It’s a strange feeling.
I can sense a new type of energy pouring into my body, flowing around it and gradually filling it up.
There’s no discomfort. Rather, it feels nice.
The wave of energy is going around my body, slowly adapting to its new environment.
—My body is being changed.
It’s most likely being reconstructed.
To that of a new race.
So this is “Evolution”.
——
——
How long has it been?
The energy around me subsides and my body regains its former peace.
I slowly open my eyes.
“Wan!”
Momo greets me before moving on to lick my face.
“Kyu~”
Next, Kiki walks over and begins licking my face in the same fashion.
“Hey, that tickles!”
I get up.
How much time has passed?
It feels like I’ve slept for an eternity, but it also feels like I’ve only blinked my eyes.
I check the clock on the walls and find out that an hour has passed.
“…Did my ‘Evolution’ finish?” I inspect my condition.
…I don’t see anything wrong, and nothing feels out of place.
In fact, it doesn’t feel like anything has changed.
Oh right, how’s Ichinose-san doing?
“Hmm…”
When I turn around, I see the figure of Ichinose-san who has just woken up.
She wakes her body and looks around with drowsy eyes.
Our eyes meet, but she looks away in a hurry.
“Good morning.”
“…Good morning.”
There’s a slight delay in her response.
“How do you feel?”
“Hmm… Everything feels fine. It’s… normal?” Ichinose-san examines her body.
Normal, huh….
Certainly, it doesn’t feel like I’ve quit being a human.
If I am to describe it, it’s like standing at a position that is slightly ahead of the other people; it’s as if I’ve gone up one step of stairs.
Nothing has changed drastically.
“Status Open.”
I open my status screen.
My occupations, skill levels, and points are still there, no different from how they were before my evolution.
If I had evolved into a “Shadow” or a “Demon”, I would have one extra unique skill, but there’s no point complaining about it now that everything’s already decided.
There is, however, one clear change to the status plate.
—–
Kudou Kazuto
Newtype LV1
Party Members
Ichinose Natsu
Newtype LV1
—–
Our levels have returned to 1, and the name of our race has been added as well.
Apparently, everyone’s levels get reset to 1 after they experience an evolution.
This also applies to Momo and the others.
Oh, and all my stats including my HP have risen by about 20%.
This must be what the system meant by “Various stats will be increased slightly.” With this, it’s confirmed that we’ve evolved into “Newtypes”.
“What do you think, Momo, Aka, and Kiki? Anything weird?” “Wan?”
“Kyu?”
“Furu furu?”
All three of them shake their heads.
In Aka’s case, it twists its entire body.
Even for them, our appearances seem to have remained the same.
That’s good.
(Besides, how I “feel” about other people haven’t changed in particular…) Although I have evolved, the way I view Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan has not changed.
I was worried that the way I think and view the world would change after converting to another race, but it turned out to be an unfounded worry.
That’s right… Even though we’ve evolved, we’re still “Humans”.
It won’t change, and it isn’t something that can be changed.
“What should we do now? Since we’ve done evolving, should we contact Ricchan?” Ichinose-san asks.
We had Nishino-kun and his friends wait at a remote location just in case something went wrong, but by the looks of it, it should be fine to meet them.
I would like to have a discussion about what to do from now on.
“You’re right. Can you contact Aisaka-san for me?” “Understood.”
Ichinose-san shoots a “Mail” straight away.
Rattle rattle rattle rattle.
She finishes typing her mail in a matter of seconds.
She typed so quickly that others would have missed it.
(I guess I’ll allocate my points before Nishino-kun and his group arrives.) We’ve safely finished evolving, so it’s time to do something about my skills and occupations.
Including the points I didn’t use from the previous level-ups, I have 61 JP and 121 SP total.
I grin without intending to do so.
It can’t be helped with so many points in front of me.
First, let’s concentrate on my occupations.
These are the occupations that I currently have: —–
Ninja LV8
Tracker LV2
Shadow Master LV5
Monk LV3
—–
I have 61 points, so I should be able to level-up my occupations and acquire more advanced occupations in one go.
With that said, let’s raise “Ninja” to LV10.
“Ninja’s level has reached its upper limit.” “Senior Jobs and Derived Jobs are now available.” “The Fifth Occupation is now available.” “Advanced Occupation ‘Shinobi’ has been released.” “Advanced Occupation ‘Thief King’ has been released.” “Advanced Occupation ‘Secret Commander’ has been released.” “Certain conditions have been satisfied.” “Derived Occupation ‘Leader’ has been released.” “Derived Occupation ‘Cleaner’ has been released.” “Derived Occupation ‘Martial Artist’ has been released.” “Derived Occupation ‘Annihilator’ has been released.” An array of newly released Advanced Occupations and Derived Occupations are presented before me.
“Shinobi”, “Thief King”, and “Secret Commander” are the Advanced Occupations of “Ninja”.
There are also four Derived Occupations.
“Leader”, “Cleaner”, “Martial Artist”, and “Annihilator”… Just like the “Evolutionary Paths”, there are a lot to choose from.
To start with, I’ll check what these occupations are about using “The Right to Question”.
Imitating Ichinose-san, I try to type rapidly.
Ah, a typo.
Let’s try that again.
The explanations for the Advanced Occupations are as follows: – Shinobi
Advanced Occupation above Ninja.
More powerful Ninjutsus will be available.
Growth correction for MP, Agility, and Dexterity.
– Thief King
The Highest Ranking Occupation for Thieves.
Specialized in stealing and deceiving.
Growth correction for Strength and Endurance.
– Secret Commander.
Advanced Occupation among stealth-type Occupations.
In addition to covertness, it allows the user to act as a command tower.
Growth correction for Dexterity.
Hmm, I see.
As I thought, there’s still a big difference between knowing a little bit of information and being completely oblivious.
(The Advanced Occupation that I would be choosing this time is definitely going to be “Shinobi”.) “Thief King” isn’t meant for combat, and there’s no room for further improvement as it is the highest ranking occupation.
“Secret Commander” may sound great for raising teamwork, but I’m simply not fit to give out commands.
We have Nishino-kun, who is a “Commander, and Kiki, who can cast “Support Magic – Buff”, so we’re covered for the “teamwork” and “temporary strength boost” fronts.
In contrast, not only will “Shinobi” help me unlock new Ninjutsus, it will also provide growth correction to many of my stats.
It’s decided.
I glance at Momo and the others for confirmation.
They nod silently.
So they agree with my opinion.
With that out of the way, I tap on the “Shinobi” option.
“Do you wish to spend 1 JP to convert your occupation to ‘Shinobi’?” Oh? Only 1 point?
Until now, the amount of points required has increased each time I acquired a more advanced occupation, but it has decreased this time.
Why on Earth…?
(…Perhaps it’s because of the evolution?) That’s the only plausible explanation I can think of.
I’m seriously lucky to be able to conserve points this way.
Of course, I select “Yes”.
“‘Ninja’ has been converted to the higher leveled occupation, ‘Shinobi’.” “Your occupation has been changed to ‘Shinobi’. You have acquired the skill ‘Advanced Ninjutsu’. You have acquired the skill ‘HP Conversion’. You have acquired the skill ‘Reduced MP Consumption’. You have acquired the skill ‘Ninja Tool Creation’.” “The existing skill ‘Ninjutsu’ has been integrated into the skill ‘Advanced Ninjutsu’.” “‘Advanced Ninjutsu’ has risen from LV1 to LV3.” The Heavenly Voice echoes inside my head.
Ooh, all of them sound rather handy.
As the name implies, “Advanced Ninjutsu” is the enhanced version of “Ninjutsu”.
Information about new Ninjutsus seep into my mind…YES, there are offensive ones.
I look forward to using them.
I’m grateful to know that I can still activate the old Ninjutsus even after the skill has been integrated into the new one.
“HP Conversion” is a skill that sacrifices a set amount of HP to boost one’s Strength, Endurance, Agility, or Dexterity.
Depending on how I use it, it might prove to be a powerful skill.
“Reduced MP Consumption” literally lowers the amount of MP that I spend.
It’s perfect considering how much MP I consume through Ninjutsu and the pile bunker.
Finally, “Ninja Tool Creation” is the Ninja version of Ichinose-san’s “Weapon Creation”.
It’s a skill that allows me to create weapons for Ninjas like the ones in mangas and light novels.
I want to make an explosive tag.
I’m looking forward to collaborating with Ichinose-san to create tools.
There are 41 JP remaining… I would like to raise the level of “Shinobi”, but it’s better if I increase the number of cards under my sleeve.
That’s why I’ll be maxing out another occupation.
“Shadow Master” is currently at LV5.
If I invest my remaining points, I can also raise this one to LV10.
“Shadow Master’s level has reached its upper limit.” “Senior Jobs are now available.” “Advanced Occupation ‘Jet Black Performer’ has been released.” “Jet Black Performer” is the Advanced Occupation of “Shadow Master”.
For some reason, I smell eighth-grade syndrome from the name.
It’s the only Advanced Occupation available, so there isn’t a need to hesitate.
– Jet Black Performer
Advanced Occupation above “Shadow Master”.
Capable of more powerful shadow-related system skills.
Growth correction for Magic and Magic Resistance.
Despite its chuuni name, the description tells me that it’s a decent occupation.
I’m glad to hear that it provides growth correction for magic and magic resistance.
There doesn’t seem to be any Derived Occupation for this one.
Am I right to assume that the Derived Occupations that were released previously are the only ones I can choose from?
Also, there’s nothing about a Sixth Occupation becoming available.
There isn’t space for a Sixth Occupation on the status plate either.
Are we only allowed a maximum of five occupations?
I ask about the maximum number of occupations per individual through “The Right to Question”, and the answer that’s returned is “Up to 5 Occupations”.
It’s slightly disappointing, but there’s nothing I can do about it.
I just have to be careful when choosing my Fifth Occupation.
I won’t be doing that today though.
The point required to convert is 1 JP, so let’s convert from “Shadow Master” to “Jet Black Performer”.
“‘Shadow Master’ has been converted to the higher leveled occupation, ‘Jet Black Performer’.” “Your occupation has been changed to ‘Jet Black Performer’. You have acquired the skill ‘Absolute Shadow’. You have acquired the skill ‘Shadow Cage’. You have acquired the skill ‘Shadow Imitation’.” “The existing skill ‘Shadow Manipulation’ has been integrated into the skill ‘Absolute Shadow’.” “‘Absolute Shadow’ has risen from LV1 to LV3.” Three new skills.
“Absolute Shadow” is the enhanced version of “Shadow Manipulation”.
Once again, what’s up with these chuuni names?
As for “Shadow Cage” and “Shadow Imitation”… they’re both interesting skills with unique effects.
I expect great things from them in our future battles.
For the time being, that’s the end for JP.
Next up are the skills.
I have 121 SP in total.
Should I raise “Advanced Ninjutsu” and “Absolute Shadow” to their maximum levels, or should I distribute the points in a more even manner by raising various skills?
Fufu…I’m really troubled about how I should allocate the points.
“Kudou-san, your smile is a bit gross…” “Oh, I’m sorry.”
Apparently, it showed on my face.
“I couldn’t help it since I have so many points now.” “Ah, I understand your feelings. In games, it’s always exhilarating to distribute bonus points.” “Right? That’s why I can’t help but smile.” “How envious. Please give me points. Also give me Momo-chan.” “I won’t mind giving you some points if there’s a point transfer function, but there’s no way I’m giving you Momo. Impossible.” “Chi…”
“Don’t ‘chi…’ me.”
Ichinose-san beckons Momo while pouting.
“Hmph, not that I care. Kudou-san can take his time distributing his points. I’ll be mofu-mofuing Momo-chan.” “Wafuuun…”
Momo entrusts her body to Ichinose-san as if she’s saying, ‘Can’t help it I guess…’ She seems to be having a pleasant time being stroked.
Kuu… I’ll also mofu-mofu Momo when I’m done with the points.
I take a glance at Ichinose-san, only to see that she’s smirking at me.
It’s a ‘How’s that!’ expression.
How cute of her.
(Ever since the battle against Titan, our distance has shortened considerably.) I should really start raising the levels of my skills now.
I’ve thought about it, and I’ve decided to raise “Advanced Ninjutsu” to LV10.
I have plenty of points to spare, and gaining offensive Ninjutsus will go a long way in diversifying our strategies.
(To be honest, I should only raise it to LV7 considering the bonus that comes with leveling up the occupation.) When the occupation reaches levels 3, 6, and 9, the levels of the skills related to that occupation increase by one.
I would be able to save 27 points if I wait for it to naturally reach LV 10.
However, since I don’t know how much experience I would need to level up now that I have evolved, I’ll raise the skill to its max level while I can.
I don’t want to be put in a situation where I regret my decisions and think ‘I should’ve raised it at that time’.
Looking back at all the unreasonable events that occurred in the past 10 days, it’s better to take the chance and become stronger when the opportunity presents itself.
I raise “Advanced Ninjutsu” to LV10 and allocate points in some other skills to go along with it.
“HP Conversion”, “Reduced MP Consumption”, “Ninja Tool Creation”, “Shadow Imitation”, and “Shadow Cage” reach LV3, “Absolute Shadow” and “HP Auto Recovery” reach LV5, and “Wide Range Enemy Detection” and “MP Auto Recovery” reach LV6.
With all 121 points used up, I finish distributing the points.
Now, my status looks like this.
*****
Kudou Kazuto
Newtype
Level 1
HP: 642/642
MP: 263/263
Strength: 339
Endurance: 369
Agility: 708
Dexterity: 690
Magic: 165
Magic Resistance: 165
SP: 0
JP: 0
Occupation
Shinobi LV1
Tracker LV2
Jet Black Performer LV1
Monk LV3
Unique Skills
Precocious
Profession Enhancement
Skill
Advanced Ninjutsu LV10, HP Conversion LV3, Reduced MP Consumption LV3, Ninja Tool Creation LV3, Throwing LV6, Odorless LV7, Silent Operation LV7, Concealment LV6, Night Vision LV5, Critical Aim LV6, Attention Cutoff LV7, Appraisal Interruption LV4, Tracking LV3, Terrain Understanding LV4, Wide Range Enemy Detection LV6, Telephoto LV4, Agility Reinforcement LV8, Dexterity Reinforcement LV5, Observation LV10, Listening Ear LV4, Absolute Shadow LV5, Shadow Imitation LV3, Shadow Cage LV3, Endurance LV5, Full Might LV5, Enhanced Physical Abilities LV7, Swordsmanship LV6, Poison Resistance LV1, Paralysis Resistance LV2, Virus Resistance LV1, Heat Resistance LV1, HP Auto Recovery LV5, MP Auto Recovery LV6, Danger Avoidance LV5, Riding LV3, Negotiation LV1, Getaway LV4, Defense Instinct LV1, Item Box LV10, Mail LV2, Concentration LV7, Prediction LV6, Fury LV5, Mental Distress Tolerance LV5, Acting LV4, Calculation Acceleration LV3 Party Members
Momo
Dark Dog LV1
Aka
Creation Slime LV1
Ichinose Natsu
Newtype LV1
Kiki
Carbuncle LV1
************************* Yeah, honestly, I think I’ve become quite powerful.
My agility surpassed 700.
Unless I’m against a Named Monster, I should have no problem against other monsters provided that I don’t make a big blunder.
“A cheat. There’s a cheat here.” Ichinose-san mutters so as she mofu-mofus Momo.
If you ask me, Ichinose-san can be considered a cheat too.
I was quite surprised when she told me about her stats and skills.
Ichinose-san’s current status is as such: *****
Ichinose Natsu
Newtype
Level 1
HP: 30/30
MP: 900/900
Strength: 13
Endurance: 12
Agility: 14
Dexterity: 19
Magic: 16
Magic Resistance: 16
SP: 0
JP: 0
Occupation
Hiki Komori LV6
Sniper LV6
Weapon Craftsman LV3
Skill
Cognitive Impediment LV3, Gatcha LV8, Net LV2, Long Distance Sniping LV5, Hit Correction LV5, Penetration Enhancement LV5, Ammunition Creation LV6, Weapon Enhancement LV2, Weapon Creation LV2, Enhanced Physical Abilities LV2, Solitude Resistance LV1, Motion Sickness Resistance LV2, Map LV1, Mail LV6 ********
Ichinose-san’s status is quite extreme now that I analyze it again.
Although the others are in the 10s range, her MP is outstandingly high.
It’s more than 3 times that of mine.
Although she’ll probably lose to a goblin in direct combat, she has the power to fight against even Titan if she has her sniper.
… If I’m shot by Ichinose-san’s bullet, I’m likely to die as well.
Ichinose-san spends most of her points on “Gatcha”, so her skill levels are mostly the result of high proficiency.
It’s quite impressive that she was able to raise them to this level without using points.
Her points do not add up, but it’s natural considering the fact that she can gain SP and JP through “Gatcha”.
She seems to have received a new skill called “Net’ when “Hiki Komori” rose to LV5.
From the sounds of it, it’s a very convenient skill to have.
Ichinose-san also has three occupations.
She acquired them through “Gatcha”, but I wonder if there are other ways to get them?
Unless there are other ways to gain bonus points like me, it’s not possible to raise a single occupation to LV10 even if the person in question reaches LV30.
“For now, should we practice our new skills and get used to collaborating with each other?” “Sounds good to me.”
Ichinose-san and I decided to try out some of our new skills and indulge ourselves in mofu-mofuing until Nishino-kun and his friends arrive.
*****
“Oh, a ‘Mail’ from Natsun. They finished their ‘Evolution’ without encountering any problems.” “Got it. Will be there in a moment.” Nishino stood up with a pamphlet on his hand.
“Whaccha reading?”
“Oh, this? It’s a Public Notice Pamphlet which I got from the City Hall.” It was just a thin pamphlet consisting of a few pages.
The title, “Public Notice Pamphlet of Hirasoto”, was printed on the cover. [1] “Public notice?”
“You don’t know about it? It’s an informative brochure that is issued once a month by the City Hall. It contains information about monthly events and projects as well as births and deaths.” “Hee~ so what’s it about?” “Nothing important. Something just caught my attention—N?” Nishino turned around.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing… let’s leave this place immediately.” Was he mistaken?
For a moment, it felt like someone was observing them.
Nishino, who felt uneasy, quickly left with Rikka in tow.
**************************************************************************************************************** TN: 平外市 -> translated it as a city called Hirasoto, but 平外can also mean “Outer-side”. I decided to leave it as Hirasoto just in case.