Chapter 30 Taking Down A Rampaging Behemoth With One Punch
I came to the forest to search for a lost cat on a quest from my guild.
The girl who asked me to find it described it as a five-meter tall creature with claws, fangs, and the ability to fly—a black cat.
"It's a Behemoth...!"
Comet Witch Mercury-san, who's with me, stomps her feet in frustration.
A Behemoth...?
"It's a type of mythical beast. Like Phoenixes and Unicorns, they're rare monsters with high intelligence and strong magical powers."
"Huh? We have plenty of Phoenixes and Unicorns in My Village, you know?"
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Mercury-san grabs her head and twists her body in frustration.
"But, they do exist. When it's the mating season for Phoenixes, they often come and cause trouble in the fields, at least that's what the Granny's in the village often say."
"Don't compare Phoenixes to crows...! They're rare, very rare!"
Hmm... I'm not quite convinced.
In my village, Phoenixes and Unicorns are pretty common.
"I understand, if Mercury-san says so, then it must be true!"
"Why does it seem like I'm the one who's wrong HEREEEEE!"
"Are you okay? Do you need a headache pill (Elixir)?"
"I don't need it!!!! Anyway, Behemoths are rare creatures. It's not good to have them in a city like this. Why on earth...?"
The black cat... I mean, the Behemoth lying in front of me wakes up.
"W-wow... To survive Leaf-kun's homemade instant-death sound bomb, that's impressive!"
"Oh, come on, it's not a sound bomb that kills~"
"I'm dead, you know...!!!"
"But you're alive, aren't you?"
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!"
The Behemoth slowly got up.
"Oh, Tai-chan is awake. Nice to meet you, I'm Leaf. I'm an adventurer."
"L-Leaf-kun... you can really have a conversation with this monster?"
Mercury-san is clinging tightly to me.
I can feel her body shaking.
"Mercury-san, do you want to fight?"
"Why would you say that!?"
"Well, because you're shivering like a warrior."
"I'm scared! It's intimidating to see such a ferocious monster in front of me!"
Its body is huge when I look up.
It has two sharp fangs coming from its mouth.
The shiny black fur stands on end, looking as sharp as a blade.
'Adventurer...?'
"Yeah,... Lily-chan asked me to find you, who went missing."
'Lily...'
One word is enough to make Tai-chan's eyes start overflowing with tears.
Is it crying?
I wonder why...
Despite having a tough appearance, seeing Tai-chan shedding tears made it seem like there was a special reason behind it.
And... I didn't really find it scary to begin with, but now I definitely don't.
'Human... Leave... from here...'
"Huh, no way. I'm not leaving without you."
'In my [current state]... it's no use. I might hurt Lily... ugh...'
Tai-chan frowned and looked down.
Rumble...! A black magic power emanated from its body.
"What, what is this monster-like amount of magic power! This is... the hidden power of the mythical beast species... Behemoth!"
'Run... away... quickly...! I need to preserve my self... ughhhhh!'
A black wind blew from Tai-chan.
...It had a bad smell.
"Mercury-san! I'm pulling you!"
"What? GYEAAAAAAAAAA!"
I grabbed Mercury-san's collar and jumped far back.
A black storm raged from Tai-chan.
The parts touched by the storm were disappearing....
"The power of annihilation...!? That is... dark magic!"
"Dark magic?"
"It's magic that destroys and annihilates everything it touches. Behemoth is a mythical beast of darkness... a user of all dark magic!"
A storm raging around Tai-chan.
The trees in the forest were disappearing because of it.
The ground, the flying leaves, everything.
In the center of the black storm, Tai-chan was there, letting out a beast-like growl.
Unlike before, the figure showed no sign of intelligence, reminiscent of an injured wild animal.
...At the same time, I also had another image in mind.
"Leaf-kun, what will you do? There's no way we can bring that child back. I'm sorry for Lily-chan, but we have to exterminate it, no matter what."
"No... Mercury-san. I'm taking Tai-chan home."
Mercury-san's eyes go wide.
"Ah, how can you say that after seeing how wild Tai-chan can be!?"
"Yes. To me... Tai-chan still seems to be holding on by a thread."
"Holding on...?"
"Between instinct and reason, is what I would say. If it really wanted to kill us, it could have attacked us long ago. But, all it does is stir up a storm and doesn't move from that spot."
"T-that's true... if it really wanted to kill us, it would be much easier for Tai-chan to do it with its claws or teeth."
Yes. Considering how Tai-chan seemed when we were talking earlier, and how it appeared to be suffering just now, I just couldn't see Tai-chan as a target for elimination.
"But... what will you do? If you touch that storm, even Leaf-kun will disappear, right?"
"Don't worry!"
"Huh?"
"I'm going! I'll be right back!"
"W-wait a minute!?"
I run at full speed towards where Tai-chan is.
A black wind touches my right hand.
Whooosshh...!
My right hand disappears...
ZINGG!
"Your right hand automatically grew backkkk!!!"
The wind attacks me, and because of dark magic, my body disappears, then instantly reappears.
"What's happening!?"
"It's Elixir!"
"Elixir!?"
"Yes! By adjusting the dosage, I extended the duration of Elixir's effects!"
Normally, when you drink Elixir, its effects instantly activate and heal the body.
But the activation time is really just a split second.
Otherwise, if it heals too much, it's not good for the body.
Medicine can turn into poison.
Excessive medicine can become a toxin that harms cells.
"I adjusted Elixir to keep activating continuously. That means! My body heals automatically every time it disappears!"
"So, but following that theory... you'd be constantly exposed to poison... Ah!"
Yes, I have Poison Immunity.
Through repeated experiments since childhood, poison has no effect on me!
I move forward through the black storm.
Soon, I reach Tai-chan's side.
"Tai-chan! I'm taking you home!"
'Rrrooarrr!;
As Tai-chan recoils, a breath is emitted from its mouth.
It's a breath with tremendous force, comparable to a dragon's breath.
And it's imbued with black dark magic, a super-compressed wind strike.
"Hmph!"
I make a fist and deflect it!
The deflected breath flies off at an angle.
"I will... heal you! So please, just sleep for a while!"
I sneak into my pocket.
Right now, the Divine Healer Staff isn't with me.
Then... I have no choice but to administer it directly!
"Prescription: Sleep! And... take this!"
I conjure Sleep at the tip of my hand and strike Tai-chan's belly with it.
BOOOOOMMMMMM!
Tai-chan bends into a 'く' shape and loses consciousness.
I gently hold it so it doesn't fall and lay it on the ground.
"Phew... Alright!"
"That's not alright!!!"
Mercury-san approaches and taps my head.
"You could have been in danger!!!"
"Huh, but wasn't it safe?"
"What if you had died!!!!"
"Well, we could just revive me, right?"
"It's not that SIMPLEEEEE!"
Anyway, I've stopped Tai-chan's rampage. Now, it's time for treatment.
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