38-033 Return (2)

"Hmm?　What's a character level?　There is no such thing--

Toya tried to deny Yuki's strange comment, but Haruka interrupted her.

No, actually, there is. It's like a character level ...... thing.

"Oh, really?

Yes, seriously.

What?　I thought you said there wasn't one?

No, you just didn't say there was one, did you?

"Oh!　There's a game element here!

Haruka, I didn't hear anything about that.

No, you didn't.

Why didn't you tell me about it before?

If you had told me...

When we were talking about skills, you mentioned experience.　That's what I meant.

I remember that conversation.

...... I see.

You were right not to tell me.

What do you mean?

I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not. And to be honest, it's a pain in the ass to stop them.

Here comes the honest truth.

But it's sad that I can't deny it.

If you don't know, you can't force yourself. It's a good argument.

I thought that if Natsuki and the others came in, there would be a better chance that we could follow up if something went wrong. ...... It's true that I kept it a secret, and I'm sorry.

Oh, no, it's nothing to apologize for.

Yeah, I know. Especially Toya.

Oh, really?

Why do you look so surprised?

You've done it before.

I mean, you've said a few times, "I'll take care of it," right?　What if they say it will raise your level?

"You said more at ....... Sorry.

I'm sorry," he said, bowing his head, as if he understood what he was doing.

I'm not sure I could have acted with enough restraint to say anything about Toya either.

I'm sure you'll agree that this is a great idea.

I'm sure you've heard of it, but I've never heard of it.

I'm sure you've heard of it. I guess it doesn't make much sense to Natsuki, who is neither of them.

Yuki, you didn't tell Natsuki about this either?

Oh, yeah. We haven't even been out of the city to begin with.

Well, I'll take this opportunity to explain. Character level - We don't call it that in this world, but it's easy to understand, so I'll call it that. As you can see from your status, it's not displayed, is it?

"Yeah.

All you can see in your status is your name, race, age, condition, skill type and level.

This alone is cheesey enough compared to the people of this world, but that doesn't include character level.

So there really isn't one. ......

"There is, isn't there?

I don't know.

What?

"I don't know." - "Huh?" The words, uttered after a slight pause, were a bit of a letdown.

In the event that you're not sure what to do, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

"Officially unknown, you mean. I've been told that there may be circumstantial evidence, but I can't prove it because there's no way to confirm it.

Specifically, when you defeat a demon and when you defeat a non-monster, the former becomes more powerful even though they are doing similar things.

Hmmm. If there is a clear difference in muscle strength between people of similar physique, it is normal to think that there is some unseen parameter.

For example, if I have 100kg of back muscles and a muscle-massive person has 300kg of back muscles, that's not so strange.

But if I don't become muscle-massive and I grow to 300kg or 400kg, that is clearly abnormal.

No, no, no. Actually, there is something much easier to understand. For example, what would happen if a girl thrusts a kitchen knife at Nao?

"What?　It would sting, right?　I mean, why are you using that analogy? ......

Please don't make disturbing analogies.

What do you mean?　Well, it usually stings and in some cases kills you. But for a high rank adventurer, it doesn't sting. Strangely enough.

What?　You didn't avoid it?　No, no, that's too weird!

It's not like he was wearing iron armor at ......, is it?

That's not strange or anything. Even in normal clothes.

All right!　He was wearing chainmail underneath!

I see. I see. High ranks are prepared for the risk of being stabbed by girls.

High rank is a nasty thing.

"So, Nao, you're going to keep a comic book magazine under your clothes.

What?　I didn't do anything to get stabbed. Right?

He looks at the three of them, but for some reason they don't meet his gaze.

What?　You're not going to confirm it?　

"Well, leaving aside whether or not Nao is a tiger...

What?　Was that what you were talking about?

I really wanted to object, but I couldn't go on, so I kept my mouth shut.

"It doesn't matter what equipment you have, it simply doesn't stick. It seems to sting a little if you're not paying attention, but it's not fatal. It's like there's a barrier or something on the surface of your body.

That's not just because you're working out.

It's like a barrier on the surface of the body.

But if that's true, if you raise your character level, you won't get injured so much.

--Good.

Honestly, I don't think I can fight a vipu bear level enemy with realistic physical strength.

One hit almost kills you, it's too hard mode.

Well, this is just a simple example, but the fact that physical abilities can increase regardless of muscle mass suggests that there is something different than simple training.

"Assuming it's a level up, does it go up with training?　No, according to what Yuki said earlier, it can be raised by killing demons?

It is said that the most efficient way is to kill demons. The theory is that killing ordinary beasts and people doesn't do much good either.

You can't experiment because you can't measure, and you can't prove because you can't experiment.

It's also a rule of thumb that killing demons is more efficient.

What's the difference between ...... and a magic stone?

What do you think?　I don't know. The most common theory is that it's against God's will.

God's will?

Normally I'd just laugh it off as impossible.

"God, huh~. I used to be an atheist, but now that I've met that thing, I'm sure there's some kind of divine being out there. Unless this is my dream.

"So I'm a character in a dream?　Well, in this world, people believe in the existence of God. I don't know if it's true or not, but there are oracles and descent.

It's not as vague as it was in the original world, but it's well documented enough for most people to believe in it.

But if gods existed, wouldn't there be wars?

No way. There are wars between nations, though they seem to be rare due to the presence of demons. --It's a human thing.

What's with the ending?　What about the endings in this context? Oh, you mean people don't respect God much?

Most people do, but that's not the point, is it?

Well, there have been many wars waged in the name of God on earth. I wonder if religious people would say that their wars are in accordance with God's will.

"Yes. The fact that there is an oracle and the fact that the oracle is true are two different things.

Yuki chuckles and shrugs her shoulders.

If the oracle is at the level of descent, it is not so deceitful, but since the oracle is announced by the temple, ordinary people cannot judge whether it is true or not.

For this reason, temples once issued oracles too often, and nowadays, oracles that are too convenient for temples tend to be ignored.

But if gods are real, don't they have natural punishment?

"There are records that say 'natural disasters are divine punishment,' but I'm not sure about that.　I don't think they intervene much. In fact, we've been transferred to this world.

"Hmm?　What does our transfer have to do with anything?

I don't think so.　In spite of this, we are here without the intervention of any other gods. In other words, they're not going to intervene just because there's a war going on.

Hmmm ......, you have a point.

If you're going to leave irregularities that cross the world, there's a good chance you won't be involved in what the people living in that world do.

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, it's possible that you'll be able to find a great deal more information on the web.

I'm not sure what to make of this, but I think it's a good idea.

That's right. There's no reason for us ordinary people to get involved in wars between nations or religions.

Oh, Natsuki, you said it. That's a flag.

Is that so?　But we're not particularly strong, nor do we stand out.

Natsuki responds to Yuki's questioning, "Aha!

That's true, but... But normally...

Normally, you'd be fine, but you have your classmates to worry about.

Yeah.

You've got a lot of skills to get into trouble.

"Oh, let's just stay out of it. Never.

We nodded in agreement.