Published: July 4, 2025
Twenty-first Day in Fai.
Ryo was hunting outside the barrier.
The target was the lesser rabbit.
A rabbit-like monster.
It approached its target while hopping irregularly and would bite at the throat.
That was the movement of the lesser rabbit.
Ryo's aim was the moment when the lesser rabbit jumped.
At that moment, he would shoot its hind legs with water jet simultaneously from both sides.
Though he didn't have the power to pierce through the legs yet, it would lose its balance after landing, preventing it from jumping again.
As he got closer, he would then aim for both eyes with water jet.
Once he reached this point, he would stab it with a bamboo spear fitted with a knife to stop its breath.
"Haah."
Yes, Ryo had finally established a safe hunting method against the lesser rabbit.
The other enemy, the lesser boa, was encountered on the first day he ventured outside the barrier.
He had faced the lesser boa several times afterward, but this method did not work against it.
The reason was simple.
The jumping lesser rabbit exposed its hind legs at that moment, allowing for a successful shot, but the lesser boa charged at him in a forward-leaning posture, making its hind legs impossible to target.
So, he tried to shoot its forelegs with water jet, but it lunged the last three meters using only its hind legs.
He managed to dodge to the side just in time, but the nightmare of his first encounter with the lesser boa resurfaced.
Afterwards, he stabbed it repeatedly with the bamboo spear, finally regaining his composure, which was a bitter memory.
Since then, he decided to hunt the lesser boa using ice path and icicle lance, finishing it off with the bamboo spear fitted with a knife.
True to its boar-like charge, the lesser boa always came in a straight line towards him, making this method the most effective.
In any case, he had become relatively safe in hunting the lesser rabbits and lesser boas that often appeared around his home.
Recently, Ryo's schedule consisted of hunting outside the barrier in the morning and practicing magic inside the barrier in the afternoon.
He still couldnāt cast icicle lance and the water jet lacked the power to pierce through targets.
Even so, his daily hunting successes brought a certain peace of mind to Ryo.
"Peace is a stepping stone to the next step - by Ryo Mihara."
The next step, of course, was the enrichment of food.
Though "enrichment of food" was stated, the goal was to acquire flavors other than fruits and salt.
In general, "clothing, food, and shelter" are the foundations of life.
Among those, "shelter" could be deemed solid, as Michael (alias) had prepared a house and a barrier.
As for "clothing"... he was no longer wearing the clothes he had on when he arrived in Fai. Those were carefully stored. Completely frozen for preservation.
What Ryo was wearing now wasā¦ leather made from the skin of the lesser boa.
Yes, Ryo had performed tanning!
As an amateur, and only having seen it in blogs and videos while he was on Earth, it was rather rough...
First, he skinned the lesser boa.
Then he carefully washed the skin. Wash, wash, wash.
The prowess of a water attribute magician on full display.
After washing and drying it, he removed the flesh and fat attached to the inside of the skin.
In the case of the lesser boa, he could peel it off with his hands.
Then came the remaining dermis, or collagen, as it's called. Combining tanning agents with this part to stabilize it as material is what "tanning" means... but the problem was this "tanning agent."
Chromium, the mainstream tanning agent on Earth... of course, it was not available. He didnāt even know how to make it.
The other mainstream agent, tannin... the bitter component in things like wine, so it was probably plant-derived, but Ryo did not know which plants to obtain it from.
To begin with, "tanning" is written as "é£ć".
"To soften the leather."
That is "tanning."
So, what happens if you donāt tan it?
It will rot or dry out and become hard.
Clothes that become rotten and hard... he didnāt want that.