Chapter 87: "Seizure" Meeting

To be honest, I had originally planned to head back to "Makagaura High School" right away,

Since we're all here, how about we share our skill information together?

Thanks to Shuuri's offer, we decided to spend the night at the aviation park that day.

A room in a neatly cleaned trailer home.

The three of us—me, Aoyagi-chan, and Tsumuri—surround a table set with tea and pastries.

Then, Tsumuri wrote down everyone's skills in a delicate, charming handwriting that hardly seemed to match her rough demeanor.

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"Nomad Warrior"

Level: 32 (5 more skills available for acquisition)

○ Basic Skills

《Swordsmanship (Advanced)》《Perfect Maintenance》

《Natural Healing (Strong)》《Skin Reinforcement》《Bone Reinforcement》

《Hunger Resistance (Strong)》

《Skill Identification》

○ Magic Skills

《Fire Magic I～III》

○ Job Skills

《Defense V》《Iron Armor》《Aegis Shield》

《Magic Resistance II》

○ Shared Skills

《Teleportation I》→ "Fighter"

《Subjugation》《Slave Mastery III》→ "Slave Master"

"Justice Fighter"

Level: 26

○ Basic Skills

《Combat Technique (Advanced)》《Fatal Strike I～IV》

《Natural Healing (Strong)》《Skin Reinforcement》《Bone Reinforcement》

Hunger Resistance (Strong)

○Magic-type Skills

Elemental Magic I–III, Lightning Magic I–IV

○Job-related skills

"Earth Compression II" "Iron Fist"

"Supernatural Strength I" "Psychic Vision"

○Shared Skills

"Defense I" → "Warrior"

A wicked slave driver

Level: 25 (2 more skills available to acquire)

○Basic Skills

Combat Techniques (Beginner Level)

[Natural Healing (Strong)] [Skin Reinforcement] [Bone Reinforcement]

Hunger Resistance (Strong)

○Magic Skill

Fire Magic I–II, Water Magic I, Lightning Magic I–III

Healing Magic I–IV

○Job Skills

Sexual Skills (Beginner)

Note: "Subjugation" and "Slavery III" are currently loaned to the "Warrior" player☆

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"Wait, Ayaka-chan, when did you pick up Fire Magic, anyway?"

"Oh, that? I saw my older sister using it before and thought it looked cool."

Ayaka-chan really does grab new skills right after leveling up, doesn't she.

I'm the type who tends to hoard things, so this really shows our different personalities.

"By the way, how do you usually spend your New Year's money?"

"Of course, I spend it all the same day I receive it!"

Yeah, that's right.

"Conversely, Warrior-san is quite cautious. Leaving five behind is quite a lot."

"I prefer to always have plenty of options available."

There's also the fact that, compared to before, I'm no longer dissatisfied with my combat strength.

"Besides, I'm not the type who can hold back until the very end, like a Last Elixir."

Well, maybe I should take a page from Ayane-chan's book and start actively acquiring skills from now on.

"Then, let's get to the main point."

With that, Shizuri lightly clapped her hands to regain control.

"I'd like to discuss the matter concerning the 'Spirit User' skill."

"Aah..."

I recall hearing something about being able to 'seize' up to three skills.

—Then, please select the skill you wish to 'seize' from the 'Cruel Spirit User.'

—Currently, the skills you can acquire are as follows:

—1. [Madness (Weak)]

—2. [Fire Magic IV]

――3. [Healing Magic I]

――4. [Spirit Summoning I]

――5. [Spirit Presence I]

Hmm, hmm.

"Let's see, first, let's examine the effects of [Madness], [Spirit Summoning], and [Spirit Presence] in order."

――[Madness (Weak)] allows you to absorb surrounding magical energy upon acquisition and convert it into your own attack and defense power. On the other hand, your intelligence will decrease.

――《Spirit Servitude I》 allows you to command spirits of low level, such as fairies, upon acquisition.

――《Spirit Presence I》 allows you to vaguely sense the presence of up to one spirit upon acquisition. However, the strength of this effect varies depending on the spirit.

"Hmm... interesting..."

Actually,

"...People who specialize in spirit magic really go for this 'Madness' skill, huh?"

I understand it's powerful, but the drawbacks are just too severe.

"Intelligence decreases"... Seriously, isn't that terrifying?

It must have been an extremely dire situation to reach that point.

"But it's basically cheating, isn't it? Kind of a waste, really."

"How about you, Saya-chan? You take it?"

"...Hmm. No way. Thanks, but no thanks."

That's right.

Then, after several minutes.

After multiple rounds of testing and discussion, we finally...

・If you don't have a lower-tier version of a skill, you must acquire it starting from the lowest level available within that skill (in other words, you can't skip over Melah and directly obtain Melazoma)

・Once a skill has been "seized," no other "player" can simultaneously acquire it (for example, neither I nor Ayaka-chan can both "seize" Healing Magic I at the same time)

Understand these rules.

Based on that,

Me: "Spirit Summoning I," "Spirit Presence I" (derived from that), "Fairy"

Aio-chan: "Healing Magic I, II, III"

Tsumuri: "Healing Magic V", "Fire Magic IV, V"

Decide the skills to acquire in this manner.

It turned out nicely, didn't it?

And, Tsumuri-san.

Indeed, the discussion proceeded smoothly.

It felt like everyone acquired their skills willingly and without dispute, as if through a game of rock-paper-scissors.

——Then, let's apply the skill effects.

...Hmm.

Alright.

Um...,

"Hello there, fairy?!"

I speak toward the sky.

No response.

"Hey! If you're there, answer me! Come on, fairy!"

Still no reply.

Hmm, I'm not sure, but maybe there's some condition required to summon a Fairy.

Hey, hey... Fairy? Kamomaru Fairy! Hello!

Still, there was no reply.

Sis, honestly, you kind of sound like a fool right now.

Even I, Saya-chan, have been told that.

...muh

Well, alright then.

I believe they will respond in due time.

"Then, moving on to the achievement 'A Step Toward the Sacred Realm'... ah, before that, has Ayaha-chan already unlocked this achievement?"

Yeah

"So that means the condition was really just 'killing other 'players,' huh?"

"Yeah, probably."

Then, the purple-haired boy folded his arms listlessly.

"...In short, we can reach this so-called 'Divine Realm' by continuing to kill other 'players,' right?"

"I'm not sure. But I get the feeling taking it too seriously might be dangerous. The names attached to the achievements... they come across as a bit too sarcastic, almost mocking."

"True," "Yeah."

This opinion receives unanimous agreement from both Sōri and Ayaka.

"For now, let's check the reward."

——Please select the reward for the achievement "A Step Toward the Divine Realm."

――1. "Bug Shot"

――2. "Invincible Badge"

――3. "Prototype Replica Unit"

"……hmm"

I don't really understand, but this one feels like one of the gadgets from Doraemon again?

――"Bug Shot" is a non-lethal pistol that automatically reloads its ammunition.

――"Invincible Badge" is a badge that protects the wearer from any attack—just once.

――The "Prototype Copy Machine" is a device capable of infinitely duplicating items obtained through achievements. However, being a prototype, it cannot duplicate certain high-rarity items. Additionally, the time required for duplication varies depending on the item.

We exchange glances.

It's worth all our planning, isn't it?

"I'll take the 'Bug Shot'."

"I'll make it into the 'Invincible Badge'."

"And let's see if we can replicate it using the 'prototype copy machine.'"

—Then, the items are issued.

Suddenly, each of us sees our respective items appear before our eyes.

Before me is an item called "Insect Strike," something resembling a gun...

It has a design similar to a toy laser gun drawn by a child, with an unusually wide bore—certainly at least three centimeters across.

What appeared before Saia was a pink badge, about the size of a ten-yen coin.

The word "Invincible" was engraved on the badge.

Meanwhile, what appeared in Satori's hands was something resembling an old-fashioned typewriter.

It had a base on top, and items placed upon it could be duplicated.

"Hmm... let's try making more 'Invincible Badges,' shall we?"

I give a quick wink to Saya and immediately place it on the device.

Then...

— Clatter clatter clatter, chime!

A sound that's hard to interpret, whether meaningful or not, echoes out, and a timer appears on the "Prototype Replicator."

"Fifteen days and six hours...?"

About half a month.

I'm a bit disappointed by this result.

Well, I'd anticipated it wouldn't be possible to produce them at will, to some extent.

"The stronger the item, the longer it takes to replicate, I suppose... What should we do about it?"

"For now, let's continue focusing on increasing the number of 'Invincible Badges'."

It seems like they're consumables, after all.

They might come in handy as a trump card someday.

"Oh, and this too—please keep it for me."

I hand the "Insect Crusher" to Satori.

"Eh? Are you sure that's alright?"

There aren't enough weapons in this community. Just the competition-grade bows and arrows used by Hayano and the others won't be enough to protect this place.

I appreciate it.

Then, Tsumuri bowed deeply.

"Regarding the matter of the university as well—this debt of gratitude, I will surely repay it someday."

I didn't do it expecting anything in return, that's all.

Well, I'll try not to expect too much, but I'll still keep a little bit of hope.