Volume 1
Chapter 21
I Learned
About [The One Containing a Shadow]
Following Tekiru's
explanation, I arrived at a certain forest.
"And here we are.
This is the [Forest of Deep History], a Rank B danger-rated forest designated
in the request Kushina-cchi received."
"Hee~."
I looked up at the
forest in front of me. Tall trees stood densely near the entrance, and it
seemed like a very deep forest.
"This is a
dangerous place where even veteran adventurers—Rank 3 and Rank 4 guys—won't go
near unless they form a party. The request this time is to 'thin out the
forest's monsters,' right, Kushina-cchi?"
"Y-Yeah."
Kushina-chi? I've been
thinking about this since a while ago, but why is he getting so chummy? Oh
well.
"Alright, then
let me show you my skills right away. It wouldn't be fair for me to secretly
observe your skills while you don't see mine. Leave the first monster we
encounter to me. I'll show you how to defeat it quickly."
Tekiru winked at me.
Tekiru and I entered
the forest. There didn't seem to be any monsters near the forest entrance, but
I could hear the growls of various animals from deep inside.
"───!"
"Oh, here it
comes."
And then, I felt
something approaching. Tekiru must have noticed too, as he extended his arm in
front of me as if to say, "Don't interfere."
"Grrrrooooar..."
What appeared was a
huge, pitch-black bear. Drool flowed endlessly from its protruding fangs, and
its red eyes were wide open, staring at us.
"A Rank B Broad
Grizzly. Perfect. Kushina-cchi, watch carefully."
Tekiru brushed his
jacket once and drew two daggers from his waist. One was golden, and the other
was a silver dagger with ornate decorations. He held them in a reverse grip,
smiling but with his gaze fixed straight on the bear.
...Is it just me? It
looks like a black mist is coming out of Tekiru's body.
"───"
It was only for a
moment.
Tekiru moved behind
the bear in a fraction of a second.
And then, a little
later, I could see blood coming from the bear's back.
"Oh!"
That was pretty fast.
He moved behind and slashed its back in that instant.
The bear staggered
forward a little.
But it didn't fall
down.
"Gooooaaaaarrr!!!"
He swung his right arm
down onto Tekiru while turning back. The thick arm swung down with such force
that it kicked up dust.
However, Tekiru had
already left his spot before the arm came down—using a thick branch above him
as a temporary foothold, he had already lowered himself into position for his
next attack.
From then on, it was a
one-sided assault. Tekiru jumped from branch to branch, slashing through the
bear's hide as he jumped, and using his landing spot as the next jumping-off
point—he repeated this over and over again. In fact, he was getting faster and
faster with each repetition. Amazing.
□□□
In this world, 'skills'
are not something 'bestowed by the gods'. They are manifested as 'talents' as
we understand them on Earth—physical talents like 'strength' that allow one to
wield greater power than others, or talents like 'mimicry' that allow one to
instantly copy techniques seen.
In other words,
everyone has the potential to have skills from birth. Whether or not you have
them depends on your luck.
Of course, the black
mist coming out of Tekiru's body is also a talent (skill). And it's a very
high-level one at that.
Tekiru's skill is
called [Shadow Container (Greedle Shaker)].
An 'ability' that
doesn't fit his cheerful personality.
This skill is most
effective in places with deep shadows. It involves merging one's own shadow
with other shadows and absorbing their power. Therefore, the deeper and more
numerous the shadows, the greater power one can obtain.
The reason why Tekiru,
a Rank 5 adventurer, is not only fighting but also overwhelming a Rank B
danger-rated monster that he couldn't normally handle alone is because of this
skill.
In a place like a
forest where many tree shadows intersect, Tekiru's skill, which can utilize
that, allows him to surpass the bear in terms of ability values, even as a
human.
□□□
The bear-like monster
had suffered numerous wounds. The bleeding had caused it to become completely
anemic. It was standing on all fours but was unsteady, and its eyes were wide
open in contrast to before.
───Seeing the state of
the monster, Tekiru,
Slash!
He pierced the bear's
neck with his dagger, which had been damaged by multiple cuts, and severed its
head.
Tekiru returned to me,
holding the bear's head in one hand.
"That's it."
Tekiru dropped the
monster's head in front of me.
"How was that,
Kushina-cchi? Did you see my action properly?"
"Yeah, that was
amazing. I can't fight as efficiently as you... I was surprised."
"Right?
Physically, I'm always a bit worried about my strength, but on the other hand,
I'm very agile. And I'm also confident in my speed. I'm pretty fast, aren't
I?"
"Eh? Ah, yeah...
I guess your speed was... decent."
"I-I see..."
I answered honestly
because I was asked, but because of that, Tekiru's face twitched.
"Oh well. Now you
know my abilities, right, Kushina-cchi? The request is to 'thin out the
monsters'—we can't keep focusing on just one bear forever... Oh, they're coming
just in time."
Tekiru grinned and
looked behind him.
I could hear the sound
of several creatures pushing through the bushes and coming towards us. More
monsters were approaching.
"Alright, let's
do this, Kushina-cchi."
"Yeah."
Tekiru slammed his
right fist into his left palm, showing his enthusiasm, and I nodded along.
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