part1 · 019-ep19

Episode 19: The Trap

The next day. Ren was going over yesterday's hunt in his head.

Chase the monster. Cut off its escape. Then bring it down.

Until now, that had been enough.

But—

"...Chasing them down every time wears me out."

Ren looked at the map. The monster he'd observed yesterday had always passed through the same spot. Past nearby at the same time, heading in the same direction.

Ren thought.

"Then... I just have to wait."

　　　　　◇

Ren headed for the spot the monster passed through. It was a narrow passage between two rocks.

Big enough for a monster to pass. But not big enough to avoid much.

Ren examined the area. Then he gathered thin branches. And picked up a few stones.

"With these..."

Ren dug into the ground. Not deep. A small pit, just enough to catch a monster's foot.

Over it he laid thin branches, laid withered plants on top. Finally, he covered it all with dirt and sand from around it.

From a distance, it looked like nothing but ground.

"...Done."

Ren moved off a little way. He waited. Waited quietly.

The presence of a monster drew near.

"...Here it comes."

Ren hid himself. The monster entered the passage.

One step. Two.

And—

—Thud.

The monster's leg sank into the ground.

"!"

Startled, the monster thrashed. Ren burst out at once.

The monster struggled to pull free of the hole. Ren kept his distance and watched its movements.

And when he found an opening, he thrust the spear out. The monster fell.

Ren let out a breath.

"...It worked."

　　　　　◇

Ren stared at the trap. It had been simpler than he'd expected.

But he'd learned one thing. Even without fighting directly, he could weaken a monster. That alone reduced the danger.

"...Maybe I can make more."

Ren looked around him. Spots that could be used. Places monsters passed. Escape routes.

All sorts of things were starting to catch his interest.

Before, whenever he found a monster, he'd fought it. From now on, that would change.

How monsters moved. Where they passed. How he could bring them down without fighting.

The things to think about had multiplied.

　　　　　◇

That night. Ren spread out his map at his bed.

He added new marks to yesterday's. The monsters' routes. The water source. His bed.

And—the spot where he'd set the trap.

"...It's coming together, bit by bit."

The dungeon was no longer just a dark cave. For Ren, it had become the place where he lived.

And Ren himself, too.

From a boy who survived by running, he was starting to change into a boy who lived by thinking.

Tomorrow, he would live just a little better than today. Thinking that, Ren quietly closed his eyes.