Kays Translations

Chapter Four: The First Level-Up

From the day of his first lesson onward, Ren spent every afternoon training with Roy.

His mornings began with study as before, and in the afternoons he exercised until he collapsed.

“We’ll stop here for today.”

Once again, Roy announced the end of training after seeing Ren sprawled comfortably on his back.

“Th-thank you very much…”

“You worked hard again today.”

At a glance, Ren seemed to be in the same sorry condition as he had been after his first lesson.

In reality, he could now keep moving for almost twice as long. Both his stamina and physical strength had grown steadily.

“…Let’s see today’s result…”

After confirming that Roy had left, Ren secretly examined the bracelet as usual.

– Magic Sword Summoning Technique (Level 1: 88 / 100)

Recently, his next skill level had drawn very close.

“I’ve already been working at this for more than a month.”

Even after pushing himself until he collapsed, a single training session awarded only two points of proficiency.

By dividing his accumulated proficiency in half, he could calculate how many days he had trained.

“Almost there… Six more days, and Magic Sword Summoning Technique will level up.”

Ren was impressed that he had maintained his effort for so long.

At this point, he could no longer claim that a gamer’s desire to level up was his only motivation.

(It must be because of them.)

He knew there was another reason.

Roy and Mireille.

Unlike his parents in his previous life, they praised him wholeheartedly whenever he worked hard. Their smiles always made him want to try even harder.

“Come to think of it, no one ever praised me when I was Ren Shiina…”

His parents in his previous life had separated when he was young, and his mother had taken custody of him.

As he grew older, however, he began to resemble his father. His mother disliked that and eventually stopped speaking to him. By the time Ren entered university, she was rarely home, and they spoke only a few times a year.

Compared with those days, his present life felt deeply fulfilling.

Living without modern appliances could be inconvenient, but he could state with certainty that he was happier now.

“I’ll work hard again tomorrow.”

That happiness was why he could continue.

Making his parents proud had become something irreplaceably precious to him.

◇ ◇ ◇ ◇

From that day onward, Ren approached his training with even greater determination.

The next day, and the day after that, he kept facing Roy and swinging his sword until he fell.

With the level-up so close, he almost began to look forward to collapsing.

Six days later, during training, something changed inside his body.

“Huh…?”

Nearly an hour after the lesson began, his body suddenly felt strangely light.

It was lighter even than before he started training. When he pressed against the ground, he felt as though he might leap into the sky.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Seeing Ren abruptly stop in surprise, Roy questioned him with concern.

“I-I’m fine! It’s nothing serious!”

“All right, but don’t push yourself!”

“Yes! I understand!”

As Ren answered, he realized that lightness was not the only change. The hand gripping the Wooden Magic Sword possessed strength unlike anything he had felt before.

He tried to identify the cause but could not.

Still, he did not want Roy to worry. Ren lowered his stance.

“Here I come!”

He shouted and stepped forward as usual.

The moment he took that first step, Roy realized something was different.

“F-fast?!”

Even Roy, who entered the forest and hunted monsters almost every day, could not help being startled by Ren’s speed.

Ren had already possessed remarkable physical ability for a seven-year-old.

Now, however, he moved with a speed that surpassed even some of the monsters living in the forest.

“Guh…”

Roy raised his wooden sword horizontally and caught the attack.

As he braced himself, the ground beneath his feet was gouged away, and the wooden sword in his hands began to creak like it was screaming.

“Haaaaah!”

Ren continued his assault.

Their blades collided over and over, producing heavy, dull impacts.

(My body is so light!)

The numbness he normally felt in his hands was gone, and he could swing the Wooden Magic Sword exactly as he wished.

Ren became so absorbed that he forgot to look at Roy’s expression.

“There’s no reason you would suddenly become this strong–wait, I see! Ren, could you be–?!”

Roy narrowed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and began to sweat.

Seemingly satisfied by an idea, he readied his wooden sword. For the first time, he decided to attack Ren rather than merely defend.

“Ren! This time, I’m coming at you!”

Roy’s demeanor changed.

A sharp glint entered his eyes and made Ren tense. But before Roy could complete his swing, he stopped the sword.

Ren’s body swayed. The strength left both knees, and he dropped to the ground.

“W-what…?”

“…Out of fuel.”

“Th-that can’t be… I still feel full of energy…”

As Ren stared in confusion, Roy approached with a strangely pleased smile.

He reached down and lifted Ren into his powerful arms.

“You did well! I can’t believe my son has a skill!”

“W-wait, Father?!”

“You suddenly became stronger because your skill level increased! I don’t have a skill, so I can’t know what it feels like, but there is no other explanation!”

Only then did Ren understand.

(Of course. Magic Sword Summoning Technique leveled up during training.)

The ability granted at the next level was Physical Ability Boost (Minor).

That explained why his body had become lighter and his strength had increased. The abrupt change had occurred before his mind and body could adjust, which might have caused him to hit an unexpected limit.

“Now that we know, I’d like to take you to a church and have your skill appraised, but…”

Roy suddenly looked down at Ren with a dejected expression.

“I’m sorry. We don’t have enough money to visit a church.”

“Does a skill appraisal cost that much?”

“The appraisal itself isn’t expensive. Hunting two monsters would cover it. Children born in towns with churches are often appraised soon after birth.”

Then why could they not go? Remembering how remote their village was, Ren offered a guess.

“Is the journey too expensive because we live so far away?”

Roy nodded immediately.

“Even the nearest church is in the city where the baron lives.”

That city was roughly ten days away by horse.

“We could manage the travel expenses for the three of us. The problem is that while I’m away, we’d have to hire mercenaries to hunt the monsters around the village. That’s what we can’t afford.”

For Ren, who had been hiding his skill, the situation was convenient.

He intended to live quietly in this village if possible, so one potential problem had effectively solved itself.

“I don’t think I need an appraisal.”

“Ren…”

“Not knowing the name of my skill won’t kill me.”

“Y-you’re far too philosophical for your age. I thought any child would be desperate to learn the name of his skill.”

“Other families are other families. This is ours.”

Roy stared at him in disbelief, then burst into laughter loud enough to reach the horizon.

Hearing the noise, Mireille rushed out of the manor to see what had happened. When she learned that Ren possessed a skill, she was so delighted that she hugged him with all her strength.

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