Chapter 34

Today, it's another three parts. (1/3)

I changed Aki's first-person pronoun from "watashi" to "atashi."

"Today, while Shouta was in the dungeon, I was doing some research. I went through all the experimental reports related to the skills Shouta possesses. I was still in the middle of it, but I remembered one report that caught my attention."

Maki started operating her terminal, checking something.

Wait, you just casually said "all"? How many reports did Maki check in just half a day?

"I found it, this one. It's the experimental report on 'Appraisal Interference.' Do you know the difference between the skill 'Appraisal Interference' and the item 'Appraisal Interference'?"

An item?

"Yes. To explain to Shouta, sometimes in the dungeon's treasure chests, there are accessories with the 'Appraisal Interference' skill. When you wear them, the 'Appraisal Interference' function activates based on the skill level of the accessory. Of course, since it's wearable, the interference stops when you take off the accessory."

"Hmm, I see."

Treasure chests, huh.

I forgot because 'Unlucky Hole' doesn't have any treasure chests, but does this dungeon have them?

"But the skill 'Appraisal Interference' activates permanently once you acquire it. You can't forget the skill, so the higher the level, the less likely your stats will be revealed. Also, 'Appraisal Interference' is a very rare skill. Do you know the price?"

"No, I don't."

"100 million."

"…By the way, what about magic?"

"Shouta, you have Fire and Water, right? I think they were 3,000 and 1,500, respectively. Most of these are discovered from treasure chests, but they're convenient and rare, so adventurers tend to get them as soon as they find them. That's why the prices are a bit high, but they're relatively easy to find."

"I see…"

It seems I was taking the gacha ranks at face value.

The idea that SR is cheap and SSR is expensive was a misunderstanding on my part.

"I got sidetracked. In short, the skill 'Appraisal Interference' is really troublesome. It's like a cursed item that can't be removed. It's essential for people who want to keep secrets, but it's a drawback if no one believes what skills you have, like in Shouta's case."

"But according to this report, the skill 'Appraisal Interference' allows you to choose what to interfere with."

"Really!?"

"Yes, the person who proposed the report said that people with the skill are often secretive, so it was hard to find someone willing to cooperate."

"That makes sense."

It seems the headquarters' investigations also struggle to find cooperators.

"Maki, how do we do that?"

"First, please open your status board. Then, focus on the skills you want to reveal."

Following Maki's instructions, I focused on the skills I wanted to reveal.

I chose 'Appraisal Lv2,' 'Appraisal Interference Lv4,' 'Super Strength II,' and 'Swift.'

I didn't feel any particular change, but is this okay?

"It seems you're done. Sister, can you try it?"

"Okay. …Wow! I can see them! 'Appraisal Lv2,' 'Appraisal Interference Lv4,' 'Super Strength II,' and 'Swift.' The impact is different when you see it in person compared to reading it on paper."

"It seems to have worked. This reveal function can be hidden again by focusing on making it invisible."

"Let me try… Aki."

"Sure. Whoa, completely blocked!"

Aki exaggeratedly leaned back to show it.

"And there's a report on the differences when 'Appraisal Interference' and 'Appraisal' levels differ. If they're the same or 'Appraisal Interference' is higher, nothing can be seen. Conversely, if 'Appraisal' is higher, the more the difference, the more information can be seen, but as long as 'Appraisal Interference' is at least 1, some information is masked, and not everything can be seen. The priority is unclear, but it seems that the rarer the skill, the more likely it is to be hidden."

In other words, even if someone with a higher 'Appraisal' skill than my 'Appraisal Interference' appears, the most secret information is likely to be protected. Thinking about that, when I felt something off from the branch manager, they might have been using 'Appraisal.' Given that Aki has a high 'Appraisal' level, the branch manager likely has the same. They might have peeked at my skills and decided I was worth it. Well, it's just a hypothesis.

It was a relief that I already had 'Appraisal Interference' at that time.

"Thanks to Maki, we confirmed the existence of 'Super Strength II.' I'll report this to headquarters, but I'm not sure if they'll believe it…"

"Aki, if my strength is needed, please let me know. I initiated this, so I don't want you to be treated as a liar."

"Shouta… Thank you. I'll do my best. Also, have you actually used it? If there are any differences, I'd like to know."

"Of course, I checked. Not only the effects, but the drawbacks were also alleviated."

The original skill's effects were '2x strength,' '1 minute duration,' and '10 minutes cooldown.'

After reaching level II, the effects became '2.2x strength,' '1 minute 30 seconds duration,' and '9 minutes cooldown.'

"Wait, that… is incredible! The strength didn't change, right?"

"Based on my perception, no. Maybe there will be a noticeable change when it reaches level III."

"I see. If your current 'Intuition' says so, I can believe it."

"You didn't believe me earlier."

"T-That's a different story. …Pout. Rub my head."

"Alright… I got it."

Reluctantly, I rubbed Aki's head, and she quickly cheered up.

"Hehehe."

"Shouta, I worked hard."

"Yeah, thank you, Maki."

Maki really did her best. This is a fair reward, so I gently and carefully rubbed her head.

"Hehe."

Both of us seem to be feeling good.

…Phew, I've had my fill and received a boost of energy.

Let's go for the second half!

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