Chapter 3

No matter what, I first had to go through the skills.

Numerous characters were floating on the desk.

First, there was a section called "Status."

Strength. Intelligence. Agility. Stamina. Spirit. Dexterity. Flexibility. Luck. Toughness.

These were listed. When I lightly touched "Strength" with my finger, plus and minus signs appeared. Next to the plus sign was the number 10, and next to the minus sign was also the number 10.

I tried pressing the plus sign. It became "Strength 1," and the number 1000P displayed at the top right of the desk changed to 990P.

I see, so this means I allocated points to Strength. Hmm, can I take them back?

When I touched "Strength 1" again, this time it showed +20 -10.

When I pressed -10, "Strength 1" reverted to "Strength," and the 990P at the top right returned to 1000P.

It seems that allocated skill points can be taken back. However, I thought an explanation would appear when I touched it, but what about the others?

I looked at the Passive Skills section instead of the Status section. Passive skills are abilities that have effects just by owning them, while Active Skills, which require conscious activation, also exist.

However, whoever that woman teacher imposter is, she seems to have studied novels and games well. This kind of system is common, so it's easy to handle.

There were countless passive skills, and just the ones related to sight were:

"Eagle Eye," "Far Sight," "X-ray Vision," "Future Sight," "Past Sight," "Magic Eye," "Evil Eye."

And many more. It felt like they had gathered all the abilities seen in novels and games. If all the skills were combined, they would easily exceed ten thousand.

I tried allocating points to "Evil Eye," and just like with the status, I could further pour in points to strengthen it or take them back.

However, no explanation appeared.

I have read quite a few novels with this kind of setting, so I think I can understand most things from the text alone. But that's just my guess, and it's not certain.

The woman teacher imposter's refusal to accept questions and her explicit ban on consulting or advising others are also concerning. This means that something troublesome is included in the skill allocation that she doesn't want shared.

I can't entrust my future life to my own assumptions based on the text.

I scrolled through the skill list and found what I was looking for.

At the end of the skill list, there was a section called "Options."

When I touched it, several new characters appeared below "Options."

"Tutorial"

"Explanation"

"BGM"

Alright, this is it. First, "Tutorial."

Next to "Tutorial," the usual plus and minus signs appeared, but I couldn't help but groan when I saw them.

What, why are the points so high!

Next to the plus sign was the number 100, boldly asserting its presence.

Is it really okay to spend 100 out of 1000P on this? No, wait... I can take the points back later, right? It should be fine if I take them back after checking.

Just as I was about to touch "Tutorial," I noticed a very small comma-like symbol next to the options section. When I squinted, it looked like extremely small text.

"Could it be?"

I brought my index finger and thumb close to the comma-like symbol and spread them to zoom in on the screen, just like on a touch panel.

As expected, the image in that part enlarged, and I realized it was text. When I read the text, I could feel the wrinkles forming between my eyebrows.

"Points allocated to options cannot be taken back."

Ah, I see. This is the worst-case scenario. I've read similar developments before.

Whether this woman teacher imposter is a god, a servant of a god, a demon, or some other entity, it doesn't matter. What's clear is that she doesn't intend to make us strong easily.

If she had explained this orally at the beginning, it would have been better, but she deliberately omitted it. There might be more hidden in this skill list.

So, what should I do? Since she deliberately hid the fact that points can't be taken back, this option is likely a trap. But judging skills by text alone is too dangerous.

Even if I can't take the points back, is it better to get some information from the tutorial?

"Alright, all points to Strength!"

I heard the voice of the skinny young man next to me. Glancing at him, he was glowing with excitement, muttering to himself as he allocated skill points to Strength.

"In these situations, it's decided that specializing is stronger. Raising everything evenly is just foolish."

I pondered the content of his muttering, which I could barely hear.

Allocating all points to Strength. It might not be a bad decision. With strength, you can have an advantage in any situation—assuming this is a game.

The Rekkan Tepnin continent in the other world probably has magic and mysterious powers. I saw words like

"Elemental Magic," "Aura," "Elf Magic," "Holy Magic."

in the skill list I glanced at earlier.

Just being strong might not be enough to survive. If you have some martial arts knowledge, that strength could be useful, but he looks like someone who rarely exercises.

Also, there's no explanation of what these status abilities do. Even if you raise them, it's not guaranteed that you'll become stronger.

...Alright, I'll take this first. After much deliberation, I finally decided on my first choice.

What I chose was "Explanation." It costs 100P and is in the options section, so the points can't be taken back, but I can consider it a necessary expense.

The most important thing right now is information. Without fully understanding the meaning of these skills, there's no future in the other world.

"Well, as expected."

After obtaining "Explanation," I first touched "Strength."

Just like before, plus and minus signs appeared with numbers. Next to them, new text was written.

(All the muscles in the body are strengthened, improving physical abilities. Level 1: Original ability × 1, Level 2: Original ability × 2)

...What, what, what! I almost overlooked this, but this is a serious matter!

The content of the enhancement was close to my expectations, but the most important part was completely unexpected. It's the part that says "Level 1: Original ability × 1."

In other words, if you don't take at least 1 in a status ability, your original ability becomes × 0. Without Intelligence, you can't even think, and without Strength, you can't even hold a weapon or support your own body.

It's dangerous not to take at least 1 in the status abilities!

I hurriedly took Level 1 in

"Strength," "Intelligence," "Agility," "Stamina," "Spirit," "Dexterity," "Flexibility," "Luck," "Toughness."

This used up 90P. Including "Explanation," I used 190P in total. This means that even if I go to the other world, I'll have the same physical abilities as I do now.

I should be glad that I didn't end up with a negative. The guy who allocated all his points to one skill will probably be unable to think or move his body as soon as he arrives in the other world and die standing still. I imagined his well-built, lifeless body standing there and almost called out to him.

But I held back at the last moment. Didn't that woman teacher imposter say that giving advice or consulting would result in losing points?

It hurts, but to save myself, I have to do nothing. He's probably seeing his own success in the other world in his eyes as he hums a tune and looks at the skill list.

Feeling uncomfortable, I looked away. I need to focus on myself for now.

After taking a few deep breaths to change my mood, I focused on the skill list.

The explanations for passive skills were mostly as expected, and indeed, the abilities get stronger as you raise the skill levels. This is a common setting in novels and games.

I wondered how much time I had left and glanced at the woman teacher. She seemed to notice me and, with a pointer she had in her hand, tapped the top of her head.

Following her gesture, I saw a large digital clock-like display showing 65:43. Understanding that this was the remaining time, I bowed in gratitude.

The woman teacher imposter narrowed her eyes in surprise. Even if she's a malicious woman who enjoys trapping us, she did do something for us. It's only common courtesy to bow.

I turned my gaze back to the desk and, with nearly an hour left, resumed my thinking.

"There must be one... hidden skills, hidden skills."

On the other side of me, a woman in a sailor uniform, who looked like she might be in the sex industry, was sitting with her eyes wide open, desperately searching for something.

From her muttering, she was looking for special skills. In skill-based novels, there are common templates.

One is where a skill thought to be useless turns out to have an unexpected use and becomes very useful, or where a special skill that can't be obtained normally exists, and the protagonist who gets it becomes successful.

The woman in the cosplay outfit was probably searching for a skill with such hidden power. I thought about it too, but considering the status and options, I doubted she would provide such an obvious skill.

"Ah, there it is! Seizure Skill."

The woman in the cosplay outfit seemed to have let out a word of joy. She quickly covered her mouth, but the classmates around her didn't miss it and started looking at their skill lists, eyes wide open, searching hard.

The Seizure Skill. It's one of the common templates in skill-based stories, a skill that steals the abilities of others. I've read a few such stories and have always been fascinated by its power.

I lightly touched the "Seizure" text I had already found.

(Steal one skill from a defeated opponent. Level 1: 1 skill, Level 2: 3 skills, Level 3: 6 skills)

The conditions for stealing are unclear, and even if it's easy to steal, at Level 1, you can only own one skill from the opponent.

You might think that raising the skill points would make it stronger, but it costs 500P to get this skill. To raise it to Level 2, it costs 1000P. The woman who found it seems to think it's powerful enough to spend so many points and got it without hesitation.

...It's frustrating. The young man on my right and the woman on my left are complete strangers, but if they go to the other world like this, they will only meet death. No, it's not just them. Some might have noticed the same thing as me, but most seem unaware of the problem.

I'm not trying to deceive my classmates to gain power for myself. If there were a safe way to inform them, I would do it without hesitation. But I'm not a person who can act at the cost of my own life.

It's a terrible feeling, like watching someone die, but I need to change my mindset. It would be ridiculous to die because of this.

"Ah, Common Language."

Someone's voice broke my concentration.

A few people who heard it looked startled and hurriedly operated their skill lists.

I had completely forgotten about it, so I looked at the language-related skills.

"Common Language," "Elf Language," "Goblin Language," "Imperial Language."

There were about 100 languages, and most were divided into speaking and reading/writing. As expected, there are no written languages for low-intelligence monster races.

And this subtly consumes points. "Common Language" for speaking only costs 50P, but if you want to read and write, it costs an additional 50P, totaling 100P.

Not being able to communicate in the other world is a significant disadvantage, but we don't know where we will be transferred. It might be a remote area where Common Language isn't spoken.

We don't even know how widespread Common Language is on the continent. First, I should take skills to survive, and if I have spare points, I'll take it. I'll keep it as a candidate.

If I prioritize daily life, craftsman skills might also be useful—

"Alright, Alchemy. First."

A serious-looking man in his forties in front of me said, as if voicing my thoughts.

Alchemy. It's a common setting. I've seen novels where alchemy can create not just weapons and armor but also healing items and, in the end, buildings and weapons.

While I'm criticizing it in my mind, I've already checked it and thought the same thing.

"Alchemy" (Has the potential to create anything in this world. If the ability is high, it can even create new things that don't exist.)

That's all the text in the explanation. It doesn't say what happens when the level increases. It's too suspicious. How would you identify the materials needed for alchemy? If we start in a safe town, it might be manageable, but if we're thrown into a place with monsters, we can't do anything.

"Where's the Appraisal skill?"

A slightly rough voice from the back echoed. Everyone is focused, but there are a lot of mutterings. Even if this is the dream scenario, it's still unsettling. They can't give advice or consult, so they're muttering a lot.

Or maybe they're deliberately saying things to check the reactions of those around them and see if their judgment is correct.

In such a situation, it's better to get rid of the protagonist-like idea that I have a special insight that others don't. There are plenty of people smarter than me or with better ideas. I need to gather information without being swayed by the voices around me and find the best path.

By the way, "Appraisal" only shows the value of an item when you touch it.

"Still, more explanation would be nice..."

I don't know where that voice came from, but I agree. The skill list is clearly lacking in explanation, and even with "Explanation," it's hard not to think so.

"What level should I raise this skill to?"

Hearing a young woman's troubled voice, I also checked my skills. I haven't taken many yet, but since I only took Level 1 in the status, I'm considering taking at least Level 2. Maybe I should raise Strength, which seems useful.

Ah, the skill level... Wait, what if... I had an idea and looked at the skill list again. When I found it, I was so frustrated with my own foolishness that I wanted to hit myself.

I understand being confused in an abnormal situation, but this is the most basic of basics.

When I touched "Explanation," it showed +200P next to "Explanation 1."

Current Obtained Skills

"Strength" 1

"Intelligence" 1

"Agility" 1

"Stamina" 1

"Spirit" 1

"Dexterity" 1

"Flexibility" 1

"Luck" 1

"Toughness" 1

"Explanation" 1

Remaining Skill Points: 810