“Kuryoooooo!”
The Monoceros Merman, a bipedal 〖Calamity Beast〗 with a horn, roared as it lunged at me with a punch.
A Monoceros is a mammal, so maybe calling it a merman isn’t right, but let’s put that aside for now.
“(〖Blink〗, 〖Flee〗)”
A straight punch unleashed by its muscular body.
From our previous exchanges, I know it’s not wise to take that fist head-on, so I use my 〖Skill〗 to evade.
I quickly jump back, using the distance to launch a ranged attack.
“(〖S(Sparkle) U(Aproot)〗!)”
All the magic bullets, guided by 〖L(Lock-on) AIM〗, assault the Monoceros Merman, but it charges right through them.
That’s the terrifying thing about this 〖Calamity Beast〗.
The thick hide covering its massive frame blocks most attacks.
The muscles pushing against its skin are as taut as rock, and its physical abilities are outstanding even among 〖Calamity Beasts〗.
Thanks to 〖Storm Strike〗, I can now inflict damage, but the wounds it sustains are quickly regenerated.
The Monoceros Merman closes the distance with a 〖Charge-type Skill〗, now trying to impale me with the long horn on its head.
I dodge it with a sideways leap, but it immediately changes direction.
Its powerful toes dig into the ice, and it swings its right arm.
“Kyuraaa!”
“(Whoa!)”
It accurately strikes my surface, which should be extremely difficult to hit, and fully transmits the force of the blow.
The impact is tremendous, and I’m sent flying backward, still losing 〖Life〗.
I bounce on the ice for a while.
By then, the Monoceros Merman is already right on top of me, and it takes another step to follow up,
—BOOM!
“Kuri?”
Suddenly, the ice beneath its feet explodes, throwing it off balance.
~Skill Details~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~
U (Update): Can sense, analyze, and improve Mana Crystals and Artifacts in the vicinity. Constantly provides a bonus to memory and creativity related to Mana Crystal and Artifact information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I bounced on the ice, I used 〖U(Update)〗 to turn the Mana Crystal created by 〖Koushou〗 into a bomb.
It was a gamble whether it would step on it, but it worked out well.
“(〖Blink〗, 〖Super Leap〗—)”
Now, the Monoceros Merman’s punch has been interrupted, but its body is still moving forward with the momentum of its stumble.
By treating that as a charge attack, I fulfill the activation condition for 〖Blink〗, and I dodge the charge by passing by the Monoceros Merman’s side.
“(—〖Slash〗!)”
At the same time, I unleash a flash of the ice kusarigama.
A blow enhanced by 〖Cross Counter〗 tears through its flank.
The blade has a decent length, so it should have reached its internal organs, but that’s not the end of it.
The Monoceros Merman has a means of recovery. I need to press the attack here.
“(〖Binding〗, 〖Replicant Form〗!)”
I quickly jump on it and bind it.
Of course, it struggles, but to subdue it, I mimic the Earth Viper’s poison arrows.
Actually, that Demon Beast also had a mineral-based 〖Poison〗.
So, I wondered if I could use it for something, and I processed its fangs into poison arrows.
I replicate many of those poison arrows and stab them into the Monoceros Merman all at once.
Its high 〖Toughness〗 prevents deep wounds, but the 〖Poison〗 seems to have taken effect. The Monoceros Merman’s body twitches, and its struggling power weakens slightly.
“(【Thunder Harvest Scythe】!)”
From there, there’s nothing particularly noteworthy. I use my 【Unique Skill】 repeatedly as usual to reap its life.
…No, this feeling is more violent and primal than reaping—
~Unspecified Information Recording Area~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
…
The distant, radiant, white jade ring (?), Fue Toukouya’s 〖Soul Accumulation Value (Level)〗 has increased to 605.
…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
—It seems my 〖Level〗 has increased. Let’s check my 〖Status〗.
“(Six hundred and five, huh? The increase is getting smaller. It’s the fifth one since coming to the Arctic, so I guess it can’t be helped.)”
I had fought three 〖Calamity Beasts〗 between defeating the White Weasel and encountering the Monoceros Merman.
Thanks to that, my 〖Level〗 has increased considerably, but it would be inefficient to aim for further increases with 〖Calamity Beasts〗.
“(…It’s about time to challenge it.)”
After that, I eat the defeated 〖Calamity Beast〗 and process the parts that could be used as weapons.
The three I defeated after the weasel didn’t have many usable parts, but this time there was one that was just right.
“(Alright, it’s done!)”
I immediately try out the completed weapon.
Gyururururururu!
“(Whoa!? It’s faster than I thought!)”
To put it simply, it was a drill.
It has a thin, cone-shaped tip, and the side of the tip has a spiraling groove.
Yes, it’s a weapon made from the Monoceros Merman’s horn. Its name is the Monoceros Drill.
It has a special ability that is effective against ice, which will be very useful in this great demon realm.
Unfortunately, the material didn’t have a rotation function, so I attached a special Artifact.
The connection part is also sturdy, so I don’t have to worry about its strength.
“(Thank you for the meal.)”
After finishing my meal, I fly north, following 〖Terrain Awareness〗.
I was able to find my destination immediately. I could sense the presence of a 〖Zone Control〗… and visually, it was clear that it was ‘that’ place.
If you didn’t know the existence of the being within, it was a breathtakingly fantastical sight.
The ice crystals in the air shimmered in the sunlight, creating a starry sky on the ground.
The dome-shaped starry sky swallowed even the peaks of the ice mountains, stretching to the ends of the earth.
“(Diamond dust… it’s similar, but not quite.)”
I saw it on TV a long time ago, but I think it doesn’t occur if it’s too cold.
There’s no way it would naturally occur in this frigid land where even I, an 〖Calamity Beast〗, feel the chill.
It’s reasonable to think it’s the effect of 〖Zone Control〗, and it’s clear who the being capable of wielding such a vast 〖Zone Control〗 is.
Gazing at the ice crystal planetarium that spans at least ten kilometers in radius, I make up my mind and descend near it.
“(Well, since I’m visiting a king, I should start with a knock. ‘Convergence’, release.)”
I expanded my 〖Zone Control〗, which I had been ‘converging’ during my travel, as if to collide it with the 〖Zone Control〗 in front of me.
~Zone Control Details~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your 〖Zone Control〗 is 〖Koushou〗.
Within 〖Koushou〗, all things turn into Mana Crystals.
Additional Effects: ‘Suppression’, ‘Collection’, ‘Technique’, ‘Identification’, ‘Rationality’, ‘Civilization’ (NEW)
Candidate List
Expansion (NEW): Expands the effective range of 〖Zone Control〗.
Precision (NEW): Provides a bonus to the processing ability of Mana Crystals when creating Artifacts.
Civilization (NEW): Provides a bonus to the performance of Artifacts.
Wild (NEW): Provides a negative bonus to the performance of Artifacts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~