Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear Vol. 1

by Kumanano

  Killing time, practicing magic, practicing with my sword, checking out monsters, making maps—there were a ton of things.

  “I just got to this town, so I’m getting familiar with the area. I just killed monsters when I happened across them.”

  “In that case, why didn’t you report to the guild?”

  “I just joined, so I had no idea.”

  I hadn’t known it was my duty to report monsters I’d slain, other than the ones I accepted quests for. It was Helen’s fault for not telling me that.

  “And why didn’t you sell back the materials?”

  “I don’t need the money.”

  “But won’t it be bad if they start rotting in your bottomless bag?”

  Right, I thought, normal bottomless bags couldn’t stop time.

  “Umm, could you keep this between us?”

  “What is it? I’m not the type to give away other people’s secrets.”

  “My bottomless bag can stop time, so it’s fine because nothing spoils.”

  “Really?”

  I laid out a couple of older wolf carcasses on his desk to prove my point. “I defeated these three days ago.”

  The guild master looked them over. “They’re still warm.”

  I popped them back into my bear storage so they wouldn’t bleed on his desk. “They won’t rot, so it’s fine.”

  “I’ve heard enough. Make sure you report your kills from now on. If you don’t, you’ll get the other adventurers into trouble.”

  “Okay, I got it. Can I go now?”

  “One more thing. Did you slay some orcs?”

  “I did.” There was no point in lying, so I answered honestly.

  “I see. Then we’ll promote you to D-rank, starting today.”

  “Is it really okay for me to go up in rank that easily? I haven’t accepted any quests from rank D yet. Don’t I need to accept at minimum ten quests?”

  “If you can defeat orcs and goblin kings on your own, that’s not an issue. Plus, you must have over ten orcs inside that bottomless bag of yours, right?”

  He was in the right ballpark.

  “Also, I’m sorry, but I’ll need you to sell the orc corpses to the guild. If the guild doesn’t occasionally supply monster parts to the stores, it reflects badly on us.”

  “Got it.”

  A female guild employee led me back to Helen at the front desk. She told Helen what the guild master had said and returned to her own work.

  “Ms. Yuna, congratulations on your rank increase.”

  “Thanks.”

  Helen put the guild card on the crystal panel and started tinkering with it, reminding me that I still didn’t get how the crystal panels could share data across the world.

  “The guild has a request,” she said, “if you would be so kind.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Could you avoid killing wolves in this area for a while? You are free to kill things, of course, but it causes trouble for beginner adventurers trying to make a living.”

  “Well, I’m supposed to be a beginner, too.” I hadn’t even been an adventurer for that long.

  “I wouldn’t call you a beginner. Beginners can’t defeat goblin hordes, goblin kings, and orcs.”

  She had a point. “I got it. I just need to not battle them for a while, right?”

  “Thank you very much. We would like low-level adventurers to be able to gain experience and rise in rank, and the most suitable things for them to fight are wolves and goblins.”

  “Wait, so should I ease off the goblins, too?”

  “Goblins multiply quickly, so you don’t need to hold back there. If anything, please kill as many of them. They’re an unpopular target, since you can’t sell the parts.”

  I took my guild card back. I was at D-rank now. “So can I go home now?”

  “Yes, you may. But sell the material before you go.”

  I left the guild and headed next door.

  Chapter 18:

  The Bear Sells Things

  I LEFT THE GUILD and headed to the exchange counter next door. Two of the three counters were serving customers, so I naturally went to the open one.

  “Yo, bear girl. You selling wolves again?” Mr. Gentz said, smiling as he greeted me.

  “I have other monsters, too.” I pulled ten wolves out of my bear storage. The adventurers in the room broke into slight consternation at the sight of them.

  Mr. Gentz called over two employees from the back and directed them to move the wolves. When the counter cleared, I pulled out ten horned hares next. The commotion around me in the room grew even louder. Incidentally, horned hares were meter-long bunnies. They looked cute, but they could jump like hell, and if you didn’t have good defenses, they could run you through with their horns.

  “What? You’ve even got horned hares? These all look fresh, too.” Mr. Gentz called into the back again and directed them to take away the hares. “As always, you didn’t butcher them.”

  “I don’t know how to, and it’s a pain in the butt.”

  “Well, it gives the guild work, so we’re happy to do it, but you’re going to lose money if you don’t learn.”

  “I’ll learn,” I told him, but I had no intention of doing anything of the sort. It might have been more accurate to say I didn’t think I could learn. I’d only stopped being grossed out by monster corpses. Butchering them was just too much for me.

  “So, just ten wolves and ten horned hares for today?”

  “There’s more. There’s something the guild master told me to bring.”

  “The guild master told you to bring something?”

  I pulled out an orc.

  “Hey there, you’ve even got an orc? Wait a second. You’re not going to tell me you’ve got ten whole orcs, are you?”

  The smaller orcs were about two meters tall; larger ones could grow up to three. It was impossible to carry one in alone, and it’d get in the way if I put them all on the counter.

  The assembled adventurers started whispering again. “There’s no way that’s an orc.” “But that’s definitely an orc.” “Did she beat it alone?”

  I ignored their fussing and answered Mr. Gentz’s question. “I do.”

  “Seriously? What kind of bottomless bag is that? We’ll be in a fix if you pull ten orcs out here. Come over to the refrigerated warehouse in back.”

  I followed Mr. Gentz’ behind the counter to the warehouse, hearing the adventurers’ voices as I went. “There’s no way she could have ten of them.” “How’d she beat them?” “It’s because she’s a bear.” “The Bloody Bear could do it.” “Don’t diss the Bloody Bear.” “What’s the Bloody Bear?” “You don’t know…”

  What was that about a “bloody bear”? I thought. I wanted to pause and listen in, but I couldn’t risk losing sight of Mr. Gentz.

  The inside of the warehouse was lined with ice mana gems that kept it chilly. “Make sure to close the door once you get in, or you’ll let in too much warmth,” Mr. Gentz directed.

  I shut the door behind me. There were countless cuts of meat, and hair, horns, hide and other parts of butchered monsters piled up inside. The wolves and horned hares I’d just taken out had been brought in, too. The employees were clearly earning their paychecks.

  “I know it’s cold but bear with me. The meat rots if we let it get warm.” Mr. Gentz headed towards the largest table in the back. Even then, there was only enough space to lay down one orc. “Can you put one on top of this, then lay the rest down on the floor nearby?”

  I pulled them out of the bear storage like he asked.

  “Thanks. It must be hard to carry them around. Are you sure about this? You get a smaller cut if we butcher them for you.”

  “I can’t butcher them, and I don’t need the money, so it’s fine.”

  “I guess you’re still selling a lot. What’s your rank now, bear girl?”

  “I just got to D-rank.”

  “D-rank, huh. That would be the case if you can defeat
orcs. Could I ask you for something?”

  “What’s that?”

  “You can’t skin or butcher them, right?”

  “…”

  “So, could you give the work to a young worker who comes in to butcher things for us?”

  “Wouldn’t the guild lose money?”

  “We’ll do fine without your business. How many adventurers do you think there are?”

  That was true. The guild was managing just fine before I came by. One customer was a drop in the bucket. “But, why just that person?”

  “Well, she’s still a minor and not an employee at the guild. You know her.”

  “You’re not talking about Fina, right?” There was only one underage girl I knew.

  “You know what’s going on with her family, too, don’t you?”

  I nodded. She didn’t have a father, her mother was sick, and she had a little sister three years younger than her.

  “I’ve been giving her work, too, but I’m supposed to keep work in the guild.”

  “In other words, you want me to hire Fina directly to butcher my kills?”

  “That’s right. She’s pretty good at it, even for her age. She’s also good at skinning, so I don’t think she’d damage the merchandise, either.”

  “I don’t mind, but I don’t know how long I’m staying in town.”

  “That’s fine. Just do it as long as you’re around.”

  “Actually, how much should I pay her? I don’t know the market rate for harvesters.”

  “The guild takes twenty percent. You can just give her ten percent of how much you sell the harvested materials for.”

  “Is ten percent enough?”

  “That’s actually on the high side. You can even give her less if you think it’s too much.”

  “Got it.”

  “Well, I’ll call in Fina, so just wait here.”

  Mr. Gentz happily headed into a back room. I thought he’d be gone for a bit, but he immediately returned with Fina.

  “Yuna!” She ran over and hugged me. Yeah, she was cute. I gave her a pat on the head.

  “Fina, how’ve you been?”

  “Good. Is it true that you’re giving me work?”

  “Yeah, could you butcher the monsters I’ve brought in?”

  “Thank you so much.” Fina’s face broke out into a wide smile.

  “So, Fina,” said Mr. Gentz, “you don’t have to come over here for a while.”

  “But…”

  “The reason why we’ve had more work lately is because your big sis was bringing in stuff without harvesting it. If she gives you the work, we won’t have as much to do in the guild. I’m going to have you put in a good day’s work today though, so don’t worry. She brought in some wolves, horned hares, and orcs—ten of each.”

  “That’s so many!”

  “So, what should I do starting tomorrow?”

  “Can I come over to your inn tomorrow, Yuna?”

  “Sure.”

  “In that case, I’ll come around seven.”

  It was kind of early for an appointment, but the people in this world started working as soon as the sun came up and finished once the sun went down. Nobody worked under the light of a mana gem.

  I left the freezing warehouse for the muggy heat outdoors. I collected my cut from Mr. Gentz and went back to the inn.

  Chapter 19:

  The Bear is Dubbed

  the Bloody Bear

  I HAD A DELICIOUS BREAKFAST that day at the inn, too. Not having to cook was the absolute best. As I basked in my hermit’s dream come true, Fina came skipping in, full of energy.

  “Yuna, good morning!”

  “Morning.” I slurped my hot soup, savoring the taste. “Just wait a bit. I’ll be done eating in a sec.”

  “Okay, that’s fine.”

  “Elena, could you bring Fina something to drink?”

  “Yuna?”

  “It’s fine, just sit. I have something to tell you today.”

  When I said that, Fina sat down obediently in the chair in front of me. Elena came back with the drink immediately.

  “Fina, there are a ton of things I don’t know about, so could I ask you about them?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is there anything you need for butchering? All I know is that you need a knife.”

  “That’s the main thing. The sharper it is, the better the skinning goes. If your knife is dull, it’s tricky to get a wolf’s pelt off without damaging it. If it’s high-level monster, sometimes you can’t butcher them with a normal steel knife.”

  “What about your knife?”

  “It’s a steel knife, but Mr. Gold made it, so it’s a good one.”

  “Do you need anything else?”

  “I guess just a place to do the butchering. It’ll help if there’s water nearby, too.”

  “That’s it?”

  “I’ll need a whetstone and a place to store the materials. After a while, the meat starts to spoil.”

  “So, for the time being, that means you need a whet tone, a place to harvest, and a place for safekeeping, right?” That was alright. I could use the thing I’d made earlier. “One more thing. What are you going to do while I’m out doing quests? Do you want to come with me? Or do you want to wait?”

  “I want to go with you, but I’d be in the way.”

  “Why would you want to come with me?”

  “If I go with you, I might be able to pick some herbs for my mom.”

  “In that case, do you want to come?”

  “Really?”

  “I can protect you. Are you fine with spending the night out?”

  “Uhh, I think it’s fine if I tell my mom beforehand. But she’d be worried if I stayed out a long time.”

  “In that case, we’ll just do a day trip today. Could you tell your mom it might end up being an overnight and two days next time? Or should we talk to her together?”

  “It’s okay. I’ll make sure to tell her.”

  I finished my breakfast and took a slow walk to the guild. We got replacement whetstones at a tool shop on the way. When I got to the guild, the other adventurers were keeping Helen busy, so I just headed toward the D-rank board on my own. Fina followed behind me.

  The D-rank board didn’t get a lot of attention. The busiest one was the E-rank board. Some people watched me, but no one said anything. It was a busy morning, and no one had time to pay attention to me while they were scrambling for work.

  Escort a merchant to the royal sector.

  Orc slaying, includes the meat.

  Slay a demon monkey that is plaguing our crops.

  A sword or magic teacher above D-rank.

  Acquire Melmel grass.

  Investigate strange monster sightings around Hoelle mountain.

  Bring iron ore to Hoelle mountain.

  “There aren’t a ton of fun quests.”

  “Yuna, is that how you choose?”

  “Yeah. I’d rather do fun ones if I do any at all.”

  I headed to the C-rank board next. There were only four adventurers there, all of whom seemed to be part of the same party. They were chatting with each other as they picked assignments. I peeked at the board between them, trying to keep out of their way.

  Gather wyvern materials.

  Slay orc horde.

  Protect Fort Saumaug.

  Annihilate the Zamon thief gang.

  Ogre materials.

  There were some fun ones, but I didn’t know where the monsters would be, so finding them would be hard. I would have liked to do the wyvern one if I knew where to look for one.

  “Hey, girl in the weird clothes. This board is for C-rank,” a twenty-something-looking man from the four-person group told me.

  “I know. I’m just seeing what kind of quests are in C-rank.”

  “Just looking? Well, I guess it’s worth it to study your seniors.”

  A woman in a sorceress’s outfit looked at me. “Isn’t that that rumored E-rank girl?”


  “I became D-rank yesterday,” I said.

  “What about your other party members? That little one definitely isn’t of age yet.” It was pretty obvious Fina wasn’t old enough to become a member of a party.

  “Didn’t we hear the Bloody Bear goes solo?”

  “What’s that about a bloody bear?” said another adventurer.

  “What? You don’t know, Toya?” What looked like the party leader joined the conversation. “Supposedly an adventurer who picked a fight with a girl in a bear costume got beat bloody, and she didn’t even forgive him when he apologized. She kept whaling on him even after he was down…and she kept going at it until she’d beaten up all the adventurers around into a pulp.”

  Sounds scary, I thought. What bear were they talking about?

  “That bear girl doesn’t even butcher her monsters. She just brings corpses in every day, all bloodied up, so everyone’s been talking about her.”

  Well, of course a monster’s going to bleed if you kill it with a sword, I thought. Besides, I always put them away right away, so they’d only start bleeding when I took them out of the bear storage.

  “They started calling her Bloody Bear because of her attitude and her antics.”

  “I had no idea there was a bear like that,” said the leader. This was news to me, too.

  “Well, you don’t come into the guild often, after all.”

  “Is this bear-girl famous?”

  “Totally—she’s killed goblin hordes, a goblin king, and orcs all on her own.”

  “Right, and her outfit is weird, too. She’s pretty tough, so word’s been getting around about her lately.”

  “I see. My apologies, bear girl. I thought you were just a beginner in a weird outfit.”

  It seemed they weren’t bad people. They’d just been trying to warn an apparent amateur that she was at the wrong quest board. “That’s alright. Thank you for your concern,” I said.

  “I see. Well, we’re heading out. If anything happens, let us know.”

  Apparently having decided on a quest, they headed over to the front desk with the notice they’d plucked from the board. I picked out my own D-rank quest that looked like a day’s work.

  “Yuna, did you find something you like?” said Fina.

  “Yup. Let’s get going, too.”