Skill active: Up Close and Personal! Damage up!
Skill active: Fatal Strike! Damage up!
Skill active: Up Close and Personal! Damage up!
Skill active: Fatal Strike! Damage up!
Two of my low-proc-rate damage-boosting skills were triggering with almost every attack!
Up Close and Personal was the skill I’d learned after my fight with Baldy. Now I was truly grateful that I’d had the good fortune to meet him.
“Curssssssssss! Cuuuurse you!”
“Ngh?!”
The living weapon broke free from my grasp! In one smooth movement, it severed the arm that I was using to hold the arrow and followed an arcing flight path to put some distance between us. Then it came back toward me, rushing in at high speed to deliver the final blow!
“Hah. You got me good. I can’t catch a blade with just one hand!”
But that was fine. I could see that my barrage of hits had left cracks along the living weapon’s surface. We were both on our last legs...but I wasn’t out of options yet.
“I’ll just have to punch you head-on!” I balled my one remaining hand into a fist and rushed at the monster. In the brief moment it took the living weapon to close the distance, I’d had just enough time to draw my arm back then thrust my fist at its approaching blade point.
“Currrssssss!”
“Uhhraaggghh!”
Blade and fist collided under silver moonlight. The sword plunged deep into the flesh of my hand...but I didn’t even care!
✦ ✦ ✦
Skill active: Last Stand! Survived with 1 HP after taking fatal damage!
Skill active: Up Close and Personal! Damage up!
Skill active: Fatal Strike! Damage up!
Critical hit! Massive damage dealt to a weak point!
My absurd luck stat had made all my skills trigger at once! I was quite literally making a last stand, and the skill had made my bones tougher than steel—tough enough to crack the blade’s point!
“Cursssssss?!”
“Drop dead already!”
I mustered up all my remaining energy and drove my fist forward, shattering the blade as my fist traveled all the way to the hilt and hit it hard enough to knock it flying a few dozen meters.
Next came the sound of fanfare!
✦ ✦ ✦
You defeated a rare monster! Reached level 5!
You gained 40 attribute points!
New achievement: Defeat a monster higher level than yourself when slaying a monster for the first time, or defeat a monster higher level than yourself thirty times!
Skill acquired: Giant Killer!
Giant Killer: Gain a very small chance to deal 10 percent extra damage when fighting an opponent higher level than yourself.
Taming successful! A living weapon became your ally!
“Yes. Yeeeeeees! I did it!” I raised my fist high into the air as the fanfare continued. “Ha ha, I beat it! Woo-hoo— Ow, ow, ow, ow?!”
I had to cut my first victory celebration short when I felt a dull pain shoot down my remaining arm—that is, the only one that was left after the monster had cut my other one clean off. Although we couldn’t feel much pain in the game, all this mutilation still kinda hurt and felt gross.
I quickly materialized a Beginner’s Potion in my hand and poured it over the wound. The HP gauge at the edge of my HUD rapidly refilled and a flash of light shone from my bloody shoulder as a new arm grew. If I’d been hurt this bad in real life, I’d have been laid up in hospital for a good while—it was a good thing healing here worked like in any other game.
My severed arm, meanwhile, had melted into goop and disappeared. I hoped it would be good nourishment for the grass.
“All right! My body’s good as new. Now, where was I...?” I flexed my newly generated arm as I turned to look at the scene of the battle.
Didn’t the message say I’d tamed the living weapon and it’s my ally now? But I smashed it into pieces. What happens now? Do I have to put it back together to revive it? What a chore!
I folded my arms under my oversized breasts and began pondering my options. While I was thinking, a ball of black fog rose from the ground near where the living weapon’s hilt had landed.
Uh-oh! Another enemy?! I snatched up the arrow from the ground and held it tight as I approached the menacing ball of fog. Firing arrows out of a bow is old news! Geniuses like me know a sure way to make every attack hit! I just need to get in close and slam the arrow right into this thing!
“Bring it on! I’m about to kick your ass!”
“You! No curse you!”
To my surprise, the foggy ball dropped to the ground and rolled over to show me its belly (or the closest thing it had to a belly).
What is this thing? It’s like a cute little puppy! I was enjoying watching the mysterious puffball roll around when a message appeared in front of me.
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The living weapon (soul) awaits your orders.
Please choose a new target for the living weapon (soul) to possess. The item must be a weapon.
The monster will die if the weapon breaks.
Huh? Oh! It must be a soul that came out of that rusty old sword! I threw the crappy bow away somewhere. The only weapon I’ve got is...
I held out the arrow in my hand. “Hey, Puffster. Can you possess this arrow?”
“Curssss!” Puffster—the living weapon—sank into the slim arrow, immediately shrouding it in a black miasma.
✦ ✦ ✦
Your item, Beginner’s Arrow, was possessed!
The monster’s strength was added to your weapon’s attack power!
That’s what a pop-up message told me!
Ooh! Sounds like I’ve solved my strength problems! Now I’ll be able to dish out the damage I need!
I gave the hazy arrow a good scritch and rubbed my cheek along its stem. “Coochie coochie coo! Let’s do this, Puffster!”
“Curssss!” Puffster vibrated happily.
This little guy was floating in the air when he possessed the sword, wasn’t he...? “Puffster, can you still fly while you’re in that arrow?” I tried letting go of the arrow, and Puffster flew a perfect lap around me.
Oh... Oooooh! Does this mean I’ve solved the bow accuracy problem as well?! I picked my bow back up, then I aimed at a ball of fluff—most likely another horned rabbit—that I spotted a few dozen meters away. “All right... Go get it, Puffster!”
“Cursssss!”
Let’s see what happens!
Carried by the force from the bowstring, the murky arrow followed a meandering path before hitting the rabbit right in the head.
✦ ✦ ✦
Skill active: Fatal Strike! Damage up!
Critical hit! Massive damage dealt to a weak point!
You defeated a horned rabbit! Yuri and Puffster gained experience!
The attack carried a stat boost from Puffster, and then a damage boost and a critical hit thanks to my high luck! It was enough to kill the horned rabbit in a single blow. And it got better...
“Currsss!” Puffster and his arrow came speeding back to me, screeching as if to say, “How’d I do, boss?”
Now I don’t have to worry about running out of arrows either!