The Paper User: Exiled for a ‘Trash Skill,’ Awakens True Power and Rises with Two Unique Skills - Chapter 3

Chapter3: In the Forest at Night

That night, I found myself deep within the forest south of Tansa.

I only had two copper coins to my name—not enough to stay at an inn.

I drank water from a nearby river and chewed on some tough dried meat.

“Tomorrow, I’ll need to go to the Adventurer’s Guild and look for work. That was the last of my rations, too.”

The massive moon—more than ten times larger than the sun—bathed the river in silver light.

With a soft splash, a silvery fish leapt from the water.

A silverfish? Those are delicious when grilled with a little pepper.

“Maybe I’ll try catching some after a nap…”

Just then, a sharp pain stabbed through my skull, and I dropped to one knee.

“Ngh… Again…?”

This wasn’t just a regular headache—it felt like something deep inside my brain was under attack.

Weird… There’s no way the mental damage from that hammer strike should’ve lasted this long. Maybe it hit a nerve?

Clutching my head with both hands, I gritted my teeth.

But unlike before, the pain didn’t fade quickly.

This… this might be bad.

My vision went pure white, and I collapsed sideways.

“Guh… ugh…”

It felt like my head was on fire. The sensation was so vivid, I honestly thought my brain was melting.

I couldn’t see. I couldn’t hear. I couldn’t speak.

And then, memories started replaying one after another—like someone had opened the floodgates in my mind.

Flora gently patting my head.
Playing with Lilith.
The younger orphans looking up to me like a real big brother…

I don’t… want to die yet. I finally became an adventurer… I finally have a way to repay Director Flora…

At some point, I lost consciousness completely.

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A cold breeze brushed against my cheek, and I slowly opened my eyes.

“...Huh? What…?”

I sat up and touched my head. The pain was gone—completely.

“Am I… okay?”

I stood up and moved my arms and legs. Nothing felt off.

In fact, my head felt clearer than ever—like my old brain had been replaced with a brand-new one.

“What just happened to me…?”

I muttered, staring up at the massive moon above.

If that headache returns, maybe I really should see a magic physician.

And then—

A rustling sound came from the bushes to my right.

A four-legged monster stepped into view.

It was nearly three meters long, with the face of a lion and goat-like horns curling from its head. Its golden fur shimmered in the moonlight, and from that fur slithered dozens of snakes, hissing and writhing.

A chimera?! What’s something like that doing here?!

All the blood drained from my body.

Chimeras are beasts composed of multiple species.
They use multiple elemental magics, and their speed and strength are formidable.
Their claws are razor sharp, and the snakes on their body have venomous fangs.

“What rotten luck… Chimeras are supposed to live in highland forests.”

I slowly drew my dagger and stepped backward.

“Groooowl!”

The chimera let out a deep growl and started moving toward me.

This was bad. Even a B-rank adventurer would struggle with a chimera. I was F-rank. There was no way I could win.

The chimera leapt into the air.

I have to stop its attack—even just for a second!

I focused my mind and tried to summon six sheets of paper—

But in that instant, over a hundred sheets of white paper materialized.
The chimera slammed into them and crashed to the ground.

“What?!”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

With my current mana, I shouldn’t be able to summon more than fifteen sheets at once.

And yet, these weren’t just any sheets—their durability had clearly increased.
Otherwise, there was no way they could stop a chimera’s full-body charge.

“Grrrrrr—RAAAAH!”

A fireball flared to life above the chimera’s head.
It struck the paper barrier and ignited it in an instant.

Fire magic… Not a good matchup for paper.

The chimera charged again, swinging a massive front leg.

I blocked with my dagger—but the impact sent it flying.

Ungh—this thing hits like an ogre!

I reached for my fallen dagger, but the chimera crushed it underfoot.

Crap! I’m out of weapons!

I had a spare dagger in my pouch, but the blade was too short. It wouldn’t be enough.

I clenched my jaw and looked around.

No escape routes—neither the bushes nor the river would work.

I’ll have to fight. Right here. Right now.

I took a deep breath and lowered my stance.

I didn’t know why, but my mana hadn’t run out yet.

Which meant—I could still fight using Paper Manipulation.

I visualized a magical formula in my mind and shaped a sword from paper.

“Gooo!”

The floating paper sword launched itself and plunged into the chimera’s left shoulder.

“Gghrrrk…!”

One of the snakes attached to the chimera’s torso yanked the blade out with its mouth, and green blood began to pour from the wound.

It’s working!

The sharpness of the paper blade was way better than before.
And I didn’t feel any significant drop in my mana.

I could keep going—keep making more blades.

“Grrraaaaa…”

The chimera growled and crept toward me.

I summoned two more paper swords and launched them—but the chimera dodged with frightening agility, completely unexpected for its size.

“Grr… GRRR…”

It crouched low, coiling its hind legs beneath it.

It’s going to charge me!

Forget building a wall—I’ll attack first!

I summoned dozens, no—over a hundred paper swords all at once.

They shot forward like a volley of arrows, piercing the chimera again and again.

“GGRRRAHHH…”

Bleeding from countless wounds, the chimera collapsed.

Its golden eyes dulled. Its breathing stopped.

I stepped slowly toward the fallen beast.

“Did… did I really just defeat a chimera?”

The words slipped from my dry throat.

Impossible. Shaping paper into blades takes three times as much mana as regular sheets. And I made over a hundred?

There’s no way I had that much mana.

“This… isn’t a dream, right?”

I stared down at the chimera’s corpse.

The paper blades had already vanished—expired after their duration—but the creature’s body was still riddled with slashes and stab wounds.

It made no sense.

Even if I had a Skill like 【Mana Boost】, I shouldn’t have been able to summon so many.

“…Ah.”

I suddenly remembered the Unique Skill I’d lost as a child—【Mana Overflow】.

Right. If I had that—the upgraded version of Mana Boost—this level of power would make sense. It would massively increase my base mana.

I focused, trying to sense my mana.

It was just a feeling—but I always imagined my base mana as water inside a container.

And now? That container wasn’t just a little bigger—it was a hundred, maybe a thousand times larger than before.

If it used to be a small cup, now it was a giant barrel taller than I was.

There’s no mistaking it. This is the effect of 【Mana Overflow】.

Somehow… that hammer blow must’ve restored the Skill I lost as a child.

I doubt the hammer itself had that power, so maybe the mental and physical trauma overlapped in just the right way.

“Is… is that even possible?”

I muttered, voice flat with disbelief.

With 【Mana Overflow】, I could summon tons of paper.
Not just more, but stronger. Hardened.
Even enchanted with magic properties.

“Maybe… I really can become strong.”

My body trembled slightly with the realization.

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