The moment the EXP came in, I reported it to Olivia-san.
"...Erik-kun, just how incredible are you going to get?"
"Well, I mean..."
Having obtained Appraisal, I was now on the verge of acquiring Space Magic as well.
Even I recognized that I was doing something extraordinary.
"Up until Appraisal, we managed to get by, but if you get your hands on Space Magic too, more and more people will be after you."
"After me? But wouldn't it be fine as long as I don't use Space Magic in public?"
"Erik-kun, not everyone plays by the rules, you know. While Appraisal is certainly a rare skill, there are still plenty of people who have it. There's a very real danger of someone peeking at your status."
"...Is this really the time to bring that up? I already have quite a few skills, and their levels are ridiculously high as it is."
Thanks to Fixed EXP, I had acquired an array of skills and leveled them up considerably.
If having my status seen was a risk, it felt like something I should have been worrying about all along.
"It's certainly been dangerous up until now, but it wasn't something to panic over. The number of skills a person gets from their ritual varies from person to person. Besides, aside from Appraisal and Fixed EXP, all your skills are common ones with known acquisition methods. Those in the know are aware that you're my apprentice, so it never became that much of an issue."
"But Space Magic is different..."
"I was planning to make preparations once you got Appraisal, but we need to speed up the schedule. Erik-kun, you need to either learn an ability to deflect Appraisal or get your hands on a magic tool."
Olivia-san told me that concealing my status took priority.
"By an ability to deflect it, do you mean Camouflage or Concealment, or maybe perception impairment to cloud awareness of myself?"
"Right. Ideally, it would be best to get all of them so no one could ever pry into your status, but... magic tools for that are extremely expensive, and no one really knows how to learn those skills."
"...Out of those, it looks like I might be able to pick up perception impairment."
"...Come to think of it, Leticia-chan is in your party, isn't she? She uses a magic tool in the city, so have you picked up the general gist just from watching her all this time?"
When Olivia-san asked, I simply nodded in silence.
I hadn't intentionally observed Leticia-san's magic tool to analyze it.
We just spent so much time together that I had naturally taken notice.
"Using mana to distort a target's perception... I believe that's the essence of perception impairment. So, something like this..."
Picturing the magic tool Leticia-san carried, I cloaked my body in mana.
Instead of circulating it internally like Physical Enhancement, I spread the mana out thinly over my exterior.
Then, I layered another thin veil of mana over top.
◇
You have trained in perception impairment.
Earned 1 EXP.
7/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
After maintaining that state for about five minutes, a massive amount of EXP rolled in.
"...Perhaps what's truly terrifying about you isn't Fixed EXP, Erik-kun, but your eyes. You have an unbelievable knack for observation. Even taking your harrowing childhood into account, you'd be hard-pressed to find another kid who could pull off an ability like that."
Looking exasperated, Olivia-san decided that I should acquire perception impairment before Space Magic.
From then on, I continued my training straight through until noon.
◇
You have trained in Parallel Thinking.
Earned 1 EXP.
86/100 until next level.
◇
◇
You have trained in Mana Control.
Earned 1 EXP.
88/100 until next level.
◇
◇
You have trained your mana.
Earned 1 EXP.
75/100 until stat increase.
◇
◇
You have trained in perception impairment.
Earned 1 EXP.
100/100 until skill acquisition.
◇
◇
You have acquired perception impairment.
0/100 until next level.
◇
◇
You have trained in perception impairment.
Earned 1 EXP.
21/100 until next level.
◇
✤
Name: Erik
Age: 10
Level: 12
Strength: 22
Mana: 24
Stamina: 21
Agility: 21
Dexterity: 21
Skills
[Swordsmanship: 5] [Physical Enhancement: 4] [Cleaning: 8]
[Earth Magic: 3] [Parallel Thinking: 6] [Mana Control: 5]
[Appraisal: 3] [Shield Technique: 1] [Perception Impairment: 1]
Special Skills
[Fixed EXP]
Divine Protections
—
✤
I successfully acquired the perception impairment skill.
I turned and informed Olivia-san of my success.
"...To think you learned a skill with an unknown acquisition method in just a few short hours. Erik-kun, do you have any idea how insane that is?"
"D-Does that mean I have more material to publish now?"
Stared at intently by Olivia-san, I offered my timid response, prompting her to let out a deep sigh.