Chapter 4: Infinite Skill Tree

"Although I'm very happy to hear you say that, Kiyo-kun, but..."

Hestia said as she sat on the small wooden bed piled high with blankets, patting the space next to her.

 "Come here."

Kiyo took a deep breath, knowing what was about to happen.

Honestly, it was the first time he had shared a small bed with a girl. 

Even though he knew it wouldn't be anything like the thoughts that popped into his mind, his heart was still pounding in his chest.

He took off his shiny armor, threw it into the corner, and then lay on the soft mattress. 

The next moment, Kiyo felt some gentle pressure and warmth on his back, along with a nice refreshing scent from the bed. 

He couldn't help but swallow.

'Am I dreaming?'

"Kiyo-kun, do you already know about the blessing?"

Hestia's hand appeared with a thin needle, and she lifted Kiyo's casual clothes with her other hand. 

"Mm, I've basically figured it out."

Kiyo replied quietly.

"The blessing of a god is the key to unlocking a human's potential, and the gods, based on their millennia of experience, have parameterized the strength of those who receive the blessing."

"There are a total of five categories: basic abilities, development abilities, magic, skills, and levels. The basic ability values range from I0 to S999. Once a basic ability reaches 500, and if you've achieved enough great excelia(XP), you can upgrade the vessel of your potential. Right now, the strongest in Orario have already reached level 7, right?"

These are just details from a light novel after all; The real world is always a little different.

"Yes, that's true, but it's the result of us gods making our own system. The human potential and possibilities are something even gods cannot fully understand. That's why we are so obsessed with you."

Hestia nodded and pricked her fingertip with the small needle. A drop of fresh blood oozed out, and her tone became serious.

"The most important thing is that the humans who receive the blessing become the Familia of the god. This is a contract we cannot break. They truly become Familia."

"Mm, I understand, Goddess."

A single drop of bright red divine blood slid from Hestia's fingertip and fell onto Kiyo's back.

It spread like a stone dropping into a calm lake, creating glowing ripples, and sacred words formed from divine script appeared with the ripples.

Click!

Kiyo felt as if a lock deep in his soul, which had been tightly sealed, was suddenly opened.

An indescribable sensation filled his entire body. 

It was like his genes, energy pathways, or even something more mysterious were being released. It felt like he had completely switched to a new body.

"This... This is...?"

Hearing the exclamation behind him, a slight curve appeared at the corner of Kiyo's mouth. 

'The cheat had finally been fully unlocked. Surely, the Goddess was shocked. After all, any god would probably be stunned by my status, right?'

"Skills! You got so many skills just from receiving the blessing for the first time. Kiyo-kun, are you really just an ordinary human?!"

Hestia's eyes widened as she stared intently at the status of her first Familia member. Then, she clapped her hands on Kiyo's back to express her disbelief.

"Of course, Goddess. Before meeting you, I was a real, ordinary person. You're so shocked, and I must have quite a bit of potential, right?" 

He replied with a bright smile.

"This isn't just 'quite a bit,' it's incredible. Your basic stats are still at the level of an ordinary person, but your magic power is already over two digits. And your skills... you've reached four—no, three, all rare skills, and you even have magic!"

Hestia's eyes were wide open in shock. Her pupils froze when she saw one particular skill, and she was momentarily speechless. 

After a brief pause, she quickly corrected herself, "I'll translate the divine script into the common language for you, and then you'll understand."

"Hehe, I didn't expect Kiyo-kun to be a human with the potential of a hero—someone who only appears once in a million, or maybe even once in a hundred million humans!"

At this moment, Hestia looked at him with the same gaze like a treasure.

"Alright."

After feeling the weight and warmth behind him disappear, Kiyo released a slight breath of relief. 

He turned his head and saw Hestia sitting at the edge of the bed, swinging her small, smooth feet like a little girl who had received a precious gift.

Hestia's smile never stopped as she spoke and handed him a piece of paper.

"You're amazing! My first Familia member is this strong; even as a goddess, I'm shocked."

"Well, of course, I'm Hestia-sama's Familia member, so naturally, I'm the strongest in Orario." 

He gave a thumbs-up as he took the paper, looking at the information on it with a slight smile on his lips.

[Name: Kiyo Astrea]

[Level: 1]

[Attributes: 

Strength: i6

Endurance: i3 

Dexterity: i8 

Agility: i6 

Magic: i63]

[Development Abilities:]

[Magic:

Unique Boundary Field: Unlimited Blade Works

Barrier Magic

Weapon Enhancement

Projection Magic

Weapon Replication

[Skills

Valor: The ability to negate mental interference such as pressure, confusion, and charm. It also doubles the user's status when fighting alone and improves combat intuition.

Indomitable: The ability that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds. The user temporarily gains the skill "Precognition" when injured. The user temporarily gains the skill "Instinct" when seriously injured. The user temporarily gains the ability to "Preservance" when near death.

Sword Trial: The ability to greatly enhance the sharpness attribute of any sword-shaped weapon and enhance understanding of sword techniques. This also lightly increases understanding of sword-related finishing moves.]

"Eh!"

Looking at his status, Kiyo wasn't too surprised. After all, he knew that his cheat was the "Infinite Skill Tree."

After closing his eyes, Kiyo could see the crystal tree rooted deep in his soul, like a small sapling of the World Tree.

It already had seven shiny leaves, and three of them were glowing brightly.

The "Infinite Skill Tree," as the name suggests, is a special cheat that can grant him limitless skills. 

This grows alongside his development, with each growth resulting in the appearance of a new leaf, each leaf allowing him to choose a new ability.

However, Kiyo can only gain abilities that he has the potential to possess. It cannot be manifested if he does not have the potential to have such an ability.

There are six leaves right now, the first one is called "Key of the World," which holds the power to open the gates of the world. 

This is because he has successfully crossed the world and has the potential to travel to other worlds.

The second and third leaves are "Valor" and "Indomitable," which come from the two skills of the heroic spirit Heracles from the Type-Moon World but improved version. 

The fourth leaf, "Sword Trial," comes from Senji Muramasa's skill in Type-Moon World.

The fifth leaf is the great magic of "Unlimited Blade Works" from the heroic spirit Emiya.

The sixth leaf, called "Divine Protection of the Sword Saint," comes from the blessing of the strongest character in Re: Zero, Reinhardt.

The seventh leaf is called "Transparent World," which comes from the innate ability of the strongest demon slayer swordsman, Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

The first manifested ability is "Sword Trial" because he had the potential for it. Once Sword Trial manifested, it gave him the possibility for anything related to swords. 

The second manifested ability was "Valor," after that, Kiyo gained all other potential related to courage and strength.