part1 · 027-ep27

Episode 27: Making Sure

The next day. Ren stood alone among the rocks.

Spear in hand. And in front of him, a single monster.

An opponent he would have fled from the moment he saw it, until yesterday. But today was different.

Ren stared at the monster, thinking.

"...I want to hear it again."

That voice he'd heard yesterday. He'd been in the middle of a fight, so he barely remembered it.

In that case—

all he could do was try to recreate the same situation.

　　　　　◇

The monster moved. Ren readied his spear, too.

"Come on."

The monster lunged. Ren dodged sideways.

He could see its movements better than yesterday. He thrust the spear straight out.

—Slash.

It left a shallow wound on the monster's body.

"...I can keep going."

The monster turned. It came at him again.

Ren dodged its attacks and swung the spear. Once. Twice. Three times.

Little by little, he was getting used to the fight.

But—

nothing happened.

"...Where's the voice?"

Even after defeating the monster, he heard nothing.

"...So that's not it."

Ren tilted his head.

　　　　　◇

He searched for another monster. This one was a little stronger than the last.

Ren readied his spear.

"This time..."

He fought. Dodged the attacks. Struck back.

But even after fighting for a while, nothing happened.

"...Wrong again."

Ren put distance between them. But he had no intention of giving up here.

"One more time."

　　　　　◇

A third. A fourth.

Ren fought monster after monster. Not just to kill them. He was watching for what happened to his own body.

Fatigue. Pain. Breathing. The feel of his body.

And—

the moment he sensed danger.

"...!"

The monster's attack grazed Ren's shoulder. Pain shot through him. Reflexively, he put distance between them.

That instant.

Deep inside his body—

it went hot, the same as yesterday.

"...There it is."

Ren's eyes widened.

And.

A voice echoed in his head.

《Survival Adaptation confirmed.》

Ren's movements stopped.

"...!"

He'd heard it. This time, clearly. He had definitely heard it.

《Beginning adaptation to current threat.》

"This is it...!"

It burst out of him before he could stop it.

The voice he'd heard yesterday. Back then, he'd been too desperate in the fight to catch it. But now was different. He'd heard it, plainly.

And—

deep inside him, the heat came again. His vision grew just a little sharper. His breathing changed. His body responded to the monster's movements.

"...Just as I thought."

Ren looked at the monster. Just a tiny bit more than a moment ago, he could read its movements.

But—

Ren didn't know yet. How far this change would remake him.

And that repeating this power, over and over—

would, in time, change him greatly.