The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick up Trash - Volume 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

The Second Village

I CUT APART THE BODY of a field mouse that had gotten stuck in my trap. I’d gotten better at it, too. Faster. The stench was tough to deal with at first… No matter how careful you were, the smell of blood was a lot. My basic strategy was to just get it done quickly and then move somewhere else.

Once I’d removed the meat, I washed it in water and wrapped it carefully in bana leaves. Bana leaves were used a lot for their disinfectant properties, and they’re easy to find in the forest. Then I put it in my bag and left the bones and other stuff from the carcass behind. No matter how fast you worked, after all, monsters would come running at the smell of blood. Leaving the bones and such drew them there, giving me time to get away. I’d learned the hard way that this was the safest way to work.

I stopped and listened. There were people near, and I could barely hear them speaking. It seemed I’d arrived at the second village. My plan was to go in and gather information. I’d just butchered the meat in my bag, so maybe I could earn some money from it? I’d have to think about this village’s situation.

There were a few travelers around. A whole bunch of people in exploration gear, too, so I shouldn’t stand out as an outsider if I sold meat here. I’d heard that field mouse meat was popular for being nutritious, but it really had to be fresh.

I surveyed the shops in the village from the street. Of the places selling meat, I chose the one closest to the village square.

“Excuse me,” I said. “Can I sell field mouse meat here?”

A well-built man peeked out of the shop. “Ooh, field mouse? Let’s see what ya got, kid.” He looked surprised by my appearance, but he didn’t ask any prying questions.

I handed over the bana leaf-wrapped meat. He checked it and nodded. This was my first time doing this, so my heart was pounding in my ears.

“Very fresh,” he mused. “I like it. For this amount, I’d give you a hundred dal.”

I looked at the prices of dried meat in the shop. Five days worth of food for me would be a hundred dal, so that sounded right.

“That works for me. Thank you.”

“Here ya go.” He put a hundred dal in my hand. My first earnings! “If you catch any more, bring ’em here. We’ve got too many folks trying to get big game these days, so we need more small game hunters like you.”

I bowed, left the store, and carefully put the money in my hip bag to avoid losing any. I fastened the bag back to my hip and slunk back into the woods.

“I did it!” My face broke into a smile at my first-ever sale. My tamer skill wouldn’t bring me work, but maybe I could make a living by hunting and selling meat. It wasn’t much, and I knew it’d be hard, but suddenly I could imagine a real future for myself. “I’ll hunt some more field mice, make a little money, and then get moving.”

In the woods, I found a perfect tree branch to serve as a bed. I surveyed my surroundings and checked the monster traces left around it to ensure it was safe. Finally, I searched for any nearby auras. Nothing nearby felt dangerous. I could rest easy today.