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 94: Earth Splitter

Episode 94: Earth Splitter

At the foot of the steep mountain where “Earth Splitter” was said to reside—a peak I decided to call “Spiky Mountain”—we finally arrived.

“Alright, I’m heading out. Fisu, you’re <Level 60> now, so you should be able to handle yourself, but be careful while you wait.”

“Mm, finish it as quickly as possible.”

Leaving Fisu behind at a nearby mountain in the beast territory, I sprinted towards Spiky Mountain. As I neared the base, the concentration of |Mana| surged far beyond anything in the Grand Beast Region.

Though I hadn’t been certain before, this confirmed that this was indeed the Earth Splitter’s lair.

“(I can’t even see the summit…)”

I looked up at the towering mountain that pierced the clouds. Driving my forest chains into the near-vertical mountain face, I began running full speed upwards. With my <Level> now over 200, gravity was hardly an obstacle anymore.

The clouds drew closer, and I plunged into them without losing momentum. Thanks to my enhanced vision, I wasn’t disoriented by the mist, heading straight for the summit.

“(Is that it?)”

As I broke through the clouds, I finally caught sight of what looked like the summit. Sharp rock spires jutted out, surrounding the peak like thorns.

“(This is… the Earth Splitter’s [Dominion]!)”

I realized that these jagged rock spires were not natural formations but the result of Earth Splitter’s territorial influence—its [Dominion]. The strength of this [Dominion] felt on par with that of the Red Lizard, but far more formidable than the Hydra or the Queen Ant.

“(This is the perfect chance to test my strength. Releasing ‘Convergence’.)”

As I dispelled the range suppression effect, my [Factory] ability expanded. The collision of my [Dominion] with Earth Splitter’s unleashed shockwaves across the surroundings. Though the impact reached me, it wasn’t enough to slow me down.

Even as shattered rock spears rained down, I charged forward.

“(This won’t be easy to overpower…)”

I focused on sensing the [Dominion]. As expected, my opponent was formidable. In terms of a contest of [Dominion], we were roughly even.

“(That’s how it would’ve been… before I fought the Red Lizard.)”

Since that battle, my [Factory] had evolved. The four ‘Effect Slots’ were now filled with ‘Sharpness’ to enhance cutting power, ‘Skillful’ to boost [Weapon Skills], and ‘Absorption’ to drain |Mana|.

The last slot, however—

“(—I’ll add ‘Domination’!)”

I activated the new effect I had gained.

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

~Territory Details~

• • • • • • • • Your [Territory] is [Factory].

• • • • • • • • Within the [Factory], all objects are turned into weapons.

• • • • • • • • Additional Effects: ‘Sharpness’, ‘Skillful’, ‘Absorption’, ‘Domination’

       ↪Option List:

• • • • • • • • ‘Domination’(NEW): Increases the controlling power of your [Dominion].

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

Immediately, the balance of power shifted. It was as if my opponent had suddenly relaxed their grip, allowing my [Dominion] to gain the upper hand. This was the power of ‘Domination’—it strengthened the control over my territory, making it more overwhelming.

“(Alright, let’s keep going like this and take down the beast itself!)”

I rushed further up the mountain, feeling more confident. And then, the Sovereign Beast appeared.

Perched on a cliff far above me, just below the summit, emerged an old-looking Gargoyle. Its limbs were thin and emaciated, and its stone skin appeared weathered and eroded by time.

“Gegrrghh!”

“(Whoa.)”

Despite its frail appearance, the Gargoyle’s |Mana| was immense. The moment it appeared, it unleashed a barrage of rock arrows, far more powerful, faster, and numerous than any of the Grand Beast I’d faced.

The arrows shattered the surrounding spires, yet their velocity remained undiminished, with nearly twenty of them flying directly toward me.

“(It’s too early to use [Aerial Jump]… [On the Edge of the Ring]!)”

At the moment of impact, I activated a defensive [Skill], bracing myself. I took three or four of the arrows head-on but managed not to be pushed back even an inch.

“(Your turn, [Shoot]!)”

While enduring the attack, I retaliated with a poisoned bow and explosive arrows. The rock spires that had been blocking my shot had just been shattered by the Gargoyle’s own arrows.

“Gagge!”

The Elder Gargoyle reacted quickly, flicking its fingers to raise a wall of rock from the mountainside, blocking the shot. The wall was five times thicker than the other rock spires. But even so, my explosive arrow blasted it apart from the base. However, the Gargoyle remained unscathed.

As the dust settled, I saw that the Gargoyle was no longer there.

“Gyogagyoge!”

“(Tch, a restraint, huh? Pretty clever.)”

The Elder Gargoyle had positioned itself several dozen meters away from the rock face, hovering in midair. It had taken flight at the moment the rock tower was destroyed, flapping its three pairs of bat-like wings. 

What it had used was a [Skill] that transformed the jagged rock spires growing around us into chains, binding its enemy. Right now, those chains were tightly wrapped around me, layer upon layer.

Whether it was due to the [Skill] itself, the durability of the rocks from the Sovereign Beast Region, or the influence of the Gargoyle’s [Dominion], each chain was incredibly tough. Even with the |Stats| of a Sovereign Beast, it wouldn’t be easy to break free by force.

“(Well, binding a Slime is pretty much pointless… but since I’ve got the chance, I might as well test out my new weapon.)”

While observing the spinning saw blades the Elder Gargoyle had fired deflect off my body, I made up my mind about my next move.

During our journey to Spiky Mountain, I had mostly left the fighting to Fisu. But when I did step in, the battles had ended without me even needing to replicate any weapons. So this would be my first time using this in real combat.

I thought of the secret weapon that hadn’t seen the light of day since its prototype stage, my excitement growing. Then, I activated my [Skill].

“(Time for a long-range fight. [Replicant Form], Tenfold Activation!)”

—Whirr

Ten eyes surfaced on the outer layer of my body, floating ominously.