Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 244

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TL: ALT

Chapter 244 – Asylum Guide Part 2

If I had to compare Asylum to something, it would be a nuclear fallout shelter.

Shelters built to protect citizens in the event of an apocalyptic nuclear war are equipped with all the infrastructure and functions necessary for human life.

Now, even if you managed to survive in an underground shelter in a world where an apocalyptic nuclear war has occurred, I think there would still be the question of what to hope for in life.

Asylum is similar to a nuclear shelter in that it involves a harsh struggle, but compared to a nuclear war, there is still some hope.

The fact that this hope depends almost entirely on my efforts is an enormous burden for me.

When I first started going to the dungeon, I can’t deny that I was somewhat self-destructive.

I thought that if I just stayed cooped up like this, my life would be over anyway. I didn’t have anything to lose, so I decided to take a one-in-a-million chance.

But now, it’s not just my own life that’s at stake.

It’s the people from another world I’ve taken in at the Asylum. The outside collaborators who help run the Asylum. And, of course, my friends who are more than just friends, like Serika, Honoka-chan, Haruka-san, and Haitani-san.

To be honest, it’s incredibly heavy.

The weight is so great that I feel like I might collapse.

Everyone’s expectations are so heavy that I often feel like running away.

If Serika believed in me and everyone supported me, I could keep going no matter what—it would sound cool if I could say that, but the reality isn’t that simple.

If I’m under such immense pressure all the time, I’ll burn out eventually.

Even if I had the best girlfriend like Serika, if the stress was too much, I’d break down when the time came.

That’s the human limit, I know from experience.

“I don’t intend to make the Asylum a permanent institution. It’s only meant to be a temporary refuge.

After spending the morning touring the Asylum, I talk to Shaina.

We are in the cafeteria near the Escape Crystal in the center of the Asylum.

The interior of the room, almost entirely taken from a shuttered cafe in the city, makes it easy to forget that we are underground.

“We call each group a ‘department’ instead of something more formal like ‘division’ or ‘section’ because we don’t want it to sound too serious. If we use ‘division,’ it sounds like a set organization. Anything catches your interest?”

“They’re all interesting, but I’m curious about the Research Department.”

“I thought so.”

The Research Department is a group that does basic research for the Dungeon.

Sometimes, I ask them questions about things I’ve wondered about while exploring dungeons, and sometimes, they choose research topics based on their own interests.

People in this world tend to view people from other worlds as less civilized.

But they come from a world where magic is real.

Their deep insight into magic is something that people on Earth, who are used to simple methods such as skills and stats, do not have.

Among those I have protected are long-lived races, such as elves, whose vast knowledge has left me speechless.

Speaking of elves, I am also worried about Haruka-san.

Haruka-san’s position as a special government spokesperson is probably a condition for Honoka-chan’s legal status.

The fact that Haruka-san, who was once detained as an illegal immigrant, is now in such an important position can only be explained by some kind of deal.

They must know that I’m protecting Honoka-chan, but all I can do is hide her with my own power.

Honoka-chan must have a status recognized by the government in order to get a proper education, get a job, and live in this country.

Haruka-san also has a tendency to have mental symptoms unique to long-lived elves.

It seems that there is no difference between elves’ and humans’ minds in terms of “lifespan” and that living for a long time causes their emotions to wear away.

I learned this from overhearing a conversation between Clovis and Haruka-san.

Haruka-san is trying to hide this from Honoka-chan, so I haven’t told her either.

I consulted with a magician in the research department about this problem of mental wear and tear among elves, and they agreed to make it a subject of study.

…Well, there have been no significant results yet.

“At first, I was very confused by the unique status system of this world,” Shaina said.

“The mechanism of dividing various abilities into skills and ‘buying’ them by paying SP is unnatural to the way this world works.”

“That’s right.”

According to the Phantom Dragon Kudave that I summoned with Phantom Beast Summoning, this is due to the translation effect of the world.

When foreign concepts like dungeons and magic were introduced into this world, they were “translated” into similar concepts that already existed in this world, namely game-like systems.

“I’ve always been interested in this, but until now, I’ve been too busy exploring to have time to study it.”

“I’m curious about it, too. It would be great if Shaina, an excellent magician, would take an interest and study it.”

“I am honored. But I think Yuto-san knows more about it than I do.”

“Do you think so?”

“Yes. I was surprised to see something like a skill vending machine installed as if it were the most natural thing in the world.”

Shaina pointed to a machine in a corner of the cafeteria.

It was a modified version of the analog vending machines found in gyudon restaurants and student cafeterias, but instead of selling meal tickets, it sold skills.

Sword Technique Revision SP 90, Fire Magic Revision SP 90, HP Enhancement+ SP 90…

As you can see, it was a skill vending machine.

“Yeah, it’s convenient, right? I think it’s well made.”

The ability to grant skills to others is a recent development.

While the Skill Grant skill, which allows you to grant skills to items, has been around for a while, the ability to grant skills directly to others was not available until recently.

Since I started creating unique skills, I’ve come to understand the “structure” of skills intuitively.

It’s hard to put this feeling into words.

I used to think of skills as a single unit, like color blocks.

I thought that stats were created by combining those color blocks.

There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but recently, I’ve come to understand something deeper.

What kind of structure do the color blocks have, and what are they made of?

In short, I can now see the internal structure of skills.

“Skills seem like solid, concrete things, but they’re not. They’re concepts of abilities like magic or martial arts that have been abstracted and solidified. However, this solidification is quite crude, and if you look closely, there’s some waste. By removing this waste, we can improve the performance of the skills while reducing the SP required to acquire them.”

“That’s an incredible story, but how is it possible to give these improved skills to others so easily?”

“As I improved my skills, I came to understand the process by which skills are implanted in a person’s soul. I think my experience as a Dungeon Master giving skills to monsters probably played a role.

Starting with Mini Slimes, monsters created using the Dungeon Master’s powers can be given any skill in exchange for a cost.

Over the past few months, I’ve created a number of monsters to help with Asylum security, exploration, protecting people from other worlds, and assisting the research department.

I also have a support ability for heroes called “Your Own World” that I received from Splefnir.

It emulates the system of the job world while preventing interference from the system of this world.

I’m the only one in this world who can use magic and other mysterious abilities without being affected by the skill system.

No prefabricated skill blocks, just raw abilities as they are.

Even for people from the other world, once they gain status in this world, it’s difficult to use their abilities without being affected by the skill system.

“I’m beginning to understand how the people of Spring Raven manipulate their abilities without skills.”

Skills are like training wheels on a bike.

They’re convenient when you’re not good at riding, but they get in the way once you learn how to ride.

Of course, some people may take longer to learn to ride a bike without training wheels.

But if it’s a special skill, like magic, you might not be able to do anything without training wheels.

“I have lost the conscious need to use skills. When I want to do something, I naturally get the same result as if I had used a skill.”

Riding a bike is a skill, but you don’t need that skill as a status to ride a bike.

“You’ve transcended the rules of this world, haven’t you?”

“It’s not that amazing. If I get stabbed, I’ll just… not die.”

Various resurrection abilities that were previously treated as Survive, Revive, or unique job bonuses can now be activated without conscious effort.

If I want to come back to life, I can do it in various ways, like riding a bike.

If it’s not something big, I can activate magic without even thinking about it.

The content of the spells is not defined by skills, but I can create phenomena exactly as I imagine them.

I use magic to heat my cold coffee and Shaina’s tea.

It doesn’t take much magic, but that kind of fine-tuning is impossible with pre-built skills.

The problem is that no one else can copy it.

It’s so intuitive that even I can’t explain how to do it properly.

Instead, I provide improved skills from the skill vending machine for others to use in their exploration.

Exploration efficiency is important for the cultivation of Escape Crystals.

“With such power, why are you hiding underground? I think you could even become a king if you wanted to, Yuto-san.”

“I don’t want to change society by force. I want to expose Tozaki’s deception in a way that everyone can accept. That’s why I’m in the Asylum.”

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