"Nn... nnn..."
Rei woke and immediately snapped to his senses.
Had he been in a city, he might have lingered in drowsiness a while longer. But outside city walls, he had no such luxury.
"Nn... I'm feeling a lot better."
Yesterday, after escaping the Forest of Magic, wiping out the pursuing flying monsters in one sweep, and collecting their magic stones, Rei had ridden Set to put some distance between them and the forest.
Given Set's flying speed, they could have made it all the way to Gilm. But Rei had already been near his limits.
That was why he had set up camp with his Magic Tent in a spot sufficiently far from the Forest of Magic.
With Set keeping watch, he had judged there to be no immediate cause for concern.
"Well, at any rate, there shouldn't be any issues with the Promotion Exam as far as the requirements go."
The Promotion Exam called for spending two nights and three days in the Forest of Magic and defeating at least two A-Rank Monsters.
Rei had more than fulfilled those conditions.
Had he escaped the Forest of Magic after midnight, he would have failed. But he had properly left the forest on Set's back before the date changed.
In that sense, he had definitely crossed the passing line.
...Though defeating the S-Rank Monster Crystal Dragon had already proven there was no question about his ability.
"Anyway, first things first—the magic stones. I want to use yesterday's stones before heading back to Gilm."
About thirty monsters had pursued them and been incinerated by the Flame Wall. Of those, only six had left magic stones recoverable from the corpses—neither reduced to ash nor charred beyond extraction.
Six out of thirty might seem low, but obtaining six magic stones at all was significant.
The problem was that nearly all the corpses had been charred or burned away, making it impossible to tell exactly what kind of monsters they had been.
Rei had killed them, yes—but not through normal combat. He had trapped them and one-sidedly ravaged them with the Flame Wall. Without knowing what specific attack methods those monsters possessed, there was no way to predict what kind of skills they might yield.
"Come to think of it, while we were fleeing, things like fire, wind, and needles came flying at us. Since I don't know which monsters were attacking, that information is ultimately meaningless, but..."
Thinking such thoughts, Rei finished getting ready and stepped outside the Magic Tent...
"Whoa."
He let out a startled voice because Set was right there.
Well, it was obvious Set would be there, so it wasn't really something to be that surprised about.
But beside Set lay the corpse of a bull monster—the same type they had encountered before entering the Forest of Magic. Set was sitting next to it, round eyes brimming with expectation as he looked at Rei. Given that, being told not to be surprised would have been unreasonable.
Usually Set would be lying down at times like this. But right now, he was in what could only be described as a begging "sit" position, tail wagging furiously.
Rei understood what Set was expecting.
He understood, but being hit with it right after waking up made the surprise only natural.
"Did this bull attack during the night?"
"Gruu!"
Rei couldn't help but think it was a bit odd for Set to sound so happy about being attacked by a monster.
Then again, it wouldn't be strange for Set to react that way. And above all, Rei also remembered that the meat of the bull monster Set had previously killed had been delicious.
"But dismantling this thing right now is a bit... I'd like to use the magic stones and head straight back to Gilm if possible."
"Gruu..."
At Rei's words, Set let out a disappointed whimper.
Having been on the receiving end of those expectant eyes, Rei felt a pang of guilt seeing Set like that.
"Look, instead of this bull, how about we eat the meat from the one we dismantled before? That's fine, right?"
"Gruu? ...Gruu!"
At Rei's words, Set let out a happy cry.
"Well, breakfast is done. Time to get to the main event."
"Gruu."
At Rei's words, Set—happy to have gotten his beef—purred in agreement.
For Set, the beef was one thing, but as a being created through Beast Magic, he likely had a strong interest in the magic stones as well.
"There are six magic stones. The thing is, I don't know which of these six came from what kind of monster or what abilities it had. Well, actually, I can tell this one apart."
The one particularly large magic stone was the one taken from the Wyvern.
That said, magic stone size generally didn't vary that much. Even a Wyvern's magic stone was something Set could swallow with ease.
"What should we do with this Wyvern's stone? If it was a Rare Species, you might acquire a skill. But if it's an ordinary Wyvern, you won't learn anything."
If it had been a Wyvern defeated somewhere other than the Forest of Magic, it would have been safe to assume it was an ordinary, unremarkable specimen.
But this was a Wyvern defeated in the Forest of Magic.
And a Wyvern that had been active at night, when monsters grew more active.
Given that, the possibility of it being a Rare Species couldn't be dismissed.
"Grururu... Gruu!"
After a brief hesitation, Set purred to declare that he would use it.
Watching Set, Rei confirmed with a somewhat perfunctory air.
"There are six magic stones total. That means three each for you and Death Scythe. One of your three will be this Wyvern's stone... you're sure that's what you want?"
"Gruu!"
Set purred back at Rei, indicating there was no problem.
Rei said nothing more and handed over the Wyvern's magic stone. Set caught it in his beak, swallowed it...
[Set has acquired the skill 'Acid Breath Lv.2']
An announcement message flowed through Rei's mind.
"So it was a Rare Species."
"Grurururu!"
Rei had thought the possibility was high. But even so, he had harbored a lingering doubt that it probably wasn't. This was a case of being proven wrong in the best possible way.
Watching the delighted Set, Rei wondered: could it be that all the remaining magic stones were actually from Rare Species as well?
He immediately dismissed the thought.
A Rare Species was called that precisely because of its rarity. He couldn't imagine a large number of them appearing all at once.
(Well, it's precisely because common sense doesn't apply that they call it the Forest of Magic... but still. Could the water flowing into the Forest of Magic—the water coming from that crystal—be what makes Rare Species easier to produce, or something along those lines? Given the Zephyle Clan's technological prowess, that actually seems disturbingly plausible.)
In Gilm, whenever something unusual happened, people tended to accept it with a simple "because it's Rei." But from Rei's perspective, even an abundance of Rare Species in the Forest of Magic could be explained away with "because it's the Zephyle Clan."
"Well, your first one successfully acquired a skill. Could you try out Acid Breath for me?"
At Rei's request, Set unleashed Acid Breath toward some plants and rocks a short distance away.
At Level 1, it had only been powerful enough to partially melt plants. At Level 2, it completely dissolved the plants and could also dissolve rock to a reasonable degree—a significant improvement.
...Of course, even saying plants "melt," durability varied depending on the plant. And between plants in the Forest of Magic and plants elsewhere, there would probably be a considerable difference in toughness alone.
After confirming Acid Breath, Rei selected one of the remaining magic stones.
Since he had no way of knowing what kind of monster it came from, he chose purely on instinct.
Among the stones was actually the one from the Turtle that had charged into the Flame Wall last. But perhaps due to fatigue, he had left it mixed in with the others, so even Rei couldn't tell which one was the Turtle's.
So, as a test of luck, he tossed a magic stone into the air and sliced it with Death Scythe...
[Death Scythe has acquired the skill 'Multi Slash Lv.5']
An announcement message echoed in his mind.
"Wait, seriously!?"
"Gruu!?"
Rei was stunned. Set was equally shocked.
Naturally. Multi Slash was one of the most powerful skills in Death Scythe's entire arsenal.
And skills, upon reaching Level 5, were strengthened to a degree that could only be described as an evolution.
At Level 4, in addition to the actual swing of Death Scythe, four extra slashes would materialize.
What would happen when that was enhanced at Level 5?
Gulp.
Swallowing hard, anxious about just how powerful the skill had become, Rei called out to Set.
"Set, I'm going to test Multi Slash. I have no idea what kind of monster had this stone at this point, but either way, Multi Slash reaching Level 5 is great news for me too."
"Gruu."
Set, also knowing full well how powerful Multi Slash was, nodded readily at Rei's words and backed away.
After confirming that Set had moved a safe distance back, Rei stowed the Magic Tent in his Misty Ring as an extra precaution.
He planned to head straight for Gilm after using the magic stones, so there was no need to leave the tent out. And if it got damaged by Multi Slash for no reason, that would be the worst possible outcome.
That was why Rei had packed it away now.
"Alright... here we go."
Concentrating his focus, Rei swung Death Scythe toward the stone whose surface Set's Acid Breath had melted earlier.
"Multi Slash!"
Death Scythe cut through the air—and in the next instant, ten additional slashes materialized alongside the real one.
"Whoa!"
He had known that reaching Level 5 would greatly strengthen the skill itself. But the number of slashes jumping from four all the way to ten was astonishing even for him.
Then again, no special effect had been added. The number of additional slashes had simply increased, making the nature of the enhancement straightforward.
...Except that all ten of those slashes carried the exact same power as Rei's Death Scythe.
In other words, Rei would land ten strikes with Death Scythe—no, including the real slash, that was eleven strikes delivered to the opponent in a single attack.
A single ordinary slash from Rei's Death Scythe already possessed fearsome power. For eleven of those to be unleashed simultaneously meant the resulting devastation went beyond what even the word "fearsome" could convey.
Naturally, the rock whose surface had been melted by Acid Breath was completely severed and shattered by Multi Slash.
Given what had just transpired, a gasp of astonishment slipping from Rei's lips was only to be expected.
"Yeah, well, that's that settled... four left. Set, which one do you want?"
Of the magic stones placed on the cloth, four remained.
Since they had been alternating Set, then Death Scythe, it was naturally Set's turn next.
But even when asked which one, Set had no way of knowing which magic stone came from which monster. He would have to rely on his own intuition.
"Gruru."
Purring, Set picked up a magic stone in his beak and swallowed it...
[Set has acquired the skill 'Wing Blade Lv.2']
An announcement message echoed in Rei's mind.
This one didn't come as much of a surprise.
Every enemy they had defeated this time was a flying monster. Many were bird-type creatures, and among them, it wouldn't be strange for some to possess a skill that turned the outer edge of their wings into blades.
Rei had Set activate the skill to test it, and it was without question stronger than at Level 1.
Specifically, at Level 1 it could only cut through skin and flesh. At Level 2, it could slice through flesh and sever bone.
"Well then, three left. I'm next. Let's see what skill I get."
Muttering to himself, Rei picked up a magic stone, tossed it into the air, and cut it with Death Scythe.
[Death Scythe has acquired the skill 'Blizzard Slash Lv.4']
An announcement message resonated in his mind.
"Blizzard Slash, huh. Come to think of it, that skill's level has gotten quite high."
Blizzard Slash wasn't one he had many occasions to use. But since Rei primarily attacked with the fire attribute, having the ability to deal ice-attribute damage was by no means a bad thing.
Understanding this perfectly, Rei activated the enhanced Blizzard Slash and nodded with satisfaction at the ice that formed, coating Death Scythe's blade.
[Set]
'Water Ball Lv.5' 'Fire Breath Lv.4' 'Wind Arrow Lv.4' 'King's Intimidation Lv.4' 'Poison Claw Lv.6' 'Size Change Lv.2' 'Tornado Lv.4' 'Ice Arrow Lv.5' 'Optical Camouflage Lv.6' 'Magic Eye of Shock Lv.3' 'Power Crush Lv.6' 'Sense of Smell Enhancement Lv.5' 'Bubble Breath Lv.3' 'Crystal Breath Lv.1' 'Earth Arrow Lv.2' 'Power Attack Lv.1' 'Magic Reflection Lv.1' 'Acid Breath Lv.2' new 'Wing Blade Lv.2' new 'Underground Dive Lv.1' 'Thunder Breath Lv.1' 'Fog Lv.1'
[Death Scythe]
'Corrosion Lv.6' 'Flying Slash Lv.5' 'Magic Shield Lv.1' 'Power Slash Lv.5' 'Wind Hand Lv.4' 'Terrain Manipulation Lv.5' 'Pain Burst Lv.4' 'Penetrate Lv.4' 'Multi Slash Lv.5' new 'Blizzard Slash Lv.4' new 'Flying Needle Lv.1' 'Underground Transfer Slash Lv.1'
Multi Slash: Enables multiple attacks in a single strike. At Level 2, two additional slashes are generated beyond the original attack. At Level 3, three additional; at Level 4, four additional; at Level 5, ten additional slashes are unleashed.
Acid Breath: A breath of acidic liquid. At Level 1, plants it touches partially melt. At Level 2, it can also dissolve rock to a reasonable degree.
Blizzard Slash: Death Scythe's blade is covered in ice, adding ice-attribute damage to slashes. Additionally, because the blade is sheathed in ice, the attack's reach extends very slightly.
Wing Blade: The outer portion of the wings becomes a blade. Even at Level 1, it can slice through skin and flesh. At Level 2, it can slice through flesh and sever bone.