Status Plate
Now that they'd committed to participating in the war, Hajime and his classmates had to learn how to fight. No matter how much latent, extraordinary power they possessed, they were still Japanese high school students steeped in pacifism. Suddenly fighting monsters and demons was impossible.
However, Ishtar apparently anticipated this, stating that preparations were in place for them at the Heiligh Kingdom, located at the foot of God Mountain, where the Holy Church's main temple stood.
The Kingdom had a close relationship with the Holy Church. It was the most traditional country, founded by a person named Sharm Bain, a direct descendant of Ehit, the Creator God worshipped by the Holy Church. With the Church behind the nation, it was clear how strong their connection was.
Hajime and the others arrived at the Holy Church's front gate, ready to descend the mountain and head to the Heiligh Kingdom.
The Holy Church was reportedly at the summit of God Mountain. Passing through a gate as magnificent as a triumphal arch, they were met with a vast sea of clouds.
There was no sense of breathlessness typical of high altitudes, so Hajime hadn't realized they were on a mountain. They were likely using magic to regulate the living environment.
Hajime and the others stared in blank astonishment at the magnificent scenery: a sea of clouds sparkling as they reflected the sun's light, beneath a transparent blue sky.
Urged on by a somewhat boastful Ishtar, they proceeded to a large, circular white platform surrounded by a fence. They stepped onto the platform as prompted, advancing along a beautiful corridor made of the same material as the cathedral.
A massive magic circle was etched onto the platform. Since beyond the fence was the sea of clouds, the majority of students huddled together in the center. Yet, their curiosity couldn't be contained, and as they looked around, Ishtar began chanting something.
"The path to Him, open with faith—'Heaven's Way'!"
At that instant, the magic circle beneath their feet began to shine brilliantly. Then, as smoothly as a ropeway, the platform started to move, descending diagonally towards the ground.
It seemed the "incantation" just now had activated the magic circle etched into the platform. This platform was indeed a ropeway. In a sense, the students began to chatter excitedly at their first sight of "magic." By the time they plunged into the sea of clouds, they were in an uproar.
Eventually, they emerged from the sea of clouds, and the ground came into view. Below them, they saw a large town—no, a country. A colossal castle built as if rising from the mountainside, and a radiating castle town. It was the Royal Capital of the Heiligh Kingdom. The platform appeared to lead to the rooftop of a tall tower connected to the royal palace by an aerial walkway.
Hajime laughed sardonically, calling it a magnificent performance. It was precisely the imagery of "God's apostles" descending from the heavens, emerging from the sea of clouds. Not just for Hajime and his classmates, it was no wonder that Holy Church believers sanctified church officials.
Hajime vaguely recalled pre-war Japan. An era where politics and religion were closely intertwined. That later brought about various tragedies. But this world might be even more twisted. After all, in this world, superhuman beings with the power to interfere with other worlds genuinely exist, and the world literally revolves around "God's will."
Just like their chances of returning, the world's fate rested entirely on God's whim. Looking down at the gradually sharpening view of the Royal Capital, Hajime desperately suppressed the inexpressible anxiety swirling in his chest. He clenched his fists, steeling his resolve that all he could do was tackle things one step at a time.
Upon arriving at the royal palace, Hajime and the others were led directly to the throne room.
They walked along corridors with interiors as dazzling as the church. Along the way, they passed people dressed in knight-like armor or civil servant attire, maids, and other servants, all of whom gave them gazes filled with expectation or reverence. They seemed to know to some extent who Hajime and his group were.
Hajime, looking uncomfortable, stealthily followed at the very end of the procession.
When they arrived before a massive double door adorned with beautiful designs, two soldiers standing rigidly on either side of the door loudly announced the arrival of Ishtar and the Hero's party. Without waiting for a reply from within, they flung the doors open.
Ishtar walked through the doors with an air of ease, as if it were only natural. Most of the students, with the exception of a few like Kouki, entered through the doors with hesitant steps.
Beyond the doors stretched a straight red carpet, and at its far end, in the center, was an opulent chair—the throne. In front of the throne, an elderly man exuding an aura of power and dignity stood... waiting.
Beside him was a woman who appeared to be the queen, and next to her, a beautiful boy with blond hair and blue eyes, about ten years old, and a beautiful girl, also with blond hair and blue eyes, around fourteen or fifteen, stood waiting. Furthermore, on both sides of the red carpet, roughly thirty or more people were lined up: those in armor or military uniforms on the left, and those resembling civil servants on the right.
Upon reaching the area in front of the throne, Ishtar stopped Hajime and the others there and proceeded to stand next to the king.
There, he slowly extended his hand, and the king respectfully took it, lightly touching it with a kiss without making contact. It seemed the Pope held a higher position. "So, it's confirmed that 'God' moves this country," Hajime sighed inwardly.
From there, it was merely introductions. The king's name was Ehit S. B. Heiligh, and the queen was named Rulularia. The blond beautiful boy was Prince Randel, and the princess was Liliana.
After that, high-ranking officials such as the Knight Commander and the Prime Minister were introduced. Incidentally, Prince Randel's eyes were frequently drawn to Kaori during the introductions, indicating that Kaori's charm was effective even in another world.
Hajime, for his part, half-expected the boys' attention to shift to the Prince, though it probably wouldn't work on a ten-year-old.
At the royal palace, they were assured of Hajime and his classmates' accommodation and meals, and their instructors for training were introduced. The instructors appeared to have been selected from active knights and court mages. This was likely to foster camaraderie in preparation for the upcoming war.
When the banquet ended and they disbanded, they were guided to their assigned rooms, one for each student. Hajime was probably not the only one stunned by the four-poster bed. In the opulent room, Hajime felt somewhat uneasy, yet he also felt the tension of the tumultuous day melting away. He dived onto the bed and immediately lost consciousness.
The very next day, training and lectures began.
First, a silver plate, about twelve by seven centimeters, was distributed to the assembled students. To the students who looked at the mysterious plates, Knight Commander Meld Loggins began explaining it himself.
Hajime wondered if it was alright for the Knight Commander to be solely dedicated to their training, but apparently, leaving the "Hero's Party" to just anyone, both internally and externally, was out of the question.
Commander Meld himself laughed heartily, saying, "On the contrary, I'm glad I found a reason to push tiresome chores onto my vice-commander!" So it was probably fine. Though the vice-commander might not be.
"Alright, everyone has their plates now, right? This plate is called a Status Plate. Literally, it shows your objective status in numerical form. It's also the most reliable form of identification. You won't get lost with this, so don't lose it, okay?"
Meld spoke in a very casual manner. He had a magnanimous and open-hearted personality, even advising the other knights to treat the students normally, saying, "How can we keep talking formally when we're about to become comrades-in-arms?!"
Hajime and the others preferred that, as it made them feel more at ease. It was incredibly awkward to be treated with excessive politeness by people much older than them.
"There's a magic circle etched on one side of the plate, right? Use the needle we gave you to make a small cut on your finger and drop a single drop of blood onto the magic circle. That will register you as the owner. If you say 'Status Open,' your status should appear on the surface. Oh, don't ask about the principles? I don't know them. It's a type of Divine Era Artifact." "Artifact?"
Kouki asked about the unfamiliar word "Artifact."
"An Artifact is a magical tool with powerful abilities that can't be replicated in the modern age. They're said to have been created in the Divine Era, when gods and their kin still walked the earth. This Status Plate is one of them, and along with the Artifact that duplicates it, it's the only Artifact that has been widespread in this world since ancient times. Usually, Artifacts become national treasures, but this one circulates among ordinary citizens. It's convenient for identification."
"I see," the students nodded, then winced as they pricked their fingertips with the needle, smearing the rising drop of blood onto the magic circle. The magic circle glowed faintly for an instant. Hajime did the same, smearing his blood and looking at the surface.
Then...
Nagumo Hajime 17 years old Male
Level: 1
Occupation: Synergist
Strength: 10
Vitality: 10
Resistance: 10
Agility: 10
Magic Power: 10
Magic Resistance: 10
Skills: Alchemy, Language Comprehension
It displayed.
Hajime gazed at his status, feeling as if he had become a game character. The other students were also intently focused on their own statuses.
Commander Meld then explained the statuses.
"Did everyone see theirs? I'll explain, then. First, you see 'Level,' right? That increases with the rise of each status. The upper limit is 100, which indicates that person's limit. So, think of Level as showing your current progress towards the peak of what a human can achieve. Level 100 means you've expressed all your potential as a human, reaching the pinnacle. Such people are rare."
Apparently, unlike in games, status doesn't just increase when the level goes up.
"Status naturally increases with daily training, and it can also be raised with magic or magical tools. Also, those with high magical power naturally have higher other statuses. The details aren't known, but it's believed that magical power unconsciously assists one's physical specs. Oh, and you'll get to choose equipment later, so look forward to that. After all, you're the Hero's Party, saviors of the nation. The country's treasure vault is wide open!"
Judging from Commander Meld's words, it seemed that simply defeating monsters wouldn't cause a sudden rise in status. They would have to diligently hone their skills.
"Next, you see 'Vocation,' right? That's what you'd call 'talent.' It's linked to the 'Skills' at the bottom, and within that vocation's domain, you'll display unparalleled talent. Few people have vocations. They're categorized into combat-type vocations and non-combat-type vocations. Combat types are one in a thousand, or depending on the case, one in ten thousand. Non-combat types are also few, but... there's one in a hundred. There are quite a few that aren't rare, like one in ten. Many production-type jobs have them."
Hajime looked at his status. Indeed, the Vocation field showed "Synergist." It seemed he had talent in "Alchemy."
Hajime and the others were from a higher world, so Ishtar had told them they were higher-spec than the people of Tortus. Thinking this was only natural, Hajime's lips curled into a smirk. It was still pleasing to be told he had some kind of talent.
However, hearing Commander Meld's next words, his joy vanished, and a cold sweat broke out.
"The rest... the individual statuses are as they appear. The average for Level 1 is about 10. Well, for you all, it'll probably be several to tens of times higher! It's truly enviable! Oh, please report the contents of your Status Plate. We need it for training plans."
The average for Level 1 in this world was apparently 10. Hajime's status showed a perfect row of 10s. Hajime, sweating uncomfortably, inwardly tilted his head.
(Huh? This looks completely average, though... In fact, it's spectacularly average? Isn't it supposed to be a cheat? Aren't I supposed to be super powerful?! ...Wh-What about everyone else? Maybe everyone starts like this...)
Hajime desperately clung to a sliver of hope and looked around. Everyone's faces were bright, and no one was sweating cold like Hajime.
At Commander Meld's call, Kouki immediately stepped forward to report his status. His status was...
Amanogawa Kouki 17 years old Male
Level: 1
Occupation: Hero
Strength: 100
Vitality: 100
Resistance: 100
Agility: 100
Magic Power: 100
Magic Resistance: 100
Skills: All Attribute Aptitude, All Attribute Resistance, Physical Resistance, Compound Magic, Swordsmanship, Herculean Strength, Shrink Earth, Foresight, High-Speed Magic Recovery, Presence Detection, Magic Perception, Limit Break, Language Comprehension
He was the very embodiment of a cheat.
"Ohh~, as expected of the Hero-sama. Already triple digits at Level 1... And skills are usually only two or three... What an extraordinary fellow! He's truly dependable!" "Ahaha, well..."
Kouki scratched his head, blushing at the Commander's praise. Incidentally, the Commander's level was 62. His average status was around 300, top-tier strength in this world. However, Kouki at Level 1 was already approaching one-third of that. Depending on his growth rate, he might easily surpass him.
Incidentally, since skills are synonymous with talent, they are innate and don't increase, with the sole exception of "Derived Skills."
These are acquired skills obtained by those who, after refining a single skill for many years, reach the point of "breaking through a wall." Simply put, it means that what they couldn't do before, they suddenly grasp the knack of one day, and their proficiency rapidly increases.
Hajime thought only Kouki was special, but the others, while not matching Kouki, were also sufficiently cheated. And every single one of them had combat-type vocations...
Hajime stared at "Synergist" in his status field. From the sound of it, no matter how he twisted his head, he couldn't conjure an image of a combat job. He only had two skills. And one was the default "Language Comprehension" for people from other worlds, meaning he practically only had one.
Hajime's dry laugh slowly started to escape. When it was his turn to report, he showed his plate to Commander Meld.
Commander Meld, who had until now only seen extraordinary statuses, looked beaming. He was probably delighted by the birth of many powerful and unparalleled comrades.
The Commander's expression then froze into a "Hmm?" still smiling, then he tapped the plate or held it up to the light as if to check if he'd seen wrong. After staring intently, he returned the plate to Hajime with an incredibly subtle expression.
"Ah, well, you see. A Synergist, in a way, is like a blacksmith. It's useful for forging, you know..."
Commander Meld explained Hajime's vocation haltingly.
There was no way the boys who had it in for Hajime wouldn't jump on this. A blacksmith job clearly meant a non-combat vocation. With all their classmates possessing combat vocations and a battle awaiting them, he was highly likely to be useless.
Hiyama Daisuke smirked and raised his voice.
"Hey, hey, Nagumo. Don't tell me you're a non-combat type? How're you gonna fight as a blacksmith? Meld-san, is this Synergist rare?" "...No, one in ten blacksmiths have it. All the country's retained craftsmen have it." "Oh, come on, Nagumo~. You think you can fight with that?"
Hiyama put his arm around Hajime's shoulder in a truly annoying way. Looking around, the surrounding students—especially the boys—were smirking and snickering.
"Well, I guess we won't know until I try." "Then, show me your status. Your vocation is lame, so your stats must be high, right~?"
Hiyama, who must have guessed the contents from Commander Meld's expression, asked persistently anyway. He truly had an unpleasant personality. His three cronies also egged him on. It was a typical display of a minor character: fawning over the strong and being aggressive towards the weak. Indeed, Kaori and Shizuku were frowning in discomfort.
"He's in love with Kaori, so why doesn't he realize it?" Hajime thought, then somewhat resignedly handed over his plate.
Upon seeing the contents of Hajime's plate, Hiyama burst out laughing. He then tossed it to Saito and his cronies, and the others who saw it either roared with laughter or chuckled disdainfully.
"Bwahahaha, what is this?! He's completely average!" "Gyahahaha~, actually, since the average is 10, he might even be weaker than some kids around here~." "Hyahahaha~, no way, no way! This guy's gonna die instantly! He won't even be a meat shield!"
As students burst into laughter one after another, Kaori started to move furiously. However, before that, someone roared in anger. It was Ms. Aiko.
"Hey! What are you laughing at?! Laughing at your comrades is something I won't allow! No, I absolutely won't allow it! Give the plate back to Nagumo-kun immediately!"
Ms. Aiko, in her small body, expressed her anger with all her might. Perhaps taken aback by her fury, the plate was returned to Hajime.
Ms. Aiko turned to Hajime and patted his shoulder as if to encourage him.
"Nagumo-kun, there's no need to worry! Even I have a non-combat type, or whatever you call it, vocation, and my stats are almost all average. You're not alone, Nagumo-kun!"
Saying that, Ms. Aiko presented her own status to Hajime with a "Here!"
Hatayama Aiko 25 years old Female
Level: 1
Occupation: Agriculturist
Strength: 5
Vitality: 10
Resistance: 10
Agility: 5
Magic Power: 100
Magic Resistance: 10
Skills: Soil Management, Soil Restoration, Area Cultivation, Growth Promotion, Breed Improvement, Plant Appraisal, Fertilizer Production, Mixed Cultivation, Automated Harvesting, Fermentation Control, Area Temperature Adjustment, Farm Barrier, Bountiful Heavenly Rain, Language Comprehension
Hajime looked into the distance with eyes like a dead fish.
"Oh, what's wrong, Nagumo-kun?!" Ms. Aiko exclaimed, shaking Hajime back and forth.
Indeed, her overall stats were low, and it was clear at a glance that she had a non-combat vocation, but... her Magic Power alone rivaled that of the Hero, and her number of skills exceeded his. Food supply issues are always a part of war. Her profession wasn't one where there were plenty of equally capable substitutes, unlike Hajime's. In other words, Ms. Aiko was also more than sufficiently a cheat.
Hajime, who had briefly hoped he wouldn't be alone, suffered deep damage.
"Oh dear, Aichan just finished him off, didn't she..." "Na-Nagumo-kun! Are you alright!?"
Shizuku gave a wry smile upon seeing Hajime's unresponsive state, and Kaori rushed over, looking worried. Ms. Aiko tilted her head, saying, "Huh~?" The classmates, as always, felt warm-hearted watching Ms. Aiko, who was earnestly trying but fumbling.
While the objective of stopping the mockery of Hajime was achieved, with the kind but deflating gesture and the difficult road ahead, Hajime offered a dry laugh.
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