“That’s done!”
“That was fast.”
I returned to Fiz after defeating the “Hanji.”
It was at the foot of a different mountain from where I had been fighting.
“And you were fast. I saw you falling from the sky, but even with my enhanced vision from 〖Master Keen Sight〗, I couldn’t keep up.”
“Well, you gotta be that fast to fight against 〖Feral Beasts〗.”
There are many thick walls between 〖Dire Beasts〗 and 〖Feral Beasts〗.
Even if Fiz can easily slaughter 〖Dire Beasts〗, that doesn’t mean she can fight on equal terms with 〖Feral Beasts〗.
“By the way, was that rock-spitting thing the ‘Flame Sea’s’ weapon? Or is it even a weapon?”
“Yeah, that’s the ‘Flame Sea’s’ weapon. That guy was making rocks with the lump on his neck and spitting them out, so I used that to make it.”
I explained the rough mechanism of the rock cannon.
In reality, there were many other minor adjustments, such as making the rock generation organ work with 〖Mana〗 poured in from the outside, and increasing the accuracy with the barrel part.
“Hey, it’s about time for lunch, isn’t it? We’ve got some ‘Hanji’ meat too.”
“Is that okay? Aren’t you going to use it for weapons…?”
“Meat is hard to make into weapons, so don’t worry about it. Well, ‘Hanji’ itself isn’t really suitable for weapons.”
When I make weapons with my 〖Skill〗, the special abilities that can be added are mainly “abilities rooted in the body.”
As an exception, basic abilities such as increased strength and weight reduction can be added regardless of the material.
That’s why the Old Gargoyle’s power to manipulate the earth can’t be turned into a weapon.
The stone skin covering his entire body had the effect of reducing 〖Mana〗 from the outside, but that’s about all that was useful. It would be more constructive to eat the other parts.
“So, it’s a barbecue party starting now.”
“Yay!”
Along with Fiz, who was happy with a particularly unenthusiastic voice, I grilled and ate the Old Gargoyle’s meat.
“Oh yeah, a while ago you asked me why I was trying to get so strong, right? About the answer to that question—”
◆ ◆ ◆
A remote area far from the Goronomua Mountains.
An undeveloped area where the 〖Mana〗 is neither too thin nor too thick, about the level of a Long Beast Domain, making it worthless as a resource, and beyond the reach of human hands—beyond the 〖sphere of influence〗 of nobles.
In the center of the untouched forest, there was a village.
Its location was such that one had to cross mountains, rivers, valleys, and then another mountain to reach the nearest town, as if it had thrown away all convenience of transportation.
No, “as if” is not appropriate. The village was intentionally built in a location difficult to access, so as to be cut off from the outside world.
So that information would never leak out.
“Have you returned, Scripture Bishop?”
At the center of the village stood a massive structure exuding a solemn atmosphere.
The entire structure was made of stone, and it was kept spotless white, a temple. It was a Demon God Temple of the Demon Beast Cult, which worshiped a Demon God.
In the chapel where a sinister Demon God statue was enshrined, there was a young woman.
She was wearing a veiled garment similar to a nun’s habit, and her left eye was covered by an eyepatch.
Even after asking the person behind her, she remained kneeling in front of the Demon God statue, praying with her hands clasped together.
“Yes. I, Molten, have just returned.”
The one who answered her question was a man who had just entered the chapel.
The man, called the Scripture Bishop, wore his usual suspicious smile and held a thick book in one hand.
A moment of silence passed, and then the blue-haired woman released her prayer posture.
She stood up, turned to face the man, and looked at him with her right eye, the one without the eyepatch, and said.
“Let us begin the indoctrination.”
“Understood. Here are the results of this recruitment, my Lady.”
The book the man was holding moved through the air as if sliding, in front of the blue-haired woman who was called the Lady.
The pages flipped by themselves, and the elaborate illustrations within began to emit light.
“〖Book Jump Out〗”
With the man’s magic, Demon Beasts jumped out of the illustrations in the book. There were about a dozen of them.
The illustrations on the pages where the Demon Beasts had come from had disappeared.
“Gaguu…” “Gegegi…” “Gidii…”
All of the Demon Beasts that appeared were battered and bruised.
In addition to the physical damage that had left them covered in blood, they were also immobilized by 〖Paralysis〗 and 〖Poison〗.
In such a state, the Demon Beasts fell to the floor of the chapel as soon as they appeared.
Even in the chapel, which had no chairs or desks other than the Demon God statue, the presence of so many Demon Beasts made it a bit cramped.
“〖Wash Brain〗”
The woman glanced at them and activated her magic. A mass of tiny bubbles, like insect eggs, appeared and engulfed the Demon Beasts.
The countless bubbles entered the Demon Beasts’ bodies through their mouths, noses, and ear holes, and then—
“—The indoctrination is complete. Please heal them.”
“Immediately. 〖Book Jump Out – Heal Glitter〗”
Glistening particles of light scattered from the page the man had opened.
When these starlike particles were absorbed into the Demon Beasts’ bodies, their wounds were immediately healed.
The 〖Status Ailments〗 were also healed, and the Demon Beasts, who had been lying on the floor of the chapel, stood up on their own feet.
Having regained their freedom, they did not even glance at the man behind them who had defeated them, but only faced the blue-haired Lady.
As if they were loyal dogs waiting for their master’s command.
“Accept his magic.”
“〖Book Jump In〗”
Once again, the book glowed as it flipped, and the Demon Beasts’ bodies were sucked into it.
The man then tore off the pages where the Demon Beasts were sealed, one by one, and handed them to the Lady.
“That concludes the results of this time.”
“…Did you fail to secure a 〖Feral Beast〗-sama?”
“I am ashamed to say so.”
“I see, perhaps it is not as easy as usual when the mission is far away.”
If too many 〖Feral Beasts〗 were captured in the same region, the nobles and the Adventurer’s Guild might become suspicious.
That was why they had been reaching out to other regions… but activities in remote areas were different, and information was scarce.
It was already difficult enough to weaken a 〖Feral Beast〗 and seal it in a book. This failure was unavoidable.
Thinking so, the man continued to speak to the Lady, who was silently cleaning the blood off the floor.
“However, it was not a complete failure. I have discovered a 〖Feral Beast〗 that kills 〖Feral Beasts〗.”
“!”
The Lady’s single eye widened.
The growth of 〖Feral Beasts〗 is slow. They rarely have the opportunity to fight opponents of equal or greater strength, and their 〖Level〗 rarely increases.
That is why a 〖Feral Beast〗 that has killed another 〖Feral Beast〗 is worth a fortune.
Because they should have greatly increased their 〖Level〗 due to the 〖Experience Points〗 gained from killing a 〖Feral Beast〗.
“That 〖Feral Beast〗-sama appeared to be a Slime type. He defeated the ‘Flame Sea’-sama, who is said to be the strongest in the Goronomua Mountains, almost without taking any damage, and even spoke to me with 〖Telepathy〗 when I tried to analyze him.”
“That is… an amazing being.”
In addition to combat power that far exceeds that of a normal 〖Feral Beast〗, he even possesses rare 〖Skills〗.
The Lady thought that she would definitely like to add him to her hand.
As if understanding her inner thoughts, the man nodded and continued to speak.
“I was able to analyze his 〖Status〗 to some extent. There were no similar 〖Feral Beasts〗 in the literature, but from his body color and the tendency of his 〖Stats〗, I believe he is probably a higher species of Jewel Slime.”
“Jewel Slime… I believe that is a species with extraordinary 〖Toughness〗, and one that grants a large amount of 〖Experience Points〗 when defeated.”
“Yes. That being’s 〖Toughness〗 is over ten thousand. It is impossible to break through with normal attacks.”
“…I see, so that is why you went back to retrieve other 〖Feral Beasts〗.”
“That is correct.”
Of the Demon Beasts sealed with 〖Book Jump In〗, the man only possessed a small portion.
Most of the pages sealing the Demon Beasts were stored deep within this temple.
This was to distribute risk and to prepare for when the village was attacked. Even without the Scripture Bishop, the sealed Demon Beasts could be released by tearing the pages.
Therefore, most of the 〖Feral Beasts〗 were kept in this temple.
The man could only carry two with him.
However, that was usually enough.
Even if the 〖Feral Beasts〗 were stronger than usual, they could almost certainly win if they fought two-on-one.
But this time, the man judged that he could not win with that.
That was how abnormal Kouya’s 〖Toughness〗 was.
“I understand. Then, I authorize the use of a Chaos Spawn.”
“What?! Are you sure about this?”
A Chaos Spawn. It was a rare species, said to have appeared in recent years, covered in roots.
That Feral Beast had appeared near this base a few months ago.
Although two of the Feral Beasts they possessed at the time were sacrificed in the battle, the other Feral Beasts’ efforts succeeded in converting it.
It was a grotesque existence that could not be fully analyzed, but as long as it could be controlled with Wash Brain, such things were trivial.
“Yes. I have determined that this is a matter of great importance. In addition to the Chaos Spawn, you may use up to three other Feral Beast-sama. Carefully consider their compatibility and proceed with the recruitment with utmost caution.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Seeing the man bow respectfully, the cult leader added one last thing.
“Scripture Bishop, Molten. You are the cornerstone of this cult.”
Maintaining high stealth and mobility, he could collect powerful Demon Beasts from various locations using special magic that stored his targets.
His Sublimation into the Grimoire Attribute had greatly increased the power of the Demon Beast Cult.
“Please, by all means, do not take unnecessary risks, and prioritize your own safety above all else. The Demon God-sama would not welcome your death.”
The cult leader spoke with a heartfelt wish.
Scripture Bishop Molten was an indispensable piece for her plan.
Analysis, sealing, combat—his abilities were outstanding and versatile among the believers.
And above all, his faith stemmed from the gratitude of being saved from misfortune.
That faith, akin to fanaticism, contained a hint of danger, but he was far more trustworthy than ordinary believers.
The thought of losing such a convenient piece sent a chill down the cult leader’s spine.
“Understood. I am prepared to die for my faith, but I have no intention of meeting a meaningless death. To bring about the day of judgment as soon as possible, I will do my best.”
With that, the bishop headed to the back of the temple—the repository of the Demon Beast pages.
The cult leader, watching his back with her single eye, was not particularly worried about this recruitment, contrary to her words.
No matter how powerful a Feral Beast was, it could not win against multiple opponents.
Besides, they had the Chaos Spawn Feral Beast on their side.
She was confident that they were superior in both quantity and quality.
With this much military power, they were guaranteed to win even if they were to antagonize the local nobility.
More than that, what occupied the cult leader’s mind was how to use the Feral Beast in question.
Not just as pure combat power. If it had Evolved from a Jewel Slime, then the Experience Points it possessed must also be exceptionally abundant.
If it were offered as a sacrifice, it could even lead to an Calamity Beast…
“Ah, what good fortune. Is this also the guidance of the Demon God-sama? Fufu, how foolish.”
In the empty chapel, the blue-haired woman coldly muttered.