Web Novel Pub
Chapter 167: The Monster That She Saw Through Her Eyes
Chapter 167: The Monster That She Saw Through Her Eyes
Synopsis of the last chapter
Flowered Treant (`): Leaf shurikens!
Kazuto ( ): Here, a fire barrier~
Flowered Treant (;`): Ill whip you with my roots then!
Kazuto ( ): And I jump to the air~
Flowered Treant (;;): Fuee
_______________________________________________________
Igarashi Touka was watching the fight unfold besides a ruined building which was more than a hundred meters away from where Kazuto was fighting the Flowered Treant.
(W-what kind of amonsteris that!?)
It was an unbelievable sight.
She was surprised upon knowing that the huge trees were in fact monsters, but it shocked her even more when she saw that a lone man was overwhelming such a monster.
Who is this person?
In reality, she already knew this mans name and identity.
If Im not mistaken, he should be Kudou Kazuto-san
Toukas impression of Kazuto was that he was a dull-looking young man that belonged to Nishino-kuns group.
Ever since he had arrived at the City Hall, he hadnt been very active.
Adding to the fact that he didnt have a strong presence, it was no wonder that Igarashi wasnt conscious of him.
(Never in a hundred years would I have expected this why have I never heard of anything about him?)
With how strong he was, it wouldnt have been strange for him to be at the center of the City Halls attention.
In reality, however, far from being a hot issue, there wasnt a single rumor about him.
Why?
Touka arrived at an answer after a moment of thinking.
(I see Nishino-kun is behind this.)
She was right.
Ever since their match against Alpha and Titan, Nishino had thoroughly concealed information about Kazutos abilities.
Kazuto was a force that Nishino could no longer let go of.
In addition, Nishino knew that if Kazuto were to leave, Ichinose, his party member, would leave with him, which would put Rikka in a sad mood again.
He didnt want to let go of Kazuto, and he didnt wish to see Rikka depressed.
For those reasons, Nishino did not dare hold anything back.
He first issued a gag order to the small minority that knew about the situation. This included the mayor, Fujita, Shimizu, and Nijou.
Afterwards, he put in a tremendous amount of effort to ensure that Kazuto remained as inconspicuous as possible to the refugees entering the City Hall.
The mayor and Fujita went along with Nishino as they did not want Kazuto, a force to be reckoned with, to leave the City Hall.
Fortunately, not a lot of people had witnessed Kazutos battles.
Those that sought refuge in the City Hall only knew that the City Hall has the power to repel monsters like Titan and the Dragon.
They were oblivious as to who exactly had such strength and were not able to connect the dots back to Kazuto.
(Youve gone and done it)
It wasnt only her that was moving stealthily behind the curtains.
No, it would be more accurate to say that Nishino acted cautiously because she was there.
(I tried not to use Enchantment too much, but that has backfired)
Although Enchantment was a powerful skill, it was also a double-edged sword considering the risk of getting caught red-handed.
That was why she refrained from using Enchantment ever since she entered the City Hall.
Had she used Enchantment on the mayor or her father, Fujita, she would have been notified about the existence of Kazuto and his powers.
However, she wasnt someone that would go that far.
(I can also interpret this as a blessing in disguise)
It would be great if she could figure out the extent of Kudou Kazutos abilities through this occasion.
Back when they were at the school, her ploy fell through due to an irregularity known as Katsuragi.
Nevertheless, she had not given up.
She vowed to succeed this time.
(Fufu, to think Id encounter such a big game while Treasure Hunting.)
Originally, she had left the Safety Zone for another purpose, but she decided to modify her plans.
Information gathering is of essence. Before anything, lets check on the status of the Tree Monster and Kazuto.
Ill Appraise the Tree Monster first
*****
Flower Treant
Level 9
HP: 80/200
MP: 20/44
Strength: 70
Endurance: 290
Agility: 21
Dexterity: 90
Magic: 0
Magic Resistance: 280
SP: 36
Skill
Cognitive Inhibition LV6, Memory Wipe LV5, Existence Absorption LV4, Tracking Obstruction LV2, Detection Obstruction LV1, Terrain Assimilation LV5, Leaf Shuriken LV4, Root Whip LV5, Movement LV3, Pollination LV3, Parent Tree LV8, Foreign World Displacement LV10
*****
(What a status)
The monster was strong, with both its Endurance and Magic Resistance exceeding 200.
Its status was by far one of the best that she had seen from the monsters that she had encountered.
(Memory Wipe and Cognitive Inhibition? I wonder if this is somehow related to what the member of the Self Defense Force said)
She was reminded of the strange remark from the SDF member regarding not remembering anything.
That wasnt all.
There were many parts about its status that had relations to what she and Nishino had said about the abnormal population.
Could it be? Could it really?
Her brain began connecting the patches of information.
(The residents of this town have been preyed on by these trees. Their existence has been plundered along with peoples memories of them. This explains everything. What a terrifying truth)
These trees were nasty, troublesome monsters.
The monsters in the neighboring town were probably of the same species.
Treants.
Treants was the answer to her questions.
(It also has a number of skills that interest me. Especially that last oneI should also Appraise the effects of each individual skillHuh? Its already defeated?)
Kazuto had finished off the Flower Treant as she was thinking of Appraising the skills.
That was too fast. Couldnt you have taken your time?
(I cant appraise its skills now)
A monster had to be alive for her to Appraise its status and skills.
Once it became a magic stone, she could only choose to Appraise the stone itself.
(Also, I think I heard a dogs bark just before the Treant was defeated Could it be that the dog that follows around Nishino-kun and his friends possess skills..?)
That meant the Shiba Inu wasnt simply a cute and fluffy dog.
How many more surprises will they bring me?
At the same time, her expectations grew.
With how powerful he is, I wonder what his status looks like.
It would be wonderful indeed if I can control him and have him under me.
(Fufu, just the thought is making me excited)
Her biggest flaw was probably her overconfidence in her skills.
With a certain trick, she had acquired four occupations, which were Student Council President, Summoner, Magician, and Leader.
These occupations brought along 20 powerful skills such as Enchantment and Spirit Summoning, boosting her confidence greatly.
(Now, show me what kind of status you have.)
She activated Appraisal and directed it towards Kazuto
Appraisal has failed.
Hah?
An announcement resonated within her head.
Immediately afterwardsKazutos eyes turned toward her.
Is someone there?
!?
Did he noticeat this distance?
A fluke?
No, hes certain that Im here.
Impossible. What kind of skill does he have?
(N-no its still okay. He hasnt seen my face yet. If its now, I can run away.)
Thats right, theres a considerable distance between us.
Although she wasnt as fit as Rikka, her status was higher than Nishino.
She decided to flee first and collect information about Kazuto another time.
Just as she thought so
Kazuto appeared in front of her eyes.
What?
Eh? Huh? Why?
Werent you somewhere else a millisecond ago?
Why are you here?
Did you sprint here?
Nonono, thats absurd.
What kind of bs physical status would that require?
(Eh, noEh?)
It was hopelessly outside her range of understanding.
Thats why she panicked.
On a fundamental level, the individual known as Igarashi Touka was obscenely cautious.
She prepared carefully for anything that might occur and never neglected to collect information before taking action.
She believed that 70% of any results were decided upon during the setup stage.
For that reason, she was terrible at dealing with the unexpected.
She was unbelievably weak against unforeseen blows.
W-wait! Please spare me!
Curiosity kills the cat.
That saying was very befitting of the situation as she begged for her life.
Pardon?
Kazuto was extremely confused.