“Huh? Klyssa, is something up today?”
“…Yes, I have an unavoidable errand.”
A few days after the fishing trip at the lake, Klyssa was heading towards the entrance alone after finishing breakfast.
“Thank you for everything. I had fun spending time with everyone.”
“? I had fun too.”
With words that sounded like a farewell for life, she left the mansion.
The rest of us discussed our plans for the day.
“Even so, it’s not like we had anything planned for today.”
“Then, can we just do our own thing?”
“I’m in too. I wanted to read the books I brought from the academy.”
After deciding how to spend the day, we returned to our rooms.
We’ve been learning about Artifacts and sightseeing lately, so it’s good to have a day to relax.
“(Come to think of it, some of my Skills have leveled up.)”
Peaceful living allows you to gain different kinds of experience than combat.
Maybe that’s why, but some Skills I haven’t used much have leveled up.
~Skill Details~
Terrain Awareness: Constantly know which direction you are facing. Constantly perceive the surrounding terrain.
Telepathy: Can send thoughts to others and receive thoughts from others. The range of the aforementioned effect is enhanced.
Mimicry: When deceiving others, gain a bonus to credibility. Can transform and change the color of a part of your body to mimic another substance.
Trajectory Prediction: When performing ranged attacks, understand the trajectory of the attack, taking environmental conditions into account. The aforementioned effect can also be applied to the ranged attacks of others.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Let’s take a look at them one by one.
First, Terrain Awareness is an upgrade of Sense of Direction. I can now perceive the surrounding terrain in 3D.
The range is still small, but it should eventually be able to cover an entire city.
Next is Mimicry. It leveled up from Deceive while I was fishing.
With this, if I ever have to pretend to be human, I have a better chance of getting away with it.
It seems like it could be useful in combat too, so it’s a great Skill.
Telepathy is probably an upgrade of Telecommunication and Comprehension.
The increased range from the upgrade means I can use it like a cell phone.
Also, this Skill is useful for operating Pseudo-Golem Machines.
The common method for giving commands to Pseudo-Golem Machines is to send thoughts using communication Artifacts, but there’s also a way to use Skills like Telecommunication.
With Telecommunication becoming Telepathy and its range expanding, I can now remotely control Pseudo-Golem Machines.
I’m looking forward to its future development.
Finally, Trajectory Prediction is an upgrade of Trajectory Prediction. I can now see the trajectory of ranged attacks from others.
Since coming to the Underground, I’ve seen and handled beam weapons a lot, so I probably learned it from that.
“(I’m done checking my Skills, but what should I do next… I studied Artifacts a lot yesterday.)”
“Woof woof!”
“(…I guess I’ll improve Obia.)”
I pet the dog-type Pseudo-Golem Machine under its chin.
Obia tilted its head slightly upwards and let out a pleasant bark.
It’s become quite dog-like thanks to the continuous improvements, but there should still be room for improvement.
I need to improve its quality to make a fortune in the pet robot business.
First, I need to strengthen the new security features.
I can’t strengthen Obia any further. So, I thought, why not attach something externally? That’s why I attached an external Mana Crystal gun two days ago.
However, yesterday, Xanthos found out and got angry, saying, “Don’t put dangerous things on something you keep indoors.”
I wanted to say, “What’s wrong with a little bit?” but I thought I’d get scolded, so I’ll quietly think of other security features.
“–Kouya-dono, do you have a moment?”
While I was playing with Obia to come up with ideas, I heard a voice from outside the room. It was Thanasis’s voice.
He’s been engrossed in researching the “Colossus” lately, so it’s rare for him to come to the mansion. I opened the door.
“What’s up? I’m pretty free, so I don’t mind helping with a light experiment.”
“I see… Well, it’s nothing here, so how about a walk?”
“Sounds good, it’ll be a change of pace. I’ll go.”
Then, I told Xanthos in the living room and left the mansion.
Two Wardens came up to us. They were apparently our escorts.
“(Come to think of it, it’s rare for Xanthos not to be with me.)”
When the surface team splits into two or more groups, reinforcements of Wardens come like this, but Xanthos is always with me because I’m the most dangerous.
It feels kind of refreshing.
“Wow, it’s lively. The Earth God Festival is next week.”
“…Indeed.”
Thanasis spoke to me as we walked down the decorated main street.
“What do you think of this country?”
In the middle of that, he suddenly asked me that question.
It was a bit abstract, so I was a little stumped, but after thinking for a moment, I gave my honest opinion.
“I think it’s a good place. Everyone is calm and kind, and there are lots of interesting things.”
“Hoh hoh hoh… It’s an honor to hear a guest from the surface say that.”
Before I knew it, we had come to a back alley with no people.
Thanasis, who had been walking in front of me, turned to face me.
“By the way, do you know where Klyssa-jo is right now?”
“No, I don’t. She said she had some business and left this morning.”
“Then, you are also unaware of her duties?”
“? That’s news to me. Does she have something to do?”
So that’s why she left this morning.
It might be related to the Earth God Festival, given the timing.
“I’m sure you two have your own thoughts, but continuing to hide it is also disloyal. If you don’t know, you won’t have to worry, but I am the type who wants to know any fact. I have selfishly judged that Kouya-dono is of the same nature, so I will tell you everything.”
After finishing his excuse, Thanasis’s eyes stared straight at me.
His eyes, which usually held innocent curiosity, felt cold today.
His serious gaze made me straighten my posture without realizing it.
After a pause as if hesitating, he opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
“To put it bluntly, Xanthos-dono’s daughter, Grissa-jo, will become a Shrine Maiden (sacrifice) at the upcoming Earth God Festival.”
“…Huh?”