A giant, castle-like figure rose directly ahead, accompanied by the pungent smell of sulfur.
Scarlet scales dominated Zoe Sable's field of vision.
It was a red dragon.
With no time to wonder why a red dragon would appear in the starting village, Zoe could only raise the iron sword in his hand, relying on reactions honed over nineteen years since his reincarnation.
“Resistance Boost!”
“Great Resistance Boost!”
These were two of the few combat skills Zoe possessed as a swordsman. Red light flashed, enveloping his body.
By then, the red dragon's breath had already arrived.
Dragon flame swallowed Zoe and his companions. The iron sword in his hand and his only set of plate armor melted into molten iron in an instant.
Resistance was futile.
Charred black, Zoe collapsed to the ground, the unextinguished dragon flame still burning on his body.
The two skills he had used with all his might seemed to only make him burn a little brighter under the dragon flame.
[Talent skill Infinite Reincarnation (SSS-grade) activation condition (Death) met, beginning activation]
[Acquired skill: Dragon Flame Lv.1 (Time-limited; skill disappears when the dragon flame is extinguished)]
Under the blistering dragon flame, Zoe turned completely to ash, scattering with the wind.
...
Zoe's consciousness and vision gradually cleared.
What met his eyes was an endless, pristine white space, along with characters formed from golden points of light.
[You have died]
[You were born in the Month of Melting Snow (January), Year 621 of the Sacred Circle Calendar, and died in the Month of Fresh Green (April), Year 640 of the Sacred Circle Calendar, at the age of 19]
[In your 19 years of life, you stepped into the transcendent world, advancing to a Lv.16 Low-tier Swordsman, surpassing 85% of humans. Soul Points +60]
[Achievement unlocked: Elite Human. Soul Points +10]
[You have cumulatively slain Lv.1-Lv.10 living beings × 412. Soul Points +41]
[You have cumulatively slain Lv.11-Lv.20 living beings × 3. Soul Points +30]
[Throughout your 19 years of life, you were completely unmoved by women, devoting yourself entirely to swordsmanship and adventuring, meeting death with a pure body. Hidden achievement unlocked: Minor Sage. Acquired talent skill 'Apprentice (D-grade)']
[Throughout your 19 years of life, you studied and practiced diligently, honing your swordsmanship without slack, and resolutely set out on a journey of adventure to become an adventurer. Hidden achievement unlocked: Hard Worker. Acquired talent skill 'Diligence Makes Up for Deficiencies (E-grade)']
[You may begin the next reincarnation at any time]
Zoe stared at the characters made of light, his mind racing before he could finally process what was happening.
“So... I actually had a cheat after all!”
Having lived in this world for nineteen years since his reincarnation, Zoe had already accepted the fact that his talent was mediocre and that he lacked any kind of cheat.
Yet even so, he had never given up his pursuit of the transcendent path. He had constantly avoided death and worked himself to the bone to become an adventurer.
In the end, his cheat only triggered upon death.
Zoe forced himself to calm down before he began to investigate his cheat.
[Name] Zoe Sable
[Talent Skills] Infinite Reincarnation (SSS-grade), Reincarnation Space (S-grade), Apprentice (D-grade), Diligence Makes Up for Deficiencies (E-grade)
[Soul Points] 141
Zoe's status panel was extremely simple. There were no levels or regular skills listed, only talent skills and Soul Points.
Next, Zoe checked the descriptions of each skill one by one.
[Infinite Reincarnation (SSS-grade)] Triggers upon death. Sacrifices everything you possess to initiate the next reincarnation.
[Reincarnation Space (S-grade)] A space where the soul rests during the interval between reincarnations. Manifests as a 1-cubic-meter physical space in the material realm, capable of storing items and unaffected by reincarnation.
[Apprentice (D-grade)] Slightly increases learning capacity, allowing faster memorization and mastery of knowledge, and improving the efficiency of skill acquisition and advancement.
[Diligence Makes Up for Deficiencies (E-grade)] After focusing on practice or study for a cumulative total of 2 hours, learning capacity and learning efficiency are enhanced.
The effects of the skills were all easy to understand.
Of the four talent skills, the latter two were acquired by completing hidden achievements in his previous life.
Based solely on these two, it was difficult for Zoe to determine the exact requirements for unlocking hidden achievements.
“The Minor Sage achievement was for staying pure for nineteen years. Could there be a Sage or Grand Sage achievement later on?”
Zoe stared at the 'Apprentice (D-grade)' skill he received from the 'Minor Sage' achievement, lost in thought.
Judging by its description, Apprentice (D-grade) was quite powerful. If his mediocre past self had possessed such a talent, he wouldn't have had to struggle so miserably.
“It seems keeping myself pure is absolutely necessary.”
Once Zoe finished reviewing all his skills and proceeded to the next step, the golden floating text before him changed.
[Please review or adjust your free attributes]
[Eyes] 5
[Blood] 5
[Flesh] 5
[Brain] 5
[Bones] 5
[Talent Skill Slots] 4/5 (1,000 Soul Points required to add 1 Talent Skill Slot)
[Attribute Points] 25/25 (Before Attribute Points reach 40, 10 Soul Points can purchase 1 Attribute Point)
[Soul Points] 141
“What?”
Zoe had not expected the attribute interface to look like this.
But now that things had come to this...
Zoe spent 100 Soul Points to exchange for 10 Attribute Points.
[Attribute Points] 25/35
“Should I distribute them evenly, or min-max them?”
Zoe tried reducing his points in [Eyes]. As the points decreased, his vision grew increasingly blurry.
When the points in [Eyes] hit zero, the world before him plunged completely into darkness, and he lost the organ entirely.
“It seems eyes are indispensable.”
Zoe restored his points in [Eyes] and then began to adjust his attribute distribution.
[Eyes] 5
[Blood] 10
[Flesh] 10
[Brain] 10
[Bones] 0
[Attribute Points] 35/35
Zoe needed to experiment and see what kind of reincarnation he would undergo if one of his attributes was set to 0. The result of this test would help him make better decisions when adjusting points in future reincarnations.
[Attribute panel confirmed. Reincarnation requirements met]
It actually met the requirements!
[Would you like to spend 10 Soul Points to randomly draw a time-limited talent? (Time-limited talents are only active for a single cycle and do not occupy a Talent Skill Slot)]
“Draw.”
Since he still had 41 Soul Points left, Zoe decided to go ahead with the draw.
[Drawing... Draw complete. Obtained talent: Robust Hair Follicles (F-grade)]
[Robust Hair Follicles (F-grade)] Your hair follicles are exceptionally robust. Your hair grows three times faster than that of an average person, ensuring you will never go bald.
[Reroll costs 20 Soul Points]
“...”
“Reroll.”
[Rerolling... Draw complete. Obtained talent: Soft Body (E-grade)]
[Soft Body (E-grade)] Your body's flexibility is greatly enhanced, allowing you to bend in unimaginable ways. Resistance to physical attacks is increased.
[Reroll costs 40 Soul Points]
Zoe finalized his selection, locking in the [Soft Body (E-grade)] talent.
[Before reincarnating, you may choose one skill from your previous life to inherit]
[Basic skills are inherited by default. Skills at maximum mastery are inherited by default]
[Basic Skills] Sable-style Swordsmanship Lv.3 (E-grade), Common Blacksmithing Lv.2 (E-grade)
[F-grade Skills] Arc Slash Lv.3, Flat Slash Lv.3, Physical Resistance Lv.2, Elemental Resistance Lv.1
[E-grade Skills] Resistance Boost Lv.3, Great Resistance Boost Lv.2
[B-grade Skills] Dragon Flame Lv.1
“Dragon Flame?”
“When did I acquire such a high-level skill?”
“Could it be...”
Zoe recalled how he had been turned into a human torch by the dragon flame before his death. It seemed his body had technically 'mastered' it in his final moments.
Since such a high-level skill was available, he didn't need to hesitate. He selected Dragon Flame immediately.
[Reincarnation beginning]
[Based on your attribute panel and talents, drawing the most suitable race for you... Draw complete]
[Race Name: High Slime]
Rate on N.U.
