I wasn't able to produce a Sage. I'm sorry.
The units used in this story are the same as those from the previous world (Earth).
About half a year had passed since I started my studies. With Mom, I was still being taught the fundamentals of magic theory, same as always. I still wasn't permitted to actually use magic. Dad said that was her being overly protective, but he would never say that to her face. That was because, about two months ago, he'd tried to secretly teach me magic and gotten a severe scolding for it. It was the first time I'd caught a glimpse of the power dynamic between them. According to Dad:
"Don't defy your mother when she gets like that! The smart move is to stop resisting uselessly and just do as you're told."
That said, whether it was because of all that or not, I felt like the restrictions during my studies with Dad had loosened up a bit. Recently, I'd even been learning how to do simple field dressing of game using a knife. Just then, two shadows approached.
"Things going well, Tenma?"
"Making progress with your studies, Tenma?"
It was Uncle Mark and his wife, Aunt Martha.
"Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie. I'm working hard, but it's pretty tough."
When I gave my reply, both of them laughed.
"Being able to do that much at three years old is more than good enough."
"That's right. When I was about your age, I was so scared of seeing blood that I'd even cry about it."
The two of them chuckled. Ever since Dad had started teaching me things outside like this, more and more villagers had taken to calling out to me. And from all of that, I'd come to realize something — there were no kids my age in this village. No, to be more precise, there didn't seem to be any children here at all.
Apparently, all the villagers' children had already grown up, and most of them had left the village to become adventurers in the big cities.
In this world, people were typically considered adults once they turned eighteen, though in some cases one could come of age as early as fifteen. Mind you, that mostly applied to the children of nobles and wealthy merchants.
"Something wrong, Tenma?"
"No, it's nothing, Dad."
This world had three continents and many island nations. This village was located in a country called the Kingdom of Crastin, on the largest of those continents — the Eulenz Continent. On this continent, there was the Duchy of Hambel to the north of the Kingdom, and the Republic of Gilst to the east, which was the largest nation on the continent. The three nations had formed an alliance. There were also several smaller nations clustered together in the southeast. This village sat on the very edge of the domain belonging to Margrave Haust, one of the most powerful figures in the Kingdom of Crastin. The village was called Kukuri Village, and the nearby forest was known as the Great Old Forest.
"Tenma?"
"I'm fine, Dad."
And so, this "Great Old Forest" was incredibly vast, spanning roughly the same area as Japan's territory in his previous life.
It was an uncharted land rich in resources, but the deeper you went, the stronger the Monsters became. In the past, a king from three generations ago had mobilized units on several occasions to conquer it, but every attempt ended in failure.
That had nearly sent the kingdom's finances into a tailspin, but they managed to recover after large-scale dungeons were discovered within the kingdom. Now, the kingdom's soldiers almost never came, on the grounds that there was no need to poke the hornet's nest.
"Tenma! Hey, Tenma!"
"Huh? What is it, Dad?"
"You've been acting weird for a while now, muttering something under your breath. Are you really okay?"
"Yeah, I'm just a little tired."
"Is that so? Then let's take a short break."
Saying that, Dad had me sit down in the shade of a tree and went to chat with my uncle and aunt a little ways off. I activated Appraisal on all three of them.
Name… Ricardo
Age… 40
Species… Human
Title… Former Top-Rank Adventorer · Elite Hunter
HP… 18,000
MP… 6,000
Strength… A
Defense… B+
Speed… B+
Magic Power… C+
Mental Strength… B-
Growth Power… C
Luck… A+
Skills… Archery 9 · Butchering 8 · Throwing 8 · Unarmed Combat 7 · Swordsmanship 7 · Trapping 7 · Endurance 7 · Abnormal Status Resistance 7 · Spear Arts 6 · Axe Arts 6 · Fire Magic 5 · Wind Magic 5 · Water Magic 4 · Cooking 3
Gift… God of Beasts' Blessing
Name… Mark
Age… 37
Race… Human
Title… Former Adventurer · Hunter
HP… 7,000
MP… 1,000
Strength… C+
Defense… C-
Speed… B
Magic Power… D
Mental Strength… C+
Growth Power… C
Luck… C
Skills… Throwing 7 · Butchering 7 · Endurance 6 · Archery 6 · Unarmed Combat 5 · Swordsmanship 5 · Abnormal Status Resistance 5 · Trapping 5 · Cooking 5 · Axe Arts 4 · Fire Magic 4 · Wind Magic 3
Name… Martha
Age…35
Race…Human
Title…Housewife
HP…3000
MP…500
Strength…D
Defense…D
Speed…C-
Magic Power…E
Mental Strength…B+
Growth Power…C
Luck…C+
Skills…Cooking 8 · Butchering 7 · Endurance 6 · Abnormal Status Resistance 4 · Fire Magic 3 · Water Magic 3 · Archery 3 · Trapping 2 · Unarmed Combat 2 · Axe Arts 2
These were the things that surfaced in my mind. C is roughly the average for ability values, and the numbers next to each skill represent its level, with a maximum of 10. Levels 1–3 are beginners, 4–6 are intermediate, 7–8 are advanced, 9 is called a master, and 10 is called a superhuman. Five is considered the average level. However, levels are purely a measure of technique, and differences in power and effectiveness arise from factors like physical ability and physical condition.
(Looking at it like this, Dad's abilities are actually pretty high.)
Incidentally, Tenma's current abilities were as follows:
Name…Tenma Ootori
Age…3
Race…Human
Title…(Child of the Gods)
HP…500
MP…2000
Strength…F-
Defense…F
Speed…E-
Magic Power…C+
Mental Power…C-
Growth Power…S
Luck…B
Skill…Throwing Arts 3, Cooking 3, Night Vision 3, Endurance 2, Dissection 2, Fire Magic 2, Trapping 2, Archery 2, Swordsmanship 1, Hand-to-Hand Combat 1, Spear Arts 1, Staff Arts 1, Axe Arts 1, All Magic Attributes 1 (6) (Appraisal 10, Detection Ability 10, Concealment 10, Technical Skill Enhancement 10, Familiar Enhancement 10, Growth Power Boost 8, Life Force Boost 8, Recovery Boost 8, Abnormal Status Resistance 8, Sense Boost 7, Physical Boost 7, Destruction Boost 5, Magic Boost 5, Creation Magic 5, Bestowal Magic 5, Destruction Resistance 5, Instant Death Resistance 5, Martial Arts Mastery 5)
Gift…Blessing of the Gods
That is the case. The parentheses mean that through the effect of Concealment, one can choose to hide or falsify titles, abilities, or skills, displaying a different level. The low abilities are likely due to my young age; I look forward to my future growth.
"Come to think of it, Mark, what happened with that Sage grandpa?"
"Who knows. He's a bit of a weirdo. Maybe he changed his mind halfway and decided not to leave?"
"Could be."
Tenma wasn't particularly interested in what Ricardo and the others were talking about, but he had no idea that this Sage would later have a profound influence on him.
Appraisal and Detection Ability are rare skills. Those who possess them are uncommon and highly valued. However, they cannot be acquired later in life (except when received as a Blessing from a god who possesses them). The level is almost always innate from birth and does not increase. Among non-reincarnators, the highest level ever recorded is 7 for Appraisal and 5 for Detection Ability.
The Appraisal skill levels 1-3 reveal only the target's name, age, and race. Levels 4-6 show a simple description of the target, along with their abilities, skills, and gifts. Levels 7-8 indicate whether Concealment is being used (though the level of Concealment itself is not visible), and levels 9-10 reveal usage methods, quantities, public reputation, and more.
Detection Ability functions like a radar. Up to level 6, its range is approximately level multiplied by 100 meters in diameter. At levels 7-8, it reaches 2 to 4 kilometers in diameter. At level 9, it covers 5 to 6 kilometers, and at level 10, it extends beyond 10 kilometers. It allows for simple conditional filtering (such as identifying hostile individuals or those with killing intent) at all levels.
Appraisal and Detection Ability can be used simultaneously. This allows one to investigate something detected with Appraisal, or to use Detection Ability to locate something that has been appraised.