My Parasite Skill System

Ready perfectly. The swordsman seemed to invite me.

Unwilling to deny him his dance, I entered the battle.

He readied himself for an assault coming from me. From who he thought was me. From that '41 strength points,' most likely. He didn't quite ready himself for the '161 strength points' me.

Assessing him with both my eye and 'Mana Perception,' I saw that only too well.

He's ready. But not ready for me.

This piece of observation let me think I should go along with his low expectations. Knowing he and his sharpest eyes … he wouldn't be taking so long before noticing something had changed.

As I'm keeping my monster-like aura from flowing out (and keep in mind I'm pretty much always doing that, here), he can't even sense it's been tripled.

I drew my somewhat children-sized sword. At once, I blasted off towards him.

It was 'Quick Pace' for you–ring!–oh?

I wasn't the weak person anymore. Dangerously dashing along towards my prey, as the system rang, quick messages promptly flash past my eyes; it only lasted a second, or even less than that. Even then, I could read and understand all pretty neatly:

❮ Active Skill <Quick Pace> has upgraded into <Slash>. ❯

I wondered what?

❮ <Slash> Active Skill – Consumption: 30 MPs; Melee attack is increased by 175; May cause the negative effect 'Fatal Bleeding'; Ambush attacks inflict higher damage. (May be used as a simple dash against no enemy.) ❯

And then, I could no longer be being wondering–I'd closed in on the swordsman already.

All that was left was to let myself be guided by 'it.' A new skill could be learned from scratch, then? No, this was no new skill–it's just been upgraded.

Dashing, I neatly stopped in front of him. The swordsman's guard was up. Only his sword stood protecting himself. Sword which wasn't to be felt a wall anymore.

My sword–which was now wielded in a backhand grip, for reasons that escaped even me–my sword whipped by his and brushed it away.

Clang!

Swiftly, my sword came back to my hand as it always was. I gripped it conventionally.

And swiftly, too, the swordsman's belittling expression flashed back on his face. Oh, it's just some fancy new move, isn't it?–he must have thought. He brought his sword back to its place even before me.

He was skilled. I understood well why he was so condescending. But let him not be taken aback when I'll really strike.

Going like this, we exchanged a few blows. Regular ones, for the sake of getting into it. And some other powerful ones, for the sake of entertainment.

Clang, clang, clang!

My ears overheard, shuddering under the well too high-pitched tonality of the clashes.

And then, woosh, woosh, woosh!

My ears followed with, as I circled around him, quickly dashing here and there, and jumping too, sometimes.

Usually, that could (and would generally thereby) last more than five minutes or so. That was a little gym I usually didn't avoid. Now was different, though.

I only let it last for a minute before introducing what was needing introducing.

I found myself to be in front of both he and his sword. As per how things usually were. The only difference was, I felt myself boiling from inside. Boiling and spilling.

There was too much.

And I actually wanted to find the 'right' moment to unleash myself. When would that be, though? When he decided to let his guard down? He would never do that.

Or maybe he had already. Since he doesn't quite know what's coming at him!–

I stood before him … and my arms?–they tripled in length, they tripled in width, they tripled in speed; but only in essence.

My arms felt as if they had tripled. And that, in every aspect of themselves. As far as strength alone was concerned, obviously. And though unchanged in appearance they were, they tripled in everything.

The swordsman's forehead became soaked in sweat. It was immediate.

I unleashed myself–and all my aura. (Oops?) This wasn't important. Right now, I overflowed of everything. I was big, very big. And I was large, very large.

I remembered what was potential. It was the ability to change things. The ability to grasp things. The ability to dominate things.

Right now, that's what I was.

My eyes seemed to look down from above at the swordsman as he looked down at but his own surprise.

Yes, my eyes were fully rounded and full of disdain. And yes, his eyes, too, were fully rounded–but full of surprise and powerlessness they were.

My shadow totally swallowed his–I was unleashed–my sword hit his bokken before it slashed through the air clean.

No surprise–the wooden sword was totally shattered in only one blow. It broke off into two pieces as the sturdiest wood crackled.

The swordsman's hand was left wide open–whipping down, I hit all his right hand's fingers heavily.

After this mighty blow–even though guarded by a thick layer of his magical energy–they would become blue, purple, or black; being lifeless.

And surprise took over the whole of his being, then.

I certainly didn't know what was on the inside of his head, but … he absolutely couldn't be liking it … didn't he? And I don't mean that in a masochist way. But he simply couldn't be liking what he saw, right…?

So, then … why did his lips even seem to begin to be stretched into the beginning of a smile, huh…?!

That man. He sure won't like the rest of it all.

My shadow still was swallowing his whole being. He totally was powerless, right now. He didn't have time to prepare or defend. The whole of my assault went down way too quickly.

Both his wielding hand and training sword were shattered. They were no longer usable before a while.

This deserved a finishing blow. Both a finishing blow and a dead human's body to end it all rightfully.

Well, I thought. I kinda liked him, after all. Which was true. I had enjoyed that human's presence around me. Still though. But he is weak, I continued thinking, wildly smirking.

I held my sword by my side. With both hands I gripped it. Clenching my fists to the tightest of grips, I stretched it forth.

Thump!–it landed right in his ribs and left flank.

"Ugh!" the swordsman choked.

What followed, in my ears, were the many little sounds of his cracking ribs. As expected, he concentrated every last of his strength into defending himself. It was way too sturdy, but it was all right.

And this was over. His eyes caught mine, when mine caught his. We stared into each other's eyes. Then we stared at each other's grins.

That man. He really's got a problem to himself, right? What is wrong with this person, seriously?

My sword wasn't quite done sweeping past the swordsman–but it didn't cut through quite right–instead, he just burst off of the ground, flying away towards one corner of the room, where he hit one of his walls and was carved into it.

A loud thud resonated through the empty hall. Everything trembled and shuddered in fear under my might.

"Heh~," I laughed. This was only supposed to be a regular blow.

And it was just like I said. He sure wouldn't like it when he'd be seeing it.

Now, he will just lie down and die, pressured by my might, like my every other foe.

All of this happened quickly. The Player played very well. I was happy with the results. The monster could be proud.

But then, the walls trembled again, only ever so slightly, and my eyes darted back onto the (dead?) swordsman again…

"…!"

Boy, oh boy.