Chapter 174: I Want to Get Abilities for Free
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174: I Want to Get Abilities for Free
Many adventurers possess one or two Abilities that have nothing to do with their chosen profession.
For instance, an adventurer who has set their path as a warrior might manifest an Ability for perfect marksmanship. Or a mage might find themselves with an Ability that increases physical strength.
Sometimes, these Abilities—completely unrelated to one's job or belonging to a different category—become wild cards that create incredible synergy. However, in most cases, they end up as "trash-tier" Abilities that literally just take up space.
"So, you're saying you can pull an Ability out like a thread and exchange it?"
"Yes. It’s possible. I tried it, and it worked."
"Sion, what on earth were you doing in the Underground City?"
"Just this and that..."
"Well done!"
We were on the second floor of the Adventurer's Guild, in the Guild Master’s private office. Moira was visibly delighted at the news that Abilities could now be bought and sold.
"If we extract Abilities from the old-timers about to retire and plant them into the new generation... it would make for a natural passing of the torch."
"Are you planning to summon the retirees?"
"There are plenty of retired adventurers in the Labyrinth City. I’ll have to post a notice. If the Guild offers to buy unused Abilities, the old-timers who are short on cash will come flocking."
"What kind of pricing are you thinking of?"
"Well, it would depend on the type of Ability."
The plan was to establish a systematic ranking for Abilities, offering higher prices for those of higher grades.
"And it’s true that combining identical Abilities strengthens them?"
"Yes. I experimented with it, and it worked."
By using the adventurers I’d captured with the Spirit Chain, I had raised my Map Creation to Level 2. The result was an expanded range of effect. Identical Abilities could indeed be reinforced through fusion. I wasn't sure how far it could go, but that was something to test over time.
"So, for now, we’ve confirmed that Abilities can be extracted like thread and traded as physical goods. And identical Abilities can be twisted together to merge. Correct?"
"Yes. Also, you can twist unwanted Abilities together to give birth to a completely different one."
"Sion, the more I hear, the more incredible it sounds. How did you manage to strike a contract with a being capable of such things?"
"..."
Would she worry if I told her I promised to kill a Demon King?
"Should I tell you the truth?"
"Yes. Give it to me straight."
"Well, the thing is... I have to go down to the 7th Floor and kill a Demon King."
"The difficulty is absolute madness."
"Well, the power is worth it."
Through Prodo, material reprocessing became possible, and through Zelia, I’d be able to craft pseudo-artifacts. Now, with Arad, I could even manipulate Abilities.
I need to conquer the 6th Floor and raise the level of the adventurers.
To explore the 7th Floor, we had to at least seize control of the 6th.
"That’s all I have to report for now."
"Leave the rest to me. I’ll post the announcement throughout the city."
"Thank you."
I was glad to have such a close relationship with Moira. Since she was a person of high renown, she covered all the areas I couldn't touch, making it much easier for me to enter the Labyrinth.
"Speaking of which, I heard someone from the Beastmen Alliance is coming soon."
"From the Beastmen Alliance? Ah, the President must have called for them."
"Correct. But they said they absolutely must see your face. Something about 'inspecting the leader.'"
"Aha."
The ones the President called this time were those specifically specialized in combat, even among the beastmen. While most beastmen living in the Labyrinth City were human-friendly and mild-mannered, the ones arriving now were likely to have quite the temperament. They would probably be highly bellicose and xenophobic toward humans.
"And the Elves are supposed to arrive around the same time."
"I assume they want to see me too?"
"So I’ve heard."
Hardly any Elves remained in this world. Those who did either lived in isolation or retreated deep into the forests, rarely showing themselves to the world. Furthermore, despite having genetic traits that made it difficult to preserve their species amongst themselves, they loathed mixing blood with other races due to a culture that despised half-elves.
Consequently, the pure-bloodists lived shut away, completely cut off from the outside. Since almost all Elves were pure-bloodists, they were a rare sight.
"I didn't expect the Elves to react like this to a single letter from Lafnel."
"He must have been a noble of sorts in Elven society."
"I don't know what's gotten into them, but it looks like there will be a significant influx of Elves. You’ll need to handle the negotiations well."
"Is there anything specific the Elves dislike?"
"They just hate everything. Humans, beastmen... there are even frequent cases where they hate other Elves. They’re just crazy."
"They really are crazy..."
"It’s harder to find a sane one among them. They’re arrogant and haughty, and since most of them have lived for hundreds of years, their stubbornness and prejudice make old geezers look flexible. Ugh, it’s exhausting."
"But they are strong."
"True. They’re a bizarre race that trains for centuries."
Since the majority of them spent their lives secluded in forests, training in isolation, many were monsters whose technical skills were on a completely different dimension compared to humans. Even beastmen, born with superior bodies and wild instincts, would tuck their tails before an elderly Elven warrior. They were only few in number; individually, every Elven warrior was incredibly powerful.
This was also why Elven slaves were so feared. The fact that they had been captured as slaves by mere humans was terrifying because the reason behind it was usually unknown.
"In that sense, Lafnel and Helena are normal."
"No. From an Elven perspective, they’re the abnormal ones. The fact that they’ve integrated into human society means they’re the ultimate eccentrics."
"Aha."
So there really were no normal ones. If they were human-friendly, they were abnormal to Elves. And Elves were just naturally abnormal to begin with.
"It’s enough to make my head spin."
"Once the Elves enter the city, we’ll probably need to provide a separate space for them. Which brings me to this, Sion."
"Yes?"
"You bought a mansion recently, didn't you?"
"I did."
"There’s some land around it. Why don't you manage the Elves? I heard Lafnel is staying at your place anyway."
"Me? Manage the Elves?"
"Dump the direct communication on Lafnel and let’s build an Elven district around your mansion. What do you think?"
"Won't that just give me difficult neighbors?"
"It might actually be a good thing. It’s an opportunity to observe Elven life. And if you build the Elven residential district centered around your mansion and keep them all there, you can profit from it."
"How?"
"You’ll act as the bridge. Anyone who wants to meet the Elves will have to go through you. There are plenty of people who want to meet them."
"I see. You want to use it as an embassy."
"Exactly."
I gave it some thought. Using my house as an Elven embassy... The mansion was so large that people coming and going wouldn't even be noticeable.
More than anything, using the Elves as a source of income seems like it would be quite lucrative.
The culture of a race not well-known to the public was a business item that the first person to claim it could sell for the highest price.
"Will the Druid Club President have anything to say about it?"
"That man is too busy managing the incoming beastmen. He’s probably out of his mind right now. I made a similar proposal to him."
"The President must be busy managing the Beastmen Special District, then."
"Indeed. I told him to purchase the land around the Druid Club building. That’s where the beastmen will settle."
"I see..."
The Labyrinth City was going to become truly diverse.
"Let’s go with that for now."
I’d have to dump the management of the Elves onto Lafnel. Or maybe I should look for an Elf in the Labyrinth City to help me.
"By the way."
"Yes?"
"Since you have the technique to extract Abilities... why don't you take a few of mine?"
"Your Abilities, Moira?"
"Yes. I can hardly go into the Labyrinth anymore because of the Labyrinth Assimilation. These Abilities are a bit too much just for defending the city."
"Don't tell me... you're giving me your Demon Eyes?"
"What do you think? Won't you take them?"
Moira possessed quite a few Demon Eyes. And among them were some very dangerous ones.
"The ones most suitable for you right now would be the Demon Eye of Identification, the Dragon Eye of Suppression, and the Demon Eye of Insight."
"What is the Demon Eye of Insight?"
"Think of it as maximizing dynamic vision. You can see through an opponent's techniques, movements, or the magic they intend to use, one step ahead."
"That’s completely..."
"Broken, isn't it? Being able to respond to an enemy's attack instantly during combat... it’s in the same vein as the Ability of Post-Action First-Strike."
Post-Action First-Strike was similar to an ultimate counter. It meant that even if the opponent attacked first, my attack would reach them first. If I obtained the Demon Eye of Insight, I could produce an effect similar to that Ability. It also seemed like it would have incredible synergy with my Subspace Pocket. With sharpened senses, I could not only dodge incoming attacks but even snatch away the opponent's weapons.
"That’s very tempting."
"Then take it. I’m strong enough without it anyway. And while you're at it, take the Dragon Eye as well. It also has the effect of increasing dynamic vision. Plus, it can exert a strong suppression effect on targets you’ve killed before. It works on strangers too."
"You mean it paralyzes them?"
"It can even make them run away in fear. Will you take them?"
"Oh, if you're giving them to me, I’d be glad to."
"Good. I’m plenty good at intimidating people even without it."
And so, I received the Demon Eye of Insight and the Dragon Eye of Suppression from Moira.
"These are ones I used frequently before I reached full maturity, so they’ll be useful. Take the Identification Eye as well. You’ll be able to get a glimpse of information regarding monsters or items you’re seeing for the first time."
"Thank you. The Demon Eye of Identification is famous."
It was a Demon Eye that saved you from having to learn things the hard way. I’d heard it was a Demon Eye that touched upon All Creation, providing a wealth of information at the cost of overloading the user's brain.
"Arad. Please."
Soon, a tiny spider crawled out of my shadow and onto the back of Moira’s hand.
"So this is what it feels like."
"It tickles a bit, doesn't it?"
"It feels like a bug bite. No, I suppose it is a bug bite."
After biting Moira, Arad pulled three strands of thread from its abdomen. They were likely the Identification Eye, the Insight Eye, and the Dragon Eye. Since Demon Eyes were rare Abilities, those three would probably fetch an astronomical price if sold.
"I’m transplanting them now."
"I see. How is it?"
"It’s... uh..."
Arad, having pulled out the threads of the Abilities, injected them back into me. My vision felt as if it had become much clearer.
"Holy..."
My eyes began to ache significantly. At the same time, Moira’s office began to look a bit different.
"There were a lot of very unusual items in here."
"Many of them were brought back from the 7th Floor."
"I can see them now. Wow."
Through the Identification Eye, the rare items in the office began to catch my eye. Until now, I’d thought they were just decorations. I was wrong.
"Your dynamic vision should have increased as well."
"This is truly amazing."
As I marveled at my changed vision, Moira gave a satisfied smile.
I’d just sat there and gotten three Demon Eyes for free. This was the true definition of scavenging.