Chapter 63: Space Magic is Cheating
Well then, several weeks have passed since Paula’s 〖Sublimation〗 into the 〖Second Canon〗.
We’ve mostly confirmed what’s possible with the 〖Second Canon〗, and I’ve roughly mastered the magic I came up with.
“Good morning!”
『Morning. Well, shall we go today too?』
“Yeah! 〖Space Hole〗!”
In the morning, I dive through the hole with Paula, who came to meet me.
Before, opening a hole large enough for a 〖Feral Beast〗 to pass through took a considerable amount of time and 〖Mana〗.
However, with the strengthening of 〖Attribute Skills〗 accompanying 〖Sublimation〗 and a pure improvement in skill, it’s now easy to open.
The other side of the hole is a point roughly between the Long Beast Domain and the Ferocious Beast Zone.
It’s not as dense in 〖Mana〗 as the flower field, but most of what appears are 〖Greater Beasts〗, and occasionally 〖Dire Beasts〗.
Even high-level adventurers would probably never step foot there alone.
“Hmm, it’s over there.”
Paula leads the way through the forest. She uses 〖Stealth〗, and I use 〖Concealment〗, killing our presence.
It’s been a while since I became a 〖Feral Beast〗.
Moving without hitting trees or bushes is something I can do naturally without even thinking about it.
“I’m going ahead!”
Suddenly, Paula starts running.
I stop in place and extend a thin part of my body to follow her.
Ahead of Paula were Demon Beasts that looked like standing Armadillos.
Their rocky carapaces looked incredibly tough.
The three Armadillos, who had been dangling their thick arms, took a battle stance when they noticed Paula running towards them.
Their rocky gauntlets and large claws were positioned at their chests.
Paula fearlessly charges towards the Demon Beasts, which seem to be equivalent to 〖Greater Beasts〗.
The Demon Beasts, in response, launch a long-range attack on Paula, who is still some distance away.
“Gooooh!”
As if doing an underhand throw in baseball, the Armadillos’ claws gouged the ground.
Clods of earth flew like bullets, attacking Paula, but by the time they reached her, she was no longer there.
“〖Space Warp〗”
The girl’s figure warped and vanished.
The high-speed earth bullets pierced the void, and the Armadillos, having lost sight of their enemy, frantically looked around.
“Goh!?”
And then they found her.
Paula, with a short sword at her hip, was about to swing it, right behind them.
But fortunately, the girl is outside the range of the short sword. Now is the perfect opportunity to strike while she is exposing an opening while preparing to attack—or so they thought.
They were about to thrust their sharp claws into the ground as before—,
“〖Space Slash〗”
—but just before that, they lost control of their bodies.
With a thud, like a blunt object, their arms fell off.
Those arms, which should have been protected by solid rock armor, were cut straight as if drawn with a ruler.
Following that, blood gushed from their torsos at the same height as the cut.
Their upper bodies tilted from the force of the blood flow and fell to the ground.
The bipedal Armadillo Demon Beasts met the same fate simultaneously.
『That was even more brilliant than before』
I praise Paula, who had slaughtered three 〖Greater Beasts〗 in an instant.
It hasn’t even been a month since her 〖Sublimation〗, and she’s already using it so well.
“Ehehe, thank you. And with that, my 〖Soul Accumulation Value (Level)〗 went up again. It’s now forty-five.”
『Oh, congratulations. You’ll be joining the ranks of high-level adventurers soon.』
“No, no, not yet. Even if you have a high 〖Soul Accumulation Value (Level)〗, you can’t take the promotion exam without achievements.”
Paula, having learned to attack with space magic, had achieved an astonishing 〖Level〗 up in a short time.
Well, it sounds like I’m being sarcastic when I say it, but normally, it seems like it takes months to raise a 〖Level〗.
Despite that, the reason Paula has grown so rapidly is probably because she’s been actively fighting opponents of equal or higher rank.
With 〖Space Slash〗, which can ignore an opponent’s 〖Toughness〗, there’s a chance of victory against any Demon Beast.
『Ah, speaking of which, this time the Demon Beasts seemed tough, but was there no difference in spatial strength?』
“Yeah. It felt the same as when I cut a normal creature.”
『So, it’s just me who has a hard time cutting things?』
As for how well 〖Space Slash〗 works, it seems that it can cut all creatures other than me in the same way.
It’s harder to cut living things than non-living things, but living things can be cut regardless of their 〖Beast Rank〗, 〖Toughness〗, or 〖Resist〗.
Is this special because I’m a 〖Feral Beast〗, or is it special because I’m a Jewel Slime type?
Well, if we continue our research, we should eventually find out.
“〖Space Storage〗, 〖Space Storage〗, 〖Space Storage〗. Another one is coming this way, so Kouya-kun, please hide.”
『Okay』
Following Paula’s instructions, who had stored the Armadillos in a different dimension, I move behind her.
That said, I just pulled back the whip I had extended.
Even after the Armadillo subjugation, my main body didn’t move, and I was using 〖Telepathy〗 through the whip.
“Ukyakya!”
About ten seconds after I retracted the whip, a monkey Demon Beast came, leaping from branch to branch.
Judging by its size, it’s also a 〖Greater Beast〗. It’s characterized by its deep green fur and the mysterious grass growing all over its body.
When it finds Paula, it contorts its earthy-colored face and starts leaping around her from branch to branch. It’s trying to confuse her.
“A Junkie Monkey is rare. I have to make sure it doesn’t get away.”
Without even looking at the Grass Monkey’s circling movements, the girl holds her short sword forward. She stubbornly refuses to be confused.
Realizing that it’s useless to continue, the Grass Monkey jumps at the moment it gets behind Paula. It charges at her.
Paula doesn’t flinch at the attack from her blind spot.
The Grass Monkey approaches her defenseless back with a high 〖Speed〗 for a 〖Greater Beast〗, and then it’s launched upwards.
“〖Space Bend〗”
It’s a magic that distorts the connection of space.
Paula had made it so that she could use that magic instantly, ready for when the Grass Monkey attacked.
And the moment the Grass Monkey jumped from the branch, she set up a spatial distortion right behind herself.
The Grass Monkey, which charged into it, had its direction of travel bent upwards and was neatly launched into the sky.
The Grass Monkey flails in the air, but its arms can’t reach the branches.
It doesn’t seem to have a 〖Skill〗 like my 〖Air Jump〗, and it falls straight down.
“Ukyah!?”
“〖Space Slash〗”
Paula raises her short sword. The Grass Monkey’s body is split in two along its midline.
Confirming that the Grass Monkey is dead, she takes a breath and turns to me, asking.
“How was it?”
『Your reaction speed and 〖Mana〗 concealment were good, I think. But, the last 〖Space Bend〗, you might want to launch it a little further out.』
“Ah.”
『I know your perception ability, but considering long-range attacks and aerial movement abilities, it’s better to have a little more leeway.』
“Ugh… I’ll be careful.”
While discussing improvements like that, we continue our training in the forest.