บท 3: Superhuman
James' eyes bore into the oddly dark bark of a tree, "Hmm, I don't recognise this tree."
He spoke like his stupid ass wouldn't fail to recognise even a palm tree if he didn't like coconuts.
Relenting quickly, the young man unfolded his arms and looked around curiously, trying to find anything that would let him discern where he was, "I'm lost." He had just hauled ass at the greatest speed he could muster for at least an hour. James did recall that he entered the dense forest quite early in his run.
He looked back at the completely inconspicuous trail of trees that had their barks blown through and dead animals, "Am I in Australia?" The reason he suspected as such was the ten foot tall spider that had tried to catch him, only to be blown through like Hughie's girlfriend.
"Can't stop, won't stop."
James chortled at his shitty joke before shaking his head and ran his fingers through his distinctly longer hair, "Jokes aside, I guess I should at least try to accept my situation."
He had transmigrated, gotten isekai'd, woken up in another world. It was undeniable now. The knights could still be passed off for cosplayers if not for their leader but the monstrously large bears and wolves he'd encountered during his escape were unlike anything that was supposed to exist. He'd even seen velociraptor-like creatures, though they'd run in the opposite direction once they noticed him.
The flora, from the grass to the trees were so massive in size that he refused to believe them normal. Though that could just be a localised difference.
Other than that, he wasn't human anymore.
For one, there was the sheer calm he could think with. Then there was the speed that left behind supersonic booms and devastation, the nigh limitless stamina that resulted in him not even breaking a sweat, the durability and strength that made metal feel like plastic and let him leap like the Hulk.
There was also the presence of a foreign power, the usage of which felt as natural as breathing.
[Unique Skills are engraved on your very being. Simply think to understand.]
"I feel like that's a jape."
And the robotic voice that gave him the most rudimentary answers to unanswered questions he asked and displayed possible methods to tackle any problem he recognised.
[It is the effect of Unique Skill Realist. Sub-skills include, Pain Nullification, Analytical Appraisal, Thought Acceleration, Optimal Plotting, Persona.]
And that.
The names were mostly self-explanatory.
"It's kinda creepy..." James wrapped his hands around himself jokingly, "I don't even have to say it." It was genuinely creepy to have his idle thoughts answered.
[Negative, you cannot perform intercourse with Realist.]
James could only purse his lips and avert his gaze in shame, "You don't have to answer the intrusive thoughts."
Ehem, aside from that. There was the second 'Unique Skill' named by some edgy chuuni called Destroyer that served as a potency modifier and granted multiple properties to even a simple jab. It also possessed a berserker subskill called Destroyer's Dance but the name was so stupid sounding he didn't go any further.
"What even are spiritual creatures?"
That said, the potency modifier sounded a little underwhelming, James was of the same mind.
Activating the skill, he raised his hand and lightly tapped a nearby tree. The result was said tree exploding into tiny bits that then proceeded to burst outwards like buckshot and do the same thing to whatever they came into contact with.
This created a sort of ripple that managed to decimate damn near everything in sight for what James could only assume hundreds of metres before he willed it to stop, and it did. The Kijin whistled in sheer awe, eyes widening in shock at the sheer amount of damage caused.
Even the vegetation covered forest floor had been reduced to barren earth.
The skill was made further terrifying by the fact that the devastation had taken merely a second.
Like any sane man, James wondered what would happen if he stomped his foot on the ground while using the skill.
[A localised natural disaster.]
James sweatdropped but decided to see his whim through anyway. His personal creed dictated he do so, "A short life but a merry one." Losing his father at a young age had led to him adopting the idea, it was why he didn't have much of an attachment to anything or anyone. Consequences could be dealt with later.
He wasn't the smartest person, or particularly intelligent, but he was proud of his way of life.
Hardships were fine if he enjoyed himself at the end of the day.
"M-Mighty Kijin! Ple...Please reign in your wrath!"
James stopped halfway through and tilted his head in confusion, "I thought there was no one around here." Admittedly, the only confirmation he had was that no one speak out during his 'experiments'. He turned his head to face the speaker.
It was a delicate fair-skinned young woman, her body concealed a white and green long-sleeved dress that went down to her feet. That was where the similarities with humans ended. She had a vine coiling around her, rather, the air around her. Her translucent green fell freely down to her lower back and she had dull but gentle blue eyes.
The strangest thing was the soft glow permeating her figure.
Quite close to a human, but not exactly.
Even James could see the grass sprouting from where she stood and there was only one thing that came to mind, "A dryad?"
"Y...Yes." She held her dress and bowed with her lowered, "I am named Doris, one of the Dryads that watch over the forest of Jura. M...My sisters wish you be punished."
"Well..." James rubbed his chin in thought, "Then me fighting back would be self-defense, right?" The Kijin smiled, showing fangs and sharp teeth. He'd been wanting to try out this newfound strength of his anyhow.
"W-Wait. That is what my... sisters would do. I-I believe you do not have any ill will." Doris slowly raised her finger, seemingly afraid of upsetting him, "You would not p-protect that little one so fiercely otherwise..."
"Little one?" Confused, James followed her gaze and met a pair of scarlet beads staring up at him, "A rabbit with a horn?" He may or may not have forgotten it was there entirely. Of course he had noticed it while running but forgotten it when it showed no intent to harm him or... leave.
The rabbit in turn stared at the dryad disappointedly, who was protecting who? It couldn't move out of fear of being eaten!
"...Yes." Doris didn't want to reveal she possessed nowhere near enough power to stop an actual Kijin. She had responded to some unknown harming the section of forest she was in charge of and came face to face with what was most certainly Kijin. A mighty being that appeared once in centuries.
Even then, this particular Kijin was an abnormality with how much damage it caused.
He most certainly possessed a unique skill.
Shamelessly, James doubled down on the misunderstanding ,"Yeah, the little guy's cute soooo..."
He'd destroyed the forest mere moments ago. The response was nigh instant. The logical conclusion was that a 'dryad' true to the name could possibly monitor the entire forest remotely and traverse it at extreme speeds should the need arise to respond to threats.
That also meant the 'woman' had a lot of information, information he understood he desperately needed. She seemed gullible enough or maybe she was just that terrified.
It didn't matter.
And no, Realist definitely did not do half the work in the rudimentary plan he'd thrown together.
[The optimal course is interrogation.]
"..."
The skill was a little too extreme in it's methods.
It reminded James of Bing.
"Yeah totally, I got no need to wreck shit needlessly. Don't give disrespect, don't take it." James gave the woman a thumbs up and she heaved a relieved sigh, "Now, as a gesture of goodwill, to show we mean no harm to each other, tell me everything to know about this land and I might leave."
Doris nodded decisively, "Very well, mighty one." She spoke respectfully, not wishing to upset a member of a species known for their temper. Besides, talking cost nothing. The time it would take was nothing to a being as long lived as her.
The Dryads held no affinity for conflict.
If a destructive one could be avoided by talking, then why not?
James pursed his lips, he didn't expect that to work at all.
It was a joke.
The human turned monster severely underestimated the threat posed by a Kijin.
Though, Doris suddenly had an even better idea.
"D...Do you wish to be taken to the Ogre village? I believe they would be far more willing and more detailed."
"Actually, I don't think I destroyed so much as to warrant punishment."
Doris could only cry silent tears about her situation and look back at the trail of devastation the Kijin had brought with him.
"W-Which is why I… disagree with my sisters."
She could only hope Treyni and Trya would respond to her call soon.
J...Just in case the situation got out of hand.
~~~
See y'all tomorrow.
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