Chapter 84

As the number of acquired skills increases, it becomes difficult to tell what new skills have been obtained and which levels have been raised.

So, when I get something new, it would be nice if it had a 'New' tag on it—just a casual wish I blurted out while looking at the status screen.

I didn't think it would be possible, and I didn't think the acorn would do it for me.

But in my field of vision, it actually says:

【Staff Mastery】Lv5『New』

It's displayed like this.

A few days ago, a feature I had wished for half-jokingly was applied as is.

(Why was it added...?)

When I saw this, the first thing I felt was more confusion than joy.

It's hard to imagine that the acorn, which was so reluctant to give me skills, would easily realize a wish that slipped out.

But in reality, the wish has been reflected.

And I have no idea why.

(What... did I meet some condition...?)

The acorn officially gave me 'Rejuvenation' and the ability to 'view the status screen.'

But in addition to these, it also gave me something hidden, like 'gaining skill experience points for defeating monsters.'

The acorn must have had some purpose, and it might have given me this mysterious skill or something similar—but...

I had never really paid much attention to this phenomenon, which seemed to be limited to me or other transmigrants, but when I think about it calmly, there are some things that become clear.

(If I gain skill experience points for defeating monsters, then naturally, someone like me would be happy to defeat monsters. Indeed, that's the state I'm in now. So, does that mean the acorn wanted me to defeat a large number of monsters? If that's the case, the ability to 'view the status screen' seems to connect well, as it allows me to check the results of my efforts immediately. In other words, did it grant my wish as a reward for defeating a large number of monsters...?)

Even though I came up with this theory myself, I still find myself tilting my head and saying, "Is that really true?"

The image of the stingy acorn I first met is so strong that my preconceived notion that it wouldn't do anything to benefit me got in the way.

Hmm...

I opened the status screen again and checked through all the skills.

【Staff Mastery】, 【Night Vision】, 【Adhesive Threads】, 【Bite】, 【Charge】...

In addition to these skills that level up automatically while hunting in Rurubu, there are others like 【Dagger Mastery】, 【Increased Magic Auto-Recovery】, and 【Increased Maximum Magic Points】.

Since 'New' is attached to multiple skills I already had, it's clear that 'New' is displayed when a skill level is raised.

【Cooking】, 【Strength】, and 【Steel Heart】 are new skills I've recently acquired.

I only noticed 【Cooking】 when it was announced upon acquisition, but I didn't notice the others because I was in the middle of a chaotic battle.

But since 'New' is displayed next to the skill names, I can tell they were recently acquired.

...Yeah, but that's all.

It's just that 'New' is now displayed for newly acquired or leveled-up skills, making it easier to see. The effort to get 'New' tags still has to be accumulated by me, just as before.

Just because this new feature exists doesn't mean I'll get stronger.

So, it's somewhat understandable that the acorn added this function as a setting.

(If that's the case, what's the criterion...? Should I test it?)

With that thought, I muttered softly.

"I want to see my current money."

It's a feature that almost every game has.

And it's just a convenient function that doesn't directly affect strength.

Even if I currently have 0 Bikes, it would be progress if it's displayed as 0.

This should be easier for the acorn to accept.

But—

(Nothing changed, huh.)

I tried closing and opening the status screen several times, but there was no change.

Since I was just hoping for the best, I wasn't too disappointed, but it's still unclear what criteria were met.

(If it was a reward for defeating a lot of monsters...? Wait, this is a skill, right?)

I couldn't help but check the displayed skills one by one.

(Yeah, yeah... as expected. There are no skills without skill levels among the displayed skills or monster skills. All of them have a skill level up to 10... which means, does this hidden skill also have a level? And has its level increased?)

This feels the most natural.

I don't know when the 'skill to view the status screen' leveled up.

It's possible I didn't notice during a battle, but considering how other skills level up, you gain experience points by taking actions related to the skill, and eventually, the level goes up.

So, it's more natural to think that experience points are accumulated when you open the status screen or perform some operation.

And, this skill is still displayed as 'blank.'

In other words, even if the level of an invisible skill increases, there's no announcement, or if there is, it's not visible, and I wouldn't know when the skill level increased.

It might be a while before I can verify this theory...

If my money is suddenly displayed, it means the 'skill to view the status screen' has leveled up. Even if displaying money isn't possible, if I keep muttering various wishes, they might suddenly be reflected.

And if nothing is added for a long time...

Then I can only think that the acorn added this 'New' feature on a whim.

In other words, it suggests that the acorn is watching over me, or, to put it negatively, monitoring me.

After finishing this hypothesis, I took a deep breath—

—

I felt a chill down my spine, and my breath caught in my throat.

The problem isn't here...

This is just a convenient function, so whether or not skill levels exist, it's just a matter of convenience.

But—another blank skill is 'Rejuvenation,' right?

"Hey, Loki-kun!"

If this skill also has a level, what would happen?

It's unlikely to regress to infancy, but logically, the more the skill level increases, the slower my physical growth, right?

And where would that lead...?

Could I end up with the same 【Immortality】 as the goddesses...?

"Hey!"

I imagined what 【Immortality】 would be like, standing next to the goddesses.

Some people might want it, but for me, an emotional 【Immortality】 would be a living hell.

Even if it's in this world rather than the divine realm, it wouldn't be much different.

If that happened... oh no...

But how do I use the 【Rejuvenation】 skill...?

It's probably always active, right?

So what does that mean?

Maybe there's no way to stop it!?

Oh no, no, no, no, no!!

"Hey!!"

"What!?"

"......"

"Ugh, it's beyond my control..."

"Why is it bubbling when I put a stone in it?"

I just turned around because I was grabbed by the shoulder.

It's not my fault.

If you're going to be angry, blame Mei for asking a silly question—

BAM!!

"Wha!?"

Sure enough, a hunter...

I got slapped by Royce, and even though it didn't hurt, the shock was still there, and I fell into the river.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

"Thank you everyone!"

While everyone was throwing grateful words, I greeted the participants of today with a handprint of autumn leaves on my face.

I'll think of some kind of divine punishment for Mizuru, who was laughing with her nose flared.

"Roki, is it really okay for us to use this bath in the future?"

"It's fine. It was built for temporary use, but—"

"On your own responsibility, right?"

"Exactly. I can't thin out monsters or provide protection, so if you come as a group or use this place as a new hunting ground, that's up to the hunters. I explained how to make the stopper, which will likely break eventually."

The one-day bath event turned out to be more popular than expected, and many people asked to use it when it's available in the future.

So I said it's fine as long as they take responsibility, and I explained how to warm the water and how to make the stopper, which will surely break.

The bath itself, made of stone, won't break easily.

If they use this place as a new hunting ground, they might enjoy options other than fishing in the river.

It might be a bit of a trek to get to the bath if it's left unattended for a long time, though.

"See you soon, you're coming back to Bezart, right? Let us know when you get back!"

"See you later~!"

"Bye!"

I watched as everyone, including Jin-kun, left.

Back to Bezart, huh?

Yes, but when I return, I'll be moving my base.

There won't be any suitable hunting grounds around here anymore.

It's inevitable for someone like me who seeks strength.

That means I'll be parting ways with Jin-kun and the people I often talked to at the Hunter's Guild.

(Well... it's not like it's a final farewell...)

If I want to see them, I can always go back.

That's all there is to it.

Besides, I have transfer skills.

I'm certain of this from conversations with the goddesses.

At some point, Rigal-sama said that ultra-long-distance transfer is impossible for humans.

So, it means that normal transfer skills or magic exist.

Yagof-san mentioned that a wealthy reborn person in the eastern country definitely has this transfer skill, as they transport large amounts of goods from east to west and make a fortune.

I don't know the details, but if goods can be transported, it's highly likely that people can be transported too.

So, what I should think about now is the rejuvenation skill that stopped due to the slap.

If its level increases—

(Well, thinking about it won't change anything.)

If it levels up on its own, I can't stop it.

But it will take a considerable amount of time to reach the maximum level.

If the hypothesis is correct, it goes up to level 10.

If 10 is the maximum for rejuvenation or immortality, and it naturally increases to level 10, it could take decades.

And in the meantime, there's the benefit of maintaining a young body.

If I can find a solution during that time, that's fine, and even if I become immortal, I won't be invincible.

There's no connection between immortality and rejuvenation.

So, if I become immortal and get tired of a long life, I can choose to end it.

That's enough of a consolation.

There's a possibility that I fundamentally misunderstood the rejuvenation ability from the sudden rejuvenation, so thinking about it now is pointless.

Then... yeah, as usual.

I'll steadily clear my immediate goals.

As a result, the scope of what I can do and achieve will expand, so for now, I'll focus on my immediate goal.

I'll aim for level 17.

With renewed determination, I turned around.

"But... I should wash it once first."

Looking at the bath that now looked well-used, I couldn't help but say that.