A new status abnormality skill.
It had been unlocked.
But detailed confirmation could wait.
First, I needed to finish off the Black Dragon Knights for certain.
The existing skills' near-infinite combo should suffice.
"—"
Wait a second?
An idea occurred to me.
It might be worth testing…
It could even prove effective for finishing them off.
Who knows when I'd next encounter a suitable test subject.
"Seras."
"—Y-Yes?"
"If Oban comes at you, please handle him."
"Ah—Understood."
She accepted without asking for details or reasons.
I gave her a silent thanks in my mind.
I maneuvered the protrusions.
Once again, I extended them toward Oban, who still clung to life.
The initial paralysis gauge was barely hanging on.
"[Berserk – Frenzy Attribute Grant]."
Oban's body began to convulse violently.
*Dododododod—!!*
"Gu, ga, aaaah…!!"
Oban let out short, furious cries.
His voice carried a murky rage.
Forcing movement while paralyzed inflicts massive damage.
Whether this would work as planned remained uncertain, but…
*Bushuuu!*
It happened.
Oban sprayed blood.
The new skill [Berserk].
It likely implanted an impulse toward violence.
Violence impulse.
Paralysis state.
This combination.
The urge to violence becomes uncontrollable, prompting movement.
As a result, the nature of paralysis inflicts severe damage.
This combo might allow me to kill paralyzed enemies more quickly…
Next, I brought the protrusions close to Schweitz again.
Approaching with protrusions was highly safe.
It avoided any risk of surprise attacks from mimicry.
Schweitz's paralysis gauge had expired.
I reapplied paralysis.
I released the sleep effect.
Right now, Schweitz was in paralysis only.
I probably needed him conscious to test this skill properly.
"[Dark – Darkness Attribute Grant]."
Schweitz opened his eyes.
"…Ugh, guh…!? Wha… night…? No!? My vision… my eyes… are—!"
A skill that seals vision in darkness, huh.
Useful when I don't want my appearance seen.
Depending on range, I could use it separately from close-range [Sleep].
"Gu, go, gaaah…!!"
"Ngh, gugugu…—!!?"
The two remaining Five Dragon Warriors groaned in agony from the poison.
Oban had tried to kill Seras for money.
Schweitz had suggested handing her over to their subordinates for amusement.
Turning them into test subjects caused me zero remorse.
They were just as rotten as I was.
"Now then."
I had a rough idea what the remaining [Freeze – Freezing Attribute Grant] did, but—
"—Hm?"
I checked the status display.
MP was dropping rapidly.
If it hit zero like this, I'd be in trouble.
I glanced at Seras.
She watched the scattered knights on the ground with a hard expression.
She didn't seem to notice any change in my vision…
The status display was still visible only to me, as expected.
"Release it, Pigi-maru."
"Pi."
I felt the "roots" retracting from the sides of my eyes.
Right…
I'd test the remaining skill later.
If it interfered with paralysis, sleep, or poison types, that would be problematic.
Freeze seemed like it might overlap slightly…
It deprives freedom of movement in a similar way.
Fortunately, the incapacitation category was already covered by paralysis and sleep.
For now, I wanted certainty.
In my field of view, death rattles began to rise.
"Gu, eeeh—"
One of the Five Dragon Warriors' black dragons finally expired.
Soon after, Shibito's white dragon also gave out.
"Gie, eh—…"
[Level has increased.]
[LV1789 → LV1796]
As expected from the mount of the "strongest human."
It had granted quite a lot of experience.
It was a shame experience only came from monsters, though.
On the bright side, leveling up fully restored my MP.
I wouldn't run short in this situation anymore.
The other dragons and knights were expiring one by one…
Most died while still asleep.
"Literally an eternal slumber, huh."
"What tremendous power."
"Hm?"
Seras spoke up.
"I was genuinely shocked by the way you deceived Shibito… but this combined technique with Pigi-maru-dono as well."
Her tone sounded calm.
Yet her voice still carried lingering agitation.
She might actually still be in a daze after everything.
I scanned the surroundings.
"…"
I decided to talk with Seras a little.
There were things I wanted to discuss.
Things I couldn't say during the fight, too.
I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible, but…
I still couldn't move from here.
Not until I confirmed every last enemy here had stopped breathing.
"That technique earlier takes time to activate and devours mental energy like crazy. It also has a lot of restrictions."
My status had MP far higher than anything else.
That power would be tough without abundant MP.
Even as an E-class hero, having barely scraped by with a mage-type (?) stat distribution had been a lifesaver.
"That… the power you used together with Pigi-maru-dono… is that also the power of an otherworld hero?"
Seras asked hesitantly.
She still avoided prying too deeply into my circumstances.
Was she still mindful of the conditions we'd set?
If so, she really was an earnest person.
"The power of an otherworld hero, huh."
The monster enhancement drug.
Its formula had been recorded in the [Forbidden Arts Compendium].
Written by a former otherworld hero.
Known as the Dark Hero.
Also called the Great Sage Anglin.
"Maybe."
I touched the fabric of the robe I wore.
"It could be said that way, I suppose."