An Accidental Promise of Synchronization to Genus

Having been promised a Synchronization Marble by Genus quite by accident, Yujun broke into a thoroughly satisfied smile.

"I'll be sure to tell Sirius you were a wonderful uncle."

He wasn't certain he'd have cause to see Sirius again, but he offered the lip service all the same.

Genus gave a bitter smile.

"Right. I'm so grateful I could cry."

"Oh, right. Genus. There's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?"

"The way out of Sourtul Forest. Do you know it?"

"A way out? Ah. You're human, aren't you. Of course you wouldn't know Sourtul Forest well."

"You talk like you know it just fine."

Genus shook his head.

"I don't know all that much either. Only a few scraps of information I happened to pick up."

"So which is it? Do you know, or don't you?"

"I don't know the way out. But I do know a method."

Yujun's eyes lit up.

He wanted out of Sourtul Forest already. How long was he supposed to stay trapped in here? It felt as if he'd been stuck long enough to grow sick of the place. Not that he had much to complain about—he'd gained far too much here for that.

Honestly, would it be so bad if I never left?

Sourtul Forest and the Underground Kingdom had been such a gold mine that the thought of walking away from them stung a little. Even so, he had to escape.

I have to climb the Tower.

The place that held the Skill Archive. He had no idea whether anyone else had reached it, but back during War of the Gods it had been a location only he knew. Delay even a little, and the odds that someone else would find it only climbed. He needed to break out of Sourtul Forest as soon as he could, climb the Tower, and claim the Skill Archive before anyone else.

"Did you know a phantom race lives in Sourtul Forest?"

"I didn't."

"Find the phantom race. You might as well ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠say the forest's exit is sealed because of them."

"A phantom race? Are those things mixed up with the Demon God Worshippers too?"

"Who knows. I couldn't tell you."

"What do they look like?"

"I've never actually seen them, but I hear they're exceedingly beautiful."

"Beautiful? How am I supposed to find them with nothing but that?"

"Isn't Sourtul Forest packed with nothing but monsters? If anything, I'd say that makes them easier to spot."

"All right, got it. That all?"

Genus nodded.

"Where are you headed, anyway?"

"Back to the kingdom, where else? I've left my post empty too long. My elder brother will be in a fine rage."

Yujun had plenty he could have said to that, but he swallowed it. There was no need to tell Genus the king had nearly been murdered by the Demon God Worshippers. Hearing it would only leave him needlessly shaken.

They came out of the cave, and Genus left first. The moment he was gone, Manuela closed the distance.

"Yujun. Are you getting out of Sourtul Forest right away?"

"Yeah. After I check the rewards."

"Me too!"

As if she had been waiting for exactly those words, she stared into empty air. She must have wanted to confirm her own trial-clear rewards. Yujun let out a short laugh and called up the hologram messages he had set aside.

The experience reward he had just received, and three items.

An EX-rank skill book, and two supreme-grade gems?

Yujun gave a hollow laugh. He had suspected as much from the moment the system started throwing a fit with its messages. The hardship had been worth it after all. The trial's difficulty had been beyond reason. Yujun's intrusion had raised it, but the fact remained: they had cleared a trial of that difficulty. He considered it the reward he was due.

Still, I never expected supreme grade.

Three rewards, all of them tied to skills. He liked every one.

Let's use the skill book first.

An EX-rank skill was never easy to come by. Even drawing the Genius trait from a Long-Aged Elixir had been closer to an absurd stroke of luck. However high his luck climbed, he had thought an SS-grade result would already count as a jackpot. Which meant he might never get another chance to use an EX-rank skill book. Heart trembling, Yujun took up the skill book and opened it.

Weapon Earthquake. A skill that used a weapon to set off an earthquake in the ground. It sent a powerful wave through the earth and churned the insides of any enemy with their feet planted on it. It was not magic, yet its reach rivaled a large-scale spell. And because it struck the body's interior—the organs themselves—neither defense nor magic resistance could stop it. Read the description alone, and it was plainly worthy of EX-rank.

It does suffer a little next to the Genius trait, though.

The grade was the same, but the effect felt somewhat lacking beside Genius. The fault was not the skill's. The Genius trait was simply that far superior. If one were to split EX-rank into tiers, Genius would sit at the very top. What he had just gained from the skill was closer to the middle. Of course, actually using it might change that judgment. Deciding in a hurry from the description alone was premature. So he decided to try it.

"Paranet."

"Yes?"

Paranet, who had been sitting on a nearby rock and staring blankly at Yujun, answered.

"Go stand over there."

"Master. I mention this only on the off chance, but you aren't... thinking of using me as a practice dummy for the skill's very first demonstration? Such a cruel and heartless notion?"

"That's right."

"......"

"Don't tell me... you don't want to?"

"Not at all! To be the target of your first skill! What an honor! Heh-heh!"

"You mean that?"

"Yes! Of course I do!"

"Then what was that about cruel and heartless?"

"In the world of the undead, that is a compliment! Cruel and heartless means one acts with decisive resolve, without fretting over the other party's feelings."

"Paranet as ever. I knew I could count on you."

"Thank you for recognizing my constant efforts to live up to your faith, Master!"

"All right. Enough talking. Get over there."

"......Yes, sir."

With distinctly reluctant steps, Paranet went and stood where Yujun had indicated.

"Will here do?"

"Yeah. Just stand still."

"Master!"

"What?"

"May I use Thousand-Pound Drop?"

"Scared?"

"......If I am honest, yes!"

"Use it. I'd rather you did."

Better if Paranet was in a hardened state. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠With Thousand-Pound Drop, he could run a proper test of the skill's power. Yujun drove his sword into the ground. Mana streamed along the ice, and the earth answered with a deep, rolling rumble.

"Ghk—!"

Paranet's body shuddered. His bones cracked, and shards of them scattered through the air. But that was the end of it.

"Uh... huh...?"

Paranet was flustered. His master's attack had been far more bearable than he had expected. Yujun had clearly obtained a fine skill and meant to test it.

Could it be he's worried about me?

He simply could not bring himself to loose a brutal attack on a loyal retainer. Convinced of his own conclusion, Paranet nodded with a pleased face.

"Master! Thank you!"

"For what?"

"You deliberately held your strength back, did you not?"

"I didn't."

"Ehh?"

"I didn't hold back."

"It doesn't hurt as much as I thought?"

"Yeah?"

Yujun's expression changed. Seeing the look of a man about to use the skill in earnest, Paranet spoke in a rush.

"M-Master, now that I think of it, I have no organs, do I? Even if you attack the inside, it will do nothing to me."

"Huh. You a genius?"

"H-how embarrassing. A genius? I have been told I was clever since I was young, but to hear such words from you, Master, I am truly moved..."

Yujun pulled his gaze from the enthusiastically rambling Paranet and looked at Manuela. She flinched and shouted.

"Hey! Don't you dare!"

"Hm?"

"You're about to do to me exactly what you did to Paranet, aren't you?"

"......No. Why has everyone gotten so sharp all of a sudden. That wasn't your character."

"What do you take me for? I've got a sense for these things. Especially anything that threatens my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠own hide—I feel it like a ghost, you know? So put those weird ideas away. Got it?"

"R...ight."

If Manuela was out as well, there was no one left to test the skill on. Yujun clicked his tongue, plainly regretting it.

Guess I'll use the gems.

The trait gem and the skill gem. Both were supreme grade. Honestly, looking at these two items thrilled him more than obtaining the EX-rank random skill book. He got to choose which skill or trait to use them on. Even a high-grade gem drastically increased an ability's effect. So what about supreme grade? He could not begin to guess how far it would go. For the first time in a while, Yujun opened his status window.

A fair number of unallocated points had piled up. His level had risen by a full sixty-four this time, so together with the existing 120 points, the total came to 376. Yujun carefully studied the traits and skills he had not yet used a gem on.

The trait was as good as decided. The Genius trait. Its effect was so strong it was difficult to compare with the others, and its grade was the highest of them all. There was no room for argument.

The skills gave him a little more pause. Flash Slash was excellent, and Sword Barrier had more than proven its worth. Weapon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Earthquake was a monster on grade alone. Even so, he decided to save the supreme skill gem. Using it right now felt like a waste.

There's the Skill Archive.

If he reached the Skill Archive, obtaining an EX-rank skill was a certainty. So he kept the future in mind. What if an even better skill turned up? He might end up regretting it bitterly enough to pound the earth.

I'll just use the trait gem.

No matter how many times he looked at it, the Genius trait carried a downright broken effect. A supreme-grade gem was not the least bit wasted on it. Without stalling, Yujun applied the trait gem to Genius.

Oh. Two whole ranks?

He had assumed that from EX-rank onward, even a supreme-grade gem would not raise the grade by much. To think it would climb two stages. Yujun broke into a wide grin.

This is plenty.

He was satisfied, and at the same time curious. Was there a grade above EX++? The Genius trait was worth investing everything in.

Right. The grade changed, so the effect ought to have changed as well.

Yujun checked just how much the upgraded trait had shifted.