Chapter 1-4: The Secret in the Status Screen

Sorry, I still couldn’t have the Sage appear in this chapter.

The units of measurement used in this story are the same as those from my previous life (Earth).

About half a year had passed since I began studying.

During my lessons with Mother, I was still being taught the basic theories of magic.

However, I still wasn’t allowed to actually use magic.

Father said Mother was being overprotective, but he didn’t dare say that to her face.

That was because about two months ago, Father had secretly tried to teach me magic, only to receive the scolding of a lifetime from Mother.

It was the first time I had witnessed a glimpse of the power dynamic between the two of them.

According to Father:

“Never defy your mother when she gets like that!”

“Give up all pointless resistance and behave yourself. That’s the right choice.”

Setting that aside…

Perhaps because of that incident, I felt that my lessons with Father had become a little less restrictive.

Recently, he had even started teaching me simple ways to butcher prey with a knife.

Just then, two figures approached us.

“Doing well, Tenma?”

“How are your studies going, Tenma?”

They were Uncle Mark and his wife, Aunt Martha.

“Hello, Uncle, Auntie. I’m trying my best, but it’s difficult.”

I replied.

They both laughed.

“If you can already do that much at three years old, you’re doing more than well enough.”

“That’s right. When I was about your age, I was so afraid of seeing blood that I even cried.”

The two laughed as they spoke.

Ever since I had started spending more time outside while Father taught me various things, more and more villagers had begun coming over to talk to me.

Thanks to that, I realized something.

There weren’t any children my age in this village…

Or rather, there seemed to be no children at all.

All of the villagers’ children had already reached adulthood.

Most of them had left the village and gone to larger towns to become adventurers.

In this world, people were normally considered adults once they turned eighteen.

However, depending on the circumstances, some could be recognized as adults from the age of fifteen.

Of course, most of those cases involved the children of nobles or wealthy merchants.

“Tenma, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing, Father.”

This world consisted of three major continents and numerous island nations.

Our village was located in a country on the largest continent, known as the Eurens Continent.

That country was the Kingdom of Krustin.

To the north of the kingdom lay the Duchy of Hamble.

To the east was the largest nation on the continent, the Republic of Gilst.

These three nations had formed an alliance.

There were also several smaller countries clustered together in the southeast.

Our village stood at the edge of the territory ruled by one of the most powerful figures in the Kingdom of Krustin:

Margrave Haust.

The village itself was called Kukuri Village.

And the nearby forest was known as the Great Elder Forest.

“Tenma?”

“I’m fine, Father.”

The Great Elder Forest was unbelievably vast.

Its total area was roughly equal to the entire territory of Japan from my previous life.

It was an unexplored region rich in natural resources.

However, the deeper one ventured into the forest, the stronger the monsters became.

In the past, the king from three generations ago had repeatedly organized military expeditions in an attempt to conquer the forest.

Every single one of them ended in complete failure.

The campaigns nearly drove the kingdom’s finances to collapse.

Fortunately, several large-scale dungeons were later discovered within the kingdom, allowing its finances to recover.

Nowadays, the kingdom had decided there was no point in stirring up trouble unnecessarily.

As a result, soldiers belonging to the kingdom rarely came to this forest anymore.

“Tenma! Hey, Tenma!”

“Huh? What is it, Father?”

“You’ve been acting strangely for a while now, muttering to yourself. Are you really all right?”

“Yeah. I’m just a little tired.”

“Is that so? Then let’s take a short break.”

Father said that and had me sit beneath the shade of a tree.

He then walked a short distance away to talk with Uncle Mark and Aunt Martha.

I turned toward the three of them and activated:

『Appraisal』

Stat	Ricardo	Mark	Martha	Tenma
Age	40	37	35	3
Race	Human	Human	Human	Human
Title	Former First-Class Adventurer / First-Class Hunter	Former Adventurer / Hunter	Housewife	Beloved Child of the Gods
HP	18,000	7,000	3,000	500
MP	6,000	1,000	500	2,000
Strength	A	C+	D	F-
Defense	B+	C-	D	F
Speed	B+	B	C-	E-
Magic	C+	D	E	C+
Mental Strength	B-	C+	B+	C-
Growth Potential	C	C	C	S
Luck	A+	C	C+	B
Blessing	Blessing of the Beast God	—	—	Blessing of the Gods

Skills

Skill	Ricardo	Mark	Martha	Tenma
Archery	Lv9	Lv6	Lv3	Lv2
Dismantling	Lv8	Lv7	Lv7	Lv2
Throwing	Lv8	Lv7	—	Lv3
Martial Arts	Lv7	Lv5	Lv2	Lv1
Swordsmanship	Lv7	Lv5	—	Lv1
Traps	Lv7	Lv5	Lv2	Lv2
Endurance	Lv7	Lv6	Lv6	Lv2
Abnormal Status Resistance	Lv7	Lv5	Lv4	—
Fire Magic	Lv5	Lv4	Lv3	Lv2
Wind Magic	Lv5	Lv3	—	—
Water Magic	Lv4	—	Lv3	—
Cooking	Lv3	Lv5	Lv8	Lv3

Tenma’s Hidden Skills

Skill	Level
Appraisal	Lv10
Detection	Lv10
Concealment	Lv10
Enhanced Skill Acquisition	Lv10
Follower Enhancement	Lv10
Growth Enhancement	Lv8
Life Force Enhancement	Lv8
Recovery Enhancement	Lv8
Abnormal Status Resistance	Lv8
Sensory Enhancement	Lv7
Physical Ability Enhancement	Lv7
Creation Magic	Lv5
Enchantment Magic	Lv5
Master of All Martial Arts	Lv5

Blessing: Blessing of the Gods

The skills shown in parentheses were hidden through the effects of Concealment.

It allowed me to freely hide or falsify titles, abilities, and skills according to its level.

My physical stats were probably low because I was still so young.

I was looking forward to seeing how much I would grow in the future.

“Come to think of it, Mark.”

“What happened to that old Sage?”

“Who knows?”

“He’s an eccentric old man.”

“Maybe he changed his mind halfway here and decided not to come back.”

“Could be.”

Tenma wasn’t particularly interested in what Ricardo and Mark were discussing.

But at the time, he had no idea…

That Sage would eventually become someone who would have an enormous influence on his life.

End of Chapter 1-4

Author’s Note:

The Appraisal and Detection skills are extremely rare.

Those who possess them are highly valued.

However, these skills cannot normally be acquired later in life, except when they are granted together with a blessing from a god who possesses the corresponding skill.

Their levels are almost entirely determined at birth and do not increase.

Excluding reincarnated individuals, the highest levels ever recorded are:

• Appraisal: Lv7
• Detection: Lv5

Appraisal

Lv1–3 allows the user to see:

• Name
• Age
• Race

Lv4–6 allows the user to see:

• A basic description of the target
• Effects
• Abilities
• Skills
• Blessings

Lv7–8 allows the user to determine whether the target is using Concealment.

However, the level of Concealment itself cannot be seen.

Lv9–10 allows the user to determine:

• How something is used
• Its contents or quantity
• Its general reputation in society

Detection

Detection functions similarly to radar.

Lv1–6:

• Approximate range: skill level × 100 meters in diameter

Lv7–8:

• Diameter of 2–4 kilometers

Lv9:

• Diameter of 5–6 kilometers

Lv10:

• More than 10 kilometers in diameter

At every level, simple conditions can also be specified.

For example:

• Those harboring hostility
• Those harboring killing intent

Appraisal and Detection can be used simultaneously.

For example:

• Detect a target → examine it with Appraisal.
• Appraise an object → use Detection to locate that object.