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 121: The Moss Chicken and the Third Person

Episode 121: The Moss Chicken and the Third Person

(Note: Special for this chapter the MC’s dialogue is written in ‘…..’)

As we made our way through the subterranean forest, Fisu was steadily taking down magical beasts one after another. However, her impressive streak was about to come to an end.

“My |Mana| is running low.”

“I see… although your <Level> might have gone up a bit from today’s battles, you did start at <Level 1>,” 

Xanthos said, nodding in understanding.

Of course, Fisu saying her |Mana| was nearly depleted was a lie. By checking her |Status|, she could easily gauge how much |Mana| she had left, making it simple to pretend to be a regular person.

“If we’re heading back now, the fights on the way will be…”

‘It’s my turn’

“Understood. I’ll handle the protection of Lady Fisu and Lord Tanasis.”

I retrieved some artifact weapons from my [Weapon Storage]. They were mostly melee weapons. I had also been given some boots and a beam gun, but I wasn’t planning to use those yet.

‘(Hmm, at first glance, these don’t even look like weapons. If this country ever establishes diplomatic relations with the surface, could this lead to assassination attempts…? Nah, that’s not my concern.)’

I examined a sword shaped like a cross accessory that could fit in the palm of my hand. The short arm of the cross served as the handle, while the longer arm extended to form the blade. This kind of design was the standard for melee weapons in this country.

‘This is supposed to be more |Mana|-efficient than a beam weapon, right?’

“Indeed. Once the blade is formed, maintaining it requires minimal |Mana|, so it uses less overall.”

“But since battles with magical beasts are sporadic, summoning the blade still consumes quite a bit of |Mana|, so there’s not a huge difference.” 

‘Can’t you just keep the blade out all the time?’

“Maintaining the blade for too long also eats up |Mana|, so it’s more convenient to summon it only when needed.”

As we were talking, more magical beasts began to approach. I stepped forward and readied my weapon.

“C0ck-a-doodle-dooo!”

The creature that appeared had brown feathers and a viridian green comb—it was a chicken. This beast was called a “Raiken Chicken”, a type of livestock that had wandered into the forest and {Evolved} after being influenced by the underground moss.

‘(Blade on. Acceleration on. Here we go!)’

As I channeled |Mana| into the weapon, the blade formed. And with more |Mana|, it started accelerating on its own. With that added speed, I swung it in one swift motion. The blade sliced cleanly through the air, decapitating the Raiken Chicken. Its red bl00d splattered everywhere.

‘The cutting power is good… or is it? It’s hard to tell with a Lesser Beast.’

“Whoa… that was insane. I didn’t see a thing.”

“It seems you weren’t using your full strength when you fought me.”

‘Well, back then I was trying to handle things peacefully.’

As I recalled the time I had barged into the city, I examined the sword again. Thanks to the red Mana Crystal embedded in it, the acceleration was pretty decent.

“Hmm, we’ve got new enemies.”

Xanthos, who had approached the fallen Chicken to begin its dissection, muttered this. A moment later, a group of frog-like magical beasts appeared. Four of them had a toxic-looking purple and yellow-green mottled pattern, and leading them was a much larger one—it was likely a Greater Beast.

‘(This forest borders the underground lake, so I guess it makes sense for aquatic-type magical beasts to show up here too.)’

Recalling the information I had heard earlier, I began channeling |Mana| into another artifact. This time, it was a different sword. The Sentinels’ weapons came in several variations.

‘(So this one’s effect is… Ah, I see.)’

After quickly analyzing the weapon, I pointed the tip of the cross-shaped sword toward the incoming Toxic Frogs. They were still about ten meters away, but that was already within this weapon’s range.

‘(About this much |Mana| should do it… Blade Extend, on.)’

|Mana| flowed into the tip of the cross, forming a blade that became semi-material and began extending indefinitely. The speed of the blade’s extension was proportional to the amount of |Mana| I poured into it—so, incredibly fast. The Toxic Frog on the far right was skewered before it had a chance to dodge.

‘(Alright.)’

I lightly swung the extended blade horizontally, sweeping it across. With that simple motion, all the Toxic Frogs were cut down. Whether Lesser Beasts or Grand Beast, none of them stood a chance.

‘Oops, I ended up cutting through the trees as well. I guess I need more practice.’

The trees between me and the Frogs were one thing, but I could have avoided cutting down the trees further in the distance by adjusting the amount of |Mana| I used.

I need to get a better feel for how much |Mana| makes the blade extend and how far it can go.

“How is it? The extend-type artifact, I mean.”

‘It’s pretty interesting. Weapons on the surface didn’t extend like this.’

Well, in my case, I could replicate it to a certain length by transforming, but that wasn’t the main point here. The real appeal is how incorporating this feature into an artifact could combine with other effects for various uses.

“It’s originally meant to throw off your opponent’s sense of range, but you’re using |Mana| pretty extravagantly.”

‘I’ve got |Mana| to spare.’

“For long-range attacks, wouldn’t a [Wave Slash] have worked just as well?”

I decided to ignore her comment and continued with the dissection of the Toxic Frogs. Apparently, the Greater Beast was rare. Krissa was thrilled, saying we should have it for dinner. She had started staying at the mansion, little by little. I asked about the poison, and she assured me there was a well-established method for removing it during cooking. Tough girl.

We continued encountering magical beasts along the way, and I used those opportunities to test various artifact weapons. In addition to the ones I had already used, there were floating weapons, beam-firing weapons, and those that could freely change shape.

After testing everything thoroughly, we returned to the city and eventually made our way back to the mansion. I went back to my room, and that’s when the unusual event occurred.

Suddenly, |Mana| stirred in my room, and a hole opened up right beside me. Beyond the hole, I could see a completely different room.

“Hey, listen, Katsu! I finally got my magic to, uh… huh?”

The person who came through the hole took a moment to confirm that we were indoors, glanced out the nearby window at the exotic scenery outside, and then turned back to ask me a question.

“Um… where is this?”

‘That’s a long story… But why are you here, Paula?’

I asked my aqua-haired friend, who had suddenly paid me an unexpected visit.