Chapter 31

[Using this bloodstone, our research team has uncovered the physical strength and appearance of ancient humans.]

[Oh, really?]

[Of course, we only have one sample, but even so, the fact that we’ve analyzed the physique of ancient humans means our team has achieved something noteworthy.]

[…So, what’s the result?]

[It might be hard to believe, but this is the result of precise testing and verification. If the professor acknowledges it, we expect it to be a monumental step that will cause a huge stir in the field of magic analysis.]

[……]

[The physical strength of ancient humans was over 1500 times that of modern average humans…]

[Get out.]

*

I taste blood in my mouth.

It means my sense of taste is alive.

I’m still alive, after all.

“I’m not dead yet.”

“I call that being alive.”

After lightly responding to Belva’s nagging, I got up from my seat.

A strange sensation is coming from my body.

It feels stuffy and uncomfortable.

I frowned at the itchy feeling deep inside.

“My body feels weird.”

Of course, Belva already knew about my condition.

“You’ve reached your growth limit.”

“Limit?”

“You’ve experienced it before, haven’t you? When you can’t fully handle the realm you’ve reached, your body prepares for evolution. It’s changing its structure and nature itself.”

Ah, I get it.

To put it in martial arts terms, it’s like shedding your mortal body.

Maybe I’m going to molt like a snake.

Last time, I passed out and woke up changed, so I didn’t notice, but now that I’m on the verge of evolution, it’s suffocatingly frustrating.

Hmm…

Actually, I should address this now.

“Belva. Am I really human?”

No matter how I look at it, I don’t seem to be.

“That’s right. You have many traits that humans can’t possess. You’re not entirely human, but similar?”

“Huh.”

“A quasi-human?”

I feel like smacking that smug head of hers.

So I did.

Seeing Belva crumple with a yelp made me feel a little better.

“It was a joke!”

“Me too, just kidding.”

I laughed and walked outside.

Now that I have some free time, useless thoughts keep piling up.

Does it even matter if I am or not?

That’s not the important thing.

I feel a pressure as if my body is weighing me down heavily.

I see the bright sunlight for the first time in a while.

The sun high in the sky.

I thought about raising my hand to shield my eyes, but unfortunately, my body isn’t that weak.

Wow.

This is really annoying.

It feels worse than just a bad mood—it’s like being slammed down below.

Rain on a picnic day.

Muddy water on new shoes.

A closed restaurant.

Flat soda and plain snow.

All sorts of unpleasant thoughts flash through my mind.

Meanwhile, in the distance, I sense a strange vibration of magic power.

“What’s that?”

I sighed and took a big step.

With a thud, my body leaped up, defying gravity.

In the sky, several dragon-like creatures with huge wings were flapping around.

What are those?

Why are they messing around in my territory?

[They’re creatures from the Canyon Area. I’m not sure why they suddenly came here…]

I don’t need to know that.

I gathered magic power in my hand and cast a spell.

A part of the air distorted strangely, and dozens of spears wrapped in light shot out.

The spears pierced through the dragons in an instant, killing them.

Magic is really convenient.

Though my skill level is still lacking to handle larger species.

But for dealing with small fry, there’s nothing better.

I calmly watched the dragons fall.

Somehow… I feel refreshed.

[It seems like the blocked evolution is progressing bit by bit as you absorb their stats.]

Really?

“How many do I need to kill for the evolution to fully complete?”

[Hard to say. Even though it varies by individual, maybe around a thousand would be more than enough?]

A thousand.

That’s a manageable number.

After finishing my thoughts, I flew forward again using magic power.

When Belva asked where I was going, I told her I was heading to the Canyon Area.

No need to kill them in my own territory.

Unlike before, it now takes less than an hour to move to another area.

The canyon, with its jagged, towering rocks, was constantly battered by strong winds.

Among them, various creatures, including dragons, were gathered.

I thought I had adapted to this world, but there are still so many things I don’t know.

Thud—

As I descended, I grabbed one of the sitting dragons and snapped it.

For a moment, a refreshing feeling, like a hard shell falling off, swept over me.

It was literally just a moment.

After a few seconds, my mood sank back to the bottom of the canyon.

“Kaaaah!”

“Kaaaah!!”

Enraged by their companion’s death, the creatures spread their wings and flew up.

Each one of them, roughly the size of…

They are the kind of guys who can easily handle a knight or two.

Moreover, more and more pterosaurs are flocking here.

It seems there’s some kind of language system.

[Shall we translate?]

Nah.

No need to bother.

What I need right now is a daily dose of stats to relieve this mood.

I’m not some lunatic who tries to converse with food.

I flew up and charged forward.

First, let’s figure out their characteristics.

Then, one of them stretched its neck towards me and let out a roar filled with magic power.

The wind blades mixed within it slashed and cut through my body.

Sharper than most blades.

I took a quick look at my bleeding arm.

This much…

“Not a big deal.”

Ignoring it, I continued and twisted its head around.

The recovery I got from killing it was greater than the damage I took from the wind blades.

As I said before, when dealing with a large number of weaklings, I’m absolutely confident of victory.

By the way, there are so many.

The pterosaurs and their similar species flying above the canyon were so numerous that they darkened the sky.

Are they relying on sheer numbers rather than individual strength?

I’m grateful for that.

After defending against the overlapping wind blades with magic power, I swung my arm wide.

“Lux, Flosion-!”

The magic power flowing through my unique mana circuit created an explosion of light.

The pterosaurs roared directly at it to reduce the magic power within.

They probably judged that it would be more effective than protecting themselves with their wings, considering the amount of magic power.

By the way, that spell translates to a flashbang.

It was a spell I modified to create additional effects, not just simple explosive power.

The massive light momentarily blinded the pterosaurs.

Not being able to see causes much more anxiety than one might think.

Moreover, it seemed like there was no clear commander among those pterosaurs.

The result was, of course, predictable.

They flew around haphazardly, crashing into each other and falling like rain.

Bird brains haven’t changed since the primitive era.

A pleasant, refreshing sensation flowed through my entire body.

I shivered slightly as goosebumps rose.

There’s a strange warmth that spreads when you shiver from the cold.

It feels like that warmth just keeps going.

It’s kind of addictive.

I need to be careful.

After killing for a while, a giant pterosaur flew towards me from afar.

I could tell immediately.

“Are you the boss?”

“Kwaaaaaa!”

“Even your cry is different.”

It wasn’t just huge; its appearance was quite different.

First, it had a lot of feathers.

Those guys were all like they had completely passed the tipping point of baldness, made of bones and membranes.

This one looked somewhat decent.

Its feathers were colorful, giving off a mysterious vibe.

That one, just by looking at it, seems like a magic type, not a physical attack type.

I prepared my defense by drawing up magic power.

At that moment, it folded its wings and started spinning towards me.

“Crazy.”

Is this how you trample my expectations?

Moreover, its power was no joke.

Even with magic defense, taking a direct hit would be dangerous.

I caused an explosion beside me and used the recoil to dodge the charge.

Each feather had magic power flowing through it, so even a graze would surely slice off an arm or leg.

Wait, more than that.

Am I seeing this correctly?

“Belva. Are you sure?”

[…Yes.]

I felt an enormous amount of Dimension Power within the body of that bird.

Not only that, but its control over it was also quite impressive.

The pterosaurs lined up behind me were proof of that.

A monster that controls Dimension Power.

Belva had mentioned it once before.

“Interdimensional monster. Dimension Beastman species. That was the name, right.”

Monsters that appear when the Dimension Power within a world exceeds a certain threshold.

Its existence meant that this dimension had already reached a dangerous level.

I finished pondering and asked Belva.

“This isn’t the end, is it?”

[Probably… no. It won’t be.]

I wonder how many interdimensional monsters have crossed over so far.

And how many more will come.

If a monster beyond my ability crosses over, then…

I pushed aside my thoughts and looked ahead.

Anyway, what I need to do now is clear.

“Kwoaaaaa!”

To grow stronger.

To kill the enemies before me and grow.

That’s enough.