My Parasite Skill System

Weak.

The swordsman told me I was weak. We fought around, exchanged blows, measured up each other's power; he had to draw that conclusion about me. This had been his appraisal of my skills.

Well, he had been wrong, hadn't he? I'm still pretty much pissed about how he behaved with me … acting all strong and superior when he wasn't much of anything … and this is my way to prove things different.

Yes, the man was wrong. And yes, that was a mistake–most likely one of the biggest–on his end.

I am the one deciding whether I'm weak or not. And this is the way it is ever since the beginning–my beginning.

I am not.

Today, we had been confident. Well, naturally we were. Wasn't the last time we spent adventuring in those priorly oh-so-dangerous hunting grounds oh-so-productive?

The Party was confident. Since I was with the Party, I guess they had grown confident enough, yes. With me coming along with them (and my power was no secret to them), they could proceed on with safer minds while having mostly fun … just like I taught them.

They had grown confident to an extent where going even further deeper into the dangerous hunting grounds wasn't to be a problem anymore.

And, surely, that little confidence they had, to begin with, had turned into a bigger one.

This is my second coming out with them out in the wild, and within those only two outings, they had time enough to further their ground by a very wide margin–margin which they couldn't even dream of in the past!

And thus, we're here, that deep into the ominous monsterrific forest, and we fight the saber wolves … when we probably shouldn't be doing that.

… right??

–But I mean, why don't you look at 'em go!

"<Iron Skin>!... followed by, <Whirlwind>!... mhmm!"

The tank handled all the ferocious puppy he had to himself.

They all were gathered around him still–there were three of them left–but as it did go like this, their ferocity only puffed and puffed some more to the point the would be out of hand at any time, by now.

The sluggish Slug redid his defensive skill. And behold, the skin of his face and hands darkened to a metallic shade of gray.

Seizing the flow of the battle was what he tried to do then: lowering his guard, breathing deeply in, the bulging veins bulged even more … and with two puffed up arms, he started to spin around!

"Bumped!"

"Right…!"

Both the leader and the damage dealer saw what was to come. They darted backward as one.

That tank's thick sword waved around two, three times, tearing off the air around him as he went, before he gradually had to stop his lame, looking pretty much dumb, since he didn't touch nothing.

The saber wolves all darted behind, following the leader and the damage dealer.

They looked intelligent, now. Intelligent, and funny. Real funny.

And so … I chuckled!

Doing just that, it opened the following of their stressful battle.

One of the wild dogs' eyes darted on my arched-up lips.

Oh, what's he want, I thought. Find that fun, too, dog?

But he instantly scowled and growled at me.

Oh-oh…

The next thing I knew, he burst out to the rear, reaching out to the two supports. It made me chuckle some more … but I didn't pay too much attention to him.

Clumsy Babe's arm went and enveloped my right side when she pulled me behind her and human friend. She did that so I wouldn't fight it. Handling that lone wolf wasn't a problem to no one.

"… ahoooo~"

That one would be becoming a problem real soon, on the other hand. Over to the main though weak force's side, there were these two gray ones still.

Of them, one played backward as it jumped and suddenly went howling for some reason.

And heh, it made me chuckle even more, at this point. And so they got skills, too, these little beasts, eh. I recognized this skill. Didn't I actually have the exact same one?

The wolf just used 'Howl Wolf' as his muzzle pointed up and he chanted.

Thankfully enough, the damage dealer was quick enough to respond to that, anyway. He wasn't so far from him, he simply had to go a little out of his way–"<Double Ripper>!" and wave a cross with his longsword to the pup.

The wolf whimpered and fell right down, for once. This war of attrition wouldn't certainly be won by the wolves, eh, that was for sure.

As soon as that one wolf went angrily pursuing the healer and the sorceress, Leader fell back onto it, protecting the two supports by his lame, too.

And the tip of his sword proved to be as swift as efficient. For once, that second-to-last wolf fell down, unable to get his teeth into the women.

Clumsy Babe's guard went up when Sorceress lost her usually cool and cold attitude.

Dog fell right before their feet before it would be bonked by the priestess.

All this fighting around left only one last saber wolf.

Mindful Slug was still facing it, but none of the two dared move. Each predator simply facing his counterpart, hesitating, not knowing what exactly to do.

Well, being the wolf, I'd have thought just the same as him. Ain't time to freak out right now, though, boy. You go on and you fight!

Then again, it was the damage dealer that fell back onto that lone wolf.

"Muahahaha!!"

With all his might put into both his derisive laughter and assault, the longsword tainted with blood fell onto another's neck, from behind the worn-out dog's back as it quickly died.

Well, well, well.

All of this went down pretty quick … and they seem to be winning … but was that all there was to it nonetheless?

Surely, no: "Be– behind yourself!... Bumped!" it was Slug talking.

Talking, and rushing, too.

As soon as he saw what was behind his friend's back, he burst out tilted as an arrow.

"Argh!!"

Arrow which wouldn't prevent any danger. In any way at all. The grossly fat and massive funny arrow that that human was was barely quick enough to stop the new-arriving saber wolves.

Onto the scene, all of them!

Bumped fell to his knee when he realized those sharp fangs had bitten right through his left leg's clothes and light armor, "Sh– shitty shits!–off of my leg, pah!"

"–Are– are you … Cl– Clumsy," not knowing where to point his face at, the fat and useless arrow turned to me at the rear … or to the priestess.

Well, let alone his fat, he wasn't usually so useless, that human; I'd even go as far as to say he was the strongest of the group–so it was cool.

He turned to the priestess and called out for help.

"Shitty shitting shits! Leader!–eh, finally!–finally saw the strongest damage dealer could use some help, heh!"

"Sh– shut it," replied the one who could indeed be called an arrow, Leader, after he came over to Bumped, "<Sword Dance>," his blade was doubled by another one, and just like wind cutting through, it made the saber wolf back off, before he quickly continued–"Come 'ere!–will carry you to Clumsy!"

"Pah!.... argh!–don't need none of your help!"