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 65: Forest Turtle

Episode 70: Forest Turtle

When I became a Sovereign Beast and acquired [Territory], I gained fragmentary knowledge about [Dominion]. That’s why, the first time I used [Territory], I was able to weave together |Mana| without hesitation. Whether that was a hidden effect of the [Skill] or an instinct as a magical beast, I’m not sure. But right now, there’s something more important.

One of the pieces of knowledge I gained through {Evolution} was about the clash of [Dominion]. A [Dominion] is a force field that rewrites the environment and its rules. However, [Dominion] cannot overlap. When multiple [Dominion] are established in the same location, a battle for [Territory] ensues. During such clashes, a powerful shockwave occurs. Knowing that, I deactivated my [Factory] before entering the [Sea of Forest], so as not to awaken the Forest Turtle.

But now that the Forest Turtle is awake, that effort was meaningless. I couldn’t let the Forest Turtle hold the advantage of [Dominion] control. I quickly gathered my |Mana|.

“(Here we go, [Territory]!)”

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

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

>> The Weapon Born from the Fire of War, Fuwa Katsu, has activated [Territory].

>> [Dominion: Factory] has come into contact with [Dominion: Sea of Forest] of Dwozof, The Ensnarer of Forest Chains.

>> A territorial conflict has occurred.

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

The violent shockwave swept through the forest, shaking the trees and plants. Simultaneously, I felt a response through my [Dominion].

“(Whoa, this is heavy!)”

It felt like pushing against a giant tree with my bare hands. It wouldn’t budge no matter how much force I used. As expected, I was at a disadvantage in the [Dominion] clash. The Forest Turtle’s vast [Territory] far outweighed the tiny patch that my [Factory] could control.

“(But at least the area around me is under [Factory]’s influence.)”

I watched as the plants nearby transformed into weapons. While I’d eventually need to move, the fact that my power worked here was a good sign.

“Grrr…”

The Forest Turtle let out a growl, and the roots of the giant tree began to move on their own. It was a [Skill] that allowed it to manipulate plants. Several roots shot up into the air and came crashing down in an arcing trajectory.

“(With this much distance, they won’t hit me!)”

Normally, such an attack would move out of sight in a high arc. But as a slime, that tactic didn’t work on me. I moved left, right, and backward, dodging the attacks while preparing a counter.

“([Compact Shoot], Double!)”

Using Multi-Sword Style, I fired two poison arrows from the massive bows—more like ballistae—made of Hydra’s teeth. The giant roots tried to block them, but the arrows easily pierced through.

“Grrraaah!”

However, the arrows didn’t reach the Forest Turtle. Vines from the forest growing on its shell intercepted the poison arrows. Despite being thinner than the giant roots, they were incredibly tough, likely because they were part of the turtle’s body.

“(Well, that was expected. [Compact Shoot], Double!)”

I didn’t expect such light attacks to deal any real damage. According to the plan, I kept firing poison arrows while retreating. The Forest Turtle’s average |Status| approached 900, but its |Speed| was only in the 700s. In a pure speed contest, I had the advantage with my [Flee] and [Frenzied Charge].

Despite being hindered by the dense growth of trees, the distance between us wasn’t closing. Still, the Turtle wasn’t just chasing blindly.

“Grrshaa!”

“(Damn, [Blink of the Moss-Covered Turtle]!)”

With a cry from the Forest Turtle, the trees ahead of me rapidly swelled and thickened. It was a [Skill] that forced plants to grow. The already dense trees became even larger, forming an impenetrable wall.

“(Should I go around? No, the wall is too wide, and that would waste too much time.)”

Pushing through with brute force, even with my Sovereign Beast body and |Power|, wasn’t an option. This wooden fortress wouldn’t break with half-hearted strength.

“(In that case, I’ll use overwhelming force! [Replicant Form], [Charge Swing]!)”

I mimicked Hydra’s poison hammer and activated a [Weapon Skill]. Using all my strength, I kicked off the ground, channeling the momentum of my charge into the hammer and swung with full force. The thunderous sound echoed, and after a brief struggle, the massive trees gave way. Two or three of them snapped, and I slipped through the gap.

The opening I made was too narrow for the Forest Turtle to follow, but that wouldn’t slow it down. With its [Skill: Green at My Command], it could manipulate plants. As the Turtle approached, the trees were forced to part, creating a path.

“(Alright, I’ve made it out of the overgrown area!)”

I let out a cheer as I emerged from the densest part of the [Sea of Forest]. The vegetation in this area was still rapidly growing due to the influence of the [Sea of Forest]. But compared to earlier, it was far easier to move through.

“([Compact Shoot], Double! [Compact Shoot], Double! [Compact Shoot], Double!)”

Now that I had a bit of breathing room, I unleashed a barrage of poison arrows. The Forest Turtle was also firing off branch-like arrows and vitality-filled bullets. But since its [Budding Collapse] skill didn’t activate with ranged attacks, I could focus entirely on my offense.

“(Oh, looks like [Consecutive Hits] is kicking in.)”

Most of the poison arrows were still being blocked by the vines extending from the Turtle’s shell. But since those vines were considered part of the Forest Turtle’s body, they couldn’t avoid the growing force of my arrows. What used to be knocked aside by the vines was now powerful enough to repel them. 

The vines were countless. And even if they were severed, they regenerated quickly. So there was no real progress on its |Life|. However, increasing the power of my [Consecutive Hits] was more than enough for now. Ideally, I’d also want to apply Poison, but it seemed that wasn’t possible through the vines. Just like how dipping human hair in poison would be pointless, Poison could only be applied to areas with bl00d or cells.

“Gruuu…”

I could sense a thoughtful aura from the Forest Turtle. Against an opponent of Sovereign Beast class, skills like [Challenge] or [Bewitching Gleam] have little effect. If I continued to press this monotonous situation, the Turtle would eventually find a way to break through.

That’s why, under normal circumstances, I’d pretend its attacks were working, or intentionally close the distance to lure it into overcommitting. But in this case, there was no need for that.

After all, I had already reached my destination.

“Slaa.”

I arrived at the location I had been running toward: a gentle hill in the forest. I stopped at its center, surrounded by a field of blooming flowers. A few moments later, the Forest Turtle also stepped into the flower field.

“Gurururuuu…!”

The turtle, seething with frustration, charged at me with full force. I pulled out a massive wooden shield from [Weapon Storage], preparing to face the incoming attack. With each step the Forest Turtle took, the ground rumbled, and flower petals danced into the air. However, more flowers bloomed through the [Sea of Forest]’s power, replacing those that had fallen.

“([Slash]! …Guh!)”

I mimicked a large sword capable of bypassing defense and swung it at the Forest Turtle as it entered my range. But the moment the sword struck, it shattered. The Turtle’s charge held that much destructive power.

“Graaah!”

The impact of the collision hit me like a sledgehammer. It was likely using the [Turtle Tackle], an advanced [Charge] skill.

“(That hurts!)”

Though the |Speed| modifier wasn’t high, the sheer weight was overwhelming. My wooden shield was instantly crushed, and the force of the impact inflicted significant damage.

“(—[Parry]!)”

But without much speed behind the attack, it was easier to time my counter. In the split second before the shield shattered, I successfully deflected the Turtle’s charge, causing its momentum to angle slightly upward. 

With that slight redirection, I pushed the massive body of the Forest Turtle into the air, as if executing a Tomoe Nage. Thanks to that additional boost, the Turtle soared under the moonlit sky and tumbled over the hill.

(Note

Tomoe Nage)

It fell to the base of the hill—a place that was once the nest of a monstrous bee, now covered by a thick layer of protective earth.