In the endless white realm, Rian stood casually before the goddess. Dewi Bodas, who usually wore a mischievous smile, now wore a frown. She looked displeased at Rian's indifferent demeanor and his nonchalant response when invited back to her dwelling.
"I'm just a little upset, Goddess," Rian said, deciding to be honest. "Why in the world I live in now does everyone always judge by unique skills? And my unique skill, which is so useful for daily life, is looked down on by everyone. I have level 81, yet I am treated like a porter. Why does this world feel so unfair?"
Rian poured out all the frustration he had long held about his unique skill.
Dewi Bodas was silent for a moment, listening to every complaint Rian voiced. In truth, the goddess already knew all of this. She had been watching Rian closely and knew exactly why the young man complained. However, rather than offering immediate sympathy, she responded with a mysterious smile, as if to ensure Rian would not despair.
"Actually, your unique skill can be used to attack," Dewi Bodas said, her smile thin and teasing, deliberately giving hope so Rian would regain his spirit.
Rian's eyes widened immediately.
"Really? But... how?" he asked, his curiosity instantly surging.
"Then, if that skill can be used to attack, what will you do going forward?" Dewi Bodas asked in return, wanting to know what truly lay in Rian's heart. She wanted to hear it from the young man himself.
"I want to become a hero like my original goal!" Rian said firmly, his eyes glowing with determination. "And I want to protect the people I love."
"Aren't you strong enough now to protect your loved ones?" the goddess teased again.
"Hmm... but..." Rian did not know how to answer. He was strong, but recognition from the outside world was a different matter.
"You do not need to be naive. Just say what you truly want without hiding behind the reason of 'protecting others,'" Dewi Bodas said, her smile widening. "You want to prove that all those who belittle you are wrong. You want recognition, glory, and to fulfill the ambitions you failed to achieve in your previous life, right?"
Rian was silent. The goddess's words struck the mark.
"Why, Goddess, did you give me the unique skill Storage? Why not something else? A skill useful for combat or whatever is considered great in that world?" Rian complained again.
"The skill you have can attack, depending on how you use it. The rest, you find out yourself," Dewi Bodas answered firmly. "If you ask why you were given that unique skill, the answer is because that skill fits you best."
"All right, Goddess. Can you at least give me one example of how to attack using that Storage skill?" Rian begged, his face full of hope.
"For example..." Dewi Bodas paused her sentence, her eyes glancing toward Rian's body as it began to fade. "It seems our time is up. And we will not meet again for a while, so for now, figure it out yourself. Good luck, Rian."
The goddess smiled warmly, her gaze radiating hope for Rian's development.
"Goddess! Tell me!" Rian shouted, but his voice vanished. He blinked, and in an instant, he was back at the church, still kneeling in the same position as before.
Rian realized he had returned to his original place. He stood there for a moment, reflecting on Dewi Bodas's words. His unique skill could attack. A new hope ignited his spirit. He stood up, his eyes shining with determination.
"It is impossible that Dewi Bodas lied. I'm sure Storage really can attack," Rian murmured.
He looked at Catty, who was still kneeling beside him in confusion.
"Let's go home, Catty," Rian said as he turned toward the exit.
After passing through the church doors, Catty walked beside Rian, returning to Fredd's house. On the way home under the clear night sky, Catty occasionally glanced at Rian's face, which now looked much cheerier.
"Rian, you seem more energetic than usual. What's up? Tell me," Catty teased with curiosity.
"Earlier, I met Dewi Bodas again," Rian said, unable to hide his smile. "And she told me that my unique skill can actually be used to attack on the battlefield."
"Wow, that's great news!" Catty exclaimed. "But... how? Isn't that so far from its original function as storage?"
"That's the problem," Rian said, his face slightly disappointed. "She did not tell me how to use it. I have to find out myself."
"Maybe Dewi Bodas did not tell you so that you can truly understand the other functions and purposes of that skill for your own development. She gave you a riddle, not an answer," Catty said, trying to calm Rian.
"Yes, perhaps you are right," Rian sighed, accepting Catty's logic.
"Tomorrow, I will accompany you in training until you can really use your Storage skill to attack, okay?" Catty said enthusiastically, offering her support.
"All right, thank you, Catty," Rian replied, his heart feeling warm.
When they arrived at Fredd's house, they cleaned up. After bathing, Rian went into his room, and Catty to hers. However, Rian could not sleep right away. His mind was filled with the riddle from Dewi Bodas.
He sat on the edge of his bed, still pondering how the Storage skill could be used in combat. He opened his Storage. A familiar black circle appeared before him, accompanied by a small hologram displaying a list of items stored inside.
"How can a storage hole attack?" he thought.
"A trap? Could it be used as a trap?" Rian muttered.
He walked to the window and tried opening the Storage at a greater distance. The black circle appeared, hovering about three meters from him. He tried to push it farther, but could not. That distance was the maximum he could reach.
"If the distance is only this much, it's not effective to use as a trap. How can I set a trap if the distance is only three meters? And also, this Storage is specifically for inanimate objects. I do not know how effective it would be if a living creature enters it," Rian said, continuing to think hard.
"What if... I throw an item into the Storage from the outside?" he muttered again.
He tried to pull out a small knife from the list on his hologram. He imagined the Storage appearing beside him, then he selected the knife, hoping the object would come out with a strong throw.
The small knife did come out of the Storage, but its motion was very slow and it immediately fell to the floor with a clink. Its speed was exactly the same as when Rian had put the knife into the Storage with his hand.
"Hmm, it can't be done, huh," he sighed softly.
Time passed. Every experiment he tried failed. He tried rotating the portal, trying to "pour" its contents out, but the result was always the same. Items emerged with zero speed. He began to get frustrated. Maybe Dewi Bodas was just teasing him.
As Rian was about to give up and sleep, a memory crossed his mind. He remembered clearly how he had placed the knife in that experiment: he had inserted it slowly with his hand.
The exit speed was exactly the same as the input speed.
A crazy idea popped into his head.
"Wait... input equals output? What if I put it in quickly? Will the output be fast as well?" Rian muttered, his eyes widening.
He immediately tried it. He opened his Storage portal at the maximum three-meter distance. He took the same knife, then with all his strength, he threw it at the black hole. The knife shot and vanished inside. On the hologram screen, the knife was immediately registered.
"Now... I just have to take it out," Rian whispered in full anticipation.
He imagined the knife emerging from the opposite side. If he threw it into the portal in front of him, then the knife would come out from the "back" of that portal.
When Rian tapped the knife icon on the hologram, as he had predicted, the knife slammed out of the rear side of the Storage at the same velocity as when he had thrown it in.
WUSSHH! THAK!
The knife flew like a bullet and stuck deep into the wooden wall of his room, the handle vibrating violently.
"Woooww!" Rian gaped, staring at his knife, then at the portal, then back at the knife. He had succeeded. He had found the trick.
His mind raced immediately.
What if I store dozens of knives and throw them one by one into the Storage? When I need them, I can release them in rapid succession without throwing again! I can create a rain of projectiles!