On the night of the day they dissected the Garangiga, the Kelpies, and the Argos Bear, Rei had come to a grove outside of Golts, accompanied by Elena, Marina, and Vihera.
Ielo's absence was because it was already asleep in bed with Byune.
It seemed Byune had been put through rigorous combat training by Vihera during the free time while the Garangiga was being dissected. The moment she finished dinner and returned to her room, she had collapsed into bed, hugging Ielo.
Then again, considering Byune's eyes had already been half-closed even during the meal, that alone was proof of just how harsh Vihera's training had been.
For Rei, though, this worked out perfectly. After all, he couldn't afford to let Byune learn about Beast Magic.
More precisely, since the dissection was taking place that day, he had anticipated that the magic stone absorption would happen that night. His goal had been to wear Byune out.
And since he was at it anyway, he had Vihera train Byune—which led to the current situation.
"Come to think of it, where's Reliu? I didn't see him."
Bathed in the light of the autumn moon—a moon shining brilliantly in a cloudless night sky—Vihera asked.
"Reliu went out to a tavern. Apparently, someone he met while buying souvenirs told him about a place that serves good drinks."
"Huh. I think Reliu will be fine, though."
Going to a tavern recommended by a stranger and being charged an outrageous fee, or being drugged and sold off—normally, those would be legitimate concerns. But the moment the person in question was Reliu, not a single person present felt any need to worry.
Anyone foolish enough to try something like that against an A-Rank alias-holding adventurer would simply regret it.
In the worst case, blood might actually rain down on Golts, but Rei's honest sentiment was that anyone stupid enough to try it deserved whatever came to them.
"Well, that's why we don't need to worry about Reliu or Byune. Now for the Beast Magic we've all been waiting for."
"Grrrrrl!"
Set's joyful roar echoed through the moonlit night.
Nocturnal animals, birds, and monsters that heard the roar cowered and fled the area, but Rei and the others decided not to worry about that.
What Rei took out were three magic stones.
Two from the Kelpies, and one from the Garangiga.
As for the Argos Bear Set had defeated, he had already used its magic stone to acquire Earth Arrow Lv.2, so it no longer existed.
"Today's main event is the Garangiga's magic stone, so let's start with the Kelpies. Set."
In front of Elena and the others, Rei tossed a magic stone to Set.
Set caught it in his beak and swallowed it.
[Set has acquired the skill 'Ice Arrow Lv.4']
An announcement message flashed through Rei and Set's minds.
"So close! I mean, why Ice Arrow from a Kelpie? I was sure Water Ball would level up."
"Gruu..."
Set seemed to agree, letting out a disappointed cry.
Of course, it wasn't that he was unhappy about Ice Arrow reaching level four.
Ice Arrow was originally a skill that fired arrows of ice—though calling them icicles would be more accurate—so there was no question about its raw power.
But even so, it was only natural to hope that Water Ball, which had been dramatically strengthened upon reaching level five, would be enhanced even further at level six.
Rei felt a twinge of disappointment, but he quickly pushed it aside. Ice Arrow being at level four meant that one more level up would bring it to five and dramatically increase its power.
"Set, try out Ice Arrow."
"Grrrrrl!"
At Rei's words, Set let out a loud cry and activated Ice Arrow.
The arrows of ice that appeared behind him totaled twenty.
Considering there had been fifteen at level three, it seemed the number of ice arrows increased by five with each level.
"In that case... Set, Earth Arrow."
"Gruu? Grrrrrl!"
The arrows of earth produced numbered ten, just as expected.
There had been five at level one, so ten at level two.
Judging from the other arrow-type skills, it was likely fifteen at level three, twenty at level four, and so on.
"Got it. Thanks. Go ahead and fire them wherever."
"Gruu!"
At Rei's words, the Earth Arrows flew off in a random direction, just like the Ice Arrows earlier.
Watching them go, it occurred to Rei that the Ice Arrows from before might have hit someone, too.
"Don't you think both Ice Arrow and Earth Arrow have practical uses?" Marina said, having watched the whole exchange. Elena and Vihera apparently agreed, nodding in unison.
"Yeah, I won't deny that. But setting Earth Arrow aside, don't you think of Kelpies as more water than ice?"
"Well, yeah. Now that you mention it, that's true. But it's still more fitting than if Fire Breath had been upgraded by a Kelpie's magic stone."
"...If that had happened, that would've been kind of interesting in its own way."
Generally speaking, the skills acquired through Beast Magic were related to the monster in question. The reason this was only a tendency rather than an absolute rule was that completely unrelated skills had been acquired on occasion.
Of course, in such cases, it was highly likely the skill was actually appropriate for that monster and the connection simply wasn't widely known.
Even so, the idea of acquiring Fire Breath from a Kelpie's magic stone was far beyond unexpected for Rei.
"If that had happened, that Kelpie was probably a Rare Species or something. Anyway, it's my turn next. Let's see if I can acquire a skill, and if I do, what kind it'll be..."
Muttering that, he tossed the magic stone with anticipation and sliced it with Death Scythe.
[Death Scythe has acquired the skill 'Corrosion Lv.5']
An announcement message flashed through his mind. It did, but...
"Uh... huh? Uhh... hm? Why? I mean, attribute-wise it's not wrong, is it?"
"What's wrong? From the look on your face, it seems you acquired a rather strange skill."
Elena, puzzled by his reaction, asked curiously.
"Strange? Hmm, is it? The skill I got corrodes the opponent's metal equipment. But why Corrosion from a Kelpie's magic stone?"
"Corrosion, huh. If you call it a water attribute, does that make sense?"
"Well, it's more likely water than fire or wind. Earth attribute might suit corrosion too, though."
At Marina's words, everyone who heard them—even Set—tilted their heads.
Associating water or earth with corrosion wasn't particularly far-fetched. If so, it wasn't necessarily strange for Corrosion to level up from a Kelpie's magic stone.
"Even if I wanted to look into it, it'd be hard to investigate. Since it reached level five, it's definitely powered up considerably, but..."
"For now, why not try attacking a rock or something? If the corrosion of metal equipment has gotten stronger, maybe it can corrode rocks too?"
"Corroding rocks? What kind of scenario is that?"
Despite his doubts, there was no reason not to try. With Death Scythe, even if he struck a rock, the blade wouldn't suffer any damage.
Gripping Death Scythe, he moved to a rock and activated the skill.
"Corrosion."
He swung lightly at it. If he swung with full force, Death Scythe and Rei's own skill could easily cut through rock anyway, so that went without saying.
The moment the blade grazed the rock, he pulled Death Scythe back.
"Whoa!"
A startled cry escaped Rei's mouth. The rock was melting.
"It actually melts rock... Shouldn't this skill be called Dissolution instead of Corrosion?"
Marina, who had suggested he test it, was even more surprised than Rei.
"I never thought it would actually corrode rock. Saying it and seeing it really are two different things. What about wood?"
Marina's gaze shifted to a fallen log nearby.
Following her suggestion, he approached it.
With the rock, he had been half in doubt, but the effect of Corrosion had indeed worked on stone. If so, it wouldn't be strange for it to work on wood as well—a reasonable assumption.
Besides, Rei felt corrosion would have far more practical applications against wood than against rock. After all, a fair number of people used clubs as weapons.
He activated Corrosion again, and when the blade touched the fallen log, it began to corrode before their eyes, just as he had expected.
"Hey... didn't this just become a pretty powerful skill?"
Rei murmured, gazing at the rotted log.
Until now, Corrosion had only affected metal. On top of that, destroying an enemy's weapon through Corrosion was far slower and less devastating than simply attacking them with Death Scythe directly. There was also the obvious drawback that any weapon corroded would become useless as loot.
That was why, despite reaching level four, he had barely ever used it. But if it was effective on things beyond metal, that changed everything.
(It's highly likely to work on an enemy's body directly, not just their weapons. If so... Corrosion just became a monster of a skill.)
There was a real chance he wouldn't know how practical it was in combat without actually using it, but there was no question it was a skill worth getting excited about.
The others watching seemed to share that assessment. They wore expressions of admiration as they stared at the rotted log.
"The remaining question is just how useful it'll be in actual combat," Elena said.
Rei nodded in agreement. Something that looked promising in a test might prove impractical in real combat. That possibility absolutely existed.
"Well, I'll test that next time I fight a monster or something. Anyway, that settles Corrosion. Next up."
He stowed Death Scythe in the Misty Ring and brought out the Garangiga's magic stone.
This was the real reason they had deliberately left Golts at night—the main course, so to speak.
"Gruu!"
Set purred happily at Rei's words. He understood that this magic stone was meant for him.
The biggest hope was for Magic Eye of Shock, but Garangiga had possessed several other powerful skills: poison liquid, Water Cutter, and shooting spikes from its body.
How could anyone not be curious about what would happen if Death Scythe acquired them?
(Corrosion-infused Water Cutter sounds kind of intriguing. Or having spikes sprout from Death Scythe's blade or handle at will could be interesting too.)
Still, the fact that Magic Eye of Shock was the most powerful among them was something Rei had learned firsthand fighting the Garangiga.
With the Garangiga, there had been an activation process—the third eye on its forehead opening—which allowed them to anticipate the timing to some degree. But the Magic Eye of Shock Set possessed required no such process. At least, not at level one.
And if no such process was needed at level one, past experience suggested the skill would continue strengthening in that same state all the way to level five.
Rei's only concern was whether Set might end up growing a third eye on his forehead like the Garangiga. His prediction—and hopeful wish—was that it wouldn't come to that.
And then...
[Set has acquired the skill 'Magic Eye of Shock Lv.2']
The announcement message flashed through his mind.
Afterward, they tested Magic Eye of Shock. Fortunately, no third eye appeared. Just as Rei had predicted, the skill had been purely strengthened, and he let out a quiet breath of relief.
[Set]
Water Ball Lv.5, Fire Breath Lv.3, Wind Arrow Lv.4, King's Intimidation Lv.3, Poison Claw Lv.5, Size Change Lv.2, Tornado Lv.3, Ice Arrow Lv.4 (new), Optical Camouflage Lv.5, Magic Eye of Shock Lv.2 (new), Power Crush Lv.5, Sense of Smell Enhancement Lv.4, Bubble Breath Lv.1, Crystal Breath Lv.1, Earth Arrow Lv.2
[Death Scythe]
Corrosion Lv.5 (new), Flying Slash Lv.5, Magic Shield Lv.1, Power Slash Lv.3, Wind Hand Lv.4, Terrain Manipulation Lv.4, Pain Burst Lv.3, Penetrate Lv.3, Multi Slash Lv.2
Ice Arrow: Creates and fires five ice arrows at level one, ten at level two, fifteen at level three, and twenty at level four. In terms of power, five direct hits are enough to crack rock.
Magic Eye of Shock: Deals shock-based damage to whatever the user is looking at the instant the skill is activated. However, power scales with the distance between Set and the target—the greater the distance, the weaker the effect. At level one, even at maximum power, it can only bounce off the surface of a tree. At level two, the power increases slightly, enough to damage a tree trunk. Its key advantage is that the damage manifests almost instantly upon activation.
Corrosion: Corrodes a target's metal equipment by striking it multiple times. Higher levels require fewer strikes to trigger corrosion. At level five, it can also corrode materials like rock and wood, behaving almost like dissolution.