NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41
To effectively slay a creature, targeting vital points is the best strategy.
You can still die from shock if you hit other areas, but it’s certainly not as effective as attacking essential places like the head or heart.
So, while I should be attacking those spots to easily slay the wolf I’m facing, I’m stubbornly aiming for its legs.
Not because it lacks vital points.
No matter how different dimensional creatures are from regular life forms, they still have vital spots like a core that functions as a heart or a head.
I haven’t dissected one or anything; I’ve just learned this through hunting dimensional beings.
So why aim for the legs instead of the vital spots, you ask?
Jingle, jingle — bolting around like a scared deer!
Well, it’s simply because I can’t hit those vital spots.
Even the smallest creatures instinctively protect their vitals, so would a dimensional creature easily expose theirs?
More than that…
Ugh…
“…It’s frustrating.”
It’s too high to reach.
To properly target a vital spot, I’d have to get close to it, increasing my own danger.
So, although it might take longer, my plan is to attack its legs first, reducing its mobility and combat strength until I spot a solid opportunity.
It’s definitely not because I’m short and feel inferior or anything…
…
…Well, it’s true I don’t like it much, though.
Anyway, thanks to that effort, I successfully took out another leg and inflicted wounds on two of them.
It should have been easier to balance with an even number, but for some reason, I don’t feel too good about it.
Would I feel better if I turned it back to an odd number?
Just as I was lost in thought…
Grrr…
I heard the characteristic growl of a beast, reminiscent of scraping its neck.
They say that hearing the cries of apex predators can freeze your body, and I can see how that might be the case.
But if I’m stronger, wouldn’t that make me an apex predator too?
Grrrain?
I tried mimicking the growl, but the wolf didn’t react at all.
Instead, the mouths embedded in its body opened in unison, and—
Sssss—
It began to exhale a dark green mist.
The flowers nearby wilted dramatically upon contact with the mist, starting to dissolve.
…Honestly, it’s not the prettiest sight.
That gives me another reason to put it down quickly.
By the way, it’s fine that I can’t see through the mist, but what the heck do I do about it?
It clearly can’t be that it suddenly got interested in weed eradication, so it’s bound to have some negative effect on me as well…
Hmm…
I glanced down at my ring and shook my head, increasing the output of my mana.
I’ve been thinking too much in a wartime mindset up until now.
Back then, I had to conserve power for subsequent battles, so I could only put forth minimal effort to take down the enemy, but now there’s no need for that.
That said, I don’t need to pull out a big knife for a chicken.
Especially if that knife threatens its owner as well.
Horizontal and vertical.
Two strokes of my sword cut through the air, launching pink sword energy.
Instead of tearing everything apart with overwhelming power, the sword energy only slightly disturbed the mist surrounding the wolf.
Well, I wasn’t exactly disappointed.
It was just a probe to gauge the mist’s effectiveness.
Sometimes, there are creatures that create some sort of reverse field to ignore attacks.
Those ones can get annoying, but thankfully this one just seems to dissolve everything around it.
Scared of getting caught in the mist?
Can’t see properly because of the mist, huh?
“Then, let’s blow it away along with the mist.”
I folded my arm back until it touched my waist, taking a stance reminiscent of a martial arts maneuver.
The only difference being that my sword was not sheathed.
Sensing something ominous, the wolf lunged at me just as it had dodged my earlier sword energy, so by the time it reached me, my sword had already swung.
Kana’s Style
Soar!
—
Hah… Hah…!
Joanie ran tirelessly.
She was out of breath, and her legs felt hot, but she didn’t stop.
Kana…!
Feeling a foreboding echo that seemed to strike at her soul, Joanie snapped back to reality, already running the path she had walked with Kana.
Suddenly, the image of Kana looking up at the mountain popped into her mind.
She had thought it was strange back then, but now she understood why Kana was doing that.
Kana knew!
That there was a greater threat lurking than the ogre.
Every now and then, a great roar echoed, and with it, heavy vibrations rolled through the ground, making Joanie’s heart race.
The path that hadn’t felt that far was now stretching out like an endless journey.
– Is this spirit possessed??
– ????
– Why is this happening?
– I’m scared;
Joanie, along with the other viewers who couldn’t feel the tremor, looked oddly at her as she bolted forward.
With barely any time to explain, Joanie finally caught sight of a massive dark green something.
Dimensional creature…?!
The identity of the massive something turned out to be a dimensional creature.
Level 7, 78?!
“What’s such a thing doing here?!”
It was a full 78 levels high, at that.
Comparing it to Yuki, the highest-level character, it was over 20 levels higher.
Players who had followed Joanie also gasped in disbelief at the sight of the creature.
“…This isn’t the time! Kana, where’s Kana?!”
Could Kana withstand such a powerful dimensional creature?
Joanie searched frantically for Kana.
“Over there…!”
One of the players pointed at something.
There stood a girl with pink hair.
The small girl appeared even smaller standing before the enormous dimensional creature.
She looked so fragile that a single breath from the creature could send her flying.
Yet, Kana stood firmly against the wolf without a hint of retreat.
Every time the little bird flapped its wings, the wolf screamed.
Despite its enormous size that seemed like it wouldn’t budge no matter how much it got attacked, it twisted in pain as wounds multiplied across its body.
Under the moonlight, the girl danced, overwhelming the gigantic wolf.
Unable to believe her eyes about the surreal sight, Joanie couldn’t help but watch their battle in silence.
Intense exchanges went back and forth, with mist bursting from the wolf’s body.
In response, Kana struck her sword, preparing for another assault.
When her relentless offensive finally stopped, the wolf charged.
“Kana…!”
Joanie screamed as she saw the massive wolf charge at Kana, but went silent at the sight that followed.
The sword traced a graceful curve.
The speed was not fast at all.
As the bird previously grounded began to soar back into the sky, the sword ascended smoothly towards the heavens.
Joanie wasn’t the only one captivated by the gentle yet powerful wingbeats.
“Wow….”
Gasps of awe escaped from various players.
Especially, a player with a sword strapped to their waist looked as if their jaw might unhinge, staring in amazement.
Joanie completely understood that person’s feelings.
So that’s how you use a sword…
Joanie thought of the sword merely as a tool.
Something to strike, stab, and slice with.
No matter how skilled one was with a sword, it felt like it could only fit into those three categories at the end of the day.
…I thought…
However, the moment she saw Kana wielding her sword, Joanie realized that all this time her perception had been terribly mistaken.
The bird spread its wings and flew.
There were moments of turbulence and times when it seemed to crash toward the ground, but in the end, it always aimed for the sky.
A sword infused with the intense will to soar toward the heavens.
The mist surrounding the wolf dispersed long ago, swept away by the wingbeating.
“I guess it’s time to learn my swordsmanship properly…”
Enchanted by the mesmerizing flight of the bird, Joanie muttered to herself.
Of course, even if she learned, she knew she couldn’t replicate it, but watching it ignited an impulse within her.
I’ve been playing child’s games up until now…
“I should have become a swordsman instead. Instead of awkwardly dabbling in alchemy while suffering. Sheesh.”
“Should I change direction now…?”
Players captivated by swordsmanship let out a mix of despairing sighs and grumblings.
In any case, the pink bird tirelessly continued to slash at the wolf’s body, finally piercing through its head.
No, that’s what she thought she did.
“Ah…!”
A lament escaped Joanie’s lips.
At the very last moment, the wolf desperately twisted its body, causing the sword that had plunged into the center of its head to scrape past one side.
It wasn’t just a brush; it was hardly different than cleaving its head in half, making it a critical wound without a doubt.
Boom—
The giant wolf collapsed to the ground.
The dusty air began to settle, revealing the wolf’s eyes that still retained its fierce rage.
But constrained by wounds across its body and a head that was half-split, it could do nothing.
It could merely look resentfully at Kana, who had done this to it, breathing heavily.
Thud.
Kana stepped lightly before the wolf, appearing strangely pleased.
Joanie took a deep breath.
Huuuh—
“KA-NA!”
…!
Kana, who was so engaged in battle she hadn’t noticed Joanie and the players drawing closer, flinched and trembled her shoulders.
Joanie also gasped in surprise, her eyes wide.
Considering they hadn’t spent that long together, this was the first time she saw Kana look that startled.
The Kana she knew was always indifferent and stoic.
Now, she pretended as if she hadn’t been startled, but Joanie clearly saw her round eyes staring back at her.
With a mischievous smile forming on her lips, Joanie approached Kana.
“Kana, were you surprised?”
…
“I wasn’t surprised.”
“Oh, but you were!”
“I told you, I wasn’t surprised.”
With perfect consistency, Kana denied it.
Watching her in an adorable manner, Joanie shifted her gaze to the wolf.
“It really is huge up close.”
It was a size that elicited involuntary admiration.
Had it been in its proper form, she might have marveled instead of feeling disgusted.
How strong could Kana be to take down such a creature without a scratch?
As Joanie looked back at her, Kana merely blinked slowly.
“By the way, the flower garden is totally ruined…”
It had been such a beautiful flower garden.
Although not the whole garden had been blown away, a significant number of flowers had been crushed, melted, and cut by the sword.
Wanting to see the flower garden beneath the moonlight was a wish Joanie had, but not like this; she sighed and looked around until she spotted something.
“This is….”
A flower, stubbornly holding its head high despite the fierce battle.
It was the pink flower that Kana had stared at for quite a while when they had come earlier.
Joanie carefully crouched down, making sure not to crush the flower.
Oblivious to Joanie’s focus, Kana glared at the wolf, raising her sword as if to smash the beast’s head into the ground.
…What’s got her in such a huff?
With Kana’s unexplained behavior, Joanie was sweating and called out to her loudly.
“Kana, look at this!”
?
Kana paused her attack and turned to look at her.
“It’s a flower you like.”
In the middle of the battlefield, the pink flower and its vicinity managed to remain untouched by the fray.
Kana, who had sidled up beside her, also gazed curiously at it.
Bathed in moonlight, the little pink flower shimmered.
“Doesn’t this flower resemble you, Kana?”
Joanie voiced her sudden impression she’d thought of during the day.
It wasn’t just because it was pink.
Its petite size compared to other flowers, the subtly sweet fragrance, and the detached atmosphere it exuded.
…Was that too cheesy?
Not that she was trying to hit on Kana or anything…
Perhaps due to the magical aura emitted by the moon, Joanie spoke thoughtlessly while feeling euphoric but suddenly felt a rush of embarrassment, making her face turn red.
She turned to tell Kana to forget it when her eyes met Kana’s, who was staring at her with wide eyes.
“…What’s wrong?”
On the surface, Kana seemed as expressionless as always, but on closer inspection, there were differences.
Her eyes were more widely opened, her mouth slightly ajar, and her cheeks tinged faintly red.
She looked as though she had heard something completely unexpected.
Without responding to Joanie’s question, Kana kept staring at her face, then suddenly turned her back.
“…It’s nothing.”
Then she walked away leisurely, leaving Joanie sitting there, absently watching Kana’s retreating form.
Kana’s small back seemed to shrink even smaller, and when the distance was such that Joanie could barely hear her voice, she muttered.
“…Was what I said really that cheesy?”
She hadn’t expected such a reaction…
Just a little, Joanie’s heart felt wounded.