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 58: Space Magic is Cheating

Episode 58: Space Magic is Cheating

Well, it’s been a few weeks since Paula advanced to the Second Class. She has almost finished confirming what’s possible at this level and has roughly mastered the magic she thought of.

“Good morning!”

“Morning. So, shall we head out today as well?”

“Yes! [Space Hole]!”

In the morning, Paula and I dive through the hole. Previously, creating a hole large enough for a Sovereign Beast took a lot of time and |Mana|. However, with the enhancement of her [Attribute Skills] from her {Sublimation} and pure skill improvement, she can now create one easily.

The other side of the hole is roughly at a midpoint between the Greater Beast Region and the Grand Beast Region. It’s not as |Mana|-rich as the flower fields, but mostly Greater Beast appear, with the occasional Grand Beast.

Even High-rank adventurers would avoid entering alone.

“Over there.”

Guided by Paula, we advance through the forest. She uses [Stealth], and I use [Concealment], hiding our presence.

It’s been a while since I became a Sovereign Beast. Moving to avoid trees and bushes has become second nature.

“I’m going now.”

Suddenly, Paula starts running. I stop in my tracks and stretch part of my body to follow her.

Ahead, there were magic beasts resembling armadillos standing upright. Their rocky armor looked incredibly tough. 

The three Armadillos’ heavy arms were hanging limply. They noticed Paula approaching and took a combat stance. Their rocky gauntlets and large claws were readied at chest height.

Paula, without hesitation, charged at these beasts that seem equivalent to Greater Beasts. The beasts, still at a distance, launched long-range attacks at Paula.

“””Rrrr!”””

The claws of the Armadillos dug into the ground as if throwing an underhanded pitch in baseball. Chunks of dirt flew like bullets towards Paula, but by the time they reached her, she was already gone.

“[Space Warp].”

Paula’s figure wavered and vanished. The high-speed earth projectiles pierced the void, and the bewildered Armadillos frantically searched the surroundings.

“Rrr!?”

Then they found her. Paula was behind them. She was poised with a short sword, ready to strike. The Armadillos probably thought, “Fortunately, the girl was out of the short sword range”. So, they deemed that it was the perfect time to attack while she was exposed in her preparation. They then tried to strike again.

But just before they could, Paula unleashed a [Space Slash]. 

Their bodies suddenly became immobile. With a heavy thud, their arms fell, having been cleanly cut as if by a ruler. Bl00d spurted from the same height as the cut surface of their bodies, and their torsos tilted and fell to the ground. The three bipedal Armadillos met the same fate simultaneously.

“That was even more vivid than before.”

I praised Paula, who had wiped out three Greater Beasts in an instant. She’s getting proficient with her new abilities, even though it’s been less than a month since her {Sublimation}.

“Hehe, thanks! And with that, my <Soul Accumulation Level> went up again. It’s now at 45.”

“Congrats! You’re close to joining the ranks of High-rank adventurers.”

“Not yet. Even with a high <Soul Accumulation Level>, you need achievements to take the advancement exam.”

Paula, having learned space magic attacks, achieved a remarkable <Level Up> in a short time. It’s usually something that takes months to accomplish. Her rapid growth is likely due to actively fighting opponents of equal or higher rank.

With [Space Slash], which can ignore an opponent’s |Toughness|, she can find a path to victory against any magic beast.

“By the way, the magic beasts this time were tough, but was there a difference in spatial strength?”

“None. It felt the same as when cutting normal living beings.”

“So, am I the only one you find unusually hard to cut?”

It seems that [Space Slash] works uniformly on all living creatures regardless of Beast Rank, |Toughness| and |Resist|. Meanwhile, the non-living things are harder to cut. Whether my case was due to being a Sovereign Beast or being part of the Jewel Slime type is yet to be determined. 

Well, we’ll probably find out more about that if we continue our research

“[Space Storage], [Space Storage], [Space Storage]. There’s another one coming this way, so Katsu, stay hidden.”

“Got it.”

At Paula’s command, I moved to the back. Although, all I did was retract the extended whip. After defeating the Armadillos, I remained still and used [Communication] through the whip.

“Eek, eek!”

It had been about ten seconds since I retracted the whip when a monkey-like magic beast arrived, leaping from branch to branch. Given its size, it was also a Greater Beast. It had deep green fur and mysterious grass growing all over its body.

Upon spotting Paula, it contorted its earthy-colored face into a snarl and started leaping from branch to branch around her. It clearly intended to disrupt her.

“Junky Monkeys are quite rare. We need to make sure it doesn’t get away.”

Ignoring the circling grass monkey’s movements, Paula readied her short sword, facing forward. She stubbornly refused to be distracted.

Realizing that further attempts to disrupt her would be futile, the Grass Monkey decided to strike. It jumped from behind Paula and charged at her.

Even with the attack coming from her blind spot, Paula didn’t flinch.

The Grass Monkey approached her unguarded back with surprising |Speed| for a Greater Beast and then leaped upward.

“[Space Bend]”

This magic distorts the connections of space. Paula had prepared this spell to be instantly usable in case the Grass Monkey attacked. The moment the Grass Monkey leaped from the branch, she created a spatial distortion right behind herself. The Grass Monkey, charging into the distortion, had its trajectory bent upward and was sent flying into the air.

The Grass Monkey flailed in mid-air but couldn’t reach the branches. It seemed to lack a [Skill] like my [Aerial Jump] and fell straight down.

“Eek!?”

“[Space Slash]”

Paula swung her short sword up. The Grass Monkey’s body was sliced neatly down the middle along the central line.

Confirming that the monkey was dead, Paula took a breath and turned to me.

“How was that?”

“The reaction speed and |Mana| concealment were good. However, for the last [Space Bend], it might be better to make the bend a bit further out.”

“Oh.”

“I know Paula’s sensory ability is impressive, but considering long-range attacks and aerial mobility, it’s better to give a bit more margin.”

“I’ll be more careful.”

As we discussed improvements, we continued our training in the forest.