「So anyway, I’m going to do a test shot of 『Glowing Paralyze Arrow』 now, Jered-kun」
「Yeah」
「I want you to watch over my brave performance」
「Brave performance? Uh, sure, I’ll watch」
On the way to the training ground to test 『Glowing Paralyze Arrow』, I spotted Jered-kun.
So, I called out to him and had him come along with me to the training ground.
「By the way, Jered-kun. Hasn’t it been a while?」
「Huh? Ah, this again…」
「Quite a while… huh? No, maybe not that long?」
「It hasn’t been」
For some reason, it always feels like it has been a long time whenever I see Jered-kun.
This time though, it does not feel like we have been apart for that long. It feels like we met again fairly quickly.
「Anyway, there’s one thing I want to ask you this time」
「Ask me?」
「I’m going to shoot 『Glowing Paralyze Arrow』 for the first time, so… I want you to hype it up」
「Huh? Hype it up…?」
I want him to hype it up. Or rather…
I want him to praise it.
I want him to praise the 『Glowing Paralyze Arrow』 that I fire.
「I think 『Glowing Paralyze Arrow』 is probably a pretty underwhelming skill art」
「Huh? You haven’t even fired it once yet. How would you know?」
「I know… 『Paralyze Arrow』 is one thing, but it’s combined with 『Glowing Moss』…」
It is 『Glowing Moss』 after all. Since the fused art includes 『Glowing Moss』, I am pretty sure it will not turn into a useful attack skill art.
I still do a bit of training with 『Glowing Moss』 even now. I sometimes grow moss in my room and observe it.
But even so, I still have not found any real use for 『Glowing Moss』. It is a skill art that just makes Glowing Moss grow. That is 『Glowing Moss』.
「My guess is that it’s just 『Paralyze Arrow』 that glows a little」
「A 『Paralyze Arrow』 that glows a bit… What’s the point of that?」
「Yes, that! That right there, Jered-kun!」
「Huh? W-what are you talking about?」
「That’s exactly what I don’t want to hear. I don’t want you to say that」
Well, to be honest, I would probably think the same thing myself… but I cannot say it out loud so clearly.
「This is my first composite skill art, after all. Even if its performance is kind of… you know, I don’t want to think things like ‘it’s underwhelming’ or ‘what’s the point of this?’」
「I see…」
「If anything, I want you to praise it」
「Praise it… but what am I supposed to say?」
「Huh? Um, something like 『It’s pretty』」
I am not even sure if hearing that would actually make me happy…
「Anyway, that’s what I’m asking for, Jered-kun」
「What a pain… but fine, I get it」
「Thanks, Jered-kun」
I am grateful to Jered-kun for agreeing so easily to his troublesome best friend’s request.
Now I can face the test shot without any worries.
「Alright, I’m going to fire it now」
「Yeah. Do your best」
With Jered-kun’s encouragement, I started getting ready.
First, I checked the target. I inspected the rice sack-shaped target that hardly gets used these days, confirmed there were no issues, and then put some distance between us.
I moved about fifty meters away from the target and took out my bow and arrows from my magic bag.
「Here I go, Jered-kun」
「Yeah」
I nocked the arrow, pulled the string, took aim, and then,
「『Glowing Paralyze Arrow』!」
While thinking something like 『shine brightly』, I released 『Glowing Paralyze Arrow』.
「Huh?」
It is not glowing.
Why? The arrow is not glowing.
Did the activation fail? No, I definitely felt my magic power being consumed.
Ignoring my confusion, the arrow flew toward the rice sack.
In the end, it pierced the rice sack without giving off any light at all.
「Huh?」
「It didn’t glow」
「That’s strange. I definitely felt the skill art activate, though…」
「Really? But it didn’t glow at all」
「Why is that? Did only 『Paralyze Arrow』 come out? Maybe it’s just tha…ah」
「Hm? Ah…」
At the spot where the arrow was stuck in the rice sack, a clump of Glowing Moss sprouted.
Ah, so that is how it works… An arrow that makes Glowing Moss grow when it hits…
It seems to be the same type as the 『Power Explosion』 that Laudette-san mentioned. A bow skill art that activates at the point of impact.
But still, this is…
「…………」
「Um… it’s pretty」
「…Thank you, Jered-kun」
…That was a close one.
If I had not asked him beforehand to praise it, I probably would have recognized it as a rather underwhelming skill art. Thank you, Jered-kun.
「For now, let’s get closer and take a look」
「Yeah」
We reset our mindset and walked together toward the rice sack with the arrow stuck in it.
「Hmm. It’s Glowing Moss」
「Yeah」
Even when viewed up close, it really is just normal Glowing Moss growing there.
Maybe because I was thinking 『shine brightly』, it is giving off a fairly strong light.
Hmm… Well, if Glowing Moss is growing from the arrowhead itself, it might actually be a surprisingly scary attack…
「Hey, Alec」
「Hm?」
「That arrow from earlier had a paralysis effect, right?」
「Huh? Ah, yeah. Probably」
Since a rice sack does not get paralyzed, I cannot say for sure, but it probably did.
This is a composite skill art of 『Paralyze Arrow』, after all. It would be strange if that effect were missing.
「What if… this moss also has a paralysis effect?」
「Huh…?」
This moss has a paralysis effect too?
It looks just like normal Glowing Moss, but maybe it is actually paralyzing Glowing Moss…?
That… actually sounds pretty plausible.
Sticking paralysis-inflicting moss onto the opponent’s body and continuously restricting their movements… does that not sound possible?
「That might actually be the case… If so, this could be a pretty strong skill art」
「Right? Try touching it」
「Huh… touch it?」
「You won’t know unless you touch it, right?」
「That’s true, but…」
Ugh… I have to touch it…
Touch moss that might paralyze me… with my own hand…
「What? Are you scared?」
「I am」
「You’re scared, huh… Guess it can’t be helped. Then I’ll touch it」
「Huh?」
No, that is going too far…
That would be way too unfair, and way too pathetic. No matter how scared I am, making Jered-kun do it instead is just wrong.
「Alright then…」
「N-no, there’s no need for you to do it, Jered-kun. I’ll do it myself」
「You sure? You’ll be okay?」
「I’ll be fine」
「Got it. Do your best, Alec」
「Yeah. Thanks, Jered-kun」
And so, I ended up doing it myself.
…Why does this feel so familiar?
It feels like a pattern I used to see a lot on TV in my previous life. I think there were comedians who specialized in this kind of exchange. Well, whatever.
「Okay, I’m going to touch it」
「Don’t grab it hard, alright? Just touch it lightly」
「Yeah」
If I grabbed it and got paralyzed, that would be bad. Just like Jered-kun said, I lightly brushed it with my fingertip,
「There」
「…Well?」
「Hmm? There」
「S-so, how is it?」
After poking the Glowing Moss a couple of times,
「It’s just normal Glowing Moss」
「…………」
Even when I poked it with my finger, I felt nothing. This really is just normal Glowing Moss.
「It doesn’t hurt or itch at all…」
「I see…」
「Look, like this…」
Even when I grabbed a handful of Glowing Moss firmly, unfortunately, I still felt nothing.
I pulled some off and showed the completely ordinary Glowing Moss to Jered-kun.
「Um… it’s pretty」
「…Thank you, Jered-kun」
next chapter: Photochemical Smog Warning
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