kscans

Chapter 284 - What I Obtained Is

Deep within the dense, jungle-like dungeon [Poison Spring's Respite], teeming with poison slimes. The boss enemy that appears in the poison spring, from which miasma rises, was, as one might expect, a poison slime (extra large).

That being said, unlike the [Poison Spirit's Emissaries], whose only abilities were physical immunity and numbers, this was a well-crafted 'formidable foe' befitting a proper Arcadia field.

It was, but—

◇ You have defeated [Vemonis Eldart, Grudge-Cursed Death-Poison Spirit] ◇

◇ You have acquired a title ◇ ・'Overwhelming Victory' ・'A Strong Man's Game' ・'Sweeper of the Weak'

◇ You have acquired a skill ◇ ・[Water Magic Aptitude] ・[Mana Efficiency]

—and so on.

Even if it was a ridiculously disgusting giant chimera slime that looked like a fusion of countless poisonous creatures, it's not conceit but a fact that I've become too strong, so its instant death was unavoidable, but wait a minute, some important information just scrolled by in the log!

"Magic aptitude, out of nowhere!"

"Whoa, you scared me. Huh, a skill? Congratulations?"

"Thank you!"

I apologize for my volume knob going haywire and startling Tetra, who was examining the spoils next to me. But this time, I hope he'll turn a blind eye.

Because it's magic, 'magic.' I had already been envious of Sora's magic sword, but after seeing so many mages during the Four Pillar War, my admiration had been quietly growing.

"Wait a minute, I don't really get magic yet, can I use this already? Is it usable? I don't feel the usual 'vibe' of it being installed in my brain, is this okay, is it not bugged?"

"Whoa, you're loud. I get that you're happy, but can you calm down a bit? You're too close."

Oops, was I a little too excited? I regained my composure after Tetra pulled back slightly, but my heart was still racing as I opened the skill window.

"For now, activate the magic aptitude tree. You can have one weapon and one magic aptitude coexist… by the way, what's the attribute?"

"It was water."

"No way, it doesn't suit you at all."

Shut up, I thought—but I couldn't help but agree with him from the bottom of my heart, so I'll let it slide.

No, seriously, why water of all things… Sora's 'light' and Tetra's 'shadow' are such perfect fits, but there's absolutely no 'water' image associated with me, is there?

◇ [Water Magic Aptitude] has been activated ◇

◇ You have acquired a skill ◇ ・[Aqua]

"Ah, huh… I just learned a magic spell with a ridiculously plain name."

"It's the basic skill for each attribute. For water, I think it's [Aqua]. Now that you've activated it, the way to use it should have come to you, right?"

Just as Tetra said. The moment I enabled the magic skill tree, [Arcadia]'s specialty kicked in, and the way to use the skill was ingrained in my brain—

"—…………"

"…Pfft, …………"

And then, I fell silent, and Tetra held back his laughter.

Yeah, well, for now… the gist of it is, it's like the materialization of an image, something I've been doing a lot with [Parabellum Bullet].

—Alright, let's do this. Now, pay attention to my right hand!

"[Aqua]."

Splash. And that's all, folks.

"………………For reference…"

"H-Heh… y-yeah. What is it?"

"If a beginner gets this tree first, what are they supposed to do?"

It's not a powerful stream of water, nor is it a high-impact bullet. How am I supposed to fight with a skill that just dribbles out water corresponding to my mana?

"Well, I mean, it's convenient in its own way, right? It's theoretically pure water or something, so I hear it's highly valued in the production job community."

"Huh… and for combat?"

"You could team up with an ice-attribute mage, I guess. Though I only know a handful of people who use a pure ice magic aptitude tree."

"So it's useless!"

No, it's fine, really!

It's not like I was hoping for a clear power-up, but still!

"…Well, don't worry. Water magic is famous for having 'the lamest initial skill by far,' but it's also known for being a late bloomer. You're already more than strong enough without magic, senpai, so it's actually convenient, isn't it?"

"If you put it that way, I guess… By the way, there's no way your support-specialized build with no offensive capabilities includes an attribute enchantment, is there?"

"I told you, it's fine. I don't know if you'll be able to learn them, senpai, but enchantment and attack magic have been confirmed for it."

Hmm… hmm. I can't deny feeling a bit let down right off the bat, but if my senpai asserts it, I should probably trust him.

In any case, this splashy splashy thing is still magic, visually speaking…

………………By the way…

"This can produce an amount of water corresponding to my mana, right?"

"Well, I don't know the details myself. If you, who were taught by the system, think so, then that's probably how it is."

"So, for example."

"Yeah."

"What would happen if a player with 650 MID poured their full MP into it?"

"Huh?—Wait, what… six hundred?!"

I sort of got the hang of it while using it, but it's probably not a fixed-output type. That means, like Sora's [Optimize Alert], I should be able to adjust the output up or down.

"Wait a minute, you can't be serious? Why do you have more MID than a pure mage with that combat style… no, wait, stop! Don't be ridiculous, if you're going to 'experiment,' do it on your own—!"

"Don't be so cold, senpai (kouhai)."

We're in a dungeon where the death penalty is waived just in case something happens. Won't you join me in this exciting endeavor?

And well… consider it a little payback for laughing at me.

So then—boil, my magic power! Roar, my new strength!

"Alright, let's do this! Three, two, one—!"

"Hey, don't be—?!"

"Come forth—[Aqua]aaaaa!!"

Now, I learned two things from this 'prank.' In Arcadia, 'drowning' isn't painful, but it is super scary.

And—

"Too slow, next. Twenty more runs."

"YES, SIR!"

—that my senpai (kouhai) is also super scary when he's angry.