Chapter 21: A New Skill and Gantz’s Scheme
"Ahh~, that was a good sleep."
The next morning, Jin woke feeling more refreshed than ever. The lingering gloom from the night before had completely lifted, and his body brimmed with energy. The only problem was, he was starving. Without wasting time, he hurried straight to the dining hall. He asked the waitress to prepare breakfast, washed his face, and tidied up while he waited.
Since he’d already given the inn advance notice yesterday, today’s breakfast was extravagant—meat, stew, heaps of salad, bread, and more. Jin tried not to wolf it down too quickly, but still polished off a portion that looked like enough for two. And then, unable to resist, he ordered another two full servings of the normal breakfast set and devoured them as well. Only then did he finally feel about eighty percent full and decided to stop.
The waitress gave him a half-exasperated, half-amused look. You sure can eat, huh?, she said, shaking her head. It was the first time Jin himself had eaten this much. With a sheepish smile and thanks for the delicious food, he excused himself and returned to his room without lingering on small talk.
Once back, he immediately checked his status.
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Name: Jin
Age: 18
Title: Blessed by the Gods (Hidden)
Occupation: Adventurer
Level: 11 (+8)
HP: 153 (+104)
MP: 60 (+40)
STR: 63 (+40)
VIT: 52 (+32)
INT: 30 (+16)
DEX: 52 (+32)
AGI: 52 (+32)
Unique Skill: Menu (Hidden)
Skills: Swordsmanship ▽
Inventory:
- Small HP Potion … empty ×5
- Small MP Potion … empty ×3
- Horned Rabbit’s Horn
Gold: 786.1463G
Apparently, defeating more than forty beasts yesterday had raised his level by eight. Compared to when he was still Level 1, his highest stat—Strength—was nearly five times greater, and even his lowest—Intelligence—was triple.
"Ooh~, yeah… this feels good."
His status had soared past Level 10, the proof of his growth plain to see. Jin couldn’t help but grin.
Normally, leveling up should get harder and harder, but here he’d defeated only three times the monsters he had back in the tutorial—and gained four times the levels. Maybe the experience gain in this world was just higher?, he wondered vaguely.
In truth, the reason wasn’t the world itself, but that a rookie at Level 3 had slain over forty enemies recommended for Level 10 and above. Jin hadn’t realized how strong the Mad Ants really were. Last time, he’d only survived because his stats were already above those of a typical Level 10 adventurer, and because his maxed-out Health skill had neutralized their paralytic poison. Without that—and one other key factor—he wouldn’t even be here.
"Hm? What’s this?"
He’d been disappointed not to see any new skills… until he noticed a small triangular mark next to Swordsmanship. Curious, he tapped it—and a flood of new entries appeared.
Skills:
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Swordsmanship
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One-Handed Swordmanship
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Two-Handed Swordmanship
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Wooden Swordmanship
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Presence Detection
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Fighting Spirit
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Intimidation
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Chant Shortening
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Evasion
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Parry
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Footwork
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Burst Acceleration
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Paralysis Resistance
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Poison Resistance
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Bug Slayer
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Gathering
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Basic Magic
"Whoa."
Jin let out a startled cry at the sheer number of new skills.
Perhaps it was true—nothing trained you better than real combat. Alongside martial skills like One-Handed Swordmanship, he’d gained Presence Detection and Chant Shortening, which he’d been trying to practice. On top of that, unexpected resistances and even "Bug Slayer." The sheer increase in skills alone was enough to make him happy. He already knew about Basic Magic from the temple, so he went through the rest one by one.
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Skill Details
Swordsmanship: Bonus to all sword-related actions.
[Art: Slash] (Lv.5/10)
One-Handed Swordmanship: Bonus to all actions when using a one-handed swords. (Lv.1/10)
Two-Handed Swordmanship: Bonus to all actions when using a two-handed swords. (Lv.2/10)
Wooden Swordmanship: Bonus to all actions when using a wooden swords.
[Art: Pull Punch] (Lv.3/10)
Presence Detection: Sense the presence and state of nearby living beings. (Lv.1/10)
Fighting Spirit: Dispels mental debuffs.
When used normally, grants temporary mental fortitude. (Lv.1/10)
Intimidation: Exerts mental pressure on those nearby, inflicting negative effects. (Lv.1/10)
Chant Shortening: Allows spell incantations to be abbreviated.
Slight power reduction, but the penalty decreases with level.
(Currently -20%; 0% at Lv.10) (Lv.2/10)
Evasion: Bonus to all evasion actions. (Lv.3/10)
Parry: Deflects incoming attacks, reducing weapon wear and aiding evasion. (Lv.1/10)
Footwork: Stable lower body through efficient weight shifting.
Bonus to all leg-related actions. (Lv.1/10)
Burst Acceleration: Reaches top speed over short distances. Increases leg strength. (Lv.1/10)
Paralysis Resistance: Increases resistance to paralysis. (Lv.MAX)
Poison Resistance: Increases resistance to poisons. (Lv.MAX)
Bug Slayer: Bonus to all actions against insect-type beasts.
Repels insects below a certain size. (Lv.1/10)
Gathering: Sharpens instincts in gathering.
Improves quality of gathered items. (Lv.1/10)
"Mgghhh…"
Jin couldn’t help groaning at the sheer number and variety of skills. Without doubt, the reason he’d been able to pick up so many combat and movement abilities was thanks to his Martial Talent.
Jin was surprised enough that his Swordsmanship had already reached Level 5, but what really caught him off guard was that he’d unlocked One-Handed Swordmanship and Two-Handed Swordmanship as derivative skills. He had assumed those would only appear once Swordsmanship reached Level 10. Maybe that was just how the system in this world worked. In any case, it was nothing but a gain, so Jin accepted it with satisfaction.
Even more surprising was the fact that Wooden Swordmanship—a skill he’d half-joked about—actually existed. On top of that, it came with an art called "Pull Punch." It was a blessing to be able to use it, especially alongside "Slash," the art tied to Swordsmanship. These two were his very first arts, and Jin couldn’t help but get excited. After all, the arts were just as much a symbol of fantasy as magic itself.
〔Art: Slash – Imbues an attack with mana, increasing its power.
MP Cost: 5 | Power: 1.25x〕
〔Art: Pull Punch – Even if the target’s HP would drop to 0, the attack leaves them unconscious instead of dead. Can be toggled on or off.
MP Cost: 10 | Power: 0.8x | Duration: 30 minutes max〕
Both seemed highly practical. "Slash" would be invaluable against monsters, while "Pull Punch" would prove useful against human opponents. The latter did have the drawback of reduced attack power, so there might be times when it wasn’t viable. Factoring in the MP cost, Jin decided it would need careful use.
What also thrilled him was that four of the skills he’d been training since yesterday—Presence Detection, Chant Shortening, Footwork, and Burst Acceleration—had successfully taken root. Chant Shortening hadn’t only delivered decisive blows against the Mad Ants, it had also proved useful as a means of keeping them at bay. As for the others, together with Parry and Evasion, they had been crucial to surviving the relentless onslaught. Without them, there was no way he could have handled that many attacks.
Even better, both his Paralysis Resistance and Poison Resistance had started at max level the instant he acquired them. This was almost certainly due to his initial skill, Health, which was also maxed out. It probably granted immunity—or at least near-immunity—to abnormal status effects. Just as Instructor Greg had said, without that skill, Jin would have been paralyzed instantly and finished off then and there. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how close to the edge he had truly been.
If his swordsmanship hadn’t grown, his lack of attack power would have slowed him down, and the sheer numbers of those monsters would have overwhelmed him.
If he hadn’t unlocked evasion-related skills, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the barrage of strikes.
If he hadn’t awakened Chant Shortening, he would have had no way to fight at range—or to finish the fight at all.
And if he hadn’t had Health, he’d have been paralyzed in an instant, helpless before the swarm.
Jin acknowledged once more that he had been walking on thin ice and reflected with gratitude that it was these skills that had allowed him to survive.
"…Still, Bug Slayer, huh."
The description made sense, but the part about keeping smaller insects away made him chuckle—it was basically bug repellent. Like Fighting Spirit and Intimidation, it had been an unexpected acquisition, but one he was thankful for nonetheless.
After reviewing all the new skills, he added only Gathering to his active display—quietly pleased with that one in particular—and closed the menu.
"Now then, what should I do today?"
It was possible word hadn’t spread yet about yesterday’s events, but Jin figured it was still best not to show up at the guild first thing in the morning, when it was crowded with adventurers. He had to visit Gantz’s weapon shop anyway, not to mention the temple, and he needed to replace his torn clothes with two new outfits.
"If only I could disguise myself…"
He knew there was no point worrying about being recognized this early on, but curiosity made him check the Menu to see if such a feature existed.
Sure enough, under Equipment, there was a function to project a 3D model of himself to preview how he would look in different outfits. Poking around further, he found that he could swap his underwear—changing the default unremovable shorts into trunks or spats, or adding undershirts like T-shirts or tank tops. He could even alter colors freely, and yes—full-body tights were included. Unfortunately, that was about the only way to cover his face, which made it useless as a disguise. Still, it was a fun feature, and Jin made a note to amuse himself with it during downtime.
"For now, I’ll just head out like this."
After a quick stretch in the inn’s courtyard, Jin stepped out into the city. His first destination was the public baths, but they weren’t open this early. Changing plans, he visited the brother-and-sister street vendors on the main road, just as he had last time, and bought two of their recommended outfits. Then, he made his way to Gantz’s weapon shop.
"Good morning."
Jin called as he entered the shop, where Gantz was busy tidying up inside.
"Oh, Jin. What brings you here… wait, what happened to your gear?"
The blacksmith frowned at his battered armor. After all, Jin had only bought it three days ago.
"I’m sorry. I ended up fighting a swarm of Mad Ants yesterday, and as you can see, my armor and sword are in ruins."
Looking apologetic, Jin handed over the broken steel bastard sword.
"Well, no surprise your equipment ended up like this, going against something as tough as Mad Ants. But what the hell were you thinking fighting them?"
Gantz shook his head, inspecting the shattered blade and battered armor.
"I hadn’t planned on fighting them—I was just out gathering when I stumbled into them. I regret it now, but in the moment, I just… couldn’t walk away."
Jin scratched his head sheepishly. After a long look, Gantz finally snorted.
"Ha! Looks like someone gave you a real chewing out already. Then I’ve got nothing left to say. So I’ll praise you instead—well done. For a greenhorn who just became an adventurer three days ago, surviving that mess is no small feat. I don’t care how many you killed—just coming back alive is impressive enough."
"Thank you. Honestly, I was just lucky. My sword’s beyond repair, but could I ask you to maintain the armor?"
"Sure thing. I’ll take it off your hands for now. That work?"
"Yes, please."
Jin removed the battered set and handed it all over.
"And… how much would it cost if I asked you to make armor out of these materials?"
He produced a large sack filled with parts from the Mad Ant Queen.
"Well, well. You actually managed to harvest some materials. Alright, I’ll work up an estimate—wait a second. This… don’t tell me…"
"Yes. From the Mad Ant Queen."
"…You killed it?"
"Yes."
Jin wore a guilty expression, as though apologizing for his recklessness.
"Pfft… hahaha! You really did it, huh? That’s incredible! Still, I bet that girl Aria and that bastard Greg must’ve been pulling their hair out. Hah!"
Gantz had stared in disbelief at first, but then burst into roaring laughter.
"I really do feel bad for worrying them."
"Nah. It’s Greg’s job to knock rookies like you into shape. I can imagine exactly what he said. He’s got to be strict—it comes with the territory. Believe me, I did plenty of reckless crap when I was your age, too."
The blacksmith laughed heartily, then softened a little.
"As for Aria, though… she must’ve been really worried. Do something nice for her to make up for it. If you want my advice—flowers."
The mischievous gleam in his eye didn’t escape Jin.
"I’ll keep that in mind. Could you tell me what kind she likes?"
"Rosen flowers. Red ones."
If Gantz said so, Jin could trust it. He decided to follow the advice to the letter.
"Thank you. I’ll be heading to the guild later for my reward anyway, so I’ll give them to her then."
"Good. She’ll be glad. Leave the armor to me, and I’ll have the estimate ready too. Drop by again this evening."
There was a strange glint of amusement in Gantz’s eye, but since the topic had turned to armor, Jin quickly forgot about it.
"Alright. I’ll come back then."
After that, the two chatted idly about things like Aria’s favorite foods and Greg’s favorite brands of liquor, until Jin politely excused himself so as not to interfere with Gantz’s work. With that, he left the shop and headed back into the city streets.
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