“（Fwaaah… Morning already…）”
The day after the Jaskal (provisional) attack.
I woke up inside the cave.
This is the cave where the Hobgoblins were hiding.
It was nearby, so I used it as a place to sleep.
“（Which way should I go today?）”
The girl recommended going south, but the 〖Mana〗 is denser to the west.
By the way, the human town seems to be to the east. When they’re returning or escaping, everyone heads that way.
“（Should I follow that girl’s advice, or go deeper in search of strong enemies…）”
I pondered, mmm.
The deeper areas with dense 〖Mana〗 have stronger Demon Beasts, and that limits the humans who can come.
But if the Demon Beasts are strong, that means the humans who hunt them are also strong.
Jaskal seems to be one of the most skilled in town, so I think it’s probably unfounded, but it’d be bad to run into another geezer like that.
“（…No, is that really the case?）”
Come to think of it, I encountered that geezer before my 〖Evolution〗.
I’ve gotten quite a bit stronger since then, so maybe that geezer’s strength was about the same as Jaskal’s.
That defense-ignoring palm strike was scary, but if I’m careful, I shouldn’t get hit by it easily.
“（Alright, it’s decided then.）”
My spirits are high. My course is set to the west.
I took my first step with strength.
“（〖Leap〗, 〖Landing〗, 〖Leap〗, 〖Landing〗, –）”
Bouncing, bouncing, bouncing.
I leap, land smoothly, and use the recoil to leap again.
By deforming in response to the 〖Skill〗 effect and impact, I achieved a super ball-like movement.
This is a training I started, thinking I might as well train my 〖Skills〗 while moving.
〖Landing〗 is a 〖Skill〗 that makes it easier to absorb impact when landing, and with it, even the hard body of a Jewel Armory Slime can land flexibly.
“（Oh, a river. But I can handle this much…）”
At the edge of a stream flowing through the forest, I lightly bounced my body.
“（〖Leap〗!）”
And I leaped.
I easily jumped over a distance of about five meters, and then quietly 〖Landed〗. I finished with a Y-shape transformation.
“Sura-sura”
I praised myself, saying it was a magnificent leap worthy of a ten-point score.
After proceeding through the forest like that for a while, lunchtime was approaching.
“（Hmm, I should probably get some lunch soon.）”
Thanks to 〖Storage〗, I haven’t felt hunger for a while, but I still want to eat something when it’s lunchtime.
It’s a remnant of when I was human.
“（If possible, I’d like to fight a 〖Dire Beast〗 soon…）”
Even in the depths with dense 〖Mana〗, 〖Dire Beasts〗 seem to be rare.
So far, I’ve only seen that Trent and two higher-ranking Goblins.
I saw several Demon Beasts today, but all of them were below 〖Greater Beast〗. Probably.
I can only roughly estimate the 〖Beast Rank〗 from their size, so I can’t say for sure.
“（Come to think of it, was that Forest Turtle one rank above 〖Dire Beast〗…?）”
I haven’t seen anything above 〖Dire Beast〗, and the increase in body size due to 〖Evolution〗 becomes more pronounced as the 〖Beast Rank〗 increases.
Maybe I’m just one step away from my goal.
Just as I was thinking that, it appeared.
“Fushuuu…”
Its fur was white. It stood on two legs, stomping on the ground, and exhaled rough, steamy breaths.
Its face resembled a pig, but thick fangs peeked out from the corners of its mouth.
A pig monster, or a boar version of an Orc, would be the closest description.
The Boar Orc, with its bloodshot red eyes, recognized me and immediately retreated, its face draining of color.
Then, it turned on its heel and ran away.
“（Wait up!）”
“Bumoooooo!?”
I hurriedly chased after it.
The Boar Orc’s reaction was somewhat natural. With a height of about two meters, it was a 〖Greater Beast〗.
Naturally, there aren’t many 〖Greater Beasts〗 that would face a giant, light blue cube that seems to be a 〖Dire Beast〗.
“（Hmm, if I used 〖Challenge〗 or 〖Bewitching Glimmer〗, it would probably come at me…）”
However, since I had the chance, I decided to catch up without using those.
If I hone my tracking skills, they might come in handy someday.
“（Yo, ho, to, it’s fast for a 〖Greater Beast〗!）”
Even with full use of 〖Leap〗 and 〖Charge〗, the distance wasn’t closing. It was because the Boar Orc would sometimes accelerate unnaturally.
When it did, it was always running straight, so it might have a 〖Skill〗 similar to my 〖Charge〗.
“（Then, 〖Replicant Form – Imitation〗!）”
A part of my body changed shape. The light blue distorted and a kusarigama was born.
It was a rare weapon that was among the Hobgoblin collection.
“Sura-sura”
The sound of metal scraping echoed many times.
The chain moved as if it had a will of its own, and the sickle hooked onto a tree trunk. Then, the chain pulled my body, accelerating me.
In this way, weapons imitated with 〖Replicant Form〗 can be moved freely as long as they are connected to me.
By freely, I mean that only the variable parts can be moved, for example, I can’t bend the shape of the blade.
But even so, it’s an extremely useful ability.
It can be used as a convenient arm like this, and more than anything, it doesn’t tire me out.
Slimes can’t transform into shapes that are too different from their basic form—a cube for Jewel Armory Slimes—and they gradually get tired while transforming.
But 〖Replicant Form – Imitation〗 ignores those conditions.
I don’t do it because it would be bad if it got broken, but it’s possible to turn my whole body into a weapon.
Now, let’s get back to the story.
Accelerated by the kusarigama, I gradually closed the distance with the Boar Orc, and finally, I had its neck within range.
“（Alright, I’ll kill (take)──）”
I unleashed a 〖Slash〗 to reap the life of the Boar Orc that was showing its back.
Or, I was about to.
“Bumouu!?”
But right before, the Boar Orc changed its course.
It had been going almost straight until now, but suddenly it started moving diagonally.
The sudden change made me stumble to a stop, and I immediately tried to chase after the Boar Orc, and that’s when the reason for its sudden change of direction jumped into my eyes.
Seeing it, I was dumbfounded.
There was someone who shouldn’t be here.
“（No way, you… Surao!?）”
Sura-ta’s subordinate who exiled me, Surao, was standing there with other slimes in tow.