Light finally broke through the carpet of leaves of the forest roof.
Rikuro sat up in his makeshift tent covering his face with his hands, as choked sobs escaped out of him. He'd hope it was all a dream, and that he'll wake up in his room, going to school.. but he didn't.
He wiped the tears off of his face, and got out of his tent, dusting off all the dirt on him.
"Well.. this is reality now, I'll just have to make do. Let's continue on with testing this Matter Destruction skill I have." He opened his system looking at the text on it.
『Matter Destruction』
This ability will turn any matter that the user is touching into dust...
Rikuro then walked to the river to drink water and to wash his face. As he finished washing his face and drying it with his clothes, he picked up rocks again.
"What energy is this 『Matter Destruction』of mine taking? Is it stamina.. if it is, if I exercised and expanded my stamina.. will it be easier to use? This system of mine isn't even telling me. How am I supposed to be an OP Isekai Mc at this rate." He asked himself, and to answer his own question he'll have to experiment.
"Ok.. so let's see.. lets put this here and there." He took the stones in his hands and lined them up in rows according to their size.
He took a rock in the first row, his fingers can hide it, that's how little it is. It's smaller than the rock he use 『Matter Destruction』on when he first used it and when he used it last night.
He used 『Matter Destruction』on that small rock, destroying it. The energy used was definitely much lesser than when he first used it, although that's expected.
"That took about.. let's see, 25% of my energy if we quantify it." Rikuro guessed, he didn't know the absolute energy that was used but he can infer it.
He sat down to rest his energy back up, during that he thought of how to get his food.
"A spear is possible, long sticks are easy to find here, and I have flint, that could probably work on sharpening a stick.. wait that's it's purpose.. stupid me." After belittling himself, he stood up to find a stick that he could sharpen.
After finding a stick long enough he sat down again and begun sharpening it, bit by bit he carved away at the tip using the flint.
"I could use my Matter Destruction.. nah, that skill isn't something I should use willy-nilly, it's a last resort." He yapped to himself while carving the wood, this helps him not lose any sanity in this lonely, predator filled forest.
He could hear a wolf howling far away, the scurrying of little animals and low grumbling growl once again.
He accidentally cut his finger a little bit, after applying too much pressure to chisel the wood. He pressed the sliced finger on his shirt to let it heal.
As he finished his makeshift spear, he touched the tip of it to test it's sharpness. "That's sharp enough to penetrate a small animal."
He then put down the spear he just made to take another rock on the first row. But instead of just using the same destruction that he did on his first test, his focus on this one is speed.
As he thought of the rock, dissapearing in the blink of an eye, he did this by putting more energy than what was needed. Using the extra energy given the rock quickly turned to dust, no energy wave could be seen traveling on it's surface, it just disappeared into dust.
He slumped while sitting, he could definitely feel the energy that was taken, it was as if he just used his 『Matter Destruction』on a rock that his fingers can't cover, or so he thought, to test that theory he'll have to use his normal 『Matter Destruction』in a rock on the second row.
"This time.. it's about 50% of my energy if I have to guess, definitely more than the first one." As he stopped yapping, he felt the need to open the system, like a notification that alarmed him of something.
"God, that feels weird.. umm.. system?" He thought of the system appearing in front of him, and it did. The black screen with purple highlights, back with the writing familiar to Rikuro.. NOT, there was something new written.
『Matter Destruction』
This ability will turn any matter that the user is touching into dust. The size and speed of this ability varies on the amount of energy the user puts on this ability. The proficiency of the user affects the energy requirements of this ability.
Sub skill:
『Instant Destruction』
Usage of extra energy on a set amount of area will enhance the speed of destruction
As he reads the extra texts he gets a revelation. "So any 'skill' I think of will be made a 'sub skill' of Matter Destruction.. got it."
He sat down, getting more sticks to create more spears, you can never be too cautious. As he whittled away at the tip of the sticks he then looked at the last part of the description of the skill.
『Matter Destruction』
...The profeciency of the user affects the energy requirements of this ability.
"So it's gonna be a whole lot easier to use if I get more proficient, so it really is like a skill that you learn." He hasn't cut himself again, on the whittling of the stick. As he finished he has already made 5 spears. He then walked into the river to drink and wash his face.
He went back to the rocks and contemplated. He took a rock in the second row. "If my theory is correct, then I should be just as tired as when I did my instant destruction." He used normal 『Matter Destruction』to destroy the rock.
"So I'm right.. it is the same thing." He looked at his palm as the dust was blown away by the wind. He took his spear and walked infront of a tree. He created an X mark on the tree.
"Since I'm done with my destruction research.. I should practice HUNTING!! ORA!" He threw the spear and it absolutely whooshed by the tree hitting the ground on the side of it.
"I'm.. I'm pretty disappointed in myself actually, thought I had a better accuracy." He went and picked up another spear and threw it. He kept throwing and practing until one hits, and then two hits, and three, four and five. He kept practicing until he's confident enough in his throwing capability.
He looked up at the roof of leaves up above as it turns dark. His stomach grumbled signaling it's hunger "I could survive being hungry for probably about 3 weeks, and if I'm really struggling, I still have this." He looked at the cup noodles in his plastic bag that he brought with him, it's food that has preservatives, it can last for a while.
As the forest went dark once more, Rikuro made fire once again and sat there in front of it. "I'm not really tired am I? I don't have anything to do anyways. I guess let's continue experimenting."
He took a rock from the first row, playing with it while looking at it. "I need to be able to touch the thing I want to destroy to use Hakai. But it's not like I can always touch something." He kept playing with the rock as he thought.
As he was thinking, he got a revelation. "I got it, just flow the destruction energy to one thing to another." He walked around the campfire thinking of how to flow the energy to another thing.
"If putting a set size while overloading the energy requirements makes it disappear fast, then what if I don't just set a size but still overload the energy requirements." He stopped playing with the rock and went close to the tree he made a notch in.
"This is a small rock, but if it works, I could use it with just a long stick, not even a spear to transmit the destruction energy to kill." He went into a pitcher position as he throw the rock into the tree.
As the rock touched the fingertips for the last time, Rikuro expanded an amount larger than needed to destroy that rock without a set size. As the rock flew through the air, it's end turning to dust, but before it vanished, the rock hit the three embedding itself into the trunk. As it fully get destroyed, the energy wave spread from it through the tree making a hole that is as wide as Rikuro's palm, and as deep as half of a pinky finger.
"It worked.. it really worked. Ha.. ha, ahh I'm tired. That was fun, but now.. I just want to sleep." He felt the weird sensation once again. He opened the system now seeing that it has a scroll bar. "Huh, that's neat, it's that big now?" As he scrolled down he saw the new text.
『Matter Destruction』
...of extra energy on a set amount of area will enhance the speed of destruction
『Flowing Destruction』
Usage of extra energy without a set amount of size will make a destruction wave that moves and acts like normal Matter Destruction was used, but the destruction wave will still continue flowing through any matter until all energy is used.
"Well, that's a nice range ability to have, makes it easier to survive.. in this world." He looked up at the dark roof of the forest.
He walked to his makeshift shelter.
"I want to go home."
He put out the fire, as he holds his stomach as it grumbled.
"..I want to eat."
He lay down on the leaf bed he made, the feeling uncomfortable on his back
"..I want to sleep comfortably."
He curled up on his bed, Sobs came out of him, asking God why he deserved this. That night he cried himself to sleep.