First Outer World Story Series: The Black Mist that Devours - Chapter 89
Translator: MadHatter Editor: MadHatter
This time, the chapter is nearly all about information sessions.
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(Kurokiri POV)
“Hey, Chirito, are you there?”
Following the day I established communication with Ichiko, I was at Chirito’s house on the fourth level.
Incidentally, the houses on the fourth level were fundamentally for single or underage Kirijin, or for married couples who were both Kirijin, and if one of the couples was not a Kirijin; he or she would be asked to live outside the dungeon for the sake of security management.
However, despite my use of the word “fundamentally,” there were exceptions, such as those of a different race who resided within the fourth level under the stipulation that they will not step out of the dungeon for the rest of their lives.
“Huh? Kurokiri-san, why are you here?”
“I figured that I would receive a report from you while I dropped by to check up on Senku and Souji.”
“…Well, I don’t mind anyway. Please come in.”
“Then excuse me.”
I was invited by Chirito to enter the house.
By the way, the house on the fourth level was set up to restrict entry to non-family members unless invited by someone inside as a security measure. Well, this was irrelevant for me, given that I held administrator privileges.
“Ah, it’s Kuro nii-chan.”
“Hello!”
As I entered the house, two children came running up to me.
They were twins born to Chirito and Mibako. Senku was the girl with fox ears and a tail, while Souji was the boy who was continuously cloaked in a thin mist.
“Oh, Senku and Souji, are both of you well?”
[[Yeah.]]
“Welcome, Kurokiri-sama. I’ll bring your tea to Chirito’s room later.”
“Thanks. Take it easy.”
“Yes.”
After a light greeting from Mibako, who had a large belly as she carried the two who came running up to her, she moved to the back of the house to prepare tea.
Yeah. It is an unexpected third child. Her pregnancy is presently in its seventh month. Isn’t it supposed to be difficult for kin to conceive a child? Incidentally, the race has already been identified as Kirijin. Chirito, in any case, should suffer a blast.
“That won’t happen!”
“Hmm? Did I say that out loud?”
“I’ve known you long enough to deduce what you’re thinking from your facial expression.”
Hmm. As expected of an ?Analyst?, reading my thoughts is a breeze. Though Chirito is not supposed to possess ?Mind-reading? skill yet.
“Seriously. Well then, shall we dive into the main subject? Come this way.”
“Right.”
[[Bye.]]
I set the two of them down on the floor and headed for Chirito’s private room.
Anyway, when Souji reaches the age of 10, I’d like to make him my entourage when he first starts training. And Senku will be one of my concubines when she’s about 12 or 13…
“I refuse both of your requests.”
“Tch.”
He read my thoughts again. I then went into Chirito’s personal room.
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“These are the results of the investigation.”
“I see. So that’s what this is all about.”
After listening to Chirito’s report, I unconsciously gave a nod.
Now, what I received from Chirito this time was a status report.
To begin with, there were 10 statuses in total: HP, MP, SP, Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Perception, Intellect, Spirit, and Luck. So, thanks to Chirito’s report this time, it had become evident what each of these was related to.
Let’s leave the discussion of HP, MP, and SP on hold for now and focus on the other statuses.
Before all else, the standard value of these statuses was reportedly 10, which was the average value for those who had been awakened to skills, and since the numbers remained unchanged even after those who had awakened their skills train their strength, it was assumed that these numbers may be some kind of coefficient.
Nevertheless, apart from the level-up status distribution, it appeared that it was possible to permanently change these numbers by aggressively training.
Before a skill was awakened, this number seemed to fluctuate slightly day by day, and Chirito had observed that Senku and Souji’s statuses were actually varying daily.
Although I mentioned earlier that these numbers were like coefficients, it was not simply a matter of putting a decimal point between the tens and ones places.
For instance, based on a person with a strength of 10, a test was conducted to determine the maximum weight that could be lifted by a person with a strength of 8, 13, and 21, and the results were 0.8 and 1.3 times as much for strength 8 and 13, respectively, but 2.2 times as much for strength 21.
Upon further investigation, it appeared that the value of the coefficient per number rose from 20 onward. Furthermore, it seemed that this specification was applicable only to strength, and other statuses exhibited a sharp increase in value at different points. It was a very complicated specification.
But at the same time, it made sense. When I reflected on it this way, my current strength was 40, but I didn’t think it was anywhere near four times that of a normal human being, and the instantaneous speed was not that erratic for my agility of 57, considering it from that angle.
While on the subject, the research team estimated that this spike was a gradual one and that the value per number will probably shift again somewhere down the line.
Yeah, I’m somewhat convinced of that too.
Now, let’s move on to the explanation of individual statuses.
Strength. This was a status involving muscle strength in both arms and legs and was usually associated with direct-attack skills. In addition, it was also said to be related to the maximum cruising speed.
Dexterity. This status was related to the dexterity of the fingers… and the ability to manipulate various things accurately and was frequently related to skills in the production field.
Agility. This was a status related to instantaneous speed, and the higher it was, the quicker the instantaneous speed increased. It was thought to be relevant to evasion and movement-related skills.
Perception. This was a status related to the five senses, such as sight and hearing, and as it heightened, it was said to be connected to the ability to detect presence and so on. It was predicted to be linked to detection and analysis skills.
Intellect. This had nothing to do with intelligence; it was a status associated with magical skills, and the greater it was, the more effective the skills will be. However, it was thought to be linked to a variety of other abilities, including memorability.
Spirit. This was a status pertaining to the strength of the psyche, and if it was high, the user will be more resistant to illusions, confusion, etc. It was also believed that many of the skills may be relevant to it.
Luck. This was a status that indicates how lucky one was… apparently. The details were unknown. Well, you won’t know this unless the luck status was very high.
And next was HP, MP, SP.
HP was also known as life force. It was a status that will lead to death for those who run out, and four statuses in particular seemed to be involved in its value: strength, dexterity, agility, and level. When you were harmed, your HP will drop, but consuming food will quickly recover it. It was rarely utilized for skills.
MP was also known as magical power. When MP was exhausted, the person will faint, and its value was related to perception, intellect, spirit, and level. Basically, this value seemed to be related only to skills, and it was often used when applying skills. However, I felt that it should be called spiritual power rather than magical power.
SP was also known as spiritual power. This was another status that resulted in unconsciousness when consumed fully, and its value was related to strength, agility, spirit, and level in particular. When this got low, you will feel short of breath and dizzy, which can be greatly restored by taking a break. Therefore, we may call it stamina.
It was often utilized in some skills, especially in somatic skills.
“Even so, it’s a very cumbersome specification.”
“I guess so. Even for the same skill, it is reported that the MP consumed varies depending on the user and their condition at the time of usage. There is still a significant amount of research to be conducted.”
“Right. Well, please take your time.”
“Understood.”
Then Chirito and I had a cup of tea that Mibako brewed for us.
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“By the way, I see you have your third child. How many times have you tried with Mibako?”
“Uh, I don’t think I’ve done… that much?”
“According to a report, the chance of kin having a child is about one-tenth that of a normal human being.”
“…”
“Whisper… (It is possible that there will be a fourth child too.)”
“Kurokiri-san!!!?”