To the Shopping Mall

Well then...

Before entering the shopping mall, I recover the wrecked cars, rocks, and other things I used in battle.

Unlike water, these can be reused as weapons.

I need to retrieve them all properly.

Of course, I don't forget the High Orc's magic stone and weapons, either.

Apparently, Ichinose-san left without touching any of them.

"...It's big."

I pick up the magic stone the High Orc dropped.

It is clearly larger than the magic stones from the monsters I've encountered before.

It's about the size of a fist.

When I put it in the Item Box, it displays 'Rufen's Magic Stone.'

"'Rufen'...?"

I thought it would say 'Orc's Magic Stone,' but I guess not?

Rufen... Could that be the High Orc's name?

Come to think of it, I feel like I heard that word just before I passed out.

A Named Monster.

Even in games, it's a standard rule that monsters with names are strong.

Thinking of it that way, the High Orc's strength makes sense.

Honestly, after being chased around and nearly dying, I can't help but find it utterly unreasonable.

"Should we move on?"

I'll think about it later.

I don't know when another monster might attack.

The Shadow Wolf pack worries me too, so we'd better get inside.

"Oops..."

Perhaps because of my fatigue, I stagger and nearly trip over my own feet.

"Woof."

Momo comes over and supports me with its 'Shadow.'

What a kind dog. It's so comforting.

When I pet it to thank it, Momo narrows its eyes contentedly.

"...(shakes)"

Aka, disguised as my clothes, is trembling anxiously as well.

"I'm fine. Come on, shall we go?"

With Momo and Aka cheering me up, we enter the shopping mall.

"...This is awful."

As expected, the inside of the shopping mall is in a terrible state.

The walls and floors are damaged, and merchandise lies scattered across the floor, trampled underfoot.

The lights are off, making it dim and extremely eerie.

"There don't seem to be any monsters..."

'Enemy Search' detects nothing, and I don't sense that 'bad feeling,' either.

The Orcs that High Orc was leading must have all gone toward the home improvement store. Honestly, that's a relief.

I want to avoid fighting while I'm in this exhausted state.

Oh, but I need to watch out for Mimics.

Those monsters can slip past 'Enemy Search' and 'Danger Sense.'

I make my way through the mall with the utmost caution.

There is a pile of corpses.

They must be people who failed to escape in time.

They were all gathered in one place and piled up carelessly.

Some of the bodies even appear to belong to the Self-Defense Forces.

I walk past them with feelings I can't put into words.

I've gotten completely used to corpses over these past three days.

That may also be due to my increased 'Stress Resistance.'

Actually, without this Skill, this sight would have left me traumatized.

"What an awful thing to get used to..."

Just looking at corpses is enough to cause this much stress.

If I ever killed someone, how much stress would I be under?

I don't want to imagine it.

I pass the pile of corpses and continue walking through the store.

"For now, this should do."

"Woof."

I sit on a bench facing an entrance different from the one we came through.

If anything happens, I can escape immediately from here.

I want to replenish our supplies and explore the store, but first there's something I need to do.

Check my status.

I missed part of the voice from heaven because I passed out, so I want to check exactly what changed.

I think my level went up by three.

I gained three levels from defeating that High Orc.

Should I see it as gaining three levels for defeating a single monster, or as gaining only three despite surviving such a deadly battle...?

For now, I open the status screen.

Kudo Kazuto

Level 16

HP: 40/130

MP: 16/16

Strength: 98

Endurance: 94

Agility: 254

Dexterity: 223

Magic: 0

Magic Resistance: 0

SP: 63

JP: 36

Job

Assassin Lv. 9

Hunter Lv. 6

Unique Skill

Early Bloomer

■■■■

Skills

Silent Movement Lv. 5, Night Vision Lv. 3, Vital Strike Lv. 3, Presence Concealment Lv. 6, Appraisal Interference Lv. 3

Enemy Search Lv. 7, Telescopic Vision Lv. 3, Agility Enhancement Lv. 7, Dexterity Enhancement Lv. 4

Observation Lv. 9, Keen Hearing Lv. 4,

Physical Enhancement Lv. 9, Swordsmanship Lv. 4, Stress Resistance Lv. 6, Fear Resistance Lv. 8, Poison Resistance Lv. 1, Paralysis Resistance Lv. 2, Virus Resistance Lv. 1, Heat Resistance Lv. 1, Provocation Resistance Lv. 1, HP Auto-Recovery Lv. 1, Hostility Detection Lv. 6, Danger Sense Lv. 9, Concealment Lv. 2, Escape Lv. 4, Defensive Instinct Lv. 1, Item Box Lv. 10, Email Lv. 2, Concentration Lv. 3

Party Members

Momo

Assassin Dog Lv. 3

Aka

Red Slime Lv. 9

As expected, my SP has increased by 60 points, and my JP by 30.

Momo and Aka's levels have gone up, too.

My overall stats have increased quite a bit as well.

'Strength' and 'Endurance' are both about to reach triple digits.

And my HP is dangerously low.

Apparently, I still haven't fully recovered.

I need to get some proper rest.

But before that, there is one thing that concerns me more.

The Unique Skill section.

This part beneath Early Bloomer.

■■■■

What in the world is this?

It definitely wasn't there before I fought the High Orc.

Since it appears in the Unique Skill section, I assume it must be some kind of 'Skill,' but...

I click on it, but nothing happens.

Even when I try to raise its level mentally by spending SP, nothing happens.

"What does this mean?"

Come to think of it, just before I passed out, I feel like the voice from heaven said something about a 'Defeat Bonus.' Could this be the Skill I acquired then?

But if so, why can't I view it?

It is clearly different from the Skills I've acquired up to now.

It's bothering me...

But there is nothing I can do if I can't view it.

Until now, I could more or less guess what my Skills and Jobs did from their names, but in this state, I'm completely at a loss.

Since I don't know how to investigate it, I'll put it on hold for now.

First, I'll allocate my JP and SP as usual.

In particular, my 'Assassin' Job will reach Lv. 10 this time.

If it works the same way it did with 'Spy,' an Advanced Job should be unlocked.

I immediately spend 10 JP to raise my 'Assassin' level.

Now, what will happen?

I wait for the voice from heaven with my heart pounding.

≪Assassin's level has reached its limit.≫

≪Advanced Jobs and Variant Jobs are now available for selection.≫

≪The Third Job has been unlocked.≫

≪Advanced Job 'Killer' has been unlocked.≫

≪Advanced Job 'Executioner' has been unlocked.≫

≪Advanced Job 'Ninja' has been unlocked.≫

≪You have met the required conditions for a Job.≫

≪Variant Job 'Hidden Weapon User' has been unlocked.≫

≪Variant Job 'Fugitive' has been unlocked.≫

≪Variant Job 'Courier' has been unlocked.≫

≪Variant Job 'Shadow Figure' has been unlocked.≫

The Advanced Jobs and Variant Jobs are presented once again.

Now, which one should I choose...?