Chapter 105: Colossus Sector
Several days had passed since defeating “Hanji.”
We left Spiky Mountain behind.
『Well, as expected of the Feral Beast zone, the quality of everything was good.』
“Yeah, the 〖Mana〗 was so strong it messed with my senses.”
We had been mining for the past few days.
Since it’s one of the highest 〖Mana〗 concentrations in the Goronomua Mountains, the Mana Minerals we could get were of a higher grade than elsewhere.
I held back from completely depleting it, but even so, the mineral deposits in Spiky Mountain were astonishing, filling about one-tenth of my 〖Weapon Storage〗 capacity.
Thanks to that, I was able to improve Fiss’s armor and several metal weapons.
“(Well, in the end, the strongest single materials are still from 〖Feral Beasts〗.)”
We had increased our stock of Mana Minerals and weapons made from them, but there probably wouldn’t be many opportunities to use them in actual combat.
In terms of basic performance like strength and sharpness, 〖Feral Beast〗 materials are superior.
Well, I never expected single Mana Minerals to have high performance in the first place. The exceptions are Mana Crystals and Explosion Stones.
Normal Mana Minerals are best used as support, taking advantage of their individual characteristics, like with the Rock Spit Cannon.
“There’s a Demon Beast.”
『Where?』
“Above.”
As we moved from mine to mine, Fiss discovered a Demon Beast.
As prompted, I focused my awareness upwards and saw a bird covered in rocks, completely ignoring aerodynamics, flying in the sky.
『That one, huh? You found it even though it’s far away.』
“I was just looking at the clouds and happened to see it. My eyes have gotten better too.”
Since my 〖Attribute〗 became 〖Iron Man〗, my magic performance has improved dramatically.
I used to focus my 〖Physical Keen〗 on hearing, but now that I have 〖Master Keen〗, I can activate it constantly for both sight and hearing.
『It’s huge, so it’s probably a 〖Dire Beast〗. It’s about time for lunch, let’s go 〖Replicant Form〗.』
To defeat the enemy in the sky, I mimicked Hydra’s Poison Bow.
I nocked an improved Mana-Absorbing Arrow and pulled the string taut.
Then, a line of light, visible only to me, extended from the tip of the arrowhead.
It was the effect of 〖Trajectory Prediction〗. It shows the trajectory of the attack, taking into account wind direction and falling speed.
~Skill Details~
Trajectory Prediction: When performing a ranged attack, you can see the trajectory of the attack, taking environmental conditions into account.
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I think I learned this 〖Skill〗 because of the Rock Spit Cannon, but it also applies to bows and Heat Ray Eyeballs.
I’ve used it a few times, and it’s quite convenient for long-range attacks.
“(Make some fine adjustments… okay.)”
I placed the line of light on the flight path of the Roc—that’s what I decided to call it, though I think the spelling is different.
Then, considering the speed of the Roc and the arrow, I determined the best timing and released the arrow.
“(〖Shoot〗!)”
With the help of 〖Precision Shot〗, the arrow flew without any deviation.
The gray arrow, cutting through the wind, pierced the Roc’s belly exactly as I had envisioned.
“—!”
It was too far away to hear, but it must have screamed.
I watched the Roc thrash about and fall, then moved to the predicted landing spot and used a mimicked weapon for a catch-and-kill.
I successfully secured lunch.
“(The arrow isn’t broken, is it? It’s tough, as expected of the Feral Beast zone.)”
I pulled out the arrow that had pierced its belly, removed the absorbed 〖Mana〗, and stored it.
This improved Mana-Absorbing Arrow was made by processing a Mana Crystal that exceeded the first grade, which I found in the Feral Beast zone.
The higher the grade of the Mana Crystal, the stronger its 〖Mana〗 absorption.
It’s still only useful for distracting in battles against 〖Feral Beasts〗, but it should be quite damaging against 〖Dire Beasts〗.
『Wait a bit, I’ll cook it after the analysis is done.』
After analyzing the Roc, I found it had an interesting property.
It was the generation of buoyancy.
It could erase its weight with a small amount of 〖Mana〗, and even generate buoyancy. Well, in the first place, it probably becomes lighter because buoyancy is generated.
Using this material, we could fly through the sky like a hot air balloon.
Its strength is questionable, so it can’t be used easily in combat, but it has the potential for various applications.
“(Thanks for the meal.)”
I savored the refreshing taste of the Roc’s meat, and then we resumed our journey.
Our destination was the southern part of the Goronomua Mountains, the Colossus Sector.
Our goal was to defeat the Golem 〖Feral Beast〗 known as “Colossus” that was said to reside there.
『The 〖Mana〗 is definitely getting thinner.』
However, this “Colossus” was said to be quite the oddball, residing in an area with not much 〖Mana〗.
That’s why the 〖Mana〗 concentration has been gradually decreasing since we left Spiky Mountain.
“The Demon Beasts are getting weaker too. That’s good.”
As Fiss said, the frequency of 〖Dire Beast〗 appearances had also decreased.
From now on, the closer we get to our destination, the weaker the enemies will become.
It will be harder for Fiss to level up… but her 〖Level〗 is already eighty.
She seems satisfied with her current 〖Level〗, so there’s no need to lament the weakening of enemies.
“Ah, Golems.”
Also, as we got closer to the Colossus Sector, Golems started appearing.
Right now, four 〖Greater Beast〗-sized Golems were walking along together.
We passed by them at high speed.
If we’re not leveling up, there’s no need to bother with Demon Beasts that have no material value.
We advanced by repeatedly using the “escape” command, and eventually entered the Colossus Sector.
There weren’t any particularly strong Demon Beasts, but the area was vast like the other sectors. The 〖Mana〗 concentration wasn’t a good indicator either, so it seemed like the search for the “Colossus” would be difficult.
Relying on Fiss’s information that it was supposed to be in the western area, we searched for two days.
“That’s the ‘Colossus’…”
We had already found the last 〖Feral Beast〗 of the Goronomua Mountains.