Mistress Of The Evil Forest

A-H 1: Mistress of the evil forest.

''Whew...''

[MP: 178/209]

They're actually working, huh?

Although the liquid tastes horrible. Mhm... it's probably fine.

I've heard the empire is trying to produce mana potions using the water from mana ponds, but it seems Sikare beats them to it. It's going to be scarce in any case since mana ponds are rare nowadays.

Okay, stop being distracted. 

Look, while you're being distracted, that thing has already regenerated two of its three heads. Two come from each neck, so it has ten now. The one struck by nihility seems to be slowly recovering, too.

I need to be faster.

I also need more firepower.

I have assurance this time, aren't I?

The untouched twelve skill points from defeating Nuf—it's time to use them. Let's see... what did Chloe say again? From around level seven or eight onward, leveling them via usage is virtually impossible?

That's convenient. I've been wanting to do this for a while.

[8 skill points consumed]

[Skill upgraded: Ice Magic Lv.7 -> Lv.9]

My heart is jumping. I guess this is quite exciting. One more skill point for level ten. That's even more exciting. I should get that after subjugating this dragon.

————————!!

Hmm... do you feel threatened by this force, too, for you to howl like that?

''Hahah...''

What am I thinking?

Oh, it's attacking. Three from the far left, four below—forty-five degrees—and three on the higher right. Should I deflect the spells with ice?

Probably not. I shouldn't get too cocky.

The heads without magic... they're guarding the healing head?

Aha, so that's the weakness.

Poor thing. Are you too panicked to remember that I can move through space?

[Blink].

Pulling mana from the heart, channeling it into the blade, and then... stab. Let's aim for the spine and hope... not hope—annihilate it.

crack—!!

Wait, it's blinding... 

I wasn't prepared for this. 

''Seriously...?''

The entire neck is crisply frozen. The frost is eating down its body, too. My ice magic's output is greater than I thought.

Thanks to that, the Hydra seems even more aggravated, though.

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Try again.

Focus.

Magic behind my back. Dodge by plunging down—wait.

''Tch!''

It's homing magic?!

This is so annoying. Their speed is not something I can mess with. Is there a way to cut them off? Right. The portal. Expand the portal behind me, and... got them.

The jaws are coming my way, as expected.

No good. I just missed a breath. Those things are too fast, I swear...!

''Ugh...!''

Seriously, merely a scrape of the wind and a chunk of my side is gone. Felt like a cannonball just went through that area. 

[Heal].

Striking one head at a time feels impossible at this rate. I'm going to get blown away at some point if it keeps going like this. The fatigue of fighting a ten-headed dragon is real, huh?

Do I try to blast its body? Too risky?

No, it's a gamble either way. Let's do it quickly.

I'm not feeling like penetrating those scales. It's time for you to shine, gauntlet.

One, approach the back, and two, destroy its inside.

Falling forward briefly, then—

boom—!!

Explodes a burst of mana behind me, propelling the body toward the destination. Slow down time, [Parallel Thinking]. Drain mana from the heart.

More.

More.

Gather all of it. Put it all in the blade. Turn the dark edges into a frosty blue. I want it stronger. Give me the power to erase that existence.

There it is—that faint white hue. 

Be the only light illuminating the dark nights.

Begone.

''Gauntlet of Severance.''

For a moment, let's drown in this sensation of omnipotence.

---

''Hah...''

Here we are again.

After a blast that plunges everything into a bitter coldness, here I stand alone, leaning on my sword. The surrounding area... has been turned into an ice field.

Ice spikes the size of buildings are erect, spiraling like a galaxy.

Still, this guy is surprisingly holding up even after all that. It'll die soon, though. I doubt it can recover with eight of its heads severed... and with its torso torn to pieces, eternally frozen like this.

''Ugh...!''

What?

Did I overdo it?

My right hand is tingling. No, it's... burning. Where did this white flame come from?

No way.

The power of nihility?

''...''

Don't tell me this thing ate through the protective layer of the system. Hahah... I guess a god's power can indeed pierce through that of another.

This burning can be quite hazardous, but it's probably fine for now.

When that heart clad in ice below me stops beating—

[You have defeated a Lv.67 Zircon Hydra]

[Proficiency achieved a certain level]

[Being: Aurora Lv.60 has become Lv.63]

[3 skill points acquired]

[Skill proficiency achieved a certain level]

[Skill: Domination Lv.5 has become Lv.6]

[Title: 'Lerna's Nightmare' acquired]

Whew... I'm revitalized.

Let's take care of the other matter while we're at it.

[5 skill points consumed]

[Skill upgraded: Ice Magic Lv.9 -> Lv.10]

[Achievement unlocked: Master of Ice]

[1 skill point acquired]

Oh, I got one point back. Nice. And before I forget, the title...

[Lerna's Nightmare: Proof of one's victory against the mythical Hydra. Greatly increase the user's resistance to water-based and wind-based attacks when equipped] [Epic]

Hmm... in Greek mythology, the Hydra is a monster living in a swamp. Hercules defeats that one by burning its severed necks, but here, I just froze it to death, didn't I?

I guess a monster is just a monster. 

clap—! clap—! clap—!

''That was amazing, Silaerob.''

''Y-You really blown this thing apart, h-huh...''

It's Sikare and Becky. Becky is still shivering. I wonder how she gets along with Bianca.

''Is this it?''

''What do you mean?''

''The Hydra. It's been hyped up so fervently, but... it's underwhelming.''

Sikare scratches her cheeks... she looks a bit like Chloe.

''I mean, the Hydra is just an ordinary monster at the end of its evolutionary tree. The power it has comes from long, long periods of cautious, slow growth. That's why it's kind of basic like that.''

''Why didn't you take care of it, then, Sikare?''

''Eh... it's bothersome. Fighting in the lake is hard, and besides, a battle of this scale ought to catch the attention of the other rulers and even the folks at the academy.''

''...''

I guess that makes sense.

''Hey, Silaerob. Hey, hey.''

''...?''

The way she snuggles up to me is similar to Luxia. Why do I want to pet this woman?

''Can I have this one's corpse?''

''For?''

''Making potions. I might be able to create some interesting ones for you, you know?''

''W-Wait!''

''Becky?''

''Can I have some of the Hydra's scales? I feel like I can make more sturdy automates with them!''

''Come on, little tech girl, you contributed nothing to the fight. You have no rights to anything here.''

''T-That's not true! I didn't help because she wanted it that way! Besides, she still owes me a favor. Hmph.''

These girls are bickering again... I suppose it is kind of cute.

Thinking back, a lot of things happened.

I woke up somewhere in this forest one day, clueless, and now, I stand here on top of everything.

...It has been a journey.

''Ah, right, Silaerob. I'll keep my promise. Send me a request.''

''Alright.''

[Follower request sent]

[Sikare has become your follower]

[A territorial skill has been detected from entity: Sikare]

[Automatically merge Sikare's territory(s) with the user's territory]

[Automatically transfer Sikare's follower ownerships to the user]

[Title: 'East Zircon's Queen' acquired]

[Achievement unlocked: Forest of Monsters]

[1 skill point acquired]

[Title: 'Mistress of the Evil Forest' acquired]