Isekai Lizardman Survival Log

The massive body, as big as a house, flew through the air.

The monster, swimming through the air, blocked out the sun, and from under its shadow, I twisted my waist and drove it down along with its whiskers.

Rip

I wonder if that tearing sound came from the whiskers or was it the death cry of my muscles.

I removed the whiskers, torn from their roots, wrapped around my arms and looked at the creature with dulled senses.

With two of its whiskers torn off, the creature thrashed wildly, shocked from being pulled out of the lake and hitting the ground. Its entire body was covered in slippery mucus, and with its flat snout and two whiskers growing from it, it looked exactly like a catfish.

“Attack―!”

With the old man’s booming voice, flames burst forth and engulfed the creature’s side.

As half of the creature’s body was wrapped in flames, rocks and remaining harpoons flew from all directions, but they slid off the mucus without dealing much damage.

“Kieeek―!”

However, the old man’s flames seemed effective as the creature screamed and used its long fins like legs to jump towards us.

“Block it―!”

At someone’s shout, the fearless orcs jumped in, but they were hit by the intact whiskers and sent flying, spraying blood.

“Re―x―!”

I took a deep breath.

I feel something flowing down my back. Being a cold-blooded animal, I don’t sweat, so it must be blood.

As if adrenaline had surged through me, I whipped my numb body into action, lowered my waist, and put my weight on my legs rooted to the ground.

Thinking I was an obstacle, the creature, with its body half-scorched, swung its whiskers like whips.

Whoosh

“…!”

I caught the whiskers again, using my arms as shields.

Perhaps due to overexertion, the impact that struck my arms shattered scales, tore skin and flesh, and blood flowed.

As blood trickled down my arms, I curled up the corners of my mouth, and the creature’s surprised eyes looked at me.

“You goldfish-like bastard…”

The creature made a surprised expression, seemingly having forgotten that it had been caught and lifted by its own whiskers, now caught in the same way again.

As if it had made up its mind, it accelerated with its fins and charged at me, but with its fins half-torn from the harpoons and overexerted, it rammed into me like a dump truck.

Boom―!

“―!”

I gritted my teeth at the impact that felt like every bone in my body was breaking.

My legs sank past my ankles up to my knees, and the ground that absorbed the impact cracked and crumbled, raising a cloud of dust, but it couldn’t push me back.

“Kiee―eek―!”

Unable to believe it was blocked by someone barely a mouthful in size, it swung its whiskers and tried to bite with its snout.

Whoosh―

The whip-like whiskers tore the skin on my back again, and hot blood flowed.

The shark-like pointed teeth between its flat snout struggled to bite, but because I was supporting it from under the snout, it couldn’t bite me.

“At―tack―!”

As the mucus covering its body had burned off from the old man’s flames, revealing scorched flesh, harpoons and rocks stuck into the creature.

It struggled to free its whiskers from my grip, but my body, pinned down by its weight, didn’t budge.

The monster catfish with only one whisker left to attack, and us with plenty of harpoons and rocks remaining.

With the paralytic poison starting to spread through its body, the outcome was as good as decided.

Harpoons flew from all directions and stuck into the creature’s body. Fearless fellows rushed in with harpoons only to be sent flying, but.

“What a big catch―!”

The uncle, carrying a hammer larger than his own body, ran up close and struck its head.

Thwack

With a heavy sound, the massive head rose into the air, and the whiskers in my hands finally snapped.

As the creature’s resistance stopped, perhaps due to a concussion, the fearless ones, seizing the opportunity, jumped onto it carrying their weapons.

-Ha―ha―!

As I watched those who were hit and sent flying by the catfish that had regained its senses, I put strength into my legs.

Gritting my teeth, I lifted my legs that were pinned down by a weight at least ten times my own, and stomped the ground, pulling out the other leg that had been deeply rooted in the crushed earth.

Throwing away the broken whiskers, I used my now-free hands to support the creature’s lower jaw and pushed up with my shoulder as if tackling.

Creak

The massive body, seemingly weakened, was slowly lifted.

Squeezing my screaming muscles, I lifted my body to position myself and…

“Huu―ap―!”

I threw it.

The house-sized body left the ground, and its head that had soared high into the sky flipped over backward.

Thud

As its flat body completely flipped over, it wriggled helplessly, looking just like an overturned turtle, with its fins unable to reach upward, struggling in the same way.

-Woah―!

As the house-sized body flipped over, cheers erupted from all around, as if they were certain of victory.

Ignoring the cheers pouring in from all directions, I moved my creaking body.

I kicked up a harpoon lying on the ground, grabbed it, and climbed onto the limp body. I positioned myself on the creature’s belly, which was weakly wriggling, either due to the effects of the paralytic poison or inability to breathe.

Thud

And while on top of it, I stabbed the harpoon into its faintly beating heart.

Feeling the heavy sensation at my fingertips, I twisted and pulled out the harpoon, and the weakly flailing fins went limp.

I threw away the harpoon covered in blood and flesh and got down to the ground.

-Re―x―!

The uncle came running with his gums fully exposed, but when I dodged to the side, he ran straight into the catfish’s body.

Thud

He hit it so hard that his head got stuck, and he was now flailing about trying to pull his head out with his prosthetic hands. I couldn’t help but smile at this comical sight.

-Hahaha―!
-Donovan―! Was fish your type!

“Who said that―!”

Ignoring the uncle who was taking out his embarrassment on innocent people amidst the roars of laughter pouring in from all directions.

“Boss! That was amazing!”

Chik-chik, who had somehow climbed onto my head, excitedly tapped my crown, and only then did it really sink in that the fight was over. As if sensing this, all the muscles in my body started screaming.

‘Looks like I’ll be bedridden for a few days.’

I might pass out the moment I close my eyes, won’t I?

Desperately holding onto my consciousness that was about to fly away, I painfully moved my legs.

Feeling as if a giant hammer, not a tiny fist, was pounding on my crown, I moved forward.

The village was in a festive mood.

Those with energy to spare were fist-fighting and rolling on the ground, gulping down bottles of alcohol and biting into meat.

In fact, as the dependence on fishing was high, many people made their living from fishing, but after the old man’s rampage, they had been left out on the streets, so the village atmosphere had been a bit down.

In this situation, working together to hunt a monster must have been a good change of pace.

Watching the boisterous scene from a distance, I put a piece of white catfish meat—confirmed edible by passing goblins—into my mouth.

The flesh was tender and elastic, making it enjoyable to chew, and it would have been excellent if not for the muddy smell characteristic of freshwater fish.

As I shifted my gaze while keeping my distance, I saw Jamel surrounded by villagers.

Around him were orcs and furry creatures packed tightly.

-And then―!

Judging by the voice that carried this far, Kart must be there too.

To think that Jamel, who had been an outsider in the village until a few days ago, and Kart, whom people had kept their distance from because he was noisy, were now at the center of the crowd, chattering away…

‘So much has happened in such a short time.’

As I approached out of curiosity and focused my ears, I heard words like meat, cooking, and sauce. Looking closer now, I realized that all the gluttons, both the furry creatures and the orcs, were gathered there.

‘I should have known.’

I wondered what topic could make them talk so passionately, but to think it was cooking.

Jamel, at this rate, might soon clear out his stall and open a restaurant.

Well, for these barbaric monsters who thought grilling was the end of cooking, the act of dipping in sauce must have been shocking.

If Jamel were to make a stew for them, they might lose their minds.

“Boss. What are you thinking about?”
“Hm? Nothing.”

I stroked Chik-chik, who was tilting its head curiously, as I moved my heavy feet.

“Chik-chik. What do you think of Jamel’s cooking skills?”
“Jamel? He’s amazing!”

Chik-chik, seemingly recalling the skewers from a few days ago, continued speaking while drooling profusely.

“I didn’t know Jamel was such a good cook! If I had known, I would have visited him every day! I’ve missed out on life!”

Chik-chik was so busy extolling the virtues of Jamel’s cooking that it didn’t even think to wipe the drool flowing from its mouth, leaving me to listen to its chatter with a damp crown.

Judging by its reaction, if Jamel were to open a restaurant, it would probably become a regular customer right away.

‘A restaurant run by a less barbaric monster among barbaric monsters…’

It might be surprisingly good.

Since they can eat raw food anyway, they eat it raw out of laziness, not because they can’t eat cooked food, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

If it’s a future that’s going to happen anyway, it wouldn’t be bad for me to push for it directly.

‘I should talk to the old man about it later.’

I pushed aside thoughts about the restaurant that would be run by the village’s only troll and turned my steps.

As much as I wanted to join in and chat with them, my physical condition wasn’t very good.

Whether due to the newly acquired ability or the ability gained from eating the blood stone, the wounds had healed quickly, but.

The fatigue accumulated in my body didn’t disappear, and my body felt so heavy that I could collapse at any moment.

Right now, I’m desperately holding onto my consciousness, but the moment I close my eyes, I’ll collapse.

“Chik-chik. Can you tap my head a bit?”
“Huh? Um… okay.”

As Chik-chik tapped my crown with a puzzled expression, my drifting consciousness returned a bit.

While stroking the head of Chik-chik, who still seemed unable to understand and had tilted its head at a right angle, I moved towards the lake where the old man was coiled up, sipping from a cup.

“You’ve come.”
“Yes, I was a bit late watching the spectacle.”

The old man glanced at Chik-chik and then turned his head back to the lake.

I sat down beside him and looked at the lake.

The lake, reflecting the night sky, rippled like a mirror, and the sight of it emitting a blue aura as it absorbed the bluish moonlight was mystical no matter how many times I saw it.

“You worked hard.”
“Don’t even mention it. Why on earth did such a monster appear…”

The old man smiled bitterly as he tilted his cup, and he looked a bit gaunt.

“…Old man. It must be about time for the medicine to wear off, right?”
“…Yes. My body is starting to feel difficult.”

Tsk―

I thought he seemed to be overdoing it today. It looks like he squeezed out everything he had as the medicine’s effect was wearing off.

“I’ll tell Jamel to prepare some medicine for you.”
“Don’t bother. I’ve lived long enough.”
“Can’t you think about the feelings of the people left behind?”

As if he had no intention of listening, the old man just turned his head and kept sipping from his cup.

I calmed myself while stroking Chik-chik, who had frozen in shock.

Sigh―

“So, old man. How long do you think you can hold out?”
“Well… Probably―.”