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 110: Cave Exploration

Episode 110: Cave Exploration

“Found you.”

“Fisu!? Why are you in the cave!?”

I was startled by the white-haired, red-eyed girl who had come up behind me. But I quickly realized she had followed me.

“Oh, sorry to keep you waiting. The Treant’s remains slid away. Don’t worry, I wasn’t hurt or unable to climb back up.”

Feeling a bit guilty for indulging my curiosity and getting caught up in examining the evolution options, I used [Communication] to convey this to her. However, she shook her head as she walked closer.

“No, I’m not worried about that. I know how strong you are.”

‘That’s quite a bit of faith you’ve got there.’

I gave a wry smile and decided to put the selection of the {Possible Evolutions} on hold. Fisu would probably be surprised if I suddenly changed form, and there’s no rush to become a Calamity Beast right now. I already proved I could handle five Sovereign Beasts at once.

Since we had achieved our goal in the mine, I could always continue this later, after escorting her back to town.

Just as I was about to suggest heading back, Fisu walked past me.

“What’s wrong…? Aren’t we leaving?”

“Hmm, this way is more interesting.”

She kept walking without hesitation. I called out to her back.

“Interesting? What’s so interesting?”

“The reason the ‘Colossus’ was here.”

I remembered suddenly. That Sovereign Beast had been in an area unusually lacking in |Mana|. After the subsequent Demon Cult’s attack, I hadn’t had the chance to dwell on it, but the way it transformed and combined was far from ordinary.

If a cave lay buried beneath such a creature, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was something here.

“(…But, something feels off. Was Fisu always this proactive? Before, she seemed more…)”

Oh well, maybe it’s just a positive change.

“By the way, Katsu, you defeated the ‘Colossus,’ right?”

“Yeah, took it down for sure.”

“Have you analyzed its materials?”

“I’m working on it, but…”

I hesitated because the analysis wasn’t progressing at all. Ever since I fell into this hole, I had been trying to analyze the “Colossus” inside my [Weapon Storage], but it was taking an unusually long time.

Even though analyzing Sovereign Beast materials typically takes a while, this was exceptionally slow.

“It feels like I’m being forced to read through a massive terms of service agreement from start to finish. It’s not that the analysis is ineffective, but rather there’s just too much information.”

“Is that so…? Was the ‘Colossus’ a special beast?”

“Could be. It was pretty unique.”

I then described my battle with the “Colossus” to her. She seemed quite astonished, never having heard of a beast that could combine like that.

“I had no idea. So that’s what was happening.”

“Yeah, it’s a big world out there, full of surprises.”

“Right. Also, I picked this up.”

“This… a book?”

“Yes. It belonged to the man of the Demon Cult.”

“(!)”

Unlike my sharp intake of breath, she responded rather nonchalantly. Although she had been near when he died, she didn’t seem too shaken up. I felt unsettled just watching from afar, but maybe it comes down to how close you are to death in your daily life.

“So, what do you plan to do with this book?”

“I can’t read, so I’ll give it to you, Katsu.”

“I- I see. Thanks.”

I placed the book with the hole-punched cover into my spatial expansion bag.

…If she’s this calm, maybe I don’t need to tread so lightly. It’s time to ask about something that’s been on my mind.

“Hey, he’s dead, right…?”

“Yes. I checked before we came here. He’s definitely dead.”

“I see…”

He was killed by a beast he summoned himself. I thought there might have been some trick to it, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

“So, next question. Why did he do it… kill himself like that? Was he cornered and accidentally summoned an uncontrollable beast?”

“I don’t know. I was too busy being surrounded by Grand Beasts to pay attention. But it seemed like the guy himself didn’t expect a Chaos Beast to appear.”

“He didn’t expect it?”

“Yeah, he seemed to be preparing to use another spell when suddenly those black roots shot out, interrupting him. For a moment, he looked surprised.”

…That makes sense. Even if a beast is uncontrollable, if you know that, there are ways to prepare for it.

The fact that he didn’t means the Chaos Beast’s appearance wasn’t intentional.

“(The problem is why something unexpected like that happened… But there’s not enough to go on here.)”

I can only speculate that it might have been a mishap or something to do with the Chaos Beast’s unique nature. Just speculation, really.

Well, it was probably his unique Attribute ability to trap and control beasts in books. Now that he’s dead, there’s no point in thinking about it further.

With these thoughts in mind, we continued deeper into the dark cave. The |Mana| was gradually getting denser, but no beasts appeared.

“But really, how far does this cave go?”

“We’re just about at the end.”

As I sighed in exasperation, that was the response I received.  

When I squinted my eyes, I noticed a faint light piercing through the field of vision revealed by [Clairvoyance].  

“Oh, finally! …Wait, isn’t something off?”  

The cave had been sloping downward the entire way from where we fell. There’s no way sunlight should be reaching this deep underground.  

The amount of light was also very small, so the source wasn’t the sun.  

I started to think about what kind of light source could exist underground, and then I noticed it—a fluctuation in |Mana|, pressing down and expanding the space around it.  

“Is this another Sovereign Beast…?”  

“Seems like it.”  

We finally arrived at the end of the cave, which opened into a vast vertical shaft.  

The walls of the shaft were crowded with multicolored, glowing gems, giving off an unmistakably eerie atmosphere.  

And at the bottom of this shaft, where it looked like a grain of rice, sat a single magical beast.  

The swirling |Mana| was centered around it, making it clear that this beast was the master of this gem-filled [Dominion].  

“Sovereign Beasts are dangerous… Should we turn back?”  

“No, there’s no need—if it’s just that one, it’ll be over in a single strike.”  

Reassuring the worried Fisu, I leaped into the shaft.