Now, let’s revisit the martial techniques and magic spells I recently acquired through my battle with Usuba. There have been so many things going on that I haven’t even had a chance to even read their description.
First off, there was the “Five Slash” maryial technique of the [Scythe Mastery] skill, which, as the name suggested, involved delivering five consecutive slashes. To be honest, it was an upgraded version of the “Three Slash” martial technique. Just like with the “Three Slash” you could adjust the direction of your strikes within a reasonable range. It seemed like a straightforward and practical move.
Next was the [Void Magic] spell, “Break Object”. It was a spell that mimicked the effects of “Disassembly,” but in a more limited way. While “Disassembly” could make anything disappear, this spell could shatter any item except player avatars, weapons, armor, and accessories.
Unlike “Disassembly”, there was no need to worry about damaging the caster’s staff or limbs, so it was user-friendly in that regard. However, I was still not sure when and where to use it. It seemed like I wouldn’t be using it until I figured out its practical applications.
Both the “three-stage evolution” and “familiar summoning” spells of the [Summoning Magic] seemed quite promising. Let’s start with the three-stage evolution. It was pretty self-explanatory; it allowed me to summon monsters that have undergone a three-stage evolution, essentially those at or above level 30. This meant I could now summon much tougher minions, effectively expanding my arsenal. There was nothing quite as useful as disposable pawns that obeyed your every command, and they could also serve as scouts or canaries when the need arose.
The other spell, familiar summoning, allowed me to summon my own familiar, Karl, whenever I wished. In other words, if I wanted to call Karl, who was currently off doing his own thing, I could do so instantly. This was a trump card, and I should probably conserve it unless I was truly backed into a corner, at least during this event.
Moving on to [Enchantment] and its new “Overboost” spell; this one enabled me to bestow even more powerful stat enhancements. However, there was a catch: when the effects wore off, the enhanced stats would temporarily decrease. It might be best to use this in short, decisive battles or during the final stages of field boss battles… right? At the very least, it was probably best not to use it in long battles.
Lastly, the “Great Magic Circle” spell of the [Magic Circle] could be called the highlight of this round. It was essentially an enhanced version of a regular magic circle. I could only deploy one at a time, and there was a delay between deployment and activation, but the power it wielded was immense. It seemed to be ten times more powerful with simple calculations.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, yeah. It was like using the Star Magic Circle twice. Moreover, if you adjusted the spell with “spell adjustment”, the power would increase even further. Considering that, any time lag was a small price to pay; as long as I used it in the right situations, I could overwhelm most enemies with great firepower.
“…I think we’ve pretty much taken care of the monsters around here.”
I murmured this after using the Magic Echo spell to scan the area. After joining forces with Eiji and the others, we formed a union between the two parties and continued hunting the monsters in the vicinity. Naturally, it was all about gaining experience points for the upcoming battle.
This union system brought together multiple parties into one large group. While the amount of experience points per person decreased, the increase in numbers meant greater strength and safety. By the way, up to 30 people in five parties could be called a union, and if it exceeded that number, it was called a legion.
Considering the timing of starting the game, it was a bit of a problem that everyone except me was not even at level 20. To ensure that everyone could evolve at least once, we kept hunting higher-class monsters. We were in a union, and even though their levels were slightly lower than the recommended levels here, it was a pleasant miscalculation that they were still gaining a massive amount of experience points.
By the way, I had been providing only minimal assistance for the sake of experience point efficiency. I was just lending a hand to the vanguard using the skeleton shield warrior I had summoned with the [Summoning Magic], which had evolved into a skeleton guardian. Nevertheless, it remained an impervious shield that boasted defense levels beyond even that of Eiji’s. With significantly improved efficiency in hunting, it seemed like they were able to take down stronger foes more smoothly and efficiently than before we joined forces.
“O-Our levels are increasing with each battle!”
“Well, we’re up against opponents we wouldn’t stand a chance against on our own.”
We were currently dealing with a trio of Blade Deers. These creatures had sharp, blade-like horns. We made use of our numerical advantage to defeat them, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the fight. The horns we obtained after skinning them seemed large and well-shaped enough to potentially become an axe for Eiji.
Shishu, who was in awe of the steadily increasing levels, and Wool, who remained calm and collected, were discussing such matters. Both of them had already evolved once. Shishu had become a Big Killer Spider, and Wool had become a Sleep Sheep.
The Big Killer Spider was roughly the same size as the Big Spider, but all its stats had significantly improved across the board. Shishu had become an outstanding physical attacker, combining speed and power.
The Sleep Sheep specialized in inducing sleep to enemies. Wool could now trigger the sleep status ailment through his cries and horn-based attacks. Moreover, thanks to his fluffy wool, he had high resistance to both physical and magic attacks. However, his physical attack power was low, so his main method of combat involved putting enemies to sleep with his cries and then using magic spells to attack.
“Phil and Tess’s evolutions are going smoothly.”
Sei’s familiars, the wolf Phil and the pixie Tess, had evolved into the Gray Wolf and the Light Pixie, respectively. The former was a field boss monster in the grassy plains near Firth, and the latter was a fairy with a strong light element.
“Oh! I can evolve too!”
“I can too. Having a rear guard does make things faster.”
Among the large party, Eiji and Usagi, who were the next closest in level to me, had also leveled up and finally reached level 20. Their bodies shone brightly as they underwent a transformation. Now, I wonder what kind of race they would become.
“I’ve become an Orc Warrior!”
“I’ve become a Saif Ghoul…? I wonder if ‘Saif’ means sword.”
An Orc Warrior, and a Saif Ghoul, huh? The two of them successfully climbed the evolutionary ladder. The Orc Warrior now appeared to be an even more combat-optimized version of the Orc. Its arms, which were already quite muscular, seemed to have bulked up even more, and the overall size had increased. Eiji’s senses told him that his strength and defense had improved significantly.
However, it appeared that there was a negative modifier on his magic skills. In a way, this evolution was somewhat similar to Genjuro’s.
“With this, I might be able to catch up to your summoned skeletons a bit!”
Oh, it seemed like Eiji was concerned about the fact that his defense power was inferior to that of my minions created using magic. Considering the level difference and the fact that these creatures were specialized in defense, it was only natural… But sometimes logic doesn’t quite apply in matters like these.
“Oh, I feel so light!”
However, if we were to compare them to someone like Genjuro, the Saif Ghoul seemed to be a closer match. This race appeared to specialize in wielding swords. Apparently, there were other options given to her, but she chose this path because she wanted to develop her magic in the future.
The reason for this was that the Saif Ghoul, a race known for specializing in wielding swords, had the condition of no longer having any modifiers applied to weapons other than swords. In exchange, they seemed to lack the negative modifier on magic, making them suitable for vanguard roles. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of magic warrior she would become as she swung her sword while dancing.
“Next up is us, Moth-san!”
“Yes, let’s level up steadily.”
Seventh Armor and Moth-san were also in high spirits, knowing that they were just a step away from leveling up. Evolving through level-ups was indeed a motivating factor. It was more tangible than the experience of human players. If you went to the monster Orc city-state where Eiji and Usaji were staying, which was similar to Birdy Perch, you could also acquire equipment, so it could be said that there was not much difference between monsters and humans in that regard.
However, not everyone might be inclined to go to that place, and personal preferences might vary based on the player’s race. It could be tough for some races where weapons and armor didn’t hold much significance. Still, the anticipation of acquiring new gear was always exciting.
“Well, since we’ve pretty much cleared this area, we should move on. Where should we head next?”
Shiitake brought up that question, so I began to speak after gathering my thoughts.
“Up north, the Persona guild is probably out hunting, so let’s avoid going there. Down south, there should be a fortress, so we should steer clear for now… That leaves us with the west. No need to wear down our forces any further.”
Up until now, we had been facing level 20+ insect and beast-type monsters or hordes of demon-type monsters. These hordes were likely a group of demon-type monsters moving down from the north.
We had planned to use them as part of our strategy. They were a good source of experience points for us, but overusing them could be problematic. So, for the time being, we decided to put some distance between us and them. It had already been confirmed through aerial scouting by Seventh Armor, Moth-san, and me that we were at the western edge of the legion of monsters moving south.
“Understood. In that case, we’ll scout ahead a bit.”
“That would be a big help.”
With that, Sei and his familiars disappeared into the western side of the forest. Their scouting abilities, whether from the treetops or on the ground, were impressive. You couldn’t underestimate the keen senses of animals. Plus, even if his familiars on the ground were to be attacked by surprise, Sei on the treetops could swiftly counterattack.
At least, there hadn’t been any issues up until now. Perhaps that’s why we had let our guard down. I should have known that this forest was a tough place for Sei and the others.
“Huh? Uwaaah!”
Right after we had seen them off, we heard Sei’s scream. At the same time, we could hear his familiar barking. We exchanged glances and immediately rushed in the direction of the sound.
“We’ve came to help!”
“Oryaaah!”
Among us, Seventh Armor and Moth-san were the fastest at navigating through the forest since they could fly. I could also fly, but I couldn’t match the two who could do so from the start of the game due to their race. Following us closely was Shishu, who could run swiftly through the uneven terrain, and Usaji trailed right behind her. At the bottom of the rankings, Eiji and Wool were fighting for last place.
“This thin’ is tough! What is it?”
“Fangs and claws won’t go through…!”
What exactly happened? When I arrived at the scene after the two of them, what I saw was a longhorn beetle that was about the size of a human. It used its front legs and weight to push Sei down and was about to bite off his head with its jaws.
“Magic circle remote activation, spell adjustment, dark arm!”
“Kishaaaaah!”
The creature, with its beetle-like, impenetrable exoskeleton, had successfully fended off the attacks from Seventh Armor and Moth-san. However, my gigantic Dark Arm swiftly seized and lifted it from behind rendering it utterly helpless. There was no way it could escape now!
As expected, it flailed its six joined legs like an ordinary insect that had been caught by a boy but all it did was cut into the air in vain. It seemed that its level wasn’t all that high, considering how it became immobilized so easily.
“You’ve really done it now! Here’s my payback!”
“Shishah!”
Sei, who narrowly escaped a potentially fatal encounter, grabbed his fallen staff in anger and re-equipped it. With all his might, he swung it down upon the head of the longhorn beetle. The creature let out a voiceless scream, but Sei continued to strike its head, undeterred.
While each individual blow didn’t seem to inflict significant damage, as long as I held onto it, he could keep striking indefinitely. With repeated blows, the creature’s health steadily dwindled, and within a minute, he managed to finish it off.
“Heh, heh… Whew, that was close!”
“I’m just glad you’re safe, but I have to apologize. It was my mistake not to consider the possibility of things turning out like this.”
I readily admitted my misjudgment. We only had one life to spare, and I almost made him use it up. I thought it wouldn’t be helped if he said at least one word of displeasure, but Sei just shook his head lightly.
“It’s no big deal, really. I was the one who fell victim to the surprise attack. But more importantly, does this place seem like a lair for giant insects?”
Sei prodded the dead longhorn beetle with his staff and said that. He may have a point. When I discovered Eiji and Usaji, the monster they were fighting was a giant praying mantis.
“Since we’ve only seen one so far, isn’t it premature to judge?” Shiitake said.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s just stay on high alert from here on out.”
We lacked sufficient evidence to draw a conclusion, so Shiitake had a point. Regardless, if the creatures here provided the right level of challenge for our training, that would suffice. And if they happened to drop some interesting items, that would be a bonus.
With these carefree thoughts in mind, we ventured deeper into the coniferous forest.
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