Chapter 61

If it’s something I can handle, then it’s not fear.

That’s what I think.

I exhale a sigh as I stare at the kitsune. There’s no sense of despair like I felt from Den-A, and no pressure of power like I felt from the oni.

I clench my trembling hands and forcibly stop the shaking. I deliberately place the kitsune, which I feel I shouldn’t look at, in the center of my vision and take another deep breath.

Even after doing this, I couldn’t pinpoint the cause of the fear. The fact that I couldn’t pinpoint it was a big clue. When I think about it, it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

This is magic.

I activate my fighting spirit. The light sphere has disappeared, but the kitsune itself, still smoldering, serves as a light source. In the heightened senses activated by my fighting spirit, that’s enough. The trembling stops as soon as the light sphere disappears. I feel something crackling and bursting a little away from my body. It’s evidence that magic is being used.

In fact, I no longer feel even a trace of fear towards the kitsune.

“...If it’s a magician, it’s a scary enemy, I guess.”

A sigh of relief escapes me. From my perspective, covered in fighting spirit, it’s just a large fox. It’s troublesome because of its strength, though.

The fox crouches and launches a high-speed tackle. The power is enough to dent and break through thick metal walls. But apart from the power, it’s not much. I turn and slam my fist into its head in sync with its movement. It’s fast, but I can react to this level of speed without any problem.

“Gah...!”

The fox lets out a short scream and collides with the wall. Dust rises again from the impact.

I kick the fox’s neck, which is trembling from the shock, and snap it. When the spasms of its limbs stop, the fox is already dead.

I examine the fox’s corpse while considering the magic I just experienced.

“Mental interference... something like that exists, huh.”

A type of magic that isn’t physical and is used specifically on living beings. This fox was equipped with such a thing. It’s clearly for competing with other living beings.

It has maintained its strength until now with this power.

...No, it could also be to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

A frightened animal will first try to flee, and only after giving up on fleeing will it prepare to fight. It’s possible that it... whether it’s a he or not, was trying to encourage my escape.

If that’s the case, I did a bad thing.

But, considering that it didn’t try to hide before I attacked, it seems different.

In the end, I don’t know why the fox obtained this magic. For fleeing or for fighting.

I’ll just remember that it was a scary monster.

The metal wall is broken and bent, spreading out like a peeled banana peel.

Through the hole the fox created, I can enter the inner room.

The inside is dusty and cluttered. There are fragments of what look like glass laboratory equipment scattered around. The monsters must have used this place as a den many times. Among the debris, there are bones of wild animals.

“Magic tools can sometimes be in a random box or on a table. If you find a lot, don’t take them all. Leave some for the next group.”

I recall Reshid’s words as I look around the room.

There’s a table in the center. This is where the laboratory equipment was probably placed. I remember the scene from a school science lab. There should be shelves along the walls.

Sure enough, the remains of a shattered shelf are piled up against the wall. I can see what look like glass bottles, so it might have been a chemical shelf.

“So, there might be something around here...”

I extend my magic to search for hollow spaces in the walls. It’s hard to tell because it’s covered with something like stone, but it wouldn’t be strange if there were built-in shelves here.

I pray they haven’t been destroyed and start searching.

And I find it easily.

It looks like just a slight indentation on the stone, but it’s probably a handle.

Using magic, I cut the stone so the drawer can function properly. With a light snap, it opens without any problem.

Inside the drawer, there are several glass orbs.

Each is about the size of a ping-pong ball and feels heavy when I pick one up. It’s cloudy with dust, but it easily becomes a clear sphere when wiped.

This must be a magic tool. That’s what I feel.

“Magic tools work when infused with fighting spirit. The effects are a surprise.”

I don’t understand why a ‘magic’ tool works with fighting spirit, but I guess that’s how it is.

I infuse the sphere with fighting spirit. Instantly, a worm-like object inside starts to glow, and soon the entire sphere lights up.

“Whoa!”

I can’t help but shout at the sphere glowing like it’s red-hot.

It’s not blinding, but the warm light makes my hand feel warm too.

...No, it’s not just my imagination. It’s actually getting warm.

The warmth in the palm of my hand, in a size that fits, and the light, though not bright enough to be a lamp.

So, this is...

“A hand warmer, maybe...”

The warmth in my hand feels somehow nostalgic.

The mission is accomplished.

There’s no need to go deeper, and I have no intention of doing so.

I leave the laboratory and start walking towards the outside. The path is now safe as long as no new monsters enter.

I avoid traps and move smoothly.

Stepping out of the ruins, I feel the blinding sunlight. I squint.

Looking at my clothes, they are dirty and covered in dust.

The exploration is over. Before selling the magic tools, I should tidy up my clothes.

Looking at the sparkling dust, I think to myself.