Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 112

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TL: ALT

Chapter 112 – My Youth

I was running up and down the high school soccer field.

I feinted and slipped past the defender,

“Go for it, Yuto!”

With that voice, the ball came flying in from the side.

The ball,

“Here it is!”

A volley shot straight into the air.

The goalkeeper is unable to react, and the ball hits the net.

“Yeahhh!”

“Well done, Yuto!”

I high-fived Haruhara, who sent an exquisite centering shot from the side of the field.

Outside the field, the girls who had skipped volleyball in the gym to watch the game cheered excitedly.

“That’s not fair. You’re obviously using your ‘power,’ aren’t you?”

A boy in the next class spat in frustration.

By “power,” he means power as an explorer.

It is possible to consciously turn on or off power as an explorer (various boosts from job skills and skill values).

But there is no way to tell from the outside whether it is on or off.

This is a big problem in the world of sports.

The upcoming Olympics are in Tokyo, so there’s a heated debate in this country.

The explorer’s name, level, and job are displayed when the explorer stares into the dim light.

If it were me, I would be shown as “Kurashiki Yuto, level 9999, Magic Swordsman.”

It’s a system that offers no privacy. 

With this, it is possible to prove that you are not dungeon-doping for athletes who do not have the status of explorer.

But there are athletes who already have explorer status.

So, it’s not as if they should prohibit athletes from becoming explorers.

There are many minor sports in the Olympics that do not allow athletes to just compete.

It is a natural idea for athletes to try to make a living by exploring dungeons with their blessed physical abilities.

Talented people who become Olympic athletes are likely to get rare jobs with high starting skill values.

Just because there is no way to detect dungeon doping begs the question, why deprive athletes of the means to put their money where their mouth is?

It is rare, but it is also possible to gain status by, for example, inevitably killing a monster that came out of a dungeon flood.

Even if you just go into a dungeon out of curiosity, you’ll get status at that point.

I heard that the Olympic Committee is discussing this issue.

The reason why the boy from the class next to mine got involved is probably because there are reports of such things day and night.

“Screw you. We don’t use it.”

Haruhara protested.

Haruhara was my classmate and a member of my party.

When I looked at Haruhara with dull eyes, the words “Haruhara Tsukinagi Level 7731 Gambler/Master Thief” came to my mind.

He is tall and looks a bit flirtatious, if I may say so… with long, wispy brown hair.

His brown hair is not dyed, which is against school rules, but it is apparently his natural hair. However, his rather frivolous flirtations have helped, and he has been “counseled” by his teachers at every opportunity.

The school rules at this high school are pretty strict.

Or rather, they are unreasonable.

Not only Haruhara but even Honoka-chan, who looks like a Westerner, has to prove that she has natural hair.

On the other hand, there are many teachers who have problems, such as turning a blind eye to Sayuki’s bullying by the Junko Himuro group.

They always try to “show the way” to the weak, but when confronted with the strong, they are always too timid and ambiguous to take the initiative.

Although Haruhara’s playful behavior is deliberate, at heart, he is a man with a strong sense of justice.

When he saw me in the confrontation with the Himuro group, he thought, “Oh!

He has a calm look on his face, but he is passionate about soccer in gym class.

Of course, he’s not the kind of guy who would like to use his power as an explorer to do the “me-too” thing.

Of course, I didn’t use my powers either.

But even if I had turned off my powers, I wouldn’t have lost the experience and intuition I had cultivated as an explorer.

And Haruhara and I are party members.

Thanks to Honoka-chan’s telepathic mind sensing, we’ve developed the ability to work together, and we’re able to move in a spiritually connected way.

It would be considered immature for Haruhara and me to become a pair and attack with all our might in a mere gym class.

Of course, the other party would want to complain.

This guy must not really think that we are using our power but is just saying it out of frustration.

Well, we don’t have to make a big deal out of it.

We are still in high school.

“Well, well, well. You can’t tell from the outside.”

I interrupted the two of them, who were getting tense.

“But, you know, you can’t just say something like that without proof…”

“Yes, that’s right. Neither I nor Haruhara used any power. If we had, it would have been even more outrageous.”

If I unleashed all my abilities right now, I probably wouldn’t be able to play soccer.

If I kick the ball from the middle, it will be a goal as it is.

If I use my high DEX, the trajectory of the ball will be as I wish.

The same goes for Haruhara.

However, there is still an undeniable gap between the two of them.

“Why don’t either Haruhara or I join your class? Let’s swap one of us.”

“Hey, Yuto. This is an interclass competition, you know?”

Haruhara is very determined despite his appearance.

“The game is meaningless if it doesn’t become a game. That’s okay with you, right?”

“Y-yeah…”

A boy from the next class nodded.

“Wait, isn’t that a deal breaker?”

“How about this? The loser buys the winner juice from the cafeteria. Including the other guys.”

“Oh, great. I won’t lose at all.”

“H-hey, don’t decide for yourself!”

The next class complained to Haruhara and me, who were getting excited.

“You were the one who started the fight. If Haruhara and I split up, it would be 50-50. Or are you saying that even if we didn’t have the power, we wouldn’t be able to beat our class?”

“That’s not true…”

“Then it’s settled.”

After that, I went to the other class, and we replayed the game.

I won the game and asked Haruhara to buy me a glass of juice.

The other classmates who were involved in the bet treated me like a traitor.

◇

‘An unknown skill? Has been unacquired.’

‘No further action is required for this skill.’

‘An out-of-form ability value??? has been found.’

‘Ability values are defined twice…’

‘We are looking into resolving the duplicate ability values…’

“…Again?”

During the last lesson of the morning, the Voice of Heaven echoed in my head again.

And it was the same uncomfortable feeling.

To be picked up by a cute girlfriend and go to school together?

Playing a big role in gym soccer?

Who is she? Is it really me?

Such strange feelings of discomfort kept coming back to me.

“This is as full of high school life as I can imagine.”

I can play sports, and I’m popular with the girls.

I’m going out with Honoka-chan.

I can’t help but think it’s a little too good to be true.

But objectively speaking, it’s not too crazy.

I’m a successful explorer.

Some of the top international explorers have had enough money and power to do whatever they want.

Compared to them, I’m a very humble man.

It’s not strange to think that I’m popular with the opposite sex because of the money I make, not because of my inherent attractiveness.

No, that would be too blatant.

There must be an element of confidence that comes from being a successful explorer and being able to interact with girls without fear.

Maybe the elimination of the Himuro group, which everyone pretended to ignore, is also a positive factor, depending on how you look at it.

The fact that Honoka-chan is showing me favoritism is even natural, considering that I saved her in the first place and that we shared hardships as party members after that.

The fact that I have many opportunities to show leadership in class is also due to my experience as a party leader.

Compared to exploring a dungeon with my friends’ lives on my shoulders, the decisions and tribulations of class are nothing.

It all makes sense.

And yet, it doesn’t feel right.

“Are you saying it’s weird that I became a Riajuu? How mean can I be?”

Today, I am definitely strange.

Up until junior high school – well, until I became a researcher in high school – I wasn’t that great.

But I think I’ve grown as a person through my experiences since I became an Explorer.

That’s something to be proud of, not something to be depressed about.

“Is it still because of this crazy status…?”

I whisper, opening my phone under my desk.

Status──────────────────

Kurashiki Yuto (4th place in the national ranking)

Magic Swordsman S

Level 9999

HP 89,991/ 89,991

MP 159.982/159.982

STR 89.990

INT 169.981

VIT 79.992

MND 159.982

DEX 89.990

AGI 89.990

LCK 29.997

HP? 190,591/190,591

MP? 824,074/824,074

Attack Power? 472,488

Defense? 102,377

Magic Power? 1,782,714

Mental Strength? 397,264

Agility? 2,497,264

Luck? 1,106,815

Skills? Spear Technique 5, Spearmanship 5, Dagger Technique 5, Short Sword Technique 5, Spear Throwing 5, Martial Arts 5, Bow Technique 5, Archery 5, Taijutsu 3, Grappling Technique 1, Club Technique 1, Striking Weapon 1, Assassination 4, Ninjutsu 4, Short Teleport 4, Poison Spray 1, Energy Drain 1, Earth Crack 1, Pseudo Invincibility Barrier 1, Plunder 1, MP Destruction Attack 1, Magic Outburst, Summon Secret Monster 3, Summon Heroic Spirit 1, Ancient Chant 5, Strong Strike Magic 5, Magic Barrage 5, MP Save 1, Attribute Amplification 1, Double Chant 1, Surprise Attack 1, Preemptive Strike 1, First Move1, Vanguard’s Knowledge 1, Self-Destructiion Attack 5, Lock On 3, Back Stab 1, All-out Strike 1, Berserk 1, Charge 1, Self-Renegeration 5, Evasion Up 1, Astral Defense 1, Magic Barrier 1, Self-Damage Reduction 1, Absolute Defense, Solid Barrier, Magic Cancel, Parrying 1, Critical Moment, Probability Effect Nullification, Astral Body, Survive, Revive, Skill Combo 5, Trump Card 4, Heaven’s Punishment 4, Thought Acceleration 3, Demon God Incarnation 1, Demonization 3, False Intent 1, Attack Power Up at Maximum HP 1, Hot Hand 1, Quick Draw, Reverse Intimidation, Knockout, Divide, Drive Away 1, HP Enhancement 5, MP Enhancement 5, Attack Enhancement 5, Defense Enhancement 5, Magic Power Enhancement 5, Mental Strength Enhancement 5, Agility Enhancement 5, Luck Enhancement 1, Physical Ability Enhancement 1, Ability Value Growth Rate Increase 1, Electric Shock Resistance 3, Paralysis Resistance 2, Petrification Resistance 2, Sleep Resistance 2, Instant Death Resistance 2, Confusion Resistance 2, Silence Resistance 2, Trap Detection 5, Trap Removal 5, Item Box 5, Danger Prediction, Covert 5, Presence Detection 4, Enemy Search 3, Gain SP Up 3, Stealth, Appraisal, Simple Appraisal, Disguise, Thief, Fathom, Reappraisal, Archive, Mini Map, Treasure Hunt 1, Treasure Discovery, Hidden Portal Discovery, Evac, Dungeon Travel, Magic Language, Dungeon Creation 1.

────────────────────

…This is getting weirder and weirder.

“What is this, attack power?”

The ability stats for explorers are universally defined as HP, MP, STR, INT, VIT, MND, DEX, AGI, and LCK.

These are now even listed as they appear in the authoritative British encyclopedia.

I have never heard of STR being translated as Attack Power or INT being translated as Magic Power.

“In general, there is one less entry for ability values.

In this world, DEX and AGI are mainly related to hit rate and dodge rate, respectively.

The only entry for my buggy’s ability value is Agility.

Yes, it’s true that “What’s the difference between DEX and AGI?” is a common question among beginners.

HP and MP seem to be the same for both, but the buggy is marked with ‘???

Is there a subtle difference? 

And there is one more thing that is “not” on the buggy.

“It has no level…”

Are you saying that the level is the only thing that is not buggy?

If so, that would mean that the buggy has 9999 levels, but the ability values are generally too high for that.

If STR and “Attack Power” are the same thing, then the current correct status is 89990, while the buggy’s is 472488.

It is actually more than five times higher.

…No, the “Attack Power” is rather low.

INT is 169981, while “Magic Power” is 1782714.

Looking at the numbers alone, you might think for a moment that they are about the same, but they are an order of magnitude different.

The “Magic Power” is 1,780,000 compared to the INT of 160,000, which is more than 11 times higher than the INT.

There is more.

Against a DEX and AGI of about 90,000, Agility is about two and a half million.

Against an LCK of just under 30,000, Luck is a whopping 1,000,000.

That’s 27 and 33 times more, respectively.

If the level of this bug is 9999, the growth rate of the ability value is obviously wrong.

“If you want to calculate backward from the ability value… Uh.”

The base ability value (the ability value at level 1) seems to be different, so let’s assume that all ability values at level 1 are 10.

You are an average fictional explorer with all 10 of each ability at level 1.

Dividing the maximum value of Agility (2,500,000) by 10 gives us 250,000.

The minimum value of Defense is 100,000, divided by 10 is 10,000.

Only “Defense” is close to the level of 9999 of an all-10 player, but if we look at “Agility,” it is equivalent to the level of 250,000.

I heard that the world’s No. 1 level player recently reached 20,000.

Level 250,000 is more than twelve times higher than the world’s No. 1.

Not only is this impossible, but the fact that the estimated level varies widely from 10,000 to 250,000 is also worrisome.

In this world’s leveling system, the ability values do not vary so much.

“Is there a different way to calculate the increase in ability values when leveling up?”

According to the rules of this world, the increase in skill value at level-up is based on the base skill value plus a bonus for each profession.

For example, if you are a Magic Swordsman,

MP +2, STR +1, INT +2, MND +2, DEX +1, AGI +1

The total is 9.

In other words, if you are a Magic Swordsman, you will gain 9 points for every 1 level up.

・The 9 ability scores are increased by 10 each according to the base ability stats.

・The bonus correction of a Magic Swordsman increases the total of each item by 9.

The ability value increases by.

If the nine values are not divided into separate items, the total is 10✕9 + 9, or 99.

At this rate, if you raise your level to 9999, you will get…

“…Yeah, that’s a pain in the ass.”

Let’s round up the numbers and say you level up to 10,000, with a total increase of 100 per level.

Even in this case, the total increase for all items is only one million.

However, in the case of the bug, there are three individual items that exceed the one million mark.

“I was in a job with an unusually high skill bonus when I leveled up… Or something like that?”

…Is such a thing possible?

While thinking about it, I opened the details screen of the Magic Swordsman.

Job──────────────────

Magic Swordsman Rank S

“I want to see both the North Star and the Southern Cross.”

～The Magic Swordsman is either an insatiable power-seeker who pursues two opposing paths or a fool who does not know his place.

The Magic Swordsman is a job that combines sword and magic for high offensive power in any situation.

The Magic Swordsman is a wielder of the “Magic Sword,” a sword with various magical effects, and can instantly deliver deadly firepower by efficiently striking the enemy’s weak points.

Compared to jobs that specialize only in swords or only in magic, they are comparable to sword and magic wielders.

While STR and INT are easy to increase, HP and VIT are difficult to increase, and the more they increase, the more vulnerable they become to being hit.

To make the most of your isolated firepower, it is important to take the lead on the battlefield and force the enemy to evolve in your favor.

◇Ability

Rondo of Magic Sword.

By alternating sword and magic, the power of all attacks, the speed of magic chants, and the consumption of magic MP are greatly increased.

This effect is cumulative.

The accumulation of the effect is cancelled by one of the following events: the use of the magic sword, the failure of the chain, or the end of the battle.

If a magic sword is used during a chain, its power dramatically increases according to the number of previous chains.

◇Support Ability

Strategic Ambiguity.

It can enhance the effect of subordinate spells that are not set as the main spell to a certain extent. This support ability is always effective, even if Magic Swordsman is not set as the main job.

◇Unique Bonus

Compared to the normal Magic Swordsman,

Able to use all types of swords, including dual-wielding.

The critical hit rate is quite high, and in rare cases, the target is killed instantly when a critical hit occurs.

When critical hits occur in rapid succession, the damage dealt is greatly increased (this effect is cumulative).

Critical hits also occur with magic.

All attacks have an extremely high hit rate.

Magic chanting speed is exceptionally fast, and magic can be invoked without chanting at a significant cost in power.

The speed of natural MP regeneration is quite fast.

There is a tendency toward this.

◇Level-up Bonus

The following bonuses are added to the ability increase at level-up.

MP +2, STR +1, INT +2, MND +2, DEX +1, AGI +1

─────────────────────

The level-up bonuses are listed at the end.

Each skill has a total bonus of 9.

This is the same for every advanced job identified so far.

For the basic professions such as Swordsman and Magician, the total bonus is 7.

For advanced jobs such as Magic Swordsman, the total is 9.

No profession has been found that deviates from this rule.

“There is a rumor that there may be more jobs… in addition to the higher-level jobs.”

No, that’s still impossible.

Even if there were, the trend of the law would suggest that the total level-up bonus would probably be 11.

There is no way that level 9999 would have that ability value.

“No, wait. What am I thinking?”

If it’s just a bug, the numbers don’t mean much.

There was a news story about a guy who was arrested after a bug in the bank’s system caused his bank account information to go haywire, and he got lucky and withdrew a lot of money.

In video games, there is a bug where the amount of money you have is maxed out due to a negative overflow.

This bug-like ability value? It could be a meaningless number, just for show.

And yet, I wondered, “What kind of researcher was I with that ability stat?” I’m seriously thinking about it, even calculating it on the edge of my notebook.

I thought things like, “Is the calculation itself wrong?” But what and why are you saying it’s different from what it was in the first place?

Are you thinking as if you are convinced of the existence of another system, different from the system of this world…

“…This skill thing doesn’t make any sense either, does it?”

In the system of this world, “jobs” are given to explorers.

Each job has its own unique set of skills.

These skills are organically related, and it is not as if only certain techniques or magic can be taken out as “skills.”

Of course, some skills are called “fireball” or “all-out strike,” but those are just names for convenience in party communication.

If you are a mage, you will deepen your understanding of magical phenomena through training and combat and create your own form of magic that is easy to use.

It is not like RPG spells where you just shout a certain word, and the effect is automatically triggered.

“It’s not the same as abilities…”

Jobs have abilities and supporting abilities.

For my mage, it would be Switching Alone… no, now it’s Rondo of the Magic Sword.

Support is still the same with Strategic Ambiguity.

These effects may be similar to the “skills” we think of in game terms, but they are more like passive support effects than techniques or magic.

“Oh God, I don’t get it. What the hell is this…?”

It’s not safe to go into dungeons with these unstable stats, is it?

I need to change the party’s exploration plan…

There was no urgent quest, as I recall…

“…Shiki. Kurashiki!”

“Y-yes.”

Realizing that the teacher had called my name, I hastily hid my phone and looked up.

The teacher didn’t scold me but looked worried,

“What’s wrong? You look pale.”

“R-really…?”

“I think you should go to the infirmary to rest.”

“N-no… Ah, no.”

The first “no” is a denial that there is no need, and the next “no” is another denial.

If I look so pale that the teacher can see it, maybe I should take the day off.

The fact is that my head is a mess.

If you look closely, you can see that my body doesn’t seem to be in the best shape either.

It is as if my body is falling apart.

Or maybe my emotions have split into several pieces.

I feel like the consistency or integrity of who I am is shaky.

If that’s the case, then I’m in really bad shape.

The fact that I’m an explorer and I haven’t noticed anything wrong with it until now is the best proof that it’s in bad shape.

“…I’m sorry. I’m not feeling well, so I’m going to the infirmary.”

“Okay. Do you need someone to go with you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

I grabbed my bag and left the classroom.