After a few hours, Haruto slowly stirred awake. His eyes blinked open to the soft glow of the ceiling, and just as he was adjusting to the light—
[Would you like to use your skill points?]
Haruto groaned, rubbing his temples. "I just woke up, and you're already nagging me about skill points?"
[I can't let you forget about them. Neglecting to use skill points could cause issues in the future.]
[Also, from now on, every time you level up, each of your stats will increase by 1 point automatically.]
[You completed your mission and gained 10 levels. You also gained an extra level from damaging the Demon Snake. That gives you 11 skill points to allocate.]
Haruto blinked. "Wait, what? You mean... I can grow stronger now just by leveling up, even without using skill points manually?"
[Yes. These are your current stats after defeating the competition and earning EXP from the Demon Snake.]
[Name: Haruto
Level: 20
EXP: 18
HP: 1300
STR: 23
SPD: 20
DEF: 18
STA: 22
Abilities: System, Analyze, Translate, Storage, Stealth, Cloak Stop, Illusion, Virgin Determination, Summon, Voice of Command
Items: Iron Sword, Cloak of Fire, Fruit of Recovery, Freezing Bomb]
Haruto's jaw dropped. "Damn, I didn't even know I had this many abilities..."
[Would you like to use your skill points now?]
"Yeah, fine. Let's do it. Ugh... put 3 points into Speed and 2 points into every other stat."
[Understood. Updating stats...]
HP: 1300 → 1500
STR: 23 → 25
SPD: 20 → 23
DEF: 18 → 20
STA: 22 → 24
[I've analyzed your battle with the Demonic Snake. As a result, you've gained several new immunities and resistances.]
[You are now immune to: Poison, Sleeping Drugs, Sleep-related effects.]
[You have gained resistance to: Elemental, Holy, and Spiritual attacks, Sexual Urges, and Time-based attacks.]
[Additionally, you've gained regeneration that allows you to heal from even atomic-level damage, including both physical and mental injuries.]
Haruto blinked again. "Okay, those are some god-tier upgrades... Wait, what do you mean by sexual urges?"
[You are now immune to sexual urges and to any attacks that manipulate your desires.]
"That's... great, but seriously? I didn't even lose my virginity yet. I didn't want to go celibate!"
[Sorry, but this effect is irreversible,] the system responded with a hint of sarcasm.
Haruto's heart sank. A single tear welled up. "I feel... betrayed. I trusted you, damn it."
[Seeing you upset doesn't sit well with me. Perhaps this will help.]
[New Passive Ability Unlocked]
[Enhanced Intelligence
Memory and IQ increased by 200x
Mind Acceleration: Process information 10,000x faster than normal
Mind Protection: Immunity to telepathy, mind control, illusions, memory manipulation, and mental attacks]
"Weird. I feel kinda dumb, even after hearing all that," Haruto muttered awkwardly.
[Well, you have always been dumb from the beginning, but now at least you won't stay dumb—unless you choose to act like it.]
"Don't say things like that... That's mean."
[It's not mean—it's the truth. And it's human nature to feel bad when facing the truth.]
"...Yeah, I can't even argue with that."
Knock knock.
A soft knock echoed through the room.
"Who is it?" Haruto asked, hastily wiping his eyes.
"It's me, Arthoria. May I come in?"
"Y-Yeah," Haruto replied.
The door opened, and Arthoria stepped inside with quiet grace. She sat on a nearby chair.
"How are you feeling now, Haruto?" she asked gently.
"A lot better, actually," Haruto said with a small smile.
"That's good. The doctor said you're clear for discharge."
"That's a relief."
"One more thing," Arthoria added.
"Hmm?"
"Your rank has been officially increased to A-rank due to your battle with the Demonic Snake."
Haruto stood up, stunned. "Seriously? A lot's happening today, huh."
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the inn."
"Would you like me to escort you?"
"Thanks, but I'm good."
She smiled softly. "Still, you impressed me—risking your life to protect that child."
Haruto scratched his head. "Nah... my body just moved on its own."
"Even so. You impressed me."
Haruto grinned. "Then... how about dinner? I mean, if I impressed you, taking a beautiful woman like you on a date would be a dream."
Arthoria chuckled. "I don't mind going on a date, if you promise to take care of me properly."
"I swear I will."
[Don't go on a date with her. She's too old for you.]
Arthoria rose gracefully. "If you'll excuse me, I have some work to attend to. We can go on that date tomorrow, if you're still interested."
"Of course. I don't mind at all."
With a soft nod, Arthoria left the room.
[Seriously, don't go on a date with her. She's way too old for you.]
Haruto frowned. "What do you mean? Look how beautiful she is!"
[She might be beautiful, but she's over 100 times older than you.]
"Don't be ridiculous. And even if that's true, I'm thirty, so I'm not a kid either."
[As you wish.]
Later that evening, Haruto was quietly eating dinner at the guild hall when a group of six adventurers approached him.
"Hey, we heard you got promoted to A-rank after fighting that Demonic Snake and saving a kid. Is that true?" asked a burly, bald man with a scar over his left eye, his breath heavy with alcohol.
"Y-Yeah, it's true," Haruto replied, feeling a little uneasy.
"Damn, you lucky bastard. I've been stuck at C-rank for six years! I'm jealous."
"It wasn't intentional... I just got lucky."
Another adventurer stepped forward. "We picked up a B-rank quest to take out a group of orcs. Wanna join us?"
Haruto opened his mouth to decline.
[New Mission: Help the Party] [Reward: Sword of Flame – A blade wreathed in black flames that damages both body and soul.]
Haruto's eyes lit up. There's no way I'm passing that up. With my current stats, it might even be easy.
"Sure. I'm in."
That night, the group reached the designated area. Orcs were scattered everywhere. At the far end of the clearing sat an enormous orc boss on a throne made of skulls.
Haruto activated Analyze.
[Orc Minions: Level 10–12. High physical strength and durability, but slow and unintelligent.]
[Orc Boss: Magic-type. Highly intelligent. Uses telepathy.]
"Let's go!" the bald man shouted.
"Wait! Don't we need a strategy?" Haruto called out.
"Come on, we've got an A-rank now. We're fine! Plus, we've got two B-ranks in the group."
"That doesn't mean we should just rush in blindly..."
But it was too late. The team charged forward. Haruto sighed and followed.
The orcs noticed the intrusion and rushed to meet them.
The bald man roared, charging a punch and slamming an orc square in the gut, sending it flying.
Haruto observed. Even though it's a B-rank mission, these orcs feel more like C-rank enemies.
One by one, the team mowed down the orcs. Haruto effortlessly sliced through them, his Iron Sword cutting them like butter.
Still... something felt off.
When all the minions were dead, they turned to face the boss.
The orc boss remained seated. "So, you've made it this far."
Everyone froze.
"It talked?!" the bald man yelled.
"Telepathy," Haruto explained.
"Whatever. Doesn't change the fact we're gonna kill it."
Suddenly, the bald man collapsed. One of the adventurers ran to him, only to scream in horror. "HE'S DEAD!"
"What?! How?!"
[The boss used a soul-consuming attack.]
"Soul-consuming?! How does a B-rank boss have something like that? He should be weaker than the Demon Snake!"
[Correction: I upgraded the boss to S-rank. This mission is now S-rank.]
"Are you insane?!"
[Greater rewards come with greater risks.]
"You could've told me before! Now one of us is dead because of you!"
The system fell silent.
The boss raised its hand and used the same attack again. Everyone collapsed—except Haruto.
"What the hell?!" the boss growled. "Why didn't it affect you?!"
Haruto stood firm. "I've got soul resistance."
The boss's eyes narrowed as it rose from its throne. "This might be fun after all."
Chapter 7: End