As Hinata-san stood there in shock, I explained my reasoning.
"So here’s the thing, Hinata-san. Remember what Headshot Yakuza said? He mentioned that once your HP or MP exceeds 400, you can use your status powers even on the surface. If my theory is correct, I can use the Seeker-type skills to level up in one fell swoop and gain access to my powers up there too! Once that happens, even if lowlifes like Kanzaki and his lot try to attack you on the surface, I’ll be able to protect you! So please! Believe in me and lend me your strength!"
"……Ah, right, so that’s what you meant… Yeah, I figured as much, but still..."
Despite my passionate persuasion, driven by the heat of the moment, Hinata-san gave me a flat, judgmental look before letting out a heavy sigh.
What? What was that for!?
Did my perfect logic somehow fail to impress her!?
While I stood there aghast, Hinata-san began saying things that made no sense to me.
"Listen, Takeo-kun."
"Yes?"
"I think you need to be scolded thoroughly at least once."
"!!?"
Why say such a thing so suddenly!? I don't understand at all!!
"As for your tendency to say and do things that make everyone around you misunderstand… I’ll make sure to correct that later..."
"!!?"
Hinata-san!?
"Anyway, let’s organize the facts, okay? To protect me even on the surface, you want to use the Seeker skill as a way to level up quickly."
"Yes!"
"—And you're using that as a pretext to get me to cooperate… right?"
H-Hinata-san!?
Well, if you put it bluntly, I suppose so, but still!!
"Look, it's not that I'm against the idea. I was planning to take Support Magic eventually anyway, and I agree with building my skills in that direction."
"Hinata-san!!"
My face lit up instantly.
"But I don't know what exactly you're planning, Takeo-kun. What if you fail? Losing all those Skill Points would be a huge blow for you, wouldn't it?"
"Fufufu!! Rest assured, Hinata-san!! I probably won't fail!!"
"…I don't think saying 'probably' is very reassuring."
"No, no, really!! I have total confidence!!"
Admittedly, the Seeker skill is normally unusable.
However, by some twist of fate, the various skills I’ve acquired through my titles might allow me to fight reasonably well even if my stats return to their initial values.
Combined with Hinata-san's Healing Magic and Support Magic, I should be able to maximize the experience gain from Seeker-type skills!!
To dispel Hinata-san's anxiety, I decided to disclose my status to her.
"Well, first, take a look at this. —Status Open!!"
I projected my status so it was visible to others and showed it to Hinata-san.
This was my current status:
————————————————
【Name】 Takeo Samejima
【Level】 29
Experience until next level: 5,988,602
HP: 160/160 (5 up!) MP: 42/42 Strength: 85 (5 up!) Constitution: 75 Intelligence: 6 Spirit: 36 Agility: 80 (5 up!) Dexterity: 80 (5 up!)
【STP】 0 【SP】 0
【Skills】 Increased Damage with Bladed Weapons (Lv. Max), Berserk (Lv. 1), Goblin Genocider (Lv. Max), Fighting Spirit (Lv. Max), Blood Vengeance (Lv. 1), Sword Aura (Lv. 1), Taunt (Lv. 1), ■■■■■■■ (Lv. 1), Life Magic (Lv. Max), Magic Sword (Lv. 1), Danger Sense (Lv. 1), Mighty Blade (Lv. 3), Seeker (Lv. 1)
【Titles】 Battle Junkie, Goblin Genocider, ■■■■■, Swordmaster
————————————————
Man, if I do say so myself, this is quite a level for someone in their first month as an Explorer, isn't it?
However, the experience points required for the next level had finally reached six million.
It was a staggering number compared to when I started, but the fact that it still made me excited was proof that I was a leveling fanatic through and through… Just knowing I still had so much room to grow made me genuinely happy.
Meanwhile, Hinata-san's reaction to my status was...
"…Eh? E-Eeeeeeeeh!!? Takeo-kun, you're already level 29!? When we last dove into a dungeon together, you were still in your teens, weren't you!!?"
She was absolutely floored.
However, since her information wasn't quite accurate, I had to correct her.
"Ah, no, my level went up when I defeated Kanzaki and his group. I think I hit level 20 before I left the dungeon that time."
"That's not much of a difference!?"
Actually, there’s a huge difference between level 19 and level 20...
"A-And what are these titles!? Battle Junkie… well, knowing you, I guess that’s fine, but..."
"Eh?"
"What is Goblin Genocider!? I've never even heard of that title!! And Swordmaster… isn't that an incredibly powerful title that only a tiny fraction of high-tier Explorers have!? Why do you have something like this!?"
"Well, because of internet memes and being caught on your and Mogi-san's streams, it seems a misunderstanding spread and the titles just manifested. As for Goblin Genocider, the Goblin Killer skill evolved into Goblin Slayer once I maxed its level, and then after I maxed Goblin Slayer, it became this. Oh, and the evolution conditions seem to be defeating 1,000 and 10,000 goblins respectively."
"I don't think what spread was a misunderstanding, and what do you mean you killed ten thousand goblins!!? Also, Takeo-kun, did you actually dump points into a killer-type skill!?"
"Well, you say that, but the effects of Goblin Genocider are quite strong. Only against goblins, though. —Here are the skill details, see?"
"…No, what are these effects… Quadruple damage? Double stats at all times? Double experience points, too?…Um, am I dreaming?"
"Amazing, right? The catch is that it’s limited to goblins, but if other killer-type skills evolve under the same conditions and have the same effects, it could change how everyone evaluates them. I intend to follow the example of the pioneers and announce this discovery eventually, so I'll be counting on you then, Hinata-san."
"…Eh? Am I involved somehow…?"
"Well, I was thinking of making the announcement on your channel."
"—Why!?"
"Eh?…Because announcing it on your channel would have the most reach…?"
"U-Uuu… My head is starting to hurt..."
"Pull yourself together, Hinata-san! Should I just carry you on my back after all?"
"That’s not the issue here!?…Sigh. F-For now, I have to check the rest...!!"
"Please, check to your heart's content."
"Yeah, thanks… Ah, Takeo-kun, you did get Magic Sword after all. You have Life Magic too… Wait, it’s max level!? Max level—don't tell me you spent points on it!? Did five Skill Orbs drop or something!? Just how much did you have to fight for that to happen!!?"
"Well, roughly about ten thousand goblins, I guess?"
"I'm sure that's true, but…!! That's not what I'm trying to say...!!"
"???"
"Oh, for goodness' sake…!! For some reason, I feel like we aren't even having the same conversation...!!"
"It's fine, I can understand your words perfectly!"
"It's not the words that aren't getting through, it's the point of the story!?"
"???"
"Nnn~…!! One person isn't enough to handle your nonsense!! And… and, you casually have Danger Sense too!! Isn't this a skill famous for being incredibly difficult to acquire!?"
"Yes, that’s right. While I was farming Monster Rooms, I became able to acquire it for some reason. Maybe anyone can get it that way… What do you think, Hinata-san?"
"First of all, farming Monster Rooms isn't something just anyone can do!! —Wait, I just noticed, you actually took the Seeker skill!!!"
"Ah, you noticed? Ehehe. I'd been missing the chance to put points into it until now… So I just went ahead and grabbed it. For a while, I'm only putting points into Seeker!"
"Nnnh………… Then what was the point of consulting me!!!!!"
Hinata-san screamed.
I wonder… she’s being awfully high-energy today.
Maybe Hinata-san is also excited about our first dungeon exploration in a while.…Is she actually a combat-loving martial artist at heart? My theory that Hinata-san is a battle junkie is becoming more and more convincing...!!
"Haa, haa…!! Nn… Takeo-kun."
"Yes."
"Your status was way more incredible than I expected and it shocked me… but, well, I get it now. With those bonuses, maybe you can still fight even while using Seeker."
"Then!?"
"Yeah, I'll cooperate with you.…Actually, I was planning to cooperate from the beginning anyway."
"Thank you very much!!"
"Yeah."
"By the way."
"Yeah?"
"Could I see your status as well, Hinata-san? Since we're going to be working together, I thought it would be better to have a grasp of it."
"U-Uuum..."
"Do you dislike the idea? If so, I won't force you."
"Ah, no, it's not that I dislike it!?…Um, then, shall we check...?"
"Please, I'd appreciate it!!"
And so, it was decided that I would check Hinata-san's status.
Here it was:
————————————————
【Name】 Mashiro Hinata
【Level】 19
Experience until next level: 182,855
HP: 40/40 MP: 105/105 Strength: 20 Constitution: 20 Intelligence: 65 Spirit: 40 Agility: 44 Dexterity: 40
【STP】 0 【SP】 5
【Skills】 Intermediate Healing Magic (Lv. 3), Mind Concentration (Lv. 3), Fleet-footed (Lv. 2), ——
【Titles】 ——
————————————————
A world premiere!!
This was Hinata-san's status!!
I see, I see, her Intelligence is quite high. However, her Strength and other stats needed for the front line are low, so it’s definitely better for her to use magic from the rear.
Also, she has five Skill Points left. Maybe she was unsure about where to spend them?
For context, Intermediate Healing Magic is the evolved form of Beginner Healing Magic.
Once you max out the skill level of Beginner Healing Magic and satisfy certain conditions, the display changes from "Lv. Max" to "Lv. 5," and you can invest more points.
By investing points in this state, it transforms into a higher-tier skill with superior effects. This is called "Skill Evolution."
In the case of Intermediate Healing Magic, you learn new, more powerful healing spells in addition to the ones from Beginner Healing Magic. For example, you gain access to High Heal on top of the standard Heal.
However… Hinata-san took Fleet-footed.
This is a skill that has mixed reviews among Explorers. The effect is as follows:
————————————————
【Skill】
Fleet-footed (Lv. 1) — Agility permanently increases by (Skill Level × 10).
————————————————
In other words, it’s a skill that converts Skill Points into raw stats.
There are various other skills like this, and I’ve become able to acquire several of them myself. Since the conditions are easily met by performing tasks like strength training, running, or meditation for a certain period, many people can take them.
However, quite a few people avoid them, feeling it’s a waste to spend precious Skill Points on stats.
Personally, I think it’s a viable option depending on the situation. Considering the risks, I think it’s better for Hinata-san to have high Agility.
The problem, however, lay elsewhere.
"Hinata-san, Hinata-san."
"Nn… what is it, Takeo-kun…? Hurry up and… finish checking...?"
"Don't 'what is it' me. Move your hands."
"There's… nothing worth checking there anyway… so don't… worry about it...!!"
For some reason, Hinata-san was hiding the last skill and title slots with her hands.
She was holding a strained posture in the air, and although she was trembling, she wouldn't let go. I could feel her fierce determination to hide those entries.
"…………"
Give me a break.
I reached out and grabbed both of Hinata-san's wrists.
"Wait!? You can't, Takeo-kun!? Being violent with a girl is...!!"
"I'm not being violent. I'm just moving your hands."
"No!! Stop!! That's like something a pervert would do!?"
"Stop talking nonsense and just show me."
With a Strength of 20, there was no way she could resist my physical power. I pried Hinata-san's hands away from the display and confirmed the hidden skill and title.
【Skill】 Charm (Lv. 2)
【Title】 Beguiling Beauty
"…………"
"…………Nn. Jeez… this is so embarrassing...!!"
Hinata-san's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson, and she buried it in her hands.
…Wait, wait, wait.
"—Wait!? Hinata-san, what kind of dangerous-looking skill are you trying to hideeeeeeeeeeeee!!?"