The Skill Collector

There are countless signs in the dark.

Few more unpleasant odors mix with moist, uncomfortable air to irritate nerves.

Sometimes heard in a space filled with silence is the sound of shredding breath, crunchiness and floors.

I wish it was one of the lights but nothing. On the contrary, I don't get a glimmer of light.

Seems thorough here. Darkness is the only torture that poses a threat and a fear.

- I'm in a locker right now.

Countless sinners were thrown into the barn. Why are you in a place like this?

If it's a permanent leg from the city where you're based, a kingdom that takes more than a month.

The fourth generation king of this country had his name ringing as a famous man, but he died suddenly at the age of a man's platter. As the people dwelt in grief, the next king who inherited the trail turned into a tyrant, and the security of the country fell to the ground.

When there was a fourth generation, it was said to be a discreet but popular prince, but it was transformed as soon as he gained the throne.

I'm sure the prince possessed 'acting' and was of high level.

"I'm in. What did you do and get thrown into a place like this?

I hear an old man crouching from a cell across the street.

An old man with all his hair and mustaches is looking at me from the front. The eyes caught me when I said it was a world without light.

When you activate the 'appraisal', you see the 'dark vision' skill over the old man's head. After all, the old man, like me, has the skills to foresee the darkness?

I guess under this circumstance a person's body adapted and learned their skills acquired.

"When I came to the business, they demanded a bribe. If you say no, he will."

"Well, you didn't follow me. This country has been terrible since that stupid prince had power. I just called Prince Idiot an idiot all over the city, so I went straight to the cabin. Soldiers, violence, bribes, whatever you want. Few men could have been put in this cell in the days of the First King. This is the only house where death row inmates are thrown in."

This place is reserved for death row inmates.

Is that why you build so sturdy and are filled with bitterness that erodes your spirit? This pitch-black darkness may also combine the punishment inflicted on death row inmates.

"Well, that's why you don't have to worry about the death penalty. We just got thrown in here with a bunch of regular barns. You'll be released soon.... Unlike us."

Some of the innkeepers reacted to the voice of the old man who shrugged his shoulders.

All of them put cloth on their cloths and make sure they stay here for a long time.

Apparently across the road, this side is the misdemeanor. The other side committed a felony... like the original death row inmate.

"Are you on death row?

It was on this side of the spectrum that I responded to my inquiry in great measure.

"Oh, hey, what are you talking about all of a sudden! Those are the worst people on death row, don't say so much. You don't know what you're gonna do."

Was my prediction met? The voice of a misdemeanor is trembling.

"Whoa. We're in a cage, huh? There's nothing I can do now. Hey, you guys."

When other death row inmates who are not old give it back aloud, the others are laughing at Guerraggera.

"So, what sins?

"Hey there, you have fat liver balls. I have a skill in 'dark vision', but I think you're even smiling flatly thin under these circumstances. You're a tough businessman these days."

"If you're a pedestrian for a long time, danger is everyday."

I've encountered the dying eye many times. Now is the time to deal with it without moving, but I used to be immature as a merchant, so I've also seen more painful eyes than I can count.

Neither the man on death row who is giving the answer from earlier, nor the old man who has spoken to me at the beginning, look like a bad guy to me.

Especially the old man stretches his spine when he says he is a shrewd in a thin, dirty outfit, and doesn't even feel majestic not to break his fortitude.

I see a strong will in those eyes when I say I'm an old man with a lean body.

The old man opened his mouth slowly as he exhaled loudly.

"Throwed in for what sin... Mass murder. He stood on the battlefield as a soldier and continued to kill as the king commanded. I've been treated like a hero, and if the king changes, he says he's an evil man. Well, the truth is, as a general, I'm powerful and loud, and I was in the way of Prince Idiot."

"Were you a general in this country?"

"It was a long time ago. If the king dies and he doesn't like the prince's silliness, he beats that silly side as much as he wants. My men were also dressed in crimes they don't remember, and the death penalty was already carried out. Sounds like Prince Idiot is enjoying showing me his men are dying, and I'm still not getting killed. Thanks to you, I'm enjoying my life."

That being said, I laugh ravishly gahahahaha.

I couldn't feel a lie in my current story, Psychology.

I guess there are no lies in what the old man says because of his eyes and his high skills such as "swordsmanship" and "command".

An unexpected digger - I met a digger.

This is not my first experience of being thrown in jail. Prisoners in prison have a lot of problems with money, so it's a good place to buy skills.

Many criminals do not find themselves in various positions even after their release, and many repeat their crimes. So when this one suggests buying skills, it easily responds to business discussions.

I tried to sell skills such as "calculation" and "cooking" that were useful for working at that time, although at a low level. Of course, I wouldn't sell it to someone who's extremely bad or doesn't show signs of reorganization.

"So. You heard me, and you told me who you were, didn't you?

"I am a merchant."

"Merchant. What merchant?

"We're buying away what we don't need. We rarely sell what they need."

When I answer that, the old man puts his hand on his chin and stares at me.

Are you trying to identify me? There is no 'psychology' in their skills, but there are those who have eyes to discern even without the power of their skills. Experience sometimes outweighs skill.

"Well, you know what?"

You have a smile on your mouth, but you don't trust that face.

Is it wise to take the time to negotiate? Now they'll just suspect me.

Since then, I have frequently exchanged words with old men.

Talk enthusiastically about how wonderful the times of the Predecessor were, along with cursing words about how incompetent the King is today.

The old men and prisoners were delighted when we talked about crossing the country just to thank them. My story seemed like a treat more than anything in a space without entertainment.

Especially the old man listens seriously to me and laughs from the bottom of his belly if he tells funny stories.

As I activated 'Speech' and 'Voice Imitation' to entertain them every day, the prisoners slowly broke down.

After a month of living here, some of the petty criminals who were in the cell at the same time as me were released and disappeared.

On the contrary, there have been fewer sinners lately, and new sinners on this side have stopped coming.

I'm all alone in this big hut.

Death row inmates on the opposite side have left the old man and everything has disappeared. But it wasn't released, it was executed.

"You're alone, at last. Why do you think sinners aren't brought here?

"Does that mean fewer sinners than you have to send to this death row?"

"Tiny, the controlling side doesn't do the job. Trouble catching him, huh? Corruption will be fine if we go this far."

Security was the worst in the city at the time, and it was even said that fights and assaults could be encountered in minutes if you walked down the boulevard.

Everyone could easily understand that there were beggars and vagrants wandering around and that the sight alone did not make this country long.

"Why can't an old man break his heart? If you're all gone and left in the dark, how can you... have those eyes?"

He says he's thin enough that his cheekbones float, but he doesn't know that his eyesight will fade.

"I'll get out of this hell one day. That idiot prince's reign won't last long. That's for sure. So all I have to do is endure. The people will become unbearable and riot, that day."

"What do you want to do when you get out of jail?

"Well, look at the faces of my wife, children and grandchildren. My grandson has a temper like me. He wants to be a general like me in the future. I promise I'll teach you all my skills when I'm released."

What supports the old man is free from the prison of darkness.

And reunite with your family.

Are you saying that you are dreaming of the day and enduring this situation?

"Get out of here, I have to apologize to my family. I barely went home after all the war and couldn't do anything to my family. Besides, you're gonna be struggling with me getting caught. Do something for your family. Whatever. I have to leave something for my family."

Is that the old man's untrained......

"I wonder why you won't be released if you're in, rather than what I'm talking about. Was a misdemeanor a lie? Maybe you have another purpose?

"Oh, did you find out"

"Whoever can be put in that cell over there will be released in two weeks, no matter how long. You're the only one left, aren't you? Plus you're bringing in demon prop lights and other tools. How the hell did you do that?

"It's a trade secret"

I am a shopkeeper, but I have never had any problems with everyday products or food.

When the sinner was elsewhere, he activated the 'cover-up' to make sure he didn't find out anything else, but after being alone with the old man, he didn't even have to hide it, so he turned on the magic prop lights and enjoyed reading.

The food is also taken out so that the old man can't find it, and he eats it twice a day.

"It's not the life of a prisoner in a cell. Let me get back to you. What's your purpose?

"It's about getting you out of jail."

"Jailbreak is... not peaceful."

You had an approximate idea, the old man has a flat attitude to the extent that he moved one eyebrow pickly.

"It was a request from your family and friends."

"So you're a merchant, too."

"No, I'm a merchant. Though I buy and sell something a little special. In the alley, it's called a collector."

"Collector.... You've heard of it. Rumors of suspicious merchants buying out unwanted skills. A merchant is a sideline business, and he doesn't even use his good offices to break out of jail."

Has it become known to other countries up to this time of year?

The visibility of collectors is also rising as planned. Sooner or later this will be close to getting into her ear.

"What are you gonna do to get out of jail? I don't know if you guys are gonna miss this, but I'm on death row for being hated by an idiot prince, right? Even the guards who are vulnerable to money can't redeem their lives."

"That's okay. There's nothing wrong with this level of security."

The old man stares at me flat back, frowning and surprised.

Using the skills I bought from the big bandits back in the day won't do me any good with this level of security.... I don't think I need that skill either.

Unlock the locker and exit the aisle to unlock the door across the street.

When the old man stood up quietly, he walked out of the cell.

"I couldn't get out again, and there were times when I gave up. I don't know if I can get out of here lightly. And then you get out of jail."

"Right...... But I don't think that's hard."

"What are you talking about? At the end of this iron door is a fucking long passage, a prison where dozens of soldiers are holding off. Don't make a sound."

The old man twists the knob on the iron door and gently opens the door.

The light of the sun pouring through the gap between the doors spreads into the darkness. The old man's face peering across the gap is stunned and stiff.

"Duh, what do you mean? There's no passage... Why are you out there?"

There was no passage known to the old man at the end of the open door, and there was a ruin nestled in what was a former prison.

When the old man looks up, there is no ceiling there, there is a clear blue sky.

"What happened to the prison..."

"This prison was crushed a hundred years ago. The tyrant was captured and executed by a coup d 'état. That's when we turned this area into rubble. Only the sturdy barn in the basement spared the damage. The entrance was buried, and the only prisoner inside was suffocating to death."

"Wait, then, the other guys over there... I..."

"It's your 'hallucination', isn't it? Trapped in a dark prison, you asked for someone to talk to and company with. The resulting skills. You didn't even understand that you were lonely and that your soul was still there."

The translucent (...) old man looked down at his body and shook his trembling hands.

The other prisoners are beings created by the old man in 'hallucinations'. The power and range of effects of the skill were considerable, creating not only clarity in everyone's eyes, but also sounds and smells.

He watches the translucent old man sitting in silence.

He mistakenly thinks it's a decade of months, but in fact - more than a hundred years had passed.

Located in the corner of the city, the former prison was famous for its ghostly ruins. Everyone creeps out, a zone where people don't lean in.

At the request of someone I know who bought the land here, I took on a ghost exorcism. He asked me to do something about the ghost of an old man who keeps sitting in the ruins of his former prison.

The old man was a figure more than a hundred years old, and he was here in a state of soul all the time, without knowing he was dead.

I kept locked up in jail with no one, repeating my lifetime memory with 'hallucinations' -.

Skills, according to one theory, are engraved in the soul. Therefore, the ghost who died and became the soul alone retains his skills.

The ghost who has lost his self is called the Evil Spirit and becomes a rather troublesome being. There is not one or two cities or villages destroyed by evil spirits who possess powerful skills.

That's why I've made sure no one gets their hands on the ghost of an old man, who possesses powerful skills.

In recent years, however, refugees have flowed into the city, and a whole area of former prisons will be chosen as a development area, and land rights holders have asked me to do so. - That is the truth.

"Did you want me to admit that it was a ghost that got me out of jail? Was it a lie that you were asked to escape from your family..."

"No, that's true. From someone who will be your descendants."

The person, who is also a client and land rights holder, was a descendant of an old man who was a general.

For generations, the client's family inherited the land where their ancestors slept.

A hundred years after my old man's son bought this place off me. - Dream of a day when those who lead the old man to heaven will appear.

There are two main ways to purify what has become a ghost.

Use magic and skills to force them to extinguish.

Clear up the opponent's untrained or resentful feelings.

In the case of the old man, the latter, but his' hallucination 'skills are too powerful, and anything that falls within the sphere of influence can become a character within the' hallucination '.

Many assume themselves to be one of the sinners, and they cannot get out of prison.

I possess the skills to resist, so I could handle it without losing me.

"Is he dead, or am I dead? Couldn't I leave anything behind for my family? No daughter-in-law, no son, no daughter, no grandson."

Whether admitting death is losing your connection to this world, your body gradually fades.

"No, your grandson is alive and well. My client is your grandson."

It was his grandson who begged him to put the old man to sleep. With a lean body with raised bones, I was waiting for a day when my grandfather could sleep in peace.

An expression of relief appears on the old man's face when he learns that his grandson is alive.

"Your grandson is alive. Right...... I wanted to leave you something, but now I have nothing. I can't leave anything for my grandchildren. I can't do anything for you."

There's no shadow of me when I was in a barn with an old man with a round back.

The old man, who did not bend himself in adversity, and who pierced that thought even in death, now looked - sadly small.

There's only one thing I can do for such an old man.

"I hear your grandson has had a lot of expenses lately, and his household seems to be on fire."

The old man looked back in response to my voice. It says on that face that you don't understand what I'm trying to say.

"The boy who is your grandson's grandson was aiming to be a knight, and he said that the respected man is the only ancestor in the family to have earned a general position. He just doesn't seem to have the skills for" swordsmanship, "so he's struggling."

"Collector. What are you trying to say?

An old man is staring at me without even trying to hide his distrust.

"I'm a collector, so I'm talking business. Can you let me buy out the skills I don't need for a high price? The recipient of the payment is……. Right, what about your grandson? Although it is also possible to sell the acquired 'swordsmanship' skills to a boy in distress with the service. What will you do?

The old man who understood what I was trying to say laughed niggardly,

"Is there something I can keep?... collector, I'll sell you everything."

And I responded with joy.

Then the time passed even more.

The young man, who has inherited the skills of an old man, has become such a fine general that there is no stranger in this country that he continues to protect this country.

"My father is a very brave and cool general!

Girl starting her father's pride in church.

A priest smiles calmly and hammers.

When you come to the church to see how your skill level is rising, you have a pretty good chance of coming across this sight.

The priest, whose level of 'reason' continues to rise, and the girl at a glance at him like that.

At first glance, the only two people who look like parents and children have a conversation in church that is not even deflective every day.

No, if you assume you're young and married, does this age difference make up even my grandfather and grandson?

"Grandfather and grandson..."

A man's edge is a strange thing.

I didn't know the boy in the past who gave him the skills he bought from the haunted old man was - her father.

It was a coincidence that I learned about it. I learned that fact when I reunited with my father, who came to the church to pick up a girl.

If you look closely, there was a shadow of a boy on the general's face. Paint your experience and moon on the face of a seemingly vicious boy and he will surely look like this.

I haven't seen my ex-boy again in decades, but I didn't tell him much. Apparently, the general had heard the collector's story beforehand from his daughter, smiling bitterly without surprise.

Look in my face. I just said, "Thank you twice for your help," and I just lowered my head.

The girl who took care of the General for the second time is still being challenged today by his Sister opponent but lightly embellished.

Beautiful, neat girl's face, unimaginable from the skinny face of her ancestors, the old man.

There seemed to be nothing like similarities, but there was only one resemblance to an old man.

The girl who keeps challenging unbeatable opponents,

"I'm drawing your blood beautifully. I won't give up."

If the old man were here, what would he think when he saw the girl?

Maybe, no, I'm sure...

"That's my offspring! Gahahahahaha."

And he'll laugh luxuriously.