Chapter 22.1
Episode 22 — Surarin Storm Warning“…and so.”
Selena explained, referring to the diagram widely spread in the dining room.
“At the moment, unique abilities, as the red winged devil (Red Wing) said, «Phase 2», students who managed to activate them are hardly confirmed. I can say reliably, is it not about the amplifying ability of Utsurogi-san?”
In the dining room, more than dozens of students were listening to her stories with serious faces. Some students even kept their notes eagerly, just like in cla.s.ses. Many of them, such as Uozumi older brother (Gillman), Kensaki (Dullahan), Nekomiya (Cait Sith), were leaders of the exploration teams.
Selena, compared to when she was said to be useless, continued the discussion with a somewhat lively expression.
“Including the complete beast transformation of Lycanthrope which is an ability that cannot be confirmed in this world, and Akai-san’s b.l.o.o.d.y Corps, these may also be unique abilities. Gofunkawahara-san’s item search ability, is a little difficult to say. However, in this case, a unique ability may not be a power far removed from the image of your race, presumably. For example, Uozumi-san may not get drills on both hands and start digging through the ground, Kensaki-san won’t be able to grow wings on her back and fly in the sky. However, it is only a hypothesis.”
Kyousuke group was watching from the edge of the dining room such a state of Selena.
They didn’t have much time to leave the base and head for the kingdom that was far in the East. However, in that short amount of time, Selena decided to open a hands-on course on monster abilities to applicants. Regarding her monster knowledge, probably most students had recognized. Selena was saying that if she could get recognized so easily, she should have done so earlier.
Several students had been able to use magic by instinct since they came to this world. But if they were to ask Selena, she would say that they were not utilizing their own abilities fully.
“Selena-san, what kind of racial abilities a gillman has?”
“N—…”
Uozumi older brother asked questions by raising his hand, Selena thought a little and then answered.
“After all, because it is a swimming ability, I feel it is difficult to make use of it here…. However, the whole body muscles, to make use of it for swimming, especially from here to this area over here have extraordinary development…”
Selena walked closely to Uozumi with serious look and rubbed his brachial muscles and thigh muscles and so on. Uozumi was trying his utmost to hold down his grinning face, and the public morals committee member Kensaki pinched his scale.
“There are red gillman and white gillman, but Uozumi-san is a red gillman. The muscles have very high endurance, long lasting stamina. In addition, it is firm and delicious.”
“That last information is something that I didn’t want to hear…”
Uozumi kept writing on his notes properly while smiling bitterly.
Selena explained also to other students, the dullahan Kensaki had the ability to overcome «the borderline of death», but in principle as an undead she was weak against heat and light, the cait sith Nekomiya had the ability to move from shadows to shadows, and for students who were not there, she added a few words about their abilities as well.
“Me too, I will have her tutor me fully afterwards.”
Rin said with a bright voice while watching such Selena.
“But I feel that Himemizu have already make use of your ability quite well.”
“That’s no good. Because most of the finishers until now have been taken b
y Hino-kun…”
Moreover, Rin added.
“Even in the last fight against the red winged devil (Red Wing), I fainted in the middle.”
Apparently she seemed to feel that she had to become strong.
“More, I hope to become Utsurogi-kun’s strength.”
“Himemizu has become my strength quite plenty enough.”
“O–ou…! Something like that, I feel like I am not accustomed to being straightly praised!”
Rin’s unique ability, he wondered what it was really like? Domestically produced RPG with slime Kyousuke had played was as much as a mountain, but nothing immediately came to mind. Could she take in metal and become a metal slime? If the whole body looks like a terminator, that would seem extremely strong.
When Kyousuke glanced at Rin, like Kyousuke, Rin also seemed to be thinking about her own unique ability.
“I wonder if I will be able to shoot electric shock. Piercing attribute…”
“Slime’s electric shock is a nightmare. Because of that, how many emperors I have lost…”
“Because you challenge with Imperial Cross.”
How would they generate electricity in the body of a slime in the first place? Selena unexpectedly readily answered 『perhaps using electric potential differences between cells to create electric shock』 or something like that.
Since Kyousuke’s ability was discovered and the phrase «Phase 2» was said by the red winged devil, other students were also searching for their own unique abilities. Kyousuke was quite fortunate to have found it, after all, it didn’t seem easy to notice.
Since then, as they continued to silly chat about Rin’s unique ability, suddenly the topic s.h.i.+fted to another person.
“Utsurogi-kun. Speaking of which, is there anything about the side effects of Akai-san’s blood?”
“No, right now it’s not much…. If I’m forced to say…”
“If you’re forced to say?”
“My body got stronger.”
“……”
As Kyousuke said so while taking the double-biceps pose, Rin became silent. Her eyes had to be considerably cold if there was any.
“No, it’s not a joke. I feel the bones themselves have become harder. Also, my body’s movement has become lighter than before as well.”
“Fu~n. I wonder if it is an overall spec up…”
It was a reasonable guess, but that was not always the case. And this was merely a 『better side effect』.
If one could restore parts irreproducible with recovery magic and further raise the person’s ability, those were totally good things. Akai after all had no need to hesitate. It would be good to use it on other students ∗ban ban∗, which then led to the overall power up of the cla.s.s.
Akai didn’t do so because she was concerned about the 『worse side effect』.
“What is the most likely worse side effect?”
And Rin said.
“Something like becoming Akai-san’s minion. I guess minion is the wrong way to call it, so servant?”
“In this case, the right one is 『kin』?”
It wasn’t that Kyousuke didn’t think about it. Akai was a vampire. Sucking blood and increasing the number of friends, then the companion added was called «kin» and have their will dominated, such is the image of the monster called vampire. Restoring the defective parts of the body and also the rise in physical specs, those were perfect matches to the image of a vampire.
Kyousuke, being a skeleton, had he become a vampire?
“Surely? Utsurogi-kun, do you want to suck blood?”
“No, especially…. Even my cuspid teeth are not sharp?”
“Ah~ yeah. That’s right.”
However, even if he did not become a «vampire», there was a possibility of becoming Akai’s «kin».
In principle, it was not possible to oppose the parental vampire. Kyousuke would be obliged to obey the instructions of Akai.
Akai wasn’t such a bad girl. Kyousuke would like to believe that she would not make a terrible order ignoring his free will, also, there was no sense of his actions being bounded at the moment. If the disadvantage was to say «turning into Akai’s kin», he felt that it was not such a fatal side effect.
“Utsurogi-kun, are you seriously thinking about it?”
Did she read Kyousuke’s thought, Rin said strongly while pouting her lips (not).
“I also think Akai-san is a good person, but if someone can forcibly hold down your will. Usually, it doesn’t feel good?”
“Yeah—, well, I suppose so…”
“Ah~, somehow, I think I understand Hino-kun’s feelings for the first time.”
This is a big problem. It looks like the fault-finding partners have become 2 people now.
Just around then, it seemed that Selena’s practical teaching course had ended. The students picked up their notes and ∗zoro zoro∗ went out of the dining room. Selena was waving with a smile.
“Ah~, it was just right. Did it end~?”
The cook Sugiura (Scylla) peeked out from inside the kitchen.
“Hino-kun was helping me out for a moment. I was making preserved dishes for Utsurogi-kun and everyone.”
That said, Sugiura came out with some smoked meat on a tray. Rin and Kyousuke also stepped into the dining room.
“Indeed, it is smoked dungeon crocodile.”
Selena nodded, picking up one of the meat.
“Dungeon crocodiles are reptile-type monsters living in labyrinths. They are also living in this dungeon.”
Smoked crocodile meat was also used for trade with the goblins living in the heavy cruiser. According to Gofunkawahara’s stories, the goblins regularly hunted monsters such as wilderness worm, desert fly, desert vulture, etc in groups and seemed to be using them as food. Crocodile meat available in trade with 2nd year cla.s.s 4 was handy as preserved food that could be obtained intact.
The preserved food was not just smoked crocodile meat. There were also mock-pasta, dried fish, dried potato, etc.
“According to the story of Selena-san and Zeku, I think generally it would take around 3 to 5 days. Be careful and prepare for 10 days. Utsurogi-kun, Hino-kun, Surarin, Hakuba-kun, Selena-san, there are five of you.”
“I forcibly raised the amount of heat and removed the moisture. I’m tired…”
Akira who seemed to be in a weakened fire power state more than ever, ∗fuyo fuyo∗ came flying over.
“Oh~, everything looks delicious…”
“Surarin, it’s no good to snitch food.”
“I–I know…”
By the way, just when they were transporting these food, one problem was discovered.
Compared to the number of people, there were few members suitable for carrying packages. If Kyousuke didn’t combine with Rin, he could not exercise proper power, and he would not be able to carry a lot of luggage, the same applied to Akira. In the end, it was agreed that Hakuba would pulled a wagon, and it seemed that they would be putting a lot of hards.h.i.+p on him.
“The most scary thing is to encounter the red winged devil on the way across the wasteland…”
Selena muttered a few words while loading preserved food into the prepared wagon.
“By the way, is Selena-san’s s.h.i.+shou-san stronger than that devil?”
“What is it? I can not so much as imagine how s.h.i.+shou would lose…”
Even Kyousuke could not imagine that there was an existence stronger than that red winged devil. Even Full Cross which buried the Wight King couldn’t stand up against him. It was an overwhelming defeat in physical strength and the black armor’s defense was solid as well.
He felt that he might have to fight with that devil someday. At that time, he could not envision of how to win.
“Utsurogi-kun, it’s no good to think too hard about it~.”
“That’s right. It is my role to take the stomach pain, it’s fine for you to think care-freely.”
Rin and Akira said so. Is it such a thing? Kyousuke thought. However, it is surely not a problem that could be solved by overthinking.
For the time being, as Rin secretly tried to extend her hand to the smoked meat, he slapped it down.