S29 Present
"Thank you for your kindness."
We bow deeply to Busgas.
After exiting the Great Labyrinth of Elro, we spent one night at Busgas's base.
The following morning, we decided to depart immediately for the Elven village.
This is where we part ways with Busgas.
"Ah."
Busgas nods in reply.
"Still, can I really take all the material from the Earth Dragon? It's worth a fortune if sold?"
"Yes. We're on a urgent journey, and I have no room to carry it. Consider it my thanks for your hospitality."
"Then I won't hesitate to take it."
Busgas grins broadly.
"Busgas, if—"
"Monk, I'm just a humble guide."
Busgas cuts me off with that statement.
It was his reply to what I had been about to say.
Busgas is a veteran warrior.
In the labyrinth of Elro, that much was clear.
Moreover, his judgment, honed by extensive experience, was exceptional.
To be honest, I wished this person would accompany me further.
Yet Busgas’s words negated that possibility.
"Guiding is the guide’s duty. Besides, I’ve already retired. No need for an old man to meddle further."
He says this, then grins.
But immediately suppresses the smile, now speaking with a serious expression.
"Monk. This is just my instinct, but I sense something large is coming soon. No evidence. Just a persistent unease that’s clung to me for years. The trouble you’ve been caught in—might be a precursor."
Indeed.
Not only Yuugo’s incident.
A large-scale war with the demon race.
The succession of the hero.
The world’s movements have been unusually active lately.
I’m guiding these monks, hoping the world might shift toward something better. If that comes to pass, my efforts will have been worthwhile.
The hand offered by Busgas.
"I will do my utmost to make that possible."
I firmly grasped his hand, sealing the promise with a rigid handshake.
Two days after parting from Busgas.
Traveling atop the light dragon.
Destination: the teleportation array hidden within the elven village of the Salyera Kingdom.
The Salyera Kingdom practices a unique religion distinct from the Goddess Cult, a faith based on divine scripture. It was once a militant state, having waged war against neighboring nations during our infancy.
It suffered significant loss of power during that conflict and has since remained in obscurity. Yet within its borders, anything could happen.
Proceeding with full vigilance.
"Offer your skill. Thus shall you be saved!"
People shouting orders to buy food and supplies filled the streets.
“Salyera is a nation that worships its Administrator, Sariel. We should avoid interaction whenever possible.”
I nodded in agreement with the teacher’s hushed tone.
The shouting man seemed unstable.
If this is the work of the so-called Administrator, it is far from reassuring.
“What does ‘offering your skill’ mean?”
“It has two interpretations. The first is a skill called ‘Skill Erasure,’ which allows one to erase their own skills.”
“Can that really be done?”
“Yes. ‘Skill Erasure’ is a skill obtainable without skill points. It takes several days to complete and permanently deletes all skills upon activation. Once initiated, it cannot be stopped until all skills are erased. It is not possible to target a specific skill for deletion. Naturally, erased skills do not return. However, they can be reacquired through retraining.”
“Does that even matter?”
From what I’ve heard, the existence of such a skill makes no sense.
Losing a skill offers only disadvantages.
Even if it can be reacquired through retraining, the time invested does not return. The skill points expended are also lost.
It is equivalent to deliberately discarding everything accumulated up to that point.
“That is precisely what it means to transfer power to the Administrator.”
“Ah.”
So that’s how it is.
Thus, the strength individuals have cultivated over time is offered to the Administrator.
This is the true nature of the ‘Skill Erasure’ skill.
“Incidentally, was that why the teacher once erased Yugo’s skill?”
“Yes, but that was an exploit. It allows the erasure of another’s skill at great personal cost. I’ll say it now: activating it results in the loss of several of my own skills, and I was bedridden for several days afterward. It is a dangerously reckless method—potentially fatal for both myself and the target. I do not wish to repeat it under any circumstances.”
“That’s what it was, then.”
“At the time, I believed that was the best course. If I lost my skill, I could rein in Yugo’s arrogance. I believed that. The crucial part was ensuring he fully reclaimed his humanity afterward. I failed to do so. This is the result. I am unfit to be a teacher.”
“You’re not to blame, sir.”
I thought it was a clumsy consolation, but I could say nothing else.
The fault lies with Yugo, who actually acted.
“Thank you. But this is my reckoning as a teacher. The final lesson I can give to a former student who has strayed from the path.”
The teacher’s eyes held grim resolve.
I had nothing to say.
“Then, what about the second point?”
Changing the subject.
“I don’t know. Something about offering one’s skill to the gods.”
“Sounds like religious rhetoric, doesn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
A cleric screams in the streets.
He wished to escape this place, heavy with darkness, as quickly as possible.