Volume 1, Chapter 14 – Status Open

Ah, I’m exhausted.

These past two days since arriving in the royal capital have been one long test of my abdominal muscles.

Fortunately—yes, extremely fortunately!—it seems that high-impact prayer pose is only used during formal ceremonies at places like temples and the royal palace.

Thanks to that, I haven’t had to put my abdominal muscles through any more trials since the audience ended.

After that, we left the palace and headed to the shop the King had designated for buying my equipment.

Given how he’d spoken, I figured he’d already pulled some strings, and sure enough, he had.

They were clearly waiting for us.

After taking my measurements, they forced me to buy a “Saintess Cosplay Set” without giving me any room to argue.

Including spare underwear and such, it cost 50 gold coins.

That’s a purchase worth about 2.5 million yen! Way too expensive!

Then we moved to another shop.

This time, a shoe store.

I was still wearing my starter sandals, but apparently that absolutely wouldn’t do, so I got forced into buying boots.

These were also part of the King’s designated “Saintess Cosplay Set.”

They were clearly tailored to go with the rest of the set.

Those cost 10 gold coins, or about 500,000 yen. ¹ About 3k1 usd.

Looks like after my abdominal muscles, now it’s my wallet’s turn to be tested.

“Um, Chris-san. Couldn’t we go with something a little cheaper—”

“No. You have the reward for defeating Schwarz, and Fiene-sama, wearing a robe bestowed by His Majesty the King, must not be seen dressed shabbily.”

“Then, what about not wearing this robe and storing it away?”

“That is even more unacceptable. To not wear the robe granted by His Majesty the King would be an act of disrespect. Please wear it as much as possible when going out. That robe has a magic enchantment that automatically cleanses dirt, so it doesn’t even need washing.”

And so it went, leaving me no room to argue.

Apparently, I don’t even have the right to choose my own clothes.

Grrr. If you’re going to force me, then pay for it!

And so, we returned to the luxurious hotel, and I was talking with Chris-san in the suite’s sitting room.

Starting today, Chris-san would also be staying in the same suite as me.

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Well, she’s in the attendant’s waiting room. As expected of a luxury hotel suite in the royal capital.

It even had facilities for attendants and guards to wait in whenever royalty or nobles stayed there.

Well, I’m the one paying for it! Grrr.

“However, I was surprised. Fiene-sama, you can use Storage Magic as well?”

Chris-san spoke to me with an impressed tone.

“Is that rare?”

“Very few possess the ‘Storage Magic Skill’. If the storage capacity is large enough, you could make a living off that skill alone. If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell me its storage capacity? It’ll affect things going forward.”

“Um, mine doesn’t hold very much. After putting in money and the clothes and boots I bought today, there’s only a little space left. Well, my Skill Level is 1, after all.”

“Ah, so you’ve already checked your Status.”

“Huh? Not yet. It should still be 1 since I haven’t leveled up. More importantly, how do you check your Status?”

“Ah, I see what you mean. For your Status, if you say ‘Status Open,’ it will appear floating before your eyes.”

So that’s how it is!

Throwing that retort out in my head, I tried checking my Status.

“Status Open.”

A screen-like window floated up in front of my eyes.

Yes, yes, this is it! Now if I could just open a menu…

“Fiene-sama. Your Status can be seen by others if they look over your shoulder. Please make sure others can’t see it. Also, you must not peek at others’ Statuses. If you look at someone’s Status without permission, in the worst case, you could be cut down on the spot and no one would sympathize with you, so please be careful.”

“Why is that?”

“One’s Status records not just their name, but all information about their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can do. For those who make fighting their profession, this is their lifeline. Therefore, the common sense is to disclose your Status to others as little as possible.”

“I understand.”

Saying that, Chris-san said she would make some tea and headed to the kitchen. I checked my Status in the meantime.

▽ ▽ ▽

【Name】: Fiene Argentata

【Race】: Vampire (LOL)

【Gender】: Female

Rеαⅾ oո КatRеaⅾiոɡCаfе

【Class】: Healer

【Level】: 1

【HP】: 33

【MP】: 25

【STR】: 29

【INT】: 24

【AGI】: 23

【DEX】: 26

【VIT】: 27

【MND】: 25

【LUC】: 25

【Exp】: 0

【Unique Skills (13) ▼】

【Skills (19) ▼】

▽ ▽ ▽

Oh! There are the familiar notations like STR and INT!

It seems AnnyOn’s world uses a Status system similar to other VRMMOs.

Excellent!

This is what I was waiting for! This is it!

Huh?

I noticed something strange and looked at my Status again more carefully.

▽ ▽ ▽

【Name】: Fiene Argentata

【Race】: Vampire (LOL)

【Gender】: Female

Rеаd оո ΚαtReαdіngСаfе

【Class】: Healer

【Level】: 1

▽ ▽ ▽

Heeeeey!

What’s with this ‘Vampire (LOL)’ Race?!

Who’s the one who added this ‘(LOL)’?!

Is it that? That bald old man from the shitty dev team?

Is it him? It’s him, isn’t it?

Come to think of it, that guy had already gone and installed himself as a god in this world, so it wouldn’t be strange for him to pull a prank like this.

That bastard. When I get back to the real world, I’m absolutely going to spam the support line and complain.

That said, I have no idea if this Status is good or bad. It’s probably best to ask someone who knows.

“Chris-saaan, I want you to teach me about Statuses—!”

Right then, Chris-san returned carrying a teapot.

“Yes. Of course. How was it?”

When asked that, I told Chris-san about my Status.

“I see. For a Level 1 Healer, those stats are exceptional. Normally, a Level 1 Healer’s stats are around 10 to 20, so Fiene-sama’s stats are equivalent to a typical Level 3 Healer. As expected.”

Well, I am a Vampire! Even if it has a weird (LOL) attached to it for some reason.

“Shall I explain the meaning of each stat?”

“Please do.”

“HP is like vitality. It’s said you die when it reaches 0, but no one has confirmed that. Also, please note that the HP displayed there is not your current HP, but rather the HP you would have when in peak condition.”

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

“MP is a gauge for how much magic and skills you can use. The higher this number, the more magic and skills you can use. Like HP, it doesn’t show your current remaining MP. HP and MP gradually recover when resting, and can also be restored with medicine or potions.”

I see, I see. That part is standard.

“STR is attack power with weapons or martial arts, INT is magic power, AGI is speed, DEX is attack accuracy, VIT is defense against weapon attacks, and MND is resistance against magic and curses. LUC isn’t well understood, but it’s said to be related to luck.”

She explained it all with a serious face.

Rеαԁ оո KαtRеαⅾіnɡСαfe

I thought she was all muscle and no brains, but it seems she’s studied this area quite thoroughly.

“Um, so that means I have high HP, physical attack, and physical defense, but low MP, speed, magic attack, and magic defense, and bad luck?”

“Um, well, y-yes, you could say that. But, um, you see, your stats are about double that of a normal person. And, well, Fiene-sama is still Level 1. It’s, you know. You’re basically a bundle of potential! I’m sure the areas you’re weak in will become strengths when you level up!”

Somehow, I feel like I’m being heavily covered for.

“Why is my Class Healer? With stats like these, Warrior or something seems more fitting.”

“That’s surely because you already possessed powerful Holy Magic and Healing Magic Skills! After all, you defeated Schwarz in one hit at night!”

She looked at me with sparkling eyes, as if to say that was amazing.

Yeah, now that you mention it, that did happen.

“Ah, but why could my magic defeat him when I’m only Level 1?”

“I believe that’s because the opponent was a vampire, and your Holy Magic Skill Level was high. Vampires are critically weak against sunlight and Holy-attribute magic, so during the day, even with a Holy Magic Skill Level of 3, you should have been able to defeat Schwarz if combined with Holy Water. Originally, we should have brought a Priest, but given where it happened… Still, meeting you, Fiene-sama, truly saved us!”

“No, I was saved too.”

Ah, this is heading into another endless cycle of gratitude. I’d better change the topic now.

“By the way, what’s the highest Holy Magic Skill Level someone has right now?”

“Since people don’t openly share it, the exact details aren’t known. However, I’m certain it’s at least Skill Level 4 or above. Probably among those continuously training at some temple, there are those who have reached Level 5.”

“I-I see.”

“Incidentally, speaking of historical figures, it’s said the legendary Great Saint, beloved by the gods and hailed as an unparalleled genius, had a Holy Magic Skill Level of 7. It’s said the Great Saint purified the Demon Lord and cleansed every last evil Vampire and Demon, liberated the slaves, and created a truly peaceful era.”

“I-I see.”

Huh? Did I completely screw up my sense of scale here?

“Speaking of which, Fiene-sama’s Holy Magic must be high too, right? To defeat Schwarz at night while being Level 1, your Skill Level must be around 4 or 5, right?”

Chris-san started muttering to herself for some reason.

As I watched her mumbling, she suddenly looked me straight in the face and seriously explained the conclusion she’d reached.

“That’s right, that must be it. Fiene-sama was given the Healer Class because your Holy Magic Skill Level is high! The gods are surely telling you to train your Healing Magic and Holy Magic Skills and become a wonderful Saint like the Great Saint!”

What am I supposed to do? I can’t exactly tell her it’s already Level 10 and MAX.

If I did, what little freedom I had left would definitely drop to zero.

And so, I resolved to keep my Skill Levels hidden.