CH 36

[……Haahhh…… I’m tired.]

Radd and others’ dungeon attack went without a hitch.

About that, it was largely as expected, but some unexpected things could happen, such as Verteran and his group’s appearance before they entered the dungeon.

Frankly speaking, I think they handled it well.

After the battle, Verteran apologized for some reason I don’t understand, and I was also able to witness the accomplishment of the Quest, which, from the results, was a great victory.

However……

I just want to say one thing.

(————There’s no way I can beat the three of them!!!)

The number of moves their side can use is a threat in itself.

Rex’s ability is only a hair above that of Verteran’s, and if all three of them attacked at the same time, I would surely lose.

I managed to get by by switching Enchantment rings for each opponent and doing my best to give the impression of a strong person, but I don’t want to fight them again.

As I buried my face in my open notebook and groaned, I heard the door open and an astounded voice rang out.

[How sloppy. Come now, if you want to sleep, stand up there and properly lay down on the bed.]

Surprisingly taking my arm as she said this was my little sister, Resilia.

[Are you my mother or what?]

[I’m your little sister.]

Nonchalantly responding to her, saying “Alright already”, I shook off her attempt to pick me up by my arm.

[I’m not going to sleep yet, so it’s fine. Rather than that, is Radd and the others alright?]

[What do you mean by that?]

As Resilia tilted her head, not understanding what I meant, I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

[Ah, you see. They couldn’t beat the Boss on their own, right? I thought they might be depressed.]

The fact that they had Resilia with them just in case and how Radd and his party couldn’t beat the Boss was just as expected.

However, people aren’t beings that can give up on something so easily.

I was a little concerned that those guys might be discouraged……

[No. Rather than depressed, it’s more like he’s on fire. “This adventure has shown me what I’ve been lacking! I’m gonna continue on the path of the Warrior and catch up with Rex someday!” or so Radd-san said.]

[Huh? The heck is that guy talking about?]

Not only were they more positive than I had imagined, it seems like they’re still overestimating me.

At their pace, Radd’s main ability value would overtake mine at about Lv 20, and if they go up another 10 levels or so from there, they will easily surpass me in total ability values.

In the first place……

[I don’t really intend to go on the path of a Warrior though……]

[Is that so?]

Resilia reacted to the words I reflexively muttered.

This is bad, or so I thought, but I couldn’t swallow the words once I spat them out.

I had no choice but to tell Resilia what was going on to some extent.

[You may get mad when I say this, but my, no, “Rex’s stat distribution” is terrible.]

[……I can see that.]

[You noticed!?]

The unexpected response shook me quite a bit.

Because I never wanted to tell this woman that I’d soon lose to her in terms of status, I thought I had kept it under wraps.

[You wear your emotions on your sleeves, Nii-san. Moreover, there’s today’s battle. Radd-san and the others seemed to be gawking about it, but I know that with “your” skill and your equipment, you had to be stronger than that.]

[I- I see……]

It seems that she had seen through me.

At least, it was a relief that Radd and others haven’t found out about it.

[Well, to be honest, there are some things I’m sulking about.]

I, Rex, don’t have the stability of Radd, the hidden strong points of Mana, the specialized strength of Prana.

Almost all of my ability values are the lowest, and because the devs are trying to keep Rex a balanced character stat-wise, even the only stat that’s high, MGC, is inferior to Nuku’s and Mana’s.

However, I changed my mind.

For that one part, more than most people, that possibility is……

[————Yes, it’s because I have “nothing”!]

Hearing what I said, Resilia stared at me before speaking.

[That’s not a line you just wanted to say, right?]

[T- That’s not it!]

Flapping my hands in a panic, I pushed my notebook into her hand.

[This is a compilation of my knowledge from my gaming days. Ahh, I’ve also included an explanation so that even people who don’t know anything about it can read it and understand, so if I’m gone for any reason, Resilia could———–]

[Even if you say it like a joke, I will still get angry.]

I was serious when I said this, but hearing the blat of anger from Resilia in the middle of my words, I stopped talking.

Perhaps because of her circumstances, Resilia is sensitive to the death of others.

I think she had already acknowledged the contents of the notebook though, so it should be alright to stop it at that.

[A- Anyway, as I’ve summarized here, there’s only one way for one to “reset your stat distribution”.]

That is my possibility.

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With an average ability level, Rex can “re-shift” to any skill level.

Swordsman, Thief, Magic-user, Monk, whatever I want.

However, if I want to make the most of Rex’s aptitudes……

[————I’ll completely tear apart the fighting style that “Rex” has been using up till now. If I can reset it, I’m going to make use of a magic-centric fighting style, that so-called “pure magic style”.]

At my declaration, Resilia’s eyes quietly widened.

[That’s why, rather than being Radd’s senpai, I’d be more like Nuku’s senpai, no, I’d even be more like his kouhai then.]

I jokingly said that, but its meaning was probably heavy for Resilia.

It was the furthest choice from the “all-powerful swordsman”, one that would definitely destroy the image of her brother in her mind.

However, that didn’t mean I could just compromise on “myself”.

For a few moments, Resilia just kept silent and closed her eyes, not saying a word.

But when she eventually opened her eyes, she gave a small smile.

[————I think that’s very much like Nii-san.]

With those few words, I felt a little saved, as if I was pardoned.

That was the case but……

[Ahh, though I said that, it’s not going to be easy.]

I spoke as if I could do it, but there are many obstacles to “resetting my stat distribution”.

[To reset my abilities, I need to make use of the “trial  of the Soul” event that is extremely difficult and only gives you one chance to try.]

[Extremely?]

[Yeah.]

I nodded without hesitation.

This “Trial of the Soul” event doesn’t require you a certain requirement of story progress.

This in itself helps the <Prince of Light> who is caught in a trap, but even if you leave it unattended, he will tear through the traps on his own.

And because it’s an event that doesn’t need to be cleared and isn’t important to the storyline, it doesn’t matter how high the difficulty level is.

[To be more specific, I can only take one other person with me, and we have to defeat a Lv 50 Boss with a severely weakened body.]

[Lv 50……]

Of course, the Boss in the <Seven-Colored Lava Cave> is a real formidable foe.

Although higher in level, it’s probably superior to the Doom Demon, whose strength was reduced for the event production with Rex.

[To be frank, I don’t think I’d be much of a force in that event. ……That’s why, I need strong allies that are willing to put their lives on the line to challenge it with me.]

I think I was aiming too high.

First of all, the hurdle of strength required is very high.

Even if they had that kind of strength, what I am saying would sound ridiculous to the people in this world who don’t have my game knowledge.

————That’s why I started to train Radd and his party.

I began to train them, to hone their strength, and to bind their behavior with a favor so that they would challenge the trial with me.

That is selfishness and a trial I’m one-sidedly imposing on them.

If people back in my world see my actions, I could be accused of still feeling like I’m playing a game and looking at the people around me as if they were mere data in a game.

But at my words, Resilia laughed.

[I think you should tell that to Radd-san’s party about that.]

[Eh……?]

As she came up to the opposite conclusion as mine, she quietly turned on her heel.

[I will excuse myself here today. I feel like swinging my sword.]

Even though it was already almost nightfall, Resilia said such a thing and opened the door out of the room.

And……

[Ahh, and when you go to sleep, make sure you sleep in your bed.]

With a last minute nosiness, she left the room.

I waited patiently as her footsteps faded away downstairs.

[……Haahhh……]

When I couldn’t feel her presence anymore, I finally let out a sigh.

I know Radd and the others are “good guys”, and I’m aware that I myself am starting to have my own feelings for them in my own way.

However……

[————It’s because they’re all that type of person that I can’t talk to them about this.]

I quietly mumbled.

What I told Resilia isn’t a lie, but it’s not everything either.

What is rational and the best solution for someone isn’t necessarily the best for everyone.

If she knew the details, she would stop me, and there’s a good chance that even Radd and the others would reject me.

[Now then, who will I choose? Or perhaps, should I just give up on this once and for all?]

I mumbled and looked down at my notebook.

Scribbled on the opened page was a certain technique in B&B.

【Stat Distribution Reset Technique through Trial of the Soul】

This is a technique of pseudo-“stat distribution resetting” by using the “Trial of the Soul”, a series of events that could occur after the <Abscondment of the Prince of Light> event after a certain amount of time has passed since the game begins.

The main advantage of this technique is that it allows you to correctly redevelop a character that you failed to develop, but there’s merit in executing this even if you had optimal training, because you can always significantly increase the total amount of ability by having the necessary equipment and planning ahead.

Since it can only be performed once throughout the game and the complexity of the procedure makes it impossible for anyone other than the player to perform it, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it is, in effect, a player-only strengthening event.

However, the difficulty of accomplishment is high in proportion to the magnitude of the effect.

The “Trial of the Soul” event itself is extremely difficult to complete, requiring only 2 people in the party, with additional restrictions in place, to defeat a Lv 50 Boss.

It’s difficult to achieve with normal training conditions, so if you’re aiming for this event, it will be urgent to select and train the participating character, in addition to strengthening the player themselves, from the very beginning of the game.

However, the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you should always choose “a character that you don’t intend to have on your main party” for the trial.

Ideally, the character should be “strong enough to just barely clear the trial if you fight with them, but no room for growth beyond that”.

This is because this technique is only a technique to adjust the ability value of a character, and if the player’s ability value is increased in this way, the ability value of the companion they would bring with them will be severely decreased in exchange.

————Taking into account the difficulty of the ordeal, how much of the best “sacrifice” can you choose……

That is the most important point of this trial.