The Fastest Evolution of the Unrivaled Slime: My Rejected Skill was a Cheat for Super Efficient Leveling, So I Trained 100 Times Faster to Become the World’s Strongest

117. Beyond The Limits

“Uoooooooooo!!”

Gripping my sword, I swung Scarlet Blossom upward from below.

The flaming slash struck the basilisk’s massive body, eliciting a scream like a strangled chicken.

I could feel it. The damage was definitely there.

Yet, its movements only grew more intense, like a horse spurred by a whip.

“Gugaagaaa!!”

As I tried to thrust my sword again, the basilisk glared at me and lifted its head violently.

In the next moment, its mouth began to glow white. That beam again!

“I won’t fall for the same trick twice!!”

I quickly thrust my right hand forward, activating on instinct.

There wasn’t enough time to gather the magic power needed for a massive strike like the one that defeated the golem. This time, it would be only about 10% of my full power.

Before me, the two white lights collided simultaneously. The explosion’s blast shook me violently.

The two forces clashed and caused a fierce explosion. I kicked off the ground, leaping backward to avoid the blast.

“Kishaaarrr!!”

As the smoke cleared, the basilisk’s face, torn and mangled by the explosion, came into view.

Blood dripped profusely, and it was so grotesque it was hard to look at.

Yet, it showed no signs of falling. If anything, it seemed even more frenzied than before.

“Amazing…! Arx is fighting that King Basilisk on equal footing!”

“We could never match that. This is the higher level…”

I could hear Eleanor and Ilza’s awed voices. But my mind was elsewhere.

Is this thing immortal…? Any normal monster would have been defeated by now, but I couldn’t finish it off.

Or maybe my attacks just aren’t strong enough?

If I used , I might be able to defeat it. But that would take considerable time.

If Eleanor and Ilza could buy me some time, I might be able to fire it, but…

When we fought the golem, Barry was beaten up trying to buy time. I didn’t want to put them through that again.

As I swung my sword at the basilisk, I recalled my fight with Laura.

Back then, it also felt like my attacks weren’t reaching her. There wasn’t enough time to use . And my other methods weren’t effective against her.

I need a technique strong enough to defeat the basilisk without taking time. But how can I do that…!?

“Ugh!”

At that moment, the basilisk deflected my strike with its right arm and sent me flying with its other arm.

I rolled on the ground and quickly got up. Dusting myself off, I swiftly pointed my sword at the basilisk.

“Arx, we’ll hold them off!”

Ilza and Eleanor stepped in front of me to buy time to regain my stance.

But they would only last a few seconds. It was just a drop in the bucket. Its speed surpassed that of humans.

“…Huh?”

Then, I felt my vision blur as if I were fainting. I collapsed to my knees.

“Arx!?”

I saw Eleanor turning towards me. But I lost consciousness before I could respond.

＊

When I woke up, I was lying in Noah’s flower field. Surrounded by flowers, I jumped up in a panic.

“Why am I here…? Noah! Where are you!?”

“I’m right here.”

Noah was right next to me. She looked at me with a puzzled expression as I stood up.

“Noah! This is bad! I need to get back to my world quickly!”

“Huh? I didn’t call you here. Didn’t you come here by your own will?”

No, I just fainted. I didn’t intend to visit Noah during the battle.

But Noah seemed genuinely confused.

Did I really come here by my own will? If so, why—

“Arx, can you explain the situation to me? Maybe I can help.”

“Right…”

Noah sat on the ground and listened to my story. Given the urgency, I only summarized the key points.

I was currently fighting the King Basilisk. Eleanor and Ilza were in danger. And I had no effective technique against it.

After hearing everything, Noah nodded with a look of understanding.

“I see, Arx. You came here by your own will.”

“But I really don’t remember. I need to fight as soon as possible…”

“Arx. You desire ‘new power,’ don’t you?”

Her words hit me. She was right; I sought power to counter King Basilisk.

“Is there new power!?”

“Yes. Rather, you can obtain it.”

“Obtain it…? What do you mean?”

Noah continued, seeing my confusion.

“When did you gain new power?”

“When my level increased…”

“Yes. But it’s strange to only get stronger when your level goes up, isn’t it?”

I didn’t understand. My skills strengthened and I gained new abilities when my level increased.

“If you could only get stronger when your level rises, awakening skills at age ten wouldn’t make sense. And when you manifested , it didn’t involve a level-up, right?”

That’s true. There were exceptions in my life.

But what does that have to do with the current situation…?

“People gain new power not just at level-up moments. It happens when they break their limits.”

“Break their limits…?”

“Arx, you’ve been using a lot over there, haven’t you? And that pushed you beyond your limits. In other words, it met the conditions for growth.”

It was a statement that broke common sense. Everyone knew people only got stronger when they leveled up.

But somehow, it made sense. I might have intuitively understood it after overcoming many challenges.

It also explained Laura. There shouldn’t be a significant level gap between us, yet she was overwhelmingly strong.

She had repeatedly broken her limits. Her swordsmanship proved that.

“Thank you, Noah. I’ll be back!”

“Be careful. I’ll be waiting for you to visit again.”

I wanted to talk to Noah longer, but I was wary of time passing. I lay down again and closed my eyes.

I had sought to come here by my own will. It was because my heart desired more power.

Instinctively, I knew Noah would give me a hint. And I was right.

And I had met the conditions for gaining new power.

“Come!!”

In the dark world between Noah’s flower field and reality, I shouted.

――

ability has been enhanced.

――