Against the Kuaal
The dancing [Ball-Shaped] Pendulum struck its head, and when I aimed for its eyes with the [Versatile Type], the Mystic Beast Kuaal, irritated, dodged the Blade and finally recognized me as an “enemy.”
“Guaooo…”
The Kuaal, emitting a low growl and directing a sharp gaze at me, prompted me to brandish my Pendulum in a provocative manner.
“Aria!”
Viro, seeing me trying to take on the Kuaal alone, tried to jump in, but Grave intervened, blocking him.
“Do you think you have the余裕 to do that?”
“Grave!!”
“Boy, don’t get distracted!”
Samantha immediately used [Pebble] to keep Grave in check, while casting a fleeting glance at me, who was facing the Kuaal alone.
“While the little girl is keeping the beast occupied, defeat Grave!! Don’t waste this precious time by getting distracted!!”
“Damn it!”
Viro, regaining his composure after Samantha’s scolding, which belied her usual ditziness, spat out the words and readied his Knife. Grave, as if mocking him, goaded him on.
“Your enthusiasm is admirable, but it’s not realistic.”
“Shut up!!”
If Viro and Samantha were serious, they wouldn’t lose to Grave. I believed in that, and I would keep this Mystic Beast occupied until they defeated Grave.
“Guaoooooooooooooooooooo!!”
Hyun!
The Kuaal, lunging forward, attacked using its two antennae like whips.
Fast… but not so fast that I can’t follow it with my eyes.
Stay focused. Don’t avert your eyes for even a moment. Predict its attacks from the movement of its muscles!
Using the “eyes” of [Body Enhancement], now at Level 4, I saw through the whips and dodged by leaning back, then rolled backward to create distance.
Since defeating the Orc General, I had been gradually eliminating unnecessary Mana attributes from my Body Enhancement, even in my normal state. It was still unstable at full power, but its accuracy was gradually improving.
Even so, it only increased my speed by a few percent, but at this level, that slight difference could determine my fate.
The reason the Kuaal wasn’t charging in recklessly was because my initial attack had been effective.
I didn’t know if my feeble strength could cut through the Mystic Beast’s fur, but the [Ball-Shaped], being a blunt weapon, seemed to have had some effect. The Kuaal was clearly wary of the Pendulum.
High intelligence… While that was generally an advantage, it could also be a “flaw.”
If the Kuaal had used its massive body to charge at me like it did with Viro, I wouldn’t have been able to withstand the attack and would have been torn apart. But because of its high intelligence, the Kuaal understood that the impact would cause significant damage, and hesitated to step in too close to me.
It was a blow that the Kuaal was wary of the only weapon that could inflict damage, the [Ball-Shaped], but in the current situation where I needed to buy time, it wasn’t all bad. But that would only last until the Kuaal realized that my attack power itself wasn’t very high, and decided to attack at the risk of taking damage.
[–NO NAME–] [Race: Kuaal] [Mystic Beast Rank 5]
[Mana Capacity: 280/324] [HP: 426/510]
[Overall Combat Strength: 2136]
The Kuaal had a higher Combat Strength than the Orc General. Unlike a Rank 5 heavy warrior, if I took a direct hit, I could die instantly.
So I wouldn’t fight “directly.” I would make it as wary as possible, buy as much time as possible, and keep it as far away from Viro and the others as possible.
“–[Shadow Snatch]–“
The moment the Kuaal showed movement, I released two “darknesses” of Shadow Snatch.
Seeing that, I threw the Knife I had pulled out from the slit in my skirt between the two “darknesses” towards the Kuaal, who had reacted to it for a moment.
“Guaoooooooooooooooooooo!!”
The Kuaal, noticing the flying Knife and deflecting it with its two antennae, judged that there was no problem with the amount of Mana in the “darkness” and charged straight at me.
At that moment, I shot a Crossbow arrow into one of the “darknesses,” and the arrow that had been transferred from the other “darkness” was released towards the Kuaal. The Kuaal, realizing it in an instant, barely dodged the arrow flying towards its right eye, and the arrow was deflected by its fur.
The fact that the Crossbow arrow didn’t even leave a scratch meant that it probably had [Slashing and Piercing Resistance].
[Slashing and Piercing Resistance] was a unique Skill of Monsters covered in fur or shells, and I remembered learning from my master that, depending on the Skill level, Slashing and Piercing attacks released at Skill levels below that would become ineffective.
My Archery level was only 1, so it wasn’t much of a reference, but if the Rank 5 Mystic Beast Kuaal had [Slashing and Piercing Resistance], it should be at least Level 4.
Born strong… There was a fundamental difference between their Skills and Statuses and those of humans that could not be bridged.
My Knife probably couldn’t cut through the Kuaal’s fur. But because I had aimed for its eyes with strange attacks, the Kuaal was even more wary of me.
“Follow me.”
To take advantage of the current “distance,” I kicked off the wooden floor backwards and lured the Kuaal deeper into the Forest of the wetlands.
“Guaoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!”
The Kuaal, knowing it was a provocation, followed without hesitation.
The fact that it followed even though it knew it was a provocation was a drawback of its high intelligence, as it prioritized emotions over wild instincts.
Without landing on the ground, I jumped from tree to tree, dodging the Kuaal’s attacks by a hair’s breadth, and advanced deeper. From here on, it would be an even more “dangerous zone” than the swamp we had been in until now.
The ground was weathered and parched, with exposed rocks. The countless giant aquatic forests that dotted the area had all withered and died, and after the large trees had weathered and disappeared along with their roots, huge holes several meters deep opened up like pitfalls.
It used to be a wetland, but the lake water stopped flowing in and it dried up completely. Now, not even animals, let alone people, could pass through it. Only a few small animals and insects could exist there. It was a place called the “Withered Forest.”
As long as I was a “human” and the Kuaal was a “beast,” the battlefield of the “Forest” would be advantageous for the Kuaal.
But there was a “reason” why I lured it into the “Withered Forest.”
The Kuaal, using the trunks of trees as footholds, swung its sharp claws at me as I jumped around using the roots extending from the holes in the ground as footholds.
There was no way for me to dodge it while jumping in the air. –Normally.
My mind, sharpened to a needlepoint by extreme concentration, checked the surroundings not only with [Detection] but also with my eyes and entire body. At that moment, I pulled the “thread” and shifted my body itself, letting the Kuaal’s claws, which were roaring, pass by.
The Kuaal’s antennae, which had torn off a few strands of my hair as they grazed past me, were released with a roar, but I kicked the Kuaal’s shoulder while still floating in the air and used it as a foothold to evade.
“Gaaaa!”
The Kuaal, roaring in anger at my acrobatic fighting style, tried to jump out, but its foothold collapsed.
Paki!
“Guo!”
The Ball-Shaped Pendulum exploded again on the head of the Kuaal, whose roots had collapsed and lost its balance.
The trees in this area had all withered to the point of weathering, and the strength was not enough to support the Kuaal’s weight, which was several dozen times that of mine, who was light.
It would probably hold if it was just moving, but without a strong foothold to fight on, both its attack power and evasion ability would be drastically reduced.
If it recklessly tried to do something and fell into one of the deep holes that dotted the area, the Kuaal would not be unscathed.
Originally, this was my last resort, in the worst case scenario, I was planning to lure Grave here alone.
“–[Shadow]–“
I created two [Shadows], which I had also used in the Orc battle, and switched places with them while using the shadows of the trees.
It was less effective against opponents who judged with their eyes, but the more an enemy used Night Vision or Detection, the more difficult it became to distinguish them for a moment.
Towards the Kuaal, who was slightly bewildered by the fragile foothold and the Phantoms, I threw a Knife at the Shadow under my feet and threw the Knife from the “darkness” of [Shadow Snatch].
“Guaoooooooooooo!!”
The Kuaal, whose high-speed mobility was sealed, deflected the Knife with its antennae.
But that was fine. I didn’t expect the Knife to work anyway.
At that moment, the main [Ball-Shaped] Pendulum was swung down in an arc from directly above and exploded on the Kuaal’s temple.
The Kuaal, having taken another blow to the head, raised a roar of anger that shook the Withered Forest itself to the heavens.
“Guaooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!”
Bachi… At that moment, small Embers scattered from its antennae.
…This was, “electricity”? The “knowledge” within me revealed the true nature of the phenomenon, and the two [Shadows], except for me, who had immediately retreated, touched it and were erased in an instant.
“………”
I couldn’t help but grimace at the slight shock to my mind that reached me.
Even though this world has lightning, and there’s also 【Digvolt】 in advanced composite wind and water magic, what the Kuaal used felt a bit different.
I speculate that it probably generates electricity with its strong muscle cells, and then uses it in combination with Mana by gathering it in its antennae.
The effect is the inhibition of magic using electricity… no, is it the inhibition of mental focus? If used in this way, most standby magic other than immediate effects would be nullified.
Without magic, my combat strength is halved. The Kuaal realized that I’m a Magician-type light warrior and came to crush my strengths.
『Gaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!』
The Kuaal finally got serious. The Kuaal attacks while scattering sparks of “electricity” from its two antennae.
Seeing that, I also sink my heart to the depths and resolve myself to face it.
I’ve had my illusion-type magic sealed, and the Kuaal’s attack power and evasion have been drastically reduced.
The Kuaal gave up on evading, and after landing on the narrow rock that remained, it bent its lithe, jet-black whip-like body to its limit as if drawing a bow.
“…………”
『…………』
We reflect only “the other” in our eyes, putting all our strength into the next blow.
If the Kuaal’s attack is 10, then even my full power would only be about 3 or 4.
Even so, I don’t intend to die. I put in “everything” I can do right now, and gripped the Dagger tightly.
The one who’s going to die… is you.
With a crackle, the Kuaal’s antennae became charged like static electricity, scattering the surrounding ground violently.
I intentionally exclude attributes from the Mana in my entire body, accelerating the Mana flowing through my body.
I pictured that one blow that defeated the Orc General in my mind, aimed the Black Dagger at the center of the Kuaal, and crouched down like a cat.
The Kuaal’s bright red eyes narrowed as it felt my Mana, and the moment the muscles in its entire body swelled up at once, the Kuaal’s huge body shot out like a cannonball.
Doon!!!
The weathered rocky area that it used as a foothold was crushed, and the black beast came charging in with a sound like the atmosphere was exploding.
I concentrated to the utmost limit, and within my accelerated thoughts, I unleashed the “magic” of attribute Mana that I had removed and stored.
“――【Shadow Walker】――”
The moment I made contact with the Kuaal, my figure disappeared into the Shadow, and after going around to the Kuaal’s back with 【Shadow Walk】, I grabbed the Kuaal’s antennae with the power of Body Enhancement running wild.
“Tch!”
『Gah!!』
I directly suffered the shock that inhibits mental focus, and forcibly suppressed the Mana that was about to run wild with the power of my will, and then slammed that Mana directly into the Kuaal through its antennae.
“Fall!!!”
『Guaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!』
Receiving the rampaging Mana, the Kuaal rampaged through the “Barren Forest” with me on its back, and then the Kuaal and I, who collided with a huge tree as it was, were swallowed up by the collapsing tree and the large hole that opened up under its roots, falling into the deep darkness.
Aria and the Kuaal fell to the bottom of the earth. Can they escape from there?
Next time, the Kuaal battle concludes.
The counterattack begins.
The next update is scheduled for Saturday or Sunday.