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 125: OBIA

Episode 125: OBIA

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

That night, after learning how to make artifacts, Paula and I returned to the forest of our hometown.

“Hehe, making artifacts was fun, wasn’t it?”

‘Yeah, Fisu was surprisingly skilled, even more precise than the instructor.’

“Right! And then—”

We were reminiscing about the day, but this forest was home to dangerous monsters. The sound of voices could attract them.

Paula glanced at a spot ahead. And from there, large rat-like monsters came charging toward us.

‘Alright, time for a test run. Go, Obia!’

“Woof, woof!”

I sent a command via [Communication] to the dog-shaped pseudo-magical construct walking beside me. Obia bravely moved forward and barked aggressively.

“Such courage,” 

Paula murmured, watching Obia, the size of a medium-sized dog, stand fearlessly before the lion-sized Greater Beasts. Obia was the pseudo-magical construct we made today in the workshop. We were allowed to take one creation back, and I chose this one.

“Grrrr… Woof!”

“””Gigigigigiii….”””

The Large Rats stopped about 10 meters away, growling as if trying to intimidate. Obia’s size was no match for the Greater Beasts, but maybe they were wary of its metallic texture, which was rare in the forest. Or perhaps they were contemplating escape after seeing me, since even with half of my body inside the spatial expansion bag, I was still at least as large as a Grand Beast.

“Woof! Woof!”

Obia barked again. It was equipped with a barking function so it could be used as a guard dog. The loud bark not only served to intimidate but also alerted others to any danger.

“Woof! Woof!”

For the third time, Obia barked. Neither side had moved an inch since the standoff began.

“Woof! Woof!”

A fourth bark. By now, you’ve probably noticed that barking is all Obia can do. Its concept wasn’t a weapon; it was designed as a ‘pet-like pseudo-magical construct’. I figured making a combat-focused model right off the bat would be too difficult. And besides, there was potential profit since no similar product existed in this country.

So all Obia could do was bark at the monsters. Eventually, they’d lose patience and attack, but before that could happen…

“([Replicant Form])”

I mimicked the form of red hexagonal pillars. At their base, a complex mechanism was attached. These were devices I had crafted after returning home, using Mana Crystal processed through [Intensified Warfare].

I pointed the tips toward the sky and infused them with |Mana|. Each one fired a beam of |Mana|.

“””Gyou!?”””

The Rats’ eyes followed the beams, realizing too late that the trajectory was shifting toward them. They tried to flee, but it was pointless—the beams struck them with precision, causing them to explode.

‘Looks like the trajectory control works fine.’

The bending beams were similar to those used by the “Colossus” and in the city bombardment. The same calculation circuits embedded in the pseudo-magical constructs allowed the system to automatically adjust the angle and speed of the shot, striking the target from its blind spots.

“Isn’t it amazing? That complicated |Mana| movement in the trajectory settings is all done automatically.”

‘It really is. It’s convenient that it can hit targets hundreds of meters away with ease. Though, since the calculation circuits consume |Mana| and add weight, the Sentinels don’t use them.’

Everything has its trade-offs, it seems.

“Still, this little guy was brave, standing up to something bigger than itself,” 

Paula said, petting Obia’s head as it returned to us.

‘I’d like to make it capable of fighting one day.’

The Mana Crystal we used were of low quality, so their computational speed and output weren’t nearly enough for real combat. The joints moved awkwardly, and the body materials could be improved for battle use.

“Katsu, I’m sure you’ll be able to make it combat-ready soon. You’ve been learning so fast that even the instructor was surprised.”

‘That’s thanks to some prep work and the [Intensified Warfare] skill.’

“[Intensified Warfare]…? I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere recently…”

It’s a [Skill] specialized in analyzing and modifying weapons, which I acquired when I {Evolved} into a Sovereign Beast. Its performance is exceptional. With it, I can analyze an artifact’s structure and functions in a short time, imprinting the information into my mind. 

Of course, there are still things I can’t figure out just from the analysis alone. The “Colossus’s” calculation circuits had been particularly challenging. But after today’s artifact-making experience, my understanding made a significant leap forward.

“Ah, that’s right! It was in the book you gave me, Katsu!”

‘Hm? Oh, you mean that guy from the Demon Cult?’

It was the thick book that the man who attacked me had. It was pretty damaged, but I figured it might be useful for something. So I gave it to Paula two days ago. Since she’s attending a magic academy, she can read and understand it.

‘So, it really was a magic-based analysis book, huh? What other information does it contain?’

“Hmm, well… more than half of the page with your info is torn. But from what I can read, your <Soul Accumulated Level> is 248—”

It seems the book contains information about me, as of the moment when the Demon Cult guy died. Most of the pages with my |Stats| and [Skills] are torn, but Paula said she could still make out some of the [Skills] I recently acquired.

“In that case, I’ll just erase this page.”

‘It’s personal information after all, so please do.’

“Got it! [Area Delete].”

Since I likely wouldn’t need it anymore, I had Paula use her magic to completely erase the page. The moment she activated the spell, the page vanished as if it had never existed.

[Area Delete] is an attack magic that can erase an entire space, much larger in scope than [Area Slash]. Though it’s a powerful move, the area it affects is small, making it difficult to use in actual combat. But if you master it, you’d be able to eliminate any beast under Grand Beast level.

“And, um, are you sure it’s okay for me to use this? A book where tearing pages brings whatever’s drawn to life is so valuable that it’s practically priceless…”

‘Don’t worry about it. I doubt I’ll ever need to rely on something like that. Besides, I’d feel better if someone like you, who knows more about human society, has it. Just be careful not to use it in public since the original owner was tied to that sketchy Demon Cult.’

“Understood, I’ll keep that in mind.”

‘Alright, let’s get started on today’s training.’

We ended the chat and began experimenting with Barriers.

—

Some time passed, and just as we were about to wrap up the training, a group of monsters appeared. Since Paula had used up all her |Mana|, I quickly dispatched them with a bolt of lightning from [Thunderstorm Rich Harvest – Minori no Jingi]. The twisting lightning bolts pierced the monsters with precision, killing them instantly.

Even some plants hit by the stray lightning withered and died in an instant.

“That’s an incredible power you have. After testing it yesterday, it’s clear how strong it is.”

‘Right? It also works as a buff, so it’s really useful.’

“It’s a [Unique Skill], right? I was looking at your [Stats], and I started wondering… what exactly is a [Unique Skill]?”

‘To be honest, I don’t really know either. Even Ergo didn’t seem to have any idea.’

I mentioned this while recalling my conversations with Ergo, the second son of a merchant family. I’ve thought it might be connected to me reincarnating as a Slime. But explaining all of that would only complicate things, so I left it at that.

After exchanging some puzzled glances, we wrapped things up and went our separate ways.