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TL: ALT
Chapter 154 – Things I Can’t Give Up (9) My Own Skill
Time had stopped.
Honoka-chan and the other two were in purple wireframes.
The same was true of the boss room in the post-collapse Okutama Lake dungeon.
And in the corner of my vision were the words “x0.00.”
――Escape from Reality has been activated.
“So this is what the headache is all about.”
Every time I was confronted with the word escape, my consciousness would fly away, and I would get a headache.
But that wasn’t all.
The very idea of escaping was forbidden to me.
I had to move forward.
I had to stick to my own will.
I had to return to my original world, no matter what the cost.
I was struggling to accept and deal with all the absurdity that was being forced upon me.
That’s why I didn’t notice.
“This absurdity isn’t my problem. Honoka-chan and the others aren’t my responsibility either. So escaping was a rather natural idea.”
Once I came up with the idea of escaping, a solution also came to mind.
The fact that Escape from Reality was activated means that Escape is alive and well.
It wasn’t displayed in my status, but that doesn’t mean it had disappeared.
But at the same time, the fact that Escape from Reality was triggered also means that the job world is reality.
The theory that this world I had previously examined was an illusion for the sake of the ordeal is highly likely to be wrong.
However, if this is reality, there are too many things that don’t feel right.
“Why did I forget about Escape?”
What’s more, it seems like everything that might trigger my memory is being destroyed.
At the same time, it seems like I’m being reminded of Escape.
In that respect, there’s also a certain logic to the idea that this world is some kind of test prepared for me.
“If there’s a being that can do something like that… well, there’s only one thing to do.”
For the time being, I’ve also found the cause of this situation.
And it seems like it could be the key to getting out of this situation.
After breathing in deeply,
“…Voice of Heaven. Can you raise the skill level of the unique skill Escape?”
‘You currently have 80,485,782 SP. You will need 10,240,000 SP to raise the skill level of your unique skill Escape from 2 to 3.’
As I had expected, the Voice of Heaven replied.
“T-ten million?!”
I think the SP I needed to raise the skill level to 2 was 640,000.
The SP needed to raise the skill level of a normal skill increases four times depending on the skill level.
Calculating according to that rule, the SP needed to raise the skill level from 2 to 3 should be 2,560,000.
However, according to the Voice of Heaven, the SP required this time is 10,240,000.
Does that mean the SP required to raise the skill level of Escape increases by 16 times?
“Well, I have more than enough this time…”
I had a lot of SP left over from the events before and after I stopped the dungeon from collapsing in the skill world.
The question is, can I really break through this situation with the new ability unlocked at skill level 3 of Escape?
“Speaking of which, what about my status? Status open… it doesn’t work.”
My status remains the same as it was in this world.
There is no indication that I can use Escape, which I have discovered that I can use.
The same is true when I open Dungeons Go Pro on my smartphone, and there is no button to raise my skill level.
However, I can also raise my skills by giving direct orders to the Voice of Heaven.
When I first learned Fire Magic, I learned it by giving a command to the Voice of Heaven.
Even if the skill was still alive, it’s only natural that there would be no function for acquiring or leveling up skills in the world’s DGP.
“Well, I don’t know why I can only use Escape when I can’t use any other skills… wait a minute?”
What’s the difference between Escape and other skills?
Of course,
“Is it because it’s a unique skill?”
The design of the system may be different for ordinary skills that everyone can learn and unique skills that only certain people can learn.
The Voice of Heaven has already used the term “skill library” in an error message.
Because common skills are used by researchers all over the world, their functions are managed in a centralized form called the “skill library.”
Unique skills, on the other hand, are skills that are only available to their owners.
If there is no real possibility that multiple people will use the same unique skill, there is no point in maintaining it in a central library.
If I were to use an Internet analogy, it would be that normal skills are managed on a server, while unique skills are managed locally.
In this case, “local” would mean embedded directly in my mind or soul.
If my unique skill was embedded in my physical body―for example, in my brain, a physical organ―it would be contradictory for me to be able to use my unique skill now.
My current body is the body of me in the job world.
…I’ve digressed a bit.
But it’s also true that there’s no need to panic anymore.
There are no time constraints in this space.
Until now, I didn’t know when Honoka-chan and the others would seal me away, and I was constantly forced to race against time.
Now, the sense of urgency I felt just now has faded away like a lie, and I’m able to expand my thoughts freely.
“When you’re cornered, your vision narrows, doesn’t it?”
It’s even more so because I was cornered on the subject of escape.
If you think about it, it was the same before I got this unique skill.
I only escaped from reality (not just level 2, but in the real world) after I was cornered to the extreme.
When you’re pushed to the limit, your options become fewer.
As a result, the damage you take after running away becomes greater, and it becomes more difficult to recover afterward.
“So you’re saying I should escape before I’m cornered?”
But that’s unexpectedly difficult.
When you haven’t been cornered yet, you tend to think that you can try a little harder.
But once you’ve decided that you can’t try any harder, it’s too late.
If you can’t do it anymore, that means you don’t even have the energy to escape.
If you don’t have any energy left, you won’t even be able to escape.
Even if you manage to escape, it won’t be a result of rational thinking and methodical action; it will just be a result of being driven by your animal instincts.
“I think this is the answer. Voice of Heaven, please increase the skill level of Escape.”
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