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 93: The Golden Gargoyle

Episode 93: The Golden Gargoyle

A rain of gold was falling.

Nuggets of gold, the size of marbles, plummeted from the sky faster than raindrops, drilling narrow holes into the ground as they struck.

“[Master Keen – Hearing].”

Yet, despite the barrage, Fisu darted through it, avoiding every single piece. She didn’t even glance at the sky. It was as if she could see everything. Her nimble steps weaved through the gaps in the golden rain.

“(Enhanced hearing seems pretty useful too.)”

The secret to her evasion was her heightened sense of hearing. By focusing on the sound of the gold cutting through the air, she pinpointed their positions and made precise adjustments to her path. Normally, it would be impossible to distinguish so many different sounds at once, but Fisu’s sensory enhancement also boosted her ability to process all the incoming information. Without that, her brain wouldn’t be able to keep up.

“Kikikiki!”

The one grinding its teeth at this sight was the gaudy Golden Gargoyle. It was the one responsible for the rain of gold. The gargoyle, fatter than most of its kind, continued the downpour as it plotted its next move.

“Giinn!”

It sent a huge amount of |Mana| through its legs and into the ground. The earth in several spots around it bubbled and began to rise, taking humanoid shapes that solidified into gold. In a brief moment, four golden statues armed with spears and armor stood before them.

Controlled by the Golden Gargoyle, one of the statues charged at Fisu. The golden rain stopped falling around the statue as it closed the distance, and it thrust its spear at her. Fisu dodged by a hair’s breadth, swinging her axe in a blur as she passed. She cut through the statue’s torso.

“Gigi!?”

The Golden Gargoyle’s eyes widened in shock as one of its creations was destroyed in an instant. It quickly sent the remaining three statues toward Fisu, but the result was no different. Despite the axe having less reach than the spears, Fisu made short work of all three golden statues.

“Gikii…!”

Out of options, the Golden Gargoyle prepared for a final, desperate move. It planted its clawed right arm into the ground and scooped upwards as if dredging the ocean. In response, a massive wave of pure gold rose up. The wave’s sharp, pointed crest surged toward Fisu, threatening to swallow her whole.

“[Physical Extend: Leg].”

However, Fisu had already begun preparing her magic the moment the Gargoyle sank its claws into the ground. Ready for any attack, she avoided the golden wave with a powerful jump. The [Physical Extend: Leg] spell extends the user’s legs. By activating it just at the moment of the jump, Fisu was able to use the increased leg length to push off the ground with even more force, clearing the enormous wave with ease.

“[Physical Extend: Arm].”

As the Gargoyle raised its head to track Fisu in the air, she brought her extended arm down with her axe in hand. Their eyes locked for just a brief moment before her axe smashed through the Gargoyle’s head, shattering it.

“””Gegyaa!?”””

The other Gargoyles around the area screamed in horror. The battlefield had been full of Gargoyles below the level of Grand Beast, watching the fight from a distance. Seeing their leader fall, they scattered like spiders, fleeing in every direction.

“Follow them?”

“No, they’re not worth much in terms of [Experience]. Let them go.”

I emerged from behind a rock as I answered. Fisu’s <Level> was already in the mid-50s, and taking down those Greater Beasts wouldn’t mean much anymore.

“That cave… I can sense a lot of |Mana| coming from it, even from here.”

“That’s the cave the Greater Beasts were working in, right?”

We were in a clearing on the mountainside, overlooking a cliff. There was a large cave entrance nearby. When we first arrived, the ‘Greater Beast’ Gargoyles had been forced to dig out rocks from inside.

“It’s probably a mine.”

“That makes sense. Gargoyles feed on minerals, don’t they?”

A high-quality vein would be like a feast for them.

“…The sun’s starting to set. Let’s call it a day and explore that cave.”

“If you want to go, Katsu, I don’t mind.”

And so, after taking down the Golden Gargoyle, we ventured into the cave. The peak of the mountain, where the Sovereign Beast was said to dwell, wasn’t far off. A small detour wouldn’t delay us much.

The cave was large enough for me to walk through in my regular form, and it seemed to stretch far into the mountain. However, the minerals near the entrance had been thoroughly mined.

“Wow, so many Mana Crystals…”

As we ventured deeper, crystals began to protrude from the walls. Their color was a deep red, almost like the color of wine from my previous life.

“Deep red means it’s of quite high quality, right?”

As I asked, I stored the Mana Crystals into my [Weapon Storage], using them as makeshift weapons. Absorbing them would restore |Mana|, so I wanted to collect as many as I could.

“Yes, it’s grade two.”

I didn’t fully understand Fisu’s grading system, but it meant they were pretty impressive. The |Mana| contained in the crystals is determined by their color, and deep red ones are very rare.

“Impressive. With this many, you could live comfortably without ever working.”

“Really? Is grade two that valuable?”

“Yes. The records only mention crystals of higher grades, but I’ve never found any myself.”

“Interesting.”

It seems that crystals higher than deep red are even rarer. Even though I’ve dug through many mountains in the beast territory, I’ve only found one once. Moreover, the only bright red Mana Crystal I did find was turned into a mana-draining arrow. If deep red is grade two, that one might have been grade one.

“Could there be grade one crystals in this cave?”

“…I hope so.”

Fisu’s tone dropped a bit as she spoke with a hint of expectation. I wondered if something was bothering her.

“Is there something worrying you?”

“Not exactly… but I can’t say there’s nothing. My parents died when they went into a deeper section of the mine to extract high-grade magical minerals.”

“…Is it okay for me to ask about it?”

“It’s not a secret or anything.”

Her voice sounded flatter than usual, which I wondered if it was just my perception. 

“It’s common in mining cities like Minefa for miners to die in accidents. It’s rare for both parents to die at once, but that’s all. On the contrary, I was fortunate to learn mining techniques from my father’s colleagues and I had a Body Attribute as well.”

“……”

“…It’s a dead end.”

As I listened to Fisu’s story, we reached the end of the cave. We didn’t find any grade one Mana Crystals within the visible range.

“After all, it’s not good to have unrealistic dreams; it only leads to disappointment. Challenges are dangerous, and adventures are reckless. It’s much safer, more reassuring, and happier to cherish what’s within reach and live ordinary days.”

I followed Fisu, who turned on her heel, and made my way to the exit. As I searched for words to comfort her lonely back, she said—

“So, this is all I need.”

“Oh, you should take that with you.”

Fisu picked up the fragments of Mana Crystals I hadn’t stored. 

Well, yeah. Just picking them up isn’t dangerous.

After finishing our exploration of the cave, we ate the meat of the Golden Gargoyle and went to sleep. Tomorrow would be the final battle against the Sovereign Beast, so we prepared ourselves for it.