kscans

Chapter 603 - A Broken Ruler Is Business as Usual

Okay, first, a little test.

"'Piercing water nail, wings of a hook to halt its might.'"

She said magic is 'almost completely ineffective,' but if it's just a bit of resistance, the magic woven by my transformed body's absurd mana should be more than enough to punch through.

A single roar as a greeting to my appearance before it. The mole(?), as if to see the reaction of the tiny intruder, chose to wait. Before it, I spun a two-verse short incantation.

"《Current Haken》."

A total of six small 'needles' materialized around my avatar. Without hesitation or mercy, I fired the water needles in one breath, and they flew... at a speed that a skilled player could just barely dodge if they saw it coming.

The mole, which had clearly seen the response to its own hostility with its glaring single eye, moved. The first action of its long, bizarre body was—

To coil up. The water needles were met with this, and the moment they touched its shimmering shell, they dissipated and vanished without a sound or effect.

Right, right, I see.

"So that's how it is... huh!"

It didn't even serve as a feint, but that's fine. The main objective was to gather information on a first-time encounter anyway. I dismissed the unfortunately useless magic that failed to exhibit even a millimeter of its original effect with a single word of regret—

First, one step.

— ◇Status / Trance◇ Title: Acrobat Name: Haru Lv: 110 STR: 0 (+100) AGI: 0 (+250) DEX: 0 VIT: 0 (+100) MID: 1250 (+230) LUC: 0 —

Although the stats of my transformed body are the same as ever, thanks to the correction values of my overly excellent equipment and the title that exhibits broken effects due to being linked to my insane stats, I can perform movements like a decent light warrior with my base specs alone, easy as pie. Combined with the passive effects of 《Legalias》—'reduced wind-up motion' and 'initial speed boost'—which has been further strengthened from its predecessor 《Hare Real》, I can outpace your average speed-focused player without even using the footwork derived from the Kesshiki style.

The speed at which it coiled its long body to take a defensive posture was eye-opening, considering the scale and weight of its huge frame... but—well, as expected.

If I could be caught by that, I'd be shaming the name of a speed-focused ranker.

One step taken. The battle result recorded was a distorted scream like metal scraping against metal. And similarly, a flash of a damage effect ran across its distorted head.

I ran through with the momentum, floated in the air with the afterglow of the slash, and casually flipped upside down, glancing at the indicator of the battle... as expected from the feel of it.

"Tough."

I muttered as I landed, looking at the HP bar that had only been slightly chipped and forming a conclusion.

Perhaps because it's big, it has good eyes. It dodged my attack on its obvious critical point, its single eye, at the last second, but even so, hitting its head resulted in that little damage (less than 10%). The weapon attack power of my [Alv Stella] isn't low by any means. If the blade of a Third Tier Anima hits an enemy without much durability squarely in the head, it could even be a fatal blow.

In other words, this mole has durability befitting its huge body... but given its quick movements just now, I can't say for sure.

Good reflexes, good kinetic vision, good base durability, plus magic immunity. Its defense is admirable. So next, I'm curious about its offense.

"...!"

The air stirred, and a gust of wind caressed my cheek, carrying with it a sense of heat.

Then, as its head was raised like a snake rearing its neck, the tentacles decorating its 'nose'—no, its 'mouth'—seemed to glow red-hot... No, not seemed to. They truly did. The 'whiskers' emitted a heat that made the surrounding air shimmer, and from within them, a crimson heat ray was spat out. I didn't even consider the option of defending; I jumped sideways almost on reflex—and the searing heat grazed my side, conveying its ridiculously high power. Judging by the way the floor and walls it traced were instantly melted and severed, a direct hit would probably vaporize most players.

"...I see. It's not on Hina-san's level, but..."

Then again, the comparison itself is wrong. Looking at it another way, this creature is a true monster, approaching the power of an 'Anima,' which is itself a miracle (magic), with its biological body.

This thing could probably wipe out a party on its own. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say its specs are on par with, or even exceed, a low-level dungeon boss.

—However, that being said.

"Alright... then I'm coming at you for real, mole imposter. Prepare yourself."

Unless it has a 'next stage' like a real boss—form changes, behavior changes, berserker modes, and the like... Except for its creepy appearance, the one thing that truly stands out.

Unfortunately, I don't feel that much fear, I guess.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—It's just, you know... You've really started to carry yourself with a certain dignity, haven't you, you?"

"What's with the sudden comment? I can't tell if you're praising me or teasing me."

When I feigned ignorance about the obvious, Nia-chan immediately puffed out her cheeks with a sidelong glare, saying, "I'm praising you." I know, I know. It's embarrassing to be told things like that so directly.

"It's like... you don't get fazed by much when you're fighting anymore, Haru."

"The fourth-ranked member of the martial arts faction Istia! Uu-chan's disciple! Ar-chan's rival! The imposing titles you carry aren't just for show, huh!"

"Don't call them imposing."

When one person starts praising, the seeds of embarrassment are successfully sown in a chain reaction.

Sora-san, looking on with admiration, albeit with a hint of exasperation. And Lux, laughing cheerfully and patting my back—no, she restrained herself since she was stopped earlier, and instead placed both hands on my head and shook it back and forth with high tension.

Yeah. Could you stop that too?

Anyway—the situation of being praised to the skies by the girls for my thirty-second mole cooking feat was... just plain embarrassing.

"Nia, come on, please. Appraise it, quickly."

"Hehe, he's blushing."

"He's embarrassed, isn't he?"

"That's just like you, Har-kun."

"Enough already...! Look at this, not me! There's an interesting object lying right in front of you, so show some interest, girls!"

Unable to bear their uniform smirks, I slapped the object lying in front of me to make a point... but of course, their warm gazes didn't cease—

"Well now, let's see here?"

Though she wore a playful smile, fully aware of my feelings, the professional known as the [Milmarinus] was all business when it came to her work.

Nia reached out from the side and tapped 'it' with the tip of her slender finger.

Ten seconds, and a little more later.

"Hmm... [Larval Wealthy-Shelled Great Earth Mole's Carapace]."

The golden shell of the [Feidran Armoire] lay on the hard rock floor. Just like the remains of the 'ants' I had fought in the [Great Rock-Eating Hive] in the past, it was a special material left behind without being stored in the inventory.

The result of examining it, the reason the artisan was brought along in the first place, was...

"You're amazing as always, Lu-chan—this might be a treasure trove even better than the 'ant nest,' you know."

She concluded with a judgment that raised expectations significantly, a smirk on her face for a different reason than a few moments ago.