part1 · 056-ep56

Episode 56: Wreathed in Magic

The exploration of the fourth floor continued. Ren pressed onward, little by little, cutting down monsters as he went.

Since learning 《Magic Manipulation》, combat had become noticeably easier.

He concentrated magic into his legs. Stepped in. Gathered magic into his arm only at the moment of attack.

By strengthening only where it was needed, he could keep his magic consumption down.

"...I'm getting pretty used to this."

But there was still one thing he couldn't do. Ren looked at his spear.

"This."

He flowed magic into the spear. For just an instant, magic gathered at its head. But it vanished right away.

"...Still can't hold it steady, huh."

Even so, he didn't give up. He tried again and again.

And—

That day, partway through his exploring, Ren ran into a monster a size bigger than any he'd fought before.

A low growl. Sharp fangs. A big body — and fast on top of it.

"...Looks strong."

Ren readied his spear. The monster kicked off the ground.

Fast.

Ren leapt sideways. Claws swept past right in front of him.

"Kh...!"

He counterattacked at once. Thrust out the spear.

But—

Hard.

The spear was knocked away.

"...!"

The monster came at him again. Ren put distance between them.

Against the monsters so far, body strengthening alone had been enough to fight. But this one was different.

Its body was hard, too. At this rate, nothing he had would finish it.

"In that case..."

Ren tightened his grip on the spear. And poured magic into it.

Into his arm.

And—into the spear.

He'd tried it countless times. It had never worked.

But right now, he couldn't afford to fail.

The monster closed in.

"...More."

He concentrated his magic. From his body into the spear. He focused on the flow of magic.

And in that moment—

《Survival Adaptation activated.》

Inside Ren, the flow of magic changed.

《Beginning adaptation to current combat conditions.》

《Accelerating adaptation to magic imbuement of weapons via Magic Manipulation.》

"...!"

The magic that had kept breaking off became a single, unbroken flow. From his arm to the spear. From the spear to its head.

The magic didn't escape.

"With this...!"

The monster came leaping. Ren stepped in head-on.

Magic into his legs. His body accelerated.

And—

"There!"

He thrust out the spear, wreathed in magic.

—Thud!

The spear that had been knocked away until now punched clean through the monster's body. The monster fell to the ground.

"...I did it."

Ren looked at his spear. A thin layer of magic still clung to its head.

《Adapted to magic imbuement of weapons.》

《Magic Manipulation proficiency has increased.》

"..."

Ren gave the spear a light swing. The magic still wasn't completely stable. He couldn't sustain it for long, either.

Even so—

"It works."

Attacks that had never reached before could reach now.

Ren looked at the monster he'd felled.

"I'm getting stronger, huh."

From there, Ren kept moving through the fourth floor. Cutting monsters down with a spear wreathed in magic.

The more he fought, the more used to the sensation he became.

And—

A while later, the path came to an end. What lay beyond it was a staircase leading down.

"..."

Ren looked down the stairs. From their depths flowed an air unlike anything before.

"The fifth floor, huh."

He let out a small breath.

He'd learned a lot on the fourth floor. 《Magic Manipulation》. And the technique of wreathing his spear in magic.

But—

Beyond this point, stronger monsters were waiting.

"Let's go."

Ren started down the stairs.

To the fifth floor.

One step deeper again.