Can I make it all the way to the surface?
If I keep heading upward like this.
If I continue using [Paralyze]...
Wait. There is something I need to confirm first.
I enter the shallow side cave I found earlier.
I pour just a small amount of mana into the leather pouch that has lost its light.
The pouch begins to glow faintly.
I secure my field of vision.
"Status, open..."
Good. It appears.
[Touka Mimori]
LV 1
HP: +3
MP: +1 / 33
Attack: +3
Defense: +3
Stamina: +3
Speed: +3
Intelligence: +3
[Title: E-Class Hero]
As expected, my MP has decreased.
I have used [Paralyze] three times: once on the goddess, once on the Minotaur, and once on the bird head.
Does each use consume 10 MP?
The extra -2 MP deduction must be from the two times I injected mana into the pouch.
This is bad. My remaining MP is practically nothing.
No—wait. The goddess explained that the status displays correction values.
In other words, the correction values are almost depleted now.
The true remaining amount is my own personal MP, which is not shown numerically.
So there should still be some left.
However, I have no way to know the exact amount.
If my remaining MP is 10 or less, I will no longer be able to use my unique skill.
If my only weapon becomes unusable, I will be completely checkmated.
"..."
I feel a moment of relief that there is still some remaining, yet at the same time anxiety because the number is no longer visible.
I shake off the unease and move to the skill page.
[Unique Skill: Status Abnormality Bestowal / Usable]
Flick.
[Paralyze (Paralysis Bestowal): LV 1 / MP Cost 10]
[Sleep (Sleep Bestowal): LV 1]
[Poison (Poison Bestowal): LV 1]
Looking closely, the entry for [Paralyze] now shows additional details, including the MP cost.
It seems the consumption cost only appears after you have used the skill at least once.
"..."
Even so...
"...Damn it."
I hold my head in my hands.
This is impossible.
There is no way my MP will last all the way to the surface.
Does MP recover over time?
Does it recover by sleeping, like in an RPG?
No.
Even if it fully recovers, the correction value is only around 30.
The rest is my own unknown personal MP...
Relying on hopeful assumptions about my personal MP is dangerous.
I am E-class, after all.
"And also..."
What happens if I completely use up my own personal MP?
Do I faint?
It is not impossible.
If that is the case, tapping into my personal MP carries a high risk.
"!"
An idea strikes me.
Wait...
After Kirihara used that unique skill called [Golden Dragon Roar Wave] or whatever it was, he muttered something about his skill level increasing.
It seems we have the concept of "leveling up" in this world.
Yes—exactly like in a game.
"If my level goes up, I might be able to turn this situation around..."
My maximum MP could increase.
The MP cost for skills might decrease.
However, as an E-class hero, my growth rate is supposedly low.
Kirihara, an S-class hero, has a high growth rate.
Kirihara probably gained a massive amount of experience EXP from using his skill just once.
And then he leveled up.
Meanwhile, even after I used my skill three times, my skill level has not increased.
That must be the difference between E-class and S-class.
What should I do?
How do I level up?
In typical games, you gain experience by defeating monsters...
I stare silently at the skill section.
"[Poison], huh."
If I am looking for a skill that can deal damage, this is about the only option.
Otherwise... weapons left behind by the dead discarded heroes?
Searching for those might be an option.
I could paralyze a monster and then kill it with a weapon.
I do not think my base stats, as what could be called an ordinary person, are particularly high.
Being E-class means my correction values are low too.
But depending on the weapon's performance, there might be a chance.
If I can unilaterally deal continuous damage, perhaps...
"Ah, but..."
What if the weapons were taken away from the discarded heroes during the transfer?
My cheap unique item might be overlooked, but they probably would not let the robust heroes keep their weapons or magic items.
Well, if it was a deception transfer, maybe they were sent with their equipment still on.
"Anyway—"
I poke my head out of the side cave to check the surroundings, toward where the bird head was.
"How long does the paralysis last?"
I do not want to waste any more uses right now.
I want to avoid wasting MP at all costs.
In that case...
"I should go back and check..."
If it is still paralyzed, that means a fairly long duration.
A strategy of one-sided attacks starts to feel realistic.
But if it is no longer there when I return...
"Then at that time—"
Well...
"That will be then..."
Right now, all I can do is grasp at this small ray of hope.
So I have to take the risk.
I have to steel my resolve.
▽
I retrace my steps.
This choice might be a mistake.
It might have been better to keep heading upward.
...Even so, I will confirm.
After paralyzing it, I fled desperately.
I do not have a clear sense of the distance to the bird head.
The moment I turn around now—
The bird head, hidden in the darkness, might attack.
My heart beats faster.
Thump, thump, thump——
My breathing becomes shallow.
But... perhaps my eyes have adjusted to the dark.
Even without the pouch, I can now see a little in the darkness.
"Ah."
I stop.
Something is lying on the ground.
This is...
"An axe?"
Belonging to one of the discarded?
I must have overlooked it earlier because I was fleeing so frantically.
I pick it up.
It feels heavy in my arm.
Does the blade still hold its edge?
My remaining correction MP is 1.
Should I use that MP to check the pouch's status...
No, I do not need to yet.
If I get close to the bird head, there will be a light source.
The orange lines on its body glow.
I can confirm then.
With the axe in one hand, I start walking again.
My chest feels tight.
My throat is dry.
Bird head...
Are you still there?
In this darkness ahead...
"——!"
I see it.
I can tell from the glow of the orange lines on its body.
It is there...
The bird head is still right there.
Good... good...
It still seems paralyzed.
Unless it is camouflage, of course.
"Piko, biko, pa, ko, pi! Pu, puchikoro."
It is emitting.
Clear killing intent.
It knows I did something to make it unable to move.
Only that acid has not stopped.
Apparently paralysis does not stop all bodily functions.
No, that makes sense.
If it stopped everything completely, it would be an instant-death skill.
Hm?
I see something...
What is that?
A gauge?
Looking closely, there is a yellow gauge-like display above the bird head.
It looks exactly like a game interface.
If that yellow gauge represents the effect duration...
It is a little over half gone?
I put some distance between myself and the bird head.
I pick up a pebble from the ground.
I wind up and throw it.
Clang!
It hits the bird head's back.
What was that high-pitched metallic sound...
That cannot be the sound of skin.
Is its skin extraordinarily hard?
I crouch down and observe.
There is no sign that the bird head is about to move.
I recall RPGs and mobile games from my original world.
In some games, receiving any attack cancels status abnormalities.
That was what I wanted to test with that attack.
Would attacking remove the paralysis or not.
It does not move.
Not at all.
Good.
I unconsciously make a small fist pump.
Well, in many games, paralysis types remain even after attacks.
It seems the standard rules are being followed here.
Now... until the gauge runs out, it looks like I can do whatever I want.
I step out from behind the rock where I was hiding.
Using the light from the bird head, I check the axe's condition.
It does not appear chipped or damaged.
"Eat this—"
I grip the axe tightly with both hands and raise it overhead.
Like a woodcutter.
First, I will chop off the bird head's arms one by one!
Whoosh!
Clang!
"Gu, aah!?"
A strong numbness shoots through my arms.
I drop the axe involuntarily.
My arms scream in pain.
A dull, heavy ache arrives belatedly.
"Haa—ha, aa...!"
No good.
It is way too hard.
I look at the axe blade.
It has a crack in it.
"Ah..."
The dropped axe gets splashed with that liquid.
The axe begins to melt...
It melts faster than the ground did.
Does the acid have a stronger effect on metals?
The axe is probably unusable now.
"Something that hard is just cheating..."
Could I stab into the gaps in its body?
No, that would not work.
It would melt from the liquid.
In that case...
"I have no choice but to do it."
Use MP beyond the correction value.
Use my own MP.
I will use [Poison (Poison Bestowal)] on the bird head.
I approach the bird head.
I raise my arm.
I lock my eyes on it.
"Huuu..."
I take a deep breath.
Calm down, me.
"[Poi, zon]"