I Am the Weakest Cat, but If I Keep Evolving, Can I Become the Strongest? - Episode 30: An Unexpected Alliance

Episode 30: An Unexpected Alliance

▽ Episode 30: An Unexpected Alliance

Right now, a major problem is occurring in the Steam Forest. 

…That parasitic monster has invaded. 

I have no obligation to go fight it. But the trouble is, the Two-Headed Dog seems fully ready to battle. 

It really loves the hot springs. 

It’s likely fighting to prevent its hunting grounds from being disrupted. 

“Nyao.” 

Danger. 

If this continues, the Two-Headed Dog will end up merging with that parasitic creature. 

From what I can tell, that Parasite monster is an unusual case that’s been continuously hunting lower-Ranked prey. 

Even so, it’s a creature that can grow stronger. 

A nightmare that devours every species. 

And that nightmare… perhaps chasing after me, has learned to ascend. 

A species that once preyed only on the weak due to its low intelligence has, by sheer luck, gotten the chance to devour the strong. 

This is bad. 

If the Two-Headed Dog is absorbed, and that Parasite reaches Rank V territory after that— 

the balance of the forest could collapse entirely. 

I have no choice. 

I decided to secretly support the Two-Headed Dog. 

That Parasite must not be allowed to advance any further up the Ranks. 

▽

A fierce battle had begun. 

In the steaming, humid battlefield— 

The enemy had already devoured nearby monsters. It was sprouting body parts from Flame  Lizards, Water Bird, and many other beasts. 

『Gao!』 

The Two-Headed Dog let out a twin-headed roar. 

The Parasite showed no signs of fear. It was drooling thickly from its mouth. 

It launched something. 

Back when it was Rank IV, I couldn’t see what it was. 

But now, I understand. 

That… was a piece of itself. 

A pale, slender chunk of its own flesh detached and flew like a bullet. 

Behind us. 

A Flame Lizard got hit by accident and let out a dying scream. 

The damage itself didn’t seem that serious— 

But that white piece squirmed and wriggled, then burrowed into the lizard’s body. 

The Flame Lizard thrashed wildly. 

Eventually, its eyes went dull, and it started walking toward the Parasite… 

That’s insanely bad. 

I’m getting chills. 

Fighting something like that is way beyond unfair. 

Even so… I decided to support the fight from a distance. 

First, I send buffs. 

I cast [Enchant Fire] on the Two-Headed Dog. Then [Damage Up]. 

Next, I cast [Enchant Fire] on the Parasite as well. 

From past battle experience, I know the Two-Headed Dog has resistance to fire. 

In other words, if I make the enemy’s attacks fire-elemental, I can reduce the damage the dog takes. 

It’s a pretty wicked tactic. 

If I gain resistance skills myself, I’ll be able to enchant enemies with that same element freely. 

I’ve got talent with enchantments. So I’d love to get some kind of resistance eventually. 

For just a moment, the Two-Headed Dog looked at me. 

I said nothing. 

To assert my will, I launched a fire-attribute magic attack at the Parasite. 

The dog turned its head back. 

I’ll take that as agreement. 

Maybe my [Charm] skill helped too. 

Now, in the Steam Forest, two Rank V beasts have formed an alliance and begun moving to hunt a higher-Ranked monster. 

Both of us have Unique Skills. 

On the other hand, the Parasite is a total mystery. 

It might also have a Unique Skill. And on top of that, the Rank difference isn’t just one or two. 

Our edge lies in: 

The difference in intelligence. 

The difference in numbers and Unique Skills. 

If there’s any chance of winning, it’s in that. 

Clinging to that possibility, we decided to fight. 

▽

『Awoooooooooooooooooooooooo!』 

The Two-Headed Dog made the first move. 

It unleashed two types of breath attacks. 

Those breaths are probably its Unique Skill. 

Fire-type and water-type—opposing elements. 

Both heads unleashed overwhelming destruction at once. 

I don’t know much about games. But from what I’ve seen in game streams—breath attacks are usually a monster’s ultimate move. 

And this thing can use two at the same time. 

It’s definitely a powerful attack. 

『Ah, uh, ah…』 

The Parasite didn’t even take a defensive stance. 

It took both breath attacks head-on. 

Its body began to tear apart with a sickening rip. 

The force overwhelmed it, pushing it slowly backward, gouging into the ground. 

But I didn’t just sit back and watch. 

That alone won’t kill it. 

Which is why I, waiting in the rear, activated [Generator]. 

After a full minute of charging, I spent another 30 seconds preparing my spell. 

“Nyaoooooooooooooo ([Thunder Cannon])!!” 

I unleashed the magic.

A thunderclap so loud even I was surprised roared out. 

This magic is incredibly hard to control. So I used the [Focus] spell from [Spatial Magic]. 

That spell prevents friendly fire. 

Any ranged attacks are nullified against the designated target. 

The Two-Headed Dog looked surprised as the lightning passed right through its own body. 

It stared wide-eyed at me. But once it realized it wasn’t taking damage, it seemed to accept it. 

It began preparing to cast magic of its own. 

It looked like an intermediate-level [Fire Magic] spell. 

Then, it boosted it further with an intermediate-level [Wind Magic] spell, creating tremendous destruction. 

As always, the Parasite didn’t try to dodge. 

No, it probably *couldn’t* move due to my lightning. The writhing stopped. 

The empowered flames exploded. 

The tentacles burned and melted. 

Looks like fire really is its weakness. 

“Nyan.” 

But the efficiency seems bad. 

That monster’s stamina is bottomless. 

Or maybe… the way we’re fighting it is fundamentally wrong. 

A foe tougher than even the Undead Dragon. 

It only seems weak because of its low intelligence and lack of aggression… 

In truth, it’s far beyond us. 

『Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah…』 

『Gaaahhhhhh!』 

The Two-Headed Dog shifted into melee combat. 

It’s a huge dog. 

While it can combine two types of breath and two types of intermediate magic for combat, 

that massive frame means close-quarters destruction is its real strength. 

It’s not as fast as I thought. 

But that means its stats are probably stacked into firepower instead. 

Its two front paws rose. 

Each paw activated a different skill. 

Its right claw wreathed in hellfire, its left claw in wind. 

A cross slash was unleashed. 

It exploded. 

The moment it hit, both active skills overlapped. It amplified their effects. 

The Parasite’s body was blown to bits. 

The outer layer made up of other monsters’ bodies burst apart. And the white tentacles packed inside scattered everywhere. 

Just in case, I cast [Dimension Wall] to protect the Two-Headed Dog from the flying tentacles. 

There might still be a parasitic effect in those things. 

『Gau!』 

A [Roar]-type skill activated next. 

The Parasite stopped moving for a moment. 

The dog followed up with another slash using both claws. 

I can’t fall behind either. 

But I definitely don’t want to get close. So I used [Dimension Strike] to unleash [Thunder Claw Slash]. 

It’s not as powerful as the dog’s attack, but it should still be dealing decent damage. 

If we keep pressing the attack like this… 

We Rank V monsters have way more MP and HP than anything in Rank IV. 

If we keep attacking until it dies—just when I thought that… 

『AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!』 

The parasite screamed from every mouth on its body. 

It was a [Roar]-type skill. 

I was far enough away to be fine. But the nearby Two-Headed Dog got hit hard. 

Well, it does have four highly sensitive dog ears—this might’ve been a targeted attack. 

A paralyzing roar. 

With the dog frozen in place, ten spear-like tentacles shot toward it. 

At this rate, it would be pierced, devoured, and the Parasite would grow even more powerful. 

I held my breath. 

I tightly shut my eyes— 

and activated [Spatial Magic]. 

The spell I used was called [Change]—it swaps places between yourself and a friendly creature. 

Naturally, I swapped with the Two-Headed Dog. 

The tentacles were right in front of me. 

I had planned ahead to use [Wonder Time]. 

Thanks to inherited skill adaptation, the Parasite’s tentacles plunged into the ground instead. 

I no longer cared about consequences. 

I activated multiple skills. 

At point-blank range: 

[Scratching], [Flash Claws], [Thunder Claw Slash]— 

And of course, I had buffs at full power. 

The enchantment was still in effect, so flames were active too. 

I gouged out one of its faces. 

The parasitic creature let out a shriek and collapsed onto the ground. 

Its stamina was heavily depleted. 

Even so—it could still move. It could *still* move. 

“Nyao ([Generator]).” 

I need more firepower.