No Damage 10

Test

10. Nice Seeing You Again

It's been a week since then.

Repairs to the walls and houses destroyed by the dragon progressed rapidly.

Most people are going about their daily lives as usual.

I, too, continue my student life in Tyrias City as usual.

But - compared to before the incident, the environment around me has changed drastically.

"Oh, Haruto-kun is here!"

"Good morning, Haruto-kun!"

"Good morning, Senior Haruto~!"

As soon as I arrived at school today, girls approached me.

Just this alone is a significant change for me.

"Haruto-kun is amazing, right? Defeating a dragon?"

"Hey, hey, how did you defeat the dragon? With a sword? Magic?"

"Are you going to become an adventurer?"

They bombard me with questions.

Their sparkling eyes, eyes, eyes staring at me.

A clean fragrance wafts from their hair.

I hate the attention, so I haven't been talking much about dragon slaying to others.

But that seems to have piqued their interest, and everyone wants to hear about it.

Especially girls who never paid attention to me before.

"Ugh, it's Haruto again today..."

"Ugh, he's diving deeper into the popular route..."

"Explode... just explode already..."

Ah, I feel envious glares from the boys.

I'm more bewildered than happy about the sudden change in reactions and attitudes around me.

Still, being surrounded by girls like this isn't a bad feeling.

The top-class beauty of the school's student council president.

The assertive girl who serves as the ace of the swordsmanship club.

The modest top student in the class.

Seniors, juniors.

Even female teachers, university students, and students from middle and elementary schools...

Wherever I go, they wait for me and surround me.

It's like being in a romantic comedy novel popular in the capital lately.

Defeating the strongest magical beast, a symbol of calamity in this world, the dragon (technically, it was a joint effort with Lilith and others) - this fact has made me a hero at school overnight.

Some girls even ask me out on dates, but I have things I must do.

Unfortunately, I can't just immerse myself in a romantic comedy mood.

After all, the top priority is the test for the "Absolute Damage Immunity Skill."

Whether I become an adventurer or not, it's crucial to understand my strengths sooner rather than later.

After school, I decided to continue the skill test I'd been doing for the past few days.

I want to know the conditions for activating the skill and if there's a limit to its use.

Those are the two things I want to figure out.

I entered a deserted forest.

It's not like I have to keep the skill a secret, but I don't want to flaunt it.

"Alright, let's do this."

First, I lightly punched myself to test it.

To activate the skill, I need to visualize it.

"Protect me" or "Repel enemy attacks" - vague images like that are enough.

Even now, the punch I aimed at my cheek.

Clang!

A burst of colorful light overflowed. Then, it's accompanied by a metallic clash sound, deflecting the punch.

There was no pain in my cheek or fist.

"It's like being truly invincible. Or in an invulnerable state..."

However, when the skill isn't activated, I naturally take damage.

Yesterday, I asked a classmate to throw a pebble at me without me noticing.

The pebble that hit me did cause pain.

Of course, the classmate lightly threw the coin, so the pain wasn't severe.

Still, pain is pain, and moreover, the 'colorful light' or 'angelic pattern' that signifies skill activation did not appear.

I'm only 'absolutely immune to damage' while the skill is active.

Next, I tried to determine if there's a limit to the number of uses.

I punched myself about three hundred times, and the skill activated every time.

Increasing to five hundred or a thousand would tire me out, so I stopped at three hundred for today.

Based on the current results, three possibilities are conceivable:

It has no limit to the skill activation. I can use the skill infinitely.

Limited uses for skill activation. However, around a hundred consecutive uses are possible.

It has limited uses for skill activation, and the number varies depending on the damage inflicted.

The third pattern would be troublesome.

For example, if it has a set amount of damage the skill can block, blocking 1 damage would allow 100 uses. But blocking 100 damage would only allow one use.

If this is the case, it'll be difficult to investigate.

Or, it might be impossible to investigate.

I also checked for time restrictions. But I could activate the skill anytime - morning, noon, or night.

It has no restrictions like "you can't use the skill at this time".

While some magic spells may have such restrictions, this skill given by the gods might be different.

Then, I spent about two hours investigating and finished today's test.

The sun is setting; it's already evening.

"What should I investigate tomorrow..."

After leaving the forest, I walked along the main street leading to my home.

"It would be better to have a collaborator... hmm."

"A collaborator? If it's me, I'll help."

"Really? That would be a big help..."

As I was about to speak, I suddenly looked up.

A slender silhouette stood ahead on the main street.

Golden hair shimmered faintly in the evening sun.

The tips of her twintails fluttered in the wind.

And those slanted blue eyes were staring at me.

"Nice seeing you again, Haruto."

Lilith wore a joyful smile.