“Thank you for waiting, everyone!”
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”
They booted up communications software, and said hello to the camera.
It had only been a day for Aki, but Maki had not attended a meeting in weeks.
‘Ooh, Aki and Maki. Looking cute as always!’
‘Thank you for coming. Don’t worry, the meeting hasn’t started yet.’
‘Welcome you two. It sounds like you had a tough time yesterday.’
“I didn’t.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
After they responded, the adults continued talking to them and welcoming them. Normally these two would be as attentive and flawless in their responses as Prince Shotoku Taishi, but today their hearts were not really there, and they seemed distracted even as the others spoke to them.
The other people in the meeting had no way of knowing this, but they felt like they were in heaven after Shouta’s confession. They were also late to the meeting because they were in a sort of daze until the alarm they set went off.
“Auu… Aki, can we get food delivered today? I don’t think I can cook right now.”
“Yes, sure. But wake up early tomorrow. You have to prepare Shouta’s lunch.”
“Yes, you’re right. I have to get it together.”
“Ah… But don’t you think he looked cooler than usual today?”
“Yes, my heart starts racing when I remember it.”
“Nihi. Mine too.”
They spoke fondly of the guy they liked with the microphone still on, drawing either jealous or congratulatory eyes from the adults.
And then, the final attendees arrived.
‘I’m sorry, did I keep you waiting?’
‘Oh, sorry for being late!’
‘Did I make it in time… Wait, I think I missed something important.’
Miki, the branch manager of a beginner dungeon, Youko, the branch manager of the Heart Dungeon, and the office chief of the Japanese dungeon association arrived. They saw the atmosphere in this meeting and the two girls who were unaware of it, and figured out what was going on.
‘Maki, Aki, leave it at that.’
“Ahe? When did you get here, mom?”
‘You can be as lovey-dovey as you want, but turn off the mic when you do.’
““…!?””
Miki ignored her daughters, whose faces turned red when they realized what was going on, and took the helm.
The others were surprised by the indifferent attitude of the doting parent, but also switched gears.
‘Well then, let’s start today’s meeting. Continuing the topic of discussion, there is the idea of learning the same skill multiple times, which was thought to be pointless, and the now under control incident in the Heart Dungeon.’
Miki operated her device as she sent the documents to everyone.
There were details about various skills. The data they already had, and what Shouta discovered.
Super Strength
Duration of effect: One minute
Time before it can be used again: Ten minutes
Effect: Physical Strength doubled
Super Strength II
Duration of effect: One minute and a half
Time before it can be used again: Nine minutes
Effect: Two point two times the Physical Strength
Swift: Triples speed during use. Further acceleration possible while running, to a maximum of five times. But an appropriate level of Intelligence is necessary to perceive things, and Constitution to handle the pressure, or there will be negative effects to the user’s body.
Swift II: Speed is multiplied by three point two during use. Further acceleration possible while running, to a maximum of five point two times. But an appropriate level of Intelligence is necessary to perceive things, and Constitution to handle the pressure, or there will be negative effects to the user’s body.
‘It’s mostly the same as what I sent yesterday, but there was a new discovery. The effect of Appraisal Lv5 that was a mystery for years. When used on adventurers who have learned the same skill more than once, it shows how many times they have done it past the first one, and how many more are needed to level up.’
‘Hou…’
‘That’s pretty valuable information. It gives a clear indication of the effect of learning the skill again.’
Several people received the information about this new use positively, but one man raised his hand, questioning what Miki said. He was called ‘elder’ in these meetings, and was the branch manager of a high ranking dungeon.
‘Go on.’
‘Yes. Can we assume you checked that yourself, Miki?’
‘Yes. I saw it on the one who discovered this.’
‘So you have someone who has gotten that many skills? First it was Super Strength the other day, and then the Super Strength II and Swift II in this document. And you are scheduled to ship a lot of skill orbs tomorrow. Is there someone who has not been in the forefront until now, but has started working?’
‘…’
Miki chose silence.
‘Can I take that silence as a yes?’
‘Elder, do you remember the office chief stating that there would be no further investigation about this subject?’
‘That meant I could not go directly to this person. But I am just checking. I trust you have no problem with my questions, office chief? That tells me you are also curious.’
‘True… It’s someone important to Aki and Maki, correct? Are you all right with this?’
“Hn? When the old man says something like that, it’s typically because he accepts that person. And we like hearing the person we like be praised.”
“I feel very proud about you acknowledging him.”
‘Kah! All that fondness is going to make even me blush! What a sinful man, to make you two say that!! If the office chief did not stop me, I would investigate him myself.
…Well then, it has reached my ears that Aki and Maki are the exclusives of one man. And who it is. However, there is no information about him. It’s very curious, almost as if no one had laid eyes on him until now.’
He had actually been holed up in a deserted dungeon for three years. Almost no one except Aki knew how bad his growth curve was, and she did not share details with her younger sister.
And by the time he left that dungeon, he already had Appraisal Obstruction, so no one could get updated information on him.
‘We need to check what skills that man puts out from now on. Continuously putting them up for auction is going to lower their value.’
‘No, we are also revealing the information about learning them multiple times, so demand is most likely going to increase as well.’
‘Oh, true. People who get it once and are happy with it might come back. Swift II has the difficulty to control it as a flaw, but Super Strength II just extends the effective time and shortens the time before being able to use it again. People with plenty of money are bound to not be indifferent.’
‘Yes. Also, there are new monster drops and a brand new skill being put up for auction tomorrow. We really should keep an eye on what he’s doing.’
As the men became excited, a voluptuous lady who had been watching the meeting with a smile asked a question.
‘Miki… Or maybe I should ask Aki and Maki.’
Madame Sakuya managed a mid rank dungeon. She graduated from the same school as the sisters and Youko before they did, and was someone they admired.
““Y-yes.””
‘Can I request something from him directly? I want to get skills without them going for auction.’
“P-please wait a moment.
‘Yes.’
With that said, they turned the microphone off.
“What do we do, Maki?”
“What…”
They were hesitant. If possible, they wanted him to be free to do what he wanted. To let him collect skill orbs and use them to make himself stronger, and deliver only what he had to spare.
But as he became more active, he would need not just adventurer rank, but also connections to other branches.
Shouta let them handle this type of diplomatic relations as well, so they should say yes to curry favor. But they were having a hard time doing so.
And as they struggled with making a decision, their mother pitched in to help.
‘Sakuya, I’ll respond in place of my daughters. If the skills are among the ones listed here, there is a good chance he will be able to get them. But it is not guaranteed, and further discussion would be necessary in regards to other skills.’
‘Oh? Are you sure you can decide this without going through the adventurer?’
‘Yes, because we will simply ask him to bring more. But there is no guarantee. Is that all right?’
As they spoke, something stuck out to the sisters.
“Asking Shouta…!”
“Ah, I didn’t think of that. I can think fast when it comes to making fun of someone else, but it’s like my head doesn’t work when it comes to me.”
Asking.
Apparently this was an option the sisters did not think of, because they prioritized doing anything they could for him.
‘…Fufu, fine. But what should I choose…’
‘For now, it’s only Super Strength and Swift. Whether or not there will be more is up to him.’
As they discovered a way to get skills without going through an auction thanks to Sakuya, the meeting became more lively and lasted through the night. As a result, the Heart Dungeon incident received only a simple report, and the details about the powered up monster were left for another day.
‘It’s like I’m not even here… But Swift would be useful to deliver messages… Maybe I’ll get a discount as their senior.’
The manager of the Heart Dungeon mumbled, but no one listened.
Join my patreon to support me and read ahead.
Thanks for the treat.