Chapter 2

Episode 41: Eight-Legged Walking

In the dense forest, a strange creature was making its way through. With a massive body and eight legs, it moved just like a spider, with its eight legs clicking and clacking as it progressed.

“Sla-sla.”

That creature—no need to hide it, was none other than me, Fuwa Katsu. I was testing out a new method of movement I’d recently come up with. Eight chained sickles supported my body as I walked. The tips of the sickles had blades, while the other ends had weights. I was extending the weighted ends and using them as legs.

“(Alright, turn right… right!)”

Skillfully maneuvering the chain sickles, I directed my body to the right. Controlling eight weapons simultaneously required focus, like handling eight limbs at once. But it was all about practice. After continued training in this eight-legged walking, my parallel control had significantly improved. Moving around posed no issues.

“(It’s been a week since I took down that red monster, and all the practice has paid off.)”

A week—yes, it had been a week since my hometown was destroyed. I was down at first, but now I’ve moved on.

“(Phew, here we are.)”

After walking a bit further, I arrived at my destination. Well, more like my current home. It was an area filled with colorful flowers and fruit trees. Previously, a monstrous bird with one eye, two pairs of wings, three legs, and four-colored feathers lived here. But I defeated it. Now the place belongs to me.

“(Grow big and strong!)”

Approaching the plants, I released the water I’d stored in my body. Just earlier, I had gone to fetch this water.

“(Ah, using the chain sickles makes it so much easier.)”

As I poured the water through small holes like a watering can, I couldn’t help but think that. Slimes consume energy when changing shape, but in [Replicant Form], I can bypass that limitation. No matter how much I move the chains, I feel no fatigue, which is why I use the sickles as legs. Creating hollow spaces inside my body to carry the water also requires focus, so it can get a bit tedious. But using the chain sickles as legs is just as cumbersome.

Still, I preferred choosing the method that gave me more training.

“(Alright, watering done. Next is nutrient replenishment—[Lightning Strike]!)”

I consumed |Mana| continuously, unleashing a steady stream of lightning. The lightning arced and struck the ground, and I carefully adjusted the point of impact. Once I had spread the lightning across the usual area, I stopped the discharge.

“(Alright, done.)”

I had finished my daily nutrient replenishment. This was part of testing the performance of my [Unique Skill]. Every day, I struck the same area with lightning and compared the growth rate of plants there to those in other places.

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Unique Skill Details

[Earth Growth Thunderbolt]

• • • • Maximizes harvest yield.

• • • • Allows manipulation of lightning to enhance the earth.

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Until now, I’d only used it as an “XP” boost, but it turns out it has other effects too. I don’t know exactly how powerful it is, but I figured I’d explore its potential.

Though the experiment has only been going on for just under a week, the results were already visible. The fruit trees I had watered were full of fruit on every branch, and the flowers and plants near where I had struck with lightning were flourishing. The former was likely the effect of “harvest maximization,” and the latter seemed to be due to “earth enhancement.”

As I had suspected before, my lightning seemed to fertilize the ground.

“(I was worried at first that the ‘enhancement’ might turn everything rock hard, but it worked out fine.)”

With that thought, I reflected on my growth over the past week.

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Species: Jewel Armory Slime  

Beast Rank: Grand Beast  

Soul Accumulation Level: 96 

Stats:  

Life: 1253/649  

Mana: 682/640  

Power: 354  

Toughness: 3807  

Resist: 417  

Speed: 261  

Skills: [Self-Regeneration] [Sense of Direction]

[Cover] [Climbing] [Block] [Perfect Defense] 

[Escape Instinct] [Unyielding Spirit] [Whip] 

[Compact Whip][Consecutive Hits] [Folly] 

[Transport] [Understanding Intent] [Slash]

[Compact Slash] [Gesture] [Communication] 

[Weapon Body] [Transient Martial Arts] [Flee]

[Body Repair] [Dance] [Swimming] [Flee] [Instant Shift] 

[Cross Counter] [Challenge] [Concentration] 

[Aerial Jump] [Impact] [Storage] [Transportation] 

[Weapon Storage] [Replicant Form] [Bewitching Gleam] 

[Thrust] [Antibody] [Ambush] [Night Vision] 

[Compact Thrust] [Shoot] [Sniping] 

[Decomposition Liquid] [Charge Thrust] [Frenzied Charge] 

[Charge Slash] (NEW) [Compact Shoot] (NEW) 

[Stealth] → [Concealment] (NEW) 

[Flexibility]→ [Mollusk Body] (NEW)

[Throwing] → [Powerful Throw] (NEW) 

[Landing] → [Receiving] (NEW)

[Bite] → [Tear Off] (NEW)

Unique Skill: [Earth Growth Thunderbolt]

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My <Level> increase has been modest, but I’ve gained a lot of [Skills]. This is largely due to how I’ve been spending my time. Lately, I’ve focused more on [Skill] training than on <Leveling Up>. There were [Skills] that were on the verge of ranking up or just sitting unused, so I decided to dedicate some time to using them. The result is what you see here.  

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Skill Details

[Frenzied Charge] 

• • • • Boosts leg strength when charging. Increases the power of a charge.  

[Charge Slash] 

• • • • Perform a high-speed charge and release a slash attack with the momentum.  

[Compact Shoot] 

• • • • Enables rapid shooting.  

[Concealment] 

• • • • Reduces the sound, smell, and |Mana| signature of the user. Also reduces incidental noise.  

[Mollusk Body] 

• • • • Constantly enhances body flexibility. Increases resistance to blunt attacks.  

[Powerful Throw] 

• • • • Enhances arm strength during throws. Consumes stamina to make a powerful throw.  

[Receiving] 

• • • • Enhances shock absorption when landing. Constantly improves the skill of deflecting impacts.  

[Tear Off] 

• • • • Increases sharpness of teeth during bites. Enhances jaw strength when biting.  

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This is the result of my efforts over the past week. The pure increase in effects from ranking up and the addition of new abilities have made me significantly stronger. But it’s still not enough.

To be honest, after defeating the red monster, I went to challenge the Forest Turtle. I ventured deeper into areas with denser |Mana| until I encountered it at the end. However, after just one glance, I gave up on challenging it. My instincts screamed at me, warning me I couldn’t win. 

I realized the absolute difference in power between us because I had grown stronger. The sheer pressure of |Mana| surrounding the Forest Turtle was overwhelming, even from a distance.

“(Another day of training!)”

I’m close to my next {Evolution}, so I’ll work on <Leveling> up, but I’ll also keep honing my [Skills]. I saw it with my own eyes: I’ll probably reach the same Beast Rank as the Forest Turtle with my next {Evolution}. 

But that alone won’t be enough. Even within the same Grand Beast rank, there’s a huge difference between <Level 60> and <Level 90>. The Forest Turtle has surely spent a long time raising its <Level> after its {Evolution}.

And no matter how much I have a [Unique Skill], once there are fewer enemies on my <Level>, the rate at which I can progress slows down.

That’s why I need to find ways to gain an advantage other than just through <Level>.

“Finally found you!”

As I was reaffirming my plans, I suddenly heard a familiar voice.