Chapter 203

My hands gripped the icy-looking spear tightly, but it was not cold at all.

However, it would not be the same for whoever ended up on the other end. I had learned that from Jack of all Trades, Master of None. In other words, attacks with this spear would be effective on this enemy. I steeled myself to be able to enact what I had just simulated.

Daniela fired off another arrow as she charged forward. It struck its nose just as I jabbed my spear into its side. A patch of white frost appeared around the wound near its belly, but it was rather small. Either Grendel was just that though, or my magic was in fact, inadequate. Perhaps my skill with a spear also had an effect.

However, it was not worthless. I could tell by his roar of pain.

“GHHHHAAAAAHH!!”

“Damn, this guy is huge!”

“He is a giant, after all. Look at how hard he attacks. Be careful.”

“I know!”

It sounded really painful, but I had no intention of stopping. I pulled the spear out and thrust it right back in. At the same time, I gathered up magical energy and sent it through the spear. The result was rather surprising.

I had assumed that the frost around the wound would just spread, but it did not. Instead, it seemed to be absorbed into his body.

And then I remembered what Daniela had said. Something about consorting…perhaps it had inherited the cells of some creature with the ice attribute.

“This is bad.”

Sending magic directly was a terrible idea. It could awaken something within its genes.

Adding magic to an attack was fine. But not sending it directly. With that lesson learned, I moved back.

“Hahh!”

And then I tried creating Ice Arrows and launching them at him. They pierced into his forearm, entering quite deeply before freezing the surface. Magic was effective, clearly.

“I see!”

“What do you see?”

Daniela moved away as the monster flinched at my attack. She came beside me.

“I tried sending magic through the spear just now, but it was absorbed. However, normal magic attacks can do damage.”

“Ah… In that case, I would like to see what you did when killing the Loup-garou. It was an original spell, was it not?”

“Oh, that?”

‘Niflheim.’ It was the name I gave to my strongest magic. And I could hardly deny such a request from Daniela. And so I used the power of my ice dragon armor to create it from a Frost Sword.

“It just looks like a really large Frost Sword, but…it is much more extravagant.”

Daniela muttered. Even now, she was attacking Grendel and keeping his attention away from me.

“It’s not just a fancy Ice Sword. This is the most powerful magic I can use. It is called Niflheim.”

“I see…that is a good name…”

She said with a look of strong distaste. That’s fine. I never said I was good at naming things. I could still remember the various embarrassing choices I made in the past.

I thrust the spear into the ground and instead held the long grip of the sword. When I let go, the spear stopped emitting its cold breath and returned to normal. On the other hand, Niflheim was now crackling with overwhelming coldness.

“Daniela, here it goes!”

“Aye!”

On my signal, Daniela backed away as I unleashed wind magic at Grendel’s feet. Grendel had been about to go after her but hesitated. That was when the ground burst from right under him, staggering him even further. It was perfect.

With Legs of the God Wolf cloaking my feet, I controlled the wind while dashing through the air in order to attack him from the side. However, this sword was not for cutting. It was the same with the Loup-garou. The thing that cut it directly were the two swords that were in my hands.

This sword…no, this magic’s true worth was the ability to freeze instantly.

I pointed the sword downward and dropped down so the blade thrust into Grendel’s shoulder. He must have seen me from the corner of his eye because his head turned to look. Still, there was no time for a counter-attack, much less a death cry.

He was now encased in ice.

I let go of Niflheim and it shattered before returning to mana.

What was left now was an ice statue. Yes, some might even call it a great work of art.

“…This is frightening magic.”

“I think so too.”

However, there were limitations, like the fact that I could only activate it while wearing my armor. But that would be resolved eventually. When that happened, how different would the world appear to me?

“Is it really dead?”

“Yeah. It should be since the heart is completely frozen.”

Surely it wouldn’t come back to life if defrosted later… Still, I was getting worried. It would be best to cut it up while I could and store it in the hollow bag.

Ultimately, we were able to kill the giant without taking any damage or losing much time. I wasn’t sure if I should be disappointed about it ending so soon or celebrating my own growth. The only thing I knew for sure was that I would have died in an instant had I still been the same guy who woke up on that hill in the mist.

And so I decided to just see it as growth.

I had come so far from being that guy who ran away from wolves.

It even made me feel a little proud. Yeah, I’ve done alright for myself.

“Asagi. We should hurry and dismember it.”

“Oh, right.”

Daniela’s voice pulled me out of my reverie. And so I put the spear back in the bag and took out the Schwarz Tempest instead. The only way to cut up the block of ice was to use this sword after infusing it with magic.

Daniela guarded the area as I used the great sword and Legs of the God Wolf to cut off Grendel’s arms, head, and legs. The limbs were cut down further at the joints. I checked to see if the torso would fit in the bag as it was, and it did.

Then I put away the arms and legs, which left the head. This head was about a third of my height. He could probably have taken half of my body off with one bite.

“I really wonder how many descendants have resulted from this thing mating with other creatures.”

“Indeed… From what I have heard, goblins and orcs are most common. But there are tales of lizards and unicorns as well.”

“What a player…”

He could learn a thing or two about loyalty from me…

“Yes, and there have even been dragons. It is most shocking that it was capable of making a dragon conceive.”

What a horrible thought… Daniela shuddered. While she was getting better, there was still a general fear of them that remained.

“Well, that’s a lot of power to be passed on for generations…and it’s going to end up as my trousers.”

“…What? Surely you cannot make trousers out of Grendel.”

“Really!?”

Now, this was most shocking. I had every intention of using the materials as new clothes!

“Grendel’s power is a combination of too many things and cannot be controlled. Yes, the materials are rare, but it will be difficult to infuse with magic and make it your own. There may be some dragon power in there, but it just at the genetic level.”

“You’ve got to be kidding…”

So…what is this guy useful for?

“In general, I would say food. I do not know why, but tasty flesh has also been passed on. Apparently, they get better every generation.”

“I see…”

Exotic meats do have a reputation… But who would ever want to eat this thing?

“And so they are monsters that are often hunted excessively. That is in spite of the difficulty of actually killing them.”

“Sounds like a comic I once read…”

This was a surprising development. But at this rate, I was going to enter the Imperial Sword Tournament as the Half-pants Adventurer. Finding clothes would have to be our main priority when we arrive. And with that, I finished stuffing Grendel into the bag, picked Daniela up, and rushed after Mister and the wagons.