"So, Karabos.h.i.+. How did Rhea become strong all of a sudden? It was just a short while ago that you claimed her attacks were not lethal."

"Yeah. About that…"

And so Haruki told Karen about the magic tool that he had and what he currently knew.

Karen must have gotten an idea of just how powerful this magic tool was. Her eyes had been s.h.i.+ning at first, but her expression started to darken.

"…If the rest of the world finds out about this, my magic will look like nothing compared to the horrible things that might happen to you."

"Yeah. That's why I need to keep it a secret. The only reason I'm revealing it now is because it's with you, Karen."

Karen was a team member.

That's how Haruki saw her.

He didn't want to lose her or create a situation where that could happen.

And so he told her his secret.

That way, if they did end up in a dangerous situation, he wouldn't have to worry when raising her skills.

"…Because it's…me…"

Karen whispered and then laughed.

It was clear that she was trying to keep a straight face, but her mouth betrayed her true feelings.

Hmm?

He hadn't meant to say anything that was amusing.

"Well, there it is. I have the ability to raise the abilities of individuals."

"Does that mean that I have a skill tree too?"

"You do. Want to see it?"

"Yes."

He brought out the board and directed the display towards Karen.

"Huh. There sure are a lot of skills here."

"Are there any skills you want to raise?"

"Magic! Put all of my points into magic!"

"…Uh, but, I don't think that's a good idea. We could be in a pinch and…"

"Just do it!!"

Karen said as she pressed hard into him. Haruki leaned away.

So close.

It was like they were about to kiss.

Well, there was no risk of that happening, as he was wearing a mask…

Oh, well.

"…Fine."

Haruki was defeated, and so he put all of the points into Karen's magic power tree.

Kurosaki Karen(18) Gender: female

Skill points: 3 → 0

Cla.s.s: Spirit User

-Vitality

Stamina 1

Natural Recovery 0

-Strength

Strength 0

-Magic Power

Magic Power 1 → 3

Magic Compatibility 1 → 2

Magic Manipulation 2

-Agility

Quickness 0

Dexterity 0

-Technique

Weapon Mastery

Blunt Weapon 0

Light Armor 0

-Intuition

Detection 1

-Special

Luck 1

Now, both Rhea and Karen had very peaky abilities.

But it shouldn't be a problem.

He would make up for any deficiencies.

That's what it meant to be a team.

"And I'll defeat the boss on the next floor!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Your senses change a lot when your skill level goes up. You'll have to fight weak monsters for a while until you get used to these much more powerful attacks."

"But…"

"No buts. I don't want to get hit by one of your attacks now that they hit so much harder."

If he were hit by a Magic Energy 3 attack, it would do a lot more than knock him out.

All of her points had gone there, so it was very likely that he'd be blown to bits.

Just the thought of such lethal magic coming from behind him was horrifying.

As for what the Big Wolf dropped—Haruki picked up the giant fangs and then they went down to the 7th floor.

Compared to the 6th floor, the weeds on the 7th floor seemed to be a lot taller.

Maybe they would go up to the waist by the time they reached the 8th floor.

If a trap happened to be behind the gra.s.s, it would be a lot easier to miss it and accidentally step on it.

And so they would have to be extra careful while moving.

He activated the gate. And then they searched for monsters so that Karen could test her magic on them.

Conveniently, 3 Silver Wolves started running towards them from the opposite side of the corridor.

"Karen. Use your magic on them."

"Okay!"

Karen raised her staff and concentrated.

In the meantime, Haruki pulled out his dagger and waited.

He leaned forward in preparation for taking down any who got pa.s.sed her.

As magic energy gathered into Karen's staff, it reacted in a way that they had never seen before.

Karen's magic was transparent and colorless.

However, there was something like a white mist that swirled within it.

…Uh, was this safe?

"…Hahh!"

The charge time was the same as always.

This had previously been enough to take down a Silver Wolf in a single hit.

But…

Instant.

Flicker.

Detonation.

Blinding light.

Their world flashed white and Haruki had to raise his hand to cover his eyes.

The staff recoiled after unleas.h.i.+ng the magic.

The shockwave caused it to fly back and slam into Karen's forehead.

Crumble. Crumble.

The magic carved away chunks of the floor as it shot towards the Silver Wolves.

All in a second.

When Haruki opened his eyes, he gulped at the sight before him.

Karen was much the same. She even let out a small scream.

The charge time had been the same as always.

However, the results were completely different.

The three Silver Wolves that had been about to attack them had transformed into sc.r.a.ps of meat.

"…See?"

That was the only thing that came out of Haruki's mouth.

Raising it all at once was dangerous. Alright?

"Yes… Ohh."

Karen was amazed by what raising the skill had done, but she also realized how dangerous it was now. Her knees gave way and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Was that your full power?"

"I think I could go a little farther."

"You better not, alright?"

If Haruki were hit by magic like that from the back, he would definitely be killed.

She could under no circ.u.mstances use it while he was in the lead.

"You have to practice so you can adjust the size and strength of your attacks."

"Yes…"

Karen's forehead looked a little red as she nodded apologetically.

She would also need to raise her strength.

Her forehead would not last long in its current state.

"You should work out once we return to the surface."

"Uh…um, since we're on the 7th floor, I have more points, right? Can you put them into strength…"

"Denied."

Haruki rejected the request bluntly.

It was dangerous to raise skills so casually. Rhea and Karen were living proof of this.

It would be better to avoid using the points unless it was necessary for getting out of sudden danger.

Otherwise, the balance would be broken and that was more likely to cause accidents.

"Your Strength is currently at 0, so you should raise it to 1 by working out."

He wasn't sure how long it would take, but your physical strength went up by hunting monsters. As long as she took things seriously, it should go up in no time.

Perhaps Karen hated working out because the outer ends of her eyebrows lowered and she snorted.