Chapter 53: Kind village residents
Chapter 53: Kind village residents
Still in disbelief even after seeing the changed scenery, I thrust my head out the window and swiftly scanned the area. Forest, field, wooden buildings, dirt road, people, livestock... this was a classic fantasy village.
The worst of residential areas with the lowest sanitation, even in this fantasy world that was without flush toilets. An Earthling like me could only think "How do they live unconcernedly in this kind of living hell?" towards the fantasy world natives' idea of cleanliness; it was literally like living due to not being able to die.
"Brother, quickly get changed and eat."
Despite being treated like one of the natives, my outfit remained as a uniform of Earth. I found it extremely suspicious how Lanuvel disregarded this point as if it were nothing important, so I decided to test her.
"Lanuvel."
"Mm?"
"What's my name?"
She had been awfully grating on my nerves from a while ago, calling me "Brother"; it felt like her wannabe cute act was upgraded by a stage. But this whole situation was a sloppy mess after all; throwing me into a total stranger's home and tying us up as family? It was far too unreasonable. This sort of casual scissors-and-paste job done by the teaching staff-...
"What moronic nonsense is this, all of a sudden? Brother is Brother. How should I know of a name that Brother hasn't told me?"
"..."
I received a rebuke of nonsensical logic from Lanuvel.
My fist cried out for justice, but I held it back with transcendental patience—I couldn't have my character called into question due to 'domestic violence against little sister'.
Afterwards...
"The clothes are really... truly plebeian."
I went through all the clothes inside the shabby closet. The first thing that caught my eyes were the shirt and trousers that were sewed with space to spare so anyone could easily wear them. Clothes that fitted the body just right like on Earth were a luxury to the commoners of this fantasy world. Here, it was common sense to hold on for 3 years at a time wearing the clothes gifted on your birthday.
This was why commoners were clothes hangers that fitted the clothes. Men were bottles, women were cola bottles. This standard of body figure was actively recommended so that the clothes could be handed down to neighbors or relatives when you outgrew them. Perhaps this was why there were many ladies with nice figures?
"Brother! What are you doing where your little sister can see!"
Lanuvel, this wretched girl, had been watching on with glassy eyes before uttering a protest with a slightly reddened face, when she should have been aware that I was about to change.
Whump!
I tossed my uniform at Lanuvel's face in response.
Had my character truly been the lowest of the low like the Fantasy God narrow-mindedly claimed, then I would have thrown my 0.3mm mechanical pencil instead of the uniform.
"Lanuvel. Shut your trap before I strip you."
"Aww..."
After changing into shabby casual wear, I moved from the bedroom to the living room with Lanuvel in tow.
There was nothing in the living room.
"Brother, what is it?"
"... Nothing."
Fortunately, it seemed there was no story setting that went along the lines of "I am your father". I would have genuinely flipped out if the teaching staff had gone so far as to insert that in a contrived manner and force it on me.
The dishes that Lanuvel had prepared in advanced on the dining table were quite excellent. Hot mushroom soup, soft rye bread, smoked mutton, fresh salad, cool horse milk, dessert fruit... Truthfully, this was far too lavish a feast to be called a single meal of a commoner household.
'Lanuvel cooked all this?'
According to all my experiences in the 1st Playthrough, Lanuvel's cooking skill was far from being bad, but was rather outstanding instead. Her ability to whip up meals edible for people regardless of poor environment, food materials and tools was really amazing. Of course, the fantasy element had to be included.
Clack.
Swaa.
After eating, Lanuvel cleaned the dishes using livelihood magic. The hot soup, cold horse milk and so on were all products of her temperature controlling auxiliary magic. If I were to request it, then it should even be possible for her to make fruit with shaved ice as dessert; however, whatever the case, it was a bit too much for a single meal.
"It feels like it was a final feast...?"
I was confident to not be surprised even if Demon King Pedonar were to pop out of the blues. It would be the Demon King's deathday and not mine, though.
"You're too much, even though you ate well!"
Lanuvel thus fretfully exclaimed after immediately freezing the leftover food and storing them all away in a four-dimensional space.
I was slightly surprised at seeing her four-dimensional space magic, as that was a top-class auxiliary magic which Lanuvel could only learn much later in the 1st Playthrough. Could it be that... even her Status had changed along with the story setting?
▷Race: Human
▷Level: 200
▷Job: Scholar(Knowledge=Sorcery↑)
▷Skills: Magic(A) Sorcery(A) Charm(B) Cooking(B) Eternal Youth(C)...
▷Condition: Pleased
That wasn't the case. She had the exact same Status as the Lanuvel in my memories, who would shout "Welcome Sir Hero", initially had.
But I focused my attention on her Job, 'Scholar'.
Scholar, a Job that increased the rank of Sorcery in proportion to accumulated knowledge. It made for a contrast with the Job, 'Sorcerer', whose Sorcery would improve along with higher ranks of 'Vigor', a Skill which evenly trained the body and mind. This being the case, things became simple.
'Does this mean she was infused with a whole load of knowledge by the Fantasy God...?'
The story setting of her being my little sister had to be linked to that as well. While I didn't know what kind of knowledge was added to Lanuvel's head along with the change in education curriculum, it was definitely a sinister plot to try and control me.
It was necessary to be wary of the self-styled little sister, and as such...
I took a stroll around 'Start Village' by myself. After shaking Lanuvel off my tail who had tried to inconspicuously follow after me, I took the time to organize the situation.
For starters, my Status.
▷Race: Arch-Human
▷Level: 1
▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%)
▷Skills: Interpretation(A) D
▷Condition: Good
It was so cute and modest that I was on the verge of tears.
I immediately activated Black-Box.
▷Race: Chaos Human
▷Level: 1
▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%)
▷Skills: Divinity(MAX) Battle Spirit(SSS) Dark Energy(SSS) Massacre(SSS) Fabrication(SS) Chaos(SS) Destruction(SS) Tolerance(SS) Deadly Venom(SS) Physical Strength(SS) Endurance(SS) Agility(SS) Fighting Skill(SS) Five Senses(SS) Swordsmanship(SS) Majesty(SS) Oblivion(SS) Governance(SS) Swimming(SS) Boxing(SS) Sword Ki(SS) Slaughter(SS) Judgement(SS) Immortal(SS) Madness(SS) Summon(S) Empathy(S) Close Quarters Combat(S) Body Technique(S) Edification(S) Fortitude(S) Breakthrough(S) Stamina(S) Negotiation(S) Detect Foe(S) Breath(S) Recovery(S) Trade(S) Perseverance(S) Vitality(S) Tenacity(S) Incitement(S) Resistance(S) Vigor(S) Regeneration(S) Immunity(S) Composure(S) Iron Wall(S) Indestructible Body(S) Animal Training(S) Spear Throwing(S) Roar(S) Taunt(S) Threaten(S) Taboo(S) Pursuit(S) Mental Capacity(S) Murder(S) Coercion(S) Rage(S) Pillage(S) Cajole(S) Taming(S) Accuracy(S) Evasion(S) Sprint(S) Command(S) Search(S) Blessing(S) Fortune(A)...
▷Condition: Holy Sword, Saintess
A beautiful banquet of Skills!
My Level, however, hadn't been recovered and was reset, the reason being that Black-Box was deactivated during the regression process. This meant that Infinity(E), the 'Administrator Skill' I had obtained through the subordinated Saintess H, would be of no use before regression. But that wasn't to say that this Skill was useless.
▷Type: Skill
▷Name: Infinite
▷Rank: E
▷D: Racial discrimination disappears.
▷E: Level will not decrease.
▷F: Rank will not fall.
Because it meant I would suffer no loss in Level or EXP even if I were to receive healing or blessings from a cleric. As for the eye-catching D-rank effect, however, I felt it was somewhat odd.
"Racial discrimination disappears?"
Perhaps it was something similar to President Lincoln's emancipation of slaves. As no answer would come out even if I were to muse upon this for the time being, I moved on to a realistic issue.
I activated the 'examine in detail' function for Divinity(MAX), which had been put on hold as I passed over to the 6th Playthrough without even the chance to confirm it.
▷Type: Skill
▷Name: Divinity
▷Rank: MAX
Z: Simply divine.
▷SSS: Receive worship.
▷SS: Employ divine reflection.
▷S: Ignore regular attacks.
▷A: Praise the heavens.
▷B: Purify Dark Energy.
▷C: Employ divine defense.
▷D: Grant blessing.
▷E: Withstand Dark Energy.
▷F: Employ divine attack.
Until now, I had thought that MAX-rank which meant 'SSS-rank proficiency at 100%' was as far as it could go, yet it turned out this was nothing more than a gateway to a new beginning.
The following was also information I found out through the 'examine in detail' function.
▷MAX: You have reached the growth limit of the ordinary domain. You must use another Skill as offering in order to break through the limit. The greater the offering's rank, the greater the gain. Proficiency levels of the ordinary domain is no longer needed starting from the transcendental domain, Z-rank.
"Offering, is it..."
It was one hurdle after another; however, I was a prepared man—I had an abundance of Skills piled up over the repeated Playthroughs.
I used all the Skills I had below B-rank, which I either didn't use much or didn't need, and used them as offerings in order to reach Z-rank in Divinity.
▷Type: Skill
▷Name: Divinity
▷Rank: MAX
Z: Simply divine. (6%)
However, it was ridiculously lacking.
'A mere 6%...?'
Peek: Student Kang Han Soo, hello again? I've been put in charge of you again due to my seniors' strong recommendation. Are you adjusting well to the new curriculum? Though it doesn't seem that way, judging by that serious expression.
'Ah! Miss Trainee Teacher. Listen, will you. This so-called limit breakthrough, isn't it completely nuts?'
Agreement: Ah! I also think it's nuts. The difficulty is so awful that even the higher education examinees would give up. Which is why, please make a careful choice! It'll be like throwing water on thirsty soil until the limit breakthrough is complete.
Or so she said.
I didn't feel reluctant to part with my Skills, however.
I put in all of my A-rank and S-rank Skills as offerings.
▷Type: Skill
▷Name: Divinity
▷Rank: MAX
Z: Simply divine. (28%)
Yet it was still lacking. But it seemed the explanation regarding how the gain would be greater according to the rank of the Skill being offered up was certain.
Worry: How about leaving it at that?
I turned a deaf ear to Miss Trainee Teacher's dissuasion. While it might seem like a great waste from her perspective, to me it was like opening a mere year's saving of a piggy bank.
There was something else that was truly precious.
"Goddamned regression."
My fantasy adventures in the 1st Playthrough went on for a whole 10 years. Regardless of the process and outcome being good or bad, it was the life I had walked, and yet my 10 years were denied in a single regression. Compared to the sense of loss I had felt at that time, a year was really nothing.
Thus, I did away with my SS-rank Skills without regret as well. Aside from several Skills that I judged as important or necessary for the time being, I put them all up as offerings.
▷Type: Skill
▷Name: Divinity
▷Rank: MAX
Z: Simply divine. (75%)
But it was, still, lacking. I was ultimately forced to sacrifice even my SSS-rank Skills. Miss Trainee Teacher began to feel distressed in my place, but I even felt lighthearted as if I were clearing away burdens that had accumulated over a year.
I used two SSS-rank Skills which I judged to be easy to rank up later on as offerings. As it wasn't enough even with that, I had to additionally give up some among the SS-rank and S-rank Skills which I had held onto dearly. At this time, even I felt my stomach burn slightly.
And thus, it was completed.
Divinity(MAX)→Divinity(Z)
If I were to calculate the time I had taken to use the Skills accumulated over a year as offerings to break through the rank limit, it wouldn't have even taken 10 seconds. It felt like I had dumped cash into a premium game for adults.
Shiver: Limit breakthroughs are supposed to be reserved for people born with golden spoons in their mouths... I didn't think Student Kang Han Soo came under that category.
'Oh! Miss Trainee Teacher's got quite the discerning eye. I was indeed born with Skills in my mouth. And this is the result.'
▷Race: Chaos Human
▷Level: 1
▷Job: Hero(EXP 500%)
▷Skills: Divinity(Z) Dark Energy(SSS) Fabrication(SS) Summon(S) Fortune(A) Interpretation(A) Storage(C) (D) Festival(E) Infinite(E)
▷Condition: Holy Sword, Saintess
A wry laugh escaped my lips at seeing my Status suddenly empty—it was like having become the emperor with no clothes.
However...
Whoong—
If I were asked whether I had become weak, then I would reply in the negative. I could understand why it was called the transcendental domain starting from Z-rank.
The effect of Divinity(Z) manifested itself naturally.
"Ohh! This holiness...!"
"Wh-who exactly is that person...!"
"Heavens! Oh Lord above...!"
The villagers nearby, who had been treating me as Jobless A until just a moment ago, fell to their knees and began to shed tears of deep emotion. There was no such thing as a clear reason for this.
It was because... I was simply divine.
"Hear me, you humble villagers! You will become happy if you look into my eyes!"
"Ahh!"
"Ohh!"
My words, behaviour, life situation, hobby, condition... everything had become holy.
But it was at that moment that...
"Brother! You'll face divine punishment if you leave your little sister behind! I'll introduce the neighbors to you starting now! They're all good peop-... Uh?!"
... I heard Lanuvel's wannabe cute voice coming from behind.
I completely agreed with her words.
"You're right. They're a rather fine bunch."
They were easier to handle than demon worshipers.