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Vol 1: Chapter 6
Silver Balance was strong, to say the least. No creature in the forest was a match for them.
The wild dogs – brown furred monsters which look like a mix between a wolf and a dog – which I was terrified of in the pitch darkness of the forest, was no big deal for them. These wild dogs seem to be a monster called “charcoal wolf”, and when it senses a human approaching with it’s sharp sense of smell, they call their pack and surround the human from a distance. By the time the human notices, it would be too late. They are chased down by the overwhelming number and bitten to death.
However, Raikira-san’s sense of smell was the same as a Charcoal Wolf – although the man himself says it’s superior, Dante-san said “equal” – and when a Charcoal Wolf notices the party, Raikira-san also becomes aware. He approaches and defeats it quickly before it calls the pack.
Raikira-san’s way of fighting was quite sharp. If he senses that it’s an enemy, he starts running without sound, and kicks the feet to reduce its mobility. If the enemy can no longer run as fast, it’s as good as over. He sometimes plays around with it, kills it right away with a dagger, or kicks it to death.
Does he have 【Physical Strength Enhancement★】 skill? Or perhaps 【Kicking Technique★★】 skill?
I simply tried to guess his skills within the small scope of my knowledge.
I watched his movements a lot. I sneaked away during breaks and tried to imitate his movements, but I couldn’t copy it. Perhaps he has absorbed totally different skill orbs from what I have guessed.
…Hmm, the world of skills sure is deep.
He also doesn’t make a sound when stepping on fallen leaves. I thought it was some kind of skill at first, but seeing that I can’t imitate it, perhaps it’s more a technique he practised.
I felt slightly guilty to copy their skills without asking them, but I decided that it was necessary for me to survive in this world. And it’s not like a perfect copy either, and it would be better for Silver Balance if I stopped being an extra baggage and become somewhat useful.
「As you can see, Raikira has a bad mouth, but when it comes to dealing with animal monsters, he cannot be topped.」
「Um… Mimino-san. How did you fight before Raikira-san joined the party?」
「I used magic to detect enemies. But then I’d run out of mana at times and that usually reduces the distance we can travel in a day. So, I’m happy to have Raikira on board.」
「Magic, I see…」
…So, is there magic which can grasp an enemy’s position?
There is magic in this world, but most of the magic that consumes “mana” is the 8 kinds of magic which falls under “magical characteristic” skill orbs and the 2 kinds which fall under “mysterious characteristic” skill orbs – or so I was taught by old man Hinga.
I said “most” because there is an exception called “unique characteristics”, such as Mimino-san’s 【Convenience】. After observing her skill, I succeeded in producing a small amount of water. It sure is convenient.
「…If I can also use magic, I can become more useful, right?」
「It’s okay. Reiji-kun doesn’t have to fight.」
「But I can’t be a freeloader.」
「-That’s right. Those who don’t work, don’t get to eat. Give him some work to do.」
Raikira-san, who came back after finishing off the Charcoal Wolf, remarked. And Mimino-san frowned openly.
「Children should not work.」
「You keep saying children this, children that, but in this forest, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a child or an adult. A kid who can’t do anything will just end up getting eaten.」
「Ugugu…」Mimino-san couldn’t retort.
「As Raikira-san says, I want to do something to protect myself at least.」
「…Since you insist so far, I will teach you the magic I know. But if you don’t have talent for magic, you’ll have to do something else, okay?」
「Yes! That’s fine. Thank you, Mimino-san. And Raikira-san…」
「Tsk.」Raikira-san clicked his tongue.
He turned his back to me and started skinning the Charcoal Wolf he killed. According to Dante-san, charcoal wolf meat smells and can’t be eaten, but the skin can be sold.
After watching Raikira-san’s behaviour for a few days, he is no doubt a… tsundere. Tsunderes are usually cute, but a macho tsundere beastmen will be a no thank you from me.
「I’ll begin explaining my magic.」
「Umm…」
「Hmm?」
「Well… Is it a violation of etiquette to ask about skills?」
「I guess it’s a violation if you ask on the first meeting, but it’s alright if you’re in the same group. Do you have any skills, Reiji-kun?」
「I…」
What should I do? If I talk about 【World Ruler】, I will inevitably have to talk about reincarnation. Will they even believe me in the first place? Rather, if they find out about the 10-star skill, it will be confirmed that I escaped from the mine, and that I stole the skill from there.
「Ahh, don’t worry. I’ll buy some skill orbs for you next time. It’s alright even if you don’t have any skills!」
She seems to have misunderstood my troubled look as having no skills. Although that misunderstanding works in my favor, I’ve gained yet another “poor child” point from Mimino-san.
「My skill is…」
Mimino-san started writing her skills on the ground with a branch.
【Magic Power Enhancement 1, Magic Aptitude Enhancement 1, Mana Control 1, Flower Magic 2, Earth Magic 2, Convenience 1】
Oh… a magic-specialist.
【Flower Magic】 and 【Earth Magic】 are skills which are categorized into “magical characteristics”.
I can only use a little bit of 【Fire magic】, but it is overwhelmingly more efficient to learn magic through a skill orb.
However, I don’t have money to buy a 2-star skill orb right now, so learning from Mimino-san is the next best thing.
I learned from old man Hinga that a 2-star skill orb costs about 10 large silvers. Approximately 100,000 yen(1000usd).
It probably seems cheap if you can buy magic with just that, but if you do not have the aptitude, you can hardly use it and it will consume two precious skill slots.
「First is this–」
When Mimino-san held out her hand, a flower suddenly bloomed on a tree branch.
「You can use 【Flower Magic】 to influence flowers, trees, and various things in nature.」
「I see…」
I firmly observed Mimino-san’s magic and held out my hand in the same way.
[Hah!] I activated the magic with the help of 【World Ruler】.
「W-Whaaaat!?」Mimino-san was shocked.
Three big flowers bloomed from the branches.
「W-Wow! Reiji-kun, you have talen–」
Before Mimino-san could finish her words, I collapsed on the spot.