Side Story: Fran and Kune 08

Due to Kune’s peculiar obsessions, we had to fight a fish monster over 10 meters long using only enhancement magic and enhancement-type skills.

「Nya-nyah!」

「Urgh!」

Fran and Kune synchronized a powerful heave of the fishing rod. The magically enhanced line stretched to nearly double the original length, but showed no signs of breaking.

One hour later…

「Almost there, nya!」

「Nn!」

The unrelenting efforts of the two succeeded in gradually tiring out the fish monster. Especially Fran, who showed no signs of fatigue, demonstrating a seemingly endless well of stamina.

On the other hand, the strength of the fish had clearly weakened. I could see its huge body growing sluggish, even from the shore. Well, I suppose Kune looked pretty tired too.

「This is the end, nya!」

Kune mustered her remaining strength and pulled the rod with all her might. The fish monster lacked the strength to resist this, eventually flying out to hit the rocky shore.

『That’s huge!』

「Big.」

「Woof woof!」

I activated Appraisal, finding that the monster was called a “Largemouth”. As the name suggests, this was a species of fish monster noted for having a massive mouth capable of swallowing anything. Surprisingly, the one we caught was apparently on the smaller side.

The appearance was like a big coelacanth with a few additional pectoral fins. Its flesh was supposedly tender and mild, making it suitable for almost any recipe.

「Nyahaha! This will be a feast, nya!」

『Is this really the time to be laughing!?』

The Largemouth began moving across the ground using its numerous fins, making it practically capable of walking. The fish monster didn’t seem to be having trouble breathing, indicating that it was amphibious.

「Oroooooh!」

It twisted its giant body toward us and began a head-first charge. Who do you think you are, Plesi*th?!

「I’ll show you my power, nya! Fran, leave this to me.」

「Got it.」

「Woof!」

「Nyahaha! Knight Kune, here I go, nya!」

Following that shout, Kune drew her sword and charged. She appeared to be deliberately releasing her mana to attract the Largemouth’s attention.

Well, this is a Threat Level D monster, but it should be weaker on land. There’s no way for Kune to lose.

「Might as well go all out, nya! Big fish, you’re going to be a stepping stone for my greatness, nya!」

「Oroogh!」

「Nyaa? That’s cheating, nya!」

The Largemouth spewed a torrent of water from its mouth, which split into countless pellets to rain down on Kune like buckshot.

Kune barely managed to dodge, but that seemed pretty close.

Okay, I may have said earlier that Kune wouldn’t lose, but that needs a correction. She won’t lose as long as she doesn’t get cocky.

「How dare you embarrass me in front of Fran, nya! No mercy! Reflection Moon!」

「Oroh?」

『Huh?』

What just happened? Kune released a dense burst of magic, and immediately, the Largemouth’s giant body was flung nearly 10 meters into the air.

Was that moonlight magic…? Ah, I see. She set some sort of trap on the ground for reflecting physical attacks.

The Largemouth had triggered the trap and got sent flying into the air. Kune must be very skilled with moonlight magic to launch such a huge body.

「Nya-nya-nya! Moonlight Slash, nya!」

Kune dove in for a slash, but her speed was ridiculous. Even we found it difficult to keep up with her movements.

I admit she is formidable, but how can she be this fast? It doesn’t make sense for an unevolved black cat to have agility on par with people of our level.

Before we knew it, the Kune we had been watching was only an afterimage, and the real one had appeared at the Largemouth’s back.

A split second later, the giant fish’s head fell off. She managed to deliver a cut to the neck while moving past at superspeed.

「Is that another moonlight spell?」

『Hmm, I did sense the moonlight attribute being used… Oh, I get it now.』

It was the same thing that had sent the Largemouth flying, except used on herself. Kune had created a physical reflection shield to serve as a makeshift trampoline.

By jumping off a shield she created at her feet, she could boost her acceleration with the reflective force.

That sounds like an extremely difficult to control technique, requiring both training and talent.

However, that brings up another puzzling issue: what’s going on with Kune’s magical aptitude? Black cats were a race that excelled in fire, wind, and thunder magic. While there was nothing stopping them from handling other attributes, their aptitude should be pretty low.

So why does Kune handle moonlight magic so well?

「Kune, you can use moonlight magic?」

「Nya? Yep, I’ve always been good at it, nya! But I’m terrible with other attributes though.」

Perhaps she was a special case like Mea? Either way, that’s some extraordinary talent.

「So how was I? Give it to me straight, nya!」

「Nn. You were super fast.」

「Nyahahaha!」

Getting smug, Kune immediately went over to the Largemouth’s head, which had fallen onto the rocks. Then, she climbed on top and struck a triumphant pose.

「Cool.」

「Woof woof!」

「Behold my glorious victory, nya!」

Uh, could you get off that? I kinda need to store it.

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