by Yuu Tanaka
It looked like I got some useful skills out of that skirmish. I would have to try all of them out.
Hmm?
I began with Camouflage. It supposedly allowed me to blend into my surroundings, but I had no way of telling if it worked; I personally thought it didn’t. The same thing happened with Harden, seeing as I was already solid enough as a sword.
Instant Regen, though, was impressive. It consumed an extraordinary amount of mana, but it regenerated most of my blade in mere seconds. It was good for when I would be pressed for time, whereas Self-Repair was sufficient when I would have time to wait.
Ooh, I’m all bendy.
Soften really did soften my blade. Not by much since it was at such a low level, but shaking my blade did make it bend. It was a funny looking skill.
In any case, it was time to move on from the appetizer skills.
Activate Pocket Dimension.
It was an ability which gave me a private item box. I focused on a rock in front of me and thought about storing it, which caused it to disappear. I then thought of taking it out of storage which caused a pebble to appear out of thin air. I added some grass and stones into the storage space which prompted a list of my stored items when I tried taking something out of storage.
How’s the capacity then?
I’d be disappointed if it couldn’t store much, so I began testing the limits of the Pocket Dimension by putting more stuff into it.
Let’s start with you.
I looked over at the remains of the Gluttonous Slimelord. There was enough of it left to fill half of a pool twenty-five meters wide, so I was doubtful. But the Pocket Dimension easily stored it away in an instant.
That’s high-rank magic for you.
I didn’t know its upper limits, but it was bound to be useful for my User if it could store this much mass inside it. I could store away monsters we killed, as well as food supplies. I could even use it as a substitute wallet.
I had refilled my Durability and MP when I ranked up earlier, so I was in top condition. That said, it didn’t reduce any of the mental stress I had incurred during the fight.
I’m kinda tired, so I’ll go to the lower-level areas to hunt for a bit.
I began exploring the rest of Area 5 a day after my fierce battle with the Slimelord. I fought the beast somewhere in the south, so I thought I’d cover some other patch of land today.
I’d already run into some monsters that looked as strong as the Slimelord, like the twenty-meter-long Doppel Snake whose body was as thick as a barrel. As its name implied, it had the ability to make copies of itself. The copy would disappear shortly after being killed, which gave me a genuine fright. Worse, the skill was at such a high level that the copies were stronger than the Doppel Snake itself, which was kind of a letdown when the serpent unceremoniously died after I put all my strength into killing it. In fact, the snake was weaker than most of the monsters in Area 4; it was only dangerous mainly because it could make copies of itself. Still, I happened to find it resting in its hiding hole, and the cramped space may have been part of the reason it couldn’t put up much of a fight.
Heheheh, now I’m exponentially stronger…
I wasted no time in using my newly acquired Doppelganger, but…
“Huh, I’m not a sword…”
What? It’s just me from my previous life?
Yes, the copy the Doppelganger skill had produced was in fact the human me. Split Thinking, another skill I got off the Doppel Snake, allowed independent movement of my sword self and my copy.
“Does this mean I don’t need a User?”
Seriously? How strong is my copy, though?
I was hopeful about the possibility of foregoing a User altogether, but reality wasn’t as sweet. For starters, the Doppelganger skill had a time limit: five minutes for now. On top of that, my copy was extremely weak. It had an average stat of five and was therefore weaker than the average goblin. It could use all my skills, but they were all Level 1. I wouldn’t be able to use it if I tried.
Adding insult to weakness, my copy was butt naked. I thanked my lucky stars no one was around to see it. I recast it many times but could only conjure up dirty rags to clothe my copy at best. Was it because the Doppelganger skill was only Level 1? I supposed I could use it as a distraction, but creating a weak copy ate up so much MP—500 to be exact—that I didn’t think it was feasible. Using it in its current state, this skill would probably kill me in a fight.
Aside from Doppelganger, the snake gave me Molt Skin, Heat Seeker, and Scale Regeneration, which seemed pretty useless to me. The rest were skills I already had in my Skill Bank. The most useful among them was Ultimate Poison Fang, a further upgrade of Advanced Poison Fang.
I’ll have to try that one out in an actual fight.
I proceeded to store away the gigantic Doppel Snake in my Pocket Dimension, which still didn’t fill it up. The thing was roomier than I thought.
I headed north around midday, beating up monsters and storing them as I went. It occurred to me that each of the cardinal directions in Area 5 was ruled by a powerful monster, something that was made apparent to me after my campaign in the southern and eastern regions.
I thought of the powerful monsters, like the Slimelord and Doppel Snake, as Area Bosses. The weaker monsters in the area seemed to serve only as prey for these apex predators. I was on my way to beat up the Northern Area Boss now.
These Area Bosses have given me powerful skills so far. I can’t wait!
What I found was the smallest among the area bosses I’d fought up till now. The turtle monster radiated strong magic though, and it was no slouch compared to the other area bosses.
The reptile’s body was about five meters in length. Its ten rear intake pipes shone a metallic black as they connected to a thick cannon sticking out from the front of its shell. I used Identify on it to figure out its name.
Blast Tortoise.
It looked to be a close relative of the Cannon Tortoise I had run into before, which meant it also had the ability to suck up air and shoot out blasts of air pressure. The creature roared as if to showcase its power. It must’ve been much stronger than its cousin, given the amount of intake pipes it possessed. It also had better detection skills to go with its artillery capability, as it was already lining up its barrel to fire at me at this great a distance. It shot out one air blast after another.
Whoa!
I didn’t see that coming. The Cannon Tortoise needed to reload after every shot, but this high-rank monster was worthy of its title. The creature roared as it shot out another blast of highly compressed air. I managed to avoid a direct hit so far, but the air bullets had suddenly exploded around me, dealing massive damage—and that was just the aftershock! The fact that it could detonate its air charges remotely was also a sign of its advanced evolution.
This is bad!
Explosions of air pressure followed one after another as I tried to get away while the blasts chipped at my Durability. I could see the air bullets better now, but escape was my top priority. I plunged myself toward the ground with Telekinetic Catapult to dodge the ensuing barrage, zigzagging left and right.
I’ve had enough out of you!
I closed in on the turtle, taking every hit that came my way in stride.
Got you!
The battle was mine now that we were in close range. I brought my blade down upon the turtle to cut it open, but—
Hey, get back here!
The turtle drew its head and limbs into its shell at a speed I’d never seen before. I slashed its shell out of frustration, but it was of little to no effect. I wondered if I could wear its shell down if I cut it enough times…
But I’m not letting you get away that easily!
The turtle, all holed up in its shell, began spinning in place (it sorta looked like Gamera), and indiscriminately shooting its payload of air bullets all around it. It was a mindless barrage which made it hard to read and difficult to dodge. The air grenades rolled u
p the ground in its immediate vicinity but reverted to regular air bullets at a distance. Its detection skills must’ve told it of my every move, and it therefore decided to shoot at its main blind spot above its shell by tilting its body.
Jeez!
I couldn’t stay above it, so that meant I had to go under it. I checked my stats while dodging the incoming air bullets, an ability I gained thanks to the Doppel Snake’s Split Thinking skill. I put my Evolution Points, which I was saving up, into my Earth Magic to bump it up to Level 4. The monster I got that from was the Gourmet Orc Mage, and its Earth Magic was also at Level 4.
There it is!
I was now able to use the Gourmet Orc Mage’s hole-
digging spell.
Earth Digger!
I jumped into the freshly dug hole and continued burrowing using Earth Digger until I was directly under the Blast Tortoise. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel his presence.
Earth Wall.
I used the Level 3 Earth Magic, Earth Wall, to erect a two-meter-high wall from right under the Blast Tortoise’s giant body. It drove the creature high enough that it couldn’t feel the ground anymore, confusing it. I took the chance and charged right into the turtle. Damaging it wasn’t my main objective, however.
I’ve got you right where I want you!
The turtle toppled from my tackle, unable to gain stable footing on the Earth Wall, and fell to the ground with its belly exposed. It tried turning itself right side up with its tail but failed miserably. It wouldn’t be able to get away now. The turtle stretched out its head and limbs in a desperate attempt to regain its footing, but I wasn’t about to let this chance slip by. I used my greatest skill, the one I used to defeat the Slimelord, and launched myself at the turtle’s head with the Telekinetic Catapult. It was only a turtle after all; it was no match for me.
I win!
That was dangerous, though. I couldn’t afford to underestimate Area 5. I went inside the turtle through the hole I made in its head and dug around until I found something that looked like a heart containing its crystal. I absorbed it and stored the Blast Tortoise away. And the Pocket Dimension still wasn’t full.
I don’t think I have enough MP. I should head back.
I would leave investigating the western part of Area 5 for tomorrow. I needed to look at the skills I got from the Blast Tortoise anyway.
I returned to the pedestal and found that the only skills I could use were Air Compression and Air Blast. Granted, these were both useful skills. Air Blast allowed one to draw in the surrounding air and shoot it out like a bullet. The Blast Tortoise had specialized organs which allowed it to use this skill whereas I, on the other hand, used Air Manipulation and Wind Magic to achieve the same effect.
Air Compression seemed useless at first, but it was actually an interesting skill. Using it with Air Blast buffed up the power of the air bullets, and casting it on myself allowed me to put up a shield of compressed air. It was useless by itself, but it seemed to have interesting effects when used together with other skills.
I’m glad I have a lot of skills now, but I’m gonna need some practice so I can put them to good work.
A skill was only as powerful as how I used it after all.
The following afternoon—
I was locked in a fierce battle with the last area boss, Tyrant Saber-Tooth. It was a gigantic tiger with long fangs, its body standing four meters tall and spanning ten meters long. It was incredibly fast for its size, too. Its ability to jump mid-air made it a deadly and agile enemy. It had various abilities to oscillate its body parts which made its attack power disgustingly high. Its fur was covered in some sort of magic that made it difficult for my blade to cut through. I managed to slip through the tiger’s claws and charged to its side, but I barely scratched it.
I managed to avoid the Tyrant Saber-Tooth’s clamping jaws, but the aftershock dealt incredible damage regardless.
Was that from its skill?!
If its graze was enough to rattle me, a direct attack may break me in one hit!
The tiger didn’t have any way of attacking me from a long range, so putting some distance between it and me seemed to be the best strategy. However, the big cat’s insane speed, and its ability to traverse mid-air, enabled it to catch up no matter how far up in the sky I flew.
Fire Arrow!
The fire arrow bounced off its fur, leaving little more than a singe in its place. Well, that didn’t work. I had to put my back into my slashes to cut through this thing, and magic fared little better. The creature roared though, so I supposed my efforts weren’t all for naught. It seemed I did enough damage to greatly annoy the Tyrant Saber-Tooth.
This can only get worse…
Should I go for its weak spots, or stick to my bread and butter skills? I dodged the creature’s attacks as I pondered this question and looked through my Skill Bank. Eventually, I found my answer.
That’s it!
I decided to use my remaining Evolution Points. However, I wasn’t sure if this would secure my victory.
You have spent 15 Evolution Points to upgrade Ultimate Poison Fang to EX Poison Fang.
My solution was Ultimate Poison Fang. The Tyrant Saber-Tooth didn’t have Poison Resistance among its skills which meant Ultimate Poison Fang should work against it, and I may as well evolve it further with my remaining EP. If it still didn’t work, I would make my escape.
With that plan in mind, I poked the Tyrant Saber-Tooth.
How do you like that?
I cast Identify on him while flying away.
Yes, it worked!
The Tyrant Saber-Tooth was now poisoned, its life draining away rapidly. The tiger roared again in a frenzy, its attacks more frantic in its poisoned state. I kept up the offense to make the poison work faster.
Three hours later…
I won!
I pointed the tip of my blade to the sky in an expression of victory. At my hilt was the corpse of the final boss of Area 5, the Tyrant Saber-Tooth. The poison had worked its magic, but it entered an enraged state when its Life Points counter was at about half. I honestly thought I was going to lose that fight, but it was a risk worth taking.
First, the skills: I got Oscillation and Vibrofang for my trouble. Oscillation allowed me to use vibrations to destroy a target from the inside out, while Vibrofang allowed me to increase the sharpness of my blade by vibrating it, essentially turning me into a high-frequency blade. The slightest touch would make a target explode, so I quite liked this skill.
Next were the crystals. Beating a boss in Area 5 gave me 150 crystals, at least. Pair that with the crystals I got from hunting around in Area 4 and I was ready to rank up again.
Name: Unknown
Race: Intelligent Weapon
Attack: 392; MP: 1650/1650; Durability: 1450/1450
Evolution: [Rank 7; Crystals: 2109/2800; Skill Capacity: 47; Free Points: 82]
Skills: Identify 6; Attack Up (Small); High-Speed Self-Repair; Skill Sharing; Recovery Rate+; Status+; Telekinesis; Telekinesis Up (Small); Telepathy; MP Up (Small); Bestiary; Mage; Skill Capacity Up (Small)
The rank up had also topped me off.
What should I do now?
I was going to go back to the pedestal after the fight was over… But the sun was high in the sky, and the mysterious forest line surrounding Area 5 was staring me right in the face. I had plans to investigate it later, but…
Hm, I dunno.
I was fully healed, and I had time. I thought I could take a peek.
I may as well check it out while I’m here. It’d be a shame to go back empty-handed.
And so I decided I would explore these uncharted woods. I took my time and inspected my surroundings using Night Vision and Thermal Vision to look for potential predators.
Doesn’t look like there’s anything here…
There were quite a few animals, but not that many monsters. I spotted some goblins, but they weren’t worth the effort killing at this point.
; Nothing but low-rank monsters around, it looks like.
I thought I would have run into an impossibly difficult god monster in Area 6, but this was no different compared to Area 1.
Man, I’m kinda disappointed…
I launched myself into the air with Telekinetic Catapult to get a bird’s eye view of the woods. It seemed to be a normal forest, and I didn’t feel the presence of any large monsters around.
Oh, I can see a clearing.
There was a patch of land in the forest which was clear of trees. I turned around and dropped myself to the ground. I fell, blade first, and lodged myself inside the earth.
Perfect landing!
Telekinetic Catapult often put my blade in a horizontal position, so there had been times where I smacked against the ground with the flat of my blade. It didn’t do any damage to my Durability, but I considered it a failed landing. I considered sticking the landing with the end of my blade the ideal landing position since it felt nice. It would’ve been easy to alter my course with Telekinesis of course, but it felt more rewarding to let gravity be the judge of my landing. It was an alternative form of entertainment that wasn’t hunting and killing monsters.
My blade pierced through the moist ground, and I deduced from its humidity that the ground here was mostly made of clay.
All right, let’s do another jump… Huh?
I couldn’t move.
Was the clay’s hold on my blade stronger than I thought? I concentrated to increase the potency of my Telekinesis.
N-no way… I can’t cast Telekinesis?
More specifically, something cancelled my Telekinesis just as I cast it.
Time to put some oomph into it.
I focused all my magical energy into casting Telekinesis, but it whiffed with a weak noise and nothing happened.
Ugh, that didn’t work?
I knew now the ground was absorbing my magic. It drained all the magic I had focused in a flash.
What about this?
I tried using my skills now. I used Vibrofang to vibrate my blade and create a gap in the ground to wiggle myself out.
But Vibrofang wouldn’t even cast.