Having received permission from Temuji, the village head, Shoot set off to explore a nearby area with Sunny.

(Yesterday, I tried going to the forest, but it was too dark at night. Today, I’ll go to the forest again, deeper inside, while it’s still light.)

They headed towards the forest.

“We’ll probably encounter quite a few monsters since we’re exploring. Is that alright?”

“Y-yes! It’s a little scary, but I’ll be fine with you, Shoot-kun! You’ll protect me, right?”

“Yes, I understand. (She asked to come with me…)”

Shoot grumbled inwardly but wasn’t entirely unhappy that Sunny was relying on him. Having spent two days with her and determined she wasn’t condescending, he’d started to trust her.

The forest contained common monsters like goblins, Hobgoblins, Red Dogs, and slimes. They also encountered a new type of monster for Shoot.

A spiky rodent, similar to a hedgehog—a Needle Mouse. The spines on its back were sharp, making it impossible to touch barehanded. Its tough hide made sword attacks ineffective. Shoot used fire magic to burn the mouse to death.

(They seem much weaker than last night’s… Are there no Ogres around here?)

Seeing Shoot’s lack of enthusiasm, Sunny gave him a lesson on the monsters.

“Monsters get stronger at night. The reason isn’t fully understood, but it’s common knowledge among warriors to never approach the forest at night.”

“Ah, I see.”

Shoot learned another fact about the other world—that he might encounter powerful monsters like the Ogre at night.

“You’re amazing! You defeated even the Hobgoblin without any trouble!”

“Thanks.”

“If you’re that strong, you might want to become a soldier!”

“Soldier? I hear about mercenaries and warriors, but what are they?”

“‘Warriors’ are people who fight and defeat monsters and bandits. There are two types of warriors: ‘soldiers’ and ‘mercenaries’—”

Sunny explained that soldiers were warriors appointed directly by the king in the large city, while mercenaries were warriors who registered with the mercenary guild.

Soldiers had to be clean; those with any past misconduct were ineligible. Backdoor appointments were impossible. Mercenaries, conversely, could become one by simply passing the guild's exam.

“Soldiers are like highly-paid government officials, and mercenaries are like local officials or ordinary salarymen… Or not.”

“?”

Warriors with significant strength who were neither soldiers nor mercenaries were called free warriors, though they were rare. Most strong individuals became either soldiers or mercenaries. Shoot currently fell into the free warrior category.

After an hour of monster hunting, they reached a deeper part of the forest.

“While we were talking, we’ve gone pretty deep. My backpack is heavy with all the materials and Strange Ore. Shall we return to the village?”

“Yes. It’s about time we went back. So, how do you use the teleportation—”

Just as Sunny excitedly inquired about the spatial transfer spell, a group of people approached, pulling a wagon.

“What? People in this deep forest?”

“One man… and one woman. And the woman’s quite attractive.”

“They’re here… maybe they’re going to attack the village we’re targeting?”

From their appearance and behavior, Shoot judged them to be bandits. Sunny reacted similarly, feeling a hint of fear.

“Th-those… are bandits, I think…”

“Bandits?”

Shoot observed the bandit group more closely. They wore typical thug clothing, carrying swords, knives, and stone axes. The wagon at the rear was covered by a large cloth; it was probably loot.

“Leader, let’s capture these guys and take them to the village! Threaten them with swords, and they’ll easily tell us everything!”

“Good idea. I was wondering if we were really going to the right village. Men, capture those two alive.”

The white-haired, unshaven leader gave the order. The bandits laughed and attacked Shoot and Sunny.

“B-but… those men mentioned a ‘target village’… Is that… my village…?”

“Ah…”

“I-it must be… Even the nearest village takes two or three days to reach on foot. If they go on, they’ll attack Todd Village!”

“…”

They weren't ordinary bandits; they were targeting Sunny's village. They were trying to get information from Shoot and Sunny.

Shoot felt a sense of dread; if they succeeded, his village and its people would suffer.

Sunny trembled beside him, imagining the potential tragedy. Looking at her, Shoot focused on the bandits.

“We should just kill the men and capture the woman, right!? We don’t need both for information!”

“You just want to get with that woman!”

“Haha, you got me!”

“Hey, I’ll help you, but let me have her later!”

As the bandits approached, exchanging crude comments, Shoot regarded them with intense contempt and anger.

(Even in another world, humans are pretty much the same. There are always such scum.)

In the real world, there were bullies like Nakazato, a manipulative girl like Itakura, and delinquents who extorted money from the weak. They showed no empathy, never considering the suffering of others.

These bandits were the same—they readily stole, injured, and bullied others. They lacked understanding and empathy.

Shoot considered them scum—the most unnecessary people in the world.

Therefore, Shoot mercilessly attacked them.

WHAM THUD CRUNCH SNAP SMASH

“““““Gaa!? (Goooeh!?)(Eaa”…)(—!)(Aa… aa…)”””””

He instantly struck and kicked the five bandits, sending them crashing into large trees. They were all hit in vital areas—organs, necks, and groins—and were convulsing violently.

“A-amazing…”

“W-what…?!”

Sunny was impressed by Shoot’s strength, while the bandit leader was taken aback. The bandits were also shaken.

“Sunny-san,”

“Eh…? What is it?”

Shoot addressed Sunny calmly, pointing at the bandits.

“Can I treat those scumbags as monsters? Will I be punished for killing them?”