“Electrification, 〖Charge Slash〗!”
“Gii!?”
I kicked off the slope with Forest Shackles, dashing through with the speed of a gale—no, a violet flash.
With a single slash as I passed, the Demon Beasts in my path were bisected.
I carved into the rocky mountain slope with a grinding sound, coming to a halt.
I returned the imitated Poison Sword to my original body and absorbed the corpses behind me.
“(Phew, that should be about it.)”
It’s been about a month since I realized the true value of my 【Unique Skill】.
I’ve been continuing to decipher its abilities alongside mining, and I’ve mostly grasped its nature.
First, the duration. I know that when used on living things, it lasts about five minutes. It’s a bit longer when used on weapons.
However, that doesn’t explain why the orchard had such an abnormal bumper crop. I can’t imagine the harvest yield changing that much just because the ground was enhanced for five or ten minutes.
Does the duration extend further when used on the ground, or was the effect of ‘Harvest Maximization’ applied?
Or is it for a completely different reason… Well, there’s no point in thinking about it now.
“(Oops, the effect wore off.)”
It seems the effect wore off as I was walking up the mine. My body feels heavy.
It’s because my 〖Power〗 has decreased.
When Electrified, all my 〖Stats〗, including 〖Resist〗, are enhanced.
Whether it’s by ten or twenty percent… I don’t know the exact value, but that’s about the increase.
Also, when used on objects, their strength and sharpness increase, and special effects are also enhanced.
“(—And, more Steel Ants again.)”
I grumbled inwardly as I saw new Demon Beasts appear.
This time, the enemies are ants with steel carapaces.
They’re Demon Beasts that I’ve been seeing frequently since entering the Ferocious Beast Zone, and the ones I defeated earlier were also these guys.
Unlike normal ants, which are known to move in large groups, they roam the mine in small groups of about five, searching for rocks rich in 〖Mana〗.
“(Is there a nest nearby… ?)”
While pondering that question, I focused my attention on the battle.
The ants were fearlessly approaching despite the difference in size. They’re quite fast for 〖Dire Beasts〗.
After hesitating slightly, I decided to fight with Lightning Strikes this time.
With this number and speed, it would be good training for hitting moving targets.
“(Phew, focus, focus… Restriction—)”
Changing the subject, there’s one thing I was disappointed about after realizing the Electrification.
That’s the restriction on using it against Earth-type 〖Feral Beasts〗.
I wasn’t using it on 〖Feral Beasts〗 because its power was already lacking, but there’s a big difference in feeling between not doing it and not being able to do it.
You never know what might happen during a battle, and it’s more advantageous to be able to use it as a normal attack method.
So, I also searched for a way to do that. And what I found was ‘Restriction’.
The hint was the manipulation of 〖Zone Control〗.
Just like how I ‘restrict’ the effective range of 〖Zone Control〗, I narrowed down the target of the effect.
I succeeded in shifting the effect to a Lightning Strike that doesn’t enhance anything, rather than a Lightning Strike that enhances the Earth-type.
“(—Lightning Strike, Sixfold!)”
I released six Lightning Strikes simultaneously.
The Lightning Strikes each headed towards the six Steel Ants, piercing their bodies without missing their mark.
Having used it daily for the past while, the projectile speed of my 【Unique Skill】 has increased.
It’s not a speed that even a 〖Dire Beast〗 could evade.
“Gii…!”
The steel carapace has the same properties as iron and is highly conductive. But that didn’t matter, as the Lightning Strikes tore through their bodies.
Lightning Strikes are very similar to lightning, but they’re not exactly the same. If they were, they wouldn’t fly forward, but straight into the ground.
They have a very strong directionality and a physical destructive power that can break through the armor of a 〖Dire Beast〗.
“Clack, clack.”
“(Ah, did I miscontrol it?)”
Four of the six were brought to the brink of death. But the remaining two were still moving even after being burned by the lightning. With a speed that surpassed when they were unharmed.
It was obvious that Electrification was working.
“(I guess the success rate of Restriction decreases when there are multiple targets. The power also dropped a bit.)”
Also, the steel carapace probably reduced it somewhat. No matter how directional it is, it can’t completely negate the effect.
There’s still room for growth in the manipulation of Lightning Strikes.
“Gii!”
The approaching ants deployed floating iron shields. I’ve seen them used a few times, and I think it’s a pretty solid 〖Skill〗.
Although the user’s vision is blocked, it’s an advantage in a way that it also cuts off the enemy’s line of sight.
“(Well, the opponent is bad this time though. Lightning Strike, Irregular Trajectory.)”
I launched two Lightning Strikes upwards, bent them in an arc, and aimed them at the ants as lightning strikes.
I’ve been practicing trajectory changes since I was in my hometown forest. I won’t make a mistake now.
And since I can see through shields with 〖Clairvoyance〗, I won’t misjudge their positions.
The shields created by the 〖Skill〗 disappeared, revealing the two ants collapsed on the ground.
“(Restriction, Lightning Strike, Sixfold.)”
Finally, I finished off the entire group with a follow-up attack.
By the way, the enhancements from Electrification don’t stack. That’s why I didn’t use Restriction during the Irregular Trajectory.
It’s also because it’s simply difficult to do both at the same time.
“(Ants aren’t very useful for weapons, huh.)”
It’s a waste to throw them away, so I absorbed them with 〖Decomposition Liquid〗.
It tastes a bit sour, but it’s rich in 〖Mana〗, so it tastes delicious.
“(I guess I’ll go back to mining soon.)”
Since the 〖Mana〗 I had 〖Stockpiled〗 was depleted, I resumed mining without using 〖Mana〗.
I imitated a chain shovel and thrust it into a nearby spot.
In this month, my mining skills have improved dramatically, and I was able to dig through the mountain with absolutely no wasted movement.
I sharpened my senses to 〖Mana〗 detection, making sure not to miss any Mana Minerals, and dug, dug, dug, dug, dug—
“(Huh?)”
—A floating sensation.
It was at that moment that I broke through a thin rock wall and, carried by momentum, plunged into a hollow space.