Chapter 508

『Well, shall we go then?』

「Nn!」

「Woof!」

Right after I woke up, we went to look for some magic beasts in the Plains of the Demon Wolf. I wanted to check my condition and Fran and Urushi's growth.

In my case, a malfunction in a part of me that I didn't understand had been repaired, and in addition, Announcer-san has regained some of her strength.

The current Announcer-san couldn't speak freely, but she seems to answer any questions I had about my condition.

She also said that she will assist me in my magic operations from now on. It will be a little easier for me to control the finer details and use great magic in the future.

I also take a look at the sword in Fran's hand. The sword seems to be made sturdy enough to withstand Fran's reckless use.

Alistair said that it was only a makeshift sword, but it was quite strong.

Name: Heavy Magic Steel Sword

ATK: 480

MP: 80

Durability: 1200

Magic Conductivity: D-

It's like a portrait drawn in five seconds by a professional illustrator, or a snack made quickly from leftovers by a genius cook. From my point of view, it's amazing, but from her point of view, it's nothing.

『Hmmm』

「Master? Is something wrong?」

『No, it's nothing...』

The center of gravity and the length of the blade are made to resemble me. But it gives me mixed feelings too.

I'm sure it was useful to Fran. It has protected her while I was away, watched her growth, and endured her rough usage in silence. Yes, that's a great sword.

But I don't like it. No, let me rephrase it, I'm jealous of this sword. I'm jealous of the sword that looks so much like me that Fran used as a replacement while I was gone.

That's exactly how I feel right now.

『Well, now that I'm back, that sword won't be around for a while』

「Nn. I haven't been able to get serious in a while」

『Ou, I'm on it!』

There is no doubt that Fran has grown a lot. She has earned the title of Big Game Hunter and her skills have increased.

Big Game Hunter, as the name suggested, was a title she got when she defeated a huge opponent. Fran didn't seem to know exactly when she earned it, but Announcer-san told us the details in her place. Apparently, she fought against an Earth Slime, which takes in the earth and becomes huge.

It's a title that will increase her status when she's fighting someone bigger than her, so it can be quite useful. Fran is small after all.

I was also surprised at the growth of her skills. Even without skill-sharing, she was even able to handle Sword Saint Skill and Sword Saint Technique by herself now.

Even though the use of skill-sharing and dealing with high-level skills has sped up their growth, their growth rate was still extraordinary.

I guess it was the result of multiple factors.

She had the talent, to begin with. She had the best training partner, Amanda. In addition, she continued to fight against superior opponents in these Plains of the Demon Wolf.

And she had the mental strength to dive into the rigorous training to make the most of it.

The result was her current growth. However, the true value of her training was not in terms of numbers. But the use of her magic power, which was previously left aside, has been sharpened to a far greater degree.

It only took me one look at her magic to know that. When she used the lower level fire magic to light a fire. Her magic flow when she chanted that technique was surprisingly smooth. Moreover, there were no momentary pauses.

No matter how many times you chant, you won't be able to eliminate the process of concentrating and controlling your magic power. Fran would have had to pause for a moment in the past. That was not necessary now though.

『You've grown a lot huh』

「Nn!」

「Woof!」

When I praised Fran, Urushi cried as if to tell me not to forget about him too. His voice came down from far above us. Urushi was now over ten meters tall.

『Of course, I haven't forgotten you. I'm sure you have done your best too』

「Woof woof!」

I was also surprised by Urushi's evolution. His growth makes me amazed at him, he grew more than Fran after all.

It wasn't just about his size. The species he had evolved into was neither the Gehenna Wolf nor the Dark Night Wolf species that Fenrir had mentioned before.

Ragnarok Wolf, which was Urushi's race now. Apparently, he has evolved in a special way. The explanation for it was still unclear, just like the Evil People, but Urushi didn't have the blessings of the Evil God.

According to Announcer-san, he has evolved into a completely new and unique species. There's no information about him even in the world's logic after all.

Moreover, his abilities were not hampered. His status was greatly improved, and he has several stats that exceeded 1000. I'm sure his threat level would be at least B.

Moreover, the number of his skills has increased significantly. His skills are mostly the higher-level than the original skills, but there are also new unique skills that have been acquired.

The following are just some of his skills that stand out.

[Skill]

Shadow Transfer: The higher version of Shadow Migration

Regeneration Inhibition: Reduces the healing speed of the enemies he bites.

Great Physical Change: The higher version of Physical Change

Rampage: Pushing oneself on a rampage when cornered

[Unique Skill]

Dark Absorption: Absorb a portion of the magic power contained in dark magic and darkness magic

Predation Recovery: Heal wounds by eating

[Extra Skill]

Predatory Assimilation: The higher version of Predatory Absorption

[Inherent Skill]

Dimensional Fangs: A Fang technique that deals damage while ignoring defense.

Familial Intimidation: Intimidate his kin and relatives.

Familial Hatred: Disliked by his kin and relatives.

Seal Nullification: Nullify sealing techniques.

Familial Intimidation and Familial Hatred was a particularly strange skill. Didn't he evolve into a higher species? But it was clearly a disadvantageous skill. Moreover, his titles were also strange.

I know what Predator of Evil is. As the name implies, it was probably earned by defeating and devouring an evil being. But The Lonely Beast and The One and Only seems to be a title given as a comfort to the lonely being.

Announcer-san also taught me that Fenrir-san had given him some of his power. And as a result, he seems to have evolved into a special race, transcending his wolf kin but becoming a shunned being.

『Urushi...』

「Woof?」

Urushi stared back at me with his pure eyes. Even after he became a 10-meter giant, those eyes had never changed.

I can't feel any loneliness or sadness from him.

Besides, when I thought 'what if someone took pity on me?' or 'Isn't it lonely to be the only sword with a human soul in the world?' What if I was told something like that?

I wouldn't be happy; those were not the words I would want to hear after all.

『Urushi, you've become even stronger huh!? You look so reliable! I'll be counting on you from now on!』

「Woof!」