A sudden message from the heavens descended upon me.
【Awakening Appraisal】? ‘Sample’? ‘Monitoring’?
Wait, hold on. Did it just mention ‘Gifted Skill’? Just now?
I may just be a low-ranking guild employee, but I have the knowledge. A ‘Gifted Skill’ is a rare hidden skill possessed by only a select few people from birth.
How rare, you ask? It’s the kind of thing that might appear in one out of every few hundred people. In all my time working at the guild, I’ve only encountered someone with a Gifted Skill once. I remember it clearly because ‘Gifted Skill’ was displayed on their status sheet. A Gifted Skill only gets recorded in your status after it’s unlocked.
However, it doesn’t unlock through the usual level-up process, and to actually use it, each person often has to fulfill specific, unique conditions, making it very restrictive.
But in exchange, its power is said to be vastly superior to regular skills.
And now I have one?
Having a Gifted Skill basically makes you a genius.
And yet… I’m the one who got kicked out for being useless, and I have a Gifted Skill?
—No, this is too much at once; I can’t process it all. For now, I need to focus on what’s important.
“Hey, are you okay?”
I spoke to the girl I saved. As I looked at her face again, I guessed she was about 14 years old. She was covered in dust and grime, but somehow didn’t seem dirty, almost like a piece of art quietly placed on display.
Instead of answering, she just stared at me. Or rather, at the burns on both my arms—ah, crap. Now that I noticed, the pain came rushing back.
As soon as I grimaced, the girl tore a piece of her clothing and made an impromptu bandage to treat my wounds. She seemed like a thoughtful and kind girl.
“I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”
“Don’t worry about it. I just happened to be passing by and meddled on my own. As long as you’re safe, that’s what matters. Ow, ow.”
“I’m sorry. Because I’m so useless, you had to suffer. It would’ve been better if I’d just been eaten by that slime.”
…Seems like while she’s thoughtful, her feelings are inwardly focused.
She didn’t even resist the purple slime, probably because she truly thought, “It doesn’t matter if I die.”
I couldn’t just dismiss that as someone else’s problem. I know how it feels—to be cast out of the guild, to lose your place to live, to struggle just to find food.
The feeling of wondering if it’s okay for someone as useless as you to be alive—I understand that all too well.
But still.
Denying your own talents and everything you have is such a waste.
This girl has things to be admired. Standing firm in front of a purple slime without flinching, even if she had resigned herself to death, is a remarkable feat. Normally, someone would be shaking in fear.
Surely, there must be other extraordinary talents she hasn’t realized she has.
Though I doubt she’s lucky enough to possess a Gifted Skill, too—
《Target found.
You can use 【Awakening Appraisal】 on Filoé Albey.
The Gifted Skills 【Barrier】 and 【Flash Thrust】 can be unlocked.
Execute 【Awakening Appraisal】 on the 【Droplet of Fate】 of the target.》
“…Haha.”
Surprised that I suddenly started laughing, the girl—Filoé—looked up at me in bewilderment.
I gently patted her head, trying to reassure her.
“It’s okay. It seems the gods are more generous than I thought.”
“…?”
Filoé tilted her head, her face slightly red. The 【Droplet of Fate】 on her ear glimmered as it swayed.
“Stay still.”
I whispered softly, and Filoé straightened her back, stiffening up.
I reached out toward the 【Droplet of Fate】 hanging from her right ear.
“Gifted Skill 【Awakening Appraisal】.”
Click. I heard a sound like something fitting into place.
In my field of vision, glowing text appeared.
【Barrier】: Generates a barrier of any shape and effect.
【Flash Thrust】: Fires a high-speed thrust that pierces through anything. Also deals additional damage with a blade of light.
The glowing letters detailing the two Gifted Skills were absorbed into Filoé’s 【Droplet of Fate】.
A defensive and an offensive Gifted Skill.
What else could you call this but genius?
《Awakening Appraisal complete. Skills have been unlocked.
At the same time, the skills 【Barrier】 and 【Flash Thrust】 have been copied as ‘Samples’.
Each can be used one more time.》
“U-um…”
“Don’t worry, Filoé. It’s already done. You can relax.”
“Huh!? H-how do you know my name? Are you a skill appraiser?”
Appraisers are specialists who read the status and skills from a person’s 【Droplet of Fate】. I don’t have any qualifications for that.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then how did you… just by looking at me…? Amazing. I’ve never met anyone who could do that before.”
Filoé, you’re overestimating me.
It’s probably because you’re a Gifted Skill holder that I could learn your name with 【Awakening Appraisal】.
The truly amazing one here is you.
Now, how should I explain this?
I don’t fully understand 【Awakening Appraisal】 myself yet.
Even if I said, “Filoé, starting today, you can use two incredibly powerful skills,” she probably wouldn’t grasp what that means. And from what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like she received any sort of message from the heavens about unlocking her Gifted Skills.
The best thing would be for her to check her own 【Droplet of Fate】, but without going through some special procedures, she won’t be able to see what’s inside.
Grumble.
“Oh…”
We exchanged looks. Both of our stomachs had growled.
We couldn’t help but smile at each other.
Alright, let’s head to the orphanage for now. We’ll talk there. My arms hurt anyway—ow, ow, ow.
“Can you stand?”
“Y-yes.”
When I offered my hand, Filoé hesitantly took it. Out of pride, I hid the pain from my burned arms.
“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m Ist—Isto Rilos. I suppose I’m your senior.”
“Oh, then… you’re from the orphanage? I see. I’m Filoé Albey. Thank you so much for saving me, Isto.”
This must be what people mean when they talk about a pure, transparent smile.
If she’s managed to forget her negative feelings even for a moment, that’s good enough for me.
I nodded, satisfied.
—And then.
Filoé’s smile suddenly froze.
I turned around to see what caused it.
Standing in front of us was a massive monster—the second ‘Purple Slime’.
