Chapter 100

Congratulations on reaching the milestone of one hundred. I hope you will continue to watch over OSO with warm eyes.

Current senses possessed are---

SP: 28

【Bow Lv36】【Longbow Lv9】【Eagle Eye Lv43】【Speed Boost Lv30】【Discovery Lv29】【Magic Talent Lv48】【Magic Power Lv48】【Augmentation Lv24】【Alchemy Lv32】【Training Lv9】

On hold

【Alchemy Lv36】【Synthesis Lv34】【Earth Attribute Talent Lv20】【Engraving Lv6】【Cooking Lv29】【Swimming Lv15】【Production Knowledge Lv40】【Linguistics Lv21】【Mountaineering Lv13】

Over the past two months, my levels have increased, but not as much as during the summer break.

I decided to use the remaining SP to conduct an experiment.

Forced leveling, is it possible? --- Probably possible.

I had been raising the level of linguistics by reading books while performing alchemy, and raising the level of training by interacting with the young beasts, but I decided to consider other ways to use my time.

If I can enter a status effect while doing something else, training is possible. If I focus on this, it can become forced leveling.

The status effects I can learn are various resistances to status effects, each costing 1 SP. These include poison, paralysis, sleep, curse, charm, confusion, faint, and rage, for a total of eight types.

Status effects are represented by numbers 1 to 5, and their duration is five times the number indicated in seconds.

Poison: Decreases maximum HP by 1% per second.

Paralysis: Hinders actions.

Sleep: Closes vision and stops thinking. It's similar to sleeping.

Curse: Decreases maximum MP by 1% per second and randomly adds various negative abilities.

Charm: Follows simple commands from the person who cast the charm.

Confusion: Begins attacking indiscriminately, regardless of friend or foe. During this time, magic, arts, and skills cannot be used.

Faint: Similar to sleep, but can be forcibly removed by receiving a certain amount of damage or action.

Rage: Increases ATK and INT while decreasing DEF and MIND, causing indiscriminate attacks. During this time, magic, arts, and skills can be used, which might be an advantage.

The general overview of each status effect is roughly as described. Additionally, there are more powerful versions of these status effects, but it will be a while before I reach that point in the game.

I will learn these resistances, switch all my equipped senses to status effects, and begin the experiment.

I will poison myself. I have experienced weak poisons a few times from failed alchemy or test products, but willingly accepting it requires some courage.

"Deep breath, exhale. Alright! A man needs courage."

I take a deep breath, lightly tap my cheek to muster my courage.

In front of me is a purple, poisonous potion. I take out a similar one that I gave to Sei and apply it to myself.

Immediately, my vision narrows and I feel my strength leaving my body. The thought of this lasting twenty seconds makes me feel dizzy. Detoxifying and drinking again each time would be quite expensive.

As I think this, a thin veil of water covers my body, bringing a faint warmth and brightness, making me feel lighter. I'm not completely healed, but I feel more comfortable.

The poison has also been reduced by one level.

--- Why? The answer comes to me.

"Come to think of it, Rui has purification."

Rui, the young beast with the sense to both cause and heal status effects. I had planned to raise Rui and Zakuro's levels after they matured, so I hadn't raised Rui's sense levels and had forgotten about it.

"Want to level up together? I'll take the status effects, and Rui will heal immediately."

Rui nods in agreement, showing her willingness. Another one tries to join, but unfortunately, Zakuro doesn't have the sense to level up in this situation, so I have to let her down.

"Kuu~"

"What cute ones. Worrying about me so much."

I hug the two and pet them to my satisfaction. The way I pet them has subtle differences; if I pet them poorly, they will run away, but if I pet them well, they will close their eyes in pleasure.

Look, just like this, the two are sent to paradise by my hands---

"--- What am I doing, getting carried away."

I shake off my desires, push Zakuro off my lap, and say I'll do it later.

With Rui, who can fully heal, I have an idea.

In a corner of the workshop, my favorite eight rings.

They have the effect of inducing vicious status effects and, on the other hand, excellent performance.

Here's the question: If I equip these, will leveling up become easier?

To find out, I took action.

Poisonous Ring 【Accessory】 (Weight: 1)

DEF +15, MIND +15, Additional Effect: Poison 3

The others have almost the same effects. I change my equipment through the menu.

A check is performed every minute. With eight equipped, even if only half are checked, I will receive four status effects.

This will save on status effect potions. I just remembered these accessories a moment ago.

"Well, let's give it a try."

I wait quietly for the first check, which comes in one minute. Waiting makes one minute feel surprisingly long. My throat moves as I try to swallow saliva from the tension.

Rui watches me closely for any changes, and Zakuro looks up at us.

Finally, the moment arrives.

First, my vision narrows as if from poison, followed by a tingling sensation in my fingertips. Then, I lose my sense of direction and feel as if my head is being violently shaken.

Just before the overwhelming sensations knock me down, a warm sensation softly envelops my body, making me feel lighter. However, the nausea and fatigue do not completely disappear.

Unable to move my hands, I lean my head on the counter and call out to Rui in a trembling voice.

"…One more time."

The light that appears again completely removes the status effect from my stats, but the mental fatigue is still there, and I can't seem to lift my head.

"This is bad. Multiple status effects at once---"

The check time comes again.

This time, a tingling sensation and a burning feeling from deep within my body. My head feels like I just had heatstroke, and my body moves on its own, trying to draw a bow even though I'm inside the shop. Just before I can draw the bow, Rui's purification works, slowing my movements. However, my body doesn't stop, and the status effect is completely removed just before I can draw the bow.

"--- What was I doing? …Scary! Scary!"

I hurriedly remove the equipment. I was definitely aiming at Zakuro or Rui. The thought of harming my young beasts makes me lose all color.

"Going too far is no good. …Yeah. I need to take it step by step. Let's start with poison, little by little."

The movement of my body, which was unrelated to my will just now, was probably confusion, charm, or rage. Too scary. Leveling these three requires a trusted supervisor who can hold me down.

I rearrange the rings for these three status effects and equip five rings again.

"Alright, let's level up until the time is up."

I raise my voice with enthusiasm, but the narrowing of my vision from the poison returns. This time, it is accompanied by a darkening of my vision, and I fall into a deep sleep with my head on the counter.