Chapter 11: Going Magical Beast Hunting with Servia
“Haaah!”
The sword I swung down bisected the straw dummy, which had an iron core. The straw dummy was engulfed in pitch-black flames and burned away without a trace.
This is the effect of my Unique Skill: Black Moon Sword, which adds dark attribute damage to my sword techniques.
“Splendid, Young Master Cain!”
Lancelot’s unreserved praise rang out.
“Just as I thought, the Black Moon Sword is powering up in conjunction with my Swordsmanship Skill!”
The power of the Black Moon Sword had drastically increased now that I’d acquired Swordsmanship Level 3.
The Swordsmanship Skill’s effect is to increase the attack power and accuracy of sword techniques. I had wondered if this bonus also applied to the Black Moon Sword’s additional damage, and it turned out I hit the jackpot.
It’s not about blindly acquiring skills.
The secret to getting stronger was to learn things that create synergy through their combination.
“Hah, Young Master Cain is truly a prodigy of the sword!”
Lancelot’s voice trembled with admiration.
“And above all, to reach Swordsmanship Level 3 in a mere two weeks…! You are a truly formidable individual.”
“Thank you. This is also thanks to you, Lancelot.”
To learn skills efficiently, one must study under someone who possesses that skill.
Doing so drastically increases the acquisition rate of skill proficiency.
It seems I have an aptitude for the Swordsmanship Skill, and my proficiency acquisition rate was already quite good, but on top of that, being blessed with an excellent teacher like Lancelot allowed me to reach Swordsmanship Level 3 in a short period.
I really have nothing but gratitude for Lancelot.
“Young Master Cain! Of mind, technique, and body, the mind is the most important for a swordsman. You possess such a rare and noble heart. To have someone like you as my disciple is the greatest honor of my life, Lancelot!”
“Th-that’s an exaggeration…”
Whenever I bowed my head and expressed my thanks, Lancelot would, for some reason, always be deeply moved.
I don’t understand why, since I’m just doing what’s perfectly normal.
“But from here on, I need to gain practical combat experience, right?”
I readied my practice sword against Lancelot.
Next up was a mock battle with him.
I still don’t feel like I can beat Lancelot at all, but…
Unlike in the game, it’s fun to actually feel my own strength steadily improving.
This was a first-time experience for me, including my previous life.
“Indeed. However, deciding to subjugate an A-rank Magical Beast is quite a bold move.”
“It was a great help that you assisted in persuading Father, Lancelot.”
Honestly, I didn’t expect him to support me that strongly.
“But of course. If Young Master Cain insists that much, you must have a plan for victory, don’t you?”
“You figured it out, huh…”
The Blood Bear can’t use magic and doesn’t have many attack patterns, so if you know how to deal with it, it’s not that fearsome an opponent.
Despite that, it’s classified as A-rank, so the experience points are extremely good. You could even call it a bonus monster for leveling up.
Moreover, right now, I can probably meet the conditions to acquire that super rare skill…
To get a lot stronger here, it was an opponent I wanted to defeat, even if it meant taking some risks.
“I believe that Young Master Cain is one born to become a true hero. Therefore, it would be uncouth of me to obstruct your path to supremacy. Go forth!”
The next day, after finishing our preparations, Servia and I arrived at the forest where the Blood Bear dwelled.
“A date with Brother Cain. I’m so happy.”
“Y-yeah, I guess so…”
Servia pressed herself right up against me, making me flustered. She was currently in light attire, prioritizing ease of movement.
“Still, the power of the World Tree Saint is amazing.”
“To welcome you, Brother Cain, I had everyone clear a path.”
Servia hummed proudly.
The densely overgrown forest would normally be incredibly difficult to walk through, but…
Thanks to Servia’s World Tree Saint ability, the trees and plants of the forest were parting to make a path for us.
“Ehehe, being surrounded by plants and trees feels so comforting. I can really feel that the forest is on my side.”
Right now, this forest has been designated a restricted area by the Adventurers’ Guild, so there’s almost no worry of other people entering.
That’s why she could use the power of the World Tree Saint without holding back.
The World Tree Saint, who controls plants, is truly an invincible presence within a forest.
“So, it should be growing around here somewhere, I think…”
“Brother Cain, what are you looking for?”
“Do you know of the Albidus flower, the ‘Forest Destroyer’?”
“Eh? What’s that…?”
Most people wouldn’t know it. It’s a gathering item that’s easy to miss even in the game.
“It’s a plant that secretes volatile oil and spontaneously combusts. It burns itself along with the surrounding trees. But the Albidus seeds have strong fire resistance, so they use the ashed plants as nutrients for Albidus to propagate.”
“S-so there’s a flower that disregards harmony with others like that.”
Servia was speechless.
“Yeah. Surprising, right? By the way, its flower language is ‘I shall die tomorrow.'”
“That’s a flower language likely to cause trauma… So that’s why it’s the ‘Forest Destroyer’.”
“But this becomes the key to a firepower-focused World Tree Saint build. Ah, there it is, that’s it!”
In the forest, I found a delicate flower with white petals and red accents.
Servia can summon plants, but a condition for that is that she must know about the target plant.
For that, having her touch the real thing is best.
I plucked an Albidus flower and handed it to Servia.
“I-it’s surprisingly pretty. If Brother Cain is giving it to me, I’d welcome any flower, but…”
Having heard its terrifying anecdote, Servia was a little hesitant.
“W-will it suddenly burst into flames?”
“Of course not. This flower won’t spontaneously combust unless it’s in a high-temperature environment.”
In the game, there was a visual effect where it would spontaneously combust in midsummer, but fortunately, it was still spring now.
“Then it’s safe. Um, yes, it seems this little one will listen to me too.”
Servia gazed intently at the Albidus flower.
“Summon the flammable gas of this Albidus to enhance its combustibility. Then ignite it with the fire magic Petit Fire. That will be Servia’s combat style. Since what you’re summoning is a colorless gas, no one will realize you’re using the World Tree Saint’s ability, right?”
“I see, as expected of Brother Cain! It seems like a tricky little one to handle, but I’ll master it!”
Servia’s eyes sparkled.
In the game, the combustive power of Albidus was, in a word, tremendous.
A special build combining this with the beginner magic Petit Fire and the skill High-Speed Chant was just incredibly strong.
After all, it allowed one to cause powerful explosions or incinerate wide areas with almost no MP consumption and no time lag.
Furthermore, if a certain skill was added to this, an unbelievable synergy would…
It was at that moment.
I heard a loud scream from a boy.