Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Giant Steel Soldier

GOOO—NN!!

In a corner of the labyrinth, a thunderous roar followed the rising of a cloud of dust.

Collapsed the ground in one blow… Expected of a golem, that’s a lot of arm strength.

The behemoth had gone back to that fork in the road, then challenged the golem to another match when he met up with it again. He couldn’t help but praise its power.

My turn, then. «Flight»!

A pair of jet-black wings sprouted from the behemoth’s back, and he kicked off the ground.

He didn’t stand a chance the first time around because of his lack of range, but that wasn’t an issue any longer. Now he could fight on equal ground. Or equal air, as it were.

「Nyan «Rock Howl»!」

He aimed for the golem’s weak point, firing his earth elemental roar at the magic lettering on the golem’s forehead.

『GOAAAAA!!』

But the golem wasn’t stupid! Raising its arms at a speed that betrayed its hulking form, the stones bounced off its massive metal muscles without harm.

The behemoth clicked his tongue, fluttering his wings to gain some ground. He felt something coming.

The golem’s arm swung down right in front of the behemoth. It didn’t hit him, but its size alone caused enough air pressure to knock him off balance.

Looks like I’m not going to get anywhere with those in the way.

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He narrowly escaped turning into a kitty-shaped splat on the floor, his years of military service striking him with a capture plan.

「Nyan (Take this)!」

The behemoth began spitting hot fire from his «Elemental Howl» lineup.

His opponent’s body was made of steel. It couldn’t do anything if it melted.

So as it swung its free arm, the behemoth dodged every swipe, firing his «Flame Howl» into its defense every time he got a breath.

But it just wouldn’t end.

The golem’s arms were already burning red, but there wasn’t a sign of melting. He knew it’d turn into a battle of endurance like this, between his mana and the golem’s arms.

Guess it’s a failure again, huh…? Ah—

「Nyan («Rock Howl»)!」

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The instant the attack landed, a crunching noise reverberated through the golem’s arm.

Upon closer inspection, the arm was dented. If earth couldn’t break it, and fire couldn’t melt it, the only logical conclusion was to use both.

«Rock Howl»!

«Rock Howl»!!

«Rock Howl»—!!!

He fired off his stones again and again, each one digging deeper into the golem’s brittle limb than the last.

And finally, it shattered.

The golem tried to move its other arm to protect itself, but the behemoth was a step ahead.

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Right after his last attack, the kitten flew in as fast as it could.

He twisted to the side, and lashed out with his «Rock Edge» enhanced tail.

KCHSHH—

One of the letters on its head disappeared.

The two red lights where the golem’s eyes belonged faded to black, and its body started crumbling to pieces.

The behemoth has won.

So, what do I do with this?

The behemoth mulled over the golem’s corpse with a troubled look.

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I should get a pretty powerful skill if I eat this thing, but… Once more, the golem was made of solid metal.

Even for him, there was no chewing that.

Wait a minute, it’s not like have to bite it, right?

The behemoth looked around the fragments anxiously until he found one suited for him.

One small enough for him to swallow, and not the pointy sharp kind. He picked it up with his tiny mouth, then swallowed it whole.

Alright, let’s see…

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Name: None

Race: Behemoth (Infant)

Inherent Skills: «Elemental Howl», «Skill Predation», «Elemental Tailblade»

Predated Skills: «Storage», «Poison Fang», «Flight», «Fireball», «Icicle Lance», «Iron Body»

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

Right as usual.

Going off the name of it, «Iron Body» was probably meant for defense.

Let’s go, «Iron Body»!

When he invoked his new skill, the behemoth’s tea stain-colored fur turned dull.

At the same time, he could feel how tough it became.

Time to check the effects.

He walked slowly at first, discovering that he had no problem moving about with the skill active.

Then he took off in a mad dash at the golem’s carcass, tackling the largest pile of its pieces. The sound of metal screeching against metal echoed around him. But in the end, there wasn’t a mark on his body, nor did he feel any pain.

«Iron Body»… I like it. I think I could deal with attacks from any monster below golem’s rank as long as I’ve got this.

The little kitten nodded in satisfaction at having acquired for himself yet another useful ability.