Chapter 298: Emi Plays at the Beach
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"Myogomyoggoshugoshuggo... Myogomyoggoshugoshuggo..."
Somewhere in the forest lined up in the distance, the sound of Myogomyoggoshugo can be heard.
Myogomyoggoshugo.
The taste of summer.
The taste of memories from childhood.
The sunlight is strong.
The weather is clear.
The sea breeze blowing gently is very pleasant.
The cumulonimbus clouds that have grown large and fluffy look great against the vast ocean in front of me.
Yes, the vast ocean.
...The sea!
I'm at the sea now!
Heading west and west, I finally passed through mountains and forests, crossed rivers, and reached the sea!
<Oh, the sea! The sea is great, isn't it? The summer sea makes you feel excited just by looking at it, right?>
Extra-sama is also in a very good mood.
Come to think of it, although it's been a while since I reincarnated into this world, this might be the first time I've come to the seaside like this, right, Extra-sama?
<...We've been to places near the sea, such as the town of Yoshanka and the sealed island Vera Kenu, but they were both on cliffs. We've never walked on the beach like this.>
Zaan, zaan, zaan...
The sound of the waves is very quiet.
It's probably low tide now.
In front of me, the wet black rocks that are usually hidden underwater are revealing themselves.
"........."
And I found a suitable tide pool, so I squatted down and stared into it for no reason.
There are lots of small creatures in the tide pool.
Just looking at it makes me excited.
For example, at the bottom of the tide pool, there is a small brown fish that stays still and doesn't move.
<That's a Burst Goby. It's a dangerous magical beast that self-destructs when you try to catch it and deals damage to enemies.>
Seriously, the gobies in a different world are dangerous.
How can you eat them?
<You can't eat them... If I had to say, you might be able to manage if you crush them with your teeth without giving them a chance to self-destruct.>
I got it, Extra-sama.
I moved my right hand at a speed that even the fish couldn't notice, grabbed the Burst Goby, threw it into my mouth, and chewed it.
Munch, munch...
It was fine.
The goby didn't explode.
But this isn't really delicious.
It's salty.
<The saltiness is probably because of the seawater. By the way, Emi... I said you "can't eat them," didn't I? Why are you forcibly eating it by using your superhuman physical abilities?>
Ehehe... I just felt like I could do it.
I think this would be a delicious fish if it was properly cooked.
It can't be helped if it explodes.
<Rather than such a dangerous creature, look, Emi, there's a crab in that crevice of the rock!>
As Extra-sama said, in the straight gap running horizontally in the rock, there is indeed a crab.
A small green crab.
<This is a Hamejika Beach Crab. It's a crab that commonly inhabits the western coast of the Hamejika Continent, and it seems to be delicious if you boil or fry it and eat it with the shell. It's a pretty mainstream creature.>
Oh, I see!
I tried to reach out my hand to grab that crab too... but.
I might have accidentally let out some killing intent.
The crab hid deep inside the crevice of the rock before I could move.
"...There!"
So I stuck my finger into the crevice where the crab was hiding, put all my strength into it, and lifted it up!
Crack!
With that sound, the black rock of the beach split in two, starting from the crevice!
And the crabs, suddenly exposed to the sun as the rock ceiling was peeled off, frantically scurried about in a panic!
Yes, it's plural!
It seems this gap in the rock was a collective dwelling for the crabs!
Many crabs that I couldn't see were lurking in this gap!
"........."
Of course, I have no intention of letting a single one escape.
Silently extending my [Black Tentacles] from my shoulders, I skewer them one after another.
I casually throw the upper half of the black rock far away.
The crabs caught like this are, of course, eaten while they're still lively.
I move my [Black Tentacles] to bring the skewered crabs to my mouth and crunch them.
Yeah, this is delicious.
It's super delicious.
<Emi, before I knew it, you've become really good at handling tentacles, haven't you?>
Ehehe, they're convenient, you know.
That's why, as I use them every day...
...Oh!
<What's wrong?>
Now, I move my arm again.
The reason is that I noticed a small octopus trying to sneak away from me!
Of course, I catch it without mercy, and that little octopus is already on the palm of my hand.
This one has a striking color scheme of a black body with yellow spots.
Time to eat!
<Ah! Emi! That octopus is a Death Octopus!>
Oh, a Death Octopus?
Munch, munch, gulp.
Is it famous?
<It's famous! It's a famous poisonous octopus!>
Whaaaat!?
Tell me before I swallow it!?
<Don't swallow it before I tell you!>
...But well, it should be fine.
Poison doesn't work on me, right?
<Well, probably... but I don't think it's good to try to put everything in your mouth. At this rate, I'll have to hide anything that fits in your mouth out of reach...>
Extra-sama, I'm not a baby, you know...?
Like that, while chatting with Extra-sama, I enjoyed playing at the beach for a while.
Up until now, including my previous life, I've never played at the sea, you know.
It was very fresh and fun.
...But!
There was someone who interrupted that fun time...!
"Shushu-shuuu!"
"!"
That thing shot something at my back while I was squatting and peeking into the tide pool, making a sharp whooshing sound!
But that sound.
And the momentary killing intent.
I'm not one who can't sense it!
Immediately jumping to the right side, putting both hands on the beach rock, using the strength of my arms to throw my body into the air, adding a twist to spin around and around, and then facing the direction of the attacker, I landed!
What jumped into my view, which had acrobatically reversed its orientation, was... something like a rock, shaped like what would be called Mount Fuji in my previous life, about the height of an adult.
There was a hole at the top of that something, and from there... tentacles were popping out and swaying in the air!
It was probably those tentacles that attacked me earlier!
The orange tips were pointed and shaped like claws, and they were very full of killing intent!
If an ordinary creature were pierced by those tentacles, it would probably lose its life!
<Ah! That's a Giant Barnacle!>
Extra-sama cries out, seeing through the identity of the hostile creature!
A Giant Barnacle!?
A barnacle!?
Is that a barnacle!?
<Yes! It's a very aggressive barnacle that became unsatisfied with just filtering and eating plankton and eventually started actively hunting!>
What did you say!?
As expected of a different world, even a single barnacle can't be taken lightly at all!
"Shu! Shuuu! Shushu-shuuu!"
The Giant Barnacle has already stopped its disguise as a rock and is showing its hostility towards me!
Its many swaying tentacles occasionally move swiftly, making a whooshing sound and threatening me!
<By the way, those aren't tentacles! They're cirri!>
Cirri!?
<The legs of a barnacle, or "cirri"! Amazingly, barnacles are crustaceans... in other words, they're related to shrimp and crabs, and those tentacle-like things are legs that have evolved into that shape!>
W-What did you say!?
I was stunned as I touched upon a part of the diversity of the evolution of life!
"Shushu-shuuu!"
Taking my surprised and stopped movement as an opening, the Giant Barnacle extends its ferocious cirri towards me all at once, trying to pierce my flesh!
...But!
"...Don't underestimate me, barnacle!"
I cut them down, cut them down, cut them down, one after another!
Sometimes swatting them away, slicing them with my hand blade, forcibly tearing them off, I deal with the Giant Barnacle's all-out attack!
And then!
"Raaaah!!"
It's the finishing blow!
With the fist of my enlarged [Black Arm], I punched the giant Giant Barnacle from above and crushed it!
Zaan, zaan, zaan...
"Myogomyoggoshugoshuggo... Myogomyoggoshugoshuggo..."
Suddenly, silence descends upon the area.
The huge barnacle was crushed and died with a splat.
The sea breeze blows, swaying my hair.
Small, tiny waves form on the surface of the tide pool.
Are there any other enemies?
I'll kill them.
I'll kill them all.
My unrelenting killing intent becomes a dark haze, polluting the surrounding tide pools.
Plop, plop, plop.
Small creatures like crabs and fish float to the surface, belly up.
I'll write a caution even if it's obvious, but everyone, please don't put anything you see into your mouth and try to eat it.
Let's eat things that are safe and non-toxic.
Emi-chan is fine only because she's a fantasy creature.
Normally, you'd die.
Absolutely don't imitate Emi-chan.
Also, whether it's the sea, river, mountain, forest, or in town, you never know when and where danger lurks.
When playing, don't forget to pay close attention to safety.