New Skill

"So about last night..."

"Hmm?"

We were lying in bed, as I felt like I needed a day to rest after yesterday's adventure.

"Did you really mean that... what you said..."

She was currently resting her head against my little chest, almost covering my whole body span. Her face seemed a little flushed, and she fidgeted a bit nervously with her fingers.

"I did."

There was no point in thinking about it anymore. As we were keeping each other warm, it was already a cemented fact for me. She was currently a safe haven for me, a place where I didn't have to think about survival or the insanity of this world.

"I see..."

She snuggled even closer and closed her eyes. Being covered in her warmth, I felt more secure and comfortable than ever. Thinking about how weirdly lucky I had been to have been dragged out by my teacher, I couldn't help but feel appreciation for the gorilla.

"I also meant it..."

Like this, we let the morning pass by and only got out of bed in time for lunch.

****

It was time for a new week, with our ranking battles being scheduled for Friday. Sitting in homeroom, something was different.

Nope of my friends even looked at me, treating me as air when they arrived. Usually, they would at least give me a quick glance and a smile, but not today.

'Is it because of what happened at the dungeon?'

I couldn't quite find a clear answer, and thus, I let it be.

Standing in front of the podium, our teacher started the class.

"As you all know, this Friday will be the day of the ranking battles and we will be holding a small party with the B-class on Saturday as a celebration.

"With the B-class? But wasn't the battles just between classmates?"

Akane was a bit confused and couldn't see the reason for holding a party with the other class.

Taking a step to the side, Mike explained,

"Well you see, most of you have probably already gotten to know some of them, and a few might even consider them friends at this point. Because you have coordinated lessons with them, it's a good thing to get along with them."

'So that's how it is... Too bad I haven't attended a single combat class with anyone yet...'

"So the dress code will be dresses for the ladies and suits for the men. We don't want to show our bad side to the other class. Oh, and Sarah will not fight in the tournament as she is a non-combatant. Her ranking will be undetermined until further notice."

It made a lot of sense that Sarah's ranking couldn't be determined by duels, she was a support after all.

Something a lot more pressing had been the words uttered before that.

'I don't own a suit... Not even a dress shirt for that manner. How am I supposed to get money for that?'

The money from our little hunt hadn't gotten sent to our accounts yet.

After a dive, one could choose to either let the administrators, in this case, the academy, deal with the materials, or chose to use them by yourself.

We chose the first option, as none of us was currently in need of new gear. The academy standards were plenty for low-level dungeons.

As he finished homeroom, we only had individual training before lunch.

The class started to move, all going towards their own practice. Just like before, my friends didn't even look at me.

'So it's like this after all. Should I just be happy that I had a couple of weeks of friendship?'

It had been a great experience for me, having led two lives without friends, but I knew their looks from my earlier years as Miren.

Eyes filled with pity and caution. Although I wasn't quite sure what had made them change their view of me, I was certain that they wouldn't reach out to me before they had a chance to reflect.

There was also a big possibility that they wouldn't talk to me at all, just like how others had treated me before.

At some point, I knew I needed to be the one to approach them if I wanted to get an answer to the situation, but there was no time for that right now.

So, I went on with my day. I had bigger things to worry about, like getting to stay at the academy and not get thrown away for being useless.

****

*CRZZZT, BOOM*

"I DID IT!"

It finally happened. After weeks of practice, hours and hours of hard work, I had finally created a skill.

===Status===

Name: Miren Porter

Rank: II

Strength: I

Speed: VII

Stamina: III

Intelligence: III

Mana grade: II [Lower?]

Charm:?

--> Inherent Disposition : [Boundless]

--> Battle Arts: [Overclock]

-Martial Skills: [Lightning Step], [Discharge]

--> Elemental affinities: [Lightning]

==========

[Discharge]

Description: User can charge up a part of their body or weapon with lightning, and instantly discharge it. Can be used on one's whole body to create a lightning pulse in an area around the user. Warning: Consecutive uses or overcharging can bring permanent damage to the user's body.

It was not exactly what I had expected, but it suited my needs a lot. As I only had one other skill, a flexible one like this was useful.

Kicks, punches, and slashes, all were possible to infuse with small explosions. The attacks weren't sharp like my ordinary enhancements, they were more destructive and raw.

Although it at first seemed counterintuitive to my combat style, as it was based on one killing with precise strikes at vulnerable spots, it had a clear purpose.

Because of the fact that I could charge it up, it could be used when my ordinary attacks weren't effective. For example, if I needed to kill a tanker, like Brad, or a monster with high defenses.

The full-body discharge also had a clear purpose. In a situation where I was caught between enemies, I could damage and stun all of them.

It was hard to avoid yelling *PIKAPIII* when I used it.

Unfortunately, just like with my Art and step, this also carried the same weakness.

If I attacked using my hands, they would get damaged. Kicks would damage my legs and feet, and my full body would incinerate my whole body. It was all based on the amount of energy that I accumulated before unleashing the attack.

Even if I used it with my blades, my hands would still take a certain amount of damage, although not as much as if I made a discharged punch.

Thankfully, it didn't injure my organs like my Art, instead, it was more like my step, where my muscles and tendons would bear the damage.

The skill was probably a product of my practice of instant enhancement, as well as the control training with the principal, both acting in tandem.

Now all I had left was to practice this as much as possible before Friday, as well as try to get myself a suit for Saturday.

****

The next day, I was having my usual training session with Mike. After having successfully created a skill last night in the time capsule, I felt like I had a bit more leeway before the rankings.

"Teacher..."

I stopped hitting the dummy in front of me to talk about my current dilemma.

"Hmm? Yes?"

"You said we needed a suit for Saturday right?"

Clapping his hands a bit, he already figured out what I was thinking about.

"Oh right! You don't have any money yet! Well, no worries. I'll take you out after dinner and we will get one for ya lad. I know a great place!"

It wasn't surprising that the man always wearing a suit, even during training, would know a place. What was a bit surprising was the fact that he appeared that he would pay for it.

"Really? Is it fine? Wasn't I supposed to not get any money from you before proving myself to the other teachers?"

'Whom I still don't even know who they are...'

Laughing a bit, he waved his hand, "It's fine! They wouldn't care for something like this. It's not like you would sell it for money right?"

'!'

"Haha... No, of course not..."

'I didn't even think about that, but now that he mentions it...'

Putting on a large and warm smile, he concluded our discussion, "So it's all good. We will go after we are done training here."

I lightly bowed to show a bit of appreciation, "Thank you!"

"Don't worry about it! Now, again!"

I dashed forward, toward Sir. Blockalot, with my mind a lot lighter than before, and started my massacre once more.