Chapter 132: Lichen Chicken and the Third Person
We were making our way through the underground forest, or rather, Fiss was single-handedly defeating demon beasts one after another.
However, that rapid advance was nearing its end.
“My 〖Mana〗 is almost gone.”
“I see… It probably increased a bit from today’s battles, but it’s still at 〖Level 1〗.”
Xanthos nodded in understanding.
Of course, the “almost gone” part was a lie.
Since I can grasp the absolute amount of 〖Mana〗 by looking at my 〖Status〗, it’s easy to pretend to be a normal person.
“If we’re going to turn back now, the battles on the way back will be…”
『That’s my job.』
“Understood, leave the protection of Fiss-dono and Thanasis-dono to me.”
I took out the Artifact weapons from my 〖Weapon Storage〗.
They were mostly melee weapons. I had also received shoes and a beam gun, but I wasn’t going to use those yet.
“(Hmm, they still don’t look like weapons at first glance. If we ever establish diplomatic relations with the surface, there might be assassinations… That’s not something I should be thinking about.)”
I looked at the cross-shaped accessory, about the size of my palm, which was actually a sword.
The shorter part of the cross was the handle, and the blade extended from the longer part. This type of weapon was the mainstream for melee combat in this country.
『This is more 〖Mana〗-efficient than the beam, right?』
“Indeed. Once the blade is formed, it only needs to be maintained, so the consumption is lower.”
“But battles with demon beasts are sporadic, and creating the blade consumes quite a bit of 〖Mana〗, so there’s not much of a difference.”
『You don’t keep it out all the time?』
“Maintaining the blade for a long time also increases consumption, so it’s more convenient to only bring it out when needed.”
While we were talking, another demon beast approached.
I slowly stepped forward and readied my weapon.
“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
What appeared was a chicken with brown feathers and a viridian green comb.
It was called a Lichen Chicken, and it seemed that domesticated livestock released into the wild had gone into the forest and 〖Evolved〗 under the influence of the underground moss.
“(Blade, on. Accelerate, on. Here I go!)”
As I poured 〖Mana〗 into it, the blade was created, and as I poured more, it began to accelerate on its own. Pushed by that acceleration, I unleashed a single slash.
The blade lightly soared through the air and decapitated the Lichen Chicken. Red blood stained the surroundings.
『Nice sharpness… I guess? Honestly, I can’t tell with a 〖Lesser Beast〗.』
“Whoa… I didn’t see anything at all…!”
“So, you weren’t going all out when you fought me.”
『I was planning to talk things out peacefully back then.』
While recalling the time when I broke into this city, I looked at the sword.
Since it used a red Mana Crystal, its acceleration was considerable.
“Hmm, a new type.”
Xanthos, who had approached the moss chicken for dissection, muttered.
Shortly after, frog demon beasts appeared. Four Toxic Frogs with poisonous purple and yellow-green mottled patterns, and the large one at the front was probably a 〖Greater Beast〗.
“(Since it’s adjacent to the underground lake, aquatic demon beasts also appear in this forest, huh?)”
While recalling that information, I poured 〖Mana〗 into another Artifact.
It was a different sword from before. The Warden’s weapons had several minor variations.
“(The effect of this one is… Ah, it’s that one.)”
I quickly analyzed it and pointed the tip of the cross at the approaching poison frogs.
The distance was still about ten meters. But that was already within its range.
“(〖Mana〗 at about this much… Blade Extend, on.)”
〖Mana〗 was supplied to the tip of the cross, turning into a blade, semi-materializing, and then extending endlessly.
Its extension speed was proportional to the amount of 〖Mana〗 I poured into it. In other words, it was super fast.
The Toxic Frog on the far right couldn’t avoid it and was pierced.
“(Hoi!)”
I then laid the blade horizontally and lightly swung it.
With just that, the poison frogs were annihilated. Both 〖Lesser Beasts〗 and 〖Greater Beasts〗 were cut down without distinction.
『I cut down the tree too, I need to practice a bit more.』
The tree between me and the poison frogs was one thing, but I could have avoided damaging the tree further back if I had adjusted the 〖Mana〗.
I also needed to get a feel for how much it would extend with a certain amount of 〖Mana〗.
“How is it, the extend-type Artifact?”
『It’s interesting. Surface weapons didn’t extend like this.』
Well, in my case, I could reproduce it by transforming if it was within a certain length… but that’s not the point.
If I incorporate this function into the Artifact, I could combine it with other effects for various applications.
“It’s originally meant to mislead the opponent’s sense of distance, but that’s a bold way to use 〖Mana〗.”
『I have plenty of 〖Mana〗 to spare.』
“For long-range attacks, wouldn’t 〖Slash Wave〗 have been better?”
I ignored Fiss’s words and proceeded to dissect the poison frogs.
The 〖Greater Beast〗 was apparently rare, and Klyssa was delighted that we would have it for dinner. She had also quietly started staying at the mansion.
When I asked if it was poisonous, she said that a method for cooking it without the poison had been established. How resilient.
After that, we returned to the city while test-cutting the Artifacts on the demon beasts we encountered.
Besides the ones I had used so far, there were floating weapons, weapons that could shoot beams from their tips, and weapons that could freely change their shape.
After trying them all out, I returned to the mansion, went back to my room, and… that’s when the anomaly occurred.
〖Mana〗 stirred in the room, and a hole suddenly opened next to me. Beyond the hole was another room, different from this one.
“Listen, Kouya-kun! I finally got the magic, wha… eh?”
The person who came through the hole confirmed that they were indoors, looked out the nearby window at the exotic scenery, and then turned back and asked.
“Um… where is this…?”
『That’s a long story… but Paula, why are you here…?』
I asked my blue-haired friend, who had suddenly visited, that question.