A sudden message from the heavens descended upon me.
ใAwakening Appraisalใ? โSampleโ? โMonitoringโ?
Wait, hold on. Did it just mention โGifted Skillโ? Just now?
I may just be a low-ranking guild employee, but I have the knowledge. A โGifted Skillโ is a rare hidden skill possessed by only a select few people from birth.
How rare, you ask? Itโs the kind of thing that might appear in one out of every few hundred people. In all my time working at the guild, Iโve only encountered someone with a Gifted Skill once. I remember it clearly because โGifted Skillโ was displayed on their status sheet. A Gifted Skill only gets recorded in your status after itโs unlocked.
However, it doesnโt 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 yetโฆ Iโm the one who got kicked out for being useless, and I have a Gifted Skill?
โNo, this is too much at once; I canโt process it all. For now, I need to focus on whatโs important.
โHey, are you okay?โ
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 didnโt 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 armsโah, 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.
โIโm sorry, this is all my fault.โ
โDonโt worry about it. I just happened to be passing by and meddled on my own. As long as youโre safe, thatโs what matters. Ow, ow.โ
โIโm sorry. Because Iโm so useless, you had to suffer. It wouldโve been better if Iโd just been eaten by that slime.โ
โฆSeems like while sheโs thoughtful, her feelings are inwardly focused.
She didnโt even resist the purple slime, probably because she truly thought, โIt doesnโt matter if I die.โ
I couldnโt just dismiss that as someone elseโs problem. I know how it feelsโto be cast out of the guild, to lose your place to live, to struggle just to find food.
The feeling of wondering if itโs okay for someone as useless as you to be aliveโI 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 hasnโt realized she has.
Though I doubt sheโs lucky enough to possess a Gifted Skill, tooโ
ใTarget found.
You can use ใAwakening Appraisalใ on Filoรฉ Albey.
The Gifted Skills ใBarrierใ and ใFlash Thrustใ can be unlocked.
Execute ใAwakening Appraisalใ on the ใDroplet of Fateใ of the target.ใ
โโฆHaha.โ
Surprised that I suddenly started laughing, the girlโFiloรฉโlooked up at me in bewilderment.
I gently patted her head, trying to reassure her.
โItโs okay. It seems the gods are more generous than I thought.โ
โโฆ?โ
Filoรฉ tilted her head, her face slightly red. The ใDroplet of Fateใ on her ear glimmered as it swayed.
โStay still.โ
I whispered softly, and Filoรฉ straightened her back, stiffening up.
I reached out toward the ใDroplet of Fateใ hanging from her right ear.
โGifted Skill ใAwakening Appraisalใ.โ
Click. I heard a sound like something fitting into place.
In my field of vision, glowing text appeared.
ใBarrierใ: Generates a barrier of any shape and effect.
ใFlash Thrustใ: 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 Filoรฉโs ใDroplet of Fateใ.
A defensive and an offensive Gifted Skill.
What else could you call this but genius?
ใAwakening Appraisal complete. Skills have been unlocked.
At the same time, the skills ใBarrierใ and ใFlash Thrustใ have been copied as โSamplesโ.
Each can be used one more time.ใ
โU-umโฆโ
โDonโt worry, Filoรฉ. Itโs already done. You can relax.โ
โHuh!? H-how do you know my name? Are you a skill appraiser?โ
Appraisers are specialists who read the status and skills from a personโs ใDroplet of Fateใ. I donโt have any qualifications for that.
โNo, thatโs not it.โ
โThen how did youโฆ just by looking at meโฆ? Amazing. Iโve never met anyone who could do that before.โ
Filoรฉ, youโre overestimating me.
Itโs probably because youโre a Gifted Skill holder that I could learn your name with ใAwakening Appraisalใ.
The truly amazing one here is you.
Now, how should I explain this?
I donโt fully understand ใAwakening Appraisalใ myself yet.
Even if I said, โFiloรฉ, starting today, you can use two incredibly powerful skills,โ she probably wouldnโt grasp what that means. And from what I can tell, it doesnโt 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 ใDroplet of Fateใ, but without going through some special procedures, she wonโt be able to see whatโs inside.
Grumble.
โOhโฆโ
We exchanged looks. Both of our stomachs had growled.
We couldnโt help but smile at each other.
Alright, letโs head to the orphanage for now. Weโll talk there. My arms hurt anywayโow, ow, ow.
โCan you stand?โ
โY-yes.โ
When I offered my hand, Filoรฉ hesitantly took it. Out of pride, I hid the pain from my burned arms.
โSorry for the late introduction. Iโm IstโIsto Rilos. I suppose Iโm your senior.โ
โOh, thenโฆ youโre from the orphanage? I see. Iโm Filoรฉ Albey. Thank you so much for saving me, Isto.โ
This must be what people mean when they talk about a pure, transparent smile.
If sheโs managed to forget her negative feelings even for a moment, thatโs good enough for me.
I nodded, satisfied.
โAnd then.
Filoรฉโs smile suddenly froze.
I turned around to see what caused it.
Standing in front of us was a massive monsterโthe second โPurple Slimeโ.