Day 571-580/Day 575

Day 575 / 105th day
It seems that I spent the whole day yesterday sleeping, but I woke up wonderfully thanks to that. Feeling as if the world had been reborn, I'll briefly check the changes that happened to me.
It seems that first of all, my existence has been revised to the 【Darkflame Demonic Royal - Great Hobgoblin King • Fallen Species】. This is the second time the race has been changed, so there are few surprises there, but there are many other changes.
On my head, I have silvery hair that reaches to my shoulders, and the crown I wear has become more luxurious. The crown, with its magic-absorbing abilities, had many additional features that I could feel firsthand, but I would leave that aside for the moment. My small stature has grown significantly, to about 180 centimeters. I' ve grown all at once, but I can move with the same feeling I had when I was an enhanced human, so I fit in well with just light exercise. Both of his mechanical arms have become more muscular and his movements have become more agile. My pecs are bigger, my abs are six-pack, and my legs are thicker. His muscle mass seemed to be increasing visibly, and he could feel it when he exerted himself lightly or moved.
The knee-length loincloth that wrapped my lower body, like that worn by Buddha statues, had improved in quality and became softer and smoother than before. In addition to furry parts of the gray wolf in some places, a black belt with head decorations similar to those of the gray wolf has been added. Could it be that it has taken in the ash-silver wolf? Since I didn't even know how the gray wolf itself was born, it wouldn't be strange if it had become one with me and become a biological armor after this incident. In fact, I haven't been able to confirm the appearance of the gray wolf since I woke up. And just like the situation that seems to have taken in the gray wolf, the 【Gear of Fire Beast Group】 also seems to have become a part of me. When I turn my face back, I see a black flaming flame - let's call it a black flame halo - floating on the back. The black flame halo burns around a six-pointed star that looks like a gear, and if you put magic power into it, it burns fiercely and seems to be able to create black demon beasts called "black flame demon beasts" from it. I'm not sure what to make of this. In addition, their firepower has increased by an order of magnitude since they became black flames, and more importantly, it seems that once they burn something, it won't go away. I tried to burn a piece of the prey I had secured, but it turned to ashes as soon as it burned. I thought about how I should handle the newly available black flame, and sighed with relief that the black flame halo seemed to be easy to turn off and on, so it wouldn't get in the way when I slept.
In addition, there are a few other things I'm curious about, such as the black spiral sword instead of the black dagger that is the biological weapon worn at the waist, but there are two things that are particularly significant.
The first one is that he has changed from the 【King of the Demons】 to the 【Great King of the Demons】. According to a light examination with the 【Astrologist's Star-Reading Glasses】, the 【Great King of Demons】 falls under a higher existence than the 【King of Demons】. I couldn't read even the 【Star-reading glasses of the celestial technician】, but personally, although it is a fake, it seems to be related to the 【Fallen God】 defeat. It's also possible that even if it has nothing to do with the Fallen God, it's because some condition was achieved by defeating a powerful enemy. Well, I can't know the answer to that yet. I'll leave that for later, when I have a chance to find out.
The second is the 【Black Flame King's Domain】, a new ability that I have come to instinctively understand how to use. This is a ridiculously powerful ability that allows you to paint a certain area, including the laws, to your advantage, depending on how you use it. Within the area, I could increase the number of "Black Flame Demon Beasts" as long as my magic power lasted, and I could also burn the magic power of my enemies. This is the ability to be the king of a realm. This is not an ability that should be possessed by the "middle demon," a race that belongs to a lower level in the general ecosystem. It should be possessed by the dominant species in the upper ecosystems, such as the dragon species or the giant species.
Whenever I find a change, I think, "What does that mean? Since my hearing, eyesight, muscular strength, and agility have all been greatly enhanced, I decided to train for the day in the safety of the emperor's domain, where there is nothing to worry about.
It's a shame not to use the environment to the fullest to check out the new abilities and enhancements that cannot be tested elsewhere because they would have too much of a negative impact on the surroundings.
After a full day of training and torturing my body, I prepared a delicious meal for dinner, featuring the "Histoclock". Itt can be roughly described as a giant mechanical clock. It has no living parts and is made up of a mixture of special magical metals and something supernatural, so cooking it over a fire is useless. That's why I didn't make any changes to the "Histoclock" itself, but instead used the small seeds of the "False Twelve Star Beast" that I had left behind as a side dish to add some color. I literally ate my way through the mountain of food, and it was all delicious.
There are a lot of variations in the small species, so some of the meat has a good amount of fat, while others have a texture like fresh vegetables. Some parts taste tangy and spicy, while others are bitter and sweet. The quality of the meat is inferior to that of fortified individuals, but it is still more than good enough. If there were enough of them, anyone would be satisfied. I think that this was enough of an assortment to be the main attraction.
However, it was still a bit hazy in front of the "Histoclock". Just like when I ate the "Astralium", just one bite of it was enough to overwhelm my mouth and stimulate my brain directly. It's made of supernatural materials, so it's more than chewy enough, but it tastes like aged meat that has been carefully and painstakingly condensed over a long period of time, perhaps because of its ability. It was slightly tangy and spicy when it touched my tongue, and immediately after that, I was exposed to an explosion of condensed flavor, with a refreshing aftertaste that I couldn't stop eating once I had it. The mellow aroma of aged magic tickled my nostrils, and the deep taste of golden magic that seemed to ooze out with every bite was simply the best. The combination with the newly acquired labyrinthine liquor was also good, and I spent a blissful time gazing at the night sky as I snacked on it.
【Ability 【Witness to History】learned】
【Ability 【A Needle to Weave Causality】learned】
In addition to that, I was able to learn a new ability. In addition to that, you can learn new abilities. Alone, there is almost no use, but if you use it in combination with your newly acquired 【Historical God's Golden Clock】, you will be able to recreate the past like a "historical clock". The things I need to do, the things I can do, and the things I want to do are increasing rapidly, but for now, I've decided to enjoy a great nightcap while watching the night sky.
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RAWS
"百五日五■七■五目"
昨日一日寝て過ごしたようだが、そのかいもあってか素晴らしい目覚めだった。まるで世界が生まれ変わったように感じつつ、俺に起こった変化を簡単に確認していく。
まずは【黒焔領中鬼大王アルチャータ・ゴブリングレートキング・堕天隗定種リスタリオリシーズ】とやらに【存在改定】されたらしい。種族が変わるのは二度目なのでそこに驚きは少ないが、その他の変化は色々と多い。
頭部には銀色に輝く髪が肩まで届く長さで生え、被る王冠はより豪華になった。魔法吸収などの能力を秘めた王冠には更に色々と能力が追加されている事が肌で感じられるが、それは一先ず置いとくとして。小柄だった背丈は大きく伸び、百八十センチ程だろうか。一気に成長したが、【強化人間】の頃と似た感覚で動けるので軽く運動するだけで良く馴染む。両腕の機械腕はより逞しくなり、動きもより機敏になった。胸筋は大きく、腹筋は六つに割れ、足も太くなった。筋肉量は目に見えて増えているらしく、それは軽く力を込めたり動く事で実感できる。
それから下半身を包んでいた仏像が履いているような膝まである腰布は質が向上したのか、以前よりも柔らかく滑らかな質感になった。また、所々に灰銀狼の毛皮のような部位が追加されているだけでなく、灰銀狼によく似た頭部の装飾が施された黒いベルトが追加されている。もしかしたら、灰銀狼を取り込んでしまったのだろうか。灰銀狼自体、どうして生まれたのかも分からなかった存在ではあるので、今回の一件で俺と一体化して生体防具となっていても、可笑しくはないのかもしれない。実際、目が覚めてから灰銀狼の姿は確認できていない。そして灰銀狼を取り込んだと思われる事態と同じく、【火獣群の歯車】もまた俺の一部になっているようだ。顔を後ろに向けると、背面には黒く燃える炎――黒焔光背としよう――が浮かんでいる。歯車にも見える六芒星を軸に燃える黒焔光背は魔力を込めれば激しく燃え、そこから“黒焔鬼獣”という黒い鬼獣を生成できるようだ。火獣達と同じように形状は俺の意思で自由に変化できるが、黒焔鬼獣達は額に角が生えているという共通点がある。それに黒焔となった事で火力は桁違いに上昇しているし、何より一度何かを燃やすと滅多な事では消えないらしい。試しに確保していた獲物の一部を燃やしてみたが、あっという間に燃やしたと思ったらすぐ灰になってしまった。新しく使えるようになった黒焔の扱い方には気を付けようと思いつつ、黒焔光背は簡単に消したり出したりできるようなので、寝る時に邪魔にはならないらしい事にホッと安堵のため息が出た。
その他にも腰に履いている生体武器の黒短角剣が黒螺旋剣になっているなど、気になる部分は幾つかあるが、特に大きいのは二つある。
まず一つ目は【鬼王キング】から【鬼大王グレートキング】になった事か。【天星術師の星読み眼鏡】で軽く調べたところによると、【鬼大王】は【鬼王】よりも上の存在に該当するらしい。そうなる条件は【天星術師の星読み眼鏡】ですら読み取れなかったが、個人的には偽物とはいえ【堕神】討伐が関係しているように思える。あるいは【堕神】とは直接関係は無くても、強敵を討伐した事で何かしらの条件が達成したから、何て可能性はありそうだ。まあ、その辺りの答えはまだ知る事が出来ない。それは追々知る機会があれば、という事にしておくとして。
二つ目は【黒焔王領】という、本能的に使い方を理解できるようになった新しい能力だ。これは一定範囲内の領域を自分に都合がいいように法則も含めて塗り潰すという、使い方次第で馬鹿みたいに強力な能力だった。領域内では“黒焔鬼獣”を魔力の続く限り増やせるし、敵の魔力だけを燃やすなど、その他色々できるようだ。まさに一つの領域を統べる王になれる能力だ。決して“中鬼”という、一般的な生態系では下位に属す種族が持っていていい能力ではない。竜種とか巨人種とか、生態系上位の支配種が持っているべきだろうに。
いやどういうことやねん、と変化を見つける度に思うが、何か変わってしまったので仕方ないと思う事にして。以前よりも聴覚や視力、筋力や俊敏力など全体的に大きく強化されているので、今日一日は安全で周囲に何もない【時帝の天領】で訓練をする事にした。
他では周囲に悪影響が強すぎて試せない新しい能力や、強化された諸々の確認などを思う存分できる環境は使わないと勿体ないという訳だ。
今日一日全てを使って鍛錬し、肉体を痛めつけ、夕飯にはお楽しみの“ヒストクロック”をメインにした料理を用意した。“ヒストクロック”は、大雑把に表現すると、巨大な機械時計となる。生体部分は存在せず、特殊な魔法金属と超常的な何かが混合された物質で構成されているので、火を通したりなどの調理は意味がない。だから“ヒストクロック”自体には手を加えず、残しておいた【偽青道十二星獣】の小型種をオカズとして彩を加えた。文字通り山となった料理を喰っていくが、どれも美味い。
小型種はバリエーションが豊富なので、程よい上質な脂の乗った肉もあれば、新鮮な野菜のような食感の部位もある。味もピリッと辛い部位もあれば、苦くて甘い部位もある。強化個体と比べれば質は劣るのは仕方ないものの、それでも十分以上に良質だ。それがこれくらいの量もあれば誰だって十分満足できるだろう。これだけでも十分メインを張れる品揃えだったとも思っている。
ただやはり“ヒストクロック”の前では霞んでいた。“アストラキウム”を喰った時のように、一口齧るだけで口内を蹂躙し、脳を直接刺激するような旨味の塊だ。超常物質製なので歯応えは十分過ぎる程あるが、能力から由来するのか、まるで丹念に丹念に長期間かけて旨味を凝縮させた熟成肉のような味がする。舌に触れると少しピリリとスパイシーで、その直後に凝縮された旨味の爆発に晒され、後味は爽快なので一度食べると手が止まらなくなってしまった。熟成された芳醇な魔力の香りが鼻孔を擽り、噛む毎に滲み出てくるような黄金の魔力の奥深い味はただ最高の一言に尽きる。新しく手に入れた迷宮酒との組み合わせも良く、チビチビ摘まみながら、夜空を眺めるという至福の時間が過ぎていった。
【能力名【歴史の証人】のラーニング完了】【能力名【因果を紡ぐ針】のラーニング完了】
それに加え、新しいアビリティもラーニング出来た。単独では使い道はほとんどないが、新しく得たばかりの【神器】である【歴史神之黄金時計】と組み合わせて使えば、“ヒストクロック”のように過去を再現する事も出来るようになる。やる事、やれる事、やってみたい事がどんどん増えていくが、今はとりあえず、夜空を見ながら最高の晩酌を楽しむ事にした。
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Category:Novel
Category:Re:Monster ~ The Dark Continent ~ Vol. 3