"Kishaaaaaaaa!"
The Carbuncle let out that shriek as it launched itself at Rei.
Whether it was because it lived in the Forest of Magic, or whether the Carbuncle race simply possessed that kind of ability, Rei couldn't tell, but the creature's movements were extremely fast.
If it was purely a matter of speed, then the Giant Wolf he had just defeated and the Black Snake were both considerably faster as well.
In terms of raw velocity, the Carbuncle probably couldn't match opponents like those.
However, unlike the Giant Wolf or the Black Snake, the Carbuncle was quite small.
For Rei, who was equipped with two long weapons, landing a hit on it was difficult in a way that differed from the Giant Wolf.
...Though, that was only if Rei were an ordinary person.
Naturally, Rei was by no means ordinary.
But the Carbuncle didn't recognize Rei as such a formidable enemy.
It sensed Set's presence as a threat, yet still judged that—here in the Forest of Magic—it could escape just fine even against Set.
It was precisely because of that confidence that it had dared to attack Rei.
Or perhaps, because it could reflect magic, it sensed the magical power Rei possessed and thought that if Rei was a mage-type, it could win.
"Whoa! Tch, as if I'd let you!"
Bouncing between the trees, the Carbuncle closed in to attack.
While not to the extent of a dedicated carnivore, the Carbuncle, being a monster, had sharp fangs and claws.
An amateur... no, even a Low-Rank Adventurer wouldn't find it strange to suffer no small number of wounds from those claws and fangs.
But unfortunately, as long as the Carbuncle itself was small, even with sharp claws and fangs, the wounds it inflicted would be painful but not fatal.
Naturally, such attacks were incapable of doing anything to the Dragon Robe Rei was wearing.
Evading the enemy's strike, Rei swung the Twilight Spear.
With a light response, the Carbuncle was sent flying and slammed into a tree trunk in its path.
The feedback from the Twilight Spear itself was light, but the power of the blow was apparently still sufficient.
Blown away with fierce momentum, the Carbuncle somehow managed to stand up after hitting the ground, but it had clearly taken heavy damage.
"Flying Needle!"
Rei swung Death Scythe and activated the skill.
Since Flying Needle was a skill he had only just acquired in the Forest of Magic, its power was by no means strong.
It wasn't strong, but since it could scatter needles over a wide area, it was an effective attack against an opponent with quick movements like the Carbuncle.
In fact, perhaps judging from Rei's demeanor that he was dangerous, the Carbuncle tried to swiftly flee the spot... but due to its damage, it couldn't move quickly enough, and as a result, several parts of its body were pierced by the needles.
If the Carbuncle had been a larger monster, the needles embedding in it wouldn't have dealt that much damage even if they hit.
The fact that Flying Needle dealt little damage was only the case when fighting a monster of corresponding size.
With the target Carbuncle being small, even Flying Needle released over a wide area was enough to inflict a fatal wound, and it collapsed onto the ground.
Its limbs convulsed for a brief moment, but eventually the convulsions stopped.
"Somehow, this leaves a slightly bad aftertaste."
If this had been an ordinary monster with a more vicious appearance, Rei wouldn't have said something like that.
But the Carbuncle was undoubtedly a monster, and it had actually attacked Rei, yet based on appearance alone, it even looked somewhat adorable.
Having killed such a monster, it wasn't strange for him to feel a bad aftertaste.
"Gururu."
As if to comfort Rei, Set rubbed his face against him.
"Thanks. ...Anyway, at this size, I can dismantle it quickly, but that can wait until tonight, or even after we return to Gilm."
Of course, by dismantling, he meant everything except the Magic Stone.
Only the Magic Stone needed to be extracted now.
Using his dismantling knife, he cut open the torso.
He took out the Magic Stone from its small heart, washed it with water from the Dagger of Flowing Water, and then wondered what he should do with it.
The Magic Stone would naturally be used for Beast Magic, but the problem in this case was that there was one creature and one weapon that could use Magic Stones—Set and Death Scythe—while there was only one Carbuncle Magic Stone.
"If anything, I wish another Carbuncle had shown up. ...Set, you use this Magic Stone."
"Gururu? Gurru, Gurururururu."
At Rei's words, Set looked at him as if asking, "Are you sure?"
Naturally, since it was a Magic Stone from a rare monster like the Carbuncle, there was a high possibility of acquiring some kind of skill, and given that, Set certainly didn't think he didn't want it.
But still, wouldn't it be better for Death Scythe, which Rei used, to acquire a new skill or strengthen an existing one?
Set thought so, but Rei understood Set's feelings and spoke while stroking his head.
"The basics of Beast Magic are to acquire the characteristic skill of the monster that possessed the Magic Stone. ...That's the basics, though sometimes you acquire a completely nonsensical skill, but putting that aside."
"Gurru."
Set nodded at Rei's words.
Handing the Magic Stone to Set, Rei continued speaking.
"Anyway, when it comes to a Carbuncle's skill, it's most likely one that blocks... or reflects magic."
That was the most famous ability associated with Carbuncles.
The Carbuncle legends told in Japan... or more precisely, on Earth, where Rei was from, said that whoever obtained the red gem embedded in its forehead would gain wealth and fame.
However, the Carbuncle that appeared as a Summoned Beast in the national RPG had the ability to reflect enemy magic.
And the Carbuncle here in Elgin possessed the ability to reflect magic, just like in that game.
If so, the ability obtained from this Carbuncle's Magic Stone was likely in that category.
"In my case, I have the Dragon Robe, and I also have Magic Shield. Plus, my combat style is fundamentally about evading enemy attacks. Compared to that, Set, you're much bigger than me, right?"
Set's body length exceeded three meters.
Thanks to his high agility as a gryphon, he could act extremely fast, but still, having a large body meant that he was correspondingly easier to target.
One of the reasons the battle against the Giant Wolf had ended so easily was undoubtedly that, as the name suggested, its body was enormous.
If the Giant Wolf's abilities had remained the same but its body hadn't been that ridiculous size of ten meters in length—if it had been, say, one-tenth of that, around one meter—it would have been an extremely troublesome opponent.
It wouldn't have been strange even if they'd barely managed to escape with their lives.
"Gurururu."
Hearing Rei's explanation, Set purred happily.
Obtaining a Magic Stone from a rare monster like the Carbuncle was pleasing, but what made him even happier was understanding that Rei was thinking of Set's wellbeing.
Being cherished by the Rei he loved so much was more joyful for Set than acquiring a new skill.
Out of that happiness, Set rubbed his face against Rei in gratitude.
"Ahahahaha. Don't rub your face against me so much, it tickles."
Since Set's face was that of an eagle, it was covered in feathers.
Laughing at the ticklish sensation, Rei held the Magic Stone out toward Set.
"Here, just swallow this Magic Stone first."
"Gurru!"
Letting out a happy cry, Set picked it up in his beak and swallowed the Magic Stone.
[Set has acquired the skill 'Magic Reflection Lv.1']
The announcement message that echoed in his mind was exactly what Rei had predicted.
"As expected, Magic Reflection. ...But what does it mean that it's Level 1? Can it only reflect weak magic? Set, try using it."
"Gurururu!"
At Rei's words, Set immediately activated the Magic Reflection skill.
Then, right next to Set, a shield of light appeared... a skill quite similar to the Magic Shield that Death Scythe had acquired.
However, the only similarity was that it was a shield made of light.
Its size was only about thirty centimeters in radius, and it couldn't by any means be called the same size as Magic Shield.
"This is... I see. So that's how it works. I was convinced that Set's body itself would become able to reflect magic, but instead he can create a shield of light that reflects magic. ...It's quite small, though. Is it small because it's Level 1? Or will it stay this size even when the level increases? Set, can you move it?"
In response to Rei's question, Set easily moved the shield of light to demonstrate.
And when Set relaxed, the shield of light hovered around him.
That aspect was also similar in performance to Death Scythe's Magic Shield.
"In that case, the only thing left is the magic reflection ability, but... I can't possibly test it here."
The magic Rei could use was only Flame-type Magic.
Given that, if he used magic here and Set reflected it, there was a possibility that the Forest of Magic would catch fire.
Considering that, he couldn't possibly do something like testing it here.
"Testing exactly how powerful a spell it can reflect will have to wait until after the Promotion Exam is over."
"Gururu..."
At Rei's words, Set showed a disappointed demeanor.
For Set, it probably wanted to properly confirm the performance of Magic Reflection.
That said, Set also knew that Rei could only use Flame Magic.
Strictly speaking, by consuming a large amount of magical power, he could attribute non-fire properties to Flame Magic, but even so, the fundamentals were still Flame Magic.
Given that, it couldn't be used in the Forest of Magic.
(The Hidden Base is... no, I'd better not. If the magic got reflected and the Hidden Base caught fire, that would be no laughing matter.)
Since it was the Zephyle Clan's Hidden Base, it wouldn't be strange if the building itself had been strengthened by some method.
However, even so, considering worst-case scenarios, Rei didn't feel like doing anything rash.
If that was the case, it would be better to test it after leaving the Forest of Magic once the Promotion Exam was over.
"For now, let's move on. Set, release Magic Reflection... wait, hold on."
"Gururu?"
Rei had been about to ask Set to release Magic Reflection, but the moment he said it, he immediately retracted it.
Set looked at him with a questioning gaze, as if asking what was wrong.
"The Magic Reflection skill reflects magic, just as the name suggests. In that case... what about skills?"
That was the reason Rei had stopped himself from telling Set to release Magic Reflection.
As far as Rei knew, magic and skills were similar but fundamentally different things.
Skills were a method available to those who, for some reason, couldn't use magic, to utilize their own magical power for something other than magic.
Strictly speaking, Rei had a question about whether a skill could be described as that individual's intrinsic magic.
Also, even though the skills activated in that way and the skills that Set and Death Scythe could use shared the same word "skill," were they actually the same thing?
He wasn't sure about those aspects, but anyway, since skills also consumed magical power, there was a possibility they could be dealt with by Magic Reflection.
"Set, move the Magic Reflection shield a little distance away... to a place where, even if I use a skill and the Magic Reflection shield has no effect, it won't adversely affect you."
"Gurururu? Gururu."
Set seemed puzzled by Rei's words, but perhaps deciding to do as instructed for now, he moved the shield of light.
Since the shield of light could be moved somewhat freely by Set's will, it was possible to move it to a location slightly away from him.
(I wonder how far this can be moved from Set? If it can be moved a considerable distance, it would be quite convenient when facing mages.)
Thinking that, Rei asked Set to move it as far as possible, but moving it about two meters away from Set was the best he could do.
Rei thought that it would be nice if it could be moved further once the level increased, or when it reached Level 5, where skills were strengthened, and then he activated a skill toward the shield of light that was positioned away from Set.
"Flying Slash."
The slash that was released struck the shield of light... and passed right through it, slicing through the bushes behind it.
"So skills don't work. It's a skill called Magic Reflection, so it makes sense, though."
Saying that, Rei still looked somewhat disappointed.
[Set]
'Water Ball Lv.5' 'Fire Breath Lv.4' 'Wind Arrow Lv.4' 'King's Intimidation Lv.3' 'Poison Claw Lv.6' 'Size Change Lv.2' 'Tornado Lv.4' 'Ice Arrow Lv.5' 'Optical Camouflage Lv.6' 'Magic Eye of Shock Lv.2' 'Power Crush Lv.6' 'Sense of Smell Enhancement Lv.4' 'Bubble Breath Lv.1' 'Crystal Breath Lv.1' 'Earth Arrow Lv.2' 'Power Attack Lv.1' 'Magic Reflection Lv.1' new
Magic Reflection: Can create a shield of light that reflects magic. At Level 1, it is a shield of about 30cm in radius. The shield can be moved freely by Set's will, but normally it operates on auto to avoid interfering with Set. Once it reflects a spell, the shield of light dissipates into a stream of light and vanishes. It can only be moved about 2m away from Set. What it can reflect is limited to magic only; skills cannot be reflected.