Chapter 22

"Is something wrong, Tim?"

"N-no... It's nothing."

Even as I replied, my gaze was fixed on the status screen. In front of me were the statuses of four people.

Their names and ages were displayed, along with their current occupations and levels. I read through the information, thinking.

"Why did this screen suddenly appear?"

I was confused by the unexpected situation, but gradually calmed down. The conclusion I came to was...

"Probably party registration, right?"

I tried to think of what had changed before and after the screen appeared, but only one thing came to mind. It was likely that forming a party allowed me to see their status screens.

I continued to look at the screen with a serious expression. They had been adventuring for a year longer than me, and they surpassed me in various categories.

However, no one excelled in all areas.

(They probably specialized in abilities they use in battle.)

There were stat points and skill points, so I wondered if I could manipulate them. However, tampering with someone else's status without permission was not good, and there was a possibility that they would notice if I did something. I suppressed the urge to touch the status.

Another thing I noticed was that they had skills I didn't know.

"Concentration," "Backstab," "Wall," "Burst," "Speed Up," and so on.

Since I couldn't obtain these skills at my current level, there must be some conditions for unlocking them. In any case, I would remember their conditions and reconsider if I couldn't obtain them even in the same situation.

"We're about to wrap up. What about you, Tim?"

"Ah, I think I'll head back too."

I should retreat for now since I obtained unexpected information. After dismissing the status screen, I replied to Yugo.

"Got it. Let's go back together then."

I nodded at Yugo's suggestion and headed towards the dungeon's exit while talking with them.

---

"Tim, I'll leave the requested materials here."

"Thank you."

Salome said this and placed a stack of thick books on the table. This was the reference room inside the Adventurer's Guild, and I had asked Salome to look into some information for me.

"Still, it's quite studious of you to want to know about skills."

My goal was to investigate the effects of skills I didn't know. When I returned to the guild and consulted Salome about the types of skills, she guided me here.

This place could not be entered without the permission of guild staff, and Salome had prepared everything after leaving the reception desk.

"Most adventurers are only interested in the skills they can use, so they lack knowledge and end up in conflicts."

She sighed as she said this.

"I was the same, but after forming a temporary party with others on the fourth floor, I became interested."

Salome's words stung. I had only been interested in the skills I could use.

"Come to think of it, I didn't expect to return without any results on the first day."

"Ugh..."

Despite getting a new set of equipment and Salome's assurance that I would be fine, the fact that I didn't achieve any results pierced my heart.

"The difficulty level increased significantly just by going down one floor. I realized that my current skills weren't enough to handle it."

At least, if I had the "Safety Wall," I might have been able to deal with it by spamming "Fire Arrow."

"Basically, the difficulty level is noticeable even at the party level."

In other words, the difficulty increase when going down one floor solo is incomparable.

"By the way, do you have any intention of forming a party, Tim?"

"Frankly, not really."

If I were to form a party, it would likely be with the group that disbanded. Even though I can use skills now, it's hard to think of treating them as equals after looking down on them internally.

As I was being vague...

"If we proceed smoothly to the fifth floor, a party will definitely be necessary."

Salome placed her hand on her cheek and made a troubled expression.

"The boss room on the fifth floor, right?"

She nodded at my confirmation. The fifth floor has a boss room, and only adventurers registered in a party can enter.

I hadn't completely ignored this, but I had prioritized the immediate situation and distanced myself from it.

"Well, I'll do my best to handle that."

"Thank you."

I'm really grateful to have her support. She understands my intentions, which is very helpful.

"Then, I'll explain the skills I know about today."

With that, she took out a pointer from somewhere and began her lesson.

---

"I didn't expect Tim to not be able to use 'Wall.'"

After a day-long lesson, I learned about the skills available to beginners and intermediates. Among them was the "Wall" skill, which can create walls of the four elements. In the fourth floor, combining "Ice" and "Wall" to create "Ice Wall" would protect against the arrows of Kobold Archers.

While defending against the arrows, it's possible to defeat the Warrior Kobolds and Warrior Goblins, causing the rear guard to retreat. From the reports, it seemed that the magic I used made this possible.

"Usually, if you can one-shot the Warrior Kobolds on the third floor, you would have learned it..."

In fact, Mina had learned "Wall" and "Burst," so it was as expected. In my case, it wasn't just pure growth; I had allocated my stats to increase the power, which boosted my abilities.

I should have aligned the information, and I was at fault for that.

"As long as the front line is wiped out, the rear guard will retreat. Tim, you should start by learning 'Wall.'"

"Indeed, that's the only way..."

I nodded at her advice.