I took another glance at the sliced corpse of the skeleton mage.

  'Isn't he an undead?' I wondered. 'Following the game logic from my world, undead can't be killed through normal means. They need something specific. Holy damage. Purification. A condition.'

  I frowned. 'Does that mean this world doesn't follow that rule?'

  If I applied logic to it — maybe he'd been sustaining himself with mana instead of life. An animated corpse fueled by magic rather than vitality. That would make sense at first glance.

  'He did die in one hit. Maybe he wasn't a true undead... Either way,'

  [You have obtained: Skill Evolution Stone (EX) x1]

  'Skill... Evolution?'

  Shortly after the mage's corpse vanished, out of the two things I'd obtained from this fight, the Skill Evolution Stone caught my eye the most.

  I took it out of my inventory.

  "Inspect Item."

  [Item: Skill Evolution Stone (EX)]

  [Rank: ONE OF A KIND (EX)]

  [Description: Break the stone and choose one skill you have to evolve to EX rank.]

  [Note: May completely alter a skill's effects.]

  Immediately, I replayed the fight with the mage in my head.

  Specifically — the greatsword that shattered when I swung at him.

  'Gear Maintenance. I need to evolve that. At rank F it automatically repairs broken gear and weapons... At EX rank it could become something else entirely. This is the logical choice. I don't know what's waiting ahead. I need to be able to use more than just my fists. If I'd had a sword that didn't break on impact, it would've saved me weeks.'

  I broke the stone.

  A digital message popped up in front of me.

  [CHOOSE A SKILL TO EVOLVE TO (EX) RANK!]

  Hard Swing (F)

  Gear Maintenance (F)

  Rotting Soul (F)

  The other skills weren't showing. Most likely because they were already at EX rank.

  I moved my hand toward [Gear Maintenance (F)]. Logical. Necessary.

  But then—

  My finger stopped.

  '...'

  The image came uninvited.

  Makoto. Seventy years from now. Wrinkled. Frail. Bones like brittle sticks. Dying. Reviving. Dying again. His body restored just enough to fail him one more time.

  Endless.

  'No.' Something twisted in my chest. 'I won't have that.'

  I promised him. I told him he could rest. That he could leave it to me.

  Before I had time to think it through — my finger moved on its own.

  [SELECTED: Rotting Soul (F)!]

  '...Would it give me immortality at EX rank? Would it... fix him?'

  [ERROR]

  '...What?'

  [UNABLE TO EVOLVE CURSES!]

  [CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SKILL!]

  '...'

  Again.

  [UNABLE TO EVOLVE CURSES!]

  This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

  [CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SKILL!]

  Again.

  [UNABLE TO EVOLVE CURSES!]

  [CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SKILL!]

  'No.'

  [UNABLE TO EVOLVE CURSES!]

  [CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SKILL!]

  The image flashed again. Him. Old. Gasping. Eyes that stopped hoping a long time ago. Dying in a loop with no exit.

  'NO—! I PROMISED!'

  [UNABLE TO EVOLVE CURSES!]

  [CHOOSE A DIFFERENT SKILL!]

  "I promised you... I..."

  My voice cracked against the silence of the room.

  '...Just stop.'

  I shook my head. Forced a breath through my teeth.

  'Every second I spend pressing this is another second I'm not out there crushing Kazuya's chest.'

  'Stick to the plan.'

  My breathing steadied. My hand moved.

  [Selected: Gear Maintenance (F)!]

  [GEAR MAINTENANCE IS EVOLVING!]

  '...Are we in Pokémon?'

  [Gear Maintenance (F) → Overgear (EX)]

  'Huh. Reminds me of a comic I read.'

  [Skill: Overgear]

  [Rank: EX]

  [Description: Your clothing, armor, and weapons repair themselves when you touch or hold them. Repair rate is nigh-instant upon contact. Your armor and clothing are now as durable as your body. If you equip anything with higher durability than your body, your body will match the equipment's durability for as long as you wear it.]

  [...You are able to hold, wield, and use any item, ignoring stat, level, class, or any other requirement.]

  [Note: Using Overgeared Items WILL result in a penalty depending on the level difference!]

  'What used to take hours is now instant. Fucking awesome.' My mind was already racing. 'If I find a craftsman who can forge Black Steel armor and I wear it with this repair rate... I'd be untouchable against things like that skeleton. This is great.'

  I paused.

  'But it still doesn't solve the problem of weapons breaking when I—'

  That's when I read the rest of the description.

  And understood why it was called Overgear.

  '...'

  I was disappointed I couldn't upgrade my curse.

  But this was a very good skill.

  'Wait...'

  I gulped.

  'Doesn't that mean I can use the Abyssal Set from the mutt?'

  The level 1000 gear.

  I opened my inventory before the thought finished forming. The Abyssal Knight's Greatsword sat there, waiting.

  I pulled it out.

  It was lighter than I expected. Completely black, engraved with markings I couldn't read. I gave it a swing. The weight moved with me, not against me.

  Looked cool enough.

  But I didn't feel anything.

  'Hm.'

  I grabbed both ends and tried to bend it.

  "Hrrrnnnggg...!!"

  Even with Hard Swing boosting my strength — the thing didn't flex. Not even slightly.

  'Durable.'

  "Inspect Item."

  [Item: Abyssal Knight's Greatsword]

  [Rank: EX]

  [Description: A colossal blade forged for beings far beyond humans or Gods alike. Its force crushes even Black Steel, its presence warps air and matter around it, and only those above level 1000 are able to move it. To the unworthy, it might as well be a mountain disguised as steel.]

  [ABILITIES: SECTION LOCKED. Your level is too low to view this section.]

  [ALERT: YOUR LEVEL IS TOO LOW FOR THIS ITEM!]

  'Figured.'

  [PENALTIES WILL BE APPLIED]

  [PENALTY ADDED: Ability Lock — You are unable to use this weapon's innate abilities.]

  'That's it?' I raised an eyebrow. 'I guess the abilities are just that strong on their own... Either way — good. A sword that doesn't break easy, with long reach. That's all I needed.'

  Aside from sore arms, the blade wouldn't budge. Practically indestructible.

  This was perfect.

  '...So why am I not feeling it?'

  I turned the sword over in my hands. Every angle. Looking for something I couldn't name.

  It wasn't the locked abilities. I didn't care about those. I needed reach and durability. This had both.

  So what was the problem?

  "Remember, Makoto."

  "When you can't solve a problem... look at what you did solve."

  I clicked my tongue. 'There was no problem to solve here. I never used a weapon before this. I just used my arms.'

  I set the greatsword down. Looked at my fist.

  Threw a punch at the air. Same way I'd pummeled that skeleton mage — full body, everything behind a single point.

  VROOM.

  Felt right. Felt like me.

  I picked the greatsword back up. Swung it.

  '...No.'

  Tried a thrust. Extended my arm, drove the point forward.

  '...'

  Closer. But still not right. Like wearing someone else's shoes — the size was fine, but the shape was wrong.

  I didn't know why.

  I sighed and put it back in my inventory.

  'It's too big to carry on my back comfortably anyway. I'll use it when I have to.'

  'Time to move.'

  I rolled my shoulders. Strength settled back into place like I'd slept twelve hours straight.

  First time I'd truly appreciated what that potion actually did.

  I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

  The door to the Seventh Circle stood ahead. I walked toward it, already marking the direction as my new North.

  I stepped through—

  '...What the fuck?'

  "Ah," a man said, turning to me with a smile.

  "WELCOME, YOUNG MAN!"