CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 58 - RECONNAISSANCE (2)

After that reconnaissance, we head back to the inn. Only then do I tell Yaci what I found.

"That man sounds tough. Do you think that the others are the same?"

"It’s hard to say, because the stats of the system don’t show up on the body. I would have to appraise every one of them, one by one."

"And that would alert them about us."

"Exactly. But one thing I can say, that guy is tougher than the ones who were there when I fled."

"Do you think that they increased security because of you?"

"Probably."

"Do you think I could win a fight against him?"

"Probably. He’s not super strong, but his HP is big, which means that he would be hard to bring down. He has the skills given by the system, but I think that you’re a warrior good enough to counter that."

"Yeah, but that’s only thanks to Lovelace training me."

"The moves from the skills are powerful but too predictable. Now that you have the attack patterns memorized, it won’t pose so much of a problem."

Indeed, Lovelace had a lot of OP skills because she cheated when she created the system. So she trained Yaci to fight against warriors who relied too much on them.

A smart swordsman would master their own movements, separate from the ones given by the skills. But at least that one doesn’t look so smart.

I check my own stats one more time. I’ve been constantly farming experience against the monsters of the Barren Wilds at night, and Lovelace told me the good skills to pick.

So my own stats look radically higher than they looked before.

----------

Aurea Annes

Race: human / Age: 10

Level: 523 / Job: none

HP: 271,164 / 271,164

MP: 657,157 / 657,157

FP: 0/0

BODY

Strength: 483

Agility: 552

Toughness: 468

Endurance: 407

Recuperation (consolidated): 528

Resistance (consolidated): 667

SOUL

Analytical ability: 1057

Focus: 673

Willpower: 782

Creativity: 597

Intuition: 703

Patience: 999

Memory: 1211

Linguistic ability: 927

Spatial sense: 567

Musicality: 292

Kinesthetic sense: 335

Empathy: 646

Social awareness: 486

Mana sense: 1380

SKILLS

Mana manipulation: 78

Elemental magic (Lightning): 100

Elemental magic (Water): 35

Elemental magic (Wind): 28

Elemental magic (Fire): 25

Elemental magic (Smoke): 8

Illusion magic: 90

Body magic: 85

Cooking: 54

Hiding: 20

Dodging: 41

Butchering: 18

Object appraisal: 57

Creature analysis: 22

Swordplay: 31

Spear handling: 35

Thunderous strike: 53

Body strengthening: 70

Improved heat resistance: 22

Improved poison resistance: 59

Improved magic resistance: 53

Health regeneration: 15

Improved health: 9

Healthy body: 12

Mana regeneration: 48

Improved mana: 35

Enhanced body: 100

Enhanced soul: 100

Skill Points available: 87,587

TITLES

Daughter of Thunder [HIDDEN]

Wesgoth Royal Bloodline [HIDDEN]

Runaway Slave of Duke Addlington [CRIME] [HIDDEN]

Friend of the Beastkin [HIDDEN]

Rescuer of Lovelace [HIDDEN]

Monster’s Nightmare

Arcane Genius

----------

Yeah, I know. I’m awesome.

I’m kidding; the awesome one is Lovelace. She told me the way to unlock the titles Monster’s Nightmare and Arcane Genius.

The first is quite obvious; I had to kill a certain number of monsters. The effect: gave me a maxed-out skill that lets all my body attributes get a new multiplier based on my level.

It took me two years of constantly going out at night to be able to get it.

The second is not so straightforward. It requires the person to create a certain number of original arias. And its effect is the same as the other one, but to the soul attributes.

For me, it was easier to get than the other one. But I guess that for the ones who follow the traditional system, it would sound otherworldly.

Especially the ones who don’t even know the ancient language and just parrot the words without knowing its meaning.

Also, Lovelace taught me that one can hide their titles. It isn’t completely reliable, as is my appraisal of the thug show, but it makes it harder to get the information.

After all, the amount of information shared by the skill is defined by a contest between the soul attributes and the level of Creature Analysis both the appraiser and the appraised have.

It has luck put into it in the form of ’dice’ rolls, like an actual RPG.

But, in the case of the thug and me, the difference in stats is so big that no amount of luck would stop me from seeing even all the hidden titles.

On the other hand, for someone to read mine, that person would need to be practically at the same level as Lovelace.

And I never managed to get anything from her stats. She not only has everything maxed out, but she also has several titles that help her with it.

What a cheater.

I’m getting mine by dutifully farming, you know. Lots of long night hours filled with nothing but the heavy sweat on my face.

I wonder how long it would take for me to reach level 9,999 like her, but through farming properly like a good gamer.

She just pushed some buttons, and voilà. It isn’t the same thing.

We are not the same.

Anyway, I spaced out again, didn’t I? Let’s focus on the mission. Focus.

:::

Night has fallen some time ago, so I decide to do a test run to the gates.

I cast invisibility on myself and jump down from the window of my room to the alley. Then I walk to the gates.

I try to match the speed of what I imagine the steps of hurried women would have.

It is enough, it seems. I reached the guards with around five minutes remaining still.

I go to a secluded place near the gates to wait for the spell to wear off and then cast it again and go back to the inn.

Everything is going smoothly so far.

:::

When I get back to the inn, everything seems alright. Yaci hadn’t gone out of the room, and I was able to swiftly climb to the window of our room.

I dispel the invisibility by hugging her from behind. Interacting physically with anyone who isn’t invisible always dispels it.

"Do you think that I didn’t hear you climbing?"

"And how did you know it was me? It could’ve been an intruder."

"Your pacing is too unique. There aren’t many people with ten-year-old bodies who can climb so fast and would intrude in a place like this."

I almost say "it could’ve been a hobbit," but there aren’t hobbits in this world, or any intelligent species with that body build.

"So, how did it go?"

"Oh, it went perfectly. Ten minutes to the gates, remaining five for running to get as far as we can before the spell wears off."

"Good. Now we only need to draw a path from that place to here."

"That’s the biggest hurdle."

"Maybe we could use those abandoned houses to hide while you cast the invisibility aria again."

"That might actually work. So, let’s go there, the both of us, and scout which ones are usable."