An hour had passed since we’d charged, full of spirit, into the forest area of the deep layer. Our exploration had been going smoothly with no major problems. Just like in the ruins area, Shiro and Kuro were shining. In fact, this place might have suited them even better.
Shiro’s sharpened ears and eyes and Kuro’s nose and sixth sense would pick out small magical beasts hiding in the brush, insects lurking in the treetops, and even tubers underground and tiny berries on trees. They were beastfolk, after all, so rich natural environments were their specialty.
With their boosted abilities, they were practically rangers or hunters now. We even had the leisure to chat quietly as we walked.
“Hmm.”
“What is it, Shiro?”
Shiro suddenly stopped, having sensed something. We immediately tensed up, scanning the surroundings.
Shiro thought for a moment. “Over there!”
Following her gaze, I saw it: a massive rhinoceros. The magical beast must’ve been ten meters long. Even from this distance, its presence was overwhelming.
“That’s...a deadly horn!”
It was a high-tier monster with skin as thick and hard as steel and a horn laced with deadly poison. One-on-one, it was on par with a hell chimera. That huge body had stamina enough to run long distances, and in open grasslands, it was feared as a grim reaper. It could spot prey from afar and chase it endlessly. There were frequent incidents of mercenary bands or large caravans being wiped out by one of them. One town had even been destroyed when fleeing victims had led the beast straight to it.
I couldn’t believe that such a terrifying monster would just be roaming so casually. The deep layer of the dungeon really was no place to let your guard down.
“It spotted uuus.”
“It’s looking this way!” said Shiro.
I clicked my tongue, irritated. So much for slipping by quietly. If we could see it, then it could see us. The deadly horn had clearly marked us as its next meal.
Its massive body swayed as it began to move. From here I could just make out its small eyes fixed on us. Its unpleasant mana licked at our skin, most likely probing how tasty we might be.
Bathed in the mana infused with the hunger of a brutal monster, my body shivered. As living creatures about to be preyed upon by something clearly on a higher level, fear was unavoidable. Before, we might have frozen like frogs before a snake, but now we glared back at the deadly horn, immediately shifting into battle mode. Through countless dire confrontations, we had gained hearts that did not falter. Even if our bodies reacted to the enemy’s strength, our minds did not yield. We could stay calm, even discuss strategy.
“Its weaknesses are the lightning and fire elements,” I said, “but if I use advanced fire magic here, I’ll turn the place into a sea of flames. So lightning it is.”
“Liiightning element?”
“Yeah, lightning.”
“Like that rumbling sound?” asked Shiro.
Oh, they don’t really understand lightning. But I guess even on Earth, not a lot of children truly know what it is. Shiro and Kuro probably just see it as the loud flashes on stormy days. Or maybe something awesome that strong anime and manga characters use?
I thought for a moment. “What’s a lightning element attack that might work...?”
The magic I knew was mostly for cooking, so lightning spells were in short supply. Most of the ones I did know were for protecting yourself when butchering electric eel-type magical beasts, heating things with electricity, or killing tiny entities like mushroom spores—hardly useful for combat.
Only three seemed viable: Small Lightning Needle, used to paralyze small animals; Electrocution, used to kill insects lurking inside food; and Blade of the Lightning King, used to dismantle special magical beasts that can only be damaged by lightning.
Blade of the Lightning King was on par with Blade of the Sea King, the spell I’d used against the hell chimera. Naturally, it was advanced magic with more than enough power.
And what kind of monster needed such a terrifying spell just to be dismantled? The answer: the kraken lord, a highest-tier beast that grew hundreds of meters long, and even advanced magic might not be enough against it.
Of the spells I had, only Blade of the Lightning King seemed likely to work against the deadly horn.
I’m gonna have to wing it again, but I’ve got no choice.
“It thinks we’re weak,” I said. “I’ll get my magic ready, so you two keep it distracted, just like when we took down the hell chimera.”
“Understood.”
“Gooot it.”
“When I give the signal, run away from it as fast as you can. Okay?”
“Myah!”
“Arf.”
I watched Shiro and Kuro dash off, then forced myself to focus. The deadly horn had high resistance to magic, so half-baked spells might not be enough to finish one off. I need to activate it right.
“This way! Come get me!” said Shiro.
“Over heeere.”
The beast roared in response.
“Myah! It’s so fast!”
“Shiro! You okaaay?”
“I’m fine!”
Is she really okay? Didn’t the tip of that horn just graze her? I did tell them to draw its attention, but they didn’t have to get that close!
Wait, my mind’s wandering. I gotta focus. I have to trust them and cast the spell.
I let out a breath.
Huh? This is...?
The magic circle took shape, the spell forming smoother than I’d imagined. It was on a whole other level from when I unleashed Blade of the Sea King. Using advanced magic once must’ve made my body more accustomed to casting it.
Because I’d gotten better at control, there was no wasted mana. Of course, if I lost focus, the spell would go out of control in an instant. I couldn’t move while I was preparing the spell either, but being able to cast even a little faster and more precisely meant Shiro and Kuro wouldn’t have to bear as much as decoys. That was huge.
“Get back!” I yelled, getting the girls’ attention—I could even shout with ease.
As Shiro and Kuro sprang backward together, I called out the name of the spell.
“Blade of the Lightning King!”
A deafening roar shook the air, followed by the deadly horn’s scream echoing just as loud. Like with Blade of the Sea King, the strike was so fast I couldn’t even see it properly, everything happening in an instant.
At the same moment that I thought I saw a burst of pale light, a massive hole had been gouged into the base of the deadly horn’s right foreleg. It looked less like it had been pierced by a blade as by a gigantic spear.
The stench of scorched air spread around us, and a wave of heat rushed in. Moments later, the deadly horn collapsed with a heavy thud, smoke pouring from its body.
It wasn’t dead yet, but it was paralyzed. Maybe it was because it had such a tough hide, but it was quite vulnerable underneath.
“Let’s finish it off!”
“Myah!”
“Arf!”
Even a high-tier magical beast couldn’t do anything in that state. In the end, Shiro’s and Kuro’s magic, unleashed point-blank, sliced through its neck for the finishing blow.
I couldn’t stop panting. “That used...a lot of mana...”
I hadn’t expected to use two advanced spells in a single day. Honestly, a third time would’ve been impossible.
“I’ll store the meat for now...”
We’d gained another massive hunk of meat, right after the hell chimera, and that wasn’t all.
“What the heck is this?”