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 59: Training

Episode 59: Training

“[Space Hole]”

Corpses of the magical beasts fall from the black hole floating in midair.

“That’s about today’s haul.”

“Quite a big catch again today.”

After that, Paula continued <Leveling Up> and eventually returned near my base.

The open space we are currently in has no flowers or even a single tree or shrub, giving it the appearance of a small plaza. The monsters we defeated today are lined up in that area. Since they were stored in a different dimension right after being killed, all the bodies are still fresh.

“Oh, right. I borrowed a weapon from Ergo. Here it is. It’s called the ‘Bear Arm from Hell’ or something like that.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Paula casually pulls out a large sword. She had asked Ergo to show her any notable weapons, and now she hands one over.

I take the large sword with a black blade and inspect its stats using [Intensified Warfare].

“Hmm, a weapon from a Grand Beast, huh? I wonder how Ergo got his hands on something like this. Must’ve been expensive, right?”

“Apparently, the blacksmith who made it had connections with his family’s trading partner. Ergo asked as a favor and got it on loan just for today.”

“I see. I’d better handle it with care then. The effects are pretty impressive too.”

The sword can apparently bypass more than half of a target’s |Toughness| and deal damage. Although it only works on living creatures, it would be highly effective against monsters with specialized |Status| like mine.

“Alright, analysis complete. Thanks for bringing it over. Be sure to pass my thanks to Ergo as well.”

I return the sword that ignores defense and shift my attention to the monster corpses. Starting with the Armadillo, I absorb the three bisected bodies all at once, dissolving their flesh.

At the same time, I analyze them with [Intensified Warfare], leaving behind any valuable materials such as claws or shells. I then spit those materials out in front of Paula.

“Nothing here that suits you, Paula.”

“Okay, I’ll just store them away.”

The girl starts packing the materials into her rucksack. Recently, she’s been using this instead of a basket. The official reason is that it holds more items and has shoulder straps, making it easier to carry heavy loads. However, the real reason is that it hides the expanded space inside, making it less conspicuous.

“There we go.”

“That thing really is convenient.”

Even though she’s packing far more than the bag should hold, it barely bulges. The interior is expanded using the magic of [Space Expansion]. Instead of drawing attention by pulling things out of thin air, she opted for the more subtle approach of storing items in a bag.

Apparently, the guild doesn’t pry into adventurers’ abilities too much. So even if something unusual happens, they just let it slide.

“Hey, would you like me to make a space-expanding bag for you too, Katsu?”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course! It takes a fair amount of |Mana|, but that’s all it costs. Besides, I’ve made plenty of money thanks to you, Katsu. Let me repay you a little.”

“I appreciate it… Oh, this one looks useful.”

I mutter as I examine the monkey-like creature with grass growing from its body.

“This material looks like it would make some good armor. Want me to craft something out of it?”

“Yes, please! Everything you make is always such high quality.”

Her words of appreciation reach my ears as I tweak my control over [Dominion]. I swap out the ‘Sharpness’ trait for ‘Masterwork.’

“([Weapon Creation])”

I activate my [Skill] on the Grass Monkey I’ve absorbed. Its split materials are woven together, piece by piece, into one solid structure.

“Alright, it’s done.”

It took a bit of extra time since I wasn’t familiar with the material, but I managed to finish without any significant issues. What I crafted is a leather… no, a grass armor. The organs that appeared to be grass on the monkey’s body turned out to have excellent anti-cut and shock-absorbing properties, so I incorporated those into the armor. It’s also very light, so it won’t hinder Paula’s |Speed|.

“I modeled it after the leather armor you’re wearing now, so it should fit. But if the size is off or it restricts your movement, just let me know next time. I have a [Skill] for making adjustments too.”

“Okay, thanks again for everything!”

We continue sorting through the materials. Since Paula’s equipment has improved a lot recently, I didn’t craft any more weapons today. The selection process wrapped up quickly.

“That’s it for today. I’ll see you again in three days.”

“Actually… sorry, but it’ll be four days next time. I have a marriage meeting scheduled in three days…”

“A marriage meeting!? …Oh, right. Yeah, I guess that kind of thing happens.”

The unfamiliar word made me ask reflexively. But after thinking it over calmly, it’s not all that surprising. Marriage meetings were common in Japan until relatively recently. Paula looks like she’s around middle or high school age. Back in the day, people used to get married at that age. It’s probably pretty normal in this country.

“…Huh? But Paula, didn’t you want to enroll in the magic academy? Can you still go even after getting married?”

I knew the reason why Paula was so determined to hone her magic skills. However, entering the academy after getting married seemed like it would be quite challenging.

As I asked this, Paula responded with a wry smile.

“Yeah, that’s the thing. By the time I got good enough at magic, the arranged marriage talks had already progressed too far to cancel. The other party seems pretty eager too. So for now, we’re just doing a formal meeting.”

She seemed apologetic, perhaps because attending without any intention of agreeing felt like stringing them along.

“Humans seem to have all sorts of complicated entanglements.”

“Haha, yeah, you’re right. Well, there’s always the chance the other person might say, ‘I’m not interested in someone like her!’ And even if it does go through, they might wait until after I graduate from the academy before we get married. So there’s no point in worrying too much.”

With that, she stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

“Well, that’s how it is, so I’ll see you in four days.”

“Alright. …Are there any other adventurers around here?”

“Hmm? Nope. At least, not within my [Spatial Awareness] range.”

Her current [Spatial Awareness] had an impressive detection range of several hundred meters. That should be sufficient.

“Good, that’s a relief. See you later.”

After watching Paula disappear through the [Space Hole], I turned toward the center of the clearing.

The clearing was a perfect circle, so finding the middle was easy.

“(This should be the spot.)”

I scanned the area, noting how the distance to the trees was almost the same in every direction. It creates a familiar, serene sight. As I took it all in, I sank into my inner focus.

“([Territory], release. [Dominion] adjustment, delete ‘Convergence’. …Activate [Territory].)”

The boundary restrictions lifted, and my [Dominion] spread outward, covering the surrounding area. The range was just enough to encompass the entire clearing.

—Yes, this clearing had formed as a result of my [Territory] training.