Assessment

The next morning I still think about what happened yesterday. It all seems a little weird. However, a look into my status proves that it really happened.

Status Guy Lv.10 Goblin instructor

Mp 10+29+0

Strength 5+29+11

Constitution 5+29+13

Speed 5+29+8

Magic ability 0+29+0

Skills:

universal humanoid language, universal monster language, dungeon map

Sword use lv. 1; enhanced stamina lv. 3; dismantling lv. 5; breathing technique lv. 3; trap making lv. 4; dagger use lv. 4; throwing lv. 4; slash lv. 1; cleaning lv. 1; instructing lv.1; camp construction lv.1; instructor's assessment lv.1; stealth lv.1; make-shift crafting lv.1; soul vision lv.1

There at the end of the list is my new skill, soul vision. At level one its effects are pitiful and almost useless. All I can do is concentrate to see what Darwin calls soul links. I can't even see souls yet.

<You should be grateful that you have that skill. If you can level it up and evolve it into soul eyes you can directly look at someone's soul.>

And what is the benefit of looking at other people's souls? From what I can tell it does nothing but make the other person uncomfortable.

<I'm not sure how much you need this but it allows you to see another person's status information. And those eyes can't be blocked by anti-appraisal skills. They also allow you to somewhat circumvent a level gap.>

That does sound useful but for all we know, my instructor's assessment skill can do the same.

<Really? What's Darwin's level?>

How should I know?

<If your skill wasn't restricted by the opponent's level you would know by now.>

I never tried to look at his level!

<That's fine. You're about to enter the lobby, see if you can tell what Valeria's level is.>

I'm just about to enter the lobby so that's a good idea. Do I need to ask her for permission or something?

<I'll inform her so just do your thing.>

I enter through the doors and look at Valeria. She's standing behind the reception with a bored look. She glances over at me and proceeds to ignore me.

I look at her intently while trying to figure out her level. Strangely two numbers appear in my mind. ~30 and 200. Yes, the first number has a squiggly line.

<The squiggly line is called a tilde and means approximately. Your skill is quite good. You accurately see Valeria's additive level and have an approximation of her level.>

Mind explaining the difference between the two types of levels?

<You know that your level resets whenever you evolve, right? The additive level is the sum of all your levels over multiple evolutions. For example, your current additive level is 30 while your level is 10.>

So Valeria's stats are all in the two hundreds?

<Not really. You seem to forget about the fact that we can train stats. Some of her stats are more than double what you just judged.>

More than double? How weak am I?

<Don't think about it too much. You would better spend your time doing some more tests to determine the exact effects of your skills. Try to see other parts of her status.>

I guess trying can't hurt. I concentrate and try to see Valeria's status.

Status Valeria Lv.~30 (200) blood ???

Mp 10+199+???

Strength 1+199+???

Constitution 1+199+???

Speed 4+199+???

Magic ability 0+199+???

Skills:

universal humanoid language, universal monster language, dungeon map, flight, ??? (???)

...

...

...

Dancing lv.5; flirting lv.69; quick hands lv.3; brewing lv.6

...

Most of her skills are riddled with question marks but damn. Her base stats are crap but the number of skills she has is staggering. Up top are the combat skills that are completely garbled while below come more mundane skills. Those mundane skills aren't garbled but bad for my sanity.

I mean, we all see the problem, right? She has a skill for flirting and its level is insane!

<Ah yes, Valeria and her flirting skill. When she first got it we were quite astonished but over time we have become numb to its ever-growing presence.>

Is it like easy to level up or something?

<It most certainly isn't. However, Valeria exercises it often. Very often.>

Do I need to worry?

<Melody seems to be very loyal so you should be fine.>

Let's just stop talking about all this and move on. What's on my schedule for today?

<In the morning you have another lesson with Sean. Later we would like for you to join a special mission where you are tasked with leading a group of goblin-like monsters.>

Who's Sean?

<The young man you started to teach how to dismantle. You had your first lesson a while back and he didn't come back so we thought he had given up. But yesterday he contacted us and booked another lesson with you. He said that he acquired the dismantling skill and wants to raise its level.>

From the sound of it, he got scammed then.

<That sounds interesting. Mind explaining?>

Most average carriers enter the industry the same way. We have basic proficiency in dismantling but not enough to get the skill. Searching for ways to quickly raise our proficiency enough to get the skill we come across an ad that promises exactly that.

A company that offers a course that guarantees skill acquisition within a few days for no cost at all. Sounds too good to be true until you see the contract. Along with your application for the course, you have to sign a contract to work for them for a year.

You question them about the contract and they say it's standard practice. One year doesn't seem that bad and you will get paid so you accept.

You get sent to a slaughterhouse where you are forced to slave away for 8 hours a day killing livestock. You get the skill but have no practical experience and are sent to delve into a dungeon as a rookie adventurer.

Once you return the quality of your dismantling will be assessed and you find out that with your current level of skill you basically earn nothing. All the rates you've seen are meant for the work done by carriers with dismantling at level 3 or above.

Now you have to spend a year working for a company with basically no money to show for it. The expenses keep piling up and by the end of that one year you can't afford to quit your job. Instead, you have to dedicate all your efforts to raise your skill high enough to start earning enough to survive.

The only way to escape this is to quickly increase the level of your skill and look for a better job after your done working for that year.