Chapter 25

King Kong lunged at me.

I activated the shadow technique I had finally started to get used to, and fought back against his massive body.

I hardened the shadows I released like fists and collided them with King Kong's tackle.

Thinking that I could knock him back, my attack hit perfectly.

"Uho!?"

I pushed back King Kong's massive body.

Confirming that King Kong stumbled, I started to run.

While running, I manipulated the shadows and launched them at King Kong like spears. King Kong, displaying his wild physical abilities, quickly regained his stance and dodged all of my shadow attacks.

The slash I swung also missed the mark.

King Kong grinned and charged at me.

If it hit directly, it would be dangerous.

I manipulated the shadows to form a wall.

When King Kong's fist hit the shadow, I felt a sensation as if it was being pushed back.

It was difficult to completely block powerful attacks.

I could use the Black Shield in a similar way, but it was far less durable.

Having no choice, I manipulated the shadows to deflect the attack.

King Kong's body stumbled, and I took advantage of the opening to slash at him.

My sword successfully severed one of King Kong's arms.

Despite screaming in pain, King Kong gritted his teeth and, with bloodshot eyes, brought down his remaining fist.

He probably thought that his punch would hit me if I intentionally showed an opening.

However, his attack was stopped by a sudden black wall.

His fist slammed into the Black Shield I had activated between us.

A creaking sound echoed.

It wasn't from my Black Shield.

"Guahaaa!?"

It was from King Kong.

King Kong's fist, swung to crush me, had all its power reflected back at him.

He might have thought it would be like the shadows from before.

His bones shattered, and as King Kong screamed, I extended the shadows.

"Gaahaa!"

King Kong tried to escape from the shadows that wrapped around his body, but he couldn't.

The shadows coiled around King Kong's body and snapped his neck.

King Kong foamed at the mouth and fell.

Confirming that King Kong had sunk with a loud thud, I let out a small breath.

I've really gotten used to this.

Thanks to the many battles I've had since my first real combat with the Hydewolf.

Still, during battles, I can't move smoothly unless I'm constantly focused.

I need more training to manipulate them like my own limbs.

At this level of precision, I can't handle strong enemies.

The man in the hood who I fought yesterday came to mind.

...If I have to fight an opponent like that, I need to be able to move even more.

Thinking this, I sought out more practice opponents and searched for monsters.

Along the way, I also used the Dark Knight to check my body's condition while fighting.

No matter how many times I tried, the Dark Knight didn't become any easier to use.

This skill is purely a physical enhancement that increases stamina consumption.

While stamina consumption more than doubles, it provides enough power to overwhelm something like King Kong.

The drawbacks are significant, but it can be a trump card when facing an opponent that my current strength can't handle.

I need to determine how long I can use it without issues.

I fought the newly appeared King Kong with the Dark Knight activated.

Although I easily overpowered King Kong, I let out a breath due to the fatigue.

While using the shadow technique to kill monsters as a break, another reaction appeared in my detection technique.

It was a humanoid.

The main purpose of this mission is to test my skills, but the real goal is to investigate the humanoids in the north.

I immediately disposed of the corpses and activated Assassin and Stealth.

While being cautious of my surroundings, I approached the direction of the reaction.

The one there looked human.

Why are they here? This question came to mind, but first, I checked if the man in the hood was among them.

...Good. He's not there.

Still, I can't let my guard down.

Even if it's not the man in the hood, someone might notice me.

I observed them from the shadows of a tree for a while, but they didn't seem to notice me.

If they're pretending not to notice, there's nothing I can do.

The humans were wearing collars.

Are they slave collars? However, their faces didn't show much despair.

The humans were hunting monsters and seemed to be having fun chatting.

Their conversation was trivial, about how the monsters tasted good and who would take them down next.

They seemed to get along quite well.

I followed them for a while, but no useful information came up.

Just as I was sighing, one of them said,

"Let's head back to the base soon. We'll get scolded by Lord Reibhalt."

"Yeah, you're right."

...Reibhalt?

Everyone started walking north.

Is the man in the hood Reibhalt?

Given the direction, they seemed to be from the hidden base.

I followed them and eventually arrived near the base.

"Hehe, we've gotten pretty strong, haven't we?"

"Yeah, maybe we can start doing it upstairs soon."

...Doing it upstairs? As I pondered the meaning of the words, they entered the base.

As the base gradually transformed back into the forest, the lizardman humanoid guarding the entrance and the humans exchanged a few words.

I couldn't hear their conversation from my position.

If I entered the base, I might get more information, but...

I don't know if I can safely get out of that base.

It's not the time to take unnecessary risks.

I left without staying any longer and started walking back to the village.

This is a new series. ↓ Please read from the link below!

I accidentally went on a rampage against an S-rank monster while helping my sister with her dungeon streaming, and it went viral.

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9783ig/

The Dark Knight who time-looped uses future knowledge to go on a rampage—how the outcasted me rises from the bottom.

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n9795ig/