My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

The chimera is truly troublesome. Even one-on-one, the snake on its tail moves unpredictably and applies poison, so it feels like fighting two opponents at once.

"...Tch."

Following the danger sense, I leapt back and the spot where I'd been standing had melted from the poison. I back-stepped and dodged the claw swipe from its main body.

"...About two or three meters, I guess."

I gauged the poison's range by eye and kept my distance. Watching the chimera, it charged as if its rest was over.

I took up the "night blade god" and stepped forward instead of retreating.

'Guraa!'

"...This won't do either."

The "night blade god" that tried to seize its neck as we passed was easily deflected. I had tried to cut off the tail before, but that, too, was shrugged off. Like the minotaur's hide, that fluffy-looking fur was actually tough. It blatantly ignored the laws of nature.

We faced each other about five meters apart, momentum carrying us.

Both of us lowered our bodies... and crashed together. To an assassin whose agility leaves others behind, and a chimera with superior leg strength, five meters might as well be nothing.

"Ugh."

But when it came to arm strength, I immediately fell into a disadvantage.

Assassins don't usually fight head-on. We cowardly strike from behind, slitting the target's neck. You don't need great arm strength to do that.

The chimera reappeared at the spot where it had been knocked away and pursued. I twisted to dodge and plunged into the ground. I rolled to put distance between us, but before I could rise I took a blow to the abdomen. I was sent flying into the wall and my vision went white.

The difference in strength was overwhelming. Once caught, I was toyed with like a baby. Whether by intention or luck, its claws hadn't been extended, so I wasn't cut. Still, several ribs were definitely broken, and one seemed to have pierced an internal organ. Blood poured from my mouth; if I didn't get treatment soon it could be dangerous.

Seeing my injuries objectively, I realized—perhaps too late—that I couldn't afford to insist on a fair fight. To begin with, the boss wasn't weak enough for me to be able to fight while sealing my magic and skills.

"...Sorry. From here on I'll fight properly."

I said that to the chimera watching me from a distance as I stood up, and I extended my hand.

The chimera braced.

"...'Shadow magic' activate."

Shadows swelled up in the dim boss room. The shadow seemed delighted to come out after a long time.

Thin but tough shadows wrapped around the chimera's legs. That wasn't something I'd commanded.

'So, your magic does seem to have a will of its own.'

Commander saran's voice echoed in my head. Was that the evening of the day we'd almost annihilated the forest?

────

"A will? Magic can have one?"

"Yes. Shadow magic like that doesn't even exist in this world, after all."

In Commander saran's office, I gaped at the offhand remark.

"Huh? No, it's actually listed as shadow magic on my status."

"Of course I don't doubt that it exists. I saw its power with my own eyes today."

The commander, propped on her elbows with a grin, looked very pleased. Not exactly good news for me, though.

"The magic in this world appears divided in many ways, but it's really organized into certain branches."

She pulled out the back of an unneeded document and casually sketched a diagram.

"First, the mainstream: fire, water, earth, and wind. Those are ordinary skills—acquisition depends on talent and such, but they're relatively easy to obtain."

She drew four circles and wrote the four elements in them, then extended lines to several more circles. Looking at it upside down, it vaguely resembled an ecosystem diagram.

"First, my light magic branches from water, with one step in between. So, what lies between water and light?"

"...Healing, right?"

"Yes, correct. You're as teachable as ever."

Commander saran smiled and wrote "healing" between water and light.

"From healing, things like curse removal derive, but its root is water magic. Dark magic derives from earth, lightning from light, and so on."