Kumodesu

With another issue now resolved, I could finally focus on hunting down my prey.

Hey Seina, do you have any way to simulate a map of this place?

"It's not that easy. This place changes constantly, so there are a lot of factors to calculate."

It's fine if it only simulates the current state. I've been wandering around for days without finding even the slightest clue.

"Let me think..."

"Oh, I just remembered—didn't [Support Evil Eye] level up? You should use it to upgrade [Manifest] and make it evolve already."

Really?

I passed out back then, so I had no idea which skills leveled up.

"Give it a try. There's a lot I want to do too, but it's hard with the skills still not upgraded or evolved."

Alright, I'll give it a shot.

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Oh wow, it worked!

"Alright, let me try something now."

I didn't know exactly what Seina did, but [Scan] was activated, and its range kept expanding outward.

I had a general idea of what she was trying to do.

"Um… actually, you missed a section here…"

"Oh, you're right!"

"Adding this… should improve the efficiency…"

"Thanks."

Looks like Suzu had joined in too.

Am I the only one not doing anything right now?

I didn't know what the two of them were doing exactly, but just seeing them getting along put me at ease. A while later, Seina called me into the [Virtual World] to show me the result.

"Ta-da!"

Right in front of me appeared a map of the sixth floor. It looked incredibly realistic.

So it really works?

I examined every detail and found that it was very accurate, even down to the spot I was currently standing on. But when I moved, the map didn't change.

How exactly does this work?

"It's just a map of a single moment in time. I used [Scan] to detect everything in the area—rock structures, wall thickness, minerals, plants, creatures—and then used [Inference] to create a model based on that info. After that, Suzu reminded me that if we also added [Prediction] and [Accuracy], the map would become more precise."

"But there's a flaw: the map is static and won't update along with real-world changes. So if anything major shifts, we'll need to make a new one."

Oh? Then why not make one that updates in real time?

"If you want that, you'd need to keep [Scan] active permanently to constantly gather data. But even then, it's impossible to make a map that's 100% accurate."

"If... the changes are small, it's okay. But… if an entire area is destroyed or newly created, this simulation map won't keep up." Suzu added.

Seems like she's become more confident lately and talks with us more openly.

Isn't there a way to fix that?

"The key lies in [Prediction]. If... we can evolve it, the problem might be solved. Because [Scan] isn't the best tool for this kind of task," Suzu continued.

Evolving [Prediction], huh…?

That sounds tough, especially since the skill hasn't even reached the threshold for support enhancement yet. Using support now would be a waste—it's notoriously hard to get it to level nine.

By the way, how's [Inference] different from before?

"First off, the inference speed is ten times faster. It no longer requires complete information to create something—it can work with partial data and fill in the rest. Though, the accuracy might be lower," Seina explained.

Oh? That's amazing.

"Yeah, I found out by accident."

Accident? What kind of accident?

"Remember that mysterious person who helped us out? I learned it from them."

Ugh!

Now that you mention it, I don't feel very reassured…

They did help us, yes, but we never even saw their face. I can't bring myself to trust them.

Why didn't you tell me about this stuff?

"I figured you were too busy fighting all the time, so I didn't want to give you more to worry about," Seina said, suddenly sounding hurt.

Alright, alright. I get it now—you were just being considerate.

Hmm… Strange.

I've been feeling like Seina's personality has changed lately, but I can't pinpoint exactly how. It's been like this ever since Suzu appeared.

Anyway, the important thing is that we have the map now.

Following the path shown on the map, I quickly made my way back to the lava lake from before.

This really is convenient.

Instead of rushing in, I stood at the edge and used [Sensing] to estimate their numbers.

After several scans, I counted over five hundred baby lizards and eight mutated ones spread throughout the lava lake.

That's a bit too many.

I'll need a strategy first.

"Just go in and fight comfortably. I'll keep an eye on the mutated ones. Besides, you've got Exc with you too," Seina said.

Eeeh, I don't think that's a good idea. Exc burns through SP like crazy, so what if there's not enough left for me?

"Hey! Don't be stingy! Hmph, it's not like I even want to fight that badly," Exc grumbled.

Don't worry, old man. There'll be a time when you'll get to show off.

Now then, how can I wipe them all out quickly...? Unfortunately, I don't have any AoE skills.

"First, use [Appraisal] on a few of them to see their stats. Then I'll come up with something," Seina suggested.

Good point.

I moved closer to one of the baby lizards and activated [Appraisal].

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HP: 50/50

MP: 40/40

SP: 50/50

Attack: 98

Defense: 101

Magic: 34

Speed: 99

Hmm, not that strong.

I could kill it in one hit, but with that many, they might still slow me down long enough for the mutated ones to join the fray. Plus, this environment doesn't favor me.

"You're overthinking it. Just charge in and fight," Exc said.

Senior, I always plan before I act—especially when my life's on the line.

"The real problem is those eight mutated ones. If we can isolate them and take them down one at a time, we can overwhelm them in both stats and action. But if we face them all at once, things will get difficult—because I can only read the actions of one creature at a time," Seina sighed.

That's exactly what I'm worried about.

Just because I once fought three mutated ones at the same time doesn't mean I can handle eight of them together.

"But no matter what you do, you'll end up alerting them. Once that happens, you'll get swarmed," Exc said.

"As long as they don't know who the attacker is, we're fine," Seina said.

Oh? You've got a plan?

"Don't we still have a bunch of spirits? We've been raising them all this time—it's about time we put them to use," Seina said in an incredibly dubious tone.

What exactly do you have in mind?

"It's simple. These spirits aren't affected by lava or regular physical attacks. So we'll have them harass the mutated ones. The spirits specialized in soul-based attacks can hold them off, buying you time to kill them one by one."

Hmm, sounds good.

"Then let's do it. I've already informed the spirits."

Didn't expect Seina to have everything set up so quickly.

After that, all the spirits I'd contracted flew out. They nodded at me and scattered to their assigned positions. Eight spirits would hold off the eight mutated ones, and the rest would target the baby lizards.

Alright, are we ready?

"All set."

Then let's begin.

To kick things off, all eight spirits simultaneously launched attacks at the eight mutated lizards, causing them to squirm in pain. One of them even leapt out of the lava to retaliate, but all it could do was pass right through the spirits without landing a hit.

After all the time I've spent raising them, these spirits had leveled up quite a bit. They even evolved from <> to <>.

Definitely worth the effort.

Seeing that everything was going according to plan, I charged toward the nearest mutated one to attack. Before making a move, I used [Appraisal] to check its stats and found that it was much weaker than me—nothing to worry about.

While I was at it, I wanted to test out my new weapon: the blade leg.

Slash!

I rushed forward and slashed the lizard, immediately severing one of its legs.

Oh yeah, this thing is amazing.

The lizard, suppressed by the spirits and now injured, tried to flee into the lava. But I quickly wrapped it up in Spider Silk and continued attacking.

Slash!

It didn't take more than a few swift slashes to finish it off.

Absolutely fantastic.

Next one.

The other mutated lizards, seeing that attacking one at a time wasn't working, grouped up—two or three of them charging at me together. But right then, the spirits increased their attack power, and those lizards all collapsed to the ground in agony.

Slash!

Another mutated lizard down.

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Huh, just one level from killing two mutated ones?

Looks like this is going to take some effort.

But with this many enemies around, I don't need to worry about running out of experience points.

I composed myself a little, then continued charging forward. This time, the target was another mutated one—but this one put up a tougher fight. Even under the mental pressure from the spirits, it managed to go toe-to-toe with me for over ten exchanges.

During that time, lots of baby lizards came in to mess things up. But each one fell with a single strike, so they weren't much trouble.

Eventually, I managed to kill the third mutated one and dozens more baby lizards. At that point, I started to feel a bit tired.

Can't underestimate their numbers.

Some of the baby lizards had already fled out of sight, but all the mutated ones were still present, so I wasn't too concerned.

Then came another clash—me versus two mutated lizards at once. One had its leg broken, and the other collapsed onto the ground. Thanks to my newly reinforced armor, I was still feeling pretty good.

This outer armor is seriously tough. Combine it with [Adamantine Body], and I have nothing to fear from these collisions.

I used Spider Silk to drag the collapsed one closer, then unleashed a flurry of slashes to take it down in an instant. After that, I charged at the one with the broken leg.

It panicked and tried to escape into the lava, but under my [Heaven Eye], there was no way it could get away.

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"Behind you!"

Boom!

Suddenly, a mutated lizard charged at me from behind, slamming into me with its full body weight. I staggered forward, dazed, and at that very moment, another mutated one leapt from the lava, its jaws wide open to chomp down on me.

But I quickly used [Flash] to dodge away.

Damn it! My back is killing me!

I turned around and saw the five remaining mutated lizards gathered in one spot, staring directly at me. I didn't even need to see their faces to know—they were absolutely furious and hell-bent on killing me.

Good.

I wasn't done fighting anyway.

After that, I ordered all the spirits to return inside. I wanted to fight this next round as freely as possible.

"Hey, don't be reckless," Seina tried to stop me, but I had already made up my mind.

"Actually… this might be good…" Suzu said timidly.

"What's good about this!?" Seina's tone got a little heated.

"In a many-versus-one situation… the skill [Prediction] can be pushed to its limit and level up quickly…"

Oh? Even better, then.

Don't worry, Seina. If things get dicey, I'll call for senior Exc's help right away.

"Haaah… Fine, go play your little game—but don't drag us all to our deaths."

Hehe, I got it, I got it.