“At any rate,” remarked Diego, “I’m surprised the Arrivers have a sacred skill user too. No wonder you were able to make it to floor 23. The holy sword won’t make dungeon diving a breeze, but it sure should make it easier.”
“Wait a minute. Is Guide of the Holy Sword really that amazing?” asked none other than Roslia herself. “It’s true that the sword makes fighting easier, but it’s basically just a nifty sharp blade I can produce on command. If I’m being honest, I think Force has it easier thanks to Superior Sword Mastery...”
“Are you kidding me...?” Diego was shocked to hear this. “You’re not using the Guide of the Holy Sword to its full potential?”
“Is there some way to use it other than as a sword?”
“Ignorance is a scary thing... The fact you made it to floor 23 without knowing how to wield your skill is downright impressive,” Diego sighed, clutching his head.
“I thought the same thing,” Sofie piped up from next to me. “When I first saw Roslia fight, I was surprised the Arrivers had someone with such a skill, but her abilities didn’t live up to it.”
“That’s what you thought of me?! No wonder you gave me so much flak when we went dungeon diving!”
Indeed, Sofie had been extremely hard on Roslia back when the six of us first started diving together. This explained why. She’d had a reason for being such a stickler... It all made sense now.
“Anyways, no one ever taught me how to wield it, so how should I know any better?! Ganging up on me for that is so mean!”
“Heh, serves you right,” Erin chuckled.
“Now you sound like a villain too,” Roslia shot back, glaring at her.
I could kinda relate. I knew the pain of not knowing how to maximize your skill. Without Jin, I never would’ve known I could use Mapping in the dungeon. If it weren’t for the Arrivers, I would’ve stayed a bottom-tier adventurer all my life.
“Sorry, miss. I didn’t mean anything by it. As an apology, I’ll tell you what I know about the sacred skills,” offered Diego.
“Really? If you’re that contrite, then I’ll allow you to do me this service.”
“Your attitude’s kinda giving me second thoughts...” He scratched his head. “Well, whatever. There’re three strengths when it comes to the sacred skill series.”
“Three?”
“Yup. The first one comes to you naturally—understanding the optimal way to handle your type of weapon. For the holy sword, you gain swordsmanship. And for the holy firearm, I gain marksmanship. This applies to other swords and guns as well, not just the holy one.”
Diego paused his explanation to retrieve the dark purple rifle from his back, pointing it up at the sky.
“For example, this is the same gun the floor boss here uses. It’s a dungeon artifact obtained by the first party to clear floor 23 years and years ago, and it was bought and sold after the fact until it reached my hands.”
With that, Diego brought the scope up to his eye for a brief instant before pulling the trigger. The bullet he fired put a hole in the roof of a ruined building in the distance.
“Just like that. There’s no mastery skill for firearms, and the only skills that can increase your aptitude for them are Marksman of the Holy Gun, Artillery Specialist, or Magic Item Specialist. I appreciate the ability, but given what mastery skills can do for other weapon types, it’d be hard to call Marksman of the Holy Gun a legendary skill just for that.”
This time, he summoned his holy guns, shining with magical energy.
“This here’s the second strength. When you summon your holy weapon, magical energy rushes forth, right? That magical energy doesn’t come from you, the holder of the skill. It’s dense mana that originates from the weapon. If you use this to activate spells or artifacts...”
Diego took aim at the same target and fired. There was a loud explosion as the entire building collapsed into rubble. This was probably how he’d defeated the mid-boss.
“As you can see,” he said, “you draw out more power this way.”
“That’s amazing. If I could use Fractus’s energy for spells, then...” Based on the fire aglow in her eyes, it seemed Roslia had realized the true potential of her skill. “So, what’s the third strength?”
“Dunno.”
“...Huh?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wh-What do you mean?! Was all that explanation just for show?!”
“No, I just don’t know the particular strength of your holy sword. Holy weapons take different forms and abilities based on their wielders. For example, my Holy Gun Starcia here takes the form of two handguns, but past holy guns have been revolvers or shotguns. Same for its ability. My Starcia specializes in quickdraw, but other holy guns have been different.”
“So my Fractus has some kind of ability as well?”
“That’s right. The fact you don’t know what it is is proof you haven’t mastered your skill yet. Once you can use it to its fullest, its special ability will eventually reveal itself.”
“You’re making it sound like it’s my fault I haven’t learned it yet... As frustrating as that is, I’ll take it as a compliment that I still have room to grow!”
Though she’d appeared disappointed at first, Roslia quickly picked herself up with her inherent optimism. A fighting spirit had been lit within her.