I took my new friend Kuroto and we set off to hunt more blue slimes. After walking for a short while, I spotted two of them jiggling along the grass.
"Let's try some green magic. Kuroto, I'll hit one with a spell. You take the other. Show me how you fight."
Kuroto gave a little bounce that I took as a nod. Thanks to the magic supply from our contract, he should be way stronger than a regular blue slime now. Melfina had already taught me the basics of green magic. The contract and summoning had only left me with one MP, but I still had my recovery items. Against slimes, that should be plenty.
"Wind Blade!"
I cast the F-class green magic Wind Blade. A thin, invisible slice of wind shot out and cut straight through the first blue slime, dropping it in one hit. Low power, but cheap and sneaky. Perfect for starters.
"Kuroto, go!"
Kuroto shot forward at incredible speed and slammed into the second slime with a body charge. The impact sent it flying and tumbling across the ground. His speed was on another level compared to before the contract. S-class Summoning really packs a punch with those stat boosts.
"With S-class Summoning enhancement, all stats get corrected by +100."
Plus one hundred!? I quickly used Appraisal Eye on Kuroto.
=====================================
Kuroto 0 years old No gender Blue Slime
Level: 1
Title: None
HP: 105/105 (+100)
MP: 100/100 (+100)
Strength: 101 (+100)
Durability: 101 (+100)
Agility: 102 (+100)
Mana: 101 (+100)
Luck: 102 (+100)
Skills: Strike Resistance
Auxiliary Effect: Summoning / Magic Power Supply (S-Class)
Skill Points: 0
=====================================
This is ridiculous. No wonder countries would want Summoners. A level 1 slime turning into this kind of monster under my command? Put that in an army and it's an instant game-changer.
"There's a slight adjustment. You're the only one in the world with S-class Summoning right now. Other summoners and tamers top out at B or C grade, and their boosts are usually around +10 to +20. A single slime alone isn't enough to make you an immediate national threat."
Seriously? Even so, having this skill at level 1 is already pure cheat territory. And wait, was that praise from Melfina just now? I'm a little happy about that.
Not long after, Kuroto finished off the third blue slime. A familiar fanfare chimed in my head. Classic level-up music!? The status screen popped up right in front of me.
=====================================
Level up! Level 1 ⇒ Level 2
Kelvin 23 years old Male Human Summoner
Level: 2
Title: None
HP: 20/20 (+10)
MP: 23/35 (+20)
Strength: 3 (+2)
Durability: 3 (+2)
Agility: 9 (+6)
Mana: 15 (+10)
Luck: 12 (+8)
Skills:
Summoning (S-Class) Slots: 8 empty
Green Magic (F-Class)
Appraisal Eye (S-Grade)
Growth Rate Multiplication
Skill Point Multiplication
Experience Sharing
Skill Points: 100
=====================================
The passive skills are working overtime. My growth is insane, especially the MP jump. And a full 100 skill points? Perfect for someone planning to burn through MP like crazy.
"You can access the skill acquisition menu from the status screen. Use your skill points there to learn new ones."
"By the way, is the status screen common knowledge in this world?"
"Everyone knows about it. You just think 'status' and it appears. From there you can check your info, acquire skills, manage your party, and more. You can't see anyone else's status screen, though."
So Appraisal Eye is still the only way to peek at other people's stats. This world really runs on game-like rules. I wonder if people born here ever question it.
"Alright, let's open the skill menu."
I pulled up the skill section from the status screen. The list was massive: skill names, descriptions, and point costs filled the panel. How many are there in total?
"Not all skills are shown yet. Some only unlock if certain conditions are met."
"You got Summoning normally, though, right?"
"Not normally. That was special treatment. The skills you picked before reincarnation were bonus perks, basically."
"So no one in this world gets that kind of head start?"
I had Kuroto stay on alert while I skimmed the skill list.
"...Hey, these point costs are huge. Even F-class skills are 10 points."
"Skill points come from two sources: innate talent points you're born with, and growth points you earn on level-up."
"My growth points are 100, and even with the doubling, that number feels off."
"Before reincarnation, you spent your talent points. Roughly speaking, F-class costs 10, E-class 20, D-class 40, C-class 80, B-class 160, A-class 320, and S-class 640. You have to acquire them in sequence from lower ranks, so reaching S-class normally takes 1270 points total."
"...Even if a regular person reaches level 100, they can only get up to B-class at best."
"That's right."
"...And I have two S-class skills at level 1."
"...You traded your memories for it."
Cheat stacked on cheat stacked on cheat. That's why I'm here now. I want to believe everyone in this world is secretly broken in some way. Probably not, though.
"Normal people, yes. But there are exceptions. Some get feared as outsiders or even called demon lords."
Let's not think about that too hard. Compared to the skills, my stat gains look tame. As long as I don't do anything flashy, I shouldn't stand out. For now, I'll head back to town and figure out what skills to pick up. I gave Kuroto instructions to stay close and we started moving toward the remaining slimes to finish the quest.