Regardless of everything, I took a decent look at my new home, which I’ll be living in for a good four years.
A spacious living room and a tidy kitchen. There are three rooms, a bathroom, a storage room, and a balcony.
Moreover, it had the basic furniture and products for daily use.
The energy source in this world isn’t electricity but magic. Maybe that’s why the products had magic clustered in specific patterns.
Is that household magic? I can feel the patterns tangled in some way… but I’m still a novice, so I don’t quite get it. I plan to check back later after I’ve learned more.
The part I particularly liked was the balcony. It looked spacious enough to grow some plants.
The house itself was roomy, almost too big for just me. It seemed large enough for two or three people to live together without any issues.
Considering the amenities like a swimming pool, sauna, and gym, it really felt like top-notch facilities.
It’s hard to tell if this is a school dormitory or a tourist hotel.
The exterior… I can’t see it. Perhaps they didn’t put in the effort. The illustrations made it look as top-notch as a high-end hotel.
Even this might feel lacking to the talented individuals scrounging from all over the world, meaning there are even better dormitory buildings than this.
Of course, buildings better than this can be chosen based on grades.
Top-tier scores may even get a private house on campus or a penthouse on the top floor of the dormitory.
“Ow.”
I yelped as I got blasted by the overhead shower (fire attribute).
I tried my best to hold back, but even a little scream triggered a response…
Thanks to that, I got hit with a double whammy of the Silence Curse.
After hastily throwing on some clothes, I bought burn cream and slathered it all over my body.
Even though my body feels weak, I guess a superhuman is still a superhuman; luckily, I didn’t get any major burns. The management staff told me it should heal just fine with the cream.
While evenly applying the ointment, I looked at my right hand, the thought of burns creeping in. It felt abnormal. A scar from a burn I got as a child.
It stretched from the tips of my right fingers up to my forearm.
I got that burn when the orphanage caught fire, and even the doctor shook his head in disbelief at how oddly I got burned.
Even I grimace at how grotesque it looks. It’s shaped like a charred old tree hit by lightning.
So even now, when I go outside, I wear black arm sleeves on both arms. If I showed this in public, all eyes would be on me for the wrong reasons.
It’s ironic that although I’ve entered a game-like world, my body is still from the original one.
I plopped down on the soft bed.
My already pitiful condition got shoved underground after getting blasted by that shower, but I had to think during this brief moment for the future.
It’s been about ten days since I was transferred.
On the first day, my head almost exploded, and I passed out, and on the third day, I almost starved to death.
Just now, I almost lost it again upon seeing something between the gates…
For now, I decided that normalizing the spatial perception, which acts as my “eyes,” was the top priority.
I spent time adjusting my spatial perception until today.
Now I could maintain it within a range of about 30 meters.
The colors were the same, but the wider range definitely felt refreshing.
Also, the tickling sensation in my spatial perception got even stronger after seeing something between the gates.
Fortunately, instead of my head exploding, it seemed to have influenced my spatial perception positively.
I felt like I could soon change my viewpoint as I wished.
Moreover, it was about time to set a goal.
Honestly, there wasn’t much to decide.
“Forget about game-like play.”
Chapter 1 of the main story mainly takes place in Shio-ram. Since this place has security measures, any attack events just fizzle out.
However, outside of Shio-ram, numerous incidents and accidents occur.
Typically, players get involved in major incidents during their external activities.
In the process, they get entangled with villains, face mutated monsters, and get trapped in corrupted dungeons…
They go around dealing with all sorts of incidents to clear them and receive rewards for leveling up, and that was my primary playstyle after the second run.
“I need to skip on that.”
There’s no way I could act like that in reality; in the game, I merely lost HP, but in reality, I’d be deemed a weirdo.
The reason I sought to level up outside was due to ambition, not necessity.
I could grow enough here in Shio-ram. In fact, I might even grow faster right here.
The blessings from the Tower of Growth.
Positive growth modifiers applied.
In the original work, the multiplier was at least five times.
Where else could you find such a cheat-like performance? If I just endure here, I could grow at least five times faster than outside.
There was absolutely no need for me to be running around outside in this situation.
Also, the basic premise of leveling up through external incidents required a reward measurement from the status screen… wait a minute.
Suddenly an idea sparked in my mind, causing me to gasp internally.
“Isn’t there a status screen for me?”
As typical in games, “Savior” also has a status screen that organizes characters’ abilities into objective figures, along with quests and rewards.
However, this status screen was described as a hologram floating in the air…
I paused for a moment and muttered to myself.
“Status screen? Status?”
Nothing happened.
I reached out and waved my hand in the air. Nothing. The same result when I use spatial perception—just empty space.
“Wait, does it really not exist?”
It really doesn’t exist? It’s not that I can’t see it; it’s genuinely absent?
It’s not something I can only see with my eyes… right?
Honestly, if it existed, it would have been detected by my spatial perception. It surely would have.
Anyway.
I discarded the idea of leveling up through external activities and opted to grow properly in Shio-ram.
Furthermore, I’ll refrain from interfering with the main story as much as possible.
“To be honest, players aren’t needed in the story.”
I’m a player, not the protagonist.
In “Savior,” the world won’t collapse just because a player doesn’t do anything.
Well, depending on the developments, some nations may fall, but the main characters will find a way to solve those issues.
The player’s involvement only ends up preventing incidents, reducing damage from them, or increasing damage instead.
Players aren’t essential beings. I suppose that’s one blessing in disguise.
Also, upon checking, all the main characters enrolling this time were present. Most from the previous class too. Many of those who are active as superhumans in the world are people I already know.
A few lineups have changed, but… given that this is reality and not a game, some variables are bound to occur.
The world may not play out exactly like the game story, but the gist seems to be similar.
In short, as long as I don’t stir things up, the story will unfold on its own, and I can just mind my business.
Naturally, my main goal is to lift the limitations tied to me.
I have three limitations hanging over me.
The “Curse of Sensory Sealing” that took away my sense of smell, taste, and sight.
The “Curse of Short Lifespan” that makes one die young.
The “Curse of Silence” that silences my speech.
I only recall one way to lift one of these limitations, so I need to figure out a plan regarding that.
“…I have to lift at least one of them.”
If there’s definitely something I must lift, it’s the Curse of Short Lifespan. But like I thought before, if I have to live with the Curse of Sensory Sealing, life won’t be enjoyable. So I must lift that too.
…To be honest, I could probably leave the Curse of Silence alone if necessary.
Back on Earth, I hardly spoke anyway, so living as a mute might not be so bad…
Plus, I recall that there’s a method to indirectly bypass the Curse of Silence.
“How should I map out my growth route?”
Once again, I found myself deep in thought.
To lift one restriction, I need to clear a specific dungeon, so strength is required.
I must reach a certain growth level to clear it.
Along with the three restrictions, I received three abilities.
“Spatial Perception,” which acts like an all-direction radar.
“Magic Affinity,” granting me magical affinity to the extent that great mages would be envious.
“Jack of All Trades,” possessing above-average talent in various fields.
“Ah… if that’s the case, I should have picked something else instead of Sensory Sealing and Jack of All Trades.”
In an instant, half of my senses were stolen by the Curse of Sensory Sealing.
Let’s just say it’s either an exclusive ability for an all-master, or it’s a mixed bag of skills as a Jack of All Trades.
The reason I opted for the Curse of Sensory Sealing was that the collapse of sensory stats was the entirety of the risk, and as it turned out, I could cover for it with Spatial Perception.
Also, my goal this time was to solo it, so I chose Jack of All Trades, believing that I could handle tanking, damage dealing, and healing to some extent if I level up to the extreme.
But in reality, if this isn’t a game, I have no confidence in utilizing Jack of All Trades effectively…
“If I had known this, I would have just selected a single talent…”
At the very least, if I had picked a swordsman’s talent, I would have definitely succeeded in that area.
Jack of All Trades might just end up being a brilliant student at best.
In Shio-ram, where all the world’s geniuses gather, a brilliant student would barely scrape the bottom tier.
“I have no choice but to rely on Spatial Perception and Magic Affinity.”
Spatial Perception, a true human radar, and Magic Affinity, which excels in any profession, particularly wizards.
“Should I head towards the wizard path…?”
Honestly, if someone told me to wield a weapon and engage in close combat with monsters… could I even manage that…?
I don’t know if I’d do well or not, but due to my characteristics, leaning towards the wizard path seems best.
“My head hurts…”
Once my pondering concluded, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, pinning me down. Not resisting it, I flopped onto the bed.
Even though it was too early to sleep, I was too tired.
Thanks to all the excess information from Spatial Perception, I might have trouble sleeping, but if I really wanted to, I could still doze off.
The welcoming party for the new students wouldn’t be until next week. Since I entered early, I had plenty of free time.
With my eyes already closed, I felt a bit of magical fatigue creeping in.
Simultaneously, an unsettling anxiety tucked away in a corner of my mind began to surface.
The only method I knew for lifting one limitation.
It involved utilizing an artifact hidden in a specific dungeon. Although the dungeon itself is located in a remote area, hunters scavenge those regions as if it’s a default mode.
What if someone finds it first?
What if I dawdle and miss that fleeting moment?
Even though I need at least two, the anxiety that I might lose the only method I know pushed the magical fatigue away.
“Ugh.”
Frowning, I got up. I sat at the desk provided in the room and fiddled with my smartwatch.
[ Accessing “Basic Magic Operation (Lower Level).” ]
One week until the new student welcoming party.
Before then, I should probably memorize some theory.
.
.
.
[─Many theories have been proposed regarding the origin of magic. The natural theory posits that it arises from natural energy, celestial bodies pass it down to humans, and so on…─]
“What’s going on with this?”
– Ding!
– Ding!
[Notification: Magic residue at 3%.]
“Ah.”
*
– Ding!
[Observation… Success.]
[Summoning… Success.]
[Synchronizing… Succ…ess… ]
[“Player Enhancement System” is ready.]
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