Chapter 3

I left A Village before the sun set.

As I turned to look back at the main gate, a female student on guard duty was watching me with a complicated expression.

I had declined the send-off. Kaguya-senpai and the other residents I got along well with were disappointed, but there was nothing to be done.

If I were to get too close to them, Raiji and the others wouldn't be happy.

Turning to face outside the grounds, I saw that several barricades made of trees were set up around the school.

They were created as a countermeasure against monsters.

I had helped build them and participated in maintenance work many times.

Thinking that I wouldn't be able to help anymore was quite emotional.

“... Uh, Ikoma-senpai.”

There, a female guard with a spear called out to me in a low voice, looking around to make sure no one else was around.

“What is it?”

“Here, please.”

She handed me a cloth-wrapped package. When I opened it, there was a nicely baked round bread and a bamboo tube filled with clean water. I put it in my backpack, which was one of my few possessions.

“It’s from Kaguya-senpai. She asked me to give it to you.

She said it’s bread that a B-rank 'Appraisal' user evaluated.

She wants you to eat a copy of it.”

“Really... that’s so kind. Can I convey my thanks?”

“Yes, of course.

Also, on behalf of all the female residents, I want to thank you.

If it weren’t for you, Ikoma-senpai, we wouldn’t have been able to live so comfortably.”

“You’re flattering me.”

“No, I’m not.

That’s why I’m on guard duty today.

The entire Guardian Team decided to give you a farewell gift, so we changed the guard shifts.”

The guard girl gently touched my hand.

“I have a B-rank 'Toughness Enhancement.'

Kaguya-senpai told me you’re not currently replicating it.

If you’d like, you can replicate it.”

“... Thank you.

I only have 'Power Enhancement' and 'Speed Enhancement' right now.”

“I can only do this much without being noticed by Raiji-senpai...”

My B-rank 'Replication' skill activated, and I replicated her 'Toughness Enhancement.' The 'Replication' skill allows me to create a degraded copy of something. For example, if used on bread, it can create another piece of bread. If used while touching someone, it can replicate their skills and make them my own.

It’s a powerful ability, but it has some limitations. The replicated items from my B-rank 'Replication' are always one rank lower than the original. For example, using it on B-rank bread will only produce C-rank bread. Additionally, the maximum rank of the replicated items is one rank lower than the 'Replication' skill. For instance, if I replicated Kaguya-senpai’s A-rank 'Farming,' I would get C-rank 'Farming.' Furthermore, the maximum number of skills I can hold, including 'Replication,' is six. If I already have six, I need to remove one of my current skills to gain a new one.

Thanks to this skill, I could help almost all the teams in A Village. When helping the farming team, I used C-rank 'Farming.' When helping the carpentry team with repairs and expansions, I used C-rank 'Construction.' While not as good as B-rank, the C-rank skills provided a professional-level boost, which was highly valued. Team members were assigned based on the skills they possessed, but not everyone in a team had the same skill. Most teams had at least one B-rank member, but many residents only had status correction abilities. I was called a universal worker because I could replicate and use C-rank skills, and I was quite relied upon.

I replicated the guard girl’s B-rank 'Toughness Enhancement' and gained C-rank 'Toughness Enhancement.' Since I have a limit on the number of skills I can hold, I usually removed unnecessary status correction skills. I had planned to correct my status for the journey, but I forgot to re-replicate 'Toughness Enhancement' due to the sudden expulsion. I didn’t realize Kaguya-senpai knew the details of my skill set. She really pays attention to her juniors.

“Replication complete. Thanks a lot.”

“No, it’s nothing. Compared to what you’ve done for us, this is a small thing.

Thanks to the underwear and care items you replicated, we were able to live comfortably.

The girls secretly called you the 'Bra God' and worshiped you.

Thank you so much for everything!”

“Yeah, thanks for the skills.

But don’t call me that again.”

So, that’s how it went.

It ended up being a somewhat anticlimactic farewell, but I looked up at the cluster of school buildings towering over A Village one last time before leaving.

Thank you for everything.

If you found this interesting and are looking forward to what comes next, collect the ☆☆☆☆☆ to open the door to the next stage.

Hint: The last star appears in a certain place after collecting all the coins!