The Paper User: Exiled for a ‘Trash Skill,’ Awakens True Power and Rises with Two Unique Skills - Chapter 5

Chapter 5 : Encounter

In a forest west of Tansa, I was out gathering medicinal herbs.

I carefully pulled out a light green herb from the mossy base of a tree at the bottom of a gentle slope.

“That should be enough to fulfill the request.”

I stashed the herbs in my magic pouch, which could store a large number of items, and wiped the sweat from my forehead.

Time to head back. Even if I had to camp again, it’d be safer closer to town. Running into another dangerous monster like last night would be bad.

I closed my eyes and checked the state of my basic mana.

It used to take more than two full days to recover completely, but now it was much faster. If I just rested a little, it felt like my mana would naturally refill in no time.

And with the amount I had now, even one-tenth of it should be enough to take care of most monsters.

Then, suddenly—

“GROAAAAR!”

A monster’s roar echoed from the south.

…What was that?

I dashed toward the sound, brushing aside hanging vines as I pushed through the forest. Eventually, my view opened up.

Below a sheer cliff stood a girl who looked to be about my age. She had shoulder-length pink hair and wore clothing in deep forest green tones.

In front of her loomed a massive, four-meter-long, two-headed lizard. Its scales were a dark red-black, and its claws—both fore and hind—gleamed with a poisonous purple shine.

That’s… a Twin-Headed Lizard. A powerful and dangerous monster that breathes fire. If I remember right, its claws are laced with a paralyzing toxin.

This is bad. The cliff behind her is too steep to climb, and it looks like she’s injured—her right leg isn’t moving. She won’t be able to escape.

I drew the short sword at my waist and sprinted forward, weaving through the trees and sliding in between the girl and the monster.

“Eh? Who are you!?”

The girl cried out in surprise.

“I’m Yakumo! I’m an adventurer!”

I raised my short sword toward the Twin-Headed Lizard.

“We can exchange names later. Can you fight?”

“Sorry, I’m an alchemist! I broke the magic ring that held my ingredients!”
“Got i—”

Before I could finish, the lizard’s throat bulged wide.

It’s about to breathe fire.

Rather than my usual magic pattern, I pictured a spell to manifest water-infused paper.

Dozens of sheets appeared before me, shimmering like rippling water. The lizard's flames struck the paper wall—and were snuffed out.

Yes! The flame-resistant paper came through perfectly.

The Twin-Headed Lizard slashed at the paper with its claws, tearing it apart as water sprayed around us.

As expected of a Twin-Headed Lizard. Even reinforced paper didn’t last long.

I darted to the right, drawing its attention.

As planned, the monster turned and began to chase me. Good. That gives the girl a chance to escape.

“GROOOAAAR!”

The lizard twisted its body and lashed out with its spiked tail. I rolled across the ground, narrowly dodging the blow, and flung my short sword.

It struck the lizard’s shoulder, making a shallow cut.

Not deep, but it still left a wound.

In that case… I’ll use wind-infused paper, folded with a different pattern—

Around me, dozens of paper shuriken appeared.

Shuriken—a throwing weapon introduced by Otherworlders who arrived centuries ago—are small, palm-sized stars with sharpened tips.

The paper shuriken spun through the air, stabbing into the lizard’s shoulders and forelegs.

Even while bleeding dark red-black blood, the lizard swelled its throats again.

More shuriken embedded themselves into those throats.

The tissue tore—and flames erupted from the wound, engulfing both heads in fire.

“Gag… gaaa…!”

The lizard’s massive body tilted—then collapsed sideways.

Did… did I get it?

I picked up my fallen short sword and cautiously approached.

Its two mouths were agape, unmoving. It was dead.

“…Whew. That could’ve gone worse.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding.

The paper shuriken were more powerful than I expected. Folding the paper increased its durability, and adding wind attributes boosted its speed and spin. Their irregular trajectories made them hard to avoid.

The only downside was the extra time it took to manifest them. The magic pattern needed to both fold the paper and infuse it with an element.

Still, ever since my Massive Mana Skill returned, my head felt clearer. I could make decisions faster in battle.

…Maybe taking that hit to the head wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

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