#91: Collision — Exiled in a Class Trial for “Poor Dexterity” (WN)

Using a Ranger’s survival knowledge, I completed the filtration device.

Normally, devices like this took an absurd amount of time to produce water.

But this filtration device— over Quality Level 30— purified water at a speed like a natural spring.

I let the young animals drink the cupful of water as it filled.

They tried to shove their faces into the cup first, so I held them back with words and hands.

“Wait, wait— the little ones go first. There’s plenty of mud here, so I’ll make as much water as you want. Don’t panic.”

Then the animals began taking turns drinking.

“Good, good— well done,” I said, patting their heads.

Once water became available like before, I would hunt these animals for food, or use them as tools for development.

It felt kind of strange to keep them alive by giving them water even though I might kill them someday…

But that was fine.

I didn’t want animals— dragged into this half as a joke, just to make me suffer— to die.

If they had to die anyway, they would rather be hunted and become someone’s flesh and blood than collapse uselessly where they stood.

It was still killing either way, and maybe it was hypocrisy, but that was how I thought.

Before I knew it, the animals had formed a line, waiting their turn to drink.

I hadn’t tamed them, and my Charm parameter was only 1…

“Good grief. Looks like during this journey to find water, they got pretty attached to me.”

Leopin’s watering of the animals became the perfect target for mockery.

“Muhahahaha! His own throat is dry as dust, yet he gives precious water to animals that are good for nothing…!”

“Bahahahaha! He’s beyond stupid— he’s a super idiot! If I were as smart as I am, I’d keep the water all to myself! Water tastes best while watching the animals dry up in misery!”

“Ahh, yeah, that trash really is a loser worthy of being shoved into the Special Training Class!”

“Right! Water is insanely precious in frontier life, and he gives it to animals!”

Most of the people there were sneering.

But some of the girls were crying.

“S-sniff… L-Leo-kuun… how kind can you be…!”

“To care about the forest animals more than himself…!”

Up until now, only a tiny handful— countable on both hands— had acknowledged Leopin.

But here, a change arrived.

“Look…! Leopin-kun is giving water to animals…”

“Even though he must be thirsty too, he’s putting the animals first…”

“I think I understand now why Leopin-kun was trusted by our animals… and even by Weiss’s Black Panther…”

The ones deeply moved by Leopin’s actions were…

Yes— Tamer apprentices.

They praised him one after another.

“Leopin-kun is the very model of a Tamer…!”

“I… I misunderstood Leopin…”

“I said horrible things to Leopin-kun during class…

When I see him next, I have to apologize…!”

“Do you think Leopin-kun will forgive me…?”

It was a tiny, tiny hole opened in their hearts.

Right now it was no bigger than a needle’s eye— but once opened, it would never close again.

Yes…!

It was the moment Leopin’s actions clearly took root in his classmates’ hearts…!

After finishing the water distribution to the animals, my clothes were completely caked in mud.

Brushing off mud with my hands, I continued along the dried-up river.

After a while, a large valley lay ahead.

The cliff soil was damp, and the wind blowing up from below was chillingly cold.

I knew at once.

“This is it…! This is the main stream! Somewhere ahead, there has to be the blocked point! Everyone, we’re going down and pushing forward!”

With the animals, I slid down the steep slope.

As usual, the bottom was a muddy mess, and we tumbled rolling from the momentum.

Me and the animals were now covered head to toe in mud.

But from here, it got even harder.

Mud dripping from all over our bodies, we set out upstream…

The valley floor where we were stretched toward the distant mountain peak, forming a harsh incline.

And because the ground was muddy and grabbed our feet, we couldn’t advance as we wanted.

I could manage, but the animals looked like they were at their limit.

Yet none of them had lost the light in their eyes.

Everyone squeezed out their last strength, stepping into the mud mountain while believing in the water source ahead.

Small animals rode on the backs of large animals, and when a large animal’s foot got stuck in the mud and wouldn’t come free, the small animals jumped down and dug it out.

We had crossed the boundary of species— carnivores and herbivores alike helping one another as we kept moving.

Then an ear-splitting imagined voice mocked us.

“Bahahahaha! Fool! You’re trudging on without even realizing you’ve stepped into a trap! This was my true objective all along!”

“At last, at last, the final moment has come, yes indeed! The professional Trappers lying in wait will activate the biggest, strongest trap, yes indeed!”

…Rumble rumble rumble…!

A ground-shaking roar rose up, as if drowning out those voices.

It grew louder and louder, turning into a tremor so violent I could barely stand.

“Th-that is…!?”

When I realized what caused it, a hoarse voice slipped out.

I spun around, forcing out my parched throat.

“A boulder is coming! Everyone, run! Run— RUUUUNNNNNーーーーー!!”

A gigantic boulder— big enough to fill the entire valley floor— was rolling down from the mountain above.

Worse, a surge of water was pressing in behind it, so that boulder must have been what held back the river.

And most likely, it had been launched by some kind of mechanism.

It was charging at us at a ferocious speed, fast enough to leave even the flood behind.

“Bahahahaha! When you reached the main stream, I had the stopper holding the boulder released! It was all calculated— in that deep valley, escaping a boulder rolling down with that momentum is impossible!”

“Muhahahaha! After you’re flattened like a rice cake under the boulder, I’ll give you water, yes indeed! To get the water you wanted so badly only after you’re dead…! How ironic, how pitiful— the perfect end for trash, yes indeeeed!”

The grating imagined voices accelerated my panic even more.

If I switched to Ninja right now and dumped everything into Agility, I could escape that boulder.

But the animals who followed me would be wiped out.

“How do I protect both my life and theirs!?”

If I switched to a combat class, maxed Strength, and smashed the boulder…!?

But there was no guarantee it would work, and if the timing slipped, we’d all die.

My options were down to two.

A certain escape— or an uncertain attack…!

“R-run! Please run, Leo-kuun!”

“Y-you mean to face that boulder!? That would be suicide, Master!”

Mixed into those pure screams, I heard heckling like noise.

“Heh, serves him right! He’s dying covered in mud!”