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A/N: 3/13 – Changed the new Hypha Ball, a green cross to a red cross.
The skill [Burning Hypha Ball]
that I got unexpectedly, or rather awakened.
With this, the most important
and indispensable task of “starting a fire” has been cleared, my life
as a survivalist has dramatically developed, and the bells of civilization are
ringing loudly.
No, it doesn’t go that way.
The reality is not so kind.
In the first place, I have no
such wisdom as “what can be done using fire” or “what should be
done with fire”. There has been no need for me to seriously think about such
things in my twenty-three years of living.
I tried to dry hay and it
almost caught fire and trying to cook rat meat for a few days’ worth of food
becomes charcoal mass-production. When I made a fire in a hideout, it became smoky,
and Tamiko lectured me. Then I made a fire in the passage or a small room,
beasts came near, and we had to leave the place immediately.
And so, the days of trial and
error continued. It was a back-and-forth process, taking one step at a time.
Shuu didn’t become unmatchable
with the battle with Metro Beasts by simply getting a ranged attack. If he faces
a beast head-on, they will easily evade the attack using their superior
agility.
He tried to use it as a trap,
but they were wary of its smell and appearance, and they didn’t get caught. When
faced with a mycelium ball left alone, there’s a human with his face painted in
despair.
In the end, he carefully
selects his prey based on Tamiko’s ears, and it becomes his daily routine to
engage them in a one-on-one fight. It takes about two or three days to get one
fight under his belt.
His physical abilities have
clearly improved as his level of skill has increased. Muscle strength, stamina,
and reflexes have all improved. Even his techniques have been honed through
training such as swinging his sword in addition to the actual fighting. He is
proud of himself to the extent that he has gone from being a novice to being a
good fighter.
Even so, it is difficult to
match the strength of the superior beasts. Relying on the [Regenerative Mycelium]
—a blue-black fungus that can heal any serious wound—he picks up victories
with kamikaze attacks, which are the easiest way to get injured. As his
injuries gradually become rarer, he can almost feel his growth.
“If you’re still fighting
against a bunch of stupid Blue Goblins, squeak, you’ve got ways to go, squeak!”
(Tamiko)
“By the way, what is your
level?” (Shuu)
I would have liked Tamiko to
help me fight, but she was adamant, insisting that “I’m just a poor little
critter,” and that she was just a squirrel. It is true that she is as
quick as typical Metro Beasts, but her fighting power is really low.
As for Shuu, it would be
unbearable, both practically and mentally, for his only partner to become a
snack for wolves, so he has to take on the physical burden alone.
“I’m glad we don’t have
any very strong Metro Beasts around here, squeak. If there was even one, Abeshuu
would have pooped his pants long ago, squeak.” (Tamiko)
“So, what do you think of
me?” (Shuu)
Tamiko only responds with silence.
So, I rubbed her face in annoyance, she cried, “Ah! It’s too much! Too
much!” until she was woozy.
A short distance away from
this floor, the area is said to be crawling with Ogres, Orthruses, Wraiths, Demon
Centipedes, and other Metro Beasts around level 50 or so, which are (to Shuu)
the last bosses of the world. From their point of view, Ghost Wolves are just
puppies. In other words, like all other small critters, Shuu is at the bottom
of the ecosystem in this area.
The 50th floor of the Outsuka
Metro is infested with such super-powerful individuals. So far, we have been
able to avoid encountering them, thanks to Tamiko’s careful searching and the
risk management policy of “not moving too far from the hideout,” but
if something like that were to happen, we would be dead in a heartbeat.
There is no end to the list of
things they can do.
Every day, the future is
uncertain, but a day of “Significant Development” in terms of
fighting ability will come. It was about a month and a half after the start of Shuu
surviving, a while after Shuu reached level 7.
Against the Ghost Wolf, he
sacrificed his left hand to win. After receiving the sporangium and pelt with a
familiar hand, we made a quick stop at the oasis and then went back to the
lair. He and Tamiko stand side by side, clasp hands, and say
“Itadakimasu” before putting the sporangium in their mouths.
At first, I was concerned
about the nutritional balance – lack of salt and vitamins – but after more than
a month, I have not felt particularly deficient. Tamiko says that the
sporangium is full of nutrients, but perhaps it is a real complete nutritional super
food, even more so than eggs.
“Oh!” (Shuu)
As soon as I ate it, which was
as bad as ever, something strange happened to my body.
I thought it might be the
level up, but then my back started to get hot. It was as if boiling water was
poured directly into my spine. I wonder if it’s poisoned or if I caught
something serious. But within a few seconds, the heat subsides as if it were a
lie, and the strange sensation disappears completely.
“What’s wrong, squeak?”
(Tamiko)
“I just… felt something
hot on my back, is it my imagination?” (Shuu)
“For real, squeak? A hot
back is the best way to know you got new Fungal Skill, squeak!” (Tamiko)
“Seriously? I can now use
new Fungal Skills!?” (Shuu)
The lair overflows with a
sense of anticipation.
“…What should I
do?” (Shuu)
I was given new abilities. But
I don’t know how to use it.
“It’s a good idea to try
activating it for the time being squeak. It’s a new skill you can practice
using, squeak. Just do it like when you summon a Hypha Ball, squeak.”
(Tamiko)
“I see, I’ll try it.”
(Shuu)
Turning my palm face up I
stare into it.
(Get out, get out–my new skill,
get out—) (Shuu)
(Whisper—pray—chant—remember,
squeak!) (Shuu)
The momentum of my thoughts was
so strong that it sounded like Tamiko, but with a weaving motion, the hypha
appeared and took shape.
“Woah! It appeared, it’s here,
Tamiko!” (Shuu)
“Squeak, squeak! Abeshuu’s
new Fungal Skill, squeak!” (Tamiko)
They were both very excited.
The young man expresses his happiness with his whole body and the squirrel does
a similar dance.
“Well, this is…”
(Shuu)
It is a pot lid-shaped object
of the same color and material as the mycelial sword. The front side is roughly
circular, and the part extending from the center of the back side is stuck to
the palm of my hand. It was stuck real firm.
I ripped it off by force, put
it on the floor, and slashed it with my mycelial sword. The hardness seems to
be almost the same, and only a small scratch appears on the surface.
“It’s like a… [Hypha Shield],
right?” (Shuu)
In the next day’s battle, the
mycelial shield proves to be more effective than imagined.
It repels the fangs and claws
of a Ghost Wolf and guards against it. It’s a great tool for controlling the
enemy’s attack.
At the moment that it brings
them their first almost unscathed victory, the young man and the squirrel
express their joy with a dance fiercer than ever before.
“Well… this is going
great.” (Shuu)
“Haahaa… you’re pretty
good at that, aren’t you, squeak? We’re going to take this in stride, squeak.”
(Tamiko)
“Yes sir… Well, so what level are you?” (Shuu)
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