My mind was filled with questions that I didn’t have time to find answers for. We kept pushing forward, defeating every monster in our path.
I’m getting the hang of casting my lure mid-combat.
“Milord, the way you and Lady Shouko use your fishing rods is very interesting, I daresay.”
“I couldn’t pull off Shouko’s hit-man-style executions if I tried.”
Her line had to be stronger than mine. She’d use the rod to bind the enemy, then strike them with the fan in her off hand and carve them up once they were weakened. It was quite a nasty combo.
For weaker enemies, it was practically a one-sided slaughter.
“I think you could do it too, Kizuna. Personally, I’d love to learn a skill like Tsumugi’s.”
“Once we figure out an awakening skill or whatever they threw in for Spirits, we should have some more options.”
Or maybe I’m asking for too much.
“We’ll have to pin our hopes on a future update.”
“By the way, Yamikage, you’re a Drain ninja, but you’ve got a ton of spells, right? Doesn’t it get hard managing all those skills?”
On top of Drain, she had light magic, healing magic, lightning magic, wind magic, and more. Our ninja was working with a huge toolkit. I mean, she probably swapped them in and out as needed, but that had to burn through Mana like crazy.
“I daresay, I keep it within reason. I’ve been learning, you know.”
When we first met, her skill distributions were so ridiculous that she was losing Energy every hour.
“On that note, there is an attribute that I arbitrarily fulfilled the conditions for while adventuring with everyone, I daresay. I’m mulling over whether or not to specialize in it.”
So like Shouko, she fulfilled the conditions for a new skill just by playing around day after day.
“So there are magic skills you can grind out in your daily life, huh?”
“Milord, if you or Lady Shouko were to pick up the prerequisite basic magic skill, you’ll definitely have it unlocked too, I daresay. In fact, it’s an attribute very suited to you, milord.”
“Ah, I...think I know what you’re talking about.”
“What? Shouko, you have a lead?”
“Yes. Truthfully, the Snow Moon Flower fan skill I use required more than just Fan Mastery. It required water-related skills too.”
Really? So, water?
“Water?” I asked to confirm.
“Yes. Skills like Shipboard Combat and a few others were enough. I’d already met the conditions when the skill first showed up. I still don’t know what directly caused it to appear, though.”
“So if Yamikage met the conditions by hanging out with us...?”
“It is water attribute magic, I daresay. Of course, using Bloody Rain also raises Water Attribute Magic Proficiency, which makes it easier to learn.”
“So you’re planning to sub into water magic, Yammy?”
“I’m considering taking it for enemies immune to darkness, I daresay. Swapping spells on the fly will start to hurt my DPS down the road.”
Apparently, lightning magic was unlocked by raising both water and wind together. The skill tree was a bit convoluted.
“Considering that Lady Shouko uses a fishing rod as a weapon now, and considering this game seems to reward strange combinations, having a few unusual abilities might pay off, I daresay.”
Rather than supposing that combat wasn’t everything, she was insisting that daily life skills that could double as combat skills would give us an edge.
“Then Yamikage, you should start fishing with us.”
Welcome to the world of fishing... I beckoned to her, only for her to wave me off.
“I have no interest in fishing, so no. However, I daresay, I do have something else in mind. I think I’ll give it a try.”
“What are you gonna do, Yammy?”
“Pick up an instrument, I daresay. It’s piqued my curiosity.”
That’s a bit surprising, coming from her...
“You can play?”
“I have not learned the skills, I daresay. But like Lady Shouko, it is something I was always good at. I have some experience with performance, I daresay.”
“I should have known. So you were the idol all along.”
That idol that’s secretly playing the game.
“I swear on my honor I am no idol, I daresay. In fact, the in-game idol is you, milord.”
“Oh, them’s fighting words if I ever heard them. You’re on.”
Who are you calling an idol? It’s a mystery why someone like me has a fan club in the first place. If anything, Yamikage’s got more of that moe appeal going on for her. She’s a Japanimation Ninja, for crying out loud! And she’s even got that air of misfortune going for her.
“I’ve taken music lessons before, so I think I can make use of those skills in game, I daresay. I’m sure there’s some synergy between performing...and magic chanting, I daresay.”
Ah, so her main focus is still magic, and she wants to learn some music as a subskill to enhance it. Makes sense. And if it’s a skill she’s familiar with, she can practice without relying on the system’s assistance. It’s like how previous gaming experience can come in handy.
No, wait... Yamikage, you can actually put on a performance in real life?
My parents tried to send my sisters to music lessons once upon a time. Kanade dabbled in it during elementary school while Tsumugi totally refused due to lack of interest. Instead, Tsumugi went through phases of various sports.
Thinking back on it, Kanade was always the prim and proper one while Tsumugi was the wild child.
“And of course, I’ll be on the lookout for other aspects I can use in combat, I daresay.”
So basically, she was just experimenting with music as a support option.
“Do you have anything, Lady Tsumugi? If we say that Lady Kanade’s subskills are cooking and survival, do you have anything besides combat, I daresay?”
“Huh?”