Chapter 4

I poured 100 points into "Explanation" and then another 200. The points don't return, and my abilities don't improve, so I spent a total of 300 points on it. Normally, I would hesitate, but I decided immediately because I believe there's something more to this skill list. After confirming my level increase, I first reviewed my status.

"Strength" (Enhances the strength of all muscles, improving physical abilities. Level 1: 1x original ability, Level 2: 2x original ability, Level 3: 3x original ability)

So far, it's the same, but there's an addendum this time.

(As strength increases, energy consumption also increases. Level 1: as usual, Level 2: 2x, Level 3: 3x)

Oh, so those with high strength need to consume more food than others. I see, skills like "Energy Reduction" and "Food Storage" are for this purpose. Ah, there's more addendum, let's see.

(As strength levels increase, body weight also increases. Level 2: 2x, Level 3: 4x, Level 4: 8x)

So, if I raise "Strength" too much, my weight will become abnormal. The increase in weight doesn't seem proportional to the strength. It should be fine up to Level 2, but it might affect my agility, so I'll keep that in mind.

Next, I looked at the "Agility" section.

(Makes the body lighter and allows for faster movement)

I've seen this explanation before, but the addendum is the issue.

(As the level increases, body weight decreases. Level 2: 1/2, Level 3: 1/4, Level 4: 1/8)

I thought so. So, "Agility" alone just makes the body lighter. Of course, a lighter body allows for faster movement. However, it should be considered in combination with "Strength." If "Strength" increases, the body becomes heavier, making it difficult to move lightly. But if I have "Agility" at the same level, I can maintain my weight while exerting ridiculous strength.

I'll take "Strength," "Toughness," and "Agility" as a set. It will cost 20 points per skill to reach Level 2, and 40 points per skill for Level 3... no problem.

I'll also take "Energy Reduction" to reduce energy consumption as the level increases. I'll raise it to the same level as "Strength." Alright, I'll add "Energy Reduction" to this set, making it four skills in one. Got it.

After thinking for a while, I reassigned the points.

Alright, let's check the remaining skill points.

"Explanation" Level 2: 300 points

"Strength" Level 3: 70 points

"Toughness" Level 3: 70 points

"Agility" Level 3: 70 points

"Intelligence" Level 2: 30 points

"Stamina" Level 3: 70 points

"Willpower" Level 2: 30 points

"Dexterity" Level 3: 70 points

"Flexibility" Level 3: 70 points

"Luck" Level 1: 10 points

"Energy Reduction" Level 3: 70 points

This totals 860 points.

The reason the points decreased more than expected is that the physical abilities related to "Stamina," "Dexterity," and "Flexibility" need to be close to the "Strength" value to be effective; otherwise, they become a negative.

I could reset everything to Level 1 and focus on passive or active skills, but I don't have enough time or skill points.

I could also keep my physical abilities as they are and focus on skills, but the beneficial skills have such strict prerequisites that they are useless in the early stages.

First, I need to ensure I don't die. For that, a guaranteed increase in status is appropriate, I decided.

Out of curiosity, I checked the "Steal," "Alchemy," and "Magic" skills with "Explanation" Level 2, but the descriptions were so harsh that I couldn't close my mouth.

"Steal" requires directly grabbing and crushing the heart of an opponent who is the same level or higher. That's too grotesque. Additionally, the success rate is less than 1% without "Thievery" Level 3, "Dexterity" 30, and "Willpower" 30.

Honestly, it's impossible to succeed. "Thievery" Level 3 alone requires 600 skill points, and "Steal" would cost 1100 points in total. It won't work no matter what.

"Alchemy" requires "Medicine," "Magic," "Pharmacology," "Structural Science," "Monster Knowledge," and "Mathematics" all at Level 5 for a success rate of nearly 0. It means you can take it but can't make anything, which is almost fraudulent.

"Magic" requires "Magic Power" at the same level and "Magic Conversion" to convert willpower into magic power. You also need to choose an attribute. A mage who can handle all attributes is a dream within a dream. It might be possible to aim for a mage with specific abilities and attributes, but I don't have the points to spare after spending 300 on "Explanation."

I have 140 points left and about 40 minutes remaining.

In this situation, I can only trust the tripled physical abilities. I want practical power, but the remaining points are too few. I could bet on "Ki," which doesn't require prerequisite skills.

"Ki" allows you to sense and release your own ki. As the level increases, you can circulate ki to enhance your body, weapons, and equipment, and increase recovery. "Ki" is a skill that consumes "Willpower" and "Stamina," and it has various uses as the level increases. It's not as flashy as "Magic," but I don't have the luxury to be picky.

I took "Ki" to Level 2, costing 100 points. 40 points left. With such few points, I can't take any significant skills.

I need to find a skill with unusually low point consumption. Most skills cost 10 points for Level 1, but some cost 5 points for Level 1, 10 points for Level 2, and 20 points for Level 3, which is a good deal.

I looked through the skill list, hoping to find something useful.

"Fire User," "Water User," "Earth User," "Wind User," "Light User," "Dark User"

These seem quite useful. Further down, there are:

"Paper User," "Plant User," "Thread User," "Insect User," "Dog User," "Cat User," "Monkey User"

Some skills are hard to imagine, but I'd like to see "Dog User" and "Cat User" combined into "Animal User." Anyway, I need to investigate. Let's start with "Fire User."

(Manipulates fire. Level 1: match flame, Level 2: medium gas stove flame, Level 3: campfire)

This seems powerful as the level increases. It's like using fire magic. The addendum says:

(However, there must be fire present. You use existing fire, so if the fire is weaker than your level, you can't exceed its power)

Of course, there's a warning. So, even if you have a match flame and "Fire User" Level 10, you can only control a match flame... that's a bit disappointing. The other "User" skills are similar.

"Paper User" increases the size and types of paper you can manipulate as the level increases. At higher levels, you can control banknotes and fold paper with fine movements. Interesting, but not necessary.

Also, "User" skills require touching the target to activate, and the effect disappears when you let go. For "Fire User," you need to touch the fire to activate it—what a terrible skill. For water or earth, it might be fine, but "Fire User" users need to increase "Fire Resistance" to avoid burns while activating the skill.

Other low-point skills include mental skills:

"Confusion," "Weakening," "Paralysis," "Fear," "Delusion," "Madness," etc.

These are detailed! I thought a general "Status Resistance" would be enough, but that skill exists too. It costs 200 points, so I don't have enough.

I tried "Confusion."

(Causes confusion. Can make a touched target confused)

Oh, this is quite useful. It can cause confusion, not just resist it. The success rate increases with higher levels, and you can activate it with weapons or tools. You can confuse an opponent with a sword strike. Once activated, you need a 20-minute break. This is a good candidate.

While selecting some useful skills, I found another mental skill with unusually low point consumption.

"Confidence," "Superiority," "Empathy," "Dissatisfaction," "Suspicion," "Scatter," "Sympathy," "Joy," "Relaxation," etc.

These are overly detailed. The low points make sense. They might be useful for mental manipulation, but more effective skills would be better.

For mental abnormality skills, Level 1 affects one person, Level 2 affects two, and Level 3 affects four.

You can also spend skill points to obtain items. The item list is overwhelming. It includes healing items, various weapons and armor, and even guns.

"Isn't there an item box? It's a standard item, right... hmm, hmm."

Someone coughed to cover their voice. They were probably looking for an "Item Box," a classic item that can store many items without them deteriorating. It exists as a magic or a bag here.

The description says Level 1 can store 5 items, Level 2 can store 10, and Level 3 can store 15, increasing by 5 each level. It costs 300 points, which is quite a dilemma. Level 1 with 5 items is a bit low, but it becomes very useful at higher levels. I need 300 more points for Level 2.

While I want tools, I don't need them immediately. I'll figure it out eventually.

Time is running out, so I spoke aloud.

"Can't we check the skills we've taken?"

I said it loud enough for the teacher to hear, and she looked at me.

"You can, but you can't use flashy abilities or skills that require materials you don't have. You can't harm others, and remember, you're here as souls, so status changes won't affect you. Test your strength after you're in the other world."

So, she's covering up the fact that taking Level 1 skills is mandatory.

"Anything else? Oh, right. Skills used in practice can't be changed. You might want to find beneficial ones, but if everyone took the same skills, it would be boring."

With the teacher's permission, classmates started using their skills. One guy was probably using "X-ray Vision" to look at a stylish woman, and another with an eye-related skill was suspiciously looking around. Such obvious behavior might be considered cheating.

"Everyone, listen. This skill list—"

Before I could speak, the teacher interrupted.

"Hey, anyone who tried to peek at others' skills, use puppet skills, or leak information... I'll let it slide this time, but next time, I'll confiscate all your skills and points."

Her playful tone was serious, and classmates who were caught quickly deactivated their skills.

The voice in my head was a young woman's, probably a classmate using "Mental Sensing" to warn others about the skill list's trap. They risked punishment to help.

They're good people. Some classmates sneered, thinking it was foolish, but I respect them. There might be others who got "Explanation" and are only thinking of themselves. Some might even think the warning was unnecessary.

I don't have the right to criticize them. I'm focused on surviving in the other world.

From the skill descriptions, it's clear this won't be a peaceful world.

The key is how to survive after transferring. That's what I need to focus on.

Survive. No matter where or what the situation, I must survive.