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 90: The Grand Beast Region of the Mines

Episode 90: The Grand Beast Region of the Mines

In the Grand Beast Region within the Twilight Zone. An ominous landscape of towering, rugged mountains loomed, with one particularly eye-catching peak.

“That ridiculously huge mountain sticking out over there…”

“Yeah, they say it’s the lair of ‘Earth Splitter,’ the notorious Sovereign Beast.”

The Gargoyle known as “Earth Splitter” was a topic of interest even in the human towns. Despite being a beast that most would never encounter deep in the wilderness, rumors of it never ceased. One such rumor was that the “Earth Splitter” resided in an exceptionally steep and treacherous area. Though there were countless mines in the Goronomea Mountain Range, the “Earth Splitter” supposedly lived atop a peak far higher than any of them.

“I’m half skeptical myself, but it could serve as a good landmark.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Although it was too far to sense the concentration of |Mana|, we decided to make that peak our provisional destination. Before I entered the Queen Ant’s nest, I had seen it to the north, so it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

“Anyway, let’s focus on our surroundings for now. This is the Grand Beast Region—if we’re unlucky, we might run into a Grand Beast right from the start.”

“That’s a worry. If it looks dangerous, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ll save you if it comes to that.”

That said, I wasn’t really expecting it to get that bad. We continued running along the mountain slope for a while until we eventually spotted a magical beast.

“There’s one over on the other side of the mountain.”

“Got it.”

It wasn’t so much that we spotted it—Fisu heard its footsteps. With her recent <Level Up>, she now had enough |Mana| to maintain her [Physical Keen] skill at all times. Although it drained too much |Mana| to enhance all five senses simultaneously, she could strengthen just her hearing almost indefinitely. Thanks to this, her search range now extended beyond her line of sight.

Peering down at the beast in the valley below, we saw it quietly.

“Oh, it’s a Grand Beast… seems manageable.”

“I’ll go deal with it, then.”

She said this in her usual calm voice before leaping forward. Fisu dashed down the near-vertical cliff face with incredible speed, a feat only possible due to her extraordinary physical prowess. The sound of crumbling rock made the magical beast stop in its tracks. As Fisu landed on the ground, the beast turned to face her.

“Gukeke.”

Seeing a lone girl, the beast smirked, probably thinking she was easy prey. Standing no taller than its waist, Fisu must have seemed like a tasty meal. The creature resembled a larger and more vicious version of a typical Gargoyle. It casually swung its arm. In response to the movement, massive stone arrows shot from the air. They were so large they could pierce a person with ease—more like stakes than arrows.

“Hah!”

But Fisu dodged them with ease, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Having activated her various enhancements, she closed the distance without even grazing the Grand Beast’s attacks.

“Grrruu!”

The Gargoyle, frustrated by its missed attack, responded in the simplest way possible: by increasing the number of stone arrows. That was all it did. But even a simple barrage like this should have been enough to overwhelm her due to the difference in their abilities. Fisu’s <Level> was 44, while the Grand Beast was at least <Level 50>. Moreover, she hadn’t reached the Third Class, which was considered on par with Grand Beasts. Normally, she wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Gugyuu…?!”

Yet, the outcome was different. The small girl gracefully weaved through the Gargoyle’s wild attacks with minimal movement. She probably avoided blocking with her axe because she couldn’t withstand the force head-on. Even when she couldn’t dodge, she angled her blade to deflect the blows rather than stopping them outright.

The difference in their raw power was obvious, which made her performance all the more impressive.

“(Even with such a huge gap in strength, she can still fight like this…)”

During the few days we had spent getting to the Grand Beast Region, I had come to recognize Fisu’s extraordinary talent. There were several hints, but to put it simply, Fisu was a genius. Her sensitivity to |Mana| was remarkable. Even when [Skills] were launched unexpectedly, she always braced herself before they hit. She handled |Mana| skillfully—though not quite on Paula’s level, she could mask her mana so well that it was almost undetectable. And her talent for magic was exceptional, even surpassing Paula in that regard. With just a brief explanation from me, she quickly mastered spells.

I didn’t know many mages besides Paula, but I could tell that Fisu’s rapid pace of learning was far from normal.

“(And even without magic, her combat skills are astonishing.)”

Her genius extended to battle as well. She had an exceptional eye for reading subtle movements, impressive decision-making under pressure, and an ability to move her body with precision and efficiency. Despite no formal training, she demonstrated all of these at a high level.

The Gargoyle, realizing that its stone arrows weren’t effective, attempted various other ways to finish her off, but Fisu evaded every single one without sustaining a scratch. Even considering her prior experience fighting the long-beast Gargoyles, her feats were incredible.

“G-Gegyaaah!”

The Gargoyle seemed to be terrified of the steadily approaching girl. It immediately turned its back and fled at full speed. There was still more than ten meters between them. The Gargoyle’s leg strength appeared to be on par with Fisu’s. And with the use of some [Skills], it might have been able to escape.

“Useless.”

Fisu kicked a pumpkin-sized rock that was lying at her feet. It flew with precision, striking the Gargoyle’s leg, causing it to stumble and trip. Once again, this was no ordinary feat. Kicking a rock with such accuracy isn’t something one can do on a whim.

“G-Gegghh!”

As the beast fell backward, Fisu advanced, raising her double-bladed axe. In a desperate attempt to defend itself, the Gargoyle thrust one arm forward.

“Gegyuaaa!”

“[Physical Extend – Arm]”

As the beast moved its arm, a stone arrow shot towards her. Fisu deftly dodged it by leaping diagonally forward. In one fluid motion, she swung her extended arm down, burying the axe deep into the Gargoyle’s shoulder. Blue bl00d spurted from the gash between the blade and flesh with a sickening sound. The Gargoyle tried to reach for the embedded axe. But just then, it realized the girl was already right in front of it.

“Hup!”

With her hand still gripping the axe, Fisu deactivated the [Physical Extend] skill. As the arm retracted, it pulled her body closer to the Gargoyle at high speed, allowing her to deliver a spinning kick to its jaw. The blow rattled the Gargoyle’s brain.

“Goodbye.”

With the beast momentarily defenseless, Fisu swiftly withdrew her axe and swung it in one clean motion, severing its thick neck. The Gargoyle’s head flew into the air.

“It’s over.”

“Nice work. Even against a Grand Beast, you handled it without a hitch.”

I jumped down into the valley, as usual, to offer my praise and begin preparing the Gargoyle. But just as I was about to, she mentioned something.

“By the way, during that fight, my Attribute just {Sublimated}.”

…It seemed like my student’s growth knew no bounds.