Chapter 36: 1 UP

When we arrived at the City Lord’s mansion, two soldiers stood at the gate. So I speak to the soldiers for the time being.

“I heard that the lord is looking for us. If there is no inconvenience, I would like to offer a visit.”

“…Are you guys the rumored Homeless?”

I showed the card from the guild to the soldier. This card is just like ID cards so they are very useful in such cases.

“An advanced adventurer’s card huh. There’s no doubt about it, wait here for a while.”

One of the soldiers goes inside the mansion. The City Lord’s mansion was surrounded by a fence and the garden was overgrown with trees. You can’t really see where the mansion is exactly from the gate. Vaguely thinking about that, the soldier came back along with a maid.

“Homeless, right? Please follow me.”

The maid bows before us and guides us inside the place. The garden is large after all. I could see many flowers as well as trees.

“The City Lord seems to like growing plants huh.”

“Yes, Lord-sama is a very kind person. Please do not be rude.”

It turns out that the maid has great trust in the City Lord. I wonder why the City Lord was looking for us, it’s not like he should reward the people who saved the capital…

We then arrived at the mansion within a few minutes of walking. It is small compared to the Duke’s residence in the Royal Capital but it is still quite large. The maid does not go to the entrance but leads us to the back of the mansion.

“Master, I have brought the guests.”

There was a man in the backyard. He is watering the flowers silently with a watering can. As if the maid perceived something, she sat down in the chair in the backyard and prepared tea at the table. She’s an excellent maid as she can work even without being instructed anything.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

The man appears to be an old man, but his body is slim and his head has grizzled hair. Like a nobleman, he had a beard under his nose and a monocle on his left eye.

“These sweets are delicious.”

“Sweets, delicious.”

Erna and Pero were eating the sweets on the table. I wanted to say that neither of them was nervous but this backyard is indeed relaxing.

“Sorry, I’ve kept you waiting.”

The Lord finally sits on a chair. His hoarse voice is composed and it gives a sense of security to the person with whom he speaks to. That made me nervous. I had the impression that he was completely different from the people I had met.

“You don’t have to remember my name. But please remember me even as the poor Lord of this city.”

“Still… that would be rude…”

“No, I don’t mind. Call me Mana Lord or any way you want.”

I decided to call him City Lord-dono for the time being. He feels different from the nobles I have seen so far after all. The City Lord sips on the tea brought by the maid and begins to speak slowly.

“I was looking for you guys because of the sacred beast there.”

“Pero?”

“Yes, this Lord wants you to stay in this city. What do you think?”

“It doesn’t matter to me but we’re living inside Mohed’s Great Labyrinth, not in this city. I’ll have to refuse you if you intend for us to live inside the city.”

The lord spews out the tea he was trying to put in his mouth once more.

“E-Excuse me. Rather than that, you guys live in that worst labyrinth?”

“Yeah, I can’t say where but we’re definitely living there.”

He looked up at the sky and took a deep breath, probably because he wasn’t expecting that kind of reply. Well normally, no one would think of living inside the Great Labyrinth. If it’s on Earth, it’s like you’re living in the middle of Savanna. And you wouldn’t be considered sane.

“Let’s leave it at that for now. More than that, what I care about is on what you guys think of this city.”

“I think this is a good city. For now, I’m not going to go anywhere.”

“Then, that’s good. That’s all I really want to happen.”

The lord relaxed when he sees Pero eating sweets.

“It is said that the sacred beast is a guardian deity. People can live with peace of mind just by knowing that there’s a sacred beast in the city. By all means, I would like you guys to continue to stay in this city.”

Finally, I understood the purpose of the City Lord. It seems that he is trying to keep us in this city. Being asked by a noble and a ruler of Mana City, I can understand that this is extraordinary even if I have little common sense. Sacred beast is such an incredible creature.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

“I like this city. I’m going to make this City my main activity base unless somewhere really good exists.”

“I’m happy just from hearing that. Of course, I have high expectation not only from the sacred beast but from Homeless itself. Ah, I’m very grateful for the Pseudo dragon’s case too.”

The lord bowed his head. Erna who sees such a figure speaks in a hurry.

“N-No. Stop it City Lord-dono. We just did what we could, you don’t have to bow to us.”

“It’s okay. If I can show my appreciation by lowering this old man’s head, I’ll lower it as much as possible.”

I finally realized what is different about the City Lord of Mana from the other nobles. His temperament is similar to Japanese people. He is old and yet he still has a solid core. I have seen many office workers like that and the person in front of me feels like that too. Of course, the City Lord is white. It is only until that part that he is somehow similar.

“I’m glad I talked to you today. If you have any problems, come visit me.”

The lord smiles and sees us off. While being guided by the maid and trying to get out of the backyard, I turned around and asked the City Lord. It’s not because I was wondering about something else, I just wanted to hear it.

“Does the City Lord know Japan…?”

“I don’t know such country.”

“I see… I’m sorry.”

After we got out of the gate, we walked back to the dungeon.

“The City lord is a kind person after all.”

“That’s right.”

“The sweets were delicious too.”

“That’s right.”

Erna and Pero talk to each other, but I have been thinking about the previous thing in my head. When I asked if he knew Japan, the City Lord instantly answered that he did not know such a country. No matter how I think of it, I found it strange. It’s not like I said “Do you know what country Japan is?”

The City Lord is clearly hiding something!

“Oh my! Isn’t this Tanaka-kun?! You are back huh!”

It was a female adventurer who called out to me. I don’t know her name, but she is famous in this City because she wears a bikini-like protective clothing as she works. Well, we are acquainted enough so we can talk in public.

“You’re here again without any qualms at all!”

Erna readied her cane. The female adventurer put her hands on her hips and thrust her big chest forward.

“What? Are you going to interrupt me again?”

“I’m going to do that! I will never let you have your way!”

Hmmm, I’m not sure what they’re up to, but it seems that they’ve been competing against each other a few times already based from their conversation. More than that, the matter about the City Lord can’t be taken off my mind.

“Why, can you even puff-puff the man I took a liking to?”

W-What!? Puff–puff!? That can’t be ignored!

If I look closely, she’s a considerable beauty. Puff-puff would surely be nice too. Kukuku

“Shinichi-!?”

When I heard that cold voice, I instantly regained my sanity. What was I doing? I can’t believe that I’m fooled by that puff-puff.

“Tsk! You’re a hindrance again. I’m backing down today but I won’t give up next time!”

“I’ll deliberately hinder you as many times as you do. Next time, I’ll turn your chest into charcoal!”

Then the female adventurer leaves.

Puff–puff… My puff–puff…

“Let’s go! We’ll go home after we hunt outside the city, so pull yourself together!”

“Y-Yes…”

I forgot what I was worried about and decided to go outside the city.

◇

“Waauuu!”

Pero runs through the grassland at full speed, the magical beast that sensed the danger fly into the sky and escaped. Once again, it’s a failure.

“They didn’t say that Fly Rabbit’s danger detection was in an advanced level!”

As Erna had said, this flying beast called Fly Rabbit flies into the sky as soon as it senses danger. Even though they looked just like a rabbit, they have this bat wings on them.

“We need a bow to stop it then.”

“That’s right, that’s what I was saying from the beginning! Fly rabbits are vigilant as long as they’re on the ground, so if we can’t stop them before flying in the sky, they’ll quickly escape.”

Convinced by Erna’s words, I tried to take out the old wooden bow on the bangle. Then one question popped out. This bangle… Can I really be the only one who can use it?

Of course I’m the sole owner but I thought that it would be possible for others to use it if I gave out my permission. I have to make sure of this or it could be my loss. To know whether it is possible or impossible, isn’t it important for living?

In my mind, I gave permission for Erna to use it. Then words appeared in my field of view.

【Will you give Erna Frederia the permission to use the storage? YES/NO】

My heart jumped. This bangle appears to be better than expected. I did not hesitate to choose YES.

“Hey Shinichi, something like a status appeared in front of me…”

“That’s the bangle’s screen. Try choosing the old wooden bow.”

Erna was still baffled but she chose the old wooden bow. The next moment, she had a bow in her hand. What’s amazing about it is that Erna can take out the things inside even though I was the one wearing the bangle.

“This… does this mean that I can use the storage?”

“In a nutshell, I would say so. From now on, you should be able to freely move the weapons in and out of the bangle.”

“It’s such a handy tool.”

She squeezes her bow with admiration. Then she shot an arrow. The wind arrow changes its trajectory greatly and hits the head of the flying fly rabbit as if it’s only natural to hit it.

“I’m not yet done!”

Erna fired arrows one after another, shooting down the fly rabbits trying to fly away. She’s too good at it so I checked her status.

【Appraisal Result: Erna Frederia: The second daughter of the Frederia family. Her dream is to become a Great Mage so she studies magic until late at night. 】

【Status】 Name:  Erna Frederia Age:  19 years old Race:  Elves Occupation:  Adventurer Magic attribute:  Fire/ Light Magic:  Fireball, Fire Arrow, Flame Bomb, Flame Chain, Flame Wall, Flame Burst, Flare Zone, Illumination, Stan Light, Camouflage Skills: Spearmanship (Intermediate), Archery (Special) ↑, Taijutsu A(Advanced), Taijutsu B(Advanced), Hell Ear (Intermediate), Super Sensation (Beginner), Attack Prediction (Intermediate), Indomitable Spirit (Intermediate) ↑

Archery had reached a special level. It also appears that the indomitable spirit had become an intermediate level. I think her growth rate is extraordinary.

In this world, it turns out that it takes years to raise the level of skills. Thinking about it, I realize how abnormal I and Erna are. It may be because of our daily intake of Saint Water, but Erna’s growth is still outstanding. It’s as if her growth that had been stopped until now was recovered.

……No, actually it should only be like that.

Because I pushed the yellow acupuncture point on her, Erna’s delayed growth may have bloomed all at once. Looking at her status, there is another thing that I’m curious about. There are additional magic skills. Flare Zone and Camouflage have been added and they are very intriguing.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

“Got the last one!”

Erna who shot down about ten fly rabbits has a big smile.

“Hey Erna. What kind of magic are Flare Zone and Camouflage?”

“Eh? Aah! You looked at my status without permission!”

“Sorry, I’m a little curious you see. Rather than that, what about the thing I asked?”

“I haven’t tried them yet. I know Camouflage is an intermediate level of light magic but it’s not an attack magic. But for Flare Zone, it’s a special rank of fire magic and as far as I know, it’s the most powerful attack magic. I can’t try it immediately considering its power you see.”

Flame burst is quite powerful already. If it far surpasses that, I can understand her cautiousness.

“Then, why not try it in a less crowded place tomorrow?”

“That sounds good. This is close to the city so I’m sure they will be surprised.”

As our conversation ends, Pero also offers the fly rabbits that he picked up to me. As I can see, it’s just a white rabbit that has bat wings.

Let’s use appraisal.

【Appraisal Result: Fly Rabbit: Has an extremely timid personality and when it escapes, it uses the wings on its back to fly in the sky. The flight time is not so long and it is said that the maximum time is one hour. 】

【Status】 Name:  Fly Rabbit Race:  Fly Rabbit Magic attribute:  Wind Magic:  Air ball Skills: Hearing enhancement (Special), Danger detection (Advanced), Skill 1UP

Skill 1 UP?

My body stiffened the moment I saw it. I don’t think it’s possible but it would be ridiculous if what I’m thinking is spot on. I picked up the skill first and acquired it then I opened my status.This is translated by Yume Neiji (yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com)

【Status】 Name:  Shinichi Tanaka Age:  17 years old (56 years old) Race:  Homeless (Variant) Occupation:  Adventurer Magic attribute:  No Attribute Magic:  None Skills: Appraisal (Advanced), Pressure Point (Advanced), Swordsmanship (Advanced), Axemanship (Advanced), Spearmanship (Advanced), Hammermanship (Advanced), Archery (Advanced), Taijutsu A(Advanced), Taijutsu B(Advanced), Stealth (Advanced), Thread Generation (Special), Thread Manipulation (Advanced), Thread Bomb (Special), Division(Beginner), Danger Detection (Advanced), Digestive Enhancement (Intermediate), Eyesight Enhancement(Advanced), Hearing Enhancement(Special) New, Arm Strengthening (Intermediate), Leg Strengthening (Advanced), Body Strengthening (Special), Super Sensation (Intermediate), Shock Absorption(Beginner),  Hardening(Advanced), Self Recovery (Intermediate), Plant manipulation (Advanced), Leadership (Special), Skill Picking, King’s Vessel, Skill 1UP New

This time I will try to use Skill 1UP.

【Skill 1UP will disappear after use, is that okay? YES/NO】

I choose YES without any hesitation. Right after that, my skills were listed in front of me and I am forced to choose only one skill to upgrade.

I chose Swordsmanship (Advanced).

【Status】 Name:  Shinichi Tanaka Age:  17 years old (56 years old) Race:  Homeless (Variant) Occupation:  Adventurer Magic attribute:  No Attribute Magic:  None Skills: Appraisal (Advanced), Pressure Point (Advanced), Swordsmanship (Special) ↑, Axemanship (Advanced), Spearmanship (Advanced), Hammermanship (Advanced), Archery (Advanced), Taijutsu A(Advanced), Taijutsu B(Advanced), Stealth (Advanced), Thread Generation (Special), Thread Manipulation (Advanced), Thread Bomb (Special), Division(Beginner), Danger Detection (Advanced), Digestive Enhancement (Intermediate), Eyesight Enhancement(Advanced), Hearing Enhancement(Special) New, Arm Strengthening (Intermediate), Leg Strengthening (Advanced), Body Strengthening (Special), Super Sensation (Intermediate), Shock Absorption(Beginner),  Hardening(Advanced), Self Recovery (Intermediate), Plant manipulation (Advanced), Leadership (Special), Skill Picking, King’s Vessel

Swordsmanship has changed from advanced to special grade. I have just improved my skills instantly. Thrilled about it, I acquired 1UP skill from the other fly rabbits that were defeated.

I used Skill 1UP ten times in total.

【Status】 Name:  Shinichi Tanaka Age:  17 years old (56 years old) Race:  Homeless (Variant) Occupation:  Adventurer Magic attribute:  No Attribute Magic:  None Skills: Appraisal (Special)↑, Pressure Point (Special)↑, Swordsmanship (Special), Axemanship (Special)↑, Spearmanship (Special)↑, Hammermanship (Special)↑, Archery (Special)↑, Taijutsu A(Special)↑, Taijutsu B(Special)↑,  Stealth (Special) ↑, Thread Generation (Special), Thread Manipulation (Advanced), Thread Bomb (Special), Division(Beginner), Danger Detection (Advanced), Digestive Enhancement (Intermediate), Eyesight Enhancement(Advanced), Hearing Enhancement(Special) New, Arm Strengthening (Intermediate), Leg Strengthening (Advanced), Body Strengthening (Special), Super Sensation (Intermediate), Shock Absorption(Beginner),  Hardening(Advanced), Self Recovery (Intermediate), Plant manipulation (Advanced), Leadership (Special), Skill Picking, King’s Vessel

My levelled up skills were appraisal, pressure point, swordsmanship, axemanship, spearmanship, hammermanship, archery, Taijutsu A, Taijutsu B and Stealth.

Can happiness be any better than this?

I’m glad that I got that skill up but becoming strong now turns to be a trivial thing. Well, in the first place, I am so lucky to have the ability to pick up skills.

Then the following words were displayed in my field of view.

【The conditions are met. Integrate skills to evolve.】

….Integration? Evolution?

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