S-Rank Skill: Skill Mimic Manifests

All stats E-rank. It was the closest thing to failing even among rookies. The result didn't match at all with the power that had sent that big brute flying earlier. My previous body had at least been D-rank across the board except for mana....

Is the measurement stone broken?

I tapped the pillar a few times, but unfortunately there was no response. That was when it happened.

Rejects the measurement? What the hell does that mean?

...What the hell is this?

I was stunned. The measurement stone had clearly displayed every single value as E-rank, yet the results the Blessing produced showed stats on the level of C-rank explorers who'd made something of a name for themselves.

Except for strength, anyway.

I've never even heard of anything like this....

The branch manager alternated his gaze between the measurement stone and me, resting his chin on his hand.

"This is strange. All stats E-rank despite using mana coating."

A peculiar curiosity gleamed in his eyes.

"The measurement stone doesn't lie. But those movements you showed earlier weren't lies either."

"Then what happens now?"

I asked anxiously. Even for him, recognizing a girl with all E-rank stats as an explorer would be awkward. If I failed to obtain my license here?

The journey to turn back into a man would be screwed from the very first step....

And if I confessed, "Actually, my Blessing rejected the measurement"?

I'd probably end up getting dissected by those Arcana bastards before long.

A total deadlock. I was completely trapped with nowhere to turn.

"Hmm......"

The branch manager pondered for a moment before finally smiling.

"Under normal circumstances I'd reject the registration, but I'll make an exception."

He pulled a red request form from his drawer and held it out.

"I propose a temporary test."

"A temporary test?"

The branch manager was chuckling. They said he came from A-rank, but that laugh made him look exactly like a con man.

"First stratum, Blue Meadow. Just bring back three Lesser Harpies from there."

I scanned him with suspicious eyes.

"Lesser Harpies?"

"That's right. Bring back any spoils—feathers, claws, anything—and I'll register you as a proper explorer."

Lesser Harpy. A degraded variant of the harpies that live on the sixth stratum. An E-rank monster whose overall specs—size, strength, agility—were pathetically inferior to the originals. In simple terms, they were basically oversized chickens.

As long as I watch out for those diving claws, it shouldn't be too hard.

Back in my D-rank days I'd slaughtered dozens of them just to earn some pocket change.

"Sure, I'll do it. It's basically free money."

The moment I accepted the branch manager's proposal, Mina crossed her arms beside me. Her face looked worried, but the corners of her mouth kept twitching. She clearly wanted a front-row seat to my pathetic test.

"I'll go along as both guarantor and supervisor. That okay with you, sir?"

"If a former C-rank Ocelot is coming along, I'd be more than happy."

The branch manager gave his ready approval.

I poked Mina in the ribs and we left the guild.

"Hey, lend me some money."

Before entering the labyrinth, the first problem to solve was equipment.

++++++

The next day, we headed for the city's third district—the Grey Market.

Though they called it a market, it was really just a junkyard for used and discarded explorer gear.

"I'd love to walk into a proper high-end equipment shop and get a full set, but......"

People scraping by at the bottom didn't have that luxury. The reality for low-rank explorers was that they couldn't even dream of a decent forge and had to gamble on whatever junk they could find here.

Mina pointed at an old dagger lying on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a corner stall.

"You're going with a dagger, right? It's your specialty."

I caught the dagger she tossed. But by the standards of healthy grown men this was a dagger, yet for me...

"...It's way too heavy."

A stinging pain shot from my elbow all the way to my shoulder. The tip drooped straight toward the ground.

By the standards of this fragile body that looked like it would snap if you tapped it, the thing felt like it weighed as much as Excalibur. If I tried swinging this, my arm would probably rip off before I could even cut an enemy.

"Pass. I need something smaller."

I set the weapon down without hesitation.

With this body, even a spoon would feel heavy.

As I looked around, a small dagger about twenty centimeters long caught my eye. I picked it up naturally.

"This is nice."

In my previous life I would have used something like this only as a throwing toy. But now it fit perfectly in my small hand. I gave it a few test swings. Light. Short. Fast rotation.

"As expected, when your weight class is low, the standard is to win with speed."

After that I gathered various other miscellaneous items.

"What are those for? Rope, a net... even sticky bombs?"

"They all have their uses. For those harpy bastards, this stuff is rat poison."

I even picked up strongly scented meat bait and shiny metal fragments.

"Aren't you bringing way too much junk? Lesser Harpies are the kind of monsters you can just shwoosh and kill."

"No need to fight fair and square with brute force."

As a fifteen-year veteran D-rank, I planned to hunt in the most cowardly and efficient way possible.

"You owe me twenty gold coins, got it? Don't you dare forget."

"I know. I'll pay you back with plenty of interest later."

++++

We arrived at the black gate that served as the labyrinth entrance. Wish notes people had written were fluttering all over the ground beside it.

"Entry fee is thirty silver coins."

"Ugh... damn it......"

The administrator from the Midas Financial Union collected the toll. I'd heard it was a legitimate tax for maintaining public order in Labyrinth City Astaroth and defending against outside threats. But looking at how those Midas executives lived, it didn't seem like the money was actually being used for city defense. They wore luxurious clothes, lived in grand mansions, and were even buying noble titles with their hoarded wealth.

"This is bullshit. Why the hell are they collecting taxes like this?"

"Well, whatever. If we sell the Lesser Harpy spoils properly we should get around eighty silver coins, right?"

"I really hope so. Seriously."

I walked slowly through the black gate together with Mina.

And so we arrived at the labyrinth's first stratum—Blue Meadow. A place filled with brilliant sunlight and vast green fields.

Because of the wide-open visibility it was called the beginner zone, but the truth was different. When people said the labyrinth was "safe," it usually meant it was the perfect place to drop your guard.

Around us, rookie explorers were having decent fights against slimes.

Mina watched the novice explorers with a fond smile on her lips.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Not exactly good ones, though...."

The very first day I'd stepped into the labyrinth. The memory of getting wrecked by acid slime and watching equipment worth three gold coins melt away flashed through my mind.

I lifted my head and stared at the wide sky. Birds flew around while thick clouds drifted lazily above them.

It was a fascinating sight every single time, even though I knew it was fake.

+++++

First stratum, fourth sector. Rocky terrain. Sheer cliffs rose all around us, and the characteristic highland wind tickled my hair.

"So. What the hell were all those random items for?"

Mina tapped my shoulder as she asked.

I spread the meat bait on the ground and scattered the metal fragments while answering.

"Harpies have low intelligence so they fall for lures pretty easily."

"Oh, really? First time I've heard that."

"No matter how strong their bodies are or how well they can fly, they're still bird-brained in the end."

Before long, a sharp cry rang out from above.

"Kieeeeek!!!!"

One Lesser Harpy spotted the shiny objects and dove sharply.

"Want me to help?"

When Mina reached for her sword I raised my hand to stop her.

"No. This is my test. Just watch from the back."

The creature charged with its claws raised. The instant the harpy attacked, I twisted my body and dodged.

Good. Next.

I threw the prepared sticky bomb at the joint of its wing.

Thud!

The sticky liquid clung to its feathers and destroyed its balance. I immediately lassoed the falling harpy's leg with the rope and yanked it down to the ground.

"Kieeeeek!"

I slashed the throat of the harpy that had slammed into the dirt with my dagger.

Slice!

There was no hesitation. It was the distilled essence of the dirty, practical techniques I'd learned over fifteen years in the labyrinth.

"Whoa... that's impressive. No matter how you look at it, that's not E-rank."

"Yeah. It's C-rank."

I answered indifferently and cut off the creature's claws, dropping them into my bag.

It had been easier than expected. With the Blessing's correction added to fifteen years of knowledge, the first stratum felt like a playground.

"Perfect. Two left, right?"

I stood up with plenty of leisure.

But Mina's expression wasn't bright. She wasn't looking at me—she was staring ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hard at something far up in the sky.

"Nyx... that isn't a Lesser Harpy, is it?"

Mina's voice was trembling.

I looked up. A massive shadow was descending rapidly through the clouds.

At first I thought it was another Lesser Harpy.

"...What the hell? Why is it so big?"

Its wingspan was easily more than twice that of a Lesser Harpy. Black mana clung to its claws, and its eyes burned with killing intent. Every flap of its wings crushed the surrounding grass flat with pressure.

"Fuck."

Cold sweat ran down my back. I remembered seeing this monster in books. A harpy. An original harpy, on an entirely different level of strength from the degraded variants.

"This is bad! Why the hell is a monster that belongs on the sixth stratum here?!"

"A harpy? You mean that's a real harpy?!"

Mina instantly drew her sword and took a combat stance. It was a clean, efficient posture worthy of a former C-rank explorer.

But it was impossible. Monsters from the sixth stratum or higher required at least B-rank explorers to handle.

"Put your sword away! We have to run!"

But there was nowhere to run. Open terrain like the fourth sector was the perfect hunting ground for flying monsters.

"Kieeeeeeeee!!!!"

The harpy sliced through the air as it dove. Its speed was on another dimension compared to the Lesser Harpies.

Too... fast!

Slash!

"Ugh!"

Its claw grazed my shoulder. Hot blood poured down my back.

Even with the Blessing's correction, the overwhelming speed created by the difference in weight class was impossible to match.

"Nyx!"

Mina threw herself forward to save me. But the harpy twisted its trajectory mid-air and switched targets to Mina. An instinctive decision to eliminate the most dangerous enemy first.

"Kieeeeek!!"

"Kh...!!!!"

The harpy's claw rushed toward Mina's throat. But her defensive posture was half a beat too slow. At this rate my friend of fifteen years was about to lose her head.

"No!!!"

I instinctively reached out. The desperate wish not to lose Mina made the mana inside my body boil over.

In that instant—

It's happening again. The world is starting to slow down!

The harpy's wingbeats, the flow of air, the trajectory of its claws. Every piece of information about it began flooding into my head.

"Kr...ugh...!!!!"

My chest ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠suddenly burned hot. I felt a power on a completely different scale from anything Skill Copy had ever given me before. It was like a sealed floodgate had been ripped out entirely.

Incomprehensible terms flashed through my mind.

"Skill acquisition...?"

Crack—!

"Kr...kraaaaaagh!!!"

My body screamed as it began to readjust itself.