Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Red Bear Mercenary Corps (2)
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The time had come.
It was time to test the intermediate skill I gained upon breaking through level 32: [Beast Form].
[Beast Form] was, as the name suggested, a skill that allowed transformation into a beast.
However, its effectiveness varied dramatically depending on which beast was chosen.
If it was a beast I had thoroughly observed and knew intimately, I could draw out power nearly identical to the real thing.
But if I only knew its appearance?
It would amount to nothing more than an ordinary transformation.
That was why druids obsessively studied beasts they were deeply familiar with, maximizing the power of [Beast Form].
Fortunately, I had just such a beast...
-Woof! Woof woof!
Ayla, the shadow wolf.
Over the months of raising her, I had come to know shadow wolves inside and out.
Their strengths, weaknesses, habits, instincts...
From head to tail, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I knew everything.
Preparing in advance by observing her, in anticipation of acquiring [Beast Form], had been the right call.
Of course, the greatest stroke of luck was ending up with Ayla.
Honestly, without [Beast Form], I had no idea how I would have handled Jamil.
"El. When I transform into a shadow wolf, tie the flag around my neck."
"Yes, Master."
"Make sure Ayla doesn't get too excited and jump into the duel."
"Yes..."
El replied in a tense voice, nodding vigorously.
"Hoo..."
I let out a long breath and slowly walked to the center of the clearing.
Jamil, who had been warming up, spotted me and grinned.
"Looking forward to it, Jamil."
"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you."
*I hope you do.*
Brushing off his absurd words, I focused my mind.
"I am shadow, shadow is me, and the noble moon always watches over me."
Chanting the incantation, I blew gently on Ayla's beautiful silver fur resting in my palm.
My mana began to surge through my body in an unfamiliar pattern.
-Whoooosh!
As the mana coursed through paths unlike my veins, my physical structure began to change. The intense heat from the rapid mutation burst out through my skin, enveloping the surroundings like white mist.
At the same time, sensations throughout my body skyrocketed.
I could feel the pulse of a single blade of grass, the texture of the pouring sunlight, even the scent of the wind itself.
I'd practiced it many times, but the sensation was still unfamiliar.
Yet the feeling of "I've grown stronger" was vivid and intuitive.
-Murmur murmur.
-Whispers.
I heard surprised gasps and chatter from around me, but I paid it no mind.
-Whiiistle!!!
The whistle signaling the start of the duel rang out sharply.
Right now, I was focused solely on my one and only prey.
'Jamil's red flag.'
There was no doubt Jamil was an incredibly strong warrior.
He possessed astonishing strength, reflexes, and battle sense.
War, slaughter, combat, even street brawls.
He had no weaknesses.
As if born to fight.
And that was where Jamil's weakness lay.
-Swoosh!
'That was close!'
I nimbly dodged Jamil's ferocious punch and circled the clearing once. A fist as fast as the wind-like speed shadow wolves were famous for—insane.
"You just gonna keep dodging like a coward?"
Jamil said in a voice full of excitement.
Jamil had stuck the red flag into his belt where he kept his hand axes. Probably to protect it with his hand, but it was convenient for me. The perfect height to bite.
-Thud!!!
Jamil's fist flew again, smashing into an innocent wooden post. Using his arm as a springboard, I leaped high and aimed for his back.
-Chomp!
I went straight for his belt, but Jamil quickly covered the red flag, and I ended up biting his arm instead.
"Oho, you've got some bite."
The teeth of an adult shadow wolf were sharp and strong enough to craft into daggers. And yet...
-Crack!
I bit down harder on Jamil's arm. But even as blood flowed, he held firm without pulling away.
-Swoosh!
Instead, he swung his arm, hurling me off.
-Boom!!!
The heavy body of the shadow wolf crashed into the center of the clearing, kicking up a cloud of dust.
I quickly checked if the flag was intact. A broken flag was also grounds for defeat.
'Phew...'
Fortunately, the green flag was unharmed.
"What a shame."
Jamil pulled his fist from the tree, checked his own flag the same way, and strolled toward me with a relaxed air.
"But now I get the hang of it."
-Grrrr...
"Theo, if I smash you, that flag's gonna smash too!"
Jamil burst into hearty laughter as if it were the funniest joke.
'Crazy bastard...!'
I knew it. That wasn't a joke.
So I had to snatch his flag before I got "smashed."
'I thought avoiding a head-on clash would work, but this isn't easy either.'
I'd dodged all of Jamil's decisive blows using the shadow wolf's superior stats, but each one was razor-close.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time.
I'd landed several solid hits myself, but Jamil blocked them all with his arms, as if he didn't care if one got torn off.
-Thud!!!
To make matters worse, Jamil seemed to have figured out the shadow wolf's patterns and swung his fist in sync with my charge.
-Boom!
The moment I took Jamil's punch and went flying.
-Awooooooo...
A very familiar howl echoed from somewhere.
'Ayla?!'
It was Ayla's howling.
But something was off.
Ayla's howl was coming from the "shadows."
-Awooooooo...
At that cry, the "shadow wolf" instincts within me stirred.
'Using the shadows...!'
Of course. We'd started the duel at sunset, so the shadows were growing longer. What had begun as tree shadows around the clearing now covered more than half of it.
I was a shadow wolf now.
So I just needed to use the shadows.
-Fwoosh!
My body moved faster than my thoughts.
I charged toward Jamil.
No—more precisely, I dove into Jamil's "shadow."
I felt my body melt into the shadow itself.
'This is the true nature of a shadow wolf...!'
Jamil swung his fist, but I veered slightly and leaped, barely dodging. Jamil, having put his all into the swing, tumbled but executed a nimble roll.
-Swish!
Jamil's reflexes were exceptional. He must have instinctively rolled without thinking.
As a result, his hand left his belt.
I seized that opening.
-Crack!
Who would suspect their own shadow?
From the shadow Jamil hadn't noticed, I leaped and clamped down hard on the red flag at his belt.
-Whiiistle!!!
The whistle signaling the end of the duel echoed through the clearing.
* * *
"Haaaah..."
I sank into a tub filled with herbs, letting my body go limp. The hot water loosened my muscles, and the fresh scent of grass eased my mind.
[Beast Form] had been a success. Thanks to it, I'd beaten the infamous leader of the Red Bear Mercenary Corps.
'Good thing the trick worked.'
Even just dodging and targeting the flag had left my body feeling shattered. A direct confrontation? I didn't even want to imagine.
"Monster of a guy."
Jamil was even crazier than I'd thought. Most people instinctively shrink back from beasts or monsters, but that bastard attacked me with glee even as his arm dangled in shreds.
When I took his flag, he looked more disappointed than angry.
Anyway, Jamil would be training El in combat for the time being.
El had grumbled about learning from someone other than me, but after seeing Jamil's skills, her attitude changed.
Eyes burning with the desire to grow stronger.
That was enough.
-Peep!
As the hot bathwater made my eyelids heavy, a small bird fluttered in from somewhere.
-Peep!
It landed on my shoulder and began preening its feathers.
"Wings so tiny, body so plump—how does it even fly?"
Wasn't this scientifically impossible?
Muttering my pure curiosity, I poked it.
-Peep!
The little bird sharply pecked my fingertip with its beak, then resumed preening.
"Seriously..."
Unbelievable.
It didn't look like a hidden pet at all, so I'd planned to release it in a suitable place at a suitable time.
But every time, it came back to me like a boomerang.
So I couldn't just abandon it heartlessly...
'Well, even if it's not a hidden pet, I could train it as a scout.'
The [Unity] skill I'd gained at level 20 was a kind of possession skill. Using it allowed me to possess and control an animal or beast I touched. It was typically used on small creatures like birds or mice for scouting and spying.
The smaller the animal, the fewer the side effects of [Unity], so it wasn't a bad choice.
I placed the little bird on my palm and gently stroked its head.
-Peep peep!
It let out a pleased chirp, loud and clear.
"You need a name now, huh."
What to call it? I pondered for a moment.
"Pipi?"
Yeah.
Good enough.
I was never good at this stuff anyway.
"Alright, Pipi. Now that I've named you, scout training starts tomorrow."
Whether it understood or not, Pipi flapped its tiny wings energetically.
Right then.
"Hm?"
Inside its flapping wing, something sparkled.
'What was that?'
Before I could even question it fully, the sparkle melted away like an illusion.
And then.
"What is this..."
Vitality swirled through the wooden tub, brimming to the top.
Far more than what the herbs could provide!