51. Blades and Beasts: Trials in the Forest.

Kouske's POV

It's been a few days since I told the Azusawas about the dungeon. They were clearly shocked that I had access to such a place. But it's definitely a place to hone one's skills. So, I just blamed everything on Vritra. It's all Vritra's fault, okay?

"Kid!"

I will just ignore Vritra's displeasure.

I have also started learning Senjutsu from them. I can't learn Youjutsu as it's exclusive to Youkais, but Senjutsu is different. As there have been cases of Senins being able to use Senjutsu, although rare. So, I am just trying to learn it. If it doesn't work, there's always a shortcut.

It seems to be able to use Senjutsu; one needs to have a calm and clear mind. So I was made to meditate and try to have a so-called 'Spiritual Awakening' by Aunt Arene. Do I have to be a monk, or what?!

Then I was told to try to detect nature energy, energy in everything around me. The grass, air, trees, birds, people, etc. Everything! I can detect them by using my Search ability which mainly detects magic or any other similar energy. But directly detecting nature is not its job. So I haven't made much progress at all.

I was even forced to learn different kinds of meditation like Yoga, Zen, and all. Apparently, there are various forms of meditation. But it's hard for someone like me to meditate. And being the host of an evil dragon also doesn't help. At least almost all of my negative tendencies are always mostly neutered by the system.

I'm currently in my Smithy. Despite my initial failure, I keep coming back. A bit of research revealed some basic mistakes I made while crafting that first knife.

Now, my focus lies on mastering the basics and gaining experience in blacksmithing. However, I realize the importance of seeking guidance from a skilled teacher soon; perhaps, the blacksmiths from Demon Slayer or Danmachi could be viable options.

Never mind. I begin by igniting a fire in the hearth using my Blaze Black Flare. Holding the iron with tongs, I gradually heat it until it reaches a malleable state. Directly controlling the firepower eliminates the need to manage the airflow.

Proceeding, I start hammering the heated metal into the shape of a knife on top of the anvil. The next step involves Quenching – a rapid cooling process by plunging the metal into water, oil, or other cooling substances. While this hardens the metal, it also has the potential to make it brittle, explaining my initial failure.

Initiating the Tempering process, I reheated the metal to a specific temperature and allowed it to cool more gradually. This crucial step reduces brittleness and enhances toughness in the final product.

Apparently, skilled blacksmiths can craft intricate designs and forms by employing repeated heating and shaping techniques.

Once everything was completed, I ended up with a decent knife. The final step was coating it. I began by properly polishing and grinding it. Then, I crafted a Bluing solution, usually a mix of nitric acid and other compounds. Submerging the knife in the solution, I covered it and gradually heated it, causing oxidation to form a protective black oxide layer that prevents rusting.

It had an ominous feel to it. So, I used Observe on it.

Unnamed Cursed Knife (F-): Crafted by a novice blacksmith using cursed flames, this seemingly ordinary knife carries the power to inflict curses. Stripped of its cursing ability, it aligns with the skill level of a novice's first foray into knife-making. Remarkably, this knife represents the novice's first success after numerous failures. However, in comparison to someone else's initial attempt, it still falls short, which is quite pitiful.

Initially elated by the assigned rank, my joy waned upon realizing that, without its cursing ability, the knife itself still falls short compared to a novice's first attempt. This revelation left me momentarily speechless.

"Clarice, what's with the description? Are you making fun of me?" I inquired, my tone carrying contained rage.

[No? Why would you think that, silly? I am just like an operating AI for the system. The description comes from the system itself,] Clarice replies innocently, but I can't shake the feeling that she might be laughing behind my back!

The argument persisted for a while until Vritra intervened.

"Stop fighting like babies. You may suck at blacksmithing, but at least be happy about the progress. Now, shoo! Go show it to the others," Vritra chastised us softly. However, I couldn't help but think I heard a stifled laughter escaping from her.

Dejectedly, I entered the main house, clutching the knife in my hand. Despite everything, it marked my first success. So, there's nothing to be sad about, right? I should just stay positive.

*

*

*

When I showed my knife to Lavinia and Sakuya, both genuinely congratulated me. Their warmth did wonders for my mood. Sakuya even asked if she could take the knife. Seeing no reason to refuse, I handed it over. [A/N: Suggest a name for it.]

"I will treasure it," came from a faintly smiling Sakuya, momentarily mesmerizing me. I couldn't help but wonder how beautiful she would look with a proper smile.

Clearing my mind of any unnecessary thoughts, I find myself inside the dungeon. The last encounter was unpleasant, so I'm extra vigilant about my surroundings.

Currently, I'm actually on the lookout for two specific monsters.

Foliage Wisp (Rank: E+): A floating orb of bioluminescent foliage, the Foliage Wisp lures creatures deeper into the forest with an enchanting glow. It can manipulate plant life, creating illusions to confuse intruders.

Briarback Entling (Rank: D-): Resembling a miniature version of an ancient ent, this creature is covered in tough, thorny vines. It can manipulate its surroundings, causing vines to spring up and create barriers for protection.

After searching for a while, one of my familiars, fighting separately on the other side, discovered a group of Foliage Wisps. I rushed to their location.

Upon finding them, I initiated the attack using Absorption Lines enflamed in Blaze Black Flare, accompanied by my other familiars. With this combined effort, we swiftly burned down most of the plants controlled by the Foliage Wisps. Noctis, utilizing his Shadow Swap ability, executed a hit-and-run tactic with a plethora of Shadow Knives, cutting down the remaining plants.

He seamlessly swapped places with or of the other familiars, creating a well-coordinated battle strategy. The continuous battles have fostered familiarity and cohesion among my familiars in combat.

After a prolonged battle, we successfully weakened them, and I applied taming to all six Foliage Wisps. As a result, I acquired their Plant Manipulation (E+) ability, which shares quite similar effects to Senjutsu. This newfound skill will undoubtedly aid me in learning and mastering Senjutsu.

Following their taming, I scattered the Foliage Wisps to allow them to engage in battles, gaining more power and acclimating to fighting alongside the others.

Spotting a Briarback Entling minding its own business, I took advantage of its unaware state and attacked it from behind. Utilizing Absorption Lines and Marionette Mastery, I continuously weakened and captured it. Through a sustained onslaught of attacks following the initial strike, we successfully subdued the Briarback Entling.

During my engrossment in the initial stealth attack, it turned out that someone else was being equally stealthy. A disgusting Ballboon attempted to sneakily attack me, but the foul odor gave away its presence. Fortunately, it was only a D- ranked one, and with the assistance of my familiars, I managed to defeat it without much trouble.

However, instead of killing it, I opted to use taming on both the Briarback Entling and the Ballboon. Consequently, I gained Vine Manipulation (D-) from the Briarback Entling and Foresight (D-) from the Ballboon. Additionally, this brought me to a D- rank in power level.

Kouske Miyamura

- Race: Human-Dragon Hybrid

- Age: 7 years

- Strength (Str): D-

- Endurance (End): D-

- Agility (Agi): D-

- Mana: D+

Skills:

- Summoning

- Taming

- Hypnosis (D)

- Body Transformation (D-)

- Teleportation (D)

- Memory Manipulation (D)

- Dark Curtain (D+)

- Senbonzakura

- Flash Step

- Cloud Steps

- Whirlwind Shield (E+)

- Skill Sharing (D+)

-Sense Sharing 

- Mutated Sabnock Bloodline (A+)

- Metamorphic Mastery (B+)

- Ethereal Doppelgängers (B+)

- Demiplane (A+)

- Falna (C)

- Cognizance Nexus (D+)

-Time Magic (A)

-Gravity Manipulation (C)

-Search (D)

-Touki (C)

-Knife Throwing Technique (D-)

-Marionette Mastery (D-)

-Petrification (D-)

-Illusion Manipulation (D-)

-Vine Manipulation (D-)

-Foresight (D-)

-Plant Manipulation (E+)

Currently Shared Skills:

- Wind Manipulation (Hawks)

- Darkness Manipulation (Noctis)

- Ice Manipulation (Slime)

- Fire Manipulation (Slime)

- Water Manipulation (Slime)

- Earth Manipulation (Slime)

-Knife Throwing Technique (Sakuya)

-Marionette Mastery (Lavinia)

-Petrification (Mossveil Basilisk)

-Illusion Manipulation (Phantom Nymphs)

-Camouflage (Vorpal Viper Vines)

-Vine Manipulation (Briarback Entling)

-Foresight (Ballboon)

-Plant Manipulation (Foliage Wisp)

Items in Effect:

- Vritra's Sacred Gear (B+)

- Fountain of Youth (A)

-Condicarment (Bracelet) (C)

Items in Possession:

Boosted Gear (A)

Sacred Gear Extractor (A)

Resistance:

- Poison Resistance (D-)

Points: 745500

Overall Power: D-

Surveying the forest, I moved from one branch to another, attempting to get the hang of navigating through the towering trees. The forest was filled with colossal trees, and even their branches were substantial. Despite their size, these trees bore no fruits; they were sturdy throughout. Many branches were robust enough to withstand attacks from High-Class devils.

As I soared through the branches, a distant rumble echoed, accompanied by the ground shaking. Could earthquakes occur within dungeons?

The tremors were so intense that monsters in the forest scattered in disarray, their panicked screams echoing through the chaos. Enormous trees were effortlessly uprooted, and the earth ruptured, resembling the eruption of magma.

Leaping into the air, I took flight, and the sight that met my eyes left me astonished.

A colossal deer-like creature, adorned with at least six mountains on its back, traversed the forest. The immense size of the creature obscured the light, enveloping everything in darkness when it stood up. As it moved, accompanied by numerous monsters, the mere motion induced a profound impact.

The colossal deer-like creature briefly fixed its gaze upon me without any discernible emotion. It continued on its way, causing massive tremors and destruction. Although its gaze lacked curiosity or interest, the encounter left me terrified, sending shivers down my spine as the creature moved away.

I quickly used Observe on it.

The Sky Deer (B+): A colossal deer-like creature with numerous antlers covered in a dense forest on its back, possessing fourteen legs. It excels in aerial maneuvers and sky manipulation. The species can induce confusion and rapid decay in creatures within its forest using Time Manipulation ability. Sky Deer can create a space where hundreds of millions of years go by in a few seconds. The Sky Deer is known for its calm and gentle personality, but underneath it harbors a dangerous, unseen anger so great that even the fiercest animals within its forested mane strive to do everything in their power to keep The Sky Deer's sleeping rage dormant.

After half an hour, the Sky Deer stopped moving and submerged into the earth, leaving a humongous crater in its previous location. The tremors ceased as it settled.

"That was The Sky Deer, huh? It's terrifyingly humongous!" I said, visibly exhausted.

[As long as you don't disturb it, it won't cause you any harm. They are quite gentle creatures after all.] Clarice replied.

"Nn. But I wonder how big the Deer King would be. If just this thing goes into the outside world, it will cause chaos and panic in all the factions," I mused, sighing.

"Fufufu.... Kid, get stronger faster so we can fight it quickly someday."

But for some reason, Vritra seemed oddly excited to see it.

After sighing for the umpteenth time, I left the dungeon for the day, feeling more mentally drained than physically exhausted.

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