CH 84

In this chapter, there will be some clarification about the skills.

(Kurokiri POV for the whole chapter)

Two years before the present, “White Fog and Black Swamp Forest,” fourth level.

“Hmm. Looks like the data has been pretty much amassed.”

It is a rare occurrence that I am not in my own room, but rather in the laboratory I created on the fourth level.

“It has taken me more than five years since the research started. This much is to be expected.”

Tori comes up to me with the next batch of data.

Now, the subject of this laboratory’s research, well, it’s a simple one. The theme of this laboratory is about skills.

“Well, that’s right. And is this the data that summarizes the results of all the research that has been conducted so far?”

“Yes, exactly.”

After receiving the data from Tori, I proceed to browse through it.

Now, rather than reading in a meandering style, let me elucidate about skills from what I can grasp.

To begin with, the common consensus is that skills originated on the day the dungeon was released, but the reason why humans were able to utilize skills remains a mystery. (Personally, I know it was due to something the God of Calamity did a year before that, but I dare not say a word.)

The initial age of onset of skills is 10-12 years old. However, if a person’s life is in jeopardy, like Izumi’s, they may manifest earlier.

The selection criteria for initial skills are thought to be based on heredity from parents, one’s own nature, and the ambient environment, but there exists some degree of randomness as well. Incidentally, this is assumed to be the same case for the Demon King.

What appears as skills that can be acquired through level up may involve the individual’s thoughts, fighting style, race, and occupation. Therefore, skills that can be attained by a Kirijin tend to encompass those related to fog.

Skill acquired after turning into a kin is also regarded as a “unique skill” and is specific to each race, so it is impossible to attain the same skill with the same name by leveling up. (Though it is possible for the skills to have the same effect.)

Skills are broadly classified into two basic types: active skills, such as ≪Firebolt≫, which are activated voluntarily, and passive skills, such as ≪○○ Proficiency≫, which are constantly activated. However, among them, there are skills that are invariably activated, but the strength of the effect can be adjusted, such as ≪Fog Cloak≫ and there are also skills that are automatically activated when certain conditions are met.

Furthermore, there are also skills that can be categorized into offensive and auxiliary skills, or by the status that affects their effects. (In this case, strength, dexterity, and agility effects are commonly referred to as physical skills, while intellect, sensing, and spirit effects are commonly referred to as magical skills.)

However, the classification of skills into offensive and auxiliary is not easy, since a skill can be considered both offensive and auxiliary depending on how it is employed, and some skills affect multiple statuses to the same degree in the case of status classification.

Nonetheless, there is an extent of categorization or hierarchy depending on the name of the skill for what is often referred to as magical skills.

For instance, ≪Firebolt≫ is a skill to release arrows comprised of fire, and ≪Waterbolt≫ is a skill to release arrows composed of water. In this scenario, both skills do the same aspect of delivering an arrow constituted of an element, but only the characteristic of the element, the so-called “attribute,” differs.

Then, how many types of attributes exist? The answer is unknown.

The basic types are light, darkness, fire, wind, water, and earth, which are the so-called “bipolar[i]” and “the four elements” respectively. The problem is that many well-known and confirmed skills are derived from them: lightning and ice. There are also attributes called “gold” and “wood,” which are a little off the standard, and “fog,” which is a favorable attribute for Kirijin, is also regarded as one of the derivatives.

Moreover, it is claimed that by merging the four elements and the bipolar attributes in a specific ratio, the fog attribute and other derived attributes may be developed. Despite this, research in this area remains a minor subject of study due to its wide application.

Now, let’s carry on with the division of lineages within the same attribute.

In terms of the fire attribute, ≪Firebolt≫, ≪Flame Javelin≫, ≪Fireball≫, ≪Fire Swirl≫, ≪Flame Plosion≫, ≪Flame Pillar≫, and so on are listed. These are, of course, only a small part of the fire attribute.

Arrow (bolt) magic is recognized as the most basic of the basics, simply because it uses the attributes of the magic to release arrows.

In contrast, spear (javelin) magic has a shorter range than arrow magic, but its attack power and penetrating power are said to be higher.

In addition, sphere (ball) type magic explodes after being unleashed and engulfs everything around it, while vortex (swirl) type magic, explosion type magic, and pillar type magic are skills with a designated point of origin that are triggered from a predetermined location, and are categorized according to their potency and range.

However, what should not be misunderstood here is that it is not necessarily the case that the sphere type magic is less superior than vortex, explosion, or pillar type magic, and that each of these types of skills is suited to different situations.

Next is the classification of skills within the same lineage of the same attribute, and an example of this is the relationship between ≪Firebolt≫ and ≪Fiery Firebolt≫.

Although both of these skills simply dispatch arrows of the fire attribute, the force of ≪Fiery Firebolt≫ is much more advanced than that of the ≪Firebolt≫, and the increase in consumption is minimal relative to the rise in power, so the former is deemed to be a higher-level skill than the latter.

Additionally, while ≪Flame Plosion≫ is sometimes acquired even by those who have no command of ≪Firebolt≫, in the case of ≪Firebolt≫, as far as we have investigated, all possessors of ≪Firebolt≫ and ≪Fire Magic Proficiency Ⅰ≫ have acquired ≪Fiery Firebolt≫, suggesting that the acquisition of a higher skill may require a lower skill +α as a prerequisite for its acquisition.

(But I possess neither ≪Aqua Pillar≫ nor ≪Water Magic Proficiency Ⅰ≫ yet I own ≪Sharp Aqua Pillar≫, so the assumption of possessing this lower skill seems to be irrelevant to the Demon King.)

What’s more, this classification is still under investigation, as there is too little data on it.

By the way, ≪Simple ○○ Generation≫ and ≪○○ Generation≫ are confirmed as generation-related skills, but these skills are not in a hierarchical relationship, but rather a lateral one. In other words, they are distinct skills.

“I’m amazed that this much research has been conducted.”

I involuntarily mutter to myself. The time is already dusk, and Tori has already gone away.

“But well, there’s still no description of Outer Skill. Well, I suppose it’s only natural since outer skills are literally an external technique of a different dimension.”

Outer skill. This is not a skill bestowed to humans by the God of Calamity, but a skill that humans originally possessed, yet has been elevated to the point where it can be labeled as a skill.

So, in my case, I create new skills by disassembling and reconstructing the skills I own, and currently I own two kinds of skills: Kurokirinoko and Kurokiribaku. But since these skills were originally given to me by the God of Calamity, I feel that my skills are still at the entry point of what outer skills should be.

Even though I am contemplating a new outer skill, I don’t have an opportunity to bring it into use since using it against others would only result in overkill…

Buuuuuuuuuuuu!

And, apparently, there are finally intruders into my dungeon for the first time in a long time. Hmm. I guess it’s been a while since I’ve been in a fight. I have to engage in battle every now and then, or my intuition would get dull.

T/N:

[i] The bipolar here is referring to “contrast”, the light and darkness attributes