Everyone's gaze in the room was fixed on the skill orb rolling in my hand. Even Aira, who usually maintains a poker face, couldn't hide her surprise. As I stared at her, our eyes met. She must have felt embarrassed, because she quickly turned away. Today, I'm seeing a different side of Aira.
"Well, I thought I'd give it a try."
"Light!?"
"Nobody can do something like this...? Ah."
The two of them looked at Aira. By then, she had resumed her usual expression.
"Don't worry, there's no need to be concerned. Information won't leak from Aira. Sakuya-san gave the order."
"Yes, I won't do anything that would harm my master."
In this case, even without using 'Compression,' if the same number of skills are used, the resulting skill would be the same. However, there is a difference between using four 'Agility' and one 'Agility II.' If you already know 'Agility II,' adding three more 'Agility II' will level it up to 'Agility III,' but no matter how many 'Agility' you have, you can't achieve the same result.
Currently, only 'Super Strength' is at level III. This is because we encountered a rare monster that directly drops 'Super Strength II.' If we search, we might find other level II or III skills, but the enemies will become stronger. However, by simply collecting the base skills, we can easily upgrade them to level III or IV.
I thought 'Compression' was just a skill to convert maxed-out skills to higher-level skills. It was powerful enough on its own, but finding a new effect is surprising. This skill feels as dangerous as 'Level Lottery.' It's definitely a UR skill.
"Alright, we have 13 'Agility' left. Let's compress these 12... and then use three 'Agility II' to make 'Agility III.' Yes, that leaves us with one 'Agility' and one 'Agility II.'"
"Neat, it's down to just two."
"Yeah."
"Shouta-san, what should we do with these?"
"Hmm... Since we're at it, how about we give them to that uncle as a gift?"
If he's someone we trust, giving him skill orbs as a gift would be a good idea.
"Ahaha, Shouta-kun, that's quite a luxurious gift."
"Skill orbs are as valuable as engagement gifts."
"Is that so? But for me, it only takes a few minutes to prepare, so I think it's a reasonable gift..."
"Hehe, in your case, it is. Really, you're out of the ordinary. But, wait a moment."
Akane operated her terminal.
"Um, it seems there's no drop information for 'Agility II.' Well, since it was only recently discovered by Shouta-kun, I didn't expect there to be any."
"Shouta-san, can we consult your mother about this? Hana-san will probably find out too..."
"It's fine with those two."
"Thank you. Please wait a moment!"
The sisters hurried out. About ten minutes later, they returned with the branch manager and Hana-san.
"Amachi-kun, can I inform the president about this?"
The president must be Akane and Makoto's grandfather.
This is getting serious...
"Sure."
"Thank you. Hana, I'm going to the headquarters now. Please take care while I'm gone."
"Understood, Branch Manager. Everyone, the bus is ready, I'll guide you."
In the midst of the hurried atmosphere, we boarded the direct bus to the 'Advanced Dungeon.'
The 'Compression' issue seems to be causing a bigger stir within the association than I imagined. But right now, my mind is on the 'Advanced Dungeon.' I won't be entering it directly, but I'm curious to see what it's like...
I'm looking forward to it.
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After an hour on the bus, we arrived at a massive wall towering before us.
"A wall...?"
"This was built to prevent Dungeon Breaks."
An elderly man with a dignified presence answered my stunned gaze. He had appeared beside me, his eyes filled with deep emotion.
"The monsters in this dungeon are extremely dangerous. To prevent accidental entry, humans chose to seal it off. Initially, they thought it could be contained... but the result was that incident."
Seal off...
Indeed, upon closer inspection, the wall spread out in a dome shape, as if enclosing something. The 'Advanced Dungeon' must be inside.
"Uncle!"
"Grandpa!"
"Wait, this person?"
The man, who was called 'uncle,' smiled. Looking at him with affectionate eyes, he seemed like a real grandfather doting on his grandchildren. For a moment, I felt a flash of anger from him. Could he dislike me...?
"Um, nice to meet you. I'm Amachi Shouta."
"Aye. I'm the branch manager, Fujimaki Ryu. I've heard about you from Miki-chan... I'll allow you to call me Ryu-san. Nice to meet you, Amachi-kun. We have a lot to talk about, so let's go to the association's cafe. Of course, it's a safe and private room."
"Y-Yes!"
Following him, we headed to the Dungeon Association Branch 128, adjacent to the 'Advanced Dungeon.'
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"Hmm, as I thought, you two have become even more beautiful!"
"Hehe, really?"
"Hehe, thank you, Grandpa."
"However, I'm usually the one surrounded by you two, and it's annoying to see someone else here..."
Ryu-san's sharp gaze pierced me again. That must have been the feeling I sensed earlier. It's unreasonable, but if I saw two girls being friendly with another guy, I'd be annoyed too. I'll bear with it.
"Uncle, don't pick on our Shouta-kun."
"I understand. Miki-chan only told me you were visiting, but what's the purpose? I'm happy you came, of course."
Hmm, the purpose wasn't conveyed?
"Yes, the main purpose is to shop at the store here. I thought it would be good for Shouta-kun to have equipment that upper-level adventurers wear."
"Today, we were hassled by some red-colored people. Thanks to Shouta-san and Aira-san, the atmosphere in the 'Beginner Dungeon' has improved, but I want to avoid being underestimated in the future."
Red-colored...
I think that's the association's term for people like the ones this morning. It means they've done something as bad as being red-carded.
"Permission to use the store, huh? The boy's rank is now A, so I'll issue the permit. You can go later."
Ah, it's an exclusive store for the 'Advanced Dungeon' branch.
I almost walked in without knowing.
"Thank you. Um, Ryu-san, this is for the 'favor' and as a token of my appreciation. It's not much, but..."
I handed him the box Makoto had packed with the skill orbs.
"What's this, you're thoughtful... Hmm!?"
Ryu-san froze when he saw the contents.
The contents are 'Super Strength,' 'Agility,' 'Agility,' and as a bonus, 'Agility' and 'Agility II.' Was it too much?
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