「Actually, I wanted to ask about Skill Arts」
Finally getting to the main point, I brought up Skill Arts with Laudette-san.
「Ahhh、Skill Arts, huhhh」
「Y-you know about them, Laudette-san!?」
「Eh? Y-yes, I know about them…?」
Hmm, as expected, when it comes to skills or status-related things, Laudette-san is reliable.
If only she showed this dependable side more often, maybe I’d finally be able to make a ‘not-disappointing Laudette doll’.
「The truth is, it seems I’ve acquired one of those Skill Arts」
「Ahhh, I see. Then, shall I appraise youuu?」
「Appraise…?」
「Yes. Skill Arts show up in appraisal resultsss」
「Ah, I see. Then, please appraise me right away」
「Sure, go aheaddd」
Now that I think about it, after all that pointless chit-chat, it doesn’t really feel like ‘right away’ anymore… but whatever. Time for appraisal.
It’s been about a month since the last appraisal… Well, this time as long as I can confirm the Skill Arts, that’s enough. I’m not really expecting much from the other parts. Nope, not expecting at all…
-0-
Name: Alexis
Race: Elf Age: 7 Sex: Male
Occupation: Woodworker Apprentice
Level: 6
Strength: 3
Magic: 3
Vitality: 3
Dexterity: 10
Agility: 2
Skills
Archery Lv1 Fire Magic Lv1 Woodworking Lv1
Skill Arts (New)
Varnish Coating (Woodworking Lv1) (New)
Title
Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage
-0-
「Aside from the Skill Arts, nothing else has gone uppp. Don’t look so downnn」
Looks like my disappointment showed on my face… No matter what, I can’t help but get my hopes up, and every time I go through appraisal my heart races…
What is this feeling? Maybe it’s like checking the winning numbers on a lottery ticket?
Well, whatever. At least I managed to acquire a Skill Art. That alone makes today worth it.
「Sorry about that. So it seems… the Skill Art I learned is called 『Varnish Coating』」
「The name sounds cuteee」
「Yeah… So then, what exactly are Skill Arts in the first place?」
「Hmm, when a skill’s proficiency goes uppp, sometimes you gain a special ability related to that skill. That’s what a Skill Art isss」
Proficiency, huh. Out of all the skills I have, it’s obvious that my Woodworking skill has the highest proficiency.
「A special related ability, huh」
「So this 『Varnish Coating』 oneee, does it literally mean applying varnish?」
「Eh? W-well, yeah…」
I hesitated a bit. It doesn’t really feel like the kind of ability you can proudly boast about…
Not that it’s an embarrassing ability, but… Imagine a protagonist in a battle manga declaring, 『My power is… varnish coating!』 with a straight face. Yeah, no one would take that seriously.
「Then it’s a rare typeee. Sure, it’s related to Woodworking, but in a way it’s also something entirely different」
「It’s rare?」
「For example, with Archery skillsss, the Skill Arts are often things like 『Power Arrow』 or 『Double Arrow』. Stuff that strengthens or expands on the original skillll」
「I see, I see… Wait, so the Skill Arts differ from person to person?」
「That’s righttt」
So they’re completely different depending on the person. Basically, it’s a Skill Art gacha…
「Can Skill Arts be changed?」
「Impossibleee」
So no rerolling. A one-shot-only gacha.
Now the question is, did I pull a jackpot with 『Varnish Coating』… or was it a total dud? I mean, it seems useful enough, but still…
「And this note that says Woodworking Level 1? What’s that about?」
「It means it’s a Skill Art from Woodworking Level 1. If your Woodworking skill reaches Level 2, you might learn an entirely new Skill Arttt」
I see, I see. That clears things up.
Laudette-san is really getting the hang of this whole “explanation NPC” role.
「Thanks. That was really helpful」
「No problemmm」
Hmm. Skill Arts, huh. Pretty interesting stuff. I wonder what Archery Level 1 would give me?
Well, it’s not like I’m asking for much. As long as it’s not some weird oddball like 『Arrow Cutter』, I’ll probably be fine with it. …And no, that’s not me jinxing it.
◇
When I returned home, excited about my newfound power, I was immediately caught by Father.
「Terrible! This is terrible, Alec!」
「Eh, huh? What’s wrong, Father?」
「Why did you create such a thing, Alec! I’m going to die from this!」
Ah… this must be about the Mother Doll Alter.
「More importantly, you’re laughing way too hard, Father」
「How could I not laugh at that!」
So rude, Father…
「It was just a slightly larger chest. Other than that, it faithfully recreated Mother」
「That’s exactly why…! A big-chested Miriam is just too funny… And the fact that such a small difference makes her look like a completely different person…」
Ah, so Father thought the same, huh… At this point, maybe Mother’s flat chest has become a sort of identity.
「But it seemed she liked it quite a bit, so from now on, all the Mother Dolls might end up following that style…」
「I’ll die…」
Father began trembling violently.
「…Oh, come to think of it, Alec, didn’t you say your Woodworking skill could only reproduce things?」
「Yeah, I reproduced Mother stuffed with padding」
「Padding?」
「Yup. I recreated Mother after she stuffed her clothes with a ton of cotton in the chest」
「Cotton….? Pffhhkghh! …T-that’s cruel, Alec! How could you tell me something like that!」
Even though I only spoke the truth, it seems I ended up tormenting Father even more…
But now that I think about it, others who see it might feel the same way. It could drive everyone into fits of uncontrollable laughter…
An item that brings smiles to people all around the world, in a way, it’s an incredibly peaceful creation.
next chapter: Boom
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