Arise From Weakness (OC/ Male Reader x Arifureta)

(S3) Chapter 60 Imitators

No one's POV

It's now been 3 days as Nhazul and Hajime's party walked through the thick fog, never
once losing their way. Their destination was the entrance to the true labyrinth, the base of Sacred Tree Uralt. Normally, the fog around the tree was so dense that even Demi Human
couldn't find their way around it. However, the fog thinned enough for the path to be navigable every ten days.

Hajime: Amanogawa, on your right.

Kouki: Ah...!

A pack of monsters burst through the mist. However, Hajime, Yue, Shea, Tio, and the Haulia didn't bother fighting back. They left it all to Kouki and the others. Hajime wanted
to get them warmed up for the kinds of dangers they'd face once they were in the real depths of the labyrinth.

Because the fog clouded their senses, Kouki and the others couldn't use the same tactics they had in the Great Orcus Labyrinth either. Though this was meant to be a mere warm-up, Kouki and the others found themselves pressed surprisingly hard. In fact, it was only thanks to Hajime's timely warnings that they were able to fend off their enemies at all.

Kouki frowned in irritation, Ryutarou clicked his tongue in annoyance, and even Suzu and Shizuku seemed angry at themselves. Kaori, however, seemed as spirited as ever.

Kaori: Take that! And... this!

She'd returned to fighting with Kouki's party temporarily so that she could gain more experience fighting in Noint's body. It appeared Noint's senses were unaffected by the fog, so the area around the Grand Tree made for perfect practice. Kaori flapped her silver wings and unleashed a barrage of feathers. She had gotten much better at controlling her feathers, especially when fighting the Giants.

Kaori: Yaaah!

Kaori then bisected the one monster that had
managed to close in with a single sweep of her glowing greatsword. She wasn't able to use both at once just yet, but her skill with a single sword had improved considerably.
Enough to the point where her job might be mistaken for Swordmaster, even.

Hajime: Looks like you've gotten pretty used to swinging that sword around. I guess you got a lot of practice in fighting with Yue every day.

Yue: Her stats are ridiculously high. If I don't work harder, I'll be left behind...

Hajime and Yue watched as Kaori took a step back and sucked in a deep breath. Originally, Noint had managed to go toe to toe against Hajime at full strength, so Kaori still had a ways to go. But considering it had only been two weeks since she'd had her spirit transplanted into this body.

Kaori: I'm not nearly good enough yet. I still can't use offensive magic in battle, and I can't activate my weapons disintegration powers unless I concentrate... I still haven't
been able to beat you even once, Yue.

Kaori walked over to Yue and Hajime, pouting. She'd clearly overheard their conversation. And though they'd been praising her, she still couldn't move this body the way she wanted to, and her frustration was making her snappy.

Shizuku: Kaori... You can't be serious. Not only do you have better physical stats than us, you can use disintegration abilities, and your affinity for every type of magic is perfect. Plus, you can cast spells without magic circles or incantations. Your swordsmanship's already reaching crazy levels, and you're still in the middle of improving it so it's going to get even better from now on. Also, you're a walking fortress who also can heal yourself instantly at any time... You're so overpowered it's ridiculous. What's there to be unhappy
about...? You're like a Bug Character...

Kaori couldn't meet Shizuku's gaze. Now that she'd had her abilities pointed out objectively like that, it did feel a little like she was whining.

Kaori: But I still can't beat Yue or Shea... so if I'm overpowered, what does that make Hajime  and the others...?