"You mentioned something about 'skills', what is that exactly?" Alan asked curiously. He figured it was some ability or power, but he wanted a clearer explanation; after all, who knows when he might need it.
"Hmm..." Julian leaned back slowly in his chair, mulling over the question. He was unsure whether telling him was a good idea, given the current circumstances. 'Well, he would probably find out sooner or later anyway.'
"I may not be the best at explaining, and honestly, I don't know that much myself, but I'll share what I do know." He straightened his posture and placed a hand on the table, shifting his focus between Alan and Elrik. "In short, there's something called the 'Voice of the World' that announces significant events from time to time. When it acknowledges a person's growth or development, it grants them 'skills'. It seems that, unlike most people in this world, individuals from another world often receive skills more easily upon arrival. The nature and function of a skill vary from person to person. Got it?"
Elrik: 'It was too fast, I understood none of that.'
"So... if I didn't hear that notification, the Voice of the World or whatever it is, does that mean... no skills?" Alan asked, trying to process what he just heard. It all sounded like some kind of game to him.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure. I didn't get any skills when I came over, after all," Julian replied, his expression sombre.
"Do you know how to get one?" Elrik nearly jumped out of his seat in excitement. The idea of skills fired up his imagination, especially since he hadn't heard about them firsthand until now.
Julian: "Training like crazy for years, that's the only way I know of for the world to acknowledge your growth. Gaining a skill through sheer willpower is very rare."
"Heeeh, you sure know a lot, you must have been here way longer than me," Alan said as he stirred his now-cold breakfast with a piece of bread.
Julian: "Not really. I've only been here for a year. What about you?"
"About a week, I think. Met Elrik in the village I was transported to, and then... well, we ended up here." Now that he thought about it, not a single peaceful day had passed since he arrived, and something told him today wouldn't be any different.
Silence settled for a few minutes. Each of them was lost in thought until Julian spoke again, "So? What are you planning to do?" For him, getting an answer was essential. It was, after all, the reason he came all this way.
Elrik: "Go to Velkrath!"
Alan: "Find a roof and a safe place to sleep."
While Elrik's voice was full of excitement and energy, you could practically see stars in his eyes, Alan looked depressed just thinking about his future plans, and there was the problem: he didn't have one.
Alan: 'After seeing how much we spent just on breakfast, I doubt I have enough left to pay for an inn.'
Julian: "And how do you plan to get there?"
Elrik: "Eh?"
Julian: "You do know the road takes two to three weeks by wagon, right? If you can even find a wagon."
Elrik: "..."
Julian: "And what will you do when you arrive? I assume you're aiming for the military academy, but do you even meet the requirements to enrol?"
Elrik: "..."
Julian: "What about financial support? I heard students barely get anything until they move up in rank."
As Julian continued to pelt him with questions, Elrik's enthusiasm visibly deflated. He lowered his head more and more with each question. He had never thought about the next steps, and he never needed to. He'd always acted on impulse without a plan. But now, his flaw was becoming painfully clear.
Julian shifted his attention to Alan, who seemed deep in thought. He wasn't satisfied with Alan's earlier answer and wanted to double-check. "Are you sure?"
Alan was surprised by the question but replied in the same lazy tone as before, "Well, I guess. As long as things don't fall apart, I'll just try to improve my situation bit by bit, starting with this dumb language problem."
Julian: 'There's something off here.'
"Ah, just want to ask a few more small things, hope you don't mind," Alan said as he stood, adjusting his coat and slipping the kitchen knife into an inside pocket. Elrik wanted to protest putting down their only 'weapon,' but Julian didn't seem like he had any harmful intent.
Elric: 'Come to think of it, he didn't resist talking in the first place.'
Julian focused all his attention on Alan, intrigued. "Depends on what these 'details' are."
"No need to worry. It's something important but simple... do you have any job openings here?" Alan asked with a straight face. Julian had to fight back the urge to slap his forehead and let out a deep sigh.
Julian: "That's your big question?"
"What do you mean? I'm broke, so of course I want a source of income. And since I can't communicate properly, I doubt I'll find a shelter or a job anytime soon," Alan shot Julian a look that said 'Obviously'.
Julian: "No. There aren't any."
Alan: "That's a problem... One more question: how do you know if you have a skill? Sure, you said you didn't get one when you transferred, but you mentioned having one, so how do you use it? Know its effects and stuff?"
Julian: "...Unique skills reside in the soul. It takes some meditation and focus to perceive them. Then you'll receive information about their abilities and other details. It'll give you a terrible headache, though."
Alan raised an eyebrow in surprise. He thought Julian was joking about the soul part, but the serious look on his face said otherwise. 'Looks like I need to redefine what 'logical' and 'normal' mean in this world.'
"Alright then, see you later. I'm gonna take a short nap," Alan said with a yawn, walking out the door. Elrik hesitated between staying and going with him, but in the end, chose to remain with Julian to ask some more questions. Julian considered following Alan, but didn't want to risk more, so he stayed.
Alan entered the wagon and lay on his back. The hard wooden surface made him long for a bed, or at least a pillow. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.
Alan: 'So, they reside in the soul, huh? I've never been good at meditating... but I'll give it a shot.'
Keeping his mind clear and empty was never an easy task. He had always kept himself occupied by thinking about random things just to escape boredom. And in an attempt to test what Julian had told him, he kept emptying himself, isolating the surrounding sounds from his consciousness, to the point where he could hear his heartbeat and feel the blood coursing through his veins.
He continued clearing his mind, diving deeper into himself, until—
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Unique Skill: ｢Surgeon｣
[Internal Mapping]
Provides an accurate visualisation of the internal structure of any living being. Displays real-time diagnostics of organ conditions, circulatory state, nerve flow, and magical interference. Automatically identifies injuries, abnormalities, and foreign objects.
[Microsurgical Control]
Allows for near-microscopic manipulation using tools, magicules, or physical extensions. Enables precise operations on nerve endings, blood vessels, and tissue structures without any collateral damage. Supports minimally invasive procedures on living targets.
[Tissue Reconstruction]
Uses the user's magicules to repair and regenerate biological structures. Capable of fully restoring limbs, reconnecting nerve pathways, and eliminating toxins, curses, or abnormalities on a cellular level.
[Blood Regulation]
Stabilises and controls blood flow within the target. Prevents bleeding, internal clotting, or shock. Enables precise control over temperature, oxygen levels, and immune response to enhance recovery.
[Anaesthesia Field]
Emits a localised aura that dulls pain receptors and relaxes muscle tension. Facilitates surgical procedures without discomfort. Can be extended to cover multiple allies within a close range.
[Thoughts Acceleration]
Multiplies the user's mental processing speed by 100 times.
——————————
"Whoa..." He clutched his forehead, surprised by the flood of information. It wasn't hard to comprehend, but it was sudden—and a completely new sensation.
'So this is what he was talking about. A healing ability? Well, better than nothing.' He placed his hand over his mouth in thought. As much as he had hoped for a more offensive, or at least defensive skill, a healing ability seemed useful too. He wouldn't need to worry about medical treatment anytime soon.
'And what's this 'magicules'? A blend of two words, I suppose. First is 'magi', and the second... particles?' The information he'd absorbed helped him understand the skill's function at a basic level, but he still found himself puzzled by terms like 'curses' and 'magicules'.
He could guess what they might be based on Earth's fiction, but he didn't want to risk defining them incorrectly.
'I guess it's safe to say that magicules are a type of energy at least, since they can be consumed and turned into organic material.' He lifted his coat from his leg and removed the fabric he had wrapped as a bandage to inspect the wound from the kidnappers' cart crash earlier that morning. The bleeding had stopped long ago, but the wound still throbbed when touched.
By now, the skin was already blistered and starting to look necrotic.
"Good chance for a little experiment." He shut his eyes tightly, focusing with everything he had. Instinctively, he knew that focusing his attention on the wound and thinking about activating the skill would be enough. He felt a chill rush through every nerve toward the injury. The pain nearly overwhelmed him as blood surged at the site, but he resisted.
He slowly opened his eyes—then clarity.
He took off his glasses with trembling fingers, as if the lenses were somehow at fault, but nothing changed. His leg appeared like a multi-layered transparent diagram, a faded anatomical sketch: torn muscle fibres, ruptured blood vessels, inflamed and withered skin. A faint magical glow highlighted each damaged part. [Internal Mapping] was already active, isolating anything that didn't belong, including several microscopic wooden splinters he hadn't realised were still embedded in the tissue.
His vision was incredibly sharp. Too sharp.
After shifting his focus, he locked onto the blood flow, and red blood cells drifted by. Then, with deliberate thought, he activated [Blood Regulation], sealing the correct vessels, redirecting the flow, and stabilising internal pressure. The bleeding slowed, then stopped.
Then came the real work.
His magicules moved, penetrating the tissues. Using [Microsurgical Control], he repaired every severed vessel and realigned each torn muscle fibre with microscopic precision.
Then came [Tissue Reconstruction], flooding the area with a controlled regenerative energy.
As he progressed, he noticed something strange: certain cells resisted the repair. Pale, dead, and decaying. The system hesitated, then expelled them in a wave of warmth, like drying mould from a wound. Only then did true healing begin. Even the bruised bone beneath tingled slightly as the inflammation faded.
He couldn't move due to the pain, but he felt it shifting from agony to overwhelming sensitivity, as though every cell was speaking to him at once. Then, silence.
｢Surgeon｣ finally deactivated.
He let out a groan, holding his head. The procedure had been excruciating, nerve-wracking in every sense. Sweat streamed from his forehead.
He groaned again, sweat trailing down from his chin. His entire body shuddered.
"So this is it... I think my neurons are about to burn out," he muttered. The process had been painful, mentally and physically. Then he blinked. "...Wait."
He smacked himself on the forehead. "[Anaesthesia Field]! And [Thoughts Acceleration]..."
The whole operation felt fast, but it had taken nearly an hour.
Alan: 'Well, good thing I succeeded on the first try... Still, forgetting [Anaesthesia Field] was disappointing, though."
He also thought about using it on someone else, but that's for another time. He lay back down on the ground, exhausted, staring at the ceiling.
'Now that I think about it, it wasn't just my vision that improved, I remember being able to hear the blood rushing through my veins too.' None of that had been in the skill's information, so he assumed it was a side effect.
'It felt like stargazing through a microscope... Note to self: don't use this in broad daylight unless I want to go blind'. The skill ｢Surgeon｣ enhanced all his senses significantly, but only temporarily, and at the cost of his mental faculties. Seeing clearly, or at least normally, was a luxury that usually required wearing his glasses, so he found this side effect particularly interesting.
Alan: 'It didn't feel like seeing, it felt like dissecting the world with my eyes'
He tried activating the skill again, this time without any injuries, focusing only on his eyes and sight. A slow warmth spread through his body... but it stopped midway. A sharp headache struck him. Despite his magicule reserves still being abundant, the skill had drained his mental stamina. Activating it again now would all but fry his mind.
Realising that, he decided to rest first before trying again. His thoughts slowly drifted to what he should do next. From the beginning, he had planned to leave this town as quickly as possible. He no longer knew whether his kidnappers were just ordinary slavers. Staying in the nearest town to where he had disappeared didn't seem appealing in the slightest. There was no guarantee they wouldn't track him here.
"I hope they've forgotten about me... or are already dead." He still didn't know what had happened to them after he last saw them. He guessed they'd run into another group, maybe bandits or something similar, but nothing was certain. At the time, he hadn't cared who they were; he just wanted to escape.
'If I leave this town, I'll die from cold, or hunger, or be eaten. If I stay, I might get kidnapped again or killed. Seems like I've used up all my luck in this world.' He scowled with a sigh. Despite his exhaustion, sleep wouldn't come. After all, the last time he'd slept, a human gorilla had been carrying him by the neck. Discovering he had gained a superpower would normally be a fortunate thing, but it hadn't helped much in actual combat. He was skilled in martial arts, sure, but his frail body and the strength of this world's inhabitants made him reconsider his chances of survival.
He thought of asking Julian for help, but his instincts told him that might not be a good move.
Alan: 'Elrik was enough to bring him down and, no offence, he didn't seem that strong or smart.'
Minutes passed. The headache began to fade. He stood quietly, stretching his limbs. Leaving the wagon, he made his way back to the tavern, which was still empty of customers.
"You guys are terrible at marketing, aren't you?" Alan said with a sarcastic tone to Julian, who was cleaning tables with a bored expression.
Julian: "Wait till you see how packed it gets at night."
Elrik was asleep at a table near the wall, drooling like a child and muttering nonsense.
"...By the way, is there something like 'mana' in this world?" Alan couldn't think of a more common term for magical energy from Earth. He hadn't played many video games or watched much anime, but he had read a decent number of web novels.
"Umm... yeah, there is. It's called magicules, used in some types of magic and skills. They exist naturally in the air... Oh, and people from other worlds are known to have a large amount of them." He explained before returning to his cleaning.
'You couldn't have said that earlier?!' Alan exhaled through his nose in exasperation. Julian might not be the best teacher, but he was definitely a valuable source of information.
Julian: "Oh, and by the way, exposure to too much of it can have serious effects on the human body. Think of it like nuclear radiation"
"...You sure you didn't forget anything?" Alan asked, raising an eyebrow suspiciously.
Julian: "Eh? I think... that's it?"
"Uuugh..." Alan groaned, adjusting his glasses. Julian clearly wasn't the best person to question. Alan was curious about his unique skill, but doubted Julian would tell him, might even find him annoying. And he didn't want to hint that he himself had acquired a unique skill, so he stayed quiet.
'I remember the feeling of something other than blood flowing through my veins when I was healing my leg. Was that magicules? It'll take some time to memorise the sensation... until then...' He paused; he'd found what he was looking for: a weapon shop.
It was an old, sturdy building made of thick timber beams and weathered stone. Above it hung a black iron sign, swaying slightly in the wind, engraved with a simple emblem: a sword and shield crossed behind a helmet.
The heavy wooden door was reinforced with iron bands and creaked loudly as it opened, revealing a dim, smoky interior lit by narrow windows and a few flickering oil lamps. The air was thick with the scent of metal, oil, leather, and soot. Inside, weapon racks lined the walls, displaying an array of weapons: longswords, arming swords, daggers, spears, maces, war hammers, each polished to a dull or dark shine from use. Some were ornate, intended for nobles or knights; others were plain but deadly, built for foot soldiers and mercenaries.
One corner held a locked cabinet with rare or valuable items: elegant elven swords, foreign curved blades, or rumoured enchanted runic weapons. In another corner lay bundles of arrows, stacks of shields, and even full sets of chainmail and plate armour, available for coin, displayed on stands or hung from beams.
Mercenaries haggling, knights requesting custom blades, peasants selling family heirlooms for coin, all kinds of people passed through this shop. And right now, it was crowded, so Alan didn't have to worry about drawing attention.
He moved between the shop's corners, finding some familiar and mundane weapons, and others oddly shaped or uniquely decorated. He wished he could get something other than the kitchen knife he'd stolen, well, confiscated, from Julian. But things rarely went as he wanted.
Then his eyes landed on a brown wooden staff, close to the colour of his coat, though a shade darker. He picked it up and found it had a good weight.
'No one's going to care about it, right? Just a stick.' He picked it up quietly, scanning his surroundings without drawing attention. He didn't want to look suspicious. He hid the stick behind his back and walked out of the shop with the same casual steps he came in with.
Alan: 'Just to be clear, I didn't steal anything. I left coins worth three loaves of bread where the stick was. No way it costs more than that... I bet someone's already taken the money.'
After leaving, he quickened his pace, heading away from the shop and in the opposite direction from the tavern. He thought exploring the town might be a good change of pace.
As he walked further, a strange, unsettling feeling started creeping up his spine, like someone had their fangs right at his neck, just waiting for the perfect moment. He started checking his pockets, then slowly turned around, pretending he'd dropped something... but found nothing. No one.
Alan: 'I'm not waiting till nightfall when everyone's asleep. I'm getting out of here now.'