Okami Wa Nemuranai

Episode 1.17-18

Lecan is currently standing on top of a small hill, looking over a great beast crouching on the side of a mountain.

The monster's naked eyes could only see things very close to them, he won't be discovered at this distance.

The eye that apparently can see mana is maxed out at 100 steps range.

After all, such a gigantic beast probably has no real need to detect faraway foes.

Looks like it's sleeping. Here's his chance.

Lecan groped his chest and grabbed a jewel. It's the blue jewel he got from Lady Rubianafale. He could sense some mana in it, it might carry some sort of effect. No clue what kind, but today it would serve as a good luck charm. The chain part is too delicately made, he plans to replace it later.

He put the magic jewel inside his shirt, erased his footsteps, and carefully yet quietly approached the monster.

He's gotten right next to it, and the monster still has its eyes closed.

--Allow me to claim the first strike.

Lecan held his trusty sword high and locked his gaze at the scruff of the monster's neck.

There are several wound marks on it. They're from Lecan's attacks. Every one of them is a shallow wound.

Lecan swung down his sword. The feedback betrayed his expectations.

--What?

His sword sank deep into the beast's neck.

After a momentary pause, the monster got up while violently writhing, and let out a skull shaking roar. Its forehead eye is firmly locked on to Lecan.

Lecan took a stance. He's got to be ready to dodge the frost breath if it's coming.

Afterward, the monster took a slightly comical action. It began to lumberingly turn around with its short legs.

Lecan swiftly jumped back about 30 steps.

--Just as I thought.

The monster is attempting to launch its spines since its opponent is close by. But it has exhausted its front spines in the battles yesterday and three months ago. It's already got new spines growing, but those likely cannot be launched off before they get big enough.

The monster finally rotated enough to turn the side with spines toward Lecan, and then it shook its huge body.

While staring fixedly at it, Lecan took another 10 steps back.

The spines were launched off.

These spines could only fly straight from their initial location. The farther Lecan is from it, the wider the gaps between each launched spines. Dodging these incoming spines is child's play for those with superior reflexes like Lecan.

Afterward, Lecan waited for his chance to strike at the same spot. He can't dodge the spines if he's too close, yet the monster will shift to other attacks if he's too far away.

The monster finally ran out of spines to launch off after the fourth volley. Some of its spines still remain on top of its back, but that's probably unusable for enemy that walk on land.

Instead, the beast points its head straight at Lecan and exhales. Lecan took another 20 steps back.

He couldn't dodge the breath fully, it hit the outer layer of his overcoat. He's fine. Just as he thought, Overking Bear's fur could safely block the frost breath at this range.

Now that he knows, he just needs to keep dodging the breath while maintaining the distance.

Every time the monster moves slightly forward, Lecan steps slightly backward.

When the monster lets out its frost breath, Lecan moves out of a direct hit.

These pushes and pulls lasted about 12 breaths before the monster finally stopped with the breath attack and curled up its body.

Lecan turned his back and ran just as the monster began to roll. He's running while leading the monster toward a location with bare rocks.

There's nothing that obstructs his dash here. The monster will never reach him if he just keeps <Gust> up.

After leading the monster by the nose for awhile, it eventually stopped rolling, curled out and plopped down on the ground.

It might be faking it.

Lecan carefully approached the monster's head.

And when he was 20 steps away, he rushed in with <Gust>, landed a hit on the monster's scruff and used <Gust> again to back away 20 steps.

The monster shook and growled, but then it fell down on the ground again.

Looks like it's lost its offensive capability due to exhaustion. It must have used up all its mana.

Still, his strike just now sank deep again. Just what's going on.

He rushed toward the monster with <Gust> again, and struck its scruff.

Surprisingly, that strike sank deep into the monster's neck.

The monster shut its eyes and stopped moving.

Surprisingly, the blue dot disappeared in his <Life Detection>. It's dead.

But, why.

Why was his attack more effective only today.

Is it due to a circumstance on the monster's end.

Or perhaps something changed on Lecan's end.

What has changed on Lecan's side anyway.

Suddenly, it hit on him.

The blue jewel.

The jewel he got from Lady Rubianafale.

This jewel must possess the power to increase attack power.

So he thought for an instant, but he laughed off the idea.

Even in his former world, dungeon's floor bosses sometimes drop abilities that increase attack power.

He himself has met adventurers who posses those abilities, <Slash>, <Break>, <Accelerate>. Heck, he had gotten into a deadly duel with a <Slash> possessor. Once he chanted the activation spell, swings from that guy's sword managed to cut a breastplate made of Rock Dragon's pelt and even split Lecan's trusty sword at the time in two.

However, those are ultimately abilities bestowed only to adventurers who braved the depths of a dungeon and defeated the boss there, a technique that can only be obtained during an extremely rare occurrence, and not something that can be passed over to someone else.

It's also possible for jewels to have <State Preservation> or <Auto Restoration> effect, if an enchanter with a special talent enchanted jewels using a magic gem with unique mana. In fact, Lecan's trusty sword is embedded with a jewel enchanted with <Auto Restoration>.

However, he's never heard an accessory that gives the effect of increased attack.

If something like that really exists, it would be a legendary class artifact.

Lecan tried to do a little experiment.

He tried to cut at the dead magic beast's neck and legs, with the blue jewel equipped and with it stored inside <Storage>.

The result made it obvious.

This blue jewel has been enchanted with an effect that grants an enormous increase to attack power. No mistake about it.

Its value is immeasurable.

Just getting ahold of this jewel makes his trip to another world already worth it.

Still, did Lady Rubianafale know about this enchant.

She couldn't have been. If she did, she would have handed this jewel to either her father or her brother.

But, if by chance she did know, why would she give it to Lecan.

Even after contemplating for a while, he couldn't come up with an answer.

Since it was getting dark, he stopped thinking about it, and took the magic gem out of the monster using the jewel's enchant at will. It's a shockingly powerful magic gem. The monster's huge body crumbled into sands in front of Lecan.

He went back to his hut like flying and plopped down in his bed.

Next morning, Lecan woke up, gulped down preserved food and water from <Storage> and immediately departed for the forest.

Then he began experimenting.

Different swords.

Blunt weapons.

Thrusting weapons.

Throwing weapons.

Bare handed attack.

Attacking with a stick.

And the result, he confirmed that this blue jewel does indeed posses an effect that grants increased attack power. It's neither a sharpness enchantment nor a damage increase.

However, the effect did not manifest with throwing weapons or bare fists, only when Lecan equipped armor on his fist did it show up.

In other words, this blue jewel increases attack power only when you're attacking with weapons equipped, it gives no effect without equipping one.

He took out a wand that shot out <Red Fireball> and experimented with it, but it didn't augment magic attack.

Which means the effect is only true for physical attacks.

The next day and the day after, Lecan kept going into the forest and inspected the blue jewel's effects.

He discovered that the effect won't activate if he doesn't launch an attack with a certain amount of force behind it.

In other words, the effect won't be manifested when you're doing things like cutting meat with a knife or a fork, or sewing cloth with a needle.

On the other hand, swinging a simple stick at a target with enough force will trigger the effect.

Rather than merely increasing a weapon's attack power, it's probably more like augmenting the total offensive force of someone who brandishes a weapon.

As for the activation requirements, he has no idea whether there is anything else other than holding it.

In order to check that, Lecan needs to ask someone else to experiment for him, and he has no intention to do that.

Lecan hypothesizes that perhaps only those whose offensive ability exceeds a certain threshold could activate it, but since he himself is able to use it, it's good enough for now.

He was going to replace the chain, but he called off the plan.

If by any chance, doing so ruined the jewel's effect, he wouldn't be able to live it.

Instead, he added a pocket inside his shirt.

So that the jewel won't fall off even if the chain breaks.

Though, he plans to put the jewel away in normal situation.

He's got two reasons.

First, in order to develop his skills while he's in a state without the enchant.

Second, there might be people who possess <Appraise> in this world as well.

Up until now, he had neither the leeway nor necessity to be on guard against such, however, once he leaves Zaidmahl house and wanders the world, he needs to keep a degree of precautions for such.

He cannot let anyone find out about this jewel's secret.

<TLN: If you're reading this novel at any other site than you might be reading an unedited, uncorrected version of the novel.>

"I see. So you're leaving tomorrow."

"Yale (yes)."

"If someone asks where you come from, just tell them that you hail from the northern country."

"Yale (yes). I shall keep my identity as a descender a secret."

"That's good. However, I'm sure there will come time when you have to reveal yourself as a descender."

"I will think about it when that time comes."

"This is a parting gift along with my gratitudes to you."

A bag was handed over to him.

"And this one is the reward from the magic gems you procured."

Another bag was given to him.

"You should bring some clothes and food with you. I will have a maid deliver them later. Have you a flint?"

"Yale (yes). Bought tools needed for journey, in town."

"I see. You've already made your preparation."

"I have."

"We're having a farewell party tonight."

The farewell party with the knights and the underlings was quite festive and entertaining.

The next morning, almost everyone in the mansion are seeing him off.

"Oy."

Morda the cook handed out a cloth bag as he said that.

The bag is closed. Looks like he's giving the bag along with Griphil Leaves inside.

"Narou (thanks)."

Lecan hangs his sword on his waist, puts on his overcoat, shoulders his luggage and turns his back on the people seeing him off. And then, he briskly walks away.

"May we meet again!"

Knight Ezak shouted at his back.

Lecan raised his right hand to respond him, but at this time, he never thought that he would really meet Ezak again.

[Episode 1 At the Other Side the Black Hole] Complete / Next [Episode 2 Escort Mission]