Chapter 74
Aoi's Growth
Translator : PolterGlast
I found the hidden
passage, returned to the two, and this time, led them towards the path.
The waiting time must
have been a good rest for them, as we were able to reach the hidden path
smoothly.
"Wow, it's such a
narrow hole."
"Only the
entrance is narrow; it should widen out further in."
"It's pitch
black, I can't see anything! Is the Silver Golem horde really beyond
this?"
"I can feel their
presence from deeper inside, so I'm sure of it."
I illuminated the
inside of the cave with the [Light] spell, and as we proceeded down the narrow
passage... the path gradually widened, just as I had expected.
As befitting a Golem's
lair, there was a lot of ore, and I could see a large amount of copper ore even
just within view.
"Amazing. It's
really become a cave."
"There's no sign
of any monsters yet, though! I wonder if there's any rare ore?"
"Aoi, you should
start focusing. The monsters on the mountain path were still easy, but the ones
from here on are pretty strong."
"Really? What
kind of monster—"
As we were talking, I
could tell something was approaching at a tremendous speed.
It seemed to be
digging through the earth and was approaching from the side of the wall.
"Speak of the
devil. Get behind me for a moment."
I had the two of them
get behind me and stood in front to protect them.
What burst out after
digging its way through was a mole-like monster.
It was about two
meters in total length, with a strange form and abnormally developed forearms.
Its claws looked
sturdy, as expected from something that had just dug its way out, and fangs
peeked out from its large mouth.
"A strange
monster has appeared! Is this one strong, Graham-san?"
"It's stronger
than the Battle Ape we fought in Hest Forest, but weaker than a Berserk Bear."
"Then we can
fight it too!"
"Yeah. I think
you'll be fine, but... it's a carnivore, so it has a strong smell of blood. Be
careful not to get eaten."
It has a strange form,
but it's an opponent the two of them can defeat without a problem.
If the Guild Master
were here, he'd probably know everything from this monster's name to detailed
information about it.
"Aoi-chan, who's
going to fight it? Or should we fight it together?"
"Let me go! I
want to try out what I've been practicing! I'll let you take the next one, how
about that?"
"That's fine!
I'll watch from a short distance away."
It seems Aoi will be
fighting alone; she apparently intends to test what she's been practicing for
the Silver Golem fight.
She seemed to have
been practicing without my knowledge, so I'm looking forward to seeing it.
"Alright, I'll
end this in one blow! ...Phew."
Standing before the
mole monster, she let her hands hang loosely and relaxed her body.
She was completely
defenseless, and the mole monster, seeing its chance, lunged at her.
From my perspective,
it looked like a situation where she was about to be eaten, so I gripped the
hilt of my katana, ready to help at any moment.
She waited until the
very last second, and just as I thought the mole monster's fangs would reach Aoi—Aoi's
fist, which should have moved second, caught the mole monster in the face.
The mole monster was
sent flying from the punch and slammed into the wall, where it stopped
twitching completely.
...To be honest, I
have no idea what Aoi just did.
I didn't think she
could have mastered a blow of that power in such a short period of time.
I'm curious how she
did it, but first, I need to confirm if the mole monster is dead.
"That was
amazing, Aoi-chan!"
"I've managed to
master a blow that can take down even a Berserk Bear! ...How was it,
Graham?"
"I was honestly
surprised. I don't think even a Berserk Bear could have withstood that
attack."
When I replied, Aoi
showed a smug, happy smile, then covered her mouth as if she was embarrassed,
but her eyes were still grinning.
I glanced at Aoi out
of the corner of my eye and went to check on the mole monster... and it was
definitely dead.
Half of its head was
crushed, and I could see from the corpse that it had been killed in a single
blow.
"...Heeheehee. I
was wondering what I'd do if I failed, but I'm so glad it was a success!"
"What's the
trick? I can't imagine you just suddenly gained that much strength... Was it a
skill?"
"That's right! I
used a skill called [Limit Break]! It's a skill that releases my body's
limitations and allows me to exert 100% of my power, but in exchange, I lose
control, so it was a useless skill that I've never used before!"
That's a powerful
skill.
Normally, humans are
limited to using only about 30% of their strength.
So she used a skill to
release that limitation and use 100% of her power, which is what created that
immense force.
"So it was a
powerful blow that came with a risk."
"Exactly! But as
a backlash, my muscles are spasming and I can't move! This state was what made
practicing so hard, and I really struggled with it."
"You were
immobilized every time?"
"Yeah! I used the
money I had saved to buy a ton of high-grade potions to heal myself! They're
super expensive, but if you use a potion, you can move even after the backlash!"
As she said that, Aoi,
her body trembling, took a potion out of her holder and was about to use it.
I hurriedly stopped
her.
"Wait a minute.
You don't have to use a potion; I can use healing magic too."
"...Huh? Y-you
can't possibly heal the backlash, right?"
"I don't know,
but as long as nothing's been severed, I think I can heal it."
I couldn't reattach my
left arm, but I've been able to handle most conditions with healing magic.
It brings back
memories of how the Ancient Dragon's face twisted in frustration when it saw me
instantly heal myself, even after being burned by its holy flames.
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