I Am the Weakest Cat, but If I Keep Evolving, Can I Become the Strongest? - Episode 22: Roar of Despair

Episode 22: Roar of Despair 

▽ Episode 22: Roar of Despair 

I’m aiming to rank up in the Spirit Forest. 

The undead are generally slow. Since I’m a direct-combat type, a War Cat, I’ve been able to fight quite easily. 

What I want to test right now is… about damage. 

I want to know the effect of the species skill [Battle Fur] that I went through the trouble to obtain. But getting hit on purpose and ending up with a broken bone would be bad. In the wild, that could mean death. 

If I’m going to test it, it’d probably be right before my evolution is confirmed. 

The trait of the undead is “immortality”. 

Skeletons, for example, if not shattered or purified, will revive after a while. 

Zombies won’t die unless you destroy their heads. And above all, their physical power is fairly high. 

Liches can use several spells at the same time and command Skeletons. 

Other than that, there are Zombie Dogs and Zombie Birds, huge lumps of meat (which I call Meat Slimes, but they clearly look like undead made of mashed-up corpses), and more. 

Among them, the only one I’m careful not to approach is the Meat Slime. 

That thing is super strong. 

I think it’s a proper Rank IV monster. Its trait is “immortality”, but if you get close, tons of arms will stretch out from inside. 

If it grabs you, it’s the end—you’ll be dragged into the meatball. 

Its HP is probably massive, so it’s hard to kill. 

It tanked my [Clawing] like it was nothing. Even when I launched a [Thunder Claw] with purification effect using [Dimension Strike], it didn’t die. 

Fighting something like that is just a waste of MP. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Meat Slime never moves from its spawn point. 

Lesser Zombies seem to be subconsciously lured to it, but there’s no lure effect toward me. So it shouldn’t be a problem. 

Well, there *is* a very good smell of grilled meat coming from it though. 

Even though it’s human meat, how can it smell so delicious? 

It’s scary. 

“Nyao.” 

Now then. 

I’ve been growing well in this Spirit Forest. But there’s one problem—or maybe there isn’t, but… 

…in this area, there’s actually a Dragon. 

Its body is rotting all over, the so-called Undead Dragon. 

Its total length is about the size of a large bus with wings. As a living creature, it’s quite large. 

It rules over the place with an overwhelming stench of rot. 

But it doesn’t move much. 

Probably doesn’t need to eat either. 

It doesn’t even look for prey, just sleeps around the clock, folding its tattered wings peacefully. 

Its rank, surprisingly, seems to be around IV. 

At least, it’s not Rank V… I think. 

There are a few reasons for that. 

The Dragon’s strengths, I infer, are “durability,” “destructive power,” and “flying ability.” 

But since this one is rotted, it lacks “durability”. And with its wings torn, it has no “flying ability.” 

So, Rank IV. 

A sorrowful Dragon that has lost most of its strengths… 

Even so, my [Instinct Detection] says it’s “still very strong.” 

It’s an opponent best left alone. 

That’s what I understand, but there’s something that keeps bothering me and interrupts my rationality. 

That is—the treasure chest. 

Unbelievably, the Undead Dragon is stationed right in front of a huge treasure chest like it’s something precious. 

I want to open it. 

If this world has rare items, getting them could lead to survival. 

More than anything, my [Instinct Detection] wants it. 

I’ve been following [Instinct Detection] until now. 

If I start doubting it, it means I’ll have to change my whole way of living. 

I won’t be able to obey [Instinct Detection] without hesitation anymore. 

That could be considered a permanent weakening. 

In a pinch, if I end up hesitating on whether to trust [Instinct Detection], it will cause a delay. 

That hesitation will one day get me killed. 

It’s troubling. 

The ideal is to fight it after I become Rank IV, or even Rank V. 

But I’m worried that evolution might cause me to weaken. 

Right now, this War Cat is really strong. 

The fact that I can fight with just my raw physical ability means I can brute-force through problems. 

As someone who has struggled with lack of firepower, I put my trust in this offensive strength. 

If I mess up, it might turn out that fighting now had the better chance of winning. 

After careful thought, I decided to try it once. 

As long as I manage my MP, I can escape with [Home Gate] when it comes down to it. Besides, I also have [Wonder Time]. 

My strength as a species is being good at observing the situation. 

If I don’t use my strengths, then there’s no meaning in all the evolutions I’ve gone through until now. 

If I get killed in one hit, that’s the end, though. 

…I’ll just be careful about that. 

*Gulp*, I swallowed my saliva.

▽

First match. 

I immediately used [Home Gate]. 

What I first tried was, probably a dumb idea anyone could think of: ignore the Undead Dragon completely and go straight for the treasure chest. 

It didn’t work. 

I tried to ambush it by catching the Undead Dragon off guard. 

The moment I touched the large treasure chest with my front paw, [Instinct Detection] told me I wouldn’t be able to open it until the Dragon was defeated. 

Also, the chest was too big to store in the [Dimension Pouch]. 

Since it belonged to the Dragon, [Apport] couldn’t be used either. 

[Apport]’s function says “pulling owned items toward oneself.” But technically it must mean “can’t pull other people’s stuff.” 

I escaped immediately. 

Now it’s the second round. 

Is the Undead Dragon bird-brained or something? Even when I approached, it didn’t show any signs of being alert. 

Seems like it forgot about the treasure chest thief (attempted). 

It’s probably also because I’m still Rank III. 

In this world, the lower-Ranked basically don’t challenge the higher-Ranked. 

The Rank difference has a huge effect. 

Even so, from experience, a one-Rank difference is barely fightable. 

The only ones actively challenging higher Ranks are me and the Crazy Dog. 

Now then—crazy me starts stacking buffs one after another. 

First is [Enchant Holy]. Without this, nothing starts. 

Next, I activate [Battle Fur]. 

I extend my claws. *Crackle*, violet lightning bursts out. 

“Nyao.” 

Full-speed sprint. 

I also use [Acceleration], doubling my speed. 

I, having turned into a double-speed cat, unleash a super-fast—spear-hand thrust. 

It pierces the Undead Dragon’s rotting flesh. 

Yeah. 

I dealt damage. 

Which means—I *can* kill it— 

“Gagagaaaaahhh!” 

!? 

The Dragon only roared. 

Just that alone made my entire sense of balance vanish. 

*Thump*, I clumsily fell on my butt. And instinctively, a trickle of pee leaked out. 

The Undead Dragon raised its elephant-sized front leg. 

Even though the movement was slow… I could do nothing but look up in shock. 

A huge sole came bearing down. 

[Instinct Detection] screamed warnings loud enough to hurt. 

—I’ll die. 

Tch! 

At the very last second, [Home Gate] activated. 

It was really, really close…

That was the worst. 

Such a disgraceful defeat. 

I washed my body clean using [Water Magic]. 

To think I actually peed myself… I never even imagined it. 

…So that was the real [Roar]. 

My own [Howl] doesn’t even compare………… 

“Nyao.” 

Maybe I can’t win. 

I was a fool for letting the treasure chest blind me and trying to fight that thing. 

In the first place, can a cat even win against a Dragon? 

Can any living thing beat a Dragon? 

I underestimated it, thinking it was just Rank IV. 

I’m glad that Dragon isn’t the type to hold a grudge. 

It probably has a personality that prioritizes the treasure chest over everything else. 

Well, it’s because I knew that about it that I challenged without hesitation. 

Still, fleeing was within expectations. 

I didn’t think I’d get so utterly crushed. But from a wild-animal value system, I was able to turn it into a “no game.” 

I postponed the Dragon subjugation. 

Sorry, [Instinct Detection]. 

It’s not that I’m doubting you. 

I just decided to temporarily ignore [Instinct Detection]’s “Go!” 

But… strangely enough, I never once thought of giving up on the subjugation.