SG – Chapter 3: Hidden Skill

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter

There’s crowds made around the protagonist and Jinguji who sit at the very front of the class, and around people like Hanagasaki.

They are getting all excited talking about dungeon diving afterclass. 

“No one will party up with you, you know. Don’t expect it.” 

The mohawk at the neighboring seat goes out of his way to tell me this. 

Even though he is the second farthest seat in the year. Can he really afford to be talking about me? 

The homeroom teacher returned after a while, and then they explained to us about things like the academy facilities, the rental weapons and how to borrow them, and a rough idea of everything else before the class was dismissed. 

The students were exiting the classroom while talking about what club to join. 

I want to become strong quickly, so I don’t plan on joining a club.

I plan on moving just as the Strategy Guide shows me right away. 

There’s something I have to do before heading to the dungeon.

That said, the Strategy Guide tells me to go to the 3-B classroom to loot 50 yen from there. Is it really okay for me to be taking something like that? 

Protagonists in RPGs often do that, but now that the game has become reality, that sounds unlawful no matter how you think about it. 

But right now I have nothing to rely on aside from this Strategy Guide.

By the way, this world didn’t experience postwar inflation, so 50 yen is worth around 5,000 yen in my former world. 

I went to the front of classroom 3-B just in case, but there were a number of students inside, and I couldn’t muster the courage to enter. 

I waited for a while and the last student left the classroom, so I hesitantly entered the classroom.

I quickly tried opening the locker that the Strategy Guide pointed out, and the only thing there was an empty locker that most likely no one uses. 

When I searched the inside in detail, there was a 50 yen bill folded up in an opening of the metal partition. 

It must be something that an already graduated student left there, so it can’t be returned. I will just gratefully take it. 

Feeling better from this, I went around the academy and began retrieving the items that are written in the Strategy Guide. 

Total loot is: 5 potions, one magic scroll, and 150 yen. 

There wasn’t a single thing that could turn into a crime within the items I got. 

They were all stuff that you wouldn’t be able to find the owner even if I were to submit them somewhere. 

I at first doubted that it would go so smoothly, but I already threw away that thought, and I am now certain things will go alright if I believe in this Strategy Guide.

I borrowed a single wooden sword from the tools room, and headed to the courtyard where the dungeon entrance is. 

The actions of the first day that’s written in the Strategy Guide are as follows: 

-First, continue shooting Bolt on yourself inside the dungeon.

It is because a bonus to HP/MP recovery is given in places with high ether concentration like the dungeon.

For the swordsman class we will be raising, there’s the need to increase your hidden stat that is magic resistance and magic proficiency. You can’t skip this one. 

Especially when it comes to magic resistance. If your magic level increases, you won’t be able to evade it, so you won’t be able to increase your stats with your own magic anymore. 

Once that happens, it will be irreversible and becoming the strongest will be a dream within a dream. 

If instead you are aiming to specialize in a magic class, your Mind stat will increase, so it will be easier to evade magic, making a normal leveling experience enough. 

However, in the case of a mage class, the physical resistances won’t increase as much instead. 

Magic classes would need to increase their physical resistance and physical evasion skills by using slimes. 

Whichever you go for, it is a path you can’t avoid, so work hard. 

If you don’t do this, be warned that you won’t be able to avoid the threat of one-hit kills at deeper floors. 

Bolt is the spell I got from the Magic Ⅰ of the Lightning Strike Domination Crest. 

I immediately entered the dungeon, swiftly went into the path to the side, and headed to a place that doesn’t look too popular. 

The enemies around the entrance of the 1st Floor have been eliminated, so I managed to easily find an unpopulated place without much issue.

I try shooting the Bolt spell onto the wall as a test. 

Electricity rushed with a spark the moment I chanted Bolt. 

It succeeded so easily, it didn’t feel real.

Now then, let’s begin increasing the hidden stats. 

This time I placed my hand on my chest and tried shooting the Bolt on myself. I received one hell of a shock that made my whole body jump, and roll on the ground.

It felt as if my heart shriveled there, and I couldn’t breathe properly. 

I thought I paralyzed my heart there, so I desperately smacked the area around my heart, and my pulse returned somehow. 

‘Hyuu hyuu’ -I let out shallow breaths in order to endure the pain, and after a while, my breathing returned to normal as well. 

My heart was literally on the verge of stopping there.

I don’t know what happened.

Could it be that it was possible because there was no pain in the game, but it is not a method that works now that it has become real? 

I then sat at a random rock and shot a Bolt on my leg. 

It still hurts quite a lot, but it wasn’t on the level where my breathing would stop. 

My flesh was burned and there’s even smoke rising, so it is not like it is a light injury. 

Each shot lowers 3 HP and 2 MP.

That recovered after around 5 minutes of enduring the pain. 

The burn is also healed, so this must be the blessing of the recovery buff from the ether. 

I shot the 3rd Bolt on myself, but I am feeling like my mental health won’t be able to keep up if I continue. 

The burn changed into unbearable pain after some time. 

I once again checked the Strategy Guide, and tried searching for an item to stop the pain. 

When I did, I found out that there’s Rings in this world that serve as defense gear. 

It is a drop item from monsters, and I learned that they have the effect of mitigating damage. 

There’s also gear made from normal metal and plastic, but it is written here that these Rings have effects that surpass that. 

Moreover, you can rent them if you go to the tools room. 

Of course, I tried searching for rubber gear and gear that might absorb electricity, but there wasn’t anything so convenient. 

Even if there is, I doubt I will be able to increase my magic resistance by using those. 

I hurriedly ran to the tool room and rented a bracelet called Slime Ring.

Moreover, even though it is rented, I was told it is fine to not return it. 

When I exited the tool room and was on my way back to the dungeon, I saw Hanagasaki Reika and her friends entering the dungeon together with the protagonist and his group.

There’s also Jinguji Ayano within those. 

I doubt they are in the same party, but the 3 popular people were all cheerfully entering the dungeon with their groups. 

I feel like I made eye-contact with Hanagasaki there while I was watching from afar. 

I wonder how I look in her eyes right now. 

Well, there’s no point worrying about what others see. 

I am in a blessed position just from the fact that I know what I should be doing. 

I returned to where I was before, and shot the Bolt on my own leg while wearing the Ring. 

Thanks to the damage mitigation of the Ring, I feel like the numbness decreased a bit and the burn is a lot less worse. 

I might be able to go on like this. 

Slime Ring (F)

Damage Mitigation +1

You can rent it in the Tool Room.

I bring out the mobile terminal to keep an eye on my HP while reading the Strategy Guide and continuing to shoot Bolt on my leg. 

It is not on the level of unbearable, but after some time, a hard to endure pain assailed me. 

I think I could smell something burnt from my pants after continuing for around 2 hours, but I managed to confirm my first Perfect Evasion that didn’t happen at all at the beginning. 

After a while more, a Slime suddenly showed up in front of me. 

This guy the size of a volleyball showed up all of a sudden from out of nowhere. 

After bouncing a few times, it shot straight at me.

The slime slammed onto my stomach, and I felt as if a basketball filled with water just hit me. 

My lungs were emptied from that. 

Only 1 HP dropped from that. 

I took off the Ring to test it out, and it lowered by 2 HP instead, but the kicker is that this time around I emptied my stomach and ended up writhing on the ground. 

I bring out the Potion I picked up before and take off the lid, hurriedly pouring the contents into my mouth. 

The Potion was a liquid with no taste. 

I must not increase my level here, so I decided to continue avoiding the attacks of the Slime. 

Physical Evasion and Physical Resistance can be increased as much as you want later anyways, but Master Tony said it would be better to increase it as much as you can. 

There was also a warning there stating that you better have Potions ready or you might end up dying from an accident. 

I still have Potions remaining from what I looted, so I decided to avoid the attacks of the Slime while I continue shooting Bolt on myself.

If I avoid at the time when I just feel like it might be coming, it will be judged as escaping rather than avoiding, so it is apparently important to avoid after seeing the attack.

Also, if I block the attack with my wooden sword, my Guard Skill and Sword Skill increase. 

Of course, Skills like that can be increased as much as I want to the point of boredom, so no need to concentrate on those. 

I feel like I am increasing only my Physical Resistance here for a while now because I fail in avoiding the attacks, but it is better than me just shooting Bolts on myself, so I decide to continue without minding. 

I was heaving in less than 1 hour, so I would run away several times and take breaks. 

After 2 hours of that, I returned to the dorms once, and continued the same thing after I finished dinner. 

I would die for sure if I were to faint, so I decided to return to the surface after a total of around 6 hours. 

There’s a crowd in front of the TV in the lobby of the dorms.

There’s apparently a video of a famous conquest guild. 

There’s people with their eyes taken away by the intense battle, but as someone who would die in one hit from a stray shot there, my body stiffens just from watching. 

“As expected of the guild of Ijuin Kyouko-sama. They are one-sidedly beating up the boss.” 

“Oi oi, the most impressive one there is Sanada’s 6 coins.” 

“Isn’t that the Class called Knight? Wow. I really admire that.” 

I silently left that place. 

In the end, I only got 2 Perfect Evasions in the 6 hours I trained.

Moreover, the Skill apparently only increases when I avoid it, so the path seems to be treacherous. 

Even though my surroundings are increasing their levels, it feels as if I am the only one making no progress.

I entered my cramped room in the dorms while there was still not much prospect for the future, and laid down on the bed.

This cramped room doesn’t have a single window, and simply has a bed and a desk. There’s not even a TV or radio. 

I can apparently move to a better room if I have the cash, but it is an unbelievable amount.

Even if I don’t need a better room, I would like something to distract me from my loneliness. 

While I was absentmindedly watching the ceiling, I heard cheerful chatting from the rooms around. 

I feel like my surroundings are avoiding me because of how low my initial Status is, and I feel like I might end up getting expelled if I continue on without any progress. It is just very unnerving. 

According to the Strategy Guide, if the protagonist fails to conquer the dungeon, or if a Game Over happens in the middle, a Gate where monsters will pour out from will appear, and the world will end. 

Even if not, the chances of the scenario moving to an outpour of monsters is by no means low. 

If that does happen, I can only see a future where I won’t be able to do anything and just get killed.

I would definitely go straight to hell if a mere C Tier Gate were to show up. 

If something like that were to happen, there would be nowhere to hide in this world. 

I had nothing to do on the bed aside from praying for the safety of the protagonist. 

 

When I woke up, I felt pain in all the muscles of my body. 

After I finished breakfast in the cafeteria, I decided to go to the infirmary before classes began. 

Once I exited the dorm, there were already students doing their club’s morning training.

I can only admire their motivation and desire to better themselves.

“It would be troubling if we were to be demanded healing magic just for mere muscle pain. I will make a special exception here for today, but the muscle pain is only in the beginning, so endure it from here on.” 

Nicemiddle-sensei at the infirmary said this with a sour face. 

This Nicemiddle is apparently a Level 8 Priest. 

In this world, when you reach Apprentice Level 5, you can Class Change into a Class that you have fulfilled the requirements of.

And then, once you reach a certain level in a Class, you can obtain skills and spells that match the level. 

“Then, that means you have learned Revive too.” (Takashi)

“I have not heard of such a Skill. I can only use until High Heal. Are you okay? If you don’t at least have a grasp of the major Classes and Skills at this point, you won’t be able to manage in the future.” 

What does this mean? 

According to the Strategy Guide, there’s no mistake that what you learn when you reach Level 8 as a Priest is Revive. A spell where you bring back a comrade from an unconscious state. 

If the person himself doesn’t know, does that mean he hasn’t learned it?

As someone who doesn’t feel like doubting the Strategy Guide anymore…does that mean that there’s still Classes and Skills that this world still doesn’t know of yet? 

I also felt it was weird that the students around were only talking about Elementary and Intermediate Classes, and there was no mention of names from Advanced Classes.

It is a world where you risk your life, so it makes sense that the progress here isn’t going as well.

Even if so, it is way too unnatural that there’s a discrepancy with the knowledge of Skills. 

You automatically learn those Skills once you reach that level in the game after all.

Seems like it would be better to go to the library and check the books related to Skills.

Reaching that conclusion, once I exited the infirmary, I headed to the big office building where the library is at.

The result is that there really is only knowledge of some Classes and Skills.

Especially when it comes to Classes where there’s only a few on them. There’s barely any info publicized regarding those. 

Moreover, the unlock requirements for most Classes are being hidden by a part of the guilds and nobles, so only a handful of Classes are known by the public. 

It seems to be the norm that you won’t even be able to unlock Intermediate Classes unless you have quite the strong connections or money. 

The development competition overseas seems to be intense, so it probably also has a strong relation with military secrets.

The dungeon conquest information really seems to be connected with national administration and the army. 

Just by increasing your level a little bit, you can enhance your body to the point of bouncing off bullets, so I did suspect that would be the case.

If those kinds of people that can’t even be apprehended by regular means were to be mass produced, it could even put the safety of the nation in jeopardy. 

That’s why, unless you impose a conscription duty and a certain degree of status, they can’t provide information regarding Rare Classes. 

Also, there’s the need to narrow the number of people in Rare Classes, or they won’t even be able to know where an information leak might happen.

Guns do still exist, but even a rifle bullet would only be able to deal negligible damage against a high level explorer. 

Guns were apparently used at the dawn of dungeon explorations, but using them in such a cramped space will have the sound echo, destroying your ears, and you won’t be able to hear the sounds around. 

That would lessen your reaction in danger, making it way too risky. 

There’s cases where a monster can spawn right behind you all of a sudden after all. 

I think guns naturally lost usage because of this. 

Anyways, it seems like it would be better for me to not speak to carefreely about the information written in the Strategy Book.

It pertains to national secrets, and it could shake the power balance of the world. 

I even feel like just knowing that information is putting me on pretty dangerous footing. 

But the people of this world apparently only see a pure white book, so there’s no worries of the information leaking unless I say it. 

There’s a lot of hot-blooded guys and dangerous organizations, so if information on the level of national secrets were to be spread, it wouldn’t be strange for me to be apprehended.

I have no organization backing me or social status. The lowest strata.

I should keep that stamped in my mind. 

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter