NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14.1
Chapter 14.1. Outer Town
Two more days after that. With the large rat cores steadily gathering, Sakimori returned to his home to summon the store.
“So this is what happens to F-rank rare cores?”
I groaned as I looked at the store’s list. Skills and items are projected all over the place, but one thing interests me.
[Status 100 Up Potion F (Total Status 300 Limit): 1 Rare F-Core]
“What do you think this means, Shizuku?”
[Yes, that’s right. It is simple. It would mean when your overall status exceeds 300, you can’t raise your status with this potion].
Floating around, the beautiful girl tells me without thinking as she floats. My guess is something like that.
“That’s right. So you’re saying I can’t use this potion to raise my status endlessly? Well, I guess it’s inevitable.”
I chuckle because our status can’t be raised endlessly with the initial rare core, like a backdoor trick. That’s well thought out.
I put the red glowing core into the store and replace it. With a clunk, a long, thin can appear. It looks like an energy drink.
I opened the pull tab and drank it in one gulp. It tasted like orange juice. It was cold, slightly sweet, and quite tasty.
[You decide easily, don’t you? I think you had some other interesting skills or something?]
I nodded to Shizuku, who tilted her head cutely with a tingling.
“Status is the basis of everything. Especially since mana is what I need.”
The status board opened and displayed that I should assign points. Hmmm?
I did this.
Mana 100 -> 150
Stamina 10 -> 20
Strength 10 -> 20
Dexterity 10 -> 20
Magic 10 -> 30
[What, you’re not going to specialize in mana?]
The girl asks with a questioning look. Perhaps she thought it was all about mana. However, I must raise the status to average, because of what’ll happen in the future. There will be dangerous enemies only with the amount of mana I have. And I don’t intend to end up weak.
“Ah. To become stronger, I need to raise my overall status, right?”
Softly, particles of darkness cover Sakimori’s body. The body’s senses feel a little sharper. Especially with the increase in magic power, the mana consumed and the feeling of increased power are naturally recognizable.
[I am like this]
Mana 50
Stamina 30→60
Strength 30 -> 60
Dexterity 20 -> 60
Magic 10
Shizuki shows her status. Physical specialization with magic power was left out.
“Next time, you’ll have to raise your magic power too, or you won’t be able to resist magic, okay?”
If it were a game, the pattern would be good at the beginning but suffer from abnormal conditions in the second half.
[I understand. With my low status, I figured we wouldn’t need more magic power yet].
“You say that like it’s a game you’ve played once. I see.”
If it’s a game you’ve played once, you won’t fail in assigning status. Such are the words of Shizuku-san, who has many secrets.
But here’s what I’ve found out.
“Humanity is too weak. Status 300 max and F rank. I’m in trouble.”
Status 300 max. In other words, it is the same as being told that the strongest is F rank. Humanity’s overall status is 140 overall even for me who is training. There is a degree of severity. F rank is at the level of a goblin or a large mouse. It makes me cry.
“Well, that’s good. I’ve doubled my status, but I don’t feel like I’ve doubled my strength. And I’ve decided that I’m going to keep a low profile and level up.”
I hope the time comes when I can step on the gas pedal.
Now, let’s go see the kids.
After finished raising my status, I decided to get heavy and head out.
The outer town. It’s a town section where those who can pay taxes live. The outer town encompasses Tama from Adachi-ku near the center of Tokyo to Kanagawa Prefecture. It has a dam, a port, and a thriving fishing industry in Tokyo Bay, where the dungeon has improved the environment at a stroke.
It’s easy to get in and out. Unlike the inner town. However, if you fail to show your housing certificate to the military police at night, you will be immediately dumped in an abandoned town. You could get beaten to a pulp. In the worst case, you become a corpse. Therefore, the residents of the abandoned town can’t live there.
A ten-meter-long wall made of barracks joined together runs through the building and goes on and on. Inside the building is a watchtower, where a soldier with an assault rifle stands bored and absentmindedly patrolling, a machine gun is placed by the gate, and a searchlight is set up, turned off because it is daytime.
The door into the outer town is narrow and open. There, lined up in a row with tired expressions, were many people from the abandoned town, who looked more shabby than shabby.
The residents of the abandoned town bring everything from trash to jewelry. They’re allowed to pass through because of the variety of things they bring. Of course, they have no way to handle jewelry. They don’t bring anything because they exchanged it for a few days’ worth of groceries, and sold it for two or three bits and pieces. What they do bring are books and other small, neat goods.
Among them, Sakimori was visiting with his children. Soldiers are standing in front of the gate, conducting a formal checkpoint. People from the abandoned town lined up to go through the gate. There would be those from the outer town, too.
I bit back a sigh of relief that it’d take a little longer.
“Boss. Are we being watched?”
The boy, the leader of the kids, asks me, and I sniffle in a bored way. Of course not. How could they not be paying attention?
“Look at the way you’re wearing your clothes.”
“Huh? Um, …….”
The boy looks at his appearance in confusion, wondering if something is wrong with it, but he doesn’t seem to understand.
“Jun-chan. Clothes, clothes. We’re different from the people around us. They might all smell …….”
With a “kuikui”, the quiet girl tugs on the leader boy’s sleeve and tells him.
“Huh? Hana? Sure stinks buh.”
She drops her fist on the leader boy’s head with a thud. You’ll shorten your life if you say everything you feel. Some guys try to fight to keep up appearances. I’m not going to fight for anything to put those guys away.
“Because you took a bath and became beautiful, my nose became normal. Shut up a little.”
She glares at him with some force.