BCST 13

chapter 13

What I asked Mia for was two things.

A communication device that could connect me with the office, and forged identification.

Mia, saying she had plenty of spare phones, immediately pulled one out of her drawer. But when it came to forged IDs, she demanded a steep price.

The minimum cost: ten million credits.

Even if I gathered up every bit of money I’d saved so far, it wouldn’t even amount to half of that.

It seemed that in this city, where citizen management was strict, creating a guaranteed identity was no easy task.

So, for now, I had to settle with just the phone and leave the rest for the future.

“Now, how do I even use this thing…”

Tap. Tap.

I fiddled with the phone as I walked back to the inn.

I pressed buttons, tapped the screen—nothing. Not a single reaction.

It looked somewhat similar to the smartphones I used to own, but apparently operated very differently.

Maybe I should’ve just asked Mia how to use it when she handed it over?

The thought crossed my mind, but I shook my head.

No way. That’d be embarrassing.

As a man, when it comes to new gadgets, you never read the manual. That’s the law.

“…Hm.”

Still, I had absolutely no clue how to use this thing.

Unless—by coincidence—someone happened to show me how.

It was just then…

“Oi? What do we have here? You wanna pass this way, you gotta pay a toll!”

The same alleyway where I’d first met Mia.

The moment I confidently strolled through, as expected, thugs appeared again.

Familiar thugs. Honestly, I was almost glad to see them.

Since I didn’t even have access to short-form content anymore, maybe these guys were my last true source of dopamine.

Then one of them recognized me and shouted.

“W-wait! Let him pass! My buddy’s gone crazy for a moment, that’s all!”

…Well, that killed the mood.

Looking closer, I realized the one who spoke was the same guy I’d beaten up last time.

At his words, the others also seemed to realize who I was, and quickly began retreating.

Damn.

Was my dopamine fix about to vanish like this?

Not yet. There was another way.

“Hold it, you guys.”

“Y-yes? We haven’t done anything yet, sir…”

“Not yet, sure. But—hey, do you know how to use this?”

I held out the phone. The guy tilted his head, then replied.

“This is… a Retro Kit. Basically a clunky old device for connecting to the Net.”

Retro, huh? Funny, it looked way more advanced than the tech from my era.

The thug accepted the phone I handed over, examining it with a nostalgic look.

“Outdated, sure. But there are collectors who enjoy using things like this. I’ve got a friend into it, so I know the basics. Want me to explain?”

Despite his bloodshot sclera, pale pupils, skull tattoos, and nails sticking out of his head, there was a strange glimmer of intelligence in his eyes.

“No thanks. But if you just wanted to chat, I could listen.”

“…What?”

He gave me a what the hell look.

I raised my fist, and he instantly got the message, opening his mouth carefully.

“T-to turn on the screen, first you…”

Thanks to his explanation, I soon got the hang of operating the phone.

Lucky me.

Tap.

Back at the Pixel Dream Motel, fresh from a shower, I tossed the now-familiar phone onto the bedside table.

At present, it only worked for basic functions—calls and messages.

What I really wanted was internet access, to gather actual information about this world.

But…

“In the end, the problem is still identity.”

Without legal ID, I couldn’t even connect to the internet.

Sigh.

Rubbing my wet hair with a towel, I flopped onto the bed.

As always, Pixel Dream’s mattress welcomed me with incredible softness and even massage functions, melting away my fatigue.

So warm. So comfortable.

Seriously, I could get addicted to this.

My body was already sinking into drowsiness.

But I couldn’t sleep yet.

There was still something important to do.

From the entrance exam quest, I’d earned 6 points.

Last time, even just 4 points had been incredibly useful. My expectations for this round of investments were high.

“All right, let’s get started.”

It was time to choose new traits.

I closed my eyes, and the familiar skill tree appeared in the darkness.

Tiny lights glimmered faintly along the bottom.

Of course, all of them were low-level options—I only had Tier 1 and minor spells so far.

Let’s summarize what I had.

[Minor Spells]

• Arcane Blast ★

• Spirit Guiding

• Shadow Light

Arcane Blast already had a ★ from the trait I’d chosen before.

Spirit Guiding was necromancy—used to reveal the cause of death of corpses.

Shadow Light made a faint glow. Completely useless so far, so I’d abandoned it.

I probably needed to use these more often if I wanted proficiency to rise…

Anyway. What about my Tier 1 spells?

[Tier 1 Spells]

• Shield ☆

• Pick & Blink

• Grasping Claw

Shield had gained some proficiency recently.

With a little more practice, its first trait would unlock, like Arcane Blast’s had.

Arcane Blast was my main damage dealer, so I’d immediately spent points on it last time.

But in general, unless a skill was urgent, it was better to level them up naturally to at least ★★ before spending precious points.

Points were limited, after all.

Now… how should I allocate them?

Should I go straight for a Tier 2 spell?

Truth was, I was still a Tier 1 black mage.

Even though I’d fought enemies of Tier 2 or 3, technically my rank hadn’t caught up yet.

Of course, that only raised expectations from others. And denying that pressure would be a lie.

Honestly, part of me did crave higher-level magic, out of impatience.

But so what?

Forcing myself into something that didn’t fit would only end in disaster.

So I ignored the temptation of Tier 2 and turned back to the basics.

What should I pick first?

[Arcane Blast]

A black mage’s eternal friend.

The sturdy, reliable, cheap-but-strong spell.

Even classified as a minor spell, its power-to-mana ratio was outstanding.

Yes. This one again.

I chose to unlock Arcane Blast’s second trait.

It cost 2 points, but was worth every bit.

Last time, the choices had been Power Boost, Chain Damage, and Reduced Mana Cost.

I’d taken Chain Damage, and it was brilliant.

Now, what new traits would appear?

[Silent Cast]
[Mana Burst]
[Rapid Fire]

“…Huh.”

One trash, two good.

Silent Cast let me use magic without incantations.

But in reality, I didn’t need to chant out loud anyway. Useless. Shame.

Maybe shouting out spell names was strictly for shonen manga protagonists.

Still, the other two were excellent.

Mana Burst: AoE damage to all enemies within 3 meters of impact. Great for nuking and mob clearing.

Rapid Fire: exactly what it sounded like. Faster casting, faster shots.

In this world, I could already double-cast or rapid-fire with focus, but having it as a trait would make it much easier.

Both were tempting.

After some thought, I decided.

Rapid Fire.

Since I already had Chain Damage, AoE wasn’t such a priority.

And Rapid Fire could even offset Chain Damage’s penalty of reduced power.

Yes. This was the one.

– Arcane Blast ★★

Satisfied, I moved on.

The Yabok quest had taught me something important:

I needed a way to track enemies.

I still remembered nearly dying to Yabok’s incredible speed.

And when I blinked into his hideout, if he and his men had been waiting inside… things would’ve gone very badly.

That’s why my next choice was already decided:

[Mana Detection] – Tier 1.

With this, even without seeing an enemy, I’d be able to sense their presence.

Its effect: detect magical objects, spells, or beings with mana within a certain radius.

I didn’t know its exact range yet, but considering how game skills translated into reality here, it could very well turn out to be an all-rounder.

“Yes. Let’s unlock it.”

[Tier 1 Spells]

• Shield ☆

• Pick & Blink

• Grasping Claw

• Mana Detection (new)

With that done, I had 2 points left.

I could use them to raise a stat (other than Perception), or unlock another Tier 1 spell.

Hmm. What should I do…

So far, I’d invested points into things that directly improved my existing abilities.

But now, what remained were skills with less clear-cut advantages.

Each had its uses, but none stood out above the rest.

After a long while of deliberation, I reached a conclusion.

Arcane Blast and Mana Detection had strengthened my current and past weaknesses.

That meant this last choice should be about the future.

I already had offense, defense, evasion, and detection fairly well covered.

So, what I needed now… was obvious.

With that thought, I focused on one of the still-dark tiles on the tree.