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 23: The Giant Bear

Episode 23: The Giant Bear

“Grrraaa!”

“[Earth Bind]… It’s no use, it’s not working at all!”

“Damn, why is there a Grand Beast here…!”

“Just run, it’s over if we get caught!”

A group of three humans was being chased by a magical beast and was running towards me. The pursuer was the Giant Bear—the same one I had fought before, or rather, had been completely smashed by.

The bear’s speed was considerable. It was only a matter of time before it caught up with the humans.

“Now to help—”

“(Wait, wait, wait, wait!)”

“—Eek!?”

The girl was about to rush out, so I wrapped a whip around her ankle and lifted her up. I was surprised when she suddenly started running. But since my |Speed| was higher, I caught up to her quickly.

“(What do you think you’re doing? You’ll just get killed!)”

“But those people—”

“(It’ll be the same if you go out there.)”

“Well…”

From my previous encounter with the old man, I had learned that this girl could be a capable person. However, given that her |Speed| was lower than mine and she was easily captured, she didn’t seem very strong.

Seeing her hesitant demeanor, I was convinced and conveyed my intention again.

“(Listen, I’ll handle that Giant Bear. So you should escape. Being close might get you caught up in this.)”

“Huh?”

I gently set her down and leaped out from the bushes. The humans happened to be passing by at that moment.

“Whoa, a slime!? And that color, the rumored—”

“Idiot, focus on running and don’t worry about that! Just keep your eyes forward!”

The humans ran past me, and right behind them was the Giant Bear. I had no intention of letting it get to them.

“I’m your opponent, bear! [Challenge] activated!”

“Grrraaa!”

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

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>> Fuwa Katsu {Jewel Weapon Slime}’s [Folly] has been activated.

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The bear’s red eyes pierced through me. The upgraded [Challenge] had a new ability that increased its effectiveness when used against a higher-ranked opponent. It seemed to work well on the bear.

The bear took a deeper step towards me and—

“([Jump]!)”

I leaped reflexively. With the boost from various [Skills], I shot backward like a bullet.

—Boom!

A crack was carved into the ground. A gust of wind blew through after a delay. The bear’s charge and claw strike were nearly impossible to see.

I grabbed onto the trunk of a tree and trembled at the sight below.

“([Jump]!)”

As soon as the bear’s first attack missed, its eyes turned towards me. I kicked off the trunk and, almost simultaneously, the bear’s figure blurred. A thunderous sound came from behind. The sound of a tree being smashed by the bear’s blow.

Seeing this with my slime’s all-around vision, I felt a chill that slimes usually don’t experience.

Even with [Instant Shift], tracking its movements was barely manageable.

“(Damn, I’m not going to make it to the landing—)”

I had jumped in a frenzy, so there was nothing where I landed. The bear turned around faster than I could land and crouched, preparing to charge.

“([Aerial Jump]!)”

I jumped sideways instinctively. The strong wind brushing past my body confirmed the success of my evasion.

I had used up one of my available uses, but it was a necessary expense.

“(For now, the only option is to run!)”

I used [Jump] and whip movement to swiftly leap from tree to tree. The bear was chasing me, but the speed difference wasn’t too great. I should have some time to think.

First, I had achieved the goal of helping the humans.

Now, I just needed to deal with that bear.

There were two options: fight and defeat it, or escape and evade it.

Based on my previous battle experience, facing the bear that ignores |Toughness| and deals damage was high-risk. It seemed wiser to escape.

“(But, running away without doing anything… )”

The bear was indeed dangerous. Fighting it might come with a high cost. But does that mean it’s okay to run away so easily?

I had become much stronger since our last fight. I had gained enough ability to keep running away like this.

The bear was superior, but it wasn’t an opponent I couldn’t handle. 

Running away without doing anything… It felt like I would keep running away from superior opponents forever if I continued this way.

I don’t really place much importance on pride or honor, and I believe that if it seems like you’re about to die, you should run without hesitation. But at the same time, I think there are times when you can’t just run away—when running away would mean losing something more important than your own life. 

That’s why I don’t want to run from things I can handle.

Looking at the present situation, the Giant Bear’s Beast Rank is probably one rank higher than mine. And its <Level> shouldn’t be too high either. This is because both times we’ve encountered each other, we’ve been in areas with low |Mana|.

If it were a Grand Beast instead of a Greater Beast, it would likely be deeper in the forest seeking better prey. So the fact that it’s staying in the shallow areas means it’s probably newly {Evolved}. Although it looks threatening because it can pierce my |Toughness|, its actual power is quite close to mine. It’s not an opponent I can’t beat.

“(Yeah, I might as well give it a try here.)”

If things look bad, I’ll escape immediately! But I’ll do what I can until then. That was the resolve I silently made.

“(Besides, the [Soul Fragments] from a Grand Beast are quite tempting.)”

With that thought, I calmed my tense heart, and I was ready. My counterattack was already planned out.

I gradually reduced my speed and closed the distance between myself and the Giant Bear. And when we were at the right distance—I collided head-on with a large tree.

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

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

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The sudden stop affected my body. The Giant Bear, seeing this as an opportunity, came running in unguarded. The first phase of the plan was a success.

“(Change of plan! I’m going to slip past the bear and escape!)”

I thought about this to maintain my [Escape]. Then, I gathered my strength.

With considerable speed and weight, my collision slightly tilted the large tree. It bent under the force. Naturally, the tree would try to return to its original position— 

“([Jump], [Charge], [Cross Counter], [Slash]!)”

—I used that force to charge at the Giant Bear with bullet-like speed.