Episode 74: Skill Assessment

— Yeah, yeah, hey hey! It's your favorite, Sanae-neesan!

— After that, I'll pass along some extra info I picked up from "Messiah"!

— This bit of info... umm... (pretending to read from notes), is about the ups and downs of "Karma"!

— "Karma" is apparently a rough measure used to judge a player's good or evil tendencies... but it seems the system's pretty loose and inconsistent!

— For example, just taking supplies from a convenience store is said to negatively affect your "karma"! You'd think the store owner would've left this world long ago, wouldn't you?

— And then there's murder.

— It seems that killing a person is judged as "evil" under any circumstances. And the negative karma points are enormous—just one murder, even if you've done countless good deeds, your karma remains firmly in the "evil" category.

— To be honest, the one who said that is none other than the "Messiah" himself.

— He wouldn't say exactly when he committed the killing... but he claimed it was "self-defense."

——Well, in a world like this, stuff like that happens, right...?

——Anyway, that's pretty much what I wanted to convey this time.

——Alright, then, keep up the good work, Senyūnin!

▼

……phew

I sit on the toilet seat, clutching my head.

It's not because the female character I've mentally linked with—Sanae—feels unusually intense.

It's because I need to rethink the strategy.

One who wields skills—using Hyoucho-san's words, a "player."

The "whip of whatever" won't work on a "player." Moreover, according to Amamiya-kun, it's "unknown" whether the "Subjugation" skill even applies to a "player."

Well, that's hardly surprising.

After all, up until now, we've each believed ourselves to be the sole "player" in this world.

So, I just ran an experiment using Ayaka-chan.

The result... unfortunately, it's impossible.

Of course, I had expected as much.

Harukiri clearly distinguishes between us—"players"—and everyone else as "humans."

Given that Harukiri described it as "enslaving humans," that makes sense.

Anyway, onto the main topic.

First, I thought I needed to find one of the "players" who must be somewhere within this community.

My first idea was that the man known as the community's "boss" might be a "player."

However, I had no concrete proof. Acting on assumptions without proof would be dangerous.

...Which is why.

I decided to do some level-up preparation I'd saved for just such a moment.

Was it... four levels up, right?

Hey, phantom voice, are you listening?

— Then, please select the skill you wish to acquire.

— 1. [Ultimate Sword I]

— 2. [Combat Technique (Beginner)]

— 3. [Choose Magic Skill]

— 4. [Choose Job Skill]

— 5. [Skill Evaluation]

Well, these are the only options available, I suppose.

――《Skill Evaluation》 allows you to view other players' skills once obtained.

With this, you won't even need to play detective—you'll know exactly who each player is.

So, I'm getting this.

Next.

――Please select the skill to acquire.

――1.《Fatal Strike I》

――2.《Combat Technique (Beginner)》

――3.《Choose Magic Skill》

――4.《Choose Job Skill》

――5.《Karma Assessment》

Oh.

So there's an upper-tier alternative even among assessment skills.

Well, it's natural to want to check out a new skill's performance right away.

――《Karma Assessment》 allows you to partially view another player's karma and their history of virtuous and wicked actions upon acquisition.

Hmm.

Hmmmm.

Feels like, "Knowing that, what exactly are you going to do about it?"

Still, there's room for growth in appraisal-related skills, and I might get a chance to acquire one later if I have the spare capacity.

Well, I've never actually had spare capacity before, so that's unlikely.

Unfortunately, I've already decided which skill to take next.

――Please select the job skill you wish to acquire.

――1. Attack Power I

――2. Defense Power V

――3. Armor of the Blade

――4. Magic Resistance II

――5. "Mouth Sealing"

...And here we go again, a new option.

I'd already decided on the next skill, but just to confirm.

――Using "Cloak of the Blade" grants your clothing, for one minute, the property of reflecting some physical damage.

Hm-hm.

That kind of effect was present in Dragon Quest too, wasn't it?

Well, whatever. I'll hold off for now.

I'd decided to pick skills in order of clarity—starting with the ones whose effects are easiest to understand.

If we're already this far, let's go all the way and max out the defensive skills.

So then.

"《Defense V》 will be"

As I was pondering what to pick next,

――Please select the job skill to acquire.

――1. 《Attack I》

――2. 《Cloak of Blades》

――3. 《Aegis Shield》

――4. 《Magic Resistance II》

――5. 《Silence》

The Defense-type skills have disappeared, replaced by new options.

It seems the Defense skill capped out at Level V.

And right in its place, a new skill has appeared—《Aegis Shield》.

Now, isn't this something worth getting excited about?

——《Aegis Shield》 creates a magical shield with high defense when activated.

...Hm.

A magical shield, huh?

For some reason, this skill just triggered my greed radar again—something I haven't felt in a while.

A flaming sword and a magical shield.

……Come on, isn't that insanely cool?

My heart’s racing a little.

"With the Aegis Shield,"

Next up…

Well, whatever works.

For now, preparing for the spirit user battle, I’ll take "Magic Resistance II."

That’s it—leveling up complete.

——Now, applying the skill effects.

"Then, straight away—Aegis Shield"

Bwoom!

At the same time, a blue, translucent shield materialized on my left hand.

"Hohoh..."

So stylish it felt like a waste to be using it while sitting on the toilet.

When I touched the shield tentatively, it felt slightly warm.

Yet strangely, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't directly touch it.

It seems this shield is designed to pass right through my own body.

With this, I could potentially block an opponent's attack with the shield and then strike from behind—though I'm not sure if I'd actually try it in practice.

"Phew..."

Feeling accomplished, I stepped out of the restroom,

"Hey! Is that 'Guriguri Megane'? What's with the smug look? Did you finally catch a big kid?"

Zakata appeared, tossing out a crude joke.

"Yeah, something like that."

I gave a casual reply.

Is this basically how guys talk to each other?

Checking the clock, I realized the sun had already begun to set.

Let's resume the investigation.