Chapter 13

Skills are said to be the talents that people are born with. For example, if someone has a skill related to physical abilities, they can move in ways that those without such a skill cannot compare to. If one possesses a skill for magic enhancement, they can handle the supernatural phenomenon known as magic.

And based on these skills, one's fighting style is determined, and they are classified into certain professions.

Therefore, skills are said to be the manifestation of a person's talent.

...However, that is not entirely correct.

After all, skills are merely something that enhances a person's abilities. If one's talent is only a 1, even if it is doubled by a skill, it will only become a 2.

In other words, no matter how many skills one has, they cannot surpass someone who has a talent of 3 from the start...

Without skills, one cannot use magic, and their physical abilities are far inferior—this is the current common sense. However, this is nothing more than a misconception. After all, even without skills, people can use magic and enhance their physical abilities by manipulating ki.

"Skills are just indicators, after all."

I learned about the concepts of magic power and ki from a group of top-notch adventurers I was fortunate enough to study under. Despite the fatal handicap of only being able to use "Heal," they still gave me the possibility to become stronger, struggling to improve myself.

They taught me about the concepts of magic power and ki, which can only be utilized with the help of skills, and the basics of how to use these powers.

I studied under them for a few months. That was not enough to master these two powers perfectly. Nevertheless, I worked hard to acquire these powers and improved them by combining them to make up for the parts that were lacking.

Finally, I was able to reach the lower ranks of top-notch adventurers.

To acquire such power, I had to undergo grueling training that made my blood run cold. Indeed, I was more dexterous than others and could quickly learn to handle magic power and ki. However, it took a lot of effort to master them, and even after mastering them, I had to improve them to make them usable for myself.

Still, I pursued strength without giving up.

Amidst the ridicule from adventurers who refused to acknowledge my efforts, the reason I was determined to gain strength was due to the existence of a single girl I had met in the past...

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Skills do have the effect of enhancing talent, but they are not talent itself. I now understand this clearly.

...However, when I first became an adventurer, I had no idea about this.

The Healing skill was a rare one compared to other skills. It was not particularly powerful, but adventurers and knights were chronically short of healers.

Therefore, despite being an orphan from the labyrinth, I was admitted to a healer training institution because it was discovered that I had the skill to enhance healing magic.

This was an incredible stroke of luck. Labyrinth orphans, the children of adventurers who were abandoned or whose parents died, existed in large numbers. Among them, only a small percentage could enter formal educational institutions. Knowing this, I was grateful for the luck of having the skill to enhance healing magic and readily agreed to enter the healer training institution.

...However, within a month, it became clear that I could only use "Heal," and I was expelled from the healer training institution.

At first, I could not understand what was happening. I had believed that skills were the same as talent, so I could not accept that I was incompetent, only able to use "Heal." I had been brought in because of my talent, but the fact that I had no talent at all was a huge blow to me.

...However, I did not have the luxury of being stunned by this.

If I had excelled in the healer training institution, I might have had a chance to join the knights. But now that I was expelled, the only path left for me was to become an adventurer. To survive, I had no choice but to take this path.

...But even after becoming an adventurer, I was still treated as incompetent.

If I had had a higher-level healing spell in addition to "Heal," it might have been different, but no one wanted to include a healer who could only use "Heal," a healing spell that was useless during combat.

Therefore, the adventurers mocked me as an incompetent and even resorted to violence.

...But even in such a situation, I did not become pessimistic.

I still encouraged myself, thinking that I might become a famous adventurer in the future. Looking back now, it might have been a form of escapism from the shock of falling from a miraculous rise to a sudden downfall. But even if it was escapism, it was a sufficient reason for me to work hard every day. After that, I practiced close combat, gained knowledge about monsters from the guild's library, and tried to support other adventurers.

At least, I wanted to be accepted by other adventurers.

...However, the adventurers did not accept my efforts. They mocked me, saying that it was a waste of effort, and no one acknowledged it.

...In such a situation, my heart was on the verge of breaking. I was reaching my limit.

However, this situation changed when I was temporarily invited to join a certain party.