Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 21: Training

Episode 21: Training

“(Th-They’re not coming after me… right?)”

I stretched a part of my body out from between the tree roots to check. After confirming that the old man wasn’t following me, I let out a sigh of relief. 

At times like this, having a slime body that can act as eyes all over is really convenient.

“(Phew, what a terrible experience…)”

The tension melted away, and the strength drained from my whole body that had been tense. It’s probably similar to the sensation of losing strength in your legs if I were human.

“(Damn it, I was careless…)”

Now that I was safe, regret started welling up inside me. In hindsight, it was obvious. This world has things like <Levels> and [Skills], and those don’t diminish with age. Sure, aging decreases physical abilities, but thanks to |Status|, the weakening that comes with aging isn’t as pronounced as it was on Earth.

Judging based on Earth’s standards was my mistake. I must remember not to underestimate someone just because of their age next time.

“(Alright, reflection over!)”

There’s no use in worrying too much, so I started thinking about how to handle it if we meet again.

“(The best option is definitely to avoid him altogether.)”

The old man’s attack pierced through my toughness, but in the end, it was just a bare-handed strike. His attack range was only an arm’s length, so dodging should be possible.

The reason I got hit earlier was simply because the old man was ridiculously fast. To have caught up to me and landed a hit while I had [Escape] and [Evasion] active—his speed was far from normal.

“(One solution is to level up and {Evolve}. Another one is…)”

I focused my mind on my |Status| screen while considering this. There was a newly added—or more accurately, upgraded—[Skill] listed there.

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Skill Details

[Flee]

• • • • • • • •  Increases speed and stealth abilities during escape.

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The skill [Escape] had disappeared from my |Status| and was replaced by this. The effect was an upgraded version of [Escape]. Since I had used it to escape a lot, the [Skill] must have grown.

This is the other solution. If I can train my current [Skills]—specifically, [Evasion] —and upgrade it, I might be able to anticipate and dodge that old man’s attacks better.

“(Well, in the end, I need to find some enemies to train with.)”

After all, I can’t practice [Evasion] without someone to attack me. So, I headed in the opposite direction of where the old man had been, searching for enemies.

My |Life| was 90% recovered, so even if I ran into a Greater Beast, I could handle it.

“(Oh, those guys look promising.)”

I soon came across a group of Werewolves, bipedal wolf monsters. There were five in total, and four of them had the physique of middle schoolers. They were probably just Lesser Beasts.

But the one who seemed to be the leader was different. It stood about two meters tall, and its muscles were noticeable even through its fur. Judging from the fact that they were operating in this |Mana|-rich region, it was safe to assume the leader was a Greater Beast.

Time to get serious.

“Growl!”

“Snarl!”

The pack noticed me, and I responded with a growl. The leader barked once, and the Werewolves scattered before attacking me.

“(Hup, whoa, ha!)”

The first one lunged at me head-on, slashing down with claws as sharp as knives. I dodged by stepping back. The second one rushed past the first, aiming to bite, so I sidestepped forward and evaded. The third one launched a surprise attack from above, and I backstepped. Then, I used [Jump] over the fourth one, which had circled behind me.

The first one tried to catch me as I landed, but I quickly jumped to the side, avoiding the attack.

And so, I continued dodging the Werewolves’ attacks. Our base |Speed| was about the same, but with my [Evasion] and [Flee] , I managed to hold my ground even against multiple opponents.

Once I got used to evading their attacks, I started focusing on minimizing unnecessary movements. If I avoided their attacks by just a hair’s breadth, I wouldn’t need to dodge with full force, leaving me with enough time to prepare for the next move.

“(Oops, messed up there.)”

Of course, I’m no martial arts master, so I made quite a few mistakes. Sometimes, I misjudged the range of their attacks or miscalculated my strength and failed to dodge completely.

Even so, the Werewolves’ attacks didn’t harm me, so I kept using them to train my [Evasion] skill. But maybe, because I kept dodging, they started thinking I was mocking them.

The attacks from the Werewolves began to get quite sloppy. I’ve heard that movements become monotonous when someone gets angry, and it seems to be true. 

Although the prolonged battle had helped me get used to their attacks, I could now vaguely predict their movements. They tried to land attacks even if it meant taking some risks, so keeping that in mind made it easy to find openings.

“Growl!!”

However, it wasn’t just the Werewolves fighting who were getting impatient. Right after the leader, who had been staying in the rear, howled, I was hit by an invisible shockwave.

The leader continued to send out shockwaves at irregular intervals. They didn’t hit the other Werewolves but were perfectly timed to obstruct my movements, making it extremely annoying. 

Seriously, are you the rear support or something? Are those muscles just for show?

…Well, whatever.

More importantly, the leader was issuing simple commands to its subordinates—something I could read with the skill [Understanding Intent]—so the movements of the subordinates started to show signs of regaining composure.

“(That actually makes it better training!)”

Dodging while also keeping an eye on long-range attacks required even more focus, but my enthusiasm only grew stronger.

I continued training for what felt like a long time. Then, suddenly, everything around me seemed to move slower, and my body felt even lighter and more agile.

―――Non-Notification Information Recording Zone―――――――――――――

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>> Fuwa Katsu {Jewel Weapon Slime} has acquired the [Skill: Instant Shift]. [Evasion] has been integrated.

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Skill Details

[Instant Shift]

• • • • • • • •  Increases speed and agility during evasion. Constantly enhances dynamic vision.

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Looking at my |Status|, [Evasion] had disappeared, and an upgraded [Skill] had been added. It seemed the [Skill] upgrade strategy had been successful.

“(Finally, I can start fighting back.)”

The first target I aimed at was a Werewolf that had been swinging its claws. I dodged its attack by slipping past its arm, then grew blades from my body and used [Instant Shift] to enhance my speed for a [Slash] attack. 

Since the Jewel Weapon Slime has decent |Power|, I easily sliced through the enemy. It fell to the ground.

The other Werewolves attacked, but I dodged through their ranks and swiftly closed in on the leader. 

The leader gathered |Mana| in both arms, enhancing its claws to counter me. But as long as I didn’t get hit, it didn’t matter. I dodged its attack by a hair’s breadth and used my enhanced speed to strike. 

I decapitated it.

Once that was done, there was no one left to oppose me, and the remaining Werewolves were hunted down one by one.

―――Non-Notification Information Recording Zone―――――――――――――

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>> Fuwa Katsu {Jewel Weapon Slime} has acquired the [Skill: Cross Counter].

>> Fuwa Katsu {Jewel Weapon Slime}’s Soul Accumulation Level has increased to 42.

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