Chapter 16: M-my hand is reacting!?

M-my hand is reacting!?

After leaving the castle, I first headed out of the capital.
I walk for a while outside the capital and then check to make sure no one is around.
Since the matter with the goblins, I haven’t had a proper chance to test out my new skills.
Even if I’m going to sneak into the castle later, I have to make sure of my own strengths to some degree.

My first test was [supposing that that is the result of my special training in recovery magic, can I really use it?].
A number of monsters were living in the outskirts of the capital. Right at that moment, a small group of goblins appeared. They appeared to be transporting something and stopped when they noticed me.
Confronting these goblins, I prepared my trusty knife.
……… Little by little, the feeling of my arm moving by itself appeared, just like last time.
In that instant, a goblin came charging at me and I separated its arm from its body with my knife.

Thinking that this response could be due to the fact that goblins had a humanoid figure, I found other monsters to test it on but I was able to cut off their limbs as well.
Like this, I understood that the answer to my first question was [I can use it].

Next is testing [whether that sensation will respond to non-living things].
I picked up a relatively large rock and threw it overhead.
……Thunk.
The rock fell but that [reaction] didn’t appear at all.
The result: it didn’t react to [non-living] things.

After that was [can I use something other than a knife?].
I first tried wielding a sword dropped by the goblin I killed. I fought a number of monsters and discovered that I can use it somehow, but using my knife is easier.
Then, I tried using a tree branch that fell. I stare at the goblin in front, thinking that it was probably impossible without a blade of some sort.
….Huh? M-my hand is reacting!?
Being oblivious to this, the goblin charged at me like the goblin from before.
……My hand moves on its own.
I had thought there was no way a tree branch could defeat them, but behind me were its severed limbs and the dead goblin collapsed onto the ground.
As one would expect, even I was surprised. A tree branch with no blade was able to do this sort of thing.
I attempted it several times after that but the results were the same, I could cut off the limbs of goblins and other monsters with just a tree branch.
Even I had no idea how that came to be, but I’m honestly very pleased that I can fight with a tree branch if the time comes to that.
Afterwards, I went a little overboard and did in all the monsters……

What I concluded from these experiments was that I could certainly use other weapons but my knife was the easiest to use, and I can fight with a tree branch in the worst situation.

The final test was [the extent of pain I feel].
Although I had only been moving my [hand] when fighting the monsters just now, my body wasn’t at that level and I occasionally received a few attacks.
I didn’t feel any pain then but I’m experimenting with it just to make sure.
Just like in the past, I started with my finger but I only felt a little itch.
Next, I cut off my arm – this was also done in the past – and because it only itched a little, I also cut off my leg. It was the same as well.
Cutting my head or neck would indeed be scary so I left that alone but I cut everything else with no exception and still only felt itching.
As a result, I understood that everything else was fine, but the head and neck were unknown.

With this, I had finished all my tests for the time being so I cleaned up while healing myself and returned to the district.
I didn’t know what to do with the monsters’ corpses though……