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 63: Preparation

Episode 63: Preparation

“Well then, I’ll bring the map of the Schwain territory and its surroundings next time.”

With those parting words, Ergo returned through the portal.

“Oh, right, Katsu-kun. I brought the spatially expanded bag you mentioned before.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I received the bag that Paula had taken out from the [Space Hole]. It was a large bag that seemed capable of holding a lot of items even without spatial expansion. I put the map Ergo had left behind inside it. When traveling, relying only on [Sense of Direction] and the position of the sun isn’t enough. Maps showing mountain ranges, canals, and city locations are essential.

“Alright, then let’s start the magic training.”

Although there was now a time limit for the Forest Turtle subjugation, it wasn’t urgent enough to disrupt my plans. That day, as usual, I helped Paula with her training.

“Um, do I really not need to help?”

At the end of the training, Paula asked if she wasn’t needed for the Forest Turtle subjugation. My response was straightforward.

“Yeah. This is my problem, and I want to handle it alone. Besides, it’s dangerous.”

Paula’s spatial magic is powerful, but her other |Status| are too low to confront the Sovereign Beasts. The |Status| of the Forest Turtle is already known, but the ‘Additional Effects’ of the [Sea of Forest] are unknown. There might be effects that could be instantly fatal to those with low |Resist|. Additionally, the Forest Turtle has multiple wide-area attack [Skills]. If Paula got caught up in them, it’s uncertain if her |Speed| would be enough for defense. It’s too risky to have Paula come along.

“Also, I wouldn’t want the <Soul Fragments> to be spread out.”

“Geez, if you say that and still lose, don’t blame me.”

When I jokingly said that, Paula chided me with a wry smile.

“Well then, see you next time.”

“Yeah, see you.”

I saw her off as she returned to town through the [Space Hole]. I then returned to the plaza created by the [Dominion].

“Alright then…”

Although the day was starting to wane, sunset was still a ways off. From here on, it’s my own training. To defeat the Forest Turtle, I need to hone my abilities.

“If I’m going to do it, it should be [Skills].”

<Level> is already maxed out. Even if I desperately hunt Grand Beasts now, it won’t increase by much. So, I’ll focus on training [Skills]. Even if I don’t reach the advanced version, the more I use a [Skill], the stronger its effects become.

“(Yo-!.. ho-!.. ha-!… )”

I started by dancing on the spot. Focusing on adding adjustments to every small step and slight hand movement, I danced through the plaza with faster and sharper motions. 

I bounced around with smooth movements enhanced by the [Mollusk Body] trait, using the rebound from touching the ground to transition into the next move. 

I jumped high and mimicked the complete set of Hydra weapons in midair, swinging them in different trajectories in succession. 

After landing, I jumped sideways and continued to Swing] the weapons. 

Then, I created a whip using my physical body, wrapping it around the void to form a ring, and activated [Replicant Form] multiple times. 

I lined up the crimson spears like when I bit off the Hydra’s head and contracted them. The teeth that bit into the air clanged with metal sounds repeatedly. 

Thus, I continued to enhance my combat [Skills].

—

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

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

>> The Weapon Born from the Fire of War, Fuwa Katsu, has acquired the [Skill: Swing].

>> [Skill: Compact Swing] has been acquired.

>> [Skill: Heavy Swing] has been acquired.

>> [Skill: Charge Swing] has been acquired.

>> [Skill: Quake Swing] has been acquired.

>> [Skill: Battle Dance] has been acquired. [Dance] is now integrated.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

“Vigyuu!”

A silent poison sword from above cut off the neck of a certain Grand Beast. It was a rather light response, probably because it was an attack from outside their awareness…

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Skill Details

[Battle Dance]

• • • • When dancing, improves the agility of movements. When dancing, improves the agility of weapon attacks.

[Assassination]

• • • • When attacking without being detected by the target, increases power. When attacking without being detected by the target, ignores a certain percentage of the target’s |Toughness|.

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The [Assassination] skill, which recently made an appearance, is an advanced form of [Ambush]. After consuming the prey I had taken down, I continued onward.

I set the date to challenge the Forest Turtle to ten days from now. I designated the nine days before then as preparation time, but I won’t be dedicating all of it to skill training.

“(The [Concealment] skill is invaluable).”

I was sneaking around the very edge of the Forest Turtle’s [Dominion: Sea of Forest]. The boundary was easily distinguishable because within the [Sea of Forest]’s range, plants were so thick that there was hardly any room to step.

“(Hmm, there seems to be more moss to the north).”

Right now, I was surveying the terrain. The minimum requirement for fighting the Forest Turtle is to lure the enemy out of the densely overgrown area that’s heavily affected by the [Sea of Forest]. The Forest Turtle has [Skills] that manipulate or borrow power from the surrounding plants. Fighting in such a verdant area is extremely disadvantageous. While it might be easy enough to just attack and challenge the Forest Turtle and then retreat, the key is where to retreat.

Simply moving from the overgrown area to a place where plants are normally abundant doesn’t make much of a difference. I should look for a field that is advantageous to me. 

“(But, it seems like there isn’t anything good around here).”

However, I couldn’t find any promising terrain. This was to be expected. Being around the [Sea of Forest] means that it’s the area most strongly affected by its aftermath. The abundance of plant life is inevitable.

“(At least, I’d prefer a place without trees. Like a flower field).”

The Forest Turtle seems to have a [Skill] called [Budding Collapse] that ignores Toughness.

Since the activation condition is “attacking using one’s own body,” it’s not like all the plants in the area will ignore the defense, but there’s a chance that trees will get in the way of evasion.

Of course, ordinary trees wouldn’t be an issue for me now, but trees enhanced by the [Sea of Forest] or other [Skills] could be problematic.

That’s why I was searching for a place with fewer plants, but good locations were hard to find—until I had a sudden idea.

“(Ah, I see. That’s it!)”

With that, I set out to implement my new idea and headed towards a specific location.