I’m Just Leveling up Efficiently, but for Some Reason, the People Around Me Seem to Be Looking at Me With Disapproval - Chapter 9

The one skill I picked was [Dagger Technique: Vital Point Sight].

It was a passive skill that made the enemy’s weak points glow faintly in the user’s vision when using stabbing weapons.

The effect was plain.

It wasn’t some flashy sword move or ultimate finishing technique.

It just corrected my vision a little.

It only let me see faint lights showing where to stab for a fatal blow.

But this was perfect.

In fact, this was exactly what I needed.

My current build had points in technique, endurance, and durability.

My strength was still low.

No way I could overpower that giant body with force.

So the only choice was to be really picky about where I hit.

With the smallest movements, strike the one fatal point.

What an efficiency addict needs isn’t instinct or courage.

It’s the right answer.

Once you see the answer, all that’s left is to move your hands.

Several faint lights were floating on Gald’s huge body.

Heart, carotid artery, liver, joint gaps, thin parts of the skull, back of the eyeballs.

Some lights were strong, some were faint. Each had different intensity.

The stronger the light, the more likely it was a fatal weak point.

…Hmm.

This feels so good.

Seeing the weak points clearly is this much fun?

Drool started flowing out naturally.

“All right.”

I readied my chipped survival knife again.

“Let’s start the second round.”

Gald narrowed his eyes slightly.

My tone had clearly changed.

He was a battle-hardened commander.

His sense for picking up shifts in a fight was sharp.

“You… what did you do?”

“Just a little something.”

“I asked what you did.”

“Cheating. I saw exactly how you lose.”

Deep wrinkles formed between Gald’s eyebrows.

I had no intention of explaining more.

Besides, I didn’t want to waste time explaining.

The experience points were getting away.

I kicked off the ground.

Gald reacted.

His battle axe came swinging down from above.

Earlier I would have had no choice but to dodge, create distance, and reset the spacing.

But not now.

The axe’s path.

The blind spot created underneath it.

And—— the strong light glowing between his right ribs.

I bent low, slipped under the wind pressure of the axe, jumped into his guard, and stabbed the knife up at an angle.

Slice.

A completely different feeling from before.

The blade clearly cut through flesh.

“Nuoh!?”

Gald’s huge body shook hard for the first time.

I pulled the knife out and jumped back to make distance.

Blood was gushing strongly from Gald’s side.

It went through.

It actually went deep.

The efficiency addict was overjoyed.

Until now I could barely scratch Gald’s skin even when hitting his ankle.

But one focused strike on a vital point went this deep.

Power didn’t come from strength, but from hitting the right spot.

This fighting style suited me.

This skill suited me.

“You… that just now…”

Real panic was mixed into Gald’s voice.

I answered while flicking the blood off my knife.

“I told you. I can see how you lose.”

“A brat who only just received his blessing, how can you already use a skill…!”

Oh, so skills are supposed to come later.

The moment Gald said the word “skill,” I was sure.

For the people of this world, skills were something you learned step by step.

Gald felt something was off that a brand new blessed person like me was already using one.

When facing an unknown system, the opponent starts groping in the dark.

Someone groping in the dark creates openings.

And openings are pure experience points.

“Save the explanations for inside your grave.”

I stepped in again.

This time with a feint.

I stepped right like I was going that way, then sent the knife left.

The thinnest, most raised muscle part on Gald’s left calf.

Strong light was shining there.

The blade slipped in.

I felt the muscle tear.

“Guaah!?”

Gald’s giant body tilted.

His left leg wouldn’t move properly anymore.

“You little shiiit…!”

With a roar he swung his battle axe.

But the path was messy.

From anger, impatience, and pain.

I slipped under it and landed another hit.

This time on the back of his right thigh.

The amount of blood kept increasing.

Gald’s movements were visibly getting slower.

I chipped away at him little by little.

I didn’t aim for deep wounds.

I stopped just before a fatal blow and stacked up damage steadily.

The points I put into endurance and durability were working to the max here.

Gald’s breathing was clearly getting rough.

With a body that big, moving around burned through his stamina fast.

On the other hand, I still had room to spare.

Thanks to the endurance points, I wasn’t even breathing hard yet.

…And besides.

For some reason, my wounds kept closing on their own every now and then.

At first I thought I was imagining it.

But no.

Some kind of recovery was clearly flowing in from outside.

At a speed that couldn’t be my natural healing.

I glanced at the edge of my vision.

A small figure stood at the entrance to the square.

It was Avi, with both trembling hands clasped in front of her chest, desperately chanting something.

…So she really came.

I almost smiled.

But I quickly pulled my expression tight.

I was still in battle.

I couldn’t lose focus.

Still, I thought.

Let’s finish this quickly.

Avi was probably using up her small amount of magic power that she only just received with her blessing.

It wouldn’t last long.

I didn’t want to waste it.

* * *

Avi had her hands clasped and was praying with everything she had.

After receiving her blessing and opening her status, the first skill she saw.

She couldn’t read the name.

But the way to use it floated into her head.

‘This prayer heals the wounds of the person you think about.’

That was all the skill did.

It couldn’t attack or defend.

She couldn’t fight.

She could only pray.

But that was enough.

Because Yushuu was the one fighting.

Yushuu was risking his life to fight.

Yushuu was trying to protect the village, his dad, his mom, and her.

So what she could do was support him from behind so he wouldn’t break.

All she could do was pray so Yushuu wouldn’t die.

(Please reach him… reach him, Yushuu…!)

Tears ran down her cheeks.

She was scared.

What if that giant Ugly Pig Tribe Orc noticed her?

But what scared her more was Yushuu dying.

Yushuu disappearing all alone in a place without her.

(I don’t want to only be protected… I want to… I want to…!)

Her palms felt warmly hot.

Faint light leaked out from between her clasped fingers.

For some reason she felt like she could “see” that light melting into the air and flowing toward Yushuu.

Yushuu’s back shook slightly.

Then for just a brief moment, he looked her way.

Their eyes met.

Yushuu didn’t say anything.

But the corner of his mouth lifted just a little.

That alone made Avi’s chest grow warm.

(It reached him… it really reached him…!)

She would pray more.

More and more.

As much as she could, for as long as it reached.

Until Yushuu won.

Until Yushuu came back alive.