Chapter 2

I couldn't stay in the bath forever, so I got out, put on my original clothes, and left the "Infinite Bathroom."

I was able to freshen up for the first time in a while, but the fact that my clothes were the same as before was a minus. Ideally, I would want a set with a washroom and a washing machine.

When I went outside, it turned out to be a room in the original temple, but the priest who was supposed to be there to guide Gift to wake up was not in sight.

Looking back, I saw a door floating in the air, and on the other side of the door was the bathroom.

When I went around to the back of the door, it disappeared from view. I moved step by step to confirm, and it turned out that it became invisible from a certain angle.

When I closed the door, it disappeared completely.

When I further concentrated, the door reappeared in front of me. When I opened it, it connected to the bathroom.

After checking by opening and closing the door several times, I found out that no matter where I closed the door, when I opened it again, the door would appear in front of me.

While I was doing this, the priest and the high priest who had been guiding me rushed into the room.

The priest, with tears in his eyes, was in a panic, so I asked the high priest, and it turned out that I had disappeared through the door, and they had been searching for me.

It seems that when I entered the bathroom and closed the door, the door disappeared and could not be interfered with from the outside.

After that, I explained to those who had helped with the search that my first use of Gift had failed. It wasn't a lie. It was clearly a mistake to worry them without prior explanation.

I went to the high priest's room with the guiding priest and explained about the awakened Gift to both the guiding priest and the high priest.

The awakening of Gift was immediately reported to the castle, but I decided to wait a few days before being summoned to investigate Gift further.

Not only the guiding priest but also the high priest cooperated, and after two days of investigation, the following facts were discovered.

First, this "Infinite Bathroom" is a special ability that only I can use.

For example, if I open the door and the high priest tries to enter the bathroom and close the door, the door won't close. It seems that I can't close the door if there is another living being inside when I go out.

Also, in this state, the bath cannot be used.

On the other hand, if I am in the bathroom, I can close the door even if the high priest is with me.

This means that others can bathe with me if they are with me.

When I tried it, both the elderly high priest and the middle-aged guiding priest gave it high praise.

Although it was a pleasant experience for them, it was not a pleasant experience for me, given the small size of a home unit bath.

Next, regarding the supplies, I noticed that the soap, which I had used and reduced, returned to its original sealed state when I entered the bathroom again.

So, I decided to take one piece of soap out and try to open the door again after closing it once.

Suddenly, a sensation as if something was being pulled out of my body accompanied the opening of the door, and inside was a new piece of soap. The soap I had taken out remained as it was.

This sensation of something being pulled out was the feeling of consuming magical power—MP.

In other words, everything in the "Infinite Bathroom" is created by my MP.

As long as my MP doesn't run out, I can bathe infinitely. This is the ability of my Gift that I discovered after two days of investigation.

"…How am I supposed to fight with this?"

After finishing the investigation of my Gift, I was complaining to the high priest in his room.

Thanks to the two days of hard work together and the shared bath, we had built a relationship where we could speak freely despite the age difference.

"No, the strength of a person in this world is the strength of their blessing. Since you are blessed by the Goddess of Light, you have the potential to become stronger than us even without a Gift."

"No, no, no, it's clearly weaker compared to 'Infinite Bullet.' My ability is more of a convenience, isn't it?"

The high priest groaned at my counterargument. My "Infinite Bathroom" is not something that can be used in battle. This is an undeniable fact.

"It's like not having a special move. 'Special Move: Take a Bath'—what's that supposed to mean?"

"Indeed, it is a very advanced ability that we cannot reproduce with our magic. For example, the soap created in the 'Infinite Bathroom' is something we cannot reproduce with our technology."

"What a waste of high-level ability…"

The soap made by my MP is different even in its lather.

Even if I were praised, it wouldn't make me happy in this situation.

"What about the homemade soap recipe you told me two days ago?"

I knew the recipe for homemade soap, which had been popular at one time.

"Yesterday, I tried it, but it turned out to be impossible."

"Why?"

"First, we don't have a way to obtain 'caustic soda.' Also, producing purified water with our technology is too labor-intensive."

"Ah…"

Incidentally, the soap in this world is made by mixing ash from wood or seaweed with oil. While ordinary soap can be made, it doesn't compare to my soap.

100% natural, or rather, 100% made from my MP, completely additive-free soap. It's truly perfect for the skin and the environment.

Amazing, "Infinite Bathroom," but it's not useful in battle, "Infinite Bathroom."

"Anyway, if you enhance the power of your blessing, you have the potential to become stronger than us. You are blessed by the Goddess of Light, after all."

Perhaps noticing that I was getting discouraged, the high priest changed the subject.

I decided to go along with his talk, as continuing this way would only make me feel down.

"What do you mean?"

"The source of the magic we use is also the power of the blessing. By using magic or praying for the peace of the souls of those we defeat, we can acquire part of their blessing."

"So, you can become stronger by doing that?"

"Yes, you level up."

"Level system, huh?"

The sudden appearance of a game-like term made me look bewildered.

However, the high priest, who had explained this to the previous three, went on to explain in more detail.

Just as the power of magic is called "MP," this world has words to represent a person's strength: "Level" and "Status."

"Level" seems to represent the strength of the blessing a person possesses.

The words representing status are "MP," "HP" for physical and vital strength, and "VIT" for physical robustness, which represents the body's performance.

In addition, there are six statuses in total: "STR" for muscle strength, "MEN" for mental strength, and "TEC" for dexterity and agility.

Incidentally, there is no status for intelligence.

Intelligence involves various factors such as knowledge and thinking ability, so it cannot be represented by a status.

"I kind of understand the level, but why can physical abilities be quantified?"

"It's not a detailed number."

When I asked the high priest, he took a card from his pocket and showed it to me.

It was a purple metal card, larger than a typical prepaid card, with a mysterious luster. It also had a certain thickness, perhaps due to the limits of this world's technology.

On the back was the symbol of the temple, which I saw every day after being summoned to this world.

On the front, there was a photograph of the high priest—obviously drawn by magic. Below it was his name and "Lv. 28."

Since I could understand the language of this world after being summoned, I could read the text on the card.

"Is this level 28 high?"

"For ordinary people, 30 is the limit. If you exceed 20, you are considered top-notch."

In other words, the high priest is quite high among ordinary people.

Incidentally, the human limit is said to be level 50.

On the left side was a radar chart representing the statuses.

The rest of the card was decorated with intricate designs, making it look luxurious.

From this, it is clear that the status is not represented by numbers but by the size of the shape drawn by the graph.

The high priest's high MP and MEN are represented by the shape of the graph.

"You will also make this card when you are summoned to the castle after your Gift awakens. Why don't we do it here? It will be the most straightforward way to understand."

The high priest took a round stone tablet from a shelf and placed it in front of the table. It was thick and heavy, but he carried it easily.

"Can we do it here?"

"Making this card is the temple's responsibility. It cannot be done outside the temple."

The high priest placed a white card of the same size as the one he showed me in the center of the stone tablet and asked me to place my hands on top of it.

I did as he said, and the high priest began to chant a spell.

The stone tablet emitted a strong light for a moment, and when it subsided, the card in the center had turned into a bright green metal.

"Huh? It's green?"

"The color changes depending on the level. Green, blue, purple, red, orange, and it is said to turn gold for levels 50 and above, which exceed the human limit."

"Have you seen it?"

"No."

When I took the card, the photograph section was blank, and below it was my name written in the language of this world, followed by "Lv. 5."

"Is this the initial level?"

"No, it's quite high. You must have used your Gift's ability multiple times over the past two days to investigate it."

"Ah, so using magic strengthens the blessing, right?"

Recalling what I had just heard, I said, and the high priest nodded.

"Yes. Of the three who were summoned to the castle the other day, Ritsu was level 2, but the other two remained at level 1."

"Wow, so the two days of investigation weren't wasted."

"Anyway, compare the statuses on my card and yours."

The high priest's purple card and my green card. When placed side by side, the shape drawn on the high priest's card was much larger, as expected.

My status was highest in MEN, followed by a slightly higher VIT. The area of the shape was less than half of the high priest's.

"I am as you see, getting older and my body is declining. However, even if we were to fight with our bare hands, I could still win."

If we trust the status card, that's what it means.

However, I tilted my head in doubt. I couldn't imagine that the elderly high priest in front of me had that much strength.

"You don't believe it, do you? In fact, in terms of physical strength alone, I can't beat young people."

"But if you have other strengths, you can win. That's what the status on the card represents."

"Yes, that is the power of the blessing."

Hearing those words, I looked at the shape on the status card again and understood. The card represents the combined status of the blessing.

The temple can measure and depict the status because it involves the blessing of the gods.

"Even in terms of physical training, it is said that using the power of the blessing is more efficient. And you are blessed by the Goddess of Light, the most revered blessing in this world."

"Having the potential to become stronger than the people of this world means that, right…"

When I said this, the high priest nodded in agreement.

"This world is threatened by the Demon King, and monsters are becoming more vicious every day. It is a world where strength is necessary just to survive."

The high priest spoke solemnly.

The mad monsters due to the Demon King's influence are a common story in games for me.

"You must leave on a journey in a month. You need to be prepared… Good luck."

But after these nine days, I can no longer take this story lightly.

If I really awakened a Gift, it means that I will be sent on a journey to defeat the Demon King.

Honestly, I thought that the battle against the Demon King could be left to the others since I awakened the "Infinite Bathroom."

This is clearly not the ability of a hero who will fight the Demon King.

The high priest probably understands my feelings, which is why he says, "just to survive."

Once I set out for this world, I will have to fight monsters and live in this world. This is an undeniable fact.

To become stronger, I need to understand the relationship between the blessing and the status, as the high priest explained. It was indeed a useful talk.

"This card is yours. Take it with you. It is also the most reliable form of identification in this world."

I put the green card in my pocket, and the high priest also took his card.

"What about the face part?"

"That will be transcribed by a different magic. I'll show you now."

The high priest slowly stood up from his chair.

On the way to the priest specializing in face photographs, I asked about something that had been bothering me.

"…You said you would make us awaken our Gifts in ten days, right?"

"Yes, it's the tenth day tomorrow."

"What if the last person doesn't awaken her Gift?"

"……"

The high priest stopped abruptly and looked out the window at the courtyard. There was a long-haired girl and a priestess.

The girl, the last one to be summoned, is Kumo Haruno. She is one year younger than me, a high school freshman.

She was not training to awaken her Gift but was trying to strengthen her body with a wooden sword. The priestess was also practicing sword swings with her.

"Does training the body have any meaning in awakening a Gift?"

"The power of the blessing can also be used to train the body. It's not entirely meaningless."

"I see…"

Since it has already been nine days without awakening a Gift, the priestess in charge of guidance might want to try everything possible.

"If she doesn't awaken her Gift by tomorrow… she will have to awaken it in actual combat."

"That means…"

She will leave the temple without awakening her Gift and be summoned to the castle.

"Of course, even if that happens, we will continue to encourage her to try to awaken her Gift during the one-month preparation period."

"…I see."

It's tough for me, who awakened the "Infinite Bathroom," but it's also tough for her, who hasn't awakened her Gift yet.

I hope she awakens her Gift in the next day or two, but this is a matter for her alone, so I can't help.

I left the scene with the high priest to have my face photograph put on the card, but I continued to pray for her to awaken her Gift.

In the end, she awakened her Gift that evening.

The next day, Kumo Haruno and I were summoned to the castle in the same carriage.