Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 150

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Chapter 150 – Rapid Growth

It’s about 30 minutes northwest of the city of Malta.

I lie down on a small hill off the main road and look up at the sky as the sun nears its zenith.

“What a beautiful day…”

The temperature is pleasant, and the sunlight shining down on me feels wonderful.

“(I’d love to take a nap, but I have things to do and things I want to do…)”

I quickly finished the rest of the skewered meat and rummaged through the leather bag I’d brought with me.

I took out my notebook, pen, calculator, and watch and checked my current status on the ground with the leather bag underneath.

Originally, I had planned to do this work in my own room at the inn, but various things are difficult to do unless you do the experiment outside.

Also, my calculator is a solar-powered model, so it doesn’t work very well unless it gets a good dose of sunlight.

Since the weather was nice, I thought it would be a good idea to do something like this once in a while.

While wandering around looking for a place where there were no people, I ended up at this place, which was close to my starting point for the flight to the Great Hole of Devour.

The area around me was a wilderness with only a few plants and trees, and the view was good, so there were no animals to be seen, let alone monsters.

There were no farmlands in sight either, so I knew I wouldn’t get in trouble for doing anything here.

Standing in the warm sunlight, I opened and closed the status screen, silently copying the numbers and other information I could see on the screen into my notebook.

Name: Loki (Mamiya Yuto)

Level: 56, Skill Points Remaining: 879

Magic Power: 620/620 (+534), +50 additional points gained from the sword’s magic power increase

Strength: 308 (+676)

Intelligence: 309 (+399)

Defense: 302 (+154)

Magic Defense: 302 (+459)

Agility: 307 (+66)

Technique: 301 (+605)

Luck: 312 (+90)

Blessing: None

Title: King Ant Slayer

Acquired Skills

◆Combat/Tactics Skills

Swordsmanship Lv3, Stick Arts Lv5, Dagger Technique Lv2, Provocation Lv2, Berserk Lv8, Body Enhancement Lv5, Desperation Lv1, Command Lv5, Inspire Lv5

◆Magic-related skills

Fire Magic Lv2, Earth Magic Lv3, Wind Magic Lv4, Water Magic Lv4, Magic Control Lv1, Lightning Magic Lv7, Time Magic Lv4, Omitted Chants Lv5

◆Job System Skills

Foraging Lv1, Hunting Lv3, Dismantling Lv2, Conversation Lv1, Cooking Lv1

◆Daily Life System Skills

Different Language Comprehension Lv3, Presence Detection Lv5, Far-Sightedness Lv2, Jumping Lv4, Exploration Lv1, Arithmetic Lv2, Memorization Lv1, Swiftness Lv2, Night Vision Lv4, Flight Lv7, Vision Enlargement Lv6, Concealment Lv7

◆Pure Passive System Skills

Poison Resistance Lv7, Increase Maximum Magic Power Lv2, Herculean Strength Lv1, Swift Wind Lv1, Rock-Hard Body Lv1, Great Luck Lv1, Physical Attack Resistance Lv3, Increase Automatic Magic Power Recovery Lv5, Steel Heart Lv2

◆Other/Special

Oracle Lv1, Divine Communication Lv2, Map Making Lv1,

◆Other/Monster

Rush Lv6, Sticky Thread Lv4, Shed Skin Lv3, Photosynthesis Lv4, Hardening Lv4, Physical Defense Up Lv4, Resonance Lv7, Acid Liquid Lv7, Digging Lv8, Acid Resistance Lv8, Status Effect Resistance Increase Lv7, Call for Assembly Lv7, Mimicry Lv6, Bite Lv8, Forced Awakening Lv9

“Hmm…”

The difference in stats from a few days ago is so great that I can’t help but groan.

I’m lying on a peaceful hill and tapping on my calculator.

In order to give Ril a proper report on my progress, I calculate the values I’ve gained and the bonus stats I’ve unlocked and write them down in my notebook and on scrap paper…

About two hours later.

“Dahhaaah! It’s going up too much all at once; it’s impossible! Even if I take data every day, it’s impossible!”

The pathetic sound of my voice echoed around the area.

Of course, it was me who was scratching my head and complaining.

There were some things I could predict based on trends.

The extent to which various stats increase as the level increases.

The results of the trial calculation were accurate for the basic stats, but I couldn’t see the bonus stats for the various skills or the level 8 and level 9 stats, which were new to me.

Without thinking, I wrote,

“Dear Acorn, please display the bonus stats and other details of the skills on the status screen. Please.”

I even ended up praying to the heavens.

By the way, my previous requests to display the total amount of money on the status screen and to separate the active and passive skills were not successful.

“And I have no idea what the ‘title effects’ are either…”

Maybe there is a hidden stat of +50 or something.

However, I can’t tell at all, and even though it’s my first title, I’m left with a strange feeling.

Moreover, even if I discover and defeat a strong enemy that could be called a hidden boss in the future, there is a high probability that I will be troubled by the same thing every time.

The skills I have are all at a high level, and I have a very large number of skills, so I want to praise these skills as worthy of a hidden boss!

If I defeat it, I’ll get a lot of skills, my level will go up, and my stats will go up all at once, so in the end, what’s the point of the title effect? This situation will go on forever.

“(Hmm, it doesn’t look like I can choose a title, and the fact that there’s a separate section for ‘titles’ suggests that they have some kind of meaning…)”

I racked my brain, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find an answer.

With a sigh, I resigned myself to the fact that there was nothing I could do and moved on to the next step of checking things out.

“Well then, let’s take a look at the details of the new skills I only had a quick look at.”

Going through the skills list from top to bottom, I found the new skills I’d acquired and checked out the details, wondering if I’d be able to use them in the future.

If I could use them, I tried to imagine the situations in which I should use them.

Body Strengthening] Lv.5: Uses magic power to temporarily increase Strength, Defense, Agility, and Technique by 150%. Duration: 5 minutes. Magic Power Consumption: 25.

A super useful skill I got from the King Ant.

It was probably 110% when I was at skill level 1, but the details are unknown.

When I tried to use it, I found that the effect was activated just by muttering “Body Strengthening” in my mind, without having to say it out loud, and that no magic power appeared when I used it.

It seems that for skills that are embodied using my own body, such as Rush, Flight, and Swordsmanship, no magic power is used up inside my body.

On the other hand, the skills that clearly release magic power outside the body are the ones that are classified as ‘magic.’

There may be other conditions, but for now, I can use this kind of internal digestion-type magic even if my magic power has turned black, so I think I’ll use more powerful skills like Body Strengthening more often in the future.

That’s why, if I could be greedy, I’d like the duration of the effects to be a little longer.

Command Lv5: The thoughts of the commander using this skill are more easily transmitted to the allies under his command. The effect of this depends on the level of skill. Range: 1000 meters. Duration: 30 minutes. Magic Power Consumption: 50

This skill is perfect for armies, and I have no use for it as a solo fighter.

Since Leviant possessed this skill, I now understand why they move in such a coordinated and annoying way.

Inspire Lv5: Increases all stats of allies within a 25m radius by 20%. It cannot be used with the same skill. The user of the skill is unaffected. Duration: 10 minutes. Magic Power Consumption: 28.

This is for parties.

There’s no point in me using it if the user doesn’t get any effect.

For a moment, I thought about giving it to Ril, who was fighting King Ant, but I came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t reach her at a distance of 50 meters, and I wouldn’t be able to use it because of the high magic consumption.

Lightning Magic Lv7: Allows you to use lightning magic. Magic Power Consumption: Less than 70.

When I saw the ray of light from the King Ant, my dreams became bigger and bigger.

The problem is that when I use it, I always end up with negative magic power.

It might be the most powerful magic in its current form, so it needs to be verified.

Time Magic Lv4: You can choose to either decrease or increase the Agility of all creatures within a 2-meter radius of the target by ±400%. Magic Power Consumption: 60 every 10 seconds.

This is the second skill I need to expand my dreams.

For now, I can activate both the increase and decrease functions on myself, but I can’t choose to activate the increase function on myself and the decrease function on my enemy.

By the way, the requirements for this skill are Light Magic and Dark Magic.

In the skill tree, the two white lines have been split into two, so it seems that originally, a certain number of levels were necessary for both.

This all but confirms that Spatial Magic is not one of the three higher-level magic spells I had previously verified with Riste.

Omitted Chants Lv5: Increases the rate of image transmission to spirits as a single magic to 50%. Always active. Magic Power Consumption: 0.

This is the skill I find most difficult to understand when I look at the detailed explanation.

No, no, I don’t understand what it means.

If the chant has verses, and the length of the verses is used to judge the level of the magic skill, then I thought it would be possible to shorten the verses, but is that not the case?

The word “single magic” is also a bit worrisome, so it’s a skill that needs to be checked.

Concealment Lv7: Can deceive detection, discernment, and investigation-type skills of Lv7 and below. Always active. Magic Power Consumption: 0

Even though Divine Eye is probably the highest level detection skill used by goddesses, it still can’t deceive it, so I don’t think this skill is very useful.

Since they can find out where I’m using Oracle, I wonder if it’s useful against detection-type skills like Exploration or Presence Detection used by other people?

The reason why they can’t see my skills remains a mystery, but since my stats screen is kind of buggy and only shows my stats numerically, it’s possible that the goddesses can’t see them either.

Rock-Hard Body Lv1: Increases Defense by 5. Always active. Magic Power Consumption: 0

I could have predicted this, so it’s not a problem.

I guess it’s natural for me to learn this after being bitten by so many ants.

Great Luck Lv1: Increases Luck by 5. Always active. Magic Power Consumption: 0

I could have predicted the contents, but I don’t know why it increased.

And from here on, the skills for monsters in the “Other” section are grayed out, and I can’t use the three skills: Resonance Lv8, Acid Liquid Lv7, and Mimicry Lv6.

The details of the skills that can be used are as follows.

Dig Lv8: Skillfully dig a hole. Duration: 8 minutes. Magic Power Consumption: 2

I know.

The biggest question is why the details are so simple.

At first, I thought that digging a hole might be better than Earth Magic in terms of magic power consumption efficiency.

However, my hands and clothes will get really dirty.

Call for Assembly Lv.7: Forces surrounding monsters with the Resonance skill to gather. Range: 210m radius around the area. Magic Power Consumption: 17

An interesting skill, but it’s difficult to know when to use it.

First of all, it’s useless if the monsters don’t have the Resonance skill, and if the monsters are too strong, it could be very bad for me.

Anyway, I’ve found that it works even if it’s not the same race, so if I’m hunting a lower-level monster, it’s worth a try to see if it works.

If it works, it will make hunting in groups a lot easier.

Acid Resistance Lv8: Increases resistance to acid. Always active. Magic Power Consumption: 0.

I think the fact that this is a monster-only skill is pretty special.

The situations in which I would use it are probably limited, but looking at Ril’s disfigured skin, it has a very strong presence.

It’s a passive skill with no MP cost, and I’m always happy to see a resistance skill like that.

However, it’s a shame that it never reaches level 9, and it has no effect on items such as clothing.

Status Effect Resistance Increase Lv.7: Increases resistance to all status effects. Always active. Magic Power Consumption: 0.

Probably a super hit skill.

Since it is a monster-only skill, it is possible that only boss-class monsters have it.

The downside is that it is not clear how much resistance it increases, so it is not clear if it can be trusted to the same extent as the resistance increase ratios for resistance-type skills that specialize in one type, such as Acid Resistance.

Well, since it’s a passive skill that doesn’t use magic, it’s definitely a skill I’d like to have; the higher the level, the better.

Forced Awakening Lv9: Forces all surviving monsters of the same race to awaken. Range: 1800m. Magic Power Consumption: 50.

This is the highlight of the skills this time and the only one that has reached level 9.

It’s confirmed that King Ant has Forced Awakening Lv10.

However, the effect of this skill is really terrible.

I can use it, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s nothing more than a long-range alarm clock.

If I activated it in the middle of the city at midnight, it would be an act of terrorism.

Besides, it can only be used when the user is awake, so it doesn’t work as an alarm for me.

Unfortunately, it’s a useless skill that clearly has the aura of a boss skill but has absolutely no use.

There are various skills that seem useful and others that seem completely useless…

Even so, the King Ant, which I arbitrarily decided was a hidden boss, had an extremely high rate of excellent skills.

If Forced Awakening is a King Ant-specific skill, then even though it was rubbish this time, what kind of unique skills do other bosses have? This adds an extra element of fun to the hunt for hidden bosses.

“(Haha, after going through all that pain and almost dying, I’m already looking forward to finding the boss? I’m really sick…)”

Even though I definitely don’t want to die, I don’t understand why I deliberately jump into dangerous places.

Well, after asking myself if it was just my own selfishness to want to enjoy myself to the fullest without dying, I came up with an answer and gently held out my palm in front of me.

“Well then, shall I begin the experiment? Let’s start with ‘eight.'”

With that in mind, I folded my fingers with my other hand and began to chant in an unfamiliar language, conscious of the number.

“Let innumerable lightning bolts fall to the ground, so innumerable… that they cover the entire field of vision…”

Halfway through the chant, my mouth turned into a pout, and with my fingers crossed, I held my head in my hands and muttered to myself, “I did it.”

There was no way I could suddenly try to string together eight words that sounded like they belonged together. [T/n: It probably means chuunibyou.]

I used to have a little middle school disease, but I’ve lived a long, straight, and proper life as a corporate slave. [T/n: Chuunibyou.]

The last part of the words didn’t even come out, and I’m back to square one…

I’ll have to write down the words I’m going to use in my notebook.

As I thought this and looked down at my notebook, I felt as if all the fluids in my body were being sucked into my palms at once, and immediately after that, I heard a deafening sound that made me think my eardrums were going to burst.

“Hah?!”

As I quickly glanced forward, numerous lightning bolts were streaming down from the sky, which was completely clear of dark clouds.

The whirlwind of a hundred lightning bolts tore up the ground, scorching it and vaporizing all the grass that grew there, turning it into nothing. The whirlwind continued for several seconds…

“This is Level 7…”

When it was over, all that was left was a lot of burnt ground.

A strong wind that arrived a little late hit my body, and my hair stood on end and blew behind me.

At first, I was surprised by the scene unfolding before my eyes.

Then came the emotion.

The fact that I was able to manifest a phenomenon similar to the image of lightning that I wanted to activate in my mind gradually overwhelmed me, and my body naturally began to tremble.

The scene I had drawn was a group of lightning bolts shining down in the dark, so there are some differences in terms of the weather and the size of the area compared to what actually happened in front of me, but…

Still, the fact that I was able to realize such an inadequate and embarrassing chant must be the effect of Omitted Chants, right?

“(I wonder if I should consider the part that went back to the beginning to be omitted… Hmm, I’m using up all my magic power with a maximum consumption of 69.)”

This is the maximum class range magic I can currently do.

Although I’m just happy to have found out the power and range, I wonder how it relates to Omitted Chants?

I wanted to find out if I could, so I repeated the experiment with several different patterns.

Luckily, after 15 shots, I still have plenty of magic left.

“Cover the ground with countless lightning bolts!”

“(Wow… the feeling of magic power being taken away is the same as before!)”

Rumbling… rumbling… rumbling… rumbling…

The same scene as before is repeated.

Even with five verses, I was able to confirm that the spirit could understand it if I had a clear image.

Then the question is, how many verses can I reduce?

“Let innumerable lightning fall upon the earth.”

Rumbling… thud! Rumbling…

I succeeded again with the same four words.

Even though I changed the words slightly, the result of the activation seemed to be the same.

My breathing became erratic with excitement as I became more and more like the image I was trying to create.

“Release the lightning to the ground.”

“Huh? There was a reaction that made me feel like I was losing my magic power for a moment, but it didn’t activate. Does this mean that four words is the limit for now?)”

The transmission rate is 50%, so from 8 words, it becomes 4 words.

The post-activation image becomes more important, and even with a slight difference in words, it becomes easier to converge on a similar expression result–.

Is this the right way to think about it? As I tilted my head in doubt, I couldn’t help but smile at the effect, which was more than satisfying.

If my image is a big part of the activation, then I’ll have to come up with a better-sounding and cooler word.

As my ‘second year of junior high syndrome’ starts to come back, I find myself thinking about things like this.

“(Hmm. The lightning that comes out of the hand like in King Ant. I’d really like to try that. Lightning that extends… a lightning spear? That’s so cool…)”

Slowly standing up, I shyly raise my right hand in front of me while holding my left hand at my waist.

My cheeks flush with a sense of elation and excitement, and I look sharply ahead as I speak.

“Release the lightning spear at high speed and pierce through!”

I release the attack with 100% enthusiasm.

That is.

Bang, bang, bang, bang…

“Amaaazzinnngggg!!!”

It was a flash of lightning that flew at an incredible speed.

Even though it was fired from the top of a hill and didn’t hit anything, just by looking at it, I was convinced that its power was definitely greater than the previous wide-area dispersal type.

“Haa haa… this is amazing… there’s too much of the boy’s dream packed into this… ahh… I need to do more experiments…”

After that, I continued to look for other ways to use Lightning Magic, and I tested what I could do with Time Magic on myself, wondering what kind of results would be produced if I combined it with Omitted Chants.

I also wondered how much my actual physical movements would change due to the Body Strengthening I had acquired this time.

With my excitement still high, I spent all my time experimenting on my own.

And then, as the sun was about to set,

I checked the remaining magic power in my body, which had almost completely dried up, and absentmindedly looked at the plateau covered with scorch marks.

“Hmm…”

I thought that if I could just increase my power, everything would be fine.

That’s why I took Ril with me, and I thought of a way to maximize the use of Ril’s abilities.

But…

I never imagined that my abilities and skills would grow so much.

That’s why I think…

I took a path that was too much, a path that was too evil from an RPG perspective.

The joy of having grown so much is mixed with a sense of confusion that I can’t really describe.

Had I grown on my own, my heart would have been filled with nothing but joy and happiness.

But this growth is all because of Ril.

I thought I had done everything I could, but in reality, I was just like a remora, following behind and reaping the benefits.

Maybe that’s why I can’t be happy about it, and I feel a bit like I’m cheating.

I can’t help but laugh bitterly at myself, thinking that I’m being selfish to the extreme, even though I value strength above all else, and I can’t be happy about the results.

“But well, the current situation is just a temporary one.

There are still a lot of skills I haven’t acquired yet, and there are still a lot of skills I can improve.

Then, this level of strength is something I’ll reach sooner or later.

I remind myself that I shouldn’t get carried away and that I shouldn’t get too cocky.

It would be too uncool to get too cocky with the strength I’ve been forced to acquire.

“Well, I guess I’ll be heading home…”

The sound of a distant bell brought me back to my senses, and I decided to give Ril a gift to thank her for her rapid growth on my last day.

Not knowing that the city was in a state of turmoil, I returned to the city.

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