Episode 6: Skills and Changes

[F-rank Skill: Acquired Ice Attribute]

[F-rank Skill: Body Strengthening reached Level 5]

[As a result, your rank is increasing]

[...Please wait...]

[Congratulations!!]

[E-rank Skill: Body Strengthening acquired!!]

"...Oh."

The notifications on my phone were incessant, and when I opened the app, they flooded in like crazy. I don't have many friends and don't play many mobile games, so receiving this many notifications was a first in my life.

Usually, the only notifications I get on my phone are from my mom, so this was quite a change. ...Saying it out loud, it made me feel a bit sad.

"Anyway, let's check my status."

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[Name]: Tamada Shion Reita

[Rank]: E

[Skills]: Body Strengthening Lv5

　　　　　 Ice Attribute Lv1

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"...A new skill, huh?"

With the level increase, my overflowing power also improved further. Additionally, my rank rose from F to E. ...Though, I still don't know what advantage this might bring.

Well, that's not really important.

What's most intriguing is this new skill.

The skill I obtained from defeating the giant snake, called "Ice Attribute," is the one that piques my interest the most.

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Skill: Ice Attribute

Rank: F

Description: Skill to use ice attribute.

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"...Still as vague as ever."

I couldn't help but sigh at the explanation that wasn't much of an explanation. But at the same time, the joy of obtaining this skill was coursing through me.

Judging from this description, it's safe to assume that I... can use magic, right? It's not wrong to perceive that I've acquired the ability to manifest ice, based on this description.

Magic, it's humanity's dream.

Magic, it's a boy's hope.

Magic, it's the power I sought.

Obtaining such power fills me with excitement. My breath quickens, and the desire to activate it right away courses through my mind.

"Alright, let's activate it right away!"

I extend my right arm forward.

Focus. Visualize.

And then, a magic circle appears above my right hand.

Furthermore, I concentrate harder, maintaining the visualization.

A sensation of something leaving my body emanates from within me. Presumably, the magic circle is absorbing my magical power, utilizing it as the fuel for the magic I'm about to cast.

Concentrate, visualize. Concentrate, visualize.

And then... I activate it.

""Low-level Ice Sphere: Ice Ball"!"

What materializes is a baseball-sized chunk of ice.

It sparkles and reflects light.

Despite its small size, it emits a chilling cold. Just touching it makes my hand tingle with pain.

For now, since my hand hurts, I launch it nearby.

The ice ball flies and crashes into the wall, shattering upon impact. Its fragments disperse into magical particles, just like with monsters.

"This is... magic...!!"

The scale of the magic might be small, but the joy is immense.

After all, I've achieved humanity's dream.

After all, I've achieved my dream.

I, who loves online novels, have obtained the ability to cast magic, something I've yearned for in my fantasies before bedtime.

There's nothing more joyful than this.

There's nothing more emotionally stirring than this.

Ah... I'm glad to be alive.

"Dungeon Survive is the best!"

My voice of joy resonates throughout the room.

◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆

It was an hour later when my emotions calmed down. In other words, by the time I escaped from the dungeon, the surroundings had grown dim. It was already past 6 PM.

I tried to sneak home, but unfortunately, I was spotted by my teacher. I was lectured for a long time and wasn't released until 8 PM. Luckily, no police report was filed, so it might not have been as bad as it could've been.

Afterward, as soon as I got home, I received another lecture from my mom. All the lectures finally ended at 10 PM, and from there, I fell asleep like a log, exhausted from dungeon exploration.

"...And that brings us to now."

Looking at the man reflected in the bathroom mirror, I couldn't help but freeze. I recalled all my actions from yesterday, but there was no hint of recognition. Everything about this man in the mirror was a mystery.

With neatly opened double eyelids, sharp eyes.

A straight nose. Lips that stood out against the fair skin.

He resembled a movie star, an extremely handsome man whose beauty outshone the word "handsome." His features were so perfect that even as a heterosexual heterosexual, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by his charm. That's the face of the man reflected in the mirror.

He stands at about 199 centimeters tall. To be reflected in the bathroom mirror, you have to bend your back. Though his body is slender, it's well-toned like that of a boxing athlete. There's not a trace of excess fat, and his muscles are sculpted like a statue. That's the physique of the man reflected in the mirror.

The pajamas are snug.

But even that looks good on him.

If I wore it, I'd probably be seen as "a poorly fitting outfit" or "a poor person who still wears pajamas from elementary school that my mom bought," but if this man wore it, he'd be seen as "wearing it intentionally" or "pulling it off."

"Who...?"

The man reflected in the mirror isn't an introvert.

To be precise, there's only a faint trace of an introvert left, and he's almost a completely different handsome man. I can't help but stare at him in wonder.

I remember one thing.

Yesterday, just before I lost consciousness, I heard a sound like something snapping.

Could it have been the sound of my body transforming?

It's unbelievable, but there's no choice but to believe it.

I definitely changed, into an extremely handsome man.

Probably... because of "Body Strengthening."

My body must have been strengthened, causing this transformation. Even though I didn't know it.

"I'm happy to be handsome, but will everyone still recognize me after such a change?"

My previous appearance is drastically different.

As a result, I might be treated as a different person. I could prove that I'm the same person with DNA or fingerprint testing, but it's a hassle to go to that extent. ...Sigh, life's tough.

First and foremost, I need to solve the problem of clothing... My current pajamas don't fit anymore because my body has grown. The width is fine, but the length is way too short.

"Shion!! Are you still brushing your teeth?!"

And at that moment.

My mom approached the bathroom.

This is... bad.

I try to hide, but it's already too late.

The curtain of the bathroom is pulled back, and I meet my mom's eyes. She sees me in this state.

"...?"

She's clearly stunned.

Oh no, this is bad.

In the worst-case scenario... she might report it to the authorities.

　There is almost no sign of her son.

　What excuse should I make?

　What words should I say?

　No matter how much I think about it, my brain is all scattered.

　I can't find a good word for communication failure.

"Oh, you've grown so much."

　However, her mother's words were different from what she had imagined. She spoke to me in a very normal way, as if it were natural for her to do so.

"Huh, ah, yeah.…Aren't you surprised?"

"It's a growing period, so I wouldn't be surprised if it suddenly grew bigger.More importantly, is natto bread okay for breakfast?"

"Ah, yeah."

　happy.

　I'm glad that he reacted in a normal way, neither panicking nor moving in a way that said, ``I'm a parent, so I'll know what he's going to look like.'' I appreciate that you treat this as a normal occurrence and don't make it a big deal.

　...I can't thank my mother enough for raising me this far on her own. When she was an adolescent, she had a cold attitude towards him, and lately she's been shy and doesn't talk to her anymore... but now I'm starting to feel even more grateful. I wonder if her feelings of gratitude exploded like a volcano because she noticed me even when I was like this.

"Anyway, you...I need to buy new clothes."

"Ah, that's right. Mom, can you buy me anything?"

"Don't middle school students hate things like that...?"

　I guess that's usually the case.

　However, I'm a negative person, so I don't dislike it.