Chapter 82
With the two people and one monster capable of flight supporting Jigoro, we descended from the rocky mountain where Birdian Perch was located to the ground, then immediately began heading south while retracing the path we'd taken.
"So, what d'you reckon the boss of this forest is?"
"...This topic again?"
"Huh? Again?"
"Yeah, actually..."
Jigoro had casually brought up the subject, but it gave me a sense of déjà vu. Naturally, that was because Shio and I had once speculated together about what the boss of the Orc Forest might be.
I gave the two of them a brief account of that conversation, and they exchanged wry smiles. When all was said and done, I suppose we were all curious about the same thing.
"However, this is going to be a string of battles against opponents above our level. You won't let your guard down... will you?"
"Fighting strong bastards is exactly what I'm looking for!"
"Indeed."
The two of them were visibly excited. They probably couldn't be satisfied without a thrilling battle. I could understand them, but I couldn't sympathize. If it were me, I'd be thinking about how to defeat the enemy as easily as possible without taking any risks.
The two of them sought battle itself, while I sought the items and experience gained through battle. Our values were fundamentally different. Everyone had their own values, and if I considered it simply part of their personalities, it didn't bother me.
"All right, we've arrived at the forest."
"Then let's make our way to the boss while warming up!"
"Indeed. I would like to sharpen my instincts for battle as well."
"Kyukyuu!"
...This was definitely going to be a kill-on-sight situation, wasn't it? And no one would be there to rein them in. The experience might be worthwhile, but I had a feeling supporting them was going to be exhausting...
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Your Race level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Job level has increased. You acquired 1 SP.
Your Tamed Monster's Race level has increased.
Your Tamed Monster's Job level has increased.
【Staff】 level has increased.
【Scythe Arts】 level has increased.
You have learned the 【Scythe Arts】 Martial Technique, Spinning Slash.
【Dark Magic】 level has increased.
You have learned a new spell: Black Eye.
【Curse Arts】 level has increased.
You have learned the new spells Confusion and Reverse.
【Necromancy】 level has increased.
You have learned a new spell: Hell Beast Summoning.
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Hmm, one battle after another. Several other levels have gone up as well, but thanks to having notifications appear only every five levels, the number of messages has been reduced considerably. Much appreciated.
"Gogaaaaa!"
"Hahahahaa!"
Let's check out the new Martial Technique and spells. First up is the Spinning Slash Martial Technique from 【Scythe Arts】. It attacks in every direction by striking while spinning.
It is most effective when surrounded, but if I'm surrounded, haven't I already lost...? The only time it would be useful would be when Jigoro and the others forced me into a mock battle and someone got behind me.
"Hmph!"
"Gogeh!?"
Next is 【Dark Magic】's Black Eye. This spell creates an eyeball made of magic power that is about the size of a human head. If it glares at someone, anyone with a lower level than mine becomes unable to move. It is like maintaining the effect of Jigoro's 【Roar】 for an extended period of time.
Its drawback is that maintaining the eyeball consumes magic power. Well, it is magic specifically for bullying the weak, so our play style probably doesn't offer many opportunities to use it.
"Kyuoh!"
"Gehah!?"
Next are 【Curse Arts】' Confusion and Reverse. Confusion causes monsters and NPCs to start attacking one another, while players will attack their party members. If they have no party members, they will begin harming themselves. In other words, they truly fall into a state of confusion.
As for the other one, Reverse, it inverts the target's movements in every direction: forward and backward, left and right, and up and down. It might be possible to respond if you knew about it beforehand, but anyone seeing it for the first time would certainly be thrown into confusion.
"Short Teleport, Great Slash!"
"Gugaaaaaaaa..."
Finally, we have 【Necromancy】's Hell Beast Summoning. This spell calls forth a ferocious beast from hell and makes it attack the enemy. Only one beast will answer each summoning, but apparently it is far stronger than the undead and gaki we have summoned before.
The beast summoned is random, and it seems there is a small chance of calling forth a terrifyingly powerful monster. That's what the description says, anyway, but I have no idea how powerful it actually is.
"Phew. This Cyclops ain't weak, but its movements are way too predictable."
"Indeed. I find the Green Wind Wolf more satisfying to fight."
"Hey, didn't we say that three people and one monster would have a hard time against a whole pack?"
"Kyu?"
While checking the results of our battles so far, we defeated the Cyclops with astonishing ease. Just as Jigoro had pointed out, the Cyclops's attacks followed such straightforward trajectories that even I could read its movements well enough to evade them.
That said, I wasn't going to try it even if someone suggested it. I could see myself dying instantly in an accident. There was no way I could survive being hit by those blunt attacks, whether fists or clubs.
But the two of them found that unsatisfying. Could you really give me a break? Even a Wind Wolf could kill me if I were surrounded, you know?
"Take that frustration out on the boss. This is already the fifth time you've said the same thing."
"I know that, but..."
"Hmm? Do you two hear the sound of water?"
As I was lecturing Jigoro, Genzou said that. Curious, I fell silent for a moment and listened carefully. Sure enough, I could hear what sounded like flowing water.
"There must be a source of water nearby. Then let's go take a look. There might be another monster there."
"Sure!"
"Indeed."
"Kyut!"
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We proceeded by following the sound of the water. We encountered a Cyclops once along the way, but aside from that, we were able to continue on without trouble.
"Oooh, that's a wider river than I expected!"
Just as Jigoro exclaimed, an unexpectedly broad river was flowing before us. We would have to head north to find its source, but for now, we decided to follow the river. I wondered if any new monsters would show up.
"The thing swimming in the river is... an Evil Fish. Nothing new, I'm afraid."
"Kyuuu! Kyukyut!"
"...No, it looks like Cal found something."
Something had emerged from the water a short distance away from us: a gigantic turtle. It had an Evil Fish clamped in its mouth. Its body was covered in protrusions, and its aggressive form reminded me of a snapping turtle.
"Gaaaaaa..."
It had noticed us as well. It glared at us warily while emitting a low, threatening growl.
Judging by its size and presence, it looked quite powerful. That was precisely why someone was itching for a fight, making battle unavoidable. In that case, it was time for 【Appraisal】.
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Race: Forest Beast Turtle Lv41
Job: Hunter Lv1
Skill: 【Fangs】
【Shell】
【Water-Ice Magic】
【Vitality Enhancement】
【Strength Enhancement】
【Defense Enhancement】
【Mental Enhancement】
【Ambush】
【Silent Step】
【Aquatic】
【Physical Resistance】
【Poison Resistance】
【Water Weakness】
【Lightning Weakness】
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It's rock-solid! Its size had made it obvious that it was tough, but in addition to the clearly defensive 【Shell】, it had 【Vitality Enhancement】, 【Strength Enhancement】, and 【Defense Enhancement】 to boost its stats. On top of that, 【Physical Resistance】 weakened the effectiveness of front-line attacks. As for magic, it had at least taken precautions with 【Mental Enhancement】.
It was practically a moving fortress. Fortunately, its movements were slow, so escaping would be easy if we wanted to. Unfortunately, my companions weren't going to let me choose that option.
"It has 【Physical Resistance】, but it also has 【Lightning Weakness】, so that won't be a problem. I'll start by using Imbuement."
"I don't need it."
"I could use some, I suppose."
"Kyut!"
As a Blaze Bolt Berserk Ogre, Jigoro could use his own magic power to enter a state similar to that produced by the Electrical spell. Thus, he didn't need my Imbuement this time. ...That wasn't a joke, by the way.
However, Genzou and Cal had no abilities related to the Lightning attribute, so they needed Imbuement. I imbued Genzou's spear and greatsword, along with Cal's claws and the tip of Cal's tail, with the Lightning attribute. This should make it easier for their attacks to deal damage.
"Haaah!"
"Shh! Chaa!"
"Kyuoh!"
Incidentally, Genzou had apparently taken to fighting with various combinations of weapons lately. This time, it was a spear and a greatsword. They looked rather difficult to handle, but the fact that he was fighting so effectively was just what I had come to expect from him.
"Gaaaa!?"
The Forest Beast Turtle hurriedly withdrew into its shell, but Jigoro's punches cracked the shell, Genzou's greatsword cut through both shell and body, and Cal's claws and tail dug into the gaps. Their attacks were definitely dealing damage.
They hadn't enhanced their stats, but apparently they still had more than enough firepower. No matter how sturdy its shell was, relying on it alone was useless against the two wielding weapons with even greater performance.
It would be nice if we could finish this without any further complications, but there was no way we'd get off that easily. It must have a trump card hidden away.
"Gaaaaaa!!"
Whrrrrrrrr!!!
Just as I thought that, the Forest Beast Turtle began spinning rapidly while still tucked inside its shell! It looked like something from a special-effects movie I had seen ages ago!
Even so, how was it spinning? It wasn't breathing fire from the openings where it had retracted its limbs, like some giant turtle monster from a special-effects movie. The most likely explanation was that it was a Martial Technique belonging to its 【Shell】 Skill.
Putting that aside, spinning would allow its rough shell to deflect enemy attacks, while anyone who tried to touch it would immediately be grated down like a daikon radish. A defense that combined offense and defense through rotation. Was this its trump card!?
"Whoa! It's cold!?"
"Mmph!?"
"Kyuuu!?"
No, let me correct that. Its trump card was one step beyond what I had expected. The three of them had continued attacking without slowing down despite its spinning, but their gauntlets and spear tip had frozen over. This was the result of magic.
Its Skill, 【Water-Ice Magic】. It had evolved from 【Water Magic】, and it must have been using Freeze Touch, the first spell available under it.
This spell freezes anyone it touches, so I had hardly ever used it myself. The Forest Beast Turtle, however, seemed to be making excellent use of that property. Not only did it spin, but anything that touched it froze... It had taken thorough measures against physical attacks.
"Everyone, back off. Remote Magic Circle Activation, Earth Change!"
"!?"
Then it was time for me, a mage, to take the stage. First, I used 【Earth Magic】's Earth Change to alter the nature of the ground beneath the Forest Beast Turtle's feet. The round stones covering the riverbank melted and transformed into sand.
That's right. I had transformed the ground into sand. The Forest Beast Turtle sank deeper and deeper under its own weight and rotation, like a drill. The resistance of the sand visibly slowed its rotation, and before long, it came to a stop.
"Spell Adjustment, Sandstorm!"
"Grrr!!!"
To pile on even more pressure, I cast 【Sandstorm Magic】's Sandstorm with its area expanded through Spell Adjustment so that it enveloped the Forest Beast Turtle's entire body. A sandstorm arose, sweeping up the stones that had been turned into sand as well.
Trapped inside, the Forest Beast Turtle was helplessly forced to stop moving. Yes, it had stopped moving.
"Astral Magic Circle Activation, Spell Adjustment, Thundercloud!"
A thick black cloud formed directly above the sandstorm. It rumbled with a sound that seemed to shake my very core.
"Fall!"
The next moment, the energy raging inside the black thundercloud was released all at once. Countless bolts of lightning rained down like a torrential downpour, repeatedly stabbing into the Forest Beast Turtle.
Whoa, so that's what Thundercloud does! I'd never actually used it before, so I hadn't known, but that was an incredibly cool effect!
"Gugyaaaaaaa..."
The Forest Beast Turtle was already weak to lightning, and after being struck by countless bolts, it died on the spot. As expected, exploiting an enemy's weakness made things easy.
At the same time, however, the quality of the materials might have deteriorated. Hoping that wasn't the case, I set about harvesting its materials.