SWNOVELXO Chapter 111
111. Sparring In The Forest
“GOGOGOGOGOGOOOO!!”
The roar echoed through the forest like an earthquake. In front of me stood a humanoid monster boasting an overwhelming physique.
“…Here I go!”
I kicked off the ground and leaped with all my might. I charged toward the alabaster torso of the ten-meter-tall monster. Raising my fist, I struck down hard.
The sensation of my fist hitting flesh. It was a full-force punch, but I could feel an equal amount of recoil.
“UGAAAAAAA!!!”
The familiar monster roared and pushed me back with just the shockwave, then immediately launched an attack. Seeing its tree-thick arm descending towards me, I braced my feet on the ground.
“Lauha, I’m putting everything into this strike!”
“GOOOOO!!”
With our shouts, my straight punch collided with the giant fist. At the same time, a fierce wind began to blow, causing the forest trees to rustle.
After a few seconds of silence, I transformed into a slime.
[…How was that?]
[I think it was much better than before!]
The day after losing to Laura. I was sparring one-on-one with Rauche.
After a night of defeat, the reason I sought out Lauha was simple: to defeat Laura.
[So, what did you think? Did you get any hints?]
[Hmm, I’m not sure yet. I thought fighting Rauche might give me some ideas, but…]
Laura’s strikes were powerful enough to cause windstorms with a mere swing of her sword, and craters would form from the impact when she kicked the ground.
After thinking about it yesterday, I concluded that the best way to counter those fierce attacks was to devise tactics by fighting against a large-scale opponent like Lauha.
This morning, I came to this forest, and Lauha and I had been fighting for about two hours. However, I still felt unsure.
Firstly, sparring with Lauha made it clear that Laura’s strength was on a whole different level.
Indeed, the strikes from Lauha’s overwhelming physique were powerful, and when our fists collided, I could feel an impact strong enough to blow me away.
But—something was missing. There was a high wall that I could never reach with Laura’s attacks.
No matter how much I fought, I couldn’t find a technique strong enough to counter her power.
Among the cards I had, the only ones effective against Laura’s strikes were the Iron Wall Slime’s guard and the Sliding Burst. However, neither was very effective.
Indeed, bridging the sheer difference in skill was difficult. I didn’t have the technique to do so yet.
[Arx. By the way, how strong are you now? If I know that, I might be able to help.]
[Hmm, well, my current level is…]
I opened my status and read out my level and skills.
――
Arx Seirant, 17 years old, Male
Level 46
Skills
[Slime Tamer]… Can generate level 8 slimes. Maximum of 58.
[Slime Maker]… Can class change slimes?
・Appraisal Slime (1) ・Storage Slime (1) ・Warp Slime (1) ・Iron Wall Slime (4)
・Healing Slime (3) ・Copy Slime (1) ・Alchemy Slime (1)
・Slime General ・Slime Assassin ・Slime Archer
――
[I see… At your current state, countering superpower might be difficult.]
[Yeah. Plus, my leveling pace has slowed down. Still, I can’t rely on quick fixes…]
I pondered deeply. Rauche sat down on the ground, silently gazing at the sky through the trees.
[Perhaps leveling up is the best course. I can spar with you for a while, but your growth rate is unmatched. One day, you’ll surpass me. Learning and fighting on your own might also be important.]
Lauha was right. To gain techniques to counter Laura and to increase my skill, leveling up was essential.
[So, I should head deeper into the dungeon… But walking through the same places every day is getting to me…]
“Ar-kun? Ar-kun!”
While I was feeling like a headless slime, I heard the forest bushes rustle.
Emerging from the bushes were Sierra-san in her usual uniform, and Ilza standing expressionlessly beside her.