Copy Skills with Affinity! - Chapter 62

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Natty

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Copy Skills with Affinity! ◈

Chapter 62: Preparation

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-System Message

▶ You have expelled “Puppeteer,” a key figure in Act One.

▶ The target’s true body is sealed. They cannot awaken of their own will!

▶ An “Exorcism Brand” is engraved upon the target, “Puppeteer.”

▶ The progression of Chapter 3 has changed. The difficulty will be greatly reduced!

As soon as he crushed Rad, the window appeared, and Aiden let out a satisfied sigh.

Just as expected.

If it took information about him back, it would obviously prepare all sorts of schemes. It had been wise to deal with it before that could become a nuisance.

‘Sealed, huh.’

It was also worth noting that the message said sealed rather than dead.

Completely killing demons was extremely difficult.

As their name, mental parasites, implied, their very existence was vague. One had to locate their true bodies directly. They would not have survived for centuries after their main god was sealed if that were not the case.

There were far too many steps required to kill them completely.

It would be even harder with someone called the Puppeteer, who had a pathological obsession with artificial bodies.

Still, it was enough that the difficulty of Chapter 3, the final chapter of Act One, had dropped considerably.

Besides.

‘If it’s sealed instead of dead, there may be a way to use it later.’

It might even be better that it had not died.

As Aiden recalled, this Exorcism Brand displayed in the system window...

‘Maybe it would be better if it resurrected?’

Sealed demons generally formed a rather special... compatibility relationship with the person who sealed them.

Restrictions powerful enough to make them regret not dying then and there were placed upon them.

So if this bastard woke up later, it would have its uses.

‘Well, anyway.’

Aiden let out a deep sigh.

He had finished things well enough, but he had been mulling over two lessons.

First, he needed to get a decent weapon soon.

‘It hurts.’

Aiden looked down at his hand, which was a complete wreck.

It was slowly regenerating thanks to Sacred Body, the skill he had copied from Katia, but pain was still pain.

The revolver that had contained that last attack had exploded entirely, scattering fragments everywhere.

Honestly, expecting an ordinary revolver bought from any gun shop to withstand an ability like that had been unreasonable.

‘... Should I just have one custom-made?’

Equipment was always important. Especially for someone like Aiden, who would continue walking the line between life and death.

Copying skills was the main axis of his growth, but there was no reason not to acquire equipment that could amplify them.

The second lesson was that he needed to be careful about when, where, and against whom he used that attack.

‘What the hell was that?’

With a hollow laugh, Aiden looked at the trail left by the attack that had pierced through Rad.

The strike had swept away the spot where Rad had stood, then finally stopped only after making a crater in the small hill beyond it.

... Anyone who saw it might have mistaken it for a missile strike.

He had fired it himself, yet it was still absurd.

‘Could I kill Senior once at this level?’

He entertained that hopeful thought for a moment, then shook his head and scratched the back of his neck.

Even now that he had grown much stronger, he died to Meyer every day in his dreams. He could not even imagine attempting it.

Once, without even using an ability, Meyer had casually cut apart the Guardian’s Flame Aiden created with his sword.

When Aiden had asked in shock how he did it, Meyer replied:

-You just watch closely and cut it. Want me to make it pretty for you?

After that, Meyer cut abilities into star shapes, circles, and triangles. In any case, he had toyed with Aiden mercilessly.

‘... Let’s give up.’

It did not seem possible.

He would have to wait until later to land even one blow on that monster...

Anyway.

As Aiden sighed and started to leave, another window suddenly appeared before him.

-System Message

▶ You make contact with “Puppeteer,” Rad Ilja Barfon.

▶ [Malice] increases by 2 levels!

▶ You copy “Mutated Skills” from the target!

‘... Oh.’

This was an unexpected gain.

Come to think of it, he had copied skills from the Prince through a similar method before.

Apparently, he could not only gain skills by earning someone’s favor. He could also take degraded copies from people who held clear, unmistakable Malice toward him.

The Prince had merely disliked him, but this bastard had just been struck down and sealed by Aiden. It must hate Aiden even more.

‘Two skills...’

Thinking about it, this was an incredible catch.

The skill he had taken from the Prince before had proven tremendously useful. These would surely be useful as well.

The strategic advantage of being able to copy an enemy’s abilities could not be called small, even as an understatement.

And that was not all.

-Skill Info

◈ Weaver of Fate

⧾ Rad Ilja Barfon

- Malice: Level 2

- You can copy 2 skills.

※ Malice is Level 2 or higher. You can use the “Recoil” function.

※ Raise your Malice Level to unlock the “Filtering” and “Sealing” functions!

‘... Something else?’

A new function had been unlocked.

▶ If you use the “Recoil” function on a copied skill, you can use its effect at a level equivalent to the original once.

A whistle slipped from Aiden’s lips.

In other words, he could temporarily use a copied skill, which normally performed worse than the original, at its original level.

This was more than just a good deal.

‘And there are still functions left.’

It was also encouraging that raising Malice further would unlock functions like Filtering and Sealing.

In any case, he was bound to clash with those he marked as enemies. It was a cruel irony that the more desperately they hated him, the more all of it became his strength.

Looking at something like this made him realize anew.

‘... From now on, should I think about ripping off skills from everyone I meet first?’

Whether he made them like him or hate him.

It would be best to approach people from that perspective whenever possible.

▣

“Thank you.”

The Grand Duke Aslan greeted Aiden with a deep bow as soon as he returned to the territory.

“... I do not know how you did it, but my daughter would have had to die without you. I cannot thank you enough.”

The Grand Duke looked up, his expression serious as he continued.

“When I first invited you to my territory, I approached it like a negotiation... But from now on, the Aslan Ducal House is officially your friend. Visit whenever you wish, and ask for anything you need.”

As though in response to those words, several windows appeared in succession.

-System Message

▶ You have successfully completed the sub-quest.

▶ The Affinity of the target, “Grand Duke Aslan,” increases.

▶ Your Bond Level increases!

▶ You can copy 1 skill!

▶ The Affinity of the target, “Liza Aslan,” increases.

▶ You can copy 1 skill!

-System Message

▶ You have gained the favor of the Aslan Duchy.

▶ You have gained the Affinity of its residents.

▶ You receive a large number of Points usable in the “Point Shop.”

... Good grief.

Things kept pouring in. Aiden scanned the messages.

‘The skill I got from the Grand Duke is one thing, but...’

There was a skill from the young lady as well. He would have to check the list later to see what it was.

Come to think of it, that person.

“Is Lady Liza physically all right?”

“They say there is nothing wrong with her vital signs, but it may take some time for her to regain consciousness. This is the first time someone has returned to human form after undergoing Beastification. Even the doctors cannot predict how things will progress.”

Was that not a problem? Aiden’s expression stiffened slightly, but the Grand Duke shook his head.

“I told you, there is nothing wrong with her vital signs. The doctors said she is merely slow to regain consciousness. Do not worry too much.”

“That is a relief, then...”

What if returning to human form after Beastification caused side effects?

‘... Wasn’t there a similar case in the game?’

Come to think of it, he thought there might have been something similar in the original game.

It seemed that person had gained some sort of special ability.

What was it again...?

“That is enough. I trust the doctors.”

Before Aiden could remember, the Grand Duke cut him off and ran a hand through his hair.

“More importantly, do you have any clue who did this to Liza...”

“Ah, I know who it was.”

“... What?”

Instead of explaining further, Aiden placed a name badge before the bewildered Grand Duke.

It was one of the few things left intact among Rad’s remains after he had been blasted apart.

“Rad Ilja Barfon. The Minister of Administration.”

“... The Prince’s lackey?”

“Yes.”

The Grand Duke’s face twitched.

“That bastard should be staying put in the Imperial Capital. How dare he pick a fight with the Aslan Ducal House...”

“Whatever his intentions, officially, the Minister of Administration never visited this territory. He came in secret.”

After saying that, Aiden paused briefly and smiled faintly.

“So whatever happens to him in this territory, officially, he is no one, Your Grace.”

“...”

After listening for a moment, the corner of the Grand Duke’s mouth curled as well.

It was clear from that smile that he understood exactly what Aiden meant...

“Yes. That bastard never came here in the first place.”

“Yes.”

“So even if he dies somewhere and goes missing, neither you nor the Aslan Ducal House would have anything to do with it. Right?”

“Of course.”

“Hey, Aiden Kellermain.”

Unable to contain his laughter, the Grand Duke continued with a chuckle.

“Have you already taken care of him?”

“Yes.”

“You seem like quite a good person to discuss business with.”

“Thank you.”

The two men who understood each other’s thoughts exchanged transparent smiles and shook hands. It was a moment when a close bond formed between them...

“More importantly, Your Grace.”

Of course, settling that was all well and good.

“Isn’t the Night of the Hunt coming soon?”

A shadow of concern crossed the Grand Duke Aslan’s face.

“It is.”

“Then I should help. That was why I came here in the first place.”

“... I cannot ask for that as well, after already receiving such a favor.”

“No.”

Aiden immediately cut in as the Grand Duke tried firmly to dissuade him.

This was a main quest to begin with. Even if he was discouraged, it was not something he could simply abandon.

“Lady Liza cannot fight right now, can she? That must leave a significant hole in your defenses.”

“But...”

... Why did this man keep trying to stop him?

Things would be disastrous for Aiden too if this went wrong.

Aiden answered decisively to the still-hesitant Grand Duke.

“I cannot stand by and watch people die.”

The Grand Duke’s eyes widened briefly at Aiden’s words.

Then they slowly closed.

And watching him, Aiden suddenly had an intuition.

Oh, this was it.

Was this the moment it went up?

-System Message

▶ The Affinity of the target, “Grand Duke Aslan,” increases.

▶ Your Bond Level increases!

▶ You can copy 2 skills!

‘... It really is.’

It was strange that he could recognize it himself now.

“I really am a good judge of character.”

The Grand Duke finally shook his head as though he could not stop Aiden and took a seat.

“... Take a look.”

With those words, he pulled a bundle of documents from beneath a stack on the desk.

After reading through their contents, Aiden let out a hollow laugh.

“Is this real?”

The Night of the Hunt was almost an annual event in the Aslan Duchy, so naturally, they had accumulated material to predict it.

That was why the observations of magical beasts preparing to leave the Void Zone were so well organized.

And what Aiden had just read was similar to phenomena they had observed before.

A large-scale movement of magical beasts. Normally, they should have poured out and attacked the duchy.

“But the way they are moving...”

“They are fleeing because they are being chased.”

The Grand Duke Aslan stated it plainly.

“This is different from their usual attacks. Though they are creatures left with nothing but instinct, something is so frightening that they are fleeing beyond the Void Zone. They are not coming out to attack us. In other words.”

He rubbed his face, looking troubled.

“This Night of the Hunt will not be a large-scale raid. A terribly powerful single entity is making its way out of the Void Zone.”

In a way, that was more dangerous.

A large horde of magical beasts could be faced with an army. But against a being that powerful, throwing ordinary soldiers at it would only provide it with more prey.

They would absolutely need a superhuman capable of subjugating it.

“And the problem is... We have no idea what kind of magical beast it could be. It is only speculation, but it is highly likely to be an exceptionally powerful individual even among magical beasts.”

“...”

“It may even be one of the most dangerous magical beasts, a top-tier entity with intelligence.”

Intelligent entities. Monsters among magical beasts that possessed intelligence close to that of humans.

Very few had ever been observed, but each one possessed combat power comparable to a high-ranking ability user.

‘... It really is a powerful one.’

If they compared pure combat power, there was a good chance it was stronger than Rad, whom Aiden had crushed not long ago. The Grand Duke was not worrying without reason.

Aiden watched the Grand Duke sigh and briefly closed his eyes.

Then his gaze moved through the air.

He was sorting through the skill-copy opportunities he had received so far.

Primarily.

Two from Rad.

Two from the Grand Duke Aslan.

This should be enough.

‘... This could work.’

He was already calculating what he needed to do with them.

“Your Grace. You said earlier that I should tell you if I needed anything, right?”

“... Is there something you have in mind? You look as though you have already made a plan.”

Of course there was.