Lets Wipe Out the Tadpoles

* * *

<Fufu, its great that so many got caught, isnt it~!>

Yeah! Thats right, Extra-sama.

Im currently skipping along the misty mountains in the morning.

As usual, my expression is unchanged, but my heart is bouncing merrily.

The reason is that were going to check on the trap we set in the river last night!

<The shito shirasu trout we ate yesterday was so delicious!>

Yes, about yesterday.

With my thirst, I went down to the river flowing through the mountains to drink water.

Thats when I was attacked by the monster lurking in that river, the shito shirasu trout!

The shito shirasu trout is a trout about 30 centimeters long.

Not that big, but its an aggressive fish designated as a monster for indiscriminately and mercilessly attacking any non-trout creatures entering its territory, whether bears, deer, or humans, with its sharp teeth.

Getting bitten by those teeth would surely be fatal for ordinary humans!

It even has the intelligence to accurately target the nape of the neck when biting.

Quite a malicious freshwater fish.

<Well, its teeth were completely ineffective against you, it seems.>

Yeah.

It kept stubbornly biting at my neck.

Intentionally letting it bite my arm, it couldnt even leave a tooth mark on my skin, but it wouldnt stop biting.

It got so annoying that I ended up devouring it instead!

And its flesh was so delicious!

<I had no idea the shito shirasu trout could be that delicious! I never saw it on the Gourmet Gods isekai broadcast!>

Craving more, I desperately searched for other shito shirasu trout, butI must have inadvertently leaked some murderous intent, scaring them into hiding where I couldnt find them.

Thats when Extra-sama suggested setting a trap in the river.

Ah, by trap, its nothing too complicated.

I just wove the abundantly growing vines into a net and cast it into the river.

I dont know net-making techniques, so its rather crudely assembled, but hey, this is a fantasy other world.

I have mana manipulation techniques Ive mastered and developed!

Specifically, I used Solidify on the vines to increase their durability, and Adhesion to firmly bond the intersecting vines together.

It should make for a rather sturdy net.

From my perception while making it, these mana effects should persist for about a day, so it shouldnt have deteriorated yet.

Fufufu, this is the true fantasy fishing method!

<Ufufu, Emi. Listen closely. I can hear the flowing water.>

Ah, youre right!

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the stream where I set the trap.

Suppressing my eagerness, I hop along the rugged rocks as footholds down to the riverbed.

* * *

<Well, these things happen. Dont be too discouraged.>

Yeah. Youre right, Extra-sama

Im currently sitting slumped by the clear flowing river, gazing at the sparkling water surface with a dejected look.

As always, my expression is unchanged, but my heart is gloomy.

The reason isnot a single fish was caught in the trap I set.

<I suppose a crude setup by an amateur wouldnt work out so well. If only I had seriously watched the Fishing Gods isekai broadcast!>

Damn it! Dammit dammit dammit!

My fantasy fishing methodfailed, did it!?

Giving in to frustration, I pound a nearby dark, wet boulder with all my might!

The boulder shatters into dust with a thunderous sound as its blown away.

<Hey Emi! Stop taking it out on things! There might still be shito shirasu trout nearby that got scared off by that!?>

No, Extra-sama.

Theyre already gone from this area.

Scared off by me, they abandoned their territory and fled.

Im certain of it.

Ha! Cowards!

Those trout labeled as monsters dont even have the hungry spirit to indiscriminately attack anything in sight! Just chicken wimps!

<Not chickens, fish meat. Besides, fleeing when outmatched is only natural for living creatures. You would do the same, wouldnt you?>

I know that!

I understand that already, Extra-sama!

Im just venting my frustration at failing to catch my intended prey by randomly insulting the trout!!

Damn it damn it damn it!!!

Murderous intent leaks out.

No, leaks is an understatement in my irritated state, I was already fully releasing my murderous aura.

The sound of small animals frantically fleeing can be heard from afar.

The only presences remaining in this stream are me, the flowing rivers zaazaa sound, and the rustling zawazawa of the kirkree leaves brushing against each other

Hn?

<Ah? Whats that sound?>

It was then!

I noticed somethingmaking a loud noise while heading this way from upstream!!

!?

Turning toward the upstream direction, there was a black mass rapidly descending the river at tremendous speed!

That mass seemed to be a school formed by numerous small fish-like creatures, but the sheer number was astounding!

There were so many, it looked like the river surface was swelling up blackly!

That school proceeded down the river without losing momentum, then crashed into the net I had set!

mishimishimishi!

That creaking sound was the scream of the kirkree tree whose vines I had tied to anchor the nets edges!

While the net itself didnt seem damaged thanks to my Solidify and Adhesion, at this rate the tree would be toppled, dragging the net away with the current!

I wont allow that!!

After activating Body Strengthening at full power, I use Grasshopper!

Instantly relocating to grip the vines anchoring both sides of the net to the trees on the river banks.

I feel an immense weight on my palms!

The sheer mass causes cracks to form on the rock Im bracing my footing against!

With both ends gripped by me, the net has enveloped the school of fish into a large black spherical shape.

This is the sturdy net I painstakingly crafted.

Theres no way these measly small fry could tear through it, but left unchecked, theyll surely find a gap to escape from!

I wont let a single one get away!!

All of youare my prey!!!

Haaaaaaaaaahhhh!!

Yelling with spirit, I turn my back to the river and hurl the net upward with full force like a back suplex!

zapaaaaan!

With a tremendous splash, the black spherical school bursts from the water surface!

Remaining a unified black sphere, it briefly floated in the air before getting violently slammed onto the riverbank!

beshaaaaaan!!!

A tremendous watery impact thunders out!

Hows that!!

This is the true power of my net!!

The victory of fantasy fishing!!

Obeying gravity, the black sphere splatters across the ground, the hurled school bouncing and wriggling.

Despite being slammed with considerable force, theyre still alive and kicking.

Perhaps they have a sturdy nature resistant to blunt impacts.

<!! Look closely, Emi! Those arent fish! Theyre tadpoles!>

Heeding Extra-samas words, I finally noticed too.

Indeed, youre right.

Taking a closer look at their shapes, those cute little faces.

Theyre definitely not fish.

These are tadpoles.

In size, slightly smaller than a clenched fist or so each.

Fairly large for tadpoles, but not astoundingly huge.

<Eh!? And these tadpolescould it bemad tadpoles!? Why here!? Why this season!?>

Eh?

Extra-sama seems startled for some reason.

Just as I was about to ask why, it happened!

girori

I felt them all glaring at me in unison.

Im being subjected to.

An overwhelming murderous intent right now.

The source is those wriggling tadpoles on the ground.

Whats with these guys?

<Emi! Those arent ordinary tadpoles! Those are mad tadpoles! Dangerousmonsters!!>

Almost simultaneously as Extra-sama issued that warning, the tadpolesthe mad tadpolessimultaneously leapt at me!!

!?

Caught off guard by the sudden development, my body gets swallowed by the mad tadpole swarm without recourse!

If a human were watching my current state from the side, Id likely look like a humanoid tadpole mass!

They latch onto my skin with their numerous sharp fangs, trying to rip and devour my flesh!!

<The mad tadpoles crave human flesh! Their appetite is so ferocious, theres a famous tale of an adult man falling into their dwelling stream, only for his skeleton to surface 3 seconds later!!>

<Ah>

Yeah.

<Well, I suppose thats how it would be.>

My sturdy body that has undergone mana transformation.

Body Strengthening spontaneously cranked to higher output.

The synergistic effect of those factors results in tremendous defense.

The mad tadpoles fangs cant even leave a single scratch on my skin.

At most, it feels a bit ticklish.

<The mad tadpoles can move nimbly on land for extended periods despite being tadpoles, and their small individual sizes make them hard to hit with blades. They also swarm in large numbers. Quite a difficult monster to exterminate. Their individual attack power isnt exceptionally remarkable, but theyd undoubtedly tear apart ordinary humans, and infiltrating armor gaps would be lethal, so theyre definitely dangerous monsters.>

Not much of a threat to my current self, though.

Theyre just tadpoles in the end.

However, these mad tadpoles.

Whether due to low intelligence or not, their murderous intent shows no signs of waning.

Adamantly persisting in their efforts to devour me, they continue futilely biting my skin with an iron will.

A futile effort.

But.

Ill acknowledge it, mad tadpoles!

That naked hostility! That murderous intent! That will to live!

You are indeed my enemies!!

However, dont get cocky!

The one being devoured isnt me. Its you.

Im not the preyyou are!!

<What bravado from someone covered in tadpoles.>

Silence, Extra-sama!

In any case, mad tadpoles!

The only words I have for you are just this!

Itadakimasu!!!

I scoop up some mad tadpoles clinging to my face and chomp down hard!

Immediately, tadpole bodily fluids burst forth and overflow from my mouth!

Incredibly foul-smelling and muddy, not at all delicious, but as the bare minimum respect for my prey, I force myself to swallow it

Eh?

There are still plenty of mad tadpoles left.

I scoop up another bunch to eat.

Eh!?

The mad tadpoles.

These are tadpoles.

No matter how you look at them, complete, ordinary tadpoles.

Which is why I had steeled myself for that foul, muddy taste.

Eh?

But thats not it at all?

Rather, theyre sweet.

Slightly bitter, but also with a nice aroma.

If I had to liken it to food from my previous life, it would bechocolate.

These tadpoles are delicious!?

They taste like chocolate!!?

<Thats right! These mad tadpolesare exceptionally delicious! Which is why the Awan people native to Ikkanee Continent where these tadpoles originally dwell venture out to streams every spring to catch them, waging fierce battles of eat or be eaten!! I saw it on the Amphibian Gods isekai broadcast!!>

Uwahh~~~!

Delicious~~~!

I ravenously devour the mad tadpoles.

I love meat, but I also adore sweets!

Because you know, Im a girl after all!

<You may say that in a cutesy way, but in reality youre just a feral child greedily devouring tadpoles craving your own flesh. The text sounds nice, but the visuals are awful.>

Minutes later.

Having completely devoured all the mad tadpoles that had swarmed me, I flop onto a large, flat rock in the stream, basking in the scattered rays of sunlight filtering through the kirkree leaves as I savor the aftertaste.

In the end, those mad tadpoles never chose the option of fleeing, even when only the last one remained.

Until that solitary final tadpole, they chose to fight me, confronting me adamantly.

A formidable fighting spirit, albeit tasting of chocolate.

Fuwah

Despite knowing Ill be hungry again soon, a drowsiness assails me with my stomach temporarily full.

The soothing murmurs of the stream, the warm sunrays, encourage that sleepiness

<Howeverwhy were mad tadpoles here, and during this season?>

Extra-sama was saying something, but I completely tuned it out.

An afternoon nap every once in a while isnt so bad, is it?

Im sleepy, after all.

Ill sleep.

Good night