Chapter 14 Combat Styles and ‘Clones’
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
In this chapter, Neil and Diana explain their fighting styles and clone.
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In the forest far from the settlements, I was persuaded by Diana to enter the labyrinthine lands to hunt for monsters for food…
”Aaaaaah!”
”Master Neil, please be quiet. The monsters will surround us if you speak so loudly.”
”We’re already surrounded!!”
Yes, we’re surrounded by monsters.
No, we might be okay if we just hunt one big monster and go back. But I was a fool to think so.
This is a labyrinth, a magical place where ‘clone’ roam.
Even if we tried to find a monster to eat, all we encountered were ‘clone’, which were a mass of magical power, and of course there was no way we could get food even if we defeated them.
”Damn! I thought it would be an easy job just to hunt one monster!”
”There’s no way we’re going to have such an easy time when we step into the labyrinth. Let me tell you clearly… Master Neil has no sense of discretion at all…”
”Ah! I’ve only just realized that again!”
I say back to Diana, pointing the tip of my sword at the approaching monster.
”Blow it away!”
As soon as I shouted that, the blade glowed light green, and countless blades of wind sliced through the monster’s body, blasting it backward.
The monster, its body cut into pieces, disperses its magic power from its wounds and disappears as if dissolving into the air.
Before I see the last of it, I fill my blade with the magic I’ve consumed, and point it at my next target.
The blade of my sword is made of a special mineral called melanicht, which absorbs magic power and is used as a kind of activation medium for magic.
However, if a person who deals with monsters has a medium for activating magic, it is usually a staff, and moreover, the most common medium used is a magical crystal stone that can store more magical power than melanicht.
Each magic crystal stone has its own attribute, which not only facilitates the use of magic of that attribute but also boosts its power, so that every magician uses a magic crystal stone of the attribute that suits him or her.
On the other hand, melanichth has no such attribute, and is often used for everyday items such as lighting, and is rarely used in battle.
Then, why do I make a sword out of melanicht and use it as a medium for activating magic?
My overall ability is high, but it is only higher than the average, and I am only second-rate compared to the best of people.
I have not mastered swordsmanship enough to stand on my own as a swordsman, nor do I know enough magic to stand on my own as a magician.
If the choice is only a second-rate one, then why don’t I just choose either of them?
Even if I am not as good as the best, there must be a possibility in terms of total value, and this is the style that I have thought through.
On the other hand, Diana’s fighting style was a melee type with claws as weapons.
However, Diana’s claws were equipped only for the labyrinthine land, and she had other weapons that she was originally good at.
Since the ‘clone’ is not a living being but a mass of magical power, it does not have a weak point such as a brain or a heart, which are always present in a living being.
Therefore, the basic principle of combat, which is to aim at the opponent’s weak points and kill them, does not apply to ‘clones’, but there are things that can be called weak points.
The vital point of the ‘clone’ is the ‘clone’, its very existence.
The body of the replicant, which is a mass of magical power, is not reproduced inside except the surface of the body, and is filled with only magical power.
Even if the surface of the body of the ‘clone’ is simply damaged, the magic power overflowing from the wound will close the wound like a scab, repairing the surface of the body and restoring it to its original state.
However, this is limited to wounds with a small surface area like a cut, and if the surface of the body is cut as if it were gouged out, the magic power that makes up the ‘clone’ will erupt at once, and the ‘clone’ that cannot maintain its body due to lack of magic power will disappear as it is.
This is exactly what happened to the ‘clone’ when it disappeared after I dismembered its body with magic just now.
Then, taking into account the characteristics of the ‘clone’, Diana has chosen to use the claw.
She thrusts her claws deeply into the ‘clone’, and when she pulls them out, she does not just pull them out, but she twists her wrist to scoop up the ‘clone’ and gouges out the surface of the clone’s body, causing it to disappear with a burst of magical power.
By the way, it is difficult to make a cut big enough to annihilate a ‘clone’ with a simple sword, and a striking weapon such as a hammer must be powerful enough to smash a duplicate to pieces in order to defeat a ‘clone, this was one of the reasons for the lack of progress in the labyrinth.
”Ha~a, damn, how many of them are there?”
”It seems that the core of this labyrinth favors quantity over quality. Each one is fragile and weak, even the normally hard shell can be penetrated relatively easily.”
”No matter how weak they are, they are troublesome when there are so many of them.”
One of the characteristics of the ‘clones’ is that they do not necessarily have the same strength as that of the base body.
It seems that the core creating the labyrinth has a preference, and there are two types: one that prioritizes quantity over quality and gives priority to the number of ‘clones’ even if they are weaker than the base body, and the other that prioritizes quality and creates ‘clones’ that are as strong as the base body or even stronger than the base body.
According to an expert on labyrinths, if there is enough magic power to create a clone that is as strong as the base body, it is possible to create five clones of the same body with half the strength, and there are labyrinths in the world that produce a tremendous amount of monsters, depending on the number of clones.
To tell the truth, I don’t have much experience in fighting monsters, so I don’t know how strong the ‘clones’ I am fighting are, but considering the sheer number of them, I guess this labyrinth is the type that prioritizes quantity over quality, as Diana said.
”But if the quality is declining, we don’t have to deal with each and every one of them carefully, do we?”
So far, I have been dealing with them one by one carefully for fear of missing a kill, but if their shells are so fragile that I can easily penetrate them, that’s a different story.
I switch my magic from a single target to a ranged one, and, taking advantage of the fact that I can hit them, I fire my magic at the group of ‘clones’.
Once Diana realized that her opponent was weak, she was able to handle the ‘clone’ much faster, and we succeeded in destroying the swarm of ‘clones’ that had come in.
”Ha~a… Ha~a… I knew it, but they were all clones…”
”I thought there might be at least one base body mixed in, but there were none, weren’t there? Master Neil, how much magic do you have left?”
”Ah, I think I’ve used about 30% of it now.”
”I understand. I can’t fight too many battles in a row, considering the time when we will return. I still have some energy left, so Master Neil, please refrain from using magic for a while.”
”I guess we’re still going, huh… Okay.”
It’s not surprising since we haven’t gotten anything out of it, but I don’t think our lives will be worth it if we keep wandering around this place.
If there’s a next time, we’ll have to gather more forces.
”Roarrrrr!”
”Huh! Master Neil! That was…”
”Yeah, I heard it clearly.”
Diana and I immediately know each other’s intention when we hear the sudden scream.
Clones do not have feelings, so they do not threaten us, do not howl in pain, and do not even scream when they die.
And if the clone does scream, it is obvious that it was the base body, and from the volume of its screams, it seems to be a big guy.
We hurried to the owner of the scream to finish the hunt before we get entangled with any more clones.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.