The Banished Villainous Noble Son Who Was Used as a Stepping Stone in the Original Work Awakens to Combat and Destroys the Laws of the World - Episode 12: “Unique Variant,” I Like It

Episode 12: “Unique Variant,” I Like It

I exchanged sharp glances with the unique Miasma Rat.

A silence settled between us. It was like we were measuring each other.

I took a quiet breath.

There was no fear.

If anything, I felt a faint excitement rising inside me.

(This kind of thing… I liked it.)

The next moment, the unique variant jumped.

(Fast.)

It moved with a speed completely different from the usual Miasma Rats.

With a sharp leap, it closed the distance instantly and lunged with its fangs.

(Its approach was different… it came in at a diagonal.)

I stepped to the left right away.

I dodged it—just barely.

(That was close… but enough.)

After landing, the unique variant kept moving without pause.

It jumped again and again with feints. It was changing direction—right, left, diagonal, switching angles suddenly.

It moved like it was driven by pure hunting instinct.

Thanks to “Poison Resistance: Lv.3,” I didn’t have much trouble.

But if I got careless, I would get chipped away.

I didn’t need a potion yet. But I knew I had to stay sharp.

(Here it comes!)

I drew my sword and lowered my stance.

I slid diagonally forward just in time, dodging its strike.

(So this was its hunting pattern…)

The poison didn’t bother me much. But its attack power was clearly higher than normal.

Still, with “Physical Resistance” active, the damage stayed within a tolerable range.

(This type… was interesting.)

A familiar thirst lit up quietly inside me.

Reading its unknown movements and adapting my body in the moment—

That was the joy of battle.

(…Now I’ll make my move.)

As I kept observing its movements, I started to read the pattern in its jumps.

After every feint, it shifted its weight to its left leg.

That made its balance shake for a split second.

When the next jump came, I stepped in with a counterattack.

“Got you!”

My sword flashed.

I slashed its left shoulder, and miasma scattered through the air.

It let out a sharp shriek but didn’t fall.

More miasma poured from its wound as it bounced around wildly.

(Tough one…)

It charged at me next. It was a straight rush with pure instinct.

(I already read this.)

I sidestepped slightly. And as we passed, I landed a full-powered horizontal slash.

The clean strike finished it off.

The unique variant collapsed.

Silence returned.

《Skill Level-Up Confirmed》

《Skill: Accuracy Boost Lv.1 → Lv.2》

(Nice. That felt solid.)

I felt it—my precision was sharpening through real battle.

That was the value of fighting.

With each victory, I changed little by little.

I walked over to the downed creature.

Its claws and fangs were clearly more developed than the regular ones.

The poison sac, especially, looked valuable—maybe worth something as a research item.

(This should bring in some money… fight, earn, grow stronger. Simple.)

I quietly gathered the parts and packed them in my bag.

The smell of miasma was strong. But the rush of battle made even that feel oddly pleasant.

(“Poison Resistance”, “Physical resistance”… I’ll keep building.)

(And then—”Constant Activity”.)

There were still new skills waiting beyond more battles.

I still had the strength to keep going.

I still wanted to keep going.

That quiet thirst in me kept burning.

My movements were sharper now.

My aim was clearly improving.

Fighting was progress.

Every time I gained experience, my body improved.

◆

I went straight back to the guild.

By evening, the place was busy with adventurers taking and reporting quests.

I walked up to the usual reception counter.

The receptionist noticed me right away and smiled.

“Welcome back. Reporting in?”

“Yes—The unique variant was included. I took it down. Please process this.”

I took the materials from my bag.

Her expression flickered with surprise.

“A… a unique variant? Understood. Please wait.”

She kept calm and began the appraisal.

I stood there, thinking.

(The Ironhorn Boar materials sold for a good price. That made it great for money. So with a unique variant added this time, maybe I’d get around two silver coins…)

When she finished, she gave the report.

“Standard reward: 15 copper coins. Material value: 2 silver and 38 copper. Total: 2 silver and 53 copper coins.”

(Not bad.)

It was a much better deal than I expected.

More than twice what I earned for the first Miasma Rat request.

This would give me more flexibility in my next training.

“Thanks.”

I gave a small bow, took the reward, and stepped away.

I felt eyes on my back again—

but I was used to that.

◆

I left the guild and returned to the inn.

At the front door—

She was there again.

The small-framed girl—Linea.

She held cleaning tools and had just finished wringing out a cloth near the door.

When she heard my footsteps, her shoulders twitched.

She looked up—

For a moment, her eyes showed surprise and confusion.

But then—

“—!”

She turned and rushed back into the building.

(She ran off again.)

I frowned a little.

The innkeeper said she was just shy, but…

Something about her reaction felt off.

It didn’t seem like normal shyness.

There had to be a reason.

(Well, whatever. I didn’t have time for that. I had training to focus on.)

With a shrug, I stepped inside the inn.

(Note: There’s an Interlude after this chapter that you can buy with coins.)

Original Author’s Comment:

――――――――――――

Thank you for reading this chapter!

The encounter with the unique variant…

Maybe it was a happy one for him, in its own way…?

(Here’s the link if you want to support the Author: https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818622176303375188.)