-45- Beast Cave 6
Echoing, the sound coming from the depths of the darkness gradually grows louder. The magic skill detection already captured the ident.i.ty of the approaching enemies so there"s no possibility of getting caught in a surprise attack after seeing through their numbers and time of arrival.
Relying on the thickness and heaviness of the pole placed on my shoulder, the quickening beat of my heart before the fight is making me feel the excitement. Lips rising naturally, I am eagerly antic.i.p.ating the start of the fight.
The sounds of kicking the ground mixed with the howls are heard. At the same time, the five sprinting monsters were confirmed with my eyes, I rushed out.
Circulating the mana inside my body, my muscles are working together and strengthened in accordance with my mana.
I accelerate with every step and rapidly close the distance with the approaching monsters. I sharpen my senses and, relying on the faint light coming from behind, accurately measure the distance through sight and sensing the mana.
I made the first move against the beasts that can"t react to my speed. I directly strike the lead monster running in front with the new weapon I"m still not accustomed to using.
The heavy ebony pole smashed its head and the beast instantly died with a death cry. The pack that lost its leader might have accurately sensed the threat, dispersed and move to form an encirclement.
If I wait, I will be pounced on from all sides. Without choosing that single bad move, I rush towards one of them.
Striking from below all the way up, I smashed its jaw, break its neck, and popped out its eyeb.a.l.l.s. A meter-long body is blown away to the wall with a crash. WIthout caring about the outcome of that, I instantly bend over.
The darkness is dyed in a reddish brown world.
Something out of fantasy created by mana shot through the place where my back was just a while ago. I felt heat pa.s.sing through overhead and a red blazing fireball came into view.
Two monsters aiming for this opportunity approaches to strike together. While one of them collided with my body, my arm and leg were bitten from the opposite side. But the beast"s fangs can"t penetrate through my flesh or even tear my clothes. On the contrary, even the impact of the charge that carries its weight didn"t even reach me.
With just a thin layer. The skin of mana I wore over my body blocks physical attacks and doesn"t take any damage at all.
The beast"s closed mouth gnaws and increases its strength but there are no signs that the layer will break. Probably realizing that it"s going nowhere, mana overflows from the beast and I sense the sign of it concentrating on a single point. Against the enemy it had bitten and restrained, inflicting damage using magic from point-blank range was this monster"s usual strategy.
I activate the mana inside my body and strike with extraordinary strength. Applying a strong centrifugal force, the beasts" fangs come off and slip away. Ignoring the two flying beasts, I start running towards the one that shot the fireball earlier.
It raised a growl and second ma.s.s of flames come flying. Bending my upper body, I dodge with the minimum movement. It smelled as if something was burning but I ignore it and push forward.
When I confirm that I smashed its skull with force and fatally wounded it, I quickly step back. Blowing it away, I stab the black pole using the force of my charge through the stomach of the monster that was about to get up.
When I turned around and look at its death, the place where it landed might have been bad, The place that remained for that one is where Hiiragi-san will penetrate its weak point with a naginata and dispose of it.
◆
It"s really a refreshing feeling.
I wasn"t able to learn circulation until now. I carried the role of scout using detection and handling the luggage and, because of that, I can only guard the luggage at the back during fights. I, who was someone like that, is fighting in the front line. I can fight against the group of monsters that uses magic with my group. Naturally, pleasure and confidence are welling up in my heart.
I collected the mana stones and looked at the spot bitten during the fight. There are no wounds there, my clothes were not even ripped. It shows the strength of the physical defense using MS layer. On the other hand, when I touch the place the fireball almost hit, the fabric feels only a little different compared to others. Because the defense layer was made of mana, defending against magic attacks might be difficult.
「Hibari-kun, you look happy.」
I nodded my head to what Hiiragi-san pointed out.
「I"m also a man after all. I also want to fight with the monsters, so just watching from behind is very painful for me.」
「I know that Hibari is a man. Someone with a strong will. By the way, it"s amazing how the layer is completely fine even though it was bitten by the monster. I"d be glad if Natsume gave us advice with emission too, and not just with circulation and layer.」
Heidi spoke her dissatisfaction towards Wazuka with a sulky face. I understand her feelings, but he"s also not all-knowing either. It might be possible that I won"t be able to do it even if he advises me regarding emission. I might return the cypress pole that I borrowed.
Anyway, I"m very thankful to Wazuka. Just by practicing a bit by following his words, I succeeded in learning circulation. And after several trial and error, I learned layer on my own.
「Unfortunately, Heidi-san and I have no choice but to save PP to learn emission.」
Heidi makes a sad expression to the words of Hiiragi-san. As they say, a person with a beautiful face looks good in any kind of expression.
「Haah. In that case, there"s no extra PP left to exchange for condom and lotion so it"s a big problem.」
Heidi who was not listening from the start seems to have fallen into frustration. She is looking at me with a directly without any plans to hide it. Her line of sight is directed mainly between my legs.
I also understood the meaning of a woman noticing a stare on her chest. Although being watched by a beautiful girl is not bad, she"s a bit too straight-forward. Hiiragi-san seems to be happy to see me with an embarra.s.sed reaction.
「How convenient is the layer?」
「The mana consumption is intense. There"s no point if it doesn"t cover the body permanently and mana will decrease if you receive a hit. It"s better than being hurt, but it should be used together with body reinforcement so it still can"t be used for a long time. It seems like you can"t expect much against magical attacks.」
「In the end, it"s best to hit and run and kill before sustaining damage as usual. Although it looks like it"s better to learn it to be safe.」
The layer is unlikely to have a considerable effect of changing the flow of battles. Actions that are riskier than before will be possible, but it is not necessarily an absolute defense.
However, I feel that there is potential in this MS.
Seeing that there are not even scratches left on the clothes, the effect seems to be not just on the body. Maybe it could be extended to weapons and, if put to use in some way, might enhance the strength of attacks. That"s what I think but, unlike the clothes that I have always worn since I was born, I can"t imagine a weapon like an extension of my limbs. I surely can not do that so I feel like trying it out is a failure for now.
「Isn"t it time to look for the next monster?」
「I agree. Hibari-kun, would you please.」
I switch over to my senses and use detection in the dungeon. Catching the next prey, I plan on the shortest path.
Deciding on the path, I walk in front of the two while relying on the lantern with a faint light.