After that, I talked with Nanashi for a long time.
I explained that I’m stuck in the forest, and he despaired at first, but then got optimistic saying we just need to find the way out.
Being able to be optimistic no matter how dire the situation is a sign of strength. Not physical, but mental. The kind of strength you need to face adversity.
No matter how terrible the situation, Nanashi struggles to the end, thinks, and has the power to grasp the future.
This kind of guy definitely has charisma.
I’m sure he’s the kind of guy that attracts people, draws them in, and can do big things. That’s good if he’s a nice person, but if he turns to evil, he can lead people around him to destruction.
Looking at Nanashi, I don’t think I need to worry about that, but the experiences to come can change a person. It doesn’t matter if you’re young or old, dealing with people changes you to some extent.
If possible, I’d like to surround Nanashi with good people.
He’s cool enough for me to think that.
“Kyui!”
“Guah!?”
Nanashi is having a mock battle with Hinata, and being blown away by someone less than half his size.
Nanashi rolls on the ground, and Hinata snorts proudly.
What a strange sight.
Nanashi definitely has a strong heart, but that doesn’t equate to being powerful. Maybe his heart is the strongest here, but sadly, when it comes to fighting, he’s the weakest.
“Kuh. I’m not done yet!!”
“Kyun!”
Nanashi gets up again and again, and challenges Hinata.
He’s using a regular sword from a downed hobgoblin, offered by me.
The equipment he used before isn’t usable anymore, so I made clothes for him like mine. By infusing them with magic energy, they should be stronger than what he had, but sadly, he can’t do that while fighting.
“Guho!”
And so, he gets injured when he’s hit in a bad spot, so he can only fight when Fuuma or me are around.
Just being hit in the pit of the stomach is enough for him to faint in agony, so he needs Healing Magic. Then he gets up again and faces Hinata.
As for why he’s having mock battles with Hinata, it’s precisely because he’s weak.
I think he’s on par with a pro as a seeker, but that’s nothing in The Abyss. If he went into the forest as he is now, he’d be hunted by monsters in a second.
I told him that, and he said he wants to train.
I said yes, thinking he’d be perfect for Hinata too, but he’s weaker than I thought.
I’d say he fights like a daredevil that relies on his skills.
He can swing a sword. He told me his parents taught him, but that’s all.
“Fire!!”
Nanashi extends his arm and intense fire comes out, aimed at Hinata in the sky.
“Kyu!”
Hinata rotates and dodges, and approaches Nanashi fast to hit him in the stomach with the wooden sword.
Nanashi can’t respond, and rolls on the ground again after being hit without being able to do anything.
He seems to have the Fire Magic skill, but it doesn’t look like he can use it very well. Fire magic is an element with pure offensive power, but he only uses it like a flamethrower. It has some good force at the start, but loses it by the time it reaches where Hinata is.
“Dammit!”
He tries to get up, frustrated, but can’t put strength into his legs and ran out of magic energy, so he can’t move.
Good effort, but it’s over.
I call it, and cover Nanashi with a towel.
I can use Healing Magic, but I can’t restore his magic energy, so he’s staying immobile.
“Hey, am I getting stronger?”
Well, you’re a lot better than before. I’d say the over-reliance on skills is ingrained into you. You have a tendency to become really weak when your skills don’t work against someone. Let’s fix that.
“All right, I understand. Then face me next time, John Doe.”
Me? Hn, okay. After you rest.”
“Thanks.”
Nanashi falls asleep on the ground, like he reached his limit.
Sleeping is the most effective way to recover magic energy, so he should recover a good amount quickly.
He’ll eat when he wakes up, and I’ll face him for a bit.
As I think that, I grab Hinata as it comes at me, and throw it at Totaro.
“What is this!? It’s so good! This meat’s so tasty!”
Nanashi reacts like when I first had sea turtle meat. Hinata reacted like that too, only Totaro was different.
When I gave Totaro roasted sea turtle meat, it looked somewhat scared, like it knew what the meat was from.
It still ate, but did so fearfully.
Totaro might be an underling of that sea turtle or something like that.
“Wow, I can feel power welling up.”
He clenches his fists and grins at the rising magic energy.
The suddenly boosted power might be overwhelming his senses.
Eating sea turtle meat does increase magic energy, but whether or not it can be used well depends on the user.
I take a wooden sword, and face Nanashi and Hinata.
“Are you really going to take us on at the same time?”
Nanashi is complaining like he thought it was going to be one-on-one.
Say that after you beat the pipsqueak.
“Kyui!”
Hinata points the short sword at me angrily. Is it because I called it pipsqueak?
What can I do? I can’t say its name anymore.
I need to investigate that too, but I don’t sense hostility from anything, so I feel like it’s fine.
Anyway, that’s for later.
“…Kuh.”
What, aren’t you coming?
Nanashi holds up his sword and moves a little, but doesn’t show any sign of coming to attack. I provoke him, but still nothing. I feel like he’s so focused that he isn’t hearing me.
Eventually, the sound of his breathing gets shorter, and I feel like he’s deeply focused.
I look at him wondering if he’ll start soon, and an attack comes from elsewhere.
“Kyuh!!”
Spears of light are thrown at me.
Hinata’s light magic is pretty strong, and faster than my magic.
Still, controlling magic energy is hard, and I can see the timing when it launches them and the movements that come before.
Basically, it’s not a threat to me.
I ward off every light spear, and throw Hinata away after it hides in their shadows to come to attack.
Nanashi sees an opening there, and approaches faster than ever before.
But it’s still slow.
Without turning to him, I take a step closer and hit his jaw with a back fist, shaking his brain.
As I think I didn’t even need the wooden sword, Nanashi falls to his knees and doesn’t get back up, and I send a tornado to Hinata to immobilize it. This is over.
“I couldn’t do anything.”
“Kyuu.”
Of course, do you have any idea what I’ve been through?
I’ve been close to dying several times since I fell into The Abyss.
I fought many strong opponents, won, and had to run away pathetically at times. My power reflects those experiences, so I’m not going to lose to a kid or someone that just got here.
It’s only just beginning.
I’ll take you on as many times as needed. Challenge me again.
I say to them, who are sitting down. Then Hinata’s magic energy rises and Nanashi suddenly moves out.
That’s sudden, I think as I send both flying.
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