Three more days until the paperback of volume two hits the shelves!!!

It's huge.

A regular Avanku was vicious enough, but in terms of size, it wasn't that much different from a beaver. This one, however, is a whole other beast.

Slimes and Treants were the same way. Do all unique individuals grow larger than their standard counterparts?

It slowly emerged from the water's surface, its form revealed inch by inch.

Needle-like fur with a metallic sheen.

Sharp, massive claws and fangs.

Bloodshot eyes. A low, heavy roar.

"So that's the unique individual! Looks like I'll have my hands full taking this thing down!"

Kenoki sounds thrilled.

"Micro! Highlow! Keep on the move!"

As long as our attacks continue to fall, any intelligent monster would be able to predict the general location of the enemy.

Even with the barrier up, taking a hit there would be a pain in the ass.

"Hah...!"

Kenoki swung his wooden sword, and a Flying Slash streaked toward its target.

That said, we couldn't see it.

However, that didn't seem to be the case for the "Red-Black Avark."

"What!"

Kenboki's eyes widened in shock.

The Avark spat out a water bullet with force, and it collided with Kenboki's "Flying Slash" in the space between us and the enemy.

The slash cut through the water bullet, but that was where its role ended.

"It's a coincidence... isn't it..."

Fuhou put on a thoughtful expression.

"I'll know if I slash again!"

Kenboki launched not just one, but multiple "Flying Slashes," yet the enemy skillfully defended against them all.

They were all neutralized by water bullets.

"Perhaps because our allies took damage, the nature of our attacks was deduced."

Even if Fuhou was right about that, it was still strange that invisible slashes were visible to it.

If our abilities were magical in nature, and "Flying Slashes" fell into that same category, could it be that the enemy can see magic power?

Setting aside whether that theory is correct, in reality, the enemy was indeed blocking Kenboki's attacks.

"Kenboki! Focus on the standard individuals for now! Fuhou, use magic on the Unique individual!"
"Hmph. Understood!"
"Yes! --'Thunderbolt'!"

Fuhou's thunderbolt struck the river, and the enemy's movements halted for an instant.

But the enemy moved immediately. Since I’d dealt with several normal individuals floating around in the water and felled them without issue, its power shouldn’t have been a problem.

The enemy was heading toward land.

It hated fighting in water... or was that not it?

"『Arashi Yaiba』!" (Storm Blade!)

A swarm of wind blades struck the enemy, but for an instant, each individual hair on its body bristled irregularly.

"Wh-What!?"

Fuka cried out in shock.

I saw it too. By cleverly reversing the direction of its thick fur, the enemy deflected every single wind blade as if parrying sword strikes.

"It's not a coincidence! The enemy can see our attacks!"

"Sousuke-san!

It might not be just about seeing the attacks!" —Ah, I see!

If my hypothesis just now is correct, and something is being captured when the ability activates—

"Seina!"

"I know! I absolutely won't let you break through the barrier!"

"『Raiden』!" (Thunderbolt!)

Fuka's lightning strikes might be accumulating damage internally.

That was probably why she came ashore—she considered that staying in the river would mean getting electrocuted no matter where the lightning hit.

The attack might be effective. But that simultaneously meant the enemy was on guard.

The "Red-Black Avenk" scooped up a normal individual with its claws and hurled it into the sky.

The lightning strike struck the standard individual and vanished.

Had it learned that Shinhō’s lightning was a magic cast from top to bottom, and adapted accordingly?

The enemy fired a water bullet at them.

"I won’t let you!"

Katsugi flashed his sword, slicing the water bullet in half.

"If it’s something you can do, why should I be unable to do it too!"

Katsugi laughed warily, though the feat seemed like a godly trick.

"Bakuen!"

Shinhō used an explosion magic.

He thought this would do it, but when the smoke cleared, the enemy stood there unscathed.

Seeing it now, it had wrapped itself in a sphere of water.

It seemed to be able to use something like water magic.

How troublesome was it going to be?

Did the strength of Unique individuals have anything to do with the bounty for defeating them?

No, he shook his head.

It wasn't a matter of strength, but of compatibility.

The enemy simply possessed enough power to counter the abilities of this specific lineup.

"This is getting nowhere! Takano! What are we doing!?"

There are no restrictions on the use of ability, but our focus is finite.

We can't afford to fight here for hours.

A moment's hesitation.

"Shinpō! Have you noticed anything?"

"It seems they were using the river water for their water-based defenses, though...

I'm sorry, that's all I have." —I see.

The water bullets were probably spit or something, fired from within the body.

But the water membrane that stopped Shinpō's explosion was formed by manipulating the river water.

"No, it's enough."

"Good for you."

Chiyu, who was standing behind me, gripped my waist tightly.

"It's fine. You're not going to pull any reckless stunts like back at the slime, are you?"

I gently stroked Chiyu's hand before raising my voice.

"Mikuron to Hyarow! Get away from the river!"

"What?! We're retreating?! If we miss this chance, who knows when we'll get another!"

Kengi turned a protest-filled gaze toward me.

"I know."

"Then!"

I smiled at Kengi.

"We end it right here."

"────"

Kenoki's eyes went wide. After a few blinks, he broke into a sly grin.

"Please accept my apologies for the mix-up. That face of yours is that of a warrior."

Being told you have the face of a warrior isn't exactly something you hear while being a student in Japan.

Maybe Kenoki was high on the vibes of this otherworld's desert island.

Anyway, the spirit beasts had obeyed my commands.

Having sensed our intent to flee, 'Crimson-Black Arvank' and its regular cohorts gave chase.

The direction was perfectly accurate, so their mana must still be detecting the barrier.

Once we'd put a sufficient distance between ourselves and the river, I raised my voice again.

"Invert it! Yurina, set up the barrier to separate the river from the monsters! Everyone else, just focus on farming those mobs!"

They all followed the instructions immediately.

"Takano! What's the plan!?"

"It's the same as with Behemoth."

Tachi asked while loosing arrows, and I answered him.

And so, a massive boulder was positioned in the upper air, at the very limit of its reachable altitude.

It fell directly onto the head of the "Red-Black Arcanum."

Escape into the water was impossible, and using water to create a defensive barrier was no option either.

All thanks to Seirena's barrier.

Using the regular individuals as a flesh shield was also off the table.

Because the swarm within the barrier had been wiped out by their comrades.

Of course, the mass wasn't something that could be handled with those water bullets.

Being in flight meant she didn't feel the shaking of the ground, but the vibration of the air was transmitted to her.

Accompanied by a deafening roar, the gravel and dirt along the riverbank blew away, scattering into the air.

Since the "Red-Black Arcanum" was prey for the Seiko Party, she worried about finishing it off herself, but that fear proved unfounded.

It did not disappear from sight; it just trembled violently.

Perhaps its prickly fur had buffered the impact.

"Kenboku, I'm counting on you for the finishing blow."

"……"

"Kenboku?"

When she called out to him again, Kenboku snapped out of it.

"A, ah. Understood. Since we're at it, how about 'Itemizing' those sharp quills? Trying to bisect the body will be hindered by the fur; I'd probably have to make several cuts."

"That sounds good. Well then, I leave it to you."

The item obtained was known as "Quills of the Red-Black Arvank."

It appeared to be a material that could be used directly to craft a spear. It seemed to possess magic resistance; with skillful handling, it might pierce or deflect enemy magic.

As a man, he found this to be an exciting material.

"Farewell, 'Red-Black Arvank.'"

The enemy, having lost most of its pelt, was cleanly split in two by a single flash of Kenki’s sword, and its form vanished into light.

"Red-Black Arvank." Hunt complete.

It was a tough foe, but he managed to take it down.

"Good work, everyone."

"Good work. Over the course of today, I've come to understand why your side relies on Takano."

Menoha spoke with a smile of relief.

"Hm. You're applying to join the harem too, Yuminon?"

"Oh, haha, what about me..."

At Chiyu's joke, Itsuha blushed.

"Mm. How exactly does one submit that application?"

To my surprise, Katsuki had jumped on board.

"Show your affection for Sou-kun, and the application is complete."

"Affection, huh. Quite a shameless word. But in reality, this incident has only increased my evaluation of Kunou. That smile from earlier... it made my chest flutter just thinking about it."

Katsuki's cheeks were faintly flushed.

As he spoke while pressing his hand to his chest, he looked almost pitifully cute. Could it be?

Not a joke?

"Mm, just one step away."

"Haha, I see. Just one short step, huh. I'll keep working on it."

And then Katsuki looked at me.

"I used to think that if I were to fall in love, it would be with someone stronger than myself, but thanks to Kunou, I've learned that strength comes in many forms."

"Eh, uh... you're welcome?"

"Normally, one should call a person who sleeps with many women depraved... but there is a word more fitting for you."

Kenbki grinned, his smile laced with a teasing edge as he continued.

"A hero's eye falls on the beautiful."

Failing to find a witty retort, I was left with no choice but to return a wry laugh: "Haha..."

In any case, we had eliminated all three unique individuals stationed on the island.

Until further additions appear, the threat of unique individuals can be disregarded.

And so, basking in our victory, we set off on the road home.

Doubly serving as an advertisement for Volume 2, I intend to keep updating until the day of release.

With that said, please continue to look forward to tomorrow!

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Only three days until the release of volume two of the book version!!! That's huge.

Ordinary Arvancs are indeed ferocious, but their size is not much different from that of beavers, but this one is different.

It's the same with slimes and treants; do unique individuals always become larger than their normal counterparts?

Its body gradually emerges from the water, revealing its form.

Its skin is like needles, with a metallic texture. Sharp, massive claws and fangs.

Bloodshot eyes and a low, heavy growl.

"That's the unique individual! This should be fun to take down!" Kengi is pleased.

"Mikron! Hyrrow! Keep moving!"

Given that our attacks are raining down, a smart monster would be able to predict our rough position.

Even with the barrier, getting hit there would be troublesome. "Hah...!"

When Kengi swings his wooden sword, a flying slash heads toward the target.

That said, we can't see it ourselves.

However, it seems different for the "Red-Black Arvanc." "What!?" Sword Tree's eyes bulge.

The Arvanc spits out water bullets as if spitting, and they collide with the "Flying Slash" between us and the enemy.

The slash cuts through the water bullets, but it fulfills its role there. "Was it just a coincidence...?"

Deep Hoof looks thoughtful. "You'll know if you slash again!"

Sword Tree releases multiple "Flying Slashes," but the enemy blocks them all perfectly.

They were all nullified by the water bullets.

"Perhaps the nature of the attack was revealed because a comrade was hit," Deep Hoof says.

Even if that's true, it's strange that the invisible slashes are visible.

If we consider our abilities to be magical, and the "Flying Slashes" are too, does that mean the enemy can see magic power?

Whether or not this theory is correct, the enemy can actually block Sword Tree's attacks.

"Sword Tree! Focus on the normal individual for now! Deep Hoof, use magic on the unique one!" "Damn it. Understood!" "Yes! --Thunderbolt!"

Deep Hoof's lightning strike falls into the river, and the enemy's movements pause for a moment.

But it immediately started moving. Since it was usually possible to defeat several individuals floating around, the power should be sufficient. The enemy is heading for land.

Does it dislike fighting in the water...? "Arajin!"

A swarm of wind blades attack the enemy, but in an instant, each of the enemy's hairs stands up irregularly. "Eh!?" Shinpo exclaims in astonishment.

I saw it too. The enemy cleverly raised its hard hair, deflecting all the wind blades like a sword parries a slash.

"It's not a coincidence! The enemy can see our attacks!"

"Kousuke! It's not just about the attacks!" -- That's right!

If the enemy is capturing something when it activates its ability, as per my previous hypothesis-- "Sera!"

"I understand! I won't let it break through the barrier!" "Raiden!"

If Shinpo's lightning strikes, damage would accumulate inside.

That's why it might have left the river, thinking that it would get electrocuted no matter where it was struck, and come ashore.

The attack might be effective, but it also means the enemy is on guard.

The 'Red-Black Arvank' picked up a regular individual with its claws and threw it into the air.

The lightning strikes the normal individual and disappears.

Has she learned that the lightning from the high magic is cast from top to bottom?

The enemy fires a water ball at us. "Not if I can help it!"

When Sword Tree flashes his sword, the water ball splits in two.

"There's nothing you can do that I can't do!"

Sword Tree laughs aggressively, but it looks like a pretty impressive feat. "Explosion Flame!" High Magic uses an explosion magic.

I thought that would do it, but when the smoke clears, there's still the enemy standing there.

Looking closer, they're wrapped in a water ball.

They seem to be able to use water magic. Just how troublesome are they?

Does the strength of a unique individual have anything to do with the reward for defeating them? No, I shake my head. It's not about strength, but compatibility.

This enemy just had enough power to match the abilities of our party.

"This is getting nowhere! Kouno! What do we do!?"

There's no limit to how we can use our abilities, but our concentration is limited.

We can't stay here fighting for hours.

"Deepo! Have you noticed anything?"

"The defense was water-based, but it seemed to use the river water... I'm sorry, that's all I've noticed."

The water bullets were spit or something, but they were fired from inside the body.

But the water membrane that prevented Deepo's explosion was prepared by manipulating the river water. "No, that's enough." "Soo-kun."

The Chiyou behind me grabbed my waist tightly.

"It's okay, I won't do anything reckless like I did with the slime."

I gently stroked Chiyou's hand and then raised my voice.

"Mikuron, Highrow! Get away from the river!"

"What!? Retreat!? If we miss this chance, we don't know when the next one will come!"

Kagami shot me a look of protest. "I know." "Then!" I smiled at Kagami. "I'll take him down here." "-----"

Kengki's eyes widened, and after blinking a few times, he grinned.

"I apologize for the misunderstanding. Your face is that of a warrior."

The phrase "a warrior's face" isn't something you hear in Japan while being a student.

Is Kengki high on the desert island of another world too?

Anyway, the phantoms obeyed my instructions.

When they felt that we were running away, the 'Red and Black Arvank' and the regular individuals started chasing us.

Since they were heading in the right direction, it seems that the magic of the barrier is being detected.

When we were far enough from the river, I raised my voice again.

"Reverse! Seiri, create a barrier to separate the river from the monsters! Everyone else, just focus on killing the weaker monsters!"

Everyone immediately followed my instructions.

"Kino! What's the plan!?" "It's the same as when we fought the Behemoth."

While shooting arrows, I answered Ittoba's question.

And place the boulders as high as they can go.

They will fall directly above the "Red-Black Arvanc."

There's no way to escape into the water, nor can she use water to create a barrier. That's thanks to Sei's barrier.

She can't even use normal individuals as a meat shield.

The group inside the barrier has already been cleared out by her allies.

Of course, it's not something that can be dealt with by her water bullets.

Though I'm flying, I can feel the air trembling, even if I don't feel the ground shaking.

With a roar, the gravel and dirt by the riverbank are blown away and scattered.

Since the "Red-Black Arvanc" is the prey of the Seiho party, I worried about what would happen if I killed it, but it turned out to be unnecessary.

Its body was still trembling, without disappearing.

Perhaps the fur cushioned the impact. "Kagemitsu, please finish it off." "..." "Kagemitsu?"

When I called out to him again, Kagemitsu seemed to snap out of it.

「Oh, okay. Understood. Since we have the chance, how about we ‘itemize’ those sharp quills? It seems like the hide would get in the way if we tried to cut the body in half, so we’d need to make a few strikes.」

「Good idea. Then, please do your best.」

The item we obtained was called the "Red and Black Arvank Quill."

It seemed like it could be used as material to make a spear. It had some magic resistance, so if we used it properly, we could pierce or deflect enemy spells.

As a guy, it was an exciting material.

「Farewell, ‘Red and Black Arvank.’」

The enemy, who had lost most of its hide, was cut in half by a single slash of the sword and disappeared in a flash of light.

The "Red and Black Arvank" was defeated.

It had been a tough enemy, but we managed to defeat it. 「Good job, everyone.」

「Good job. Now I understand why you guys rely on Kono.」

Tachibana said with a relieved smile.

「Hmm. Are you going to apply to join the harem too?」

「Ah, ahaha, I don’t know about me...」

Theo blushes at Chiyu's joke.

「Hmm. How do you make the application?」

Kagemiki has joined the conversation.

「Just show your love for Sōkun and the application is complete.」

「Love, huh? That’s a rather embarrassing word. But in reality, my opinion of Koino has risen even further because of this matter. My smile earlier was genuine.」

Kagemiki’s cheeks are tinged with a light blush.

The way he speaks while pressing his chest is almost delicate. Could it be that he’s not joking? 「Hmm, just one more step.」

「Haha, is that so? Just one more step, I’ll work on it.」
And Kagemiki looks at me.

「If I were to fall in love, I thought it would be with someone stronger than me, but thanks to Koino, I’ve learned that there are many kinds of strength.」

「Eh, eh... um... y-yeah, sure...」

「Normally, someone who has many lovers would be considered unprincipled, but... there’s a word that suits you.」

Kengi grinned and mocked me with a laugh, continuing, "It's 'Heroic Color Preference.'"

I couldn't think of a good comeback and could only chuckle awkwardly.

Anyway, we had successfully defeated all three unique individuals stationed on the island.

Until there are any future additions, we don't have to worry about the threat of unique individuals.

We rejoiced in our victory as we set off on our return journey.

In order to promote the second volume, I plan to continue updating until the day of release.

So, please look forward to tomorrow!

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