The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - Chapter 108: Riko’s Special Skill

Chapter 108: Riko’s Special Skill

“Does Riko-chan have any abilities?”

As I was thinking about that, the staff member, who had just finished compiling the report, now asked about Riko’s abilities.

“So, that’s what they’re asking. Riko, do you have any skills?”

Riko, who was swaying on Koku’s back, flicked out his tongue when he heard his name. After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

‘…………’

Riko looked around, spotted a frog, stretched his neck, and caught it in an instant. The frog, trapped between his fangs, wriggled and struggled.

“What is he trying to show us? Is he saying he can hunt?”

Catching a frog in the blink of an eye was certainly impressive, but that didn’t seem to be what Riko wanted to demonstrate.

“No, it seems to be something else.”

Riko’s expression changed, and the frog’s convulsions became more intense.

‘………………％！　％！　％！’

The frog, which had been green, started losing its color.

“No way!?”

As the convulsions stopped, the frog spread out its arms and legs, turning into a bluish-transparent figure and becoming still.

“Is this… crystallization?!”

I suddenly remembered the time when Carol experienced crystallization.

Since Riko is a Crystal Cockatrice, it’s not surprising that he can do this, but I never expected him to be able to do it at such a young age.

“Amazing… so this is…”

The staff member looked on in awe, but Riko, even after crystallizing the frog, signaled that he still had more to show.

‘Koku koku.’

Encouraged by Koku, Riko’s expression grew even more intense. After a few minutes, he started panting, and at that moment, the crystallized frog statue fell to the ground.

Even while catching his breath, Riko turned to me with a proud look.

“That’s really impressive.”

I patted Riko’s head, and he looked satisfied.

“…Is it safe to touch?”

“I’ll go first.”

I told the staff member and picked up the crystallized frog. It felt smooth to the touch.

“There doesn’t seem to be any problem.”

It didn’t seem to be poisonous, so I handed it to the staff member.

“Klaus-san, is crystal supposed to be this hard?”

The staff member, surprised, tapped the crystallized frog to test its strength.

“When Carol was crystallized, we handled her carefully, so I didn’t check, but in battle, ordinary weapons couldn’t damage her crystallized wings and body, so I think it was quite hard.”

From this, we could tell that Koku and Riko had the ability to adjust the hardness of their bodies.

“Let me test its hardness.”

The staff member took out a magical tool and started examining the crystallized frog.

“Amazing… This hardness is beyond some metals!”

“It’s really that strong? No… it actually makes sense.”

When fighting a Crystal Cockatrice, the only weapon that worked was the Sun Sword. Since other weapons had no effect, it was reasonable to assume that crystallization made them extremely durable.

“Can he only crystallize living creatures?”

“What about it, Riko?”

When I asked Riko, he conveyed his answer.

‘…………！’

“If he tries hard enough, he can do it.”

It seemed to be more difficult than with living creatures, but Riko claimed he could also crystallize plants.

“This… might be an incredible ability.”

The staff member placed a hand on her chin, looking serious.

“What do you mean?”

“Klaus-san, do you know about a monster called the Swordfish?”

“Yes, it’s a water-dwelling D-rank monster, right? Its shape is just like a longsword, and since it swims at incredible speeds underwater, there are occasional accidents where it pierces people.”

I recalled my knowledge and answered her question.

“If we crystallized a Swordfish, wouldn’t it make an amazing weapon?”

Its sharp, pointed tip and fins, shaped like a polished blade, were already dangerous. If it could be crystallized, it would become a weapon with tremendous power.

“Just thinking about it is scary.”

Forging a masterpiece sword takes time, but Swordfish aren’t particularly rare monsters. Searching the ocean, you could find at least one per day.

If we could crystallize them properly…

“And if we could crush or melt the crystal to mix it into armor, we could create incredibly strong defenses.”

“That would make an excellent material.”

Metal takes time to refine, but with this, Riko could crystallize it instantly. Although it seemed to require time and energy to increase the hardness, it was still extremely useful.

If Riko’s crystallization ability grew stronger as he matured, then we could turn the Crystal Cockatrice’s offensive and defensive power into weapons and armor.

After thinking for a moment, I asked:

“Should we tell Lebrant about this?”

I imagined his exhausted face, still buried in work.

“…Actually, recently, there’s been a series of familiar abductions, and the Guild Master hasn’t slept for three days.”

The staff member furrowed her brows and told me about Lebrant’s current situation.

“That’s… unforgivable.”

I felt a surge of anger toward the kidnappers and reminded myself to be extra cautious with my own familiars.

“As for Koku and Riko’s information, I’ll leave it to you to tell him.”

I couldn’t just ignore it, so I decided to have the staff member report it at the right time.

“Lately, whenever I start a sentence with ‘This is about Klaus-san…’ he looks like he’s about to cry. Do I really have to tell him?”

The staff member grimaced and gave me a somewhat accusing look.

“Please, I’m counting on you.”

I clasped my hands together and pleaded with her.