Episode 13 Skill Selection
「It's amazing. In just a little over an hour of intercourse, I've gotten enough magic power to fill two bathtubs!」
On the way back from the monastery, Kian clenched his fists and muttered to himself.
Esther also possessed an amazing amount of magic power for an ordinary person, but Arueno was incomparable. It is literally beyond human comprehension.
(In my case, the amount of magic power that I release each day is less than that of other people, so it would take quite a while for the magic power that I take from other people to disappear.)
In other words, he can use all the magic power from two bathtubs.
There is no need to save energy or do any other miserly things when he is fighting a normal battle. It's a level where he can waste more and more.
『As expected of a High Elf. And she seemed to have lived for quite a long time. The quality and quantity of magic power you could take in were different. It was one of the top five magical powers I've ever seen in my life.』
「This will allow me to use basic techniques other than "Impulse". For example――"Blink".」
Kian put magic power into his legs and kicked the ground forward at once.
The brown earth ground gouged out greatly, and he moved a short distance in an instant at a speed that was impossible under normal circumstances.
It is dangerous to use it alone when it is raining, but it is a basic technique that is useful for closing the gap or running away in the opposite direction.
『You can use techniques other than "Impulse"?』
「Yes. I learned them all in the monastery. In the front, I spent the whole day practicing my "Impulse", but I should be able to use the basic technique without that much practice.........Or rather, I can say that my foundation is very solid because my front personality is like that.」
『You're usually as meticulous and careful as an idiot. If you had added up your current self and divided it by two, you would have gotten the right balance.』
「Now then.......Now that I have a steady supply of magic, the next question is what type of warrior will I grow into?」
『You've got a lot of magic power, so you might as well become a healer, right? You'll make a lot of money.」
「That's not what I'm talking about. My combat job is the so-called "Armed Monk of Azrair". It's a rather all-around special job that can heal, use a sword, and assassinate. I'm not sure what type of "Armed Monk of Azrair" I should be.」
『What do you mean?』
「As you know, there are four basic techniques in Azrair's Dance of the Sword.」
Namely.
「"Impulse" ...... is a systematic skill that enhances weapons.
"Blink" ...... is a skill that enhances speed.
"Shoot" ...... skills that enhance spacing.
"Wall" ...... is a skill that strengthens your body and provides protection and recovery.
You can forget about all this extra knowledge if you want, but... Most of the warrior monks in Azrair can do almost everything around the basic skills. But if you want to go beyond the basic skills to the more advanced and derived skills, you may not be able to do them all. Or rather, they can't. This is because it is very difficult to master them all. That's why everyone tries to focus on the skills that they are good at and refine them. For example, if you master impulse, you will be good at direct combat with weapons. For example, if you mastered the "Wall", you could become a warder who protects dignitaries, or a healer who can even repair missing parts of the body, an act of God.」
『What would happen if you mastered the "Blink"?』
「You will become a close combat type.」
「Does that mean it's the same as if you mastered "Impulse"?」
「Not exactly. For example, if you hone your "Impulse", you can use techniques that destroy your opponent's weapons when you strike or ignore hard scales and armor and deal damage directly to the inside. But if you have a magic sword or a holy sword that can cut through any hard scales or armor like hot butter, you won't need that technique in the extreme, will you? In this case, it is more efficient to master the "Blink" to become stronger. However, if the magic sword or holy sword you are using is stolen, your power will drop drastically. In my opinion, a warrior who has mastered "Impulse" is an all-rounder, a universal swordsman who can handle any situation. A warrior who has mastered "Blink" is a peaky type who is very strong under certain conditions but not so strong in others. What they lack in strength, they make up for with their alchemy skills with poisons and explosives.」
『"Blink" doesn't sound very strong.』
「That's not true. There are a lot of people who excel in one art or another, and after they have mastered their skills, the last thing they need is for their predecessors to pass on to them a secret technique called the "secret sword". I've heard that the secret sword of the "Blink" line has tremendous performance. I don't know what it is, because it's kept secret.」
『Oh, "secret sword". That's an exciting word.』
「It's a technique I'm currently too far away from.」
He shrugs his shoulders.
『Oh, by the way, you never told me what happens when you master the "Shoot".」
「"Shoot" is...... special. The basic technique is a simple one of kneading magic power and sending it outward, but there are many different derived skills. It's more like a sorcerer than a swordsman. If you master the art of "Shoot", you will eventually have no need for weapons. With just one fingertip and one thought, you will be able to subdue your opponent.」
『That sounds pretty powerful. It's been a long time since the sorcerer was right when it came to firepower.』
「But..........it's hard to master. For example, if you blow up your opponent by hitting them with your kneaded magic power, what do you do after that? Do you go up to them and stab them with your sword before they get up? It's definitely easier and stronger to practice "Impulse" and wield a sword. It's barbaric, though.」
『Indeed.』
「If you really want to master the "Shoot", you need special talent, training, and the flesh and blood of high-ranking spirits and demons. You need to modify your body to make it stronger. But if you spend all your money and time and then fail, you will never get it back. It is very risky.」
『So, which system do you want to master? Is it "Impulse", the all-around swordsman?』
「If I want to learn on my own, "Impulse" is the safest. But "safe" is the word I hate the most in this world. I always live on the edge. If I can, I want to take the dangerous path. High risk, high reward. Specifically――"Shoot". The reason is, as I said because it has the most firepower, and if you master it, it will be incredibly powerful. ......If there's a problem, it's that I have too few Tachyonian cells to master it. It's not easy when I have to constantly take them from others. If I don't find a solution to this problem, it will be difficult to strengthen my "Shoot" system.」
After they had talked about this, they came to the main street.
If you go straight from here, you will come to the Pig's Foot Pavilion, where Esther works.
Yesterday―actually, after having sex with Kian, Esther asked him with the face of a girl in love, "Will you come back again tomorrow? Kian replied, Of course.
At the time, he hadn't expected to receive any magical power from intercourse with Arueno, so he had kept it in case he failed to pick up his prey.
「I promised her I would show up. I'm sure she's already asleep at this time, but in that case, I'll just take a look at the room I'm planning to rent and leave.」
『How dare you play with the heart of an innocent maiden』
「It's the only way to stay alive. Well, ...... I can't keep a peaceful relationship with this S me and Esther anyway. We'll have to make up for it financially and part ways sooner or later.」
「You're an asshole, to say the least when you're wearing the glasses.」
「Even Esther's love for me was probably just a passing fancy. It's not like she's really going to dedicate her life to me. It's just a way for adolescent girls to satisfy their sexual curiosity.」
『I hope so. ......』
When Kian arrived in front of Esther's tavern, he saw that all the lights were out in all the rooms.
The main street is now empty, and the narrow back streets are filled with drunken revelers talking in their sleep.
He jumped to the roof of the second floor in an instant using the basic technique, "Blink".
He used the recoil to lift himself up and place his feet soundlessly on the roof.
「My room was the farthest room to the right.」
『Now that I remember, ....... I knew where there were tools buried that you could use if you wanted to master "Shoot".』
「What?」
『You want to know?』
Kian raised an eyebrow at the pompous tone of the glasses.
「Tell me quickly.」
『One of the requests you received was to search for treasure in the Rose Labyrinth, right?』
「Yeah. Are there any other treasures lying around besides the ones requested I received?」
『What, I've only heard about it from other travelers in my travels. I wonder what should I do, should I tell you?』
As he put his hand on the window of the room, Kian clicked his tongue.
「If you don't tell me soon, I'll throw you in the sewer. You're going to be eaten by a giant rat, and you're going to stink of mud for the rest of your life.」
『The legacy of the ancient warriors can be found in a western-style building at the end of the labyrinth. You'll have to defeat the demon that guards it to break the seal, though.』
「What did you say?」
Kian furrowed his brow.
『This equipment has the ability to absorb magic power from the creatures you kill. In ancient times, warriors also used this to gain magical power. The only problem is that if the user has too many Tachyonian cells, as in the case of the Absorption Technique, the magic power taken in will fight and dissipate. This equipment can only be used by you.』
「............. You're saying that all of this information you overheard from a traveler?」
『Oi, oi. Are you doubting me?』
The glasses' laugh was almost deliberate.
Kian also clearly showed his disbelief.
「What the hell are you doing with that art of spirit sucking? I don't think you're just a pair of clunky glasses――」
Just when he was about to take this opportunity to question her thoroughly, the window of the room Kian was renting opened without warning.
He quickly jumped on the roof to get out of the way, but when he saw that it was a brown-haired girl who came out of the window, he called out to her quizzically.
「Esther?」
「Eh ......? Kyaaa, Ki-Kian-san? What are you doing on a roof?」
「Ahh, well.」
Kian sat up and smiled.
「I stopped by on my way home from work to take a look at your room. Also, I came to keep a promise I made to you last night. I said I'd come back to see you tomorrow.」
「Is that so. I'm happy ....... I was just starting to wonder if you would ever come again.」
Esther smiles, her face contorted in a happy smile.
「Have you been awake until this late?」
「Yes, I was. I was waiting for Kian-san at this hour. I was actually waiting in my room, but I got restless and cleaned the room that Kian-san said would rent.」
「It must be a nuisance to other customers.」
「Haha, right, I'm sorry.」
She laughed and then undid her ponytail.
「I'll stop cleaning now. Please come inside. I'll have the hot water ready in no time.」
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