Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Let’s go to Area 5

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Today, too, I’ll be exploring Area 5.

Because I fought the Slime Lord in the South yesterday, I’ll search a different direction today.

In the East area I discovered a huge Snake exceeding 20 meters in length: a Doppel Snake . The thickness of its body was like that of a Drum.

As its name suggested it had a Skill called Fission Creation, which allows the user to create a body double which can imitate their original Skills, abilities, and so on.

When I defeated the first Doppelg?nger and it disappeared like a phantom, I was really surprised. However, because its tactics revolved around using its double from a safe distance, the main body wasn’t actually that strong.

Its fighting power didn’t really exceed that of a Demonic Beast from Area 4. Once I found the body lurking underground, the fight was finished in an instant.

I used the Fission Creation Skill immediately after obtaining it, but……

「This isn’t the body of a Sword……」

『It’s me from when I was living as a human.』

And so, the doppelg?nger created by Fission Creation imitated a Human. At the same time, my thoughts were transmitted simultaneously, so I was able to move my Sword and Doppelg?nger body at the same time.

「Oh? If I do this, won’t I not need someone to equip me?」

『Seriously? But what’s the strength of my alter ego?』

Wouldn’t equipping myself using my double be pretty good?

Or so I thought, but it didn’t go very well.

First of all, Fission Creation has a time limit. Currently, the limit’s 5 minutes. Second, the Doppelg?nger is incredibly weak. With the exception of INT, its stats all had an average of 5 — weaker than a Goblin’s.

Moreover, its Skills were reduced. The Doppelg?nger has the same Skills as my main body, but all of its Skill Levels were 1.

Like that, it can’t be used. I don’t know what would happen if I leveled up the Skill, but the Doppel Snake’s Fission Creation Skill was Lv9, which made its Doppelg?nger body stronger than the main body, so…

Anyways, the other Skills I obtained from the snake like Molting, Heat Perception, and Scale Regeneration couldn’t be used, so there was only one other Skill that would be useful. It’s a Skill superior to Poison Fang called Sovereign Toxic Fang . It also had the Deadly Poison Fang Skill, but this Skill’s effects are above it.

For now, the Doppel Snake was placed into storage. Dimensional Storage still wasn’t full after holding that giant snake. Its capacity is greater than expected.

In the afternoon, I headed towards the Northern area. Of course, I hunted down any Demonic Beasts along the way; after defeating them they were immediately stored.

After conquering the East, I understood that within the North, East, South and West there would only be one big Boss. I guess they would be like Area Bosses? Regardless, the only Demonic Beasts that I found strong were the Slime Lord and the Doppel Snake; everything else probably just served as food for them.

So, the next area boss I would face was the one in the North.

『The Area Bosses always have strong Skills, so I’m looking forward to it.』

What was there was the smallest of the Area Bosses. A Turtle Demonic Beast; its Magic Power wasn’t at all inferior to that of the other Area Bosses.

Its overall length was only about 5 meters, and from its shining black shell 10 tubes stick out. At the peak, a thick gun-barrel protruded.

『A Blast Tortoise.』

As it so happens, I’ve defeated a lower ranked version of this fellow. It was a Demonic Beast called a Cannon Tortoise, which absorbed the surrounding air from tubes and shot it from its compressed barrel.

「GOOOooooOooo!」

It’s a type of Demonic Beast whose chosen form of combat is long-range bombardment; its detection range seems quite wide as well. Already, its eyes have become fixed upon me.

「Goo!」

*BOBOBOU!*

Compressed air bullets are shot consecutively. I didn’t think that it would be possible to release those continuously. For Canon Tortoises, it could only shoot once, and left no shots in reserve. Indeed, this is a superior race.

『Whoa there!』

Air bullets continued to come flying at high speed. I took a trajectory to evade, but……

*BOBON!*

『Nua!』

An air bullet unexpectedly bursts, and I’m crushed by the exploding air bullets from all directions. The explosions themselves almost the equivalent of being hit directly. Is this due to the aftermath ? Or, more importantly, being able to remotely explode them remotely… What an amazing power!

*Bonn!*

『Gu! Dangerous, dangerous!』

While my escape routes were sealed, there’s also the threat of air bullets in pursuit. With a direct hit, 400 durability is shaved off. In addition, I can see more being fired.

By the way, thanks to Airflow Vision I can see the incoming colorless and transparent air bullets. If I didn’t have that, it would have been difficult to avoid anything.

For the time being, I need to break through. I descended using Telekinesis Catapult to avoid an air bullet, and zigzagged at maximum speed while continuing to dodge its endless barrage.

『Don’t get cocky!』

I occasionally received damage, but I was gradually approaching the Tortoise.

『I’ve got you!』

If I get this close, it’s my win. My blade plunges into the exposed neck of the turtle ー not.

『Ah?! Don’t run away!』

With a speed impossible to imagine from the slow movements of a Tortoise, it retracts its neck and legs. I attack the shell out of vexation, but it’s only cut a little. If I attack multiple times, I might be able to break through but……

『As if I’d permit such a thing!』

*BOBOboBOboboBO!*

The Tortoise who had retracted its neck began to rotate at high-speed. Really, it’s just like Ga**ra . And, like that, it scatters air bullets indiscriminately.

Precisely because it’s not directly aimed at me, it’s difficult to read, and thus difficult to avoid.

All around me air rends the ground, but even if I take distance there would still be air bullets in the sky.

I try to move to the blind spot directly above it, but because of the perception Skills that the tortoise possesses it simply distributes the air bullets above itself.

『Ohtto! Dangerous!』

If the top is hopeless, then perhaps the bottom would be a better choice. It might not be able to attack on its underside, after all.

I play with my Status a bit while dodging the air bullets fired off by the Tortoise, and manage to make some changes without a problem due to the Thought Division Skill.

Using my leftover Self-Evolution Points, I achieve Soil Magic Lv4; the level that it becomes legitimately usable.

This fellow will be on the receiving end of this Skill, as I’ve become able to tunnel using the abilities I’ve obtained.

『ーDig dug!』

I dive into the hole dug with magic; the ending of the tunnel is directly below the Tortoise.

『Dig dug! Dig dug!』

But that’s not all. Casting the magic consecutively, I hollow out holes at the feet of the Tortoise. The ground, which couldn’t tolerate the weight of the Tortoise, sinks in, causing its big body to be swallowed into the ground.

『All according to plan!』

Furthermore, because I had dug the holes at an angle, after a single rotation the Tortoise ends up falling upside down.

When it struggles to get up, I sandwich it in place using Soil Magic.

Kukuku. You won’t be able to escape in this state.

Then, The Tortoise takes its neck and legs out, only to attempt to return back inside. But didn’t miss that chance.

The fastest blow that struck down even the Slime Lord resulted in an explosion of the head of the Tortoise.

In the end, it’s nothing more than a Tortoise. It wasn’t a match against me.

『Victory!』

However, that was quite dangerous. Once again I’m reminded that Area 5 isn’t to be taken lightly.

By piercing into the Tortoise’s shell through the head-portion’s opening, the Magic Stone on the side of its heart was acquired one way or another.

Of course, I also stored the Blast Tortoise itself; the storage still wasn’t filled.

『Now there’s one less Magic Skill remaining. Let’s head back for now.』

The search of Area 5’s Western region will be put off until tomorrow.

I still want to inspect the Skills I got from the Tortoise for now.

After returning to the Pedestal, I try out the Skills; compressing the air as well as firing two air bullets seems possible. It went well, because the two Skills seem useful.

Air Bullet Discharge strengthens the surrounding air, thus ‘casting ‘ the bullet. It seemed that through sucking air into the inside of its shell, the Blast Tortoise gained the ability to fire continuously. As for me, if I use Airflow Manipulation in conjunction with Wind Magic, repeated shots also seems possible.

Air Compression can be used to compress air; at first it looks plain, but it’s actually quite interesting.

For example, I can add strength to the bullet fired from Air Bullet Discharge, or can make a compressed wall of air around myself as a shield. It could be said that alone it’s weak, but when used with multiple Skills it becomes quite strong.

『I’m happy that there’re a bunch of good Skills, but? in order to utilize them, more training is required.』

Strong Skills are pretty hard to master.

Note:

Doppel as in “doppelg?nger”. In Japanese it’s literally “Dopper” though.

The name of the Skill is actually “King/Sovereign” “Poison Fang” — but because it was a bit too similar I changed it to “Toxic” — because that seems superior to “Poison”. The Author didn’t elaborate on the effects of Sovereign Toxic Fang, so it’s best to assume it’s just a stronger version of other Poison Fang derivations.

There’s a joke here that doesn’t come through in translation, but “aftermath” can also be read as “waves that remain after the wind has subsided”

Reference to Gamera, a japanese-turtle-alien-thing that can suck its limbs in and fly around like a UFO.

Yeah. It really is just as it appears.

This line is something along the lines of “It didn’t match up to my expectations”, or more accurately “it couldn’t rival my flash”. The line I gave it fits the same intentions

‘Casting’ is referring to ‘Bullet Casting’