The Skill Collector

A small village lies ahead of the gravel road, which is far off the streets. From there, further into the woods, they will see the old Marutai cabin.

The village is smaller than a hundred people and only surrounds itself with crude wooden planks.

Still no. Rika is better, but a coarser substitute for just typing piles in and bracketing strings in a cabin off the village.

Instead of preventing demons from doing this, it is also suspicious if it will buy time.

I happened to be told about a woman living in this cabin in a village I visited, but living alone in a forest outside the village in this region with lots of demons is suicidal.

She was from this village, but one day she moved here to the border. Until I found out about my skills, she was an adorable girl admired by many in the village.

Nowadays no one donates, and only once a month the villagers bring in the minimum necessary supplies to give them homemade medicines and tools. I live like that.

He said that the tip seemed clever originally and that he lived in such a nearby place by himself, but he didn't have any difficulty with this.

and well, this is all the information I could get out about women outside the village.

It's going to seem like they don't like this much information, but it might be frivolous to make that decision.

The villagers look down a little when they talk about women. The older you are, the more you refuse to talk.

Conversely, young people speak with pleasure. I guess that's the only topic in a village without entertainment that stimulates curiosity.

The more parents and grandparents' generations hide, the less curiosity young people can contain and try to uncover secrets and mysteries.

It's just that there's a distance from the village and you have to step into the woods where demons roam, so there's no one who's interested but actually takes a leg.

It is the role of a man with 'demon-free' skills who carries supplies. He is the only one who connects the village to the woman.

It was the only liquor store in the village from him like that, cut out like this.

"I want you to save her."

A slightly belly-up man in his forties possessed a skill that was user-friendly and well in demand, so he just approached me to see if he could negotiate a buyout, but that was a strange development. That is the state of affairs that cannot be falsified.

"You told me you were a skill collector, right? Then I want you to buy her skills out of the village. Because of that, he's been... alone."

A man's sigh smells like booze. You seem to be consuming quite a bit of alcohol.

I wanted to take it to a topic about the skills I was looking for, but okay. Let me try to get this place to be a bargaining ingredient by listening to every request he makes.

I also own another "Sign Detection" skill, so I can buy this as well.

"I've heard that story several times in the village, why do women outside the village live alone in such a perfect place?

"That's a skill, Skill. Look, when we're ten, we're all gonna check our skills, right? I found a hell of a skill then. Always alone because of that..."

Drink up the liquor that had been poured into the cup in your hand all at once, exhale puffiness and a sigh of alcohol.

"What is that skill?

"Mm-hmm. Everything seems to be a rare skill elsewhere. They say 'suicide bomber'. That's what collectors do. You know a lot about skills, don't you? Haven't you heard of him?

"Unfortunately, that's your first ear. By name, I don't think it's a very good ability."

I gave it back, but I know the skill.

Once upon a time, that skill was not uncommon. The times when those called the Ancients ruled this world. There were many 'suicide bombers' skill owners.

This skill is one of those created by the ancients.

It was possible to grant it by force, and the war slaves had been given that skill and sent to the battlefield, regardless of their will.

The application is simple and clear. Send to enemy position to activate skill. A more powerful explosion occurs than burst magic, causing enormous damage to the enemy.

The skills were sealed at the hands of the ancients themselves because they were so inhumane.

But some of the war slaves who fled the battlefield survive, and while they become children, the skills of 'suicide bombers' are also passed on.

I guess this is where those war slaves fled into the village.

The woman's parents outside the village didn't have 'suicide bombing' skills. They say so, but she was born with it.

They call this phenomenon of sudden resurgence of the skills of these ancestors a secular heredity.

It's an awesome skill awakening.

Although some of the skills that God says he created are inherited, they are often given disorderly without any connection whatsoever.

However, skills created in a person's hands cannot be intentionally given or acquired unless they are hereditary.

"He's not bad at anything. It's just that I was born with weird skills. Even 'suicide bombers' can be controlled, right? It's harmless if you don't want to use it. But everyone's scared. This guy."

When I heard this story, I got a point about how the villagers were doing.

The villagers ruled it out, knowing there was no downfall for women outside the village. To escape the unknown fear, turn away.

"Besides, he's not the only one. There were many villagers who still had 'suicide bombers'. All of those guys either leave the village or are driven out of the village. What do you think would happen if the demon was driven to a place where he was naughty?... It's terrible. You're not from this village. How do you see the villagers here?"

The blurry voice of the man should be heard by the people in the liquor store, but everyone stared silently with sad eyes, not angry.

Are those eyes sympathetic? The victim is a woman outside the village, not this man.

Seems to have had some sort of relationship from the tone.

"I can manage to live now, but if I die, no one will be able to carry things to him. I don't know if he'll screw me first... While you're still healthy, you can let people live in peace. The truth is... I..."

When the man slams against his desk, he is intoxicated and rests.

Men are not afraid of women outside the village. On the contrary, it seemed favorable.

You shouldn't ask what's going on in there. "Suicide bombing"? Sometimes I see him once and listen to him.

"Well, that happened, and I asked you."

"That happened, didn't it? Looks like that guy still cares about me, but I don't need to worry about him anymore."

That being said, the woman sitting face to face smiles happily.

Hairstyle with black hair mixed with white lines and a dumpling of heads. The mouth and eyeballs can see a wrinkle that corresponds to the year. Like a man who was drunk, is he between forty and fifty years old or something?

A gentle person with a gentle impression, a good per capita who I don't think lives alone in such a remote place.

"It's only natural to keep dangerous beings away as villages. Even now, he's always regretted not flying out of the village with me. It was a long time ago, but it hasn't. I already have a family, so I wish you'd forgotten about this suicide bomber."

Put your hands on your cheeks and tilt your neck with a troubled face.

"Although I have repeatedly understood that it would be rude to ask these things in person for the first time. Were you in love?

"It was a long time ago. I still couldn't tell the difference between liking, loving, loving, because I'm talking about when I was that young."

I laugh a little lonely in the wake of my young days.

I shouldn't be stepping into the pattern between us any more. It was a grin that made me feel that way.

"Excuse me. Let's get back to business, your 'suicide bomber' skills. It is possible for me to buy it away. What do you say, could you sell it?

"I'm very grateful for your offer... Can I just give you a second to think about it? Because we've spent decades together, even these skills have gained me an attachment. I'm so scared of losing what I've always had in me. I'm sorry to hear about your age."

"No. Many people say the same thing. Think slowly, I'll come back tomorrow morning, even then, if you like."

Even if it's a useless skill, few people shun that something in them disappears.

Even if that was the only skill that got in her way.

"Sorry for the inconvenience. Uh, yeah, yeah. It will also be troublesome to return. It's a small house, but stay here today. We also have a bed for you.... No one has ever used it, so it looks like new."

That's what I'm gonna say. I'm gonna slap the bed with bread and recommend lodging. In front of her, I couldn't say no.

Who was supposed to sleep in a bed that had never been used before?

It was drunk - a man's face - that came to my mind.

Two beds in the bedroom.

If this is a young man or woman, it's going to be a lot of problems, but there's no way something's going to happen with me and her, and the night goes by.

I can hear you sleeping quietly, so you seem to be sleeping well.

Since then, he has behaved like a proud cook and has been accompanied by conversations all the way to just before he went to bed. I guess I had a bunch of things I wanted to talk to you about because I don't get to talk to anyone everyday.

When we talked fully and got to the floor satisfied, we quickly fell asleep.

I've already looked into her skills, but I'll check her skills again.

I do have 'suicide bombing' skills. That's also pretty high level, so in case it activates, it would be possible to blow it to wood dust in that village.

It's hard to say that the villagers responded incorrectly when they saw this.

If the owner of "Suicide Bombing" desperately contemplated suicide in his life, attacked and driven by demons, his own self was put at risk (even more). Who can say that if we don't get into that and activate the 'suicide bomber'?

Not to mention that village life becomes overwhelmingly less knowledgeable than the city. How far is anyone familiar with the skills? How many times have you truly taken the story of adventurers and pedestrians who come from time to time and seen a village with biased knowledge?

Even the mere existence of a suspicious skill of 'suicide bombing' where there is a lack of knowledge was nothing but a threat to the villagers.

This is not the first time she has been expelled from the village. A child appears in this village who is born and has a 'suicide bomber' every few years. The child will live in this Marutai hut in the same way, or will leave the village and move to another village or city.

Exclusion is not a praiseworthy act, but we have heard many stories about villages secretly killing children whose harmful negative skills have been confirmed.

Can we say that it is still conscientious compared to there?... It's only a tragedy if you try it from us.

"You can't sleep"

I don't feel fatigued even if I don't sleep originally, so my sleep is shallow, but when I think about her, my eyes blinded me.

Get yourself out of bed and stand by the window.

There is no light source because there is not one of the houses around, and it is stained outside with pitch-black darkness. The sky is covered with thick clouds and you can't see a single star.

I guess I don't see anything by nature, but if I replace it with "Night's Eye" or "Dark Vision," it will be possible to see it very differently than during the day.

It's a natural place but I haven't seen a single demon.

That would be the effect of another skill she also owns, "Demon Exclusion". There's no way I could survive in a place like this without that skill.

It is not so unnatural to have two owners of a rare category of 'exorcism' skills in the village.

It is a common story that closed peripheral villages have blood ties to everyone if they go back in time. And this is probably a village made by war slaves.

It is only natural that blood thickens and skills are more easily passed on.

Looking around, you can see everywhere the ground is heavily submerged. There is also an area where the water builds up like a pond.

Who knows what that is if you think about it a little bit.

Where the historic 'suicide bomber' skill owner lived here came to an end. Suicidal or driven behavior? No one can tell that.

"Oh, that one."

I watched the village unconsciously, but I felt like I could see something in the back a little further away from the village.

"Thousand Eyes" and stare.

Bipedal organisms, a little smaller than people, seem to be traveling multiplied by dark nights.

"A bunch of goblins."

Two fangs popping out of my mouth on my head without hair. Large eyes and nose distorted, ripped mouth to cheek. Sticks and rusty swords and spears in your hands.

Looks like you're going to attack the village. Goblins are not in the habit of farming, they are demons hunting for their prey in groups. The strength of the unit is no big deal, but when it becomes a herd, the threat jumps.

Besides, there seems to be a few tall goblins in the center of the herd this time. A demon said to be a hobgoblin. Its strength outweighs goblins. It's suspicious if junior adventurers can win even if they fight one-on-one.

At the rear of the herd, you can see another giant demon two times.

Is that King Goblin? Distance makes judgment difficult, but that may be more of a general (general) class than a king.

One of the reasons why goblins are abhorrent is that they evolve. Poor quality: Evolving into a more vicious demon by defeating and eating creatures. Besides the fact that it is also highly fertile, it is troublesome.

That's why the Adventurer Guild recommends goblin hunting, and the prize money when crusaded is higher than other demons.

Troop formation is not exactly known because of the distance, but what the hell is the generic class? A dozen hobgoblins. About forty goblins?

Excessive force to destroy that village.

Thirty minutes if such a flock of goblins are to reach the village......

We need to get rid of this. From here on out, it's the other side of the village that pinched it, so it's possible we won't make it unless we get there soon.

On his way to the door, careful not to make footsteps, there was a squeaking sound of the floor from behind.

"Oh, collector. Where are you going late at night like this? It seems too early to be an old man wandering late at night."

She in her sleeping clothes is rubbing her eyes off and biting off her yawn.

"Stop joking about having trouble reacting. Aside from that, I saw the demon, so I'll see how it goes a little. Try not to move from here."

"Oh well. Don't push me, will you? Go ahead."

He sent me out with a smile without a single upset.

Can't you move when you're a demon? I guess it wouldn't be uncommon to live in a place like this.

When I go outside, I rush to the beginning, and when the distance opens from the Marutai cabin, I switch to full sickness.

Is it divided in the distance between an advance team of goblin herds and a later main unit led by Generals? If we get close to this distance, we're going to be able to figure out the exact number in "Signal Detection".

When activated, several signs appear in the darkness. but......

"This was unexpected."

A different herd existed from the goblin herd I was seeing. The fact that it also emerged from the opposite position means that you are willing to pinch the village?

The new herd is closer to her house than the village, but also had a higher level of 'exorcism', so unless she stops activating her skills herself, the demons won't lean on themselves.

It's okay for her to leave her alone. The problem is the village, but do you want to warn the village now?

Even if we consolidate our protection, it won't help us to a greater extent than without it.

It's quicker to defeat your enemies alone than to fight while protecting them. I care about the hordes of demons coming from the rear, but if I can defeat them quickly, the damage will be minimal.

It's a ruthless decision, but without me, this village would certainly have been devastated. In the worst case scenario, the only way to make some sacrifices is to meditate your eyes.

But I'm going to try not to sacrifice anyone.

Eliminated not to let one goblin get away with it, leaving the rest only with General.

I've had a little trouble, so I just want to take this guy down.

Exploring the signs, another herd is pretty close to the village. If this doesn't end with a blow, be prepared for damage...... eh.

Approaching the signs of a herd of demons, there is one small sign.

"How could you be there? No way?"

I can't go wrong with that sign. It's her.

Stand in front of a herd of demons. The answer derived from it is -.

When you drill a big hole in the belly of a General who was ignored and mad, you rush to that sign with all your might.

Jump over the wooden walls and sicken down a path that just evens the soil, deciding it's quicker to pierce inside than run around the village all the way.

It is midnight so there are no lights in the private house, but the pounding and lanterns were installed beside the road.

In the midst of running through such a dim village, the first private house with brilliant leaks of lights enters.

The door was also open, so I took a quick peek inside and no one was there.

I was a little concerned, but now I can't afford to be looking into it.

I saw the village gate in front of me. It's supposed to be closed at night so people can't get through, but it's open from the inside?

It's impossible to have a goblin insider. So someone from the village opened the gate and went outside? Looks like someone sensed the demon approaching and escaped.

I also rush down and down the road through the gate, entering the woods and going through the branches, reaching near the signs.

- But it was on a cliff, and the intended person was under his eyes.

A drunken man in a liquor store and his family-like figure in the direction of the goblin herd's path towards the village.

There is a girlfriend who was driven out of the village in the center of it.

Was the private house without the people earlier inhabited by a man's family? The man owned 'Sign Detection', so he learned of the monster's approaching as soon as possible and took his family away.

... is that so?

"Why are you here!

A man screams, and she looks back.

"Have you forgotten that me and your skills are pretty much the same? Except for" suicide bombing. "

She also owned 'Sign Detection'. That's confirmed when I looked into my 'suicide bombing' skills. The herd I crusaded was a distance from and she didn't seem to be able to sense it, but the herd over here seems to have been captured by her both at and near range.

"Now it's time you got away from the village properly. Good, happy.... Goodbye"

Staring at the man and the woman and child clinging with the frightened face behind her, she laughed lonely.

And keep running for the goblin herd.

Instantly understand what she's trying to do and jump off a cliff.

Set a number of skills to relieve the pain of falling due to its considerable height.

I tried to voice "don't get too early" during the fall, but when she noticed me, she looked back and said "protect him".

Seeing everything from that look on my face, I open my mouth.

The moment we weaken the impact of the landing to the limit and stand down in front of them, the flash of darkness fills our sight, delaying and the roar reaches our ears.

A sand-winding blast and heat pushed in and activated the 'junction' aggressively. Priority must be given to protecting the family behind her to fulfill her wishes.

Immediately the raging light and blast disappear outside the junction and the tranquility returns around.

Unlocking the 'junction', there was a huge clay in front of me, and there was no demon or her appearance anywhere that I had just been.

The village exists beside a lake whose surface reflects light and shines beautifully.

The population of the village appears to be growing more than before, and the walls of that miserable wooden plank that surrounded the village have also been newly redesigned and the defensive surface strengthened.

"Traveler."

One old man walked over as he looked around.

A stunning bald-headed old man with no hair is staring at me.

The arms were so thin that they were likely to break when touched, and years of experience showed that only a few old men's lives remained.

I recognize this face. A man whose face has changed considerably with a wrinkle engraved instead of an annual wheel, but who has asked me to buy her skills.

They seem to have forgotten about me.

"I'm a pedestrian. Is there anything in this village like specialties or specialties?

"Right. There are plenty of fish in the lake. The fish caught there is excellent, and now it's one of the most famous in this village."

The lake the old man proudly talks about was made of a build-up of water in the traces where her 'suicide bombing' wore the ground.

"Speaking of other unusual things. It's not a specialty, but there are people with 'suicide bombing' skills."

The old man spoke without hesitation of the existence of the 'suicide bombing' skill, which until now had been a disgrace to the village. There are many villagers around, but no one will blame them for that.

On the contrary, it looks proud somewhere.

"Is it a 'suicide bomber' skill? I've heard rumors."

"It used to be repelled and the owner was persecuted. A skill holder activated his skills in exchange for his life to protect the village. Since then, villagers no longer discriminate against those with 'suicide bombing' skills by reflecting"

At the end of the old man's gaze narrowing his eyes with that said, there was the appearance of children sneezing around with friends.

"That kid has' suicide bombing 'skills, too, but he accepts them as before the hit without anyone being afraid. That explosion wasn't just a demon, it probably blew the prejudice in us."

In exchange for her sacrifice, this village was reborn into a non-discriminatory village.

But it was in this view that I wanted her to be. I'm sure that thought...

"It was a little late... Everything."

He's stronger.