I Was a Small Fish When I Reincarnated, but It Seems That I Can Become a Dragon, so I Will Do My Best - Extra Chapter 211
7-31. Side -Ouren- The Byproduct of the World
“‘Byproduct of the world?’”
“…Onii-chan, what do you mean by that?”
“To be precise, the byproduct is only me. Hmm… Well, let me think of a way to explain it clearly…”
Tekeris seemed to be searching his mind for a way to explain it in a way that would be easy to understand. But they needed that explanation—being told that something is a “byproduct of the world” didn’t make any sense at all.
The three waited for Tekeris to continue. After a moment, he snapped his fingers.
“Ah, maybe it’s best if I just say it plainly. This world was created by the gods about 1,600 years ago. The earth, the sea, plants, and various other living things were brought into existence. But when the foundation—the ‘earth’—was created, I was born.”
“And why is that?”
“Well, why or how, I can’t really say. Something just… came out.”
“‘Something just came out.’”
For a moment, it felt like the explanation was going nowhere. Both Ouren and Houen, as well as Abyss, were a bit exasperated. This didn’t clarify anything at all.
“But wait, then how do you have any skills?”
“Oh, sharp thinking! Indeed, skills are something granted by the gods, and as I was born when the earth was created, I shouldn’t possess any skills. Is that what you were thinking?”
“Well, yeah. Living beings were created after the earth, so wouldn’t that be the case?”
“Ouren, you’ve always had a knack for noticing the oddest details.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“I mean it sincerely.”
Though Ouren still felt somewhat uneasy, he swallowed back the words that were about to come out, for the sake of moving the conversation forward.
Tekeris is indeed a living being, but it’s true that he shouldn’t have skills. Skills are something given to created beings, and these skills have been passed down through the generations.
“So, why do you have skills then?”
“Because I ate them.”
“Wha- for real?”
“Let me explain in terms you can understand—I’m an unknown lifeform. Therefore, instead of skills, I possessed what could be called ‘abilities.’”
“You mean basic abilities, like being able to walk on two legs, fly, or swim?”
“Yes, exactly. Ah, talking with you is quite enjoyable—our conversation flows well.”
“So, what exactly are these abilities of yours?”
“Don’t you already have a guess?”
Tekeris gave a smile, one devoid of malice but nonetheless unsettling. Seeing his expression, Ouren muttered in his mind, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” If the ability he suspected Tekeris had actually existed, it would make him an endlessly evolving monster. Not that Tekeris wasn’t already a monster… but why did the world create such a byproduct?
Houen and Abyss, who were struggling to keep up with the conversation, looked to Ouren for answers.
“Ouren, what’s going on? What is Tekeris’ ability? And I’m completely lost in this conversation.”
“You’re great at digging up certain information. It’s easier to think of this as a hypothetical scenario.”
“…So?”
“Tekeris’ ability… You have the power to acquire the skills of the creatures you consume, don’t you?”
“Exact-ly. Or so the phrase goes, right?”
Tekeris laughed, a sound that only increased Ouren’s discomfort. He wanted to ask where Tekeris had picked up that phrase but decided against it. He had a very bad feeling about it. Sometimes, it’s better not to ask, and there are times when ignorance truly is bliss. For the sake of Houen, who was unusually lost in this conversation, he decided to hold his tongue.
Then, Tekeris suddenly dropped the eerie atmosphere and laughed normally. Now that he had confirmed what he wanted, he began to speak more freely about himself.
“I am the byproduct of the world, a being created entirely independent of the gods’ will. Even I don’t fully understand what I am. But what I do know is that I have the ‘ability’ to consume the skills of those I devour and make them my own. Among the beings I’ve consumed, there was something that possessed a skill to ‘create skills’ and a skill to ‘bestow skills.’ Without realizing it, I consumed that being.”
“…And that body of yours is able to handle all the skills you’ve consumed?”
“Oh! That might be true! I’ve had this body from the start, but just as you said, there hasn’t been a single skill I couldn’t use. But there is a drawback.”
“A drawback?”
“The skills I bestow die off within me.”
“…Die off?”
Ouren furrowed his brow at Tekeris’ choice of words. He didn’t say “disappear”; he said “die off.” But soon, he understood the meaning.
“Once you’ve bestowed a skill, you can never ‘create’ it again, can you?”
“Exactly.”
There was a strange sense of finality in Tekeris’ words. However…
“What about ‘Angel Ascension’? You gave that to all of them, didn’t you?”
“I mentioned that the original came from the angels, didn’t I? The archangels possessed something that allowed them to increase their skills, and that’s the only one that could be multiplied. In the first place, I didn’t create the skill known as ‘Angel Ascension’—I just bestowed it.”
So then…
“You’re pretty much out of skills now, aren’t you?”
“Bingo. But there are still skills that the angels didn’t take from me. If they don’t know about a skill, they can’t take it. But my ability to create new skills has been drastically reduced…”
“Sounds like you’ve run out of material.”
“Well, something like that.”
Tekeris slapped his knee and stood up. He easily lifted Abyss, who was nearby, onto his shoulder and cracked his neck.
“That’s about it for the story about myself. Sorry for being such a weird existence.”
“I’m just relieved you’re not an enemy.”
“Same here. I wouldn’t want to go up against someone like you—or Houen, for that matter.”
“That’s flattering.”
“Shall we talk a bit more about the angels?”
“Huh? You’ve got more to tell?”
“Ouren, have you ever thought about this?”
Tekeris grinned mischievously, savoring the moment. He shaped an angel with his fingers and then crushed its neck.
“As the first lifeform in this world, I’ve been resisting for over 800 years despite being captured, and now I’m free. Do you really think a creature like me wouldn’t know the angels’ true purpose?”