"Tragic"—that word fits the scene of the brutally mutilated corpse.

It was the monster, the Grand Grizzly, that I was told to defeat by Rose. Its limbs were twisted in unnatural directions, and its body bore wounds as if bitten by some large creature.

Nearby, another Blue Grizzly was left in a similar state.

"...This shouldn't be."

"Kuu..."

"This is too much..."

Seeing the two monsters killed so mercilessly without being eaten filled me with frustration.

Not because I was robbed of my prey.

What angered me was something entirely different.

"...Rose is going to kill me."

I hadn't witnessed the bears being killed. But from the extent of their mutilation, it was clear they had been overwhelmingly overpowered.

In this vicinity, I knew of only one monster capable of doing such a thing to a Grand Grizzly: that snake resembling a Tsuchinoko.

If the Grand Grizzly that got me thrown into this forest was killed, I couldn't prove to Rose that I had defeated it.

"Kyuu..."

"...This is bad, really bad...!"

Maybe I could pull out a fang or something from the bear and present it to Rose, possibly bluffing my way through, but knowing that absurd woman.

If she suspects my behavior, she'll immediately uncover the truth.

In a flurry, I started punching a tree, the cracking sounds audible, but my mind was too clouded by confusion to care.

Just then, a rabbit's alert cry reached my ears, which were incapable of calm thought at the moment.

"! Is it him!?"

As I was about to flee, a small blue figure emerged from the bushes, causing me to lower my guard.

"Guu..."

"A Blue Grizzly's cub?"

What emerged was a Blue Grizzly about one meter in length.

It ignored me completely and approached the corpses of the two bears, crying mournfully.

"......Guu..."

"....."

I'm not exactly a commendable person.

I've never helped anyone out of goodwill, nor have I belittled someone out of malice. I was just an ordinary high school boy who did nothing, albeit one who had become somewhat stronger after being endlessly bullied by Rose. But my essence hadn't changed.

No matter what, I'm just a stubborn high school boy.

I don't like admitting defeat to Rose.

I don't like having my prey taken from me.

I don't like my efforts being wasted.

But more than that... I can't stand the sight of this small bear crying before me.

"Hey."

"Guu!?"

I know it's contradictory.

Originally, I was supposed to defeat the Grand Grizzly. I might have even contributed to the current situation.

But—

"The enemy will be avenged. So watch. I'll give you the finest snake meat."

This is my pride; I'll be the one to defeat that snake.

I won't run away this time; I'll fight.

―With a firm determination, I turn my back on Koguma and set out to face the most vicious enemy ever.