Editing Godhorn Tech:Volume1 Chapter3 (section)

===Meanwhile at Horn Fortress 2===

“Oh?”

Victia Magnumfist, a martial artist in a red dress, was staring into the distance.

Something was headed this way. The Lucifer Horn passed by, its enormous wings spread, and something was dumped onto the island.

It was a naked girl. With big boobs.

“And now the perverts are attacking? Nice. An excellent test of my skills. I’ll show you what my training here has taught me!!”

“Oh, god, what now!? C-can you at least let me put my clothes on first!?” screamed Sophia Calamity-Jinx while gathering a thick cloth in front of her.

The tearful girl viewed the island to find only the bare minimum of civilization. She saw a few tents made of what looked like the hide of a large animal and a campfire situated on the ground. A branch was suspended above so a pot could hang over the fire, but the pot itself appeared to be made from a large animal’s skull.

“C-clothes. Clothes, clothes.”

“Hm? This island’s only got sexy swimsuits.”

“What- but- how does a civilization like that even develop!?”

Sophia blushed and even shed tears as she slowly squirmed her way into her own priest clothing. Meanwhile, she received an explanation from the extreme optimist who insisted that this remote island was the perfect place to train.

“Um, so you’re saying we have joined the party of this person called…Miyabi was it?”

“I think so, yeah,” said Victia. “I think when someone scares him bad enough, he snags them with a flying trap to recruit them! Ah ha ha. He’s got a great eye for talent, but once he’s got his eye on you, there’s no escape!!”

“Don’t people usually call that kidnapping or abduction? And why take us away against our will and then not even use us? Is he just holding onto us just in case!?”

The downer of an indoorsy type had a lot of questions about this, but rolling around and flailing her limbs was not going to change anything. If you wanted to avoid dying on the beach, you had to actively work toward survival.

“First, I’d like a room to myself. You have a few tents already, so can I borrow one of them?”

“Oh, those are my cheesemaking tents. The sun will ruin the whole process, after all. But humans are made of tougher stuff, so you’ll get used to it. Just strip off your clothes, lay them down on the sand, lie naked on top of that, and it’ll be morning before you know it!”

“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………I’m afraid to ask, but you do have a bath, don’t you?”

“Ah ha ha. That’s a silly question. The whole island’s surrounded by water, so why would I need to make a separate bath?”

The busty, stooped-over, downer girl began to tremble. She doubted she could get along with someone who was willing to wash her body in saltwater just because it kept food from spoiling. Did this island carry a curse that continually reduced one’s femininity values the longer you stayed there?

And all while living in such a wild environment.

“U-umm.”

“Need something?”

“D-does that animal skin and bones mean what I think it does?”

“Yup, we lucked out and the place has a thriving ecosystem. I don’t have the patience for fishing, so it’s great that I can get as much meat as I want with just my fists!”

“Nooo!! How is this place a battlefield ''and'' an extreme survival environment at the same time!?”

Sophia was a Curse Cleaner, which made her a specialist in fighting the Undead, but she was powerless against forest creatures. In fact, the ordinary animals scared her more. Especially if she was staying in a tent on the ground. She could be killed in her sleep if a nocturnal animal approached while she was too deep asleep to notice.

“Wh-what if a dangerous animal approaches while you’re asleep?”

“You wake up before it reaches you.”

“And what do you do then? I-i-i-if it actually attacks, I mean.”

“You beat it up before it attacks. Or put it in a chokehold. Your choice. Once you get used to it, this the best place in the world! You gain experience at all times – both night and day!”

“…”

Something about this felt very wrong to Sophia. Why was Victia acting like a naked human would be able to defeat a wild beast’s fangs and claws?

This was a desert island, but they could improve their lives here by creating new tools, equipment, and facilities. Fortunately, the ocean and forest provided plenty of materials. That meathead had even made sexy swimsuits on her own, so it felt like anything was possible if you put your mind to it.

“Oh, right. You’re strong against Undead, right?”

“Yes, I suppose. Not that my Curse Cleaner power is going to be any help on a desert island.”

“Don’t be so sure. This place is a den of Beast Novae, including Undead ones. Ah ha ha! See, you had nothing to worry about.”

Sophia shrieked in fear.

At the same time, a dark form poked its head out from between the trees of the forest. But its position was unusual. The head looked child-sized, but it was poking around the tree at a height of more than 3m.

Also, it had countless legs and a glistening black exoskeleton.

A massive centipede was curled around the tree trunk, but the face of an adorable human child was embedded at the front end. Sophia decided that was about the last thing she would want to be reincarnated as.

Victia licked her thumb.

“There you are, you Undead bastard!! We’ve gotta crush that unclean thing before it gets to our food and water!!”

“Wait!!” shouted Sophia, the expert on this subject (who was still only half dressed). “Attacking it and driving it away won’t solve this. The Undead are fueled by any power that ‘sends people to death’, so driving them away with punches and kicks will only give them more power for when they attack again.”

“Is that how it works?”

“This is a Hellbug. When a child dies lost at sea or in the mountains and they refuse the judgment of the dead, they are punished by being stranded in this world until their body is discovered. And they are remade into a hideous form. This just means they were never given a proper burial, so they haven’t done anything wrong themselves.”

As Sophia rattled off her explanation, her face was stern but her eyes were oddly compassionate.

“Even vengeful spirits were once human like us. No one ends up wandering this world after death for no reason. If you discover their reason and resolve the issue, they will return to their rightful place all on their own. In this case, we only have to ask them where they lost their life and search out their remains. No punching necessary.”

“Huh, neat. And what about Shadow Treading Parasites?”

“Those are plant spirits. It is the result of a plant growing too accustomed to manipulating animals with its flowers or fruit. But it is all for naught. The more they make their controlled host shine, the more pathetic they grow while hiding in the host’s shadow.”

A Curse Cleaner was a type of healer, not a knight or warrior.

The colorful will-o’-the-wisps following her around may have been the result of a certain type of popularity.

Just then, a massive form passed by above the small island. The Lucifer Horn dropped a new party member from its wire.

This one was an old male dwarf.

Sophia Calamity-Jinx, whose jiggliness was still only partially concealed, blanked her expression.

“Die, die! This insolent man must diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!!!!!!”

The pure and bashful girl showed no mercy.

Victia Magnumfist assessed her handiwork.

“Your punches aren’t half bad. With a little polishing, you could really shine.”

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| Back to [[Godhorn_Tech:Volume1_Chapter2|Chapter 2]]
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| Forward to [[Godhorn_Tech:Volume1_Epilogue|Epilogue]]
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