Fantasy Galaxy: Why Are There Goblins and Orcs in Space?

Chapter 16 : Tactical Magic Techniques

The Toryū Ryōhei Guild's Training Center on the Bizera Continent of Demon World Planet Boran had nine exits. One connected to Elevator Town; the remaining eight led to regions where monsters lived.

I left the Training Center into Elevator Town and headed for a shop selling armor and weapons. The store boasted a staggering inventory, all organized by race. For the record, Elevator Town housed roughly three million sentient beings - by no means a small town.

We went to the Human Race section and checked the armor first. Blade-resistant protective suits paired with shock-absorbing vests seemed to be standard gear.

「Take a look at thish. It'sh Dragon Armor.」

A glass case in front of Sario displayed armor crafted from dragon scales. The price tag: seventy million Credits. Absurdly expensive. We couldn't afford it even if we pooled every last Credit we owned.

I settled on a standard protective suit and shock-absorbing vest. Then I picked up a pair of military boots. That alone came to roughly two hundred thousand Credits.

「What weapon will you ushe?」

「What kind of weapon does a mage use?」

I directed the question at an idle-looking clerk. He was a young Werecat Race male who struck me as vaguely handsome - "vaguely" because I couldn't grasp the Werecat Race's aesthetic sensibilities.

「You're a mage, sir?」

「That's right.」

「In that case, I'd recommend a small shield and a Mason Gun.」

A Mason Gun fired explosive rounds packed with powerful charges inside the warhead - similar to a grenade launcher, but chambered for much smaller projectiles.

「Six-round capacity, huh. Can't help it with explosive rounds that big.」

I'd have preferred something that could fire more rounds in quick succession, but the clerk told me a single hit was enough to take down a Threat Level 1 monster.

I skipped the shield and bought only the Mason Gun. The clerk recommended Siska Grassland to the south for a first foray into the wilds. Nothing but Threat Level 1 monsters roamed there, making it the perfect place to get accustomed to hunting.

Afterward, I used my Anubis Smart Glasses to research the monsters found on Siska Grassland. Planet Boran's Planetary Information Net held a staggering volume of data - so much that narrowing down results proved a challenge in itself.

My research revealed that Siska Grassland was home to the 『Berserk Boar』 - a six-legged beast resembling a boar - the 『Armored Dog』 with its armor-like hide, and the 『Killer Spider』, a massive spider stretching one meter in length.

After studying the grassland's monsters, I headed to the shooting range to practice with my newly purchased Mason Gun. The rounds used for practice had their explosive charges removed, of course.

Once I'd drilled until satisfied, I decided to head out on a hunt. I changed into my gear early that morning, pinned on my Achievement Collection Badge, and set off down the corridor leading to Siska Grassland. Before long, rugged vehicles that looked military-grade came roaring past me one after another.

One of them pulled over, and a young man with red hair hopped out of the driver's seat. Early twenties, powerfully built.

「Hey, you a rookie?」

「Yes.」

「Figured as much. Plenty of folks hunt on Siska Grassland, but nearly all of 'em use vehicles. I'll give you a ride partway. Walking, it'd take you a good hour.」

I accepted his offer. These vehicles were called Hunt Cars, from what I could tell.

「Without a vehicle, you can't even haul back what you kill, right? What were you planning to do?」

Now that he mentioned it, I hadn't given any thought to transporting my kills. The Toryū Ryōheis operating here earned their income by hauling prey back and converting it to cash, so that kind of transport was essential.

「I was just planning to scout what kind of monsters are out there today.」

「Huh, your first day. Well, good luck.」

He dropped me off at the entrance to Siska Grassland, and I climbed out to survey the wide-open plains stretching before me.

「Yeah, I definitely need a vehicle.」

I did have a driver's license, but even if I'd had my Japanese one on me, it wouldn't be any use here. Should I get a Sector Alliance license?

I wondered if I could fly using the Tenshiryoku Drive, but that thing packed enough power to accelerate a small spacecraft. Turn it on a human body, and the results would be horrifying. Better not.

「What if I blew a monster away with the Tenshiryoku Drive - instant kill? No, won't work. Activating the Tenshiryoku Drive takes too long.」

The Tenshiryoku Drive required roughly five seconds to activate. My 『Particle Strike』, by contrast, had improved to the point where I could fire it in about one second.

「Same monster hunting, but nothing like doing it in space.」

Everything felt fresh, and I had a feeling an actual encounter with a monster would terrify me. My eyes drifted to the Mason Gun hanging from my belt.

At the shooting range, I'd gotten to where I could hit targets consistently. Still, I considered the gun a last resort. If I intended to grow as a mage, I wanted to bring monsters down with 『Particle Strike』.

Right - I'd never used 『Particle Strike』 on the ground before. Best to practice here.

I opened the Control Gate connected to the Power Conduit to just Release Level T. The instant I did, Bosoru particles and Tenshiryoku flooded into my body.

A lone tree stood in the middle of the grassland. Its trunk measured roughly twenty centimeters in diameter and looked sturdy. I aimed at that trunk and fired a 『Particle Strike』.

Tenshiryoku accelerated the particle bullet past the speed of sound. The instant it hit the trunk, a deafening dokan[boom] ripped through the air and the trunk blew to splinters.

「Whoa!」

The blast wave knocked me flat. Far too much power. I hadn't accounted for the fact that this wasn't space. No air in vacuum meant no blast wave - but down here was a different story. On top of that, an explosion this powerful would blow any prey to bits.

「I need to dial the power way down.」

As a test, I dialed back the Bosoru particles until the particle bullet shrank to roughly the size of a baseball, accelerated it, and fired at a tree trunk.

The instant it struck, a smaller explosion than the last went off. The blast still knocked me down, and I landed square on my backside.

「Geho[cough].」

Another failure. I should have kept more distance.

Next, I restricted the Bosoru particles to just one percent of my usual output, accelerated them, and slammed them into a tree trunk. They struck and detonated, but the blast amounted to nothing impressive. Half-baked power.

So I set the Bosoru particle volume to about ten percent of my usual output, shaped them into a rifle-round form roughly eight centimeters long, throttled back the acceleration, and fired. This time the round punched clean through the trunk without detonating. The shape had been the issue.

Watching the exact effect I'd aimed for finally materialize, I confirmed that a rifle-round shape far outperformed a sphere for penetration. I also discovered that with this form, I could safely push the particle bullet to Mach 10.

This time, I was certain I'd nailed it. I looked up this tactical magic technique on the Planetary Information Net through my Smart Glasses and found an identical one already on record. It was called 『Particle Strike: Piercing Bullet』, and the Bosoru particle projectile was known as a 『Piercing Particle Bullet』.