I Am the Weakest Cat, but If I Keep Evolving, Can I Become the Strongest? - Episode 21: Forest of the Undead

Episode 21: Forest of the Undead 

▽ Episode 21: Forest of the Undead 

Today, I changed my hunting ground. 

The reason being, the Crazy Dog is just too scary. Even as strong as I’ve become, if I get bitten or scratched by that thing, death is guaranteed. 

I can’t deal with that. 

Also, the fact that disease from it can be contracted by others is dangerous. 

Luckily, High-Speed Rabbits have species-wide resistance to the disease. 

Well, if they didn’t have resistance, they probably wouldn’t be able to survive in that area. 

Actually, one of the reasons Crazy Dogs haven’t spread further is because of the High-Speed Rabbits. Since they hunt them, the Crazy Dogs are probably kept in check. 

But, there are also examples like the Flame Lizard. 

Even at Rank IV, Crazy Dogs are a real threat. From now on, if I carelessly face an enemy that was influenced by a Crazy Dog—oops, got bitten—wouldn’t cut it. 

I trust my [Instinct Detection], but I should be on guard myself, too. 

The hunting ground I came to… is a place filled with cold air. 

In terms of Rank, there are both Rank III and IV here, I guess. It’s a pretty dangerous place. But since I was able to dominate the Rank III area… I want to think it’s reasonable. 

Even in that Rank III area, I ignored the disgusting cockroaches, the butterflies and caterpillars that spread status ailments. Because they’re insects, you know. Even though there’s good and bad compatibility, if it’s me, I can at least fight them. 

Let’s name this place the *Spirit Forest*. 

The things moving around here are Skeletons, Zombies, that kind of undead. 

“Nya ([Enchant Holy]).” 

I activated the main reason I was able to come to this dangerous higher-tier area. One of my only three [White Magic] spells. 

That is [Enchant Holy], which can give my claws the holy attribute. 

Enemy contact. 

Immediately, I slashed a Skeleton with my claws. The Skeleton turned to ash and disappeared. It wasn’t a matter of attack power; the moment I touched it, it was erased. 

Pretty good. 

In a good mood, I continued undead hunting. The experience point efficiency is pretty amazing. And also, there don’t seem to be any enemies with troublesome abilities. 

Even if I get bitten by a Zombie, I won’t turn into one. 

As a special trait, it seems unless you destroy the head, they keep moving. But if I purify them, there’s no need for discussion—so Zombies die just from touching me and are just small fry. 

▽ 

Time to eat. 

I grill some meat stored in my [Dimension Pouch]. This is High-Speed Rabbit meat. 

Among the things you can eat in the wild, I think it’s the best-tasting. 

The downside of this undead area is that you don’t get meat even if you hunt. That’s why other monsters avoid it. There’s not much benefit. 

Since I can carry food, I can cancel out that downside a bit. 

I’ll level up here. 

Occasionally, I’ll return to the original place and get meat. My Rank Up is probably near. 

▽ 

I dodge through an intense barrage. 

What’s being fired are magic bullets in three colors. A single undead is simultaneously casting various types of magic. It was trying to guide me, a living being, toward death. 

I dodge them all. 

These aren’t small evasions by twisting my body. It’s like running wildly through the forest, leaving the magic behind with pure leg speed. The wind makes my whiskers sway a lot. 

While I can’t deal with a Gatling-style barrage, this magic barrage has a lot of gaps. Even in terms of rapid-fire pace, it’s about two shots per second. 

It won’t hit a close-combat type like War Cat. 

Especially since I’m level 10 now. If I had met this at level 1, I probably would’ve had a harder time. 

I close the distance. 

It was a Skeleton wearing a robe. Maybe a Lich-like guy. I saw it trying to cast a spell even at close range. 

Too slow. 

I scratched it without mercy. With that alone, the *Pseudo-Lich* was purified. 

…The enemy was probably Rank IV. 

The compatibility was excellent. 

It seems you get fewer experience points when defeating them with purification attacks. Still, since I can defeat them easily and safely, I won’t stop leveling in the Spirit Forest. 

“Nyaun” 

Is this a world where magic is weak, after all? 

I kind of feel like that’s not the case. But unless you use [Spatial Magic] together with it, magic basically comes out of the hands or staff. 

It’s hard to imagine close-combat types not being able to dodge magic. 

Even that Pseudo-Lich just now prioritized rapid fire, so it was weak. Maybe large-scale unavoidable magic can’t be used at Rank IV. 

Anyway, next. 

This Spirit Forest has an unusually high number of enemies. 

It feels almost like it’s telling me, “Please level up.” 

I keep fighting. War Cat has the stamina to do so. 

I found another Pseudo-Lich. 

In front, like a shield, there were over twenty Skeletons. 

The fact they were in formation might mean that the Lich has something like command authority over lower undead. 

‘――’ 

The Lich shook its head side to side. *Clatter clatter*, the sound of bones shaking. 

That was the signal—the skeleton unit began to advance. 

The Lich also started a long chant. 

I’ve never seen such a long chant before… That must be the essence of offensive-type magic. I want to see what it looks like when it’s activated. 

Therefore, I deal with the Skeleton army first. 

First, [Scratching]. 

A giant cat claw, absurdly huge, sharpens its claws on the ground. 

The Skeletons caught in it… about ten of them, were shattered into tiny pieces and vanished. 

Ash danced in the air and melted away under the sunlight. 

“…Nya.” 

As expected, it’s hard to use. 

Despite the high physical fatigue, the aim is wild and it doesn’t kill as many as I thought. 

Considering the fatigue, it’s much better if I just approach and slash normally. 

But, it’s good enough for intimidation. 

The overconfident Pseudo-Lich hastily swung down its staff. 

It probably intended to kill me along with its Skeleton subordinates. 

What it released was—a fireball, about three meters in diameter. 

Its speed was slow, but the power inside was no joke. 

Through [Instinct Detection], I understood that if it hit, it’d be instant death. 

“Nya.” 

Calmly, I activated [Counter Gate]. 

The flame vanished—and before I knew it, it was shining above the Pseudo-Lich’s head. 

The Lich hastily activated [Water Magic]. But it seemed to be a beginner spell—like water on a hot stone. 

The Pseudo-Lich vanished. 

A deep dent was left in the ground. 

Maybe that was [Fire Magic・Intermediate]. 

Because of the long chant, it’s hard to use in real combat. But if it hits….… it seems pretty strong. 

“Nyao ([Natural Healing]).” 

To promote natural MP recovery, I used [White Magic]. 

I rest in the crater-like hollow that was formed. 

Right now, for me, [Counter Gate] is a heavy burden. 

Even so, I used it to measure the “threat level of magic.” 

Also, as a kind of test to see if it’s okay to evolve into a magic type in the future. 

From what I saw, it seems like “destructive magic” versus “direct combat types”. 

Direct combat types have enough firepower. 

But when it comes to the single point of destruction, I feel like they can’t match magic types. 

Though that depends on the species skills too. 

If destructive power becomes necessary in the future, choosing magic wouldn’t be a bad idea.