Chapter 7: Kitsune’s Ability
I’m an Ideological, a special sort of fairy born from Human Emotion.
The feelings harbored by my parent, the emotions strong enough to create me were directed at Naginata Kitsune… Kitsune-san. Thus, I am a Fairy of Unrequited Love. Strong feelings for another, a fairy born of the highest, and most sacred of emotions. Those feelings reside within me as my core.
That’s why, like my parent, the girl that I’ve never met, I like Kitsune-san. To be more specific, only a day has pa.s.sed since I first met him, but at a glance, I was certain that Kitsune-san was the beloved one of that girl. I mean, the moment I saw him, I started to like him, so I’m sure that’s the case.
Kitsune-san is weak. Even if I’m supposed to possess great power, I was just born, and I wouldn’t even reach the ankles of those who are truly strong. Yet he remains much weaker than me. If we were to fight, I’ll bet I wouldn’t even have to use magic to win.
That why if I’m not there to protect him, I’m sure he’ll die instantly. He’s frail, and fragile, and feeble, an existence like a faint candle that would go out if you only blew in its direction.
In the forest, Kitsune-san was desperate to survive. From his appearance and behavior, you can’t feel any impatience or anxiety, but his eyes were always filled with the desperation to overcome adversity. a.s.saulted by the wolf, he didn’t give up hope. Confronted by the giant spider, he stood his ground. The form of him desperately grasping for something to cling to in order to survive was extremely unsightly, and pathetic.
Trying to take that boy’s life, yet another Magic Beast emerged. In a surprise attack, they attacked Kitsune-san, and he became unable to move from the poison. What appeared was a group of bees. Their wings buzzed in a discomforting frequency as they approached.
… I’ve got to protect him.
My mind was buried in thoughts like that. I can’t let Kitsune-san die. I mean, he’s… alone. No one’s watching. No one knows. No one cares. By himself, dying in solitude… I won’t allow it.
At that moment, Kitsune hid his mask (my life) behind his back. For the action he forced his paralyzed body to carry out to be protecting me, I can be nothing but happy. That thoughts within me directed at him begin to swell up. Enough that it felt as if my chest was going to burst.
… If it’s now, I feel like I can do anything.
I had moved before I noticed it. I flapped my prided wings, and a.s.saulted the bees drawing close. I can’t let Kitsune-san die.
“… Fairy Torch!”
It’s a magic that usually requires some charging, but the current me can deploy it instantly and activate it. Ideological Fairies are ones born of strong emotions… as such, when the fairy itself harbors those same feelings that made it, they can display even stronger powers.
A small and white flame annihilates several bees altogether. Not even ash is left behind, as they completely burn up and scatter before touching the ground.
“Surprise attack? Perfect! Now come at me bugs! I, Bishojo Fairy Finia-chan will take take on every single one of you!”
The feelings of affection I have for Kitsune-san are my driving force. These feelings make me stronger!
Even Kitsune could understand that Finia had left his side to commence combat with the bees. It was because he could see the flashes of the fire, and hear the sounds. Using fire in the middle of a forest had the risk of starting a bushfire, but if she didn’t, they would probably die, so Smoky be d.a.m.ned.
But in a situation like this, being separated by Finia invited a bit of anxiety. Unluckily, Kitsune had been inflicted with paralysis, and he couldn’t move a single finger. If he were to take a similar sting from another bee…
There was a possibility the paralysis would affect his muscles or nervous system, and induce cardiac arrest or a heart attack.
From what he saw, there were a few dozen bees. Based on his knowledge, Kitsune knew that bees generally operated in a wide scope centered around their hive. As such, it isn’t that rare to see them working individually.
But with that many of them grouped together, it was quite possible that they were somewhere near their hive. If that were the case, the noises from Finia’s battle might work to stimulate them, meaning it wasn’t just the bees here now… in the worst case, there was the possibility that a large army may be dispatched directly from the hive.
“… Guh… dammit, I can’t move…”
He tried struggling, but of course, the paralysis was still in effect. Even if his brain continued to send the signals for his muscles to move, his convulsing sinew was unable to put it into effect.
Seeing if there was anything he had to break down the situation, Kitsune desperately brought up his status screen.
◇Status◇
Name: Naginata Kitsune
Gender: Male Lv1 《Paralyzed》
Strength: 10
Stamina: 30
Resilience: 100
Dexterity: 10
Magic: 20
t.i.tle:『Otherworlder』
Skill: 『Pain Resistance Lv8』『Eerie Const.i.tution』『World Language Translator』『Status Discernment』
Innate Skill: ???
PT Member: Finia(Fairy)
But there had been no change to it. A paralysis icon appeared to indicate his status abnormality, but other than that, it was exactly the same as before.
“Dammit…!”
He gritted his teeth. No plans formed in his mind.
And next to his ear, the worst possible sound came.
… Bzzzzz…
The buzzing of wings. Kitsune had his back to a large tree, and it wasn’t coming from behind. From right in front him. Not where Finia was fighting, but right before his eyes.
He tried directing his eyes upwards, and there, he saw a lone bee floating around. The conical stinger attached into its abdomen had its tip pointed at him.
“… Status.”
Kitsune desperately took a glance at the Bee’s Status.
◇Status◇
Name: Palzy Signal
Race: Bug-Type Magic Beast Lv5
Strength: 3
Stamina: 50
Resilience: 15
Dexterity: 60
Magic: 0
Skill:『Paralyzing Needle』『Colony Mobilization』
This bee’s Dexterity was higher than Kitsune’s. It’s likely that the disparity was one that even if Kitsune could attack, he wouldn’t be able to hit it.
But it seems its strength was only a measly 3. That sounded off. 3 meant that it was weaker than his average-level human strength. If that was the case, then what was it that allowed its needle to pierce through him when his body had, for argument’s sake, a resilience of 100?
“What does this…”
Kitsune tried piecing together the information he had been given bby Finia’s on ability points up until now. He was able to understand that 『Resilience』 was, simply put, one’s 『Defense』.
And comparing the power Finia had displayed thus far with her Strength twelve times his, Kitsune’s resilience should easily provide enough defense to take the bee’s needle in the flesh.
“Could it be… I’m not making use of the power from my Status…?”
He thought. Perhaps he was overlooking something crucial. That he wasn’t fully displaying his 100 Resilience.
But there was no time left for idle ponderings.
As he thought, the bee registered Kitsune as an enemy. It shot its needle towards him.
“…!?”
And at that moment, Kitsune saw the world in slow motion. The point of the stinger was approaching him ever so slowly. Its destination was the middle of his forehead, and it was definitely on a course that would result in certain death.
He remembered. When Finia gave an explanation ho how to use magic. When Kitsune had asked her about it, she had known how to from the moment she was born, and she had done it by intuition.
To summarize, what Kitsune consciously thought he was able to do didn’t correspond with what was displayed on his Status.
As a result… since he had thought there was no way his body would be able to block the stinger, the needle was able to overcome the disparity in stats, and dig into his flesh.
(… Then…)
In his decelerated field of vision, he had yet to give up on his will to live. Believing in his own Resilience, Kitsune convinced himself there was no way the encroaching point would be able to pierce him. He forced the a.s.sumption onto himself that his body was more than enough to deal with it.
(I’m not going to die yet…!!)
The needle touched the spot between his eyes, and with that momentum…
… It failed to do anything.
A sound like teeth clashing against one another rang out, and the bee’s stinger snaps on his forehead before falling to the ground.
“… 100 Resilience… way to go, me.”
HE felt the sweat erupting all over his body as he gained an understanding of how to use his Status. There was no pain, and no wound left behind. This was the lone ability that had been granted to the boy, and having experienced it, Kitsune let a faint smile surface on his face.
And as if there had been no poison to begin with, he easily stood up.
“It seems that Resilience works on Status Abnormalities as well.”
Because he had been caught up in the thought that the poison had worked, he had been unable to move. Once he understood it wouldn’t do anything to him, the poison that shouldn’t have worked on him in the first place lost its effect. Kitsune grasped the now-stingless bee in his bare hands. IT seems the bee was perplexed as to why its own attack hadn’t worked, and thus, it was slow to escape.
“When you don’t have your stinger, you aren’t scary at all. Well, it seems you aren’t scary, even when you have it.”
Kitsune looked straight into the bee’s eyes as he said that.
At that moment, the bee’s body stiffened. Just as the Spider he confronted before had sensed, it felt an aura of danger from him. It struggles and squirmed. It no longer cared about anything else, it just wanted to get as far away from Kitsune as possible.
Creepy and revolting.
Kitsune’s skill, 『Eerie Const.i.tution』 was the source of the aura.
… 『Eerie Const.i.tution』: When confronted with an enemy, when you have the psychological advantage over them, this skill allows you to overpower them by smashing their motivation.
As long as he stood on a higher mental ground, it was a frightening skill that allowed him to emotionally overpower any enemy regardless of level difference. If Kitsune didn’t recognize them as an enemy, or he stood on lower ground psychologically, it wouldn’t activate. The skill had various conditions, but once they were settled, it was one that would definitely grant power to him.
“Gi…I…!”
The bee remains pinned down by his hands, staring directly into Kitsune’s eyes. No matter how hard it tried to look away, it wasn’t able to. The situation was like torture to it.
Using one hand, Kitsune grasped an area close to its mouth, and used the other to grasp its wings.
“Thank you, bee-kun. Thanks to you, I think I’ll survive for just a little longer.”
With a snapping sound, the wings were fully plucked from the bee’s body. It tried raising a scream, but as Kitsune was wary that it would attract other bees, he stuffed its mouth with the poisonous stinger that had fallen onto the ground.
Apparently, the poison worked on the bee itself, and it stopped struggling, going into severe convulsion.
“Oh? I was certain your own poison wouldn’t work on you. Sorry.”
Kitsune discarded the bee on the ground, and as he had lost interest, he turned his attention elsewhere. He didn’t feel like killing it. He was quite grateful to the bee who taught him how to use his Status. Even so, a bee without wings would probably soon become the prey of some other Magical Beast.
However, the bee felt relief. The very fact that Kitsune had disappeared from its eyes was more rea.s.suring than anything else. Even if, in the near future it was to die by some other Beast’s hand, it thought it was fine as long as it was able to get away from Kitsune himself.
“Ah, that’s right, if I just abandon it like this, it’ll be eaten up by some other monster, right?”
Even though the bee couldn’t understand words, it felt despair the moment Kitsune turned around. Slowly, Kitsune draws himself closer. To compare it to human standards, it felt as if it was walking the thirteen steps up the gallows.
Kitsune hoisted its body up.
“And so, it’s better if I kill you, right?”
“Gi…!?”
From his faint smile, the bee felt malice. The danger it felt from the unnerving presence increased even further, and the bee subconsciously began quivering in a manner appart from the convulsions it was going through. Its Magical Beasts instincts were overcome with fear, and it was certain there was no way it could avoid death.
“Until now, I didn’t plan on killing you, but when I think of your sake, perhaps killing you would be better for you… well then, good bye.”
Kitsune dropped the bee on the ground again, this time, dropping his own foot on top of it.
A grotesque crunching sound resounded, and below his foot… the bee had been crushed to death.
As it saw the foot being lowered onto it, the bee felt the collapse of its own spirit. In the end, the sensation of it being tread on was nothing more than someone else’s problem to it as its life went out with like the flip of a switch.
“Now then… hmm?”
After killing the bee, Kitsune felt a sense of discomfort across his body. Without delay, he confirmed it with his Status Discernment Skill. How convenient, he thought as he confirmed his own condition.
◇Status◇
Name: Naginata Kitsune
Gender: Male Lv4(↑4UP)
Strength: 40
Stamina: 60
Resilience: 180
Dexterity: 50
Magic: 20
t.i.tle:『Otherworlder』
Skill:『Pain Resistance Lv8』『Eerie Const.i.tution』『World Language Translator』『Status Discernment』『Persistence(NEW!)』『Coercion(NEW!)』
Innate Skill: ???
PT Member: Finia(Fairy)
It seems his level had risen. The fact that he killed a single Magical Beast, and that his own level was so low, provided him with quite a large level up. But the fact that he still didn’t compare to Finia’s level 1 stats served as reaffirmation of the fact that he was indeed one of the weak.
“Yeah… anyways, my Resilience rose, so I’ll leave it at that.”
“Kitsune-saaaaaaaan!!”
“Whoops…!”
As the bees were no match for her, Finia rushed back unhurt. Looking at the area where she fought, there was scorched land here and there, but there were no bodies or blood. All the evidence had been incinerated.
‘Finia-chan really shows no mercy’ he thought, as he honestly felt joy having overcome the situation.
Author Note: By the way, these are Finia’s stats, post battle
◇Status◇
Name: Finia
Gender: Female Lv3(↑3UP)
Strength: 150
Stamina: 540
Resilience: 130
Dexterity: 180
Magic: 1550
t.i.tle:『Fairy of Unrequited Love』
Skill:『Light Magic Lv3』『Mana Recovery Lv2』『Healing Magic Lv3』『Fire Magic Lv3』
Innate Skill: ???
PT Member: ◎Naginata Kitsune
The difference in EXP ratio is due to the author’s adult circ.u.mstances.