Chapter 4: Old man acquires skills②

In front of the rock, holding a sword, as it is…

*Slash*

Swinging the sword sideways.

Normally, there would be a sound like “clang” and it would seem like it would bounce off…

Zan!!!

The rock was cut as if slicing through tofu.

*Graa…*

*Thud.*

Due to the diagonal cut, the rock above fell to the ground.

And then, it disappeared into light.

“I-I destroyed it.”

*Thud.*

I landed squarely on my buttocks.

“I managed to destroy the rock.”

I had broken a menacing rock with the ominous name of “indestructible rock.”

However, as I quickly got up, I became convinced.

(No doubt. I think this skill is quite powerful.)

With this, I had confirmed the effect of the skill.

As I was about to leave, words floated into my field of vision.

Was it the spoils from destroying the rock earlier?

[Acquired experience points]

[Level has increased]

“Oh, my level has gone up again.”

Today alone, my level has increased multiple times.

I can’t help but wonder what all my previous struggles were for.

It’s a high-speed level up that makes me think that way.

Now, let’s check my status.

Name: Tatsuya Ono

Level: 10

Attack power: 10

Defense power: 10

Skill: Defense Ignoring

That’s how it goes.

Other than the level, the status screen was the same as always, so I thought about closing it.

“Hm?”

[You have accumulated 10 bonus points. Would you like to allocate them?]

“Bonus points?”

As I muttered, the window changed.

Attack power: 10 ↑

Defense power: 10 ↑

Bonus points: 10

“So, these are points I can use to allocate my stats?”

Just to try it out, I pressed the ↑ next to attack power, and the value changed to [11], while the bonus points decreased to [9].

“I see. That’s how it works.”

It seems that in this world, in addition to leveling up, there are points that can be freely used.

“I didn’t know there was something like this.”

Or rather…

(I didn’t even know about skills. I didn’t know that skills would be unlocked when leveling up.)

I knew about stats, but I didn’t know that skills could be acquired.

So honestly, I’m the most surprised that I acquired a skill.

(Sigh, that leader didn’t teach me anything.)

I think it’s a common thing in crappy workplaces, where bosses don’t properly explain the job duties or workplace rules. Even after coming to this world, I experienced that.

I thought that was something unique to black companies in Japan, but it seems to be the case even in another world.

But, I’m in a bit of a bind.

“What’s the right way to allocate stats?”

After thinking for a bit, I repeatedly pressed the ↑ next to attack power.

[Attack power: Confirmed at 20, is that okay?]

→ Yes

It’s what you’d call extreme specialization (?).

There’s a reason for this.

(The game I used to play had weak balance.)

It’s the RPG I played the most, but the balanced type was weak.

Rather, characters focused on defense or durability were weak.

The enemies were too inflated, and defense couldn’t keep up.

So, it was stronger to kill before being killed.

In fact, most of the games I’ve played were like this. It’s mostly about pushing firepower somehow.

It’s faster and safer to kill before being killed.

It’s the experience of relying on overwhelming firepower for safety and peace of mind.

And now, I have [Defense Ignoring].

Combined with high firepower, it’s the smartest chimpanzee combat style.

“Well then.”

Now that I’ve closed the status window, I’ve decided to head home for today.

I cut through any obstructive rocks on my way home, enjoying the ease with which they split apart like tofu.

As I was heading back, I crossed paths with a fellow practitioner.

“Good evening.”

“Good evening—*swish*”

I sliced through a rock in front of my colleague.

They looked at me with a startled expression.

“Huh? Did you just cut through that rock?”

I briefly explained about skills and skill points to the fellow practitioner.

“That’s right! Actually, I can cut rocks! Hahaha—*swish*”

I sliced through another rock.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

The fellow practitioner ran away from me as if escaping.

“Oh dear. Did I seem suspicious?”

Come to think of it, if someone saw a person cutting rocks in the forest at night, they would indeed seem suspicious.

I should probably refrain from doing this in the future.

But still…

(I’m unexpectedly strong, aren’t I? And my skill seems strong too.)

I seem to fit into the category of characters you occasionally see in games, the “character who turns out surprisingly strong when raised.”

Let’s call it SAT.

S (Surprisingly) A (Strong) T (When raised).

It seems I haven’t been giving it my all yet.

~Old Man on the Move~

Upon returning to the town, I decided to head straight to the tavern.

I was hungry.

“Phew.”

I sighed lightly as I sat down and looked at the menu.

As I was doing so, the familiar waitress approached.

“Oh, you’re here again today, Tatsuya-san.”

“Yeah, the food here is delicious.”

I looked at the menu and ordered as usual.

Today, my wallet is a bit fuller, so maybe I’ll order a bit more than usual.

Hehehe, I want to try that and that too.

“Alright! Thank you for your order!”

Saying that, the waitress started to head towards the kitchen but then looked back at me as if she remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, it seems like there’s a customer asking for you. Can I let them know you’re here?”

“Me? I don’t have any idea who it could be.”

“W-Well, um, I also saw them for the first time today.”

Saying that, the waitress pointed towards a girl sitting in a corner booth.

I immediately recognized someone.

It was the girl with white hair, like a rabbit, whom I had helped in the forest earlier.

“Oh, well, since we’ve met before, it’s fine.”

I could have a conversation even while eating, so why not give it a try?

Besides, it seemed like she had been waiting for me, which wasn’t a bad gesture. 

I didn’t have the heart to reject her goodwill.

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