Chapter 24: The Garm and the Dragon

Chapter 24: The Garm and the Dragon

Experience has reached multiple breaking points. [Young Garm, Saori Segawa] has risen from [Level 0] to [Level 3]

Attributes have increased due to level up

Acquired 450 skill points

Multiple acquisition requirement fulfilled. [Mana Control Lv. 1] [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 1] [Evasion Lv. 1] [Acrobatic Lv. 1] [Cooking Lv. 1] [Dismantle Lv. 1] [Physical Resistance Lv. 1] [Pain Resistance Lv. 1] acquired

Multiple proficiency requirements fulfilled. [Enhanced Fang Lv. 2] [Physical Resistance Lv. 2] [Pain Resistance Lv. 2] gained

You have bought [Arcane Mind Lv. 1]. Your current SP is 100

Primal Senses: An ancient skill that grants the user full usage of their senses at their highest potential. A combination of multiple skills that are inherited by a being related to an ancient beast. The skills combined are: [Enhanced Vision Lv. 10] [Enhanced Olfactory Sense Lv. 10] [Enhanced Auditory Sense Lv. 10] [Enhanced Gustatory Sense Lv. 10]

["That is the description, Ms. Segawa.]

[Interesting. So, that would make my cheat ability related to the five senses minus somatosensation.] I said with a sigh. [Hmmm, it does seem rather disappointing if we were to compare it to [Draconic Magics] or even [Primal Magics].]

Ever since Ive decided to travel with Miss Dragon, a month has now gone by. Mine and her Age has increased by one at the same time, so it seems like I was born 4 months after her.

After evolving, I ve decided that it would benefit me to learn how to fight. Ive inconvenienced Miss Dragon for too long now, riding what she calls the Carry Train.

I went into the first fight of my life, uhh I mean, lives with optimism, but the fight itself was a complete disaster. I was able to learn a few skills, but I couldnt possibly count how many times Miss Dragon had to use [Minor Heal] or even [Modest Heal] to keep me alive.

Frankly, I nearly died once or twice. Urgh, it was horrible.

Thats why Im crestfallen to learn that my skill isnt helping me become a better combatant, compared to Miss Dragons [Draconic Magics].

Miss Dragon tried to reassure me that my [Primal Senses] is a powerful scouting and detection skill. I cant disagree, but it still feels redundant with skills like [Enhanced Enemy Sense] and [Detection Sensor].

[Anyways, enough about me. How is your transformation?]

[Feels good. My voice has gotten clearer, and my pitch is improving steadily.]

Miss Dragon's appearance is now that of a 7-year-old girl when she uses her [Humanize] skill. Her body is completely wrapped by a shimmering coat of black scales, and most of the bone plates have disappeared. Ever since that skill became [Humanize Lv. 5], her features have started to resemble more like a young human girl, than a lizard girl.

She was most happy about her hair returning but complained that without hair care products, it would be difficult to take care of them. Her hair has already gotten a bit messy, but it really would be a shame if her black hair would lose its current luster.

Showering, using the limited amount of water from her storage, can only help that much.

She wanted to level [Humanize] up to level 10, but it seems the System is not allowing her, despite her abundance of SP.

[It is still surprising that you were a little girl. I had you much older in my imagination.]

["As I said, I was 15 years old when I died! I can't help it that my skill turned me into a seven-year-old kid!"]

[Im happy youre feeling much better now.]

I chuckled at her childish outburst.

I would also like to note, that she acts more like a child in this form. Teasing her is quite a lot of fun, especially now that her facial expressions are extremely discernable.

[Please dont treat me like a kid.]

Miss Dragon vented her frustration of being treated according to her new age. I could only smile peacefully at this display.

[Anyways, dinner is ready.]

Due to my bad fighting results, we have decided that it would be smart to prioritize Miss Dragons evolution now. To not feel useless, I requested to take care of cooking duty. Its a grueling job to cook with my current new body, making me wish for my own [Humanize].

Not only do I not have tools to do proper, quality work, I also do not have any hands to even imitate the cooking process I did in my past life.

My garm body is cant grab things properly and I need to use my mouth to hold and grab the ingredient for our dinner. Its such an embarrassment to my past life as a home cook, considering how unsanitary my cooking conduct it. Then again, I have to cook without proper hygiene and also on the ground on a wooden plate Miss Dragon made for me. My pride as a home cook is long gone.

Besides that problem, there is also the fact that we dont have proper knives to cut the protein and the other ingredients. Our claws are our only hope. My claws are not sharp and precise enough, so I need Miss Dragons help here to slice the pieces into correct sizes. I can see that she has some experience in the kitchen. Good.

Aside from that, cooking is pretty interesting when you have the System helping you. [Cooking] gives you a detailed explanation how to properly cook. Which angle to cut meat, how short must you cut the vegetables, how much should you season, how hot should the pot be? Those sorts of instructions. It even alerts you when the water has reached the temperature you wanted. It is incredibly convenient. It gets more precise the higher its level. Its absolutely essential.

Venison Herb Soup: A soup made with herbs and venison meat. The broth was thickened with a slime's gel and the various herbs and spices help to extract the meat's juices and essence, mixing in the broth to create a rich flavor

[Yay~] Miss Dragon began clapping, showing a bright smile. [Thank you for the food!]

[I hope you will like it. Without the proper equipment, Im not sure if everything came out perfectly.]

Hearing me say that, Miss Dragon glared at me with a glint of envy and spoke.

[Eh, what are you saying? Your [Cooking] skill is only level 1 and youre already a better cook than me. Eating your food makes me feel both happiness and defeat. It feels even worse when Im reminded that youre doing all of this as a garm]

Despite complaining, she scooped up some broth and meat with her wooden spoon, which she made herself. Once in her mouth, her eyes fully widened in pleasure.

[Mhmm, exquisite.]

Adorable.

[I am glad to hear that. I was not sure that it would work but this [Slime Gel] functions exactly like a thickener for soup. Having the same taste and texture as gelatin means it will not obstruct the other tastes. Very useful.]

[I wish I could forget this was made with slime gelatin. Does every single slime look like an eldritch monster? Must the rank E and F ones also look like crawling horrors?]

[You nearly burned down the forest again.]

Her current appearance might be deceptive, but this girl is a walking inferno. If she cant control herself then I might be in danger of getting burned!

It feels weird to think that this girl was only a 15-year-old idol girl in her past life. Her dedication to keeping up her idol training, despite being stranded in a forest, made me fond of her. She certainly reminds me of a couple of my own students.

It did surprise me that the concept of an idol was that popular outside of Japan and South Korea when she told me about her past life. Well, I guess I shouldnt have been that startled. I heard that is was trending worldwide.

As a 26-year-old teacher, keeping myself updated on the current trends is an important trait.

[Speaking of monsters, our luck has not been that good. D rank monsters are quite rare.]

Miss Dragon guessed that she only requires one more level to evolve. However, our progress has been fairly slow, only finding E rank monsters and lower. Neither D nor C ranks have appeared yet.

[It has been like that ever since I entered the forest.] Miss Dragon closed her eyes and opened them again, having given the issue some thought. [Your garm mother not only evolved to a C rank but also reached level 28 within 2 months. Ive no idea how she did that. It cant be from hunting E ranks.]

[Miss Dragon.] Noticing something, I spoke up. [It is just a guess, but could the reason for the lack of strong monsters be the presence of those garms?]

Tilting her head to the side, my scaly companion asked me to clarify.

[With how much difficulty you had with fighting my garm mother, could we not speculate that the pack killed most of the stronger monster, while also scaring off the rest? A territorial dispute that leads to a migration of monsters away from the area."]

Like a light bulb turning on above her head, Miss Dragon nodded in agreement.

[Tomorrow will definitely be the day we get lucky, Ms. Saori!]

I merely said Maybe and continued eating, until we were both full and ready for sleep.

Acquisition requirement fulfilled. [Prediction Lv. 1] acquired

*******************

Acquisition requirement fulfilled. [Terrain Maneuvering Lv. 1] acquired

You have bought [Dark Magic Lv. 1]. Your current SP is 50

Proficiency requirement fulfilled. [Dark Magic Lv. 1] evolved into [Dark Magic Lv. 2]. 0 SP remaining

Magic gained: [Dark Bolt] [Dark Tendrils]

[Ha ha! I knew we would get lucky! Oh boy!]

[Why are you happy because of this?! This is a disaster!]

Monster's Status Board Health: 2342/2342 Mana: 111/111 Strength: 1151 Intelligence: 129 Vitality: 1403 Wisdom: 1284 Agility: 641 Stamina: 1169/1380 Effects: None Skill: Magic skills and related Physical skills and related Senses and Movement skill Resistances Stat growths and related Others

Kraaaaaah!

Groaughhhh!

In her dragon form, she doesnt seem to have any trouble against the monster. Shes a competent magician, and with a high Intelligence stat and Mana amount, she can avoid close combat and fully dedicate herself to keeping a distance and flinging spells from a safe area. She is the natural predator to this bear.

[Tsk, this bears skin is so hard. Not even my spear spells are able to pierce him.]

I wanted to complain, Its still doing damage, though., but this isnt the place nor time to do that. Ive rested enough. I should start helping out, already.

Miss Dragon needed me to use the spell [Dark Tendrils] to prevent the monsters movements. She gave me a brief breakdown of how to use magic, while we ran, but learning how to do something as complex as magic for the first time in my life, in a very nerve-wracking battle is not ideal at all. I can complain as much as I want, but this is really not the time to do that! Come on, Saori, you need to focus!

Alright, do exactly how she explained it to you. Imagine the spell you want to cast. Imagine the shadows under the bear and imagine controlling tendrils growing out of the shadow, snaring the bear with them. Direct your mana towards an exit path and have it mold itself into the tendrils.

Huh?

Words full of letters Ive never seen or heard before began rushing through my head. Miss Dragon never mentioned this.

Could this be a spell chant? Should I ask Miss Dragon about it? Or should I try to read it? I feel that something is compelling me to do so. That its correct to read these words.

Slowly going through and deciphering each individual word, I began reciting the whole text, making good progress.

Mgrraaaaaaaaaaaouh!

[No! Ms. Segawa, open your eyes! Terra Wall!]

I could hear something crashing into and breaking a stone wall. The fight is getting more intense, the longer I stay like this. I need to hurry up. Reciting it is difficult.

[Segawa-san!]

Huh?

Hearing somebody call my name, I opened my eyes in surprise. In the next second, something picked me up by the scruff of my neck and pulled me away from what seems to be a truck crashing into a tree.

Wruf?!

Grahhhhhhhhhh!

[Scheie, that was close. Are you ok?!]

[Wh-What happened?!]

[The bear noticed that weird magic circle for your spell. It was close, but that bear nearly ran you over in a very clich, anime way. Pay attention to your surroundings while you are casting!]

Miss Dragons voice sounded like she was in a panic, when she scolded me about my mistake. I gulped and stared in shock at the devastated tree, imagining myself in its place, now a bloody pulp.

[You need to get your shit together, now! Were in a fight here. Inferno Blast!]

With that said, Miss Dragon released me from her mouth and reentered into the fight, leaving me flabbergasted with what just happened there.

Thisspell casting is harder than I thought. The amount of focus needed for magic casting is staggering, not to mention that chanting requires my full attention, which leaves me vulnerable.

This wont do. How am I supposed to cast a spell without putting myself in harms way?

Hmm. I cant figure it out. Should I ask Miss Dragon? Shes intensely involved in her duel against the bear and I dont wish to interrupt her focus. Maybe its better to leave her be and continue figuring a plan.

Tch, no that would be a waste of time. Miss Dragon is counting on me to be able to support her attack. I have to ask!

[Miss Dragon, how am I supposed to deal with the chant? I cannot divert my attention while reciting the words that are streaming in my head.]

[Woah, uhh, uhhh. Give me a second!] Oops, that was bad timing. I should apologize later...

After blowing the grizzly away with [Earth Crash], she glanced over at me.

[Uhhhave you tried using your senses. [Primal Senses]. Maybe rely on them to improve [Enhanced Enemy Sense] effectiveness? Sorry, I dont have any experience with chanting at all.]

Urgh, that really isnt helpful. Relying on my senseswill that really work? I might as well try.

[Ill rely on your help, Miss Dragon.]

[Ill keep you safe. Just snare him up and Ill be able to take him down with one hit!]

With those words, she gave me a thumbs up to encourage me.

Ok. Lets do it again. Imagine the spell. Imagine what you want to do with it. Direct the flow of mana. Recite the chant.

Mrrrggrrrrouh!

[Oh no, you dont! Earthern Shackles, Flame Explosion.]

Grrrouh.

[Verdammt, the shackles cant harden when they havent snared him yet. I gotta rely on the explosions then! Flame Explosion, Flame Explosion, Flame Explosion!]

Explosions? Successive explosions that are getting louder and louder. Is the bear charging towards me?

The sensor! The sensor is giving me a signal!

Proficiency requirement fulfilled. [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 1] evolved into [Enhanced Enemy Sense Lv. 2]

[Scheie!]

Dodge now!

Grouf.

Mgrrrrrouhhhhh!

The spell is finished! Dark Tendrils!

Mgrrr?!

The spell is working! Pitch-black tendrils emerged from the shadow of the bear and started constricting themselves around the bear, sapping him from the strength to move freely.

[Nice work! Earthern Shackles.]

Once the spell was cast; long, slithering ropes made from earth formed from the earth and started to snare around the bears legs and head, hardening once they stopped moving.

Without the freedom of movement, which he lost due to my [Dark Tendrils], he wont have the strength to break through these shackles. The bear is being mummified by our two spells.

[Thank you for being so obedient and staying still! The show is about to end! Have a taste of my newest spellScorching Sun!]

A small sphere of flame began to materialize above Miss Dragon; its heat intensity and size rapidly grew ever larger, until that once minuscule flame has reached its final stage. Fitting its name [Scorching Sun], a massive ball of intense fire fell down upon the bear monster, ending its misery near instantaneously.

The spell demanded a very long materializing time, but for that power? Definitely worth it.

[That was a bittoo much?]

[Yup, that was overkill but I can evolve now, so who cares.] Miss Dragon added. [You know, now that I think about it, it would have been better for you to kill him, so you could level up easier. I literally only got 1 level for killing a C rank monster.]

Considering the difference between our ranks, that might be true but

[I wouldnt have even been able to hurt it]

[Who knows but come on, be more cheerful! We fucking took down a C rank monster, yay! Ahahah, come on, come on!]

Turning back into her human form, she picked me and began swinging and flinging all around the place.

The sight of a little girl playing around with her pet dog might come to mind, but, unfortunately for me, being swung around with Miss Dragons monstrous strength means you lose all hope of escaping this pendulum of doom.

[Kya, please stop swinging me around! We-We can celebrate but please stop swingingDo-Dont throw me up! Eeeek! Waaaaaaaaaaah!]