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 154: The Southern Calamity Beasts

Episode 154: The Southern Calamity Beasts  

I soared through the sky at supersonic speed, cutting through the clouds.  

After flying southward for a while using a long-distance flight artifact, the Southern Great Magical Wilderness came into view.  

Unlike the frozen Arctic, it was a vast, teeming jungle.  

Plants covered the land all the way to the edges of the continent, and there was hardly any bare earth visible.  

Given its low latitude, the area was hot and humid, making it more like a tropical rainforest.  

The vegetation was dominated by ferns and palm-like trees. The interior was so densely covered by branches and leaves that the ground was completely hidden.  

Every towering tree was massive, large enough to be revered as sacred if placed in a shrine.  

While the |Mana| here strengthened the forest, this wasn’t a wasteland ruled by plant-based magical beasts.  

Soon enough, I spotted the dominant species that ruled the southern continent.  

“────!”  

“────!!”  

Far below, a pack of multi-headed Calamity Beasts were locked in combat, toppling trees as they fought.  

Each of their heads, legs, and tails were made up of parts from different species, giving them a patchwork appearance.  

These creatures were “Chimeras”.  

Unlike the mythological chimera, the species composing their bodies weren’t limited to lions or goats.  

In this world, Chimeras absorbed the characteristics of any species by consuming its flesh.  

According to the Star God, Chimeras were the most prosperous species on this continent. Even the “Ancient King” was one of them.  

“(I’d like to observe how Chimeras fight if I had time, but this continent is absurdly large… I can’t afford to waste time, so I’ll just engage if I come across a Calamity Beast.)”  

As I thought that, I spotted a massive shadow in the distance.  

Judging by its size, it was a Calamity Beast and, unsurprisingly, a Chimera.  

I began my descent immediately.  

“(No need for [Dominion]… [Replicant Form]!)”  

As I mimicked my newest and strongest weapon, the Calamity Beast spotted me.  

Even with my stealth [Skills] fully activated, its instincts were sharp.  

“Mwelorororo!”  

The Chimera had two necks, one extending forward and one backward.  

The front neck resembled that of a mammoth with massive tusks, while the back neck was long and thin, like a giraffe’s.  

But what stood out most was not its necks, but what lay beneath.  

It had countless arms stretching out in all directions, like octopus tentacles.  

Some of the arms were hairy, resembling those of apes, while others were equipped with suction cups, like octopus tentacles. In short, it had a mishmash of limbs.  

Then, as all its arms pointed downward, it began lifting tree roots. An equal number of metal spheres rose into the air alongside them.  

“Kirrururu!”  

The chimera grabbed the metal spheres, which were perfectly sized to fit in its hands, and hurled them all at once.  

The balls flew toward me at a much higher speed than the throws I could manage as a Calamity Beast, and—  

“(Seriously? Magic balls?)”  

The spheres traced complex, unpredictable paths through the air. It was to the point that my [Projectile Prediction] skill struggled to keep up.  

If I were playing baseball, these kinds of pitches would be a nightmare.  

“(So that’s its [Dominion]—twisting and manipulating trajectories like curveballs or something.)”  

I observed the distorted shapes of the plants surrounding the chimera.  

If those distortions were caused by its [Dominion], my analysis wasn’t far off.  

“(Alright, it’s time.)”  

The fastest magic ball was about to reach me.  

It feinted left and right before suddenly rocketing straight toward my body, aiming to pierce through me.  

But I calmly deflected it with my new weapon.  

“(Yeah, still too slow.)”  

I continued to precisely deflect the incoming magic balls.  

Even though they traced complicated trajectories, without sufficient speed, they were just flashy tricks.  

Against a Calamity Beast, the speed might be enough, but I’m a Beast King.  

On top of that, I have a host of skills like [Projectile Prediction] and [Clear Tranquility] to help process these kinds of attacks.  

Since the [True Transformation] into [The Endless Cycle of Thunderous Rebirth], the power of my electrical conduction abilities had also increased.  

It would be harder to let these attacks hit me on purpose.  

“Mera!?”  

“(And up we go!)”  

The Chimera stared at me in even greater astonishment than when it first noticed my presence.  

I accelerated further, plunging my new weapon into its shoulder.  

Its curly fur offered no resistance as the weapon pierced through, but there was no spray of bl00d. Considering the nature of my new weapon, that was only natural.  

“Kyooo!?”  

The Chimera let out a scream, overwhelmed by the intense pain of being impaled and the strange, bone-chilling sensation coursing through it.  

It was probably feeling as if ice had been driven into its veins. In fact, the bl00d near its shoulder was already frozen solid.  

“(The power of the Polar Thorn is incredible. This is what it does to a Calamity Beast in one shot.)”  

Polar Thorn—this weapon was crafted from the buccal horn, a predatory organ of the “Polar King.”  

Its form was reminiscent of a UFO claw grabber.  

At the end of its translucent arm were six wire-like appendages for gripping prey.  

Since the “Polar King” was a long-range type magical beast, most of its abilities couldn’t be converted into a weapon. But this was the exception.  

The weapon had the convenient ability to rapidly drain heat from anything it touched, slowing down its prey for easier capture. I had adapted that ability directly.  

“(Ah, I only stabbed it with two of the spikes so far.)”  

Seeing the chimera’s many arms rushing toward me to tear me off, I wrapped the remaining spikes around it.  

The Chimera convulsed.  

At this point, it wouldn’t be long before it died, even if I did nothing more.  

“(Sorry, but you’ll have to help me out with one last thing. [Lightning Strike]!)”  

I drove the lightning of my [Unique Skill] deep into the chimera’s core, piercing its very soul, the 〔Soul Arche〕.  

There was no delicate harvest here, just a raging fire burning everything down to the ground.  

―――Non-Notification Information Recording Zone―――――――――――――

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>> The Radiant One with the Amber Sun and Divine Wisdom (?), Fuwa Katsu’s <Soul Accumulation Level> has increased to 764.  

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It worked on the second strike.  

Even factoring out the damage from the polar thorn, I had made great progress.  

“(But it’s still not enough.)”  

Ultimately, I have to defeat Karkinos.  

Since I have no idea how powerful my opponent will be, I need to keep honing my [Unique Skill] to a much higher level.  

“(Killing an unscathed Calamity Beast in a single blow—that’s my next goal.)”  

With that interim goal in mind, I took off once more into the skies of the Great Magical Wilderness.  

—

And forty-two hours and seventeen minutes later…  

I encountered the supreme life form known as the “Ancient King.”