I stared at the semi-transparent board floating in front of me.
Lines extended from the central Death spell symbol, connecting to other symbols.
I tentatively tapped the magic circle symbol right next to it.
An explanation appeared, just like with Death.
『Mana Consumption Halved: Halves the mana consumed when using Instant Death Magic. Cost: 3 points』
It seemed I could spend points to strengthen the skill.
My skill levels up by defeating monsters, granting points.
Those points could then be used on this list to acquire abilities.
I focused on the symbols again.
For someone like me with a level cap of 1 and low mana, halving consumption felt almost essential.
I pressed the [Yes] button below the description.
Light suddenly poured from my body, wrapping me in a warm sensation.
The magic circle symbol began to glow, and the points in the upper right dropped from 20 to 17.
It looked like I had successfully acquired the ability.
""Death""
I tried firing Instant Death Magic into the air.
This time, I felt none of the previous exhaustion.
I could probably fire another one right away.
That left me with 17 points.
Points were limited, so I could not spend them carelessly.
I tried touching a distant symbol, but nothing happened.
It appeared I could only acquire abilities adjacent to ones I already had.
I tapped the symbol beyond Mana Consumption Halved.
It was another Mana Consumption Halved.
But this one required 5 points.
The farther from the center, the more points an ability seemed to cost.
I decided to check other branches from Death first.
Next, I touched the symbol to the right that looked like overlapping circles.
『Effective Range Up: Expands the effective range of Instant Death Magic to double the current distance. Cost: 2 points』
"Ah, right."
I remembered how abnormally short the range of "Death" was.
Since my stats were low, I had to fight from a distance whenever possible. This ability was important too.
I acquired Effective Range Up.
Then I touched another symbol in a different branch—same as Death.
『Success Rate Up: Increases the success rate of Instant Death Magic. Cost: 2 points』
Success rate was probably the most crucial factor for Instant Death Magic.
It seemed divided into stages like the mana one, so I took two levels.
『Success Rate Up: Greatly increases the success rate of Instant Death Magic. Cost: 5 points』
After acquiring both, the symbols glowed again.
I had used 12 points so far. Eight remained.
"Hm…?"
The Success Rate Up branch split into two paths. One led to a coffin symbol.
『Coffin of the Dead: Allows storage of bodies defeated by Instant Death Magic in a separate space. Cost: 3 points』
"There's something like this too?"
I glanced at the Killing Bear lying nearby.
Its body was huge.
Carrying it to the guild as-is would take time and draw a lot of attention.
I pressed [Yes] to acquire it.
The symbol glowed.
When I held out my hand, the massive Killing Bear vanished in an instant.
Extremely convenient.
The path beyond Coffin of the Dead led to yet another branch—a ghostly symbol.
『Soul Collection: Converts the abilities of targets defeated by Instant Death Magic into your own stats. Cost: 5 points』
The cost was high, but the effect was outrageous.
I did not know if there was an absorption limit, but for someone stuck at level 1, this was the only way to raise my stats.
Without hesitation, I spent the points to acquire it.
That used up every remaining point.
『All skill points have been consumed. Displaying results.』
A new message appeared along with numbers.
======================================
[Basic Status]
Name: Ark
Class: Magician
Level: 1
HP: 15
MP: 10
Attack: 2
Defense: 4
Stamina: 4
Speed: 3
Intelligence: 3
[Owned Skill]
・Instant Death Magic Lv20
[Owned Abilities]
・Mana Consumption Halved Lv1
・Effective Range Up Lv1
・Success Rate Up Lv2
・Coffin of the Dead
・Soul Collection
======================================
The distribution felt reasonably balanced.
Still, I would not know how much the success rate had actually improved until I tested it.
"…Come to think of it, my body doesn't hurt anymore."
I had been so focused on the board that I hadn't noticed, but the pain from being slammed by the Killing Bear was completely gone.
Perhaps leveling up the skill fully healed my body.
I waved my hand as if to dismiss the ability list, and it vanished from my view.
Unlike before, my heart felt calm.
Being the weakest.
Being laughed at by so many people.
Being abandoned by my childhood friend.
None of it bothered me anymore.
That past no longer mattered to me.
As I started to walk, the slime came into view again.
It was still jiggling steadily.
"Sorry about earlier. Seems you are the weakest monster, and I'm the weakest adventurer. You and I are in the same place."
The one goal for the weakest me was simple.
—I will become the strongest with this power.
With that resolve, I returned to town.