Comparing Myself to Others

I arrived at the home improvement store.

I hid nearby and watched the situation.

"There are fewer guards than yesterday..."

...Two at the entrance.

Also, one of the guards isn't a student. He looks kind of old, and his clothes are different.

He's probably one of the evacuees.

Maybe he's one of the people who fought the monsters alongside the students yesterday.

So he leveled up, acquired a Skill, and was accepted as one of them?

"Should I get a little closer...?"

'Enemy Search' has leveled up, too. If I approach the wall now, I should be able to tell how many people are inside.

Thanks to 'Presence Concealment' and 'Silent Movement,' the guards don't seem to have noticed me.

I easily reached the same window I'd entered through yesterday.

"...There are considerably fewer people around."

I could sense at most five or six people within the range of 'Enemy Search.'

There were clearly fewer than yesterday.

Maybe they've expanded their search area because the supplies around here are running low?

Nishino-kun said something like that yesterday.

Come to think of it, I can't sense Nishino-kun, either...

Could he be out there, too?

He didn't seem like the type to take the lead in exploring, though...

"What should I do...?"

As far as I'm concerned, this is exactly what I was hoping for.

I should just take the supplies and get out, but...

After what happened yesterday, they're on alert, right...?

During yesterday's discussion, Nishino-kun had clearly been wary of the one who had taken the supplies—namely, me.

He had even suggested that I was highly likely to appear at the home improvement store.

He had announced it publicly in front of everyone—or, more precisely, the students.

Would it be all right to stroll in under those circumstances?

There's even a chance that someone leveled up in yesterday's monster battle and acquired a detection-type Skill.

Hmm, but since I've come all this way, it'd be a shame to leave empty-handed...

I have plenty to spare, honestly, thanks to getting some pretty good stuff at the construction site.

Thanks to acquiring the 'Preservation Function,' I won't have to worry about food anymore.

Maybe there's no need to get greedy and take a risk...

Or should I just take a little without being noticed?

There were gardening stakes and square timbers lying outside.

There was plenty around here, and nobody would notice if I helped myself to a little.

"―――...or... a Skill...―――..."

"...Huh?"

I heard voices from a short distance away.

I could also make out words like 'Skill' and 'Job.'

"The sales floor?"

Moving carefully along the wall, I realized that several people had gathered in one corner of the sales floor and were talking about something.

I made sure there was no one nearby, just in case. ...Looks clear.

I pressed my ear to the wall and activated 'Keen Hearing.'

"―――All right, let's go over this one more time. First, everyone, open your Status Plates. If you think 'Status' to yourself, it should appear."

"Whoa! It's true, it really appeared!"

"Huh? What are you talking about... It really appeared!?"

"What a strange board... How does it work?"

"Uh, we call it a Status Plate, for now. Other people can't see your own plate, so keep that in mind."

...This...

Could they be teaching Skills to the people who had leveled up?

Was the speaker one of the delinquent-looking students from yesterday?

I feel like someone with a voice like that had been among those guarding the entrance.

"I'll explain each section later, so first look at the Level, SP, and JP sections. Does everyone's Level display 1?"

The student asked the evacuees.

They didn't answer, but I assumed they were nodding.

"I think Nishino-san told you this yesterday, but anyone who kills one monster is guaranteed to reach Level 1. Once that happens, you'll be able to see this Status. You all heard a voice in your heads, right? 'You acquired experience points.'"

"Y-yeah... But what does that mean?"

"This is where it gets important, old man. Under those sections, there's one for SP and one for JP, right? You can use them to choose Skills and Jobs. Long story short, you'll gain the power to fight monsters."

"P-power to fight...?"

"That's right. You should have two SP and one JP. Everyone got that, right?"

"Y-yeah, I've got them."

"Me too..."

"Me too."

"With those, you can choose one Job and two Skills. Try clicking the Skill and Job sections. Those are the abilities and Jobs you can acquire."

The student asked them to confirm once again.

...Huh? Wait a second.

Two SP and one JP?

If I remember correctly, I had started with ten SP and ten JP each.

What's the difference?

Judging by the way he phrased it, there were no individual differences; everyone must have the same number of starting points.

Why do I have more points?

If I had to guess...

"―――Could it be the effect of 'Early Bloomer'...?"

An experience-point modifier (presumably) and increased point gains.

If those were the effects that 'Early Bloomer' granted—

"W-which one am I supposed to choose?"

"Um, I got options like 'Office Worker,' 'Citizen,' 'Adventurer,' and 'Golfer,' among others...?"

"Um... about the Skills section... I have a lot of options—"

"Er, all right, sorry, but could you write them down on paper? And don't lie, whatever you do. Nishino-san will be back before long, so you should discuss it with him and decide. Someone like him should make the best choice for surviving. For now, don't choose any Skills or Jobs on your own, okay?"

The evacuees continued discussing their Skills and Jobs with the student.

From what I heard, none of them seemed to have any rare Jobs or Skills.

No one had Item Box, either.

Could it be an extremely rare Skill?

Come to think of it, I hadn't had anything to compare myself with until now, so I couldn't say for sure, but could I actually be exceptionally lucky?

'Early Bloomer' and 'Item Box.'

I managed to acquire both of them right from the start.

"...Huh?"

'Enemy Search' reacted.

This presence... Is it Nishino-kun and the others?

Looks like they've returned.

I've gotten some pretty useful information. Time to head out.

I moved over and discreetly helped myself to a few gardening stakes and square timbers.

I left before the students could spot me.