Chapter 2 - Himawari Village 2

“My name is Yoneda Tetsuo. Yours?" the man in his thirties asked Souma. At the moment, they had moved away from the village square and were in a more secluded place, away from prying eyes.

"Souma." the young man replied.

“Souma, okay. Before I start, let me ask you what you think of this situation. "

“The number of hunters is too high considering that the mission consists only in the extermination of a few gaki and bekatarō. So there must be something I don't know. "

"Correct. The information you received with the mission is out of date. Word has spread that in addition to gaki and bekatarō, there are also various specimens of jikininki. You know what I'm talking about, right? "

Souma nodded yes and called back the information he had about the yokai regarding the mission. Quickly, letters and an image depicting the features of the yokai appeared before his eyes.

Souma briefly finished reviewing the information. In the job of yokai hunter, knowing the appearance and behavior of one's prey was fundamental. The number of existing yokai was incredibly high, and after all these years of conflict, there were still species of yokai unknown to man. As a result, gathering information became an essential practice in the hunters' lives. After all, their life depended on it.

Regarding the information provided, the most important were the average level and the danger. The yokai were classified into five levels, which in turn were divided into five stages, which were once again divided into phases.

Beginner, early, middle, high, peak. These were the five phases that made up a single stage. Five stages, indicated with a numerical numbering, instead made up a single level for a maximum of five levels.

- First level: Wanderer
- Second level: Warrior
- Third level: Champion
- Fourth level: Lord
- Fifth level: Commander

All this together was nothing more than an indicator of the spirit power possessed by the yokai. It was obvious, therefore, that the higher the level, the greater the danger in killing the yokai. Humans also had a similar subdivision with the only difference that they didn't use levels but ranks.

- First rank: Apprentice
- Second rank: Soldier
- Third rank: Captain
- Fourth rank: Colonel
- Fifth rank: General

"So you are saying that the reason there are so many hunters is that there are these jikininki?" Souma asked Tetsuo.

“Basically, yes. As you know, the higher the level of yokai, the more precious the core contained within their bodies. But even among those of the same level, there are differences. Jikininki have a similar appearance to that of humans. Therefore their core is also very compatible with alchemical products for humans. The problem is that they are rare, thus leading to an increase in the core price. Typically they are found between the first and second stages, yet they are valued like a third or fourth stage wandering yokai. Now, do you understand why everyone is so interested?"

Hearing Tetsuo's words, Souma finally understood, “Yes. Nobody would waste the opportunity to make easy money. The greater the strength of yokai, the more contribution points can be obtained from the Exchange Centers. But stronger the yokai, the more the danger of dying, especially for us hunters who are only at the first rank."

"Correct. And now here comes the best part. Many hunters, including veteran hunters, consider low-level yokai to be stupid creatures. But they don’t realize that precisely because they are weak, they are very shrewd.

Gaki, bekatarō, jikininki. What do they have in common? They all feed on human flesh. And which is the most delicious human flesh for them?"

"Humans who have awakened their spirit power, meaning hunters and onmyoji," Souma replied.

"Yup. But generally, these creatures are weak, and hunters move across the empire. So how do you attract them and then kill them? Simple. They attack a village so that the inhabitants are forced to request the intervention of hunters. Then, they ask for help from a yokai stronger than them who is capable of killing all the hunters. The prey turns into a predator while the predator becomes prey."

“What you say makes sense, but there is one thing that bothers me. From how you speak, it would seem that you know what kind of yokai the other yokai have called." Souma's interest reached its peak.

As a young hunter, he was always looking for money to get stronger and survive future hunting sessions. The news on jikininki was already excellent news for his wallet, but if there was an even rarer and more precious yokai, he couldn’t remain indifferent.

Tetsuo smiled and came to the main point of his long speech, “A fourth stage wandering Tsurube Otoshi. As for the jikininki, it too falls into the humanoid category. Its core is considered to have the same value as a fifth stage. And here comes my proposal. Divide the core of the Tsurube Otoshi in half. I am a peak third stage apprentice hunter. But for me as well, that yokai is too much. With your help, however, we will surely have a way to kill him."

At Tetsuo's words, Souma thought for a moment, undecided on whether or not to accept, 'I have no information about the Tsurube Otoshi. Being a fourth stage wandering yokai, it is a dangerous prey for me at the moment. The other yokai don't bother me, but they could interfere. However, if we manage to kill him... '

Souma clenched his right fist. Currently, he was a middle third stage apprentice hunter. His resources used to increase his spirit power were almost exhausted. He urgently needed to make a big score, and this was an excellent opportunity to do it.

"All right. But I need information on the Tsurube Otoshi. Everything you have." Souma finally replied, agreeing to team up with Tetsuo for tonight's hunting session.

"Sure. There are no problems then." Tetsuo said as he went to explain the characteristics of the dangerous yokai.

*

Night had come, and the hunters were all on the alert for the yokai raid. Souma was also among them. While waiting for the hunt to begin, he was reviewing the information about the Tsurube Otoshi that Tetsuo had given him.

‘Elemental magic, huh? So far, I have hunted yokai lacking the ability to use magic. And as a first time, it's a fourth-stage wandering yokai. If tonight's prey is capable of using it, I hope it is at least a fire magic user.'

Uoahh! Gyahhh!

From outside the external fence, shouting noise began to resound. They weren’t human cries but instead, incomprehensible cries without a clear meaning if not that of killing - yokai cries.

"They have arrived!" warned one of the hunters who were on the lookout over the fence.

“Excellent, it’s time. Boy, keep in mind what I said to you and try not to die before killing the Tsurube Otoshi." Tetsuo said while drawing his weapon.

“The same can be said of you, old man. Don't die if you don't want me to take all the spoils." Souma confidently replied. Even though he was nervous inside himself, he couldn't show it to others.

The yokai horde quickly arrived at the wooden fence, crashing into it with all their might. The fence swayed dangerously, but there was still no hint of collapse. For now, it was holding up.

However, the yokai outside, however small or weak they were, weren’t so stupid to let themselves be stopped like this. Soon they began to climb the fence, using their companions as a support point.

The first enemies to arrive were gaki and bekatarō. The former moved as agile and cunning as monkeys, jumping with all their might to attack. The latter, on the other hand, awkwardly moved as if they were swinging. However, they were very annoying because they tended to bite the ankles of their prey to tear their tendons.

Souma drew his sword and activated his spirit power. Usually, hunters tended to choose katanas as their weapon, a sword with a slightly curved blade. The sword of Souma was instead straight, without any curvature like a long pointed piece of iron. Although the shape of the katanas made extraction and cutting better, Souma was accustomed to his weapon, and he cared a lot about it as it was the only family heirloom he had.

Slash!

The head of a gaki near him flew into the air, spraying blood all around. Only by standing next to the beheaded yokai, Souma could smell the stench of its bodies, especially the stench emanating from its mouth. Quickly, he threw a punch at the still-standing gaki corpse and pierced its body. His fist closed on a small round object hidden in the gaki belly - its yokai core.

Without delaying further, Souma freed his hand from the killed gaki and put the core back in his pouch tied behind his back. Then he noticed the presence of two bekatarō and stomped on them with his feet. Rather than aiming with a sword at such small enemies, it was better to crush them like insects. After all, a smaller body meant more difficulty in hitting the target.

The other hunters were also having no difficulty against the gaki and bekatarō coalition. These yokai were dangerous for ordinary people, but for them, despite being hunters at the bottom of the pyramid, it was a breeze. Still, if they had faced so many gaki and bekatarō all together alone, they would have been annihilated. But there were other hunters with them, and each had to fight only one or two opponents at a time.

After the first charge, the gaki and bekatarō began to back away and return beyond the fenced area. They understood that they couldn't do it alone and called for reinforcements. Soon after, other sounds were heard from outside, different from previous ones.

Boom! Boom! Crack!

The wooden fence began to sway again—this time more dangerously than before. In the end, there was a loud sound, and part of the fence fell with a thump. From the breach in the fence, it was possible to see humanoid figures dressed in worn rags. The stench on the battlefield reached an unbearable level for ordinary people. A glance was enough to understand which yokai it was. It was the jikininki.

As soon as the jikininki appeared, Souma stuck the sword on the ground. He then trafficked with the contents of his bag. From there, he pulled out a small container, and after opening it, he slipped two fingers into it. Then he brought those fingers to his nose and smeared some kind of ointment around the edges.

Ointment based on fragrant flowers. It was the object Souma used. It was common for hunters to find themselves against yokai, whose stench was so unbearable that it reduced the hunters’ concentration in combat. To overcome this, hunters used special ointments to make the smell more bearable.

When Souma finished applying the ointment, the gaki and bekatarō had returned to attack, accompanied by the jikininki, who advanced with a blood-filled gaze towards the hunters. In their minds, there was only the desire to eat that delicious meat.

“If you think you can eat me so easily, you are wrong. You will end up mashed!" Souma waved his sword again against one of the jikininki.

The yokai avoided the first cut with ease, but Souma quickly turned around and carried out a follow-up attack, cutting the yokai's throat. However, the jikininki didn’t collapse. It threw itself with its whole body against Souma, who replied with a horizontal kick that cleanly broke the yokai's neck.

Woosh!

Behind Souma, another jikininki was ready to ambush. With an impressive jerk, it hurled itself against Souma opening its mouth and showing its sharp teeth. The yokai didn't care where to hit; it just wanted to get a taste of the young hunter's meat.

"Fire Magic, Burning Blade!"

When Souma uttered those words, his sword began to send out flames of fire, illuminating his surroundings like a lantern in the middle of the night. With a quick gesture, Souma slipped the sword straight into the throat of the jikininki, which closed its jaw.

Snap!

The jikininki's teeth closed on the metal blade of Souma's sword. Despite their sharpness, the sword was more resistant. So the jikininki's teeth shattered, making the yokai groan in pain and open his jaw.

"If you like my sword so much, you can get another taste!"

Souma pushed his sword deeper. The flames on the blade began to burn the jikininki's head from the inside as a smell of burnt flesh began to spread. The jikininki's skin began to melt as its eyeballs fell to the ground and became soft as if they were liquid.

The jikininki died but remained suspended because Souma’s sword was still supporting it. The young hunter drew a dagger behind his back with his left hand. With it, he dug the flesh of the jikininki until he found the core and recovered it. Then he did the same with the one he had killed before.

Usually, it would have been better to dispose of the bodies once the fight ended. However, Souma was currently surrounded by hunters who worked independently of each other. It was therefore not strange that they felt distrust and feared each other as they might steal their loot.

"So you've already formed your spirit seed. You surprise me even more, boy. If so, then we will have even more chances of success and keep our strength against the other vultures gathered here. Get ready. It should be now."

Tetsuo had made his way between the yokai horde and approached Souma. Shortly after his warning, noises of something rolling resounded, and a humanoid head of about 2.5 meters appeared from the fence. It was the Tsurube Otoshi.