Chapter 42

"Alright, Orun. Since you asked me a question this morning, I assume you can tell me the answer here, right?"

After finishing the exchange with Lucre, Wilks addressed me.

It should be fine to talk here, right?

"Yeah, of course. The main reason we were able to defeat the Black Dragon was due to two original magic spells. I'll skip the details since they are original magic spells, but the first one is called [Instant Ability Super Boost]. It can increase the performance and power of equipment and magic for just a moment, less than a second, up to 100 times."

"Huh? 100 times!? That's amazing... Hey, can Selma do that?"

Rain asked Selma, impressed.

Despite her appearance, Rain talks like an older woman.

This might sound rude, but the contrast is quite striking.

"...No, I can't. I have no idea how to do it."

Selma said this with a look of surprise.

That bug was found by chance.

It can't be found by normal means.

Therefore, I don't think anyone would think to use that bug to create such a cheat.

"The second one is a magic spell that can enhance physical abilities more than ordinary support magic. This one can be increased in stages, so it doesn't have a specific name."

Strictly speaking, it's not magic, but from a third-person perspective, it looks like a significant enhancement, so I'll call it magic.

This one is also a cheat using a bug, so I can't explain the details.

"Compared to ordinary support magic, how much more can it enhance?"

Lucre asked.

"When fighting the Black Dragon, I increased my abilities by about 32 times."

"What's that, so unfair! If your abilities can increase that much, it makes sense that the Hero Party could reach the 94th floor! Why are you still called underpowered?"

Lucre was the only one who spoke out loud, but the other three seemed to think the same thing, even if they didn't say it.

Well, it is a cheat, after all...

"Indeed, it's a powerful effect, but it has a downside. First, I can only activate it on myself. I can't enhance my companions' abilities. So, during the Hero Party days, the members could only receive my ordinary support magic. My support magic increases their abilities by about two times, so it's understandable why I was called underpowered. Also, this requires a significant amount of spell construction to enhance abilities, so it's not suitable for long battles. During deep exploration, I can't always maintain this state. I rarely use a buff like the one I used during the Black Dragon battle. I would only do it if absolutely necessary, but it gives me a massive headache..."

I used [All Ability Boost] with [Five Stacks] during the Black Dragon battle to bring it to a short-term battle.

The battle lasted longer than expected, but dungeon exploration can take hours.

During dungeon exploration, there isn't always combat, but the total combat time is definitely longer than the Black Dragon battle.

For future dungeon exploration, I might use one or two [Stacks], but I don't think I'll use six [Stacks].

"I see. Now I understand why the Hero Party could reach the 94th floor. Even without that ability boost, the [Instant Ability Super Boost] alone is a significant advantage. Now I understand why Selma's sister praised Orun so highly."

"Yeah, I didn't realize it was such a severe magic spell, but getting a 100-fold benefit is incredible. It's a truly amazing magic spell."

"The [Instant Ability Super Boost] can only reach up to 100 times, but I don't always use it at 100 times. The spell construction for 100 times is a heavy burden on the brain."

"Do you have any other questions? I'll try to answer as many as possible."

When I asked if anyone had more questions, Rain spoke up.

"Sure."

"Orun, you were a bestower in the Hero Party, right? Can you do other roles besides bestower and front-line attacker?"

"Sure, I can do all roles if we're talking about B-rank upper to A-rank lower levels."

"Wow, that's impressive. That means you can do a lot during exploration!"

"However, I can't use higher-level magic for some reason, so I think my back-line attacker role will be quite low in level."

"Why? If you understand magic well enough to develop original magic, shouldn't you be able to use higher-level magic?"

I have a deep understanding of magic.

I should be able to use even S-rank magic, but for some reason, I can't.

I don't know why.

Well, with [Instant Ability Super Boost] and [Amplification Chain], I can force myself to use high-power magic, even if it's difficult.

"I don't know why. For some reason, I can't use it."

"That's a shame. I hope you can use it someday!"

"Yeah, it's not a big deal right now, but I hope I can use it someday."

"Hey, can I ask a question too?"

When the conversation paused, Lucre spoke up.

"Sure."

"Do you have a special ability?"

"Yeah, I do. It's called [Mana Convergence]. The effect is exactly what it sounds like: it converges mana from the surroundings into a single point."

As I answered Lucre's question, I raised my hand to chest level.

I turned my palm upward and converged mana.

The surrounding mana gathered in my palm, forming a black sphere.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"...What can you do with that?"

Wilks asked, looking at the black sphere.

"Basically, I use it to create temporary platforms in the air, or to attack by dispersing the mass and creating a shockwave. I can also integrate it into magic spells."

"Hmm, quite versatile. So, we now have three people with special abilities."

People with special abilities are quite rare.

Even top-class explorers don't often have them.

"Do you have a special ability, Wilks?"

"Call me Wilk. And no need for the honorific. To answer your question, no. The ones with special abilities are Selma's sister and Lucre."

I looked at the two of them.

Special abilities are top-secret.

Most people keep them hidden. Even with the information I gathered about [Silver Hare of the Night Sky], I didn't know that these two had special abilities.

I'll listen if they want to tell me, but I won't force them to reveal it.

"Hehehe, I'll tell you! My special ability is [Mana Tracking]. The effect is quite subtle. It can track the residue of magic or spells, and determine the origin or the user. See? It's subtle, right?"

"No, no... It's incredibly useful."

During dungeon exploration, it's quite common for magic to be cast from unknown sources.

Magic doesn't always come from near the monsters.

For example, an attack might come from the opposite side of the monsters.

With Lucre's ability, we can take action before the second attack, and it would save a lot of time and mental stress to find the caster.

"Thanks. But Selma's ability is even more amazing, right? Selma?"

"Don't raise the bar... My special ability is [Mental Sensitivity]. It creates an invisible connection between me and another person, allowing us to communicate without speaking."

What, what is that...

During my time in the Hero Party, this was the one thing I wanted the most: the ability to communicate and understand each other even when we were far apart.

Of course, such a thing doesn't exist in the market, and even after investigating through sponsors, I couldn't find it.

The usefulness of this ability in dungeon exploration is obvious.

It would also be incredibly useful in daily life.

For example, in combat.

Coordination is crucial in dungeon battles.

Even in top-tier exploration parties, coordination can be achieved through familiarity and minor verbal cues, but perfect communication is not always possible.

During combat, the distance between the front-line and back-line can vary, and misfires can occur.

Selma's ability to prevent this would directly improve the efficiency and survival rate in dungeon exploration. Among the special abilities I know, [Mental Sensitivity] is the best for dungeon exploration.

Of course, all special abilities are excellent and have their own unique applications.

"Does that mean everything you think is revealed?"

"No, it's more of a sensory thing. Thoughts only reach the other person if you consciously send them. So, not everything is heard."

I see, it's a relief that not everything is revealed.

Everyone has thoughts they don't want others to know.

"Is there a distance limit?"

"Yes, a few kilometers from me."

That's quite a wide range.

It might be a bit inconvenient in daily life, but during dungeon exploration, party members rarely get more than a few hundred meters apart.

So, in terms of dungeon exploration, distance shouldn't be an issue.

Thank you for reading to the end.

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