked at me with a confused expression.7SVEM
VyuIt seemed he still didn’t recognize my face.Zvu7
hdmBlc“U… uuu? UUU?!”Ea3qe
TrstXvFThen suddenly, the gorilla began violently twisting his body.Xk6jj
cYzxlTUFrom the bewildered expression on his face, it seemed he had finally realized that he was completely tied up.ykp
15FGood thing I used several ropes.m2ZjqT
JqCBLYBOtherwise, he probably would have broken free already.b3f
lsJ0“Auuu…”JrS2D
DgpUZThat didn’t change the fact that he was still pierced by arrow wounds.BxwsJJV
c22zDnThe struggling gorilla quickly calmed down, unable to endure the pain.pToDm
YtAgXAnd now that he had settled down, it was time to “talk.”lXYKr4b
x5U“Hey. Look at me.”v7vB
eMKCWr“……”R8H6XC
0hTAt my words, the gorilla slowly raised his head.rhrXK
H7ckA moment ago his face had been twisted in pain, but now it had returned to a rigid and stern expression.AWB
Y57An expression that clearly said he had no intention of answering no matter what I did.si30
wGJG0hHe really did seem like a person.zK36Ae
XSeHRWn‘Though I don’t understand what you’re saying either.’xgvWIwM
oxYHThe reason I called out to him wasn’t anything special.9OYj
DRPYI just wanted to check his reaction.pJW5
w9wgKI had planned to decide how to deal with him depending on how he responded, but he seemed to be a pretty stubborn type.u3Q
gOXR‘Then how will he react if he sees the sloth?’h8xY0
wSqrAYRI walked over to where the sloth stood silently staring at the forest.fHA
nxdrUljEven as I picked him up, he showed no resistance.OsETwk
Kq7YxgThen I lowered him in front of the gorilla’s face so he could see him clearly.QP7nw1l
nczYRj“Do you know hi—”EAP7
eYgA9W“Uwkiyaaak!!”wi64W
yYh3JSThe moment he saw the sloth, the gorilla nearly had what looked like a panic attack.JJgzRd2
DHBtdDespite being completely restrained by ropes, the intensity of his reaction was brutal.rvnuc
Fx1YUThat meant he was genuinely terrified.YVkYhln
dddL0rI looked at the gorilla causing a scene and then slowly turned toward the sloth.xp27Q7
Q7d3dThe sloth watched the out-of-control gorilla before slowly raising a hand.bl5A6q3
DE5sTI thought he was about to kill him and tried to stop him, but—jE99VX
oEYASmack!4rurv
GD4dejMThe sloth delivered an unbelievably powerful slap.qZvQ
CaMeAnd the gorilla calmed down instantly.rme
LXdIComplete with a depressed expression.DuqwnU
V4FNo.JBmb
5obmDMore than depressed, he looked as though he had completely lost the will to live.hHfvz
VbPOr7j‘What the hell was this guy doing around the forest?’PQDWQl
VyjocAI knew the sloth’s abilities.3DsmBn
3uXfSpeed impossible to follow even with the eyes and razor-sharp claws.BoD
8bCI didn’t know whether he was famous among gorillas or if this individual was a special case.Ytsv
NLIlmBut well, he had managed to calm him down, and that was enough.eNX
7PMI reached into my backpack and took out a fasting pill.ssoovZU
tNkIcI had brought it as an emergency ration and also as a gesture of goodwill.JAIeS9O
qMj1tj4I intended to show it to him.ZUE90
2ZxPF“Hey. Look at this.”3JKl
ptgEcLH“……?”rtcLbk3
5qY“You know what this is.”4cwi2Q
ib4CThe moment I showed the fasting pill, the gorilla’s eyes trembled violently.gyS
snCPnGuHe clearly knew what it was.XEm
vCRBEvAnd that was practically an admission that they were the culprits.v5KVV1c
NBhThere was no need to see any more.JhjNWJ
RIOW6I let out a snort and began expressing myself slowly.zea
G71m“Fasting pill.”ViF
B0ynOFirst, the fasting pill.CUodF
WjHrTI“Sloth.”gUOQg
ubWqe7Then I pointed at the sloth.IxQ6
3kOTbo4“His main food. Okay?”zdWA6e
cgtBDhJFinally, I made an eating gesture, and the gorilla’s face turned pale.qNI3
ZKITKfrSomeone might ask how I could tell when he had black skin and was covered in fur.QfCyZi
0JFcVIt just felt that way.kp0cp
k8mWN7Would anyone believe me if I answered that?76Apv
EnoWFHAnyway, let’s leave it at that.9jqoAN
8j4XuPB‘In the end, I’ll have to wait until this guy’s friends show up.’KAHh
LN7UFI asked the sloth to keep watch over the gorilla.8cY
xvZI didn’t know when the troop would appear, so I decided to inspect my weapons.XxnC
cMglFirst, the crossbow, which had been extremely useful.HuwL
UlkDFI left it loaded so I could fire at any moment.Cwg
kAjpfRustle— Rustle—nN2NsM
qHk96“Kyuu?”xN0YB
V5FJBq“……”9kkG
l4uhThey say that when you speak of the tiger, it appears.b3d
5VEThough here they weren’t tigers, but gorillas.CKTbdKT
djH2cI7With the loaded crossbow in my hand, I slowly turned my head toward the source of the sound.LyQ
Tz7LDP0Rustle!oBvr
C40Z23It seemed they had no intention of hiding, because several gorillas began emerging from the undergrowth.NRNCQG
wQilTXNot one or two.xy3
quanExactly five.5q8
VULN0WcAnd in the center was one that was especially huge.h7LY
m5qbrRJudging by how he led the group and walked at the front, he seemed to be the leader.uI3gaeL
xSc8JBut above all, there was an obvious difference in their “equipment.”3lb
XGTxI‘Just like AllFather said.’R9E
Zu4IThe leader was unarmed, but the other gorillas held various things in their hands.xch
9hAF6oOne of them was even carrying a stone axe.lgs
oCFLBaAnd I can’t describe how much that surprised me.AKgB
MLtThe fact that they had made a stone axe meant they understood the concept of “creating.”v0NdS
yyYThey seemed far more intelligent than I had imagined.xX7mF
WMwI needed to stay alert.RK8Dor
bOb“Uuu! Uugh…!”QLgtJ
saP4OThe hostage gorilla began shouting violently when he saw his companions arrive.qqVdAm6
rSe3But as I said before, he was full of arrow wounds.13DznD
VkCoJmUHe had no choice but to twist his face in pain.zFEHu
OzEU7wSThe leader glanced at the hostage before fixing his gaze on me.JMUWPy
Rc1ISjI also raised my sword and shield, ready to fight at any moment.B7sV
CSa2NT“Uuu! Uuu!”fn4
9ls04Jy“Uoee! Uoee!”nPJQ
flRY14Then the gorillas beside the leader started becoming agitated.chjyO
RjZxBUMore than agitated, they seemed horrified by something.I5qdR
emDgrW“……”Ntgv6
OTjNIt was the sloth.Nlo
GFvZAt some point, he had silently moved to my side.DKA2
NMNAUGThe gorillas began trembling in fear the moment they saw him.tjoNlzQ
XYhOnly the leader managed to remain calm, though his face had become completely rigid.Pb6
xPXDwZmIt seemed the sloth’s reputation among the gorillas was terrifying.wOakUN
h1skThanks to that, the “negotiations” would be a little easier.K1XA
I5vkAsSo I immediately started communicating.iTLEjFX
Yn8JsWhoosh—4QLoHe
W0kThe first thing I did was show them the fasting pills they had stolen.sLNUM
SDo6FDIt was a way of saying.8hrc
MjPI07“Were you the ones who took these?”Sesf
v8OPlHQThe leader seemed to understand my intention and nodded.kSW
6mkTN“Uu.”bD8L2c
S3plWith a short grunt, the leader gave an order to one of the gorillas.tOu3VdJ
dhV7HWOne of them then brought over a certain object.Kt67u
s50hiEThe leader took it in his hand and tossed it toward me.N6m
GQljXEFlop—Ho63QD3
99aFGbdBut since it was empty, it fell to the ground before reaching me.FPF6H
XnwxoJIt was a sack.MVy4g
kHPtpzThe sack that had contained the fasting pills.iAin
hpXUSIBut there wasn’t a single one left inside.3Q83
c2APFr‘They ate them all.’uMP
L3dqI suspected it, but I never thought they would finish them so quickly.IVFFA2F
ABBzq2nAll I could do was sigh.28mEd6
FZBvXpWere these bastards trying to apologize?wl53ULT
NqN5VOr would they act shamelessly?bZyBRE
TJ6DtConsidering the sloth’s bad reputation, an apology seemed more likely, but who knew.Rnr
B67iFor now, it was best to observe the sloth’s reaction.TWHeF
kRkgl“What are you going to do?”GI8PI
YdRoJ4k“……”tkHJg
7nWdmAt my question, the sloth stared at the empty sack before slowly beginning to walk.vjw8r
kqm1The gorilla troop did nothing.k05d
ZtXOThey merely watched tensely.IbM
EfjeOThen the sloth approached the gorilla who was completely tied up.GGF
UNH2For a moment I thought he was going to free him, but—D5gvhnl
DrEBfbSlash!ZKHWa
v4kVw8That wasn’t it.YX4
j8fBoThe sloth’s action completely exceeded my expectations.cp7m
JPKHe cut the gorilla’s throat with his sharp claws.PVNP
surxDfyThe same claws that could even slice through iron barrels.zaQz
mvSfAnd claws that I myself had been taking care of.Vdf0c
ZVqslBones and flesh from ordinary animals were nothing to them.blihvt
VUQ60Splurt!gicAs3L
LoDpyYWithout caring that blood was violently spraying from the severed neck, the sloth continued.pgYE3s
78fHe stepped on the gorilla’s head as it rolled across the ground like a ball, pinning it down with his claws.qd2gh
YlGbm0It looked as though he were spearing something with a fork.vOQEg0D
Vkhxk51Then he slowly raised his hand and threw the head directly at the other gorillas.7g4N
ZnNVpeThunk! Thud! Roll.pPB
dgl0eThe head rolled until it stopped right in front of the leader.uVCkOh
KQB7LThe leader silently looked at the head that had come to rest at his feet.yOB
Ay2YO3This went far beyond a provocation.JeihFpC
WeiAHIt was practically a declaration of war.RXs
ORJZ5And at the same time, I once again understood what “food” truly meant in nature.TK3A
Nh9r5‘……You damn lunatic.’hkBKh
j84ECCHe was definitely a full-fledged alpha male.Lvh0A
rCmtThough it also seemed like he was creating an unnecessary fight.pK8BY6
dgkpvcZBut if you thought about the concept of “territory,” it was a completely reasonable response.3nD
BWgjWhoosh—8g0
nJSPyMAmid that icy atmosphere, the leader picked up the severed head.dP7uxL
5GLTv3His expression remained solemn, though a restrained fury could be felt beneath it.Vk9lP5O
TjHeTWhoosh—1V2fO
1dfilGbThen the leader tossed the head upward.caM
SJIvfThat action confused me.41kYhr
V93He didn’t throw it at me.vgy
Dy2y09oHe threw it upward.t5iL
ErEbgWhat the hell was he trying to do?Cvz
xuwexRuJust in case, I stepped forward with my left foot so I could defend myself at any moment.3AMX
EOtp6pnFwooooosh—TZSa5
JiDThe head began to fall.qdpoNgb
4bP4EAnd the leader slowly drew his right arm back.XgVX4
gBLwT6tThe instant the head descended to eye level, he thrust his arm forward.7fyG4r
TFkwifbBOOOOM!!!eD3Yk
7KLbGiAccompanied by a brutal roar.GlB
mWvSDbFWIIIIIIIISH!!661n
IhmsEkThe gorilla’s head shot toward me like a projectile.kMt
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