[You have now learned 'Water Magic' LV 3!

[You have achieved the 'Hydromancer' t.i.tle!

[You have now learned 'Water Blast' LV 3!

[You have now learned 'Storm Magic' LV 3!

[You have achieved the 'Atmomancer' t.i.tle!

[You have now learned 'Wind Cutter' LV 3!

[You have now learned 'Wide Slash' LV 3!

[You have now learned 'Multi-Slash' LV 3!

[You have now learned 'Circular Slash' LV 3!

[You have now learned 'Mow Down' LV 3!

[You have now reached 'Throw' LV 8!

[You have now reached 'Meditation' LV 3!

[You have now reached 's.a.d.i.s.tic Smile' LV 3!

[You have now reached 'Money Grubbing' LV 6!

[You have achieved the 'Mr. Shakedown' t.i.tle!]

Honestly, with how I'm learning these so often, aside from the concerning t.i.tle like 'Mr. Shakedown' from searching the cultists' persons for goods, I'm not as surprised to see these any more than compared to the first few times. The other members of my current 'team,' however, couldn't relax as much seeing one thing after another from me. Just so I couldn't utter more surprises, I at one point tried using Ren's [Duplicate] Null Spell without buying it from the IBS first just to see if I could do it, and after experimenting it with a fist-sized rock, I found that I can. I threw the copy at one of the cultists' heads and knocked them out completely, showing how strong my 'Throw' skill is and leveling it up twice. I then saw the rock fade away in lights of mana like Ren's key copy earlier. I did one more test by trying [Portal] out with success by putting my foot through and tripping one of the cultists with it. I confirmed then, that once I know the Null Spell's name and how it works, I could do it immediately without even buying it from the IBS.

So, why does that portion of the shop exist for me, anyway? I thought at one point and decided to consult Ms. Obina about it later.

I also activated my new 'Meditation' skill when I could to slowly recover my HP without others noticing. I once read of practices where one could be in a constant 'meditative' state while living their lives actively back on Earth, so when I tried that, it quickly leveled up to 3. Sure, the same stat buffs don't stack on top of each other, but it's good to practice something worthwhile wherever and whenever you can, I always say.

I was also getting a better idea on the demographics that goes on in Dondegarm over the course of the battles. Most of the city here consisted of Arachnes, Centaurs, Lamias, and Harpies, four different races of the Demon-Kin, three of which with the similarity of having large bodies taking up much s.p.a.ce, with their upper halves being humanoid while the rest consist parts and limbs of their respective animals. Harpies, while bipedal, have arms and legs that resemble a bird's talons, and they have wings sprouting from their backs that can take up a lot of s.p.a.ce when fully spread out, too. The Arachnes, Harpies, and Lamias come in a wide variety of different colors and sizes. Centaurs, while I'm not well-informed in breeds, the colors they have looked as natural as the ones I've seen on Earth. Other than those four, there were about a handful of other bipedal demons, as well as humans like Ms. Carmen who seemed to be pa.s.sing through for merchant or adventurer matters when the attack happened. There were almost no demis that weren't branded as slaves like Ms. Carmen's.

One female really stood out the most to me having navy blue reptilian claws and feet, with scales spread over most of the exposed parts of her body, flowing cerulean hair stretching past her shoulders, and fin-like ears jotting out the sides of her head. Though I didn't see the slave brand, she still had rags similar to Ren and Erizora's, except hers was only a one-piece that acts as a sort of poncho.

The strangest thing about her was that she didn't look the slightest bit disturbed of the chaos that was going on around her. I saw her just strolling by and observing her surroundings like some sort of tourist. There was a stray 'Pyreball' spell coming her way that I had to stop by coming between them and cast a 'Water Force' spell to counteract the flames with succession.

"Miss, are you all right?!" I ask her after making sure the coast was clear and turning around.

Aaand she was still strolling.

"Oi! Ms. Blue Lizard Girl!"

That made her jump and turn around to face me before her eyes widen. She s.h.i.+fts glances around her before pointing at herself.

"Yes, you! Did you know there was a large fireball coming behind you?!"

"… You saved me?" she asks me.

"Uh, yeah? I'm asking you if you're hurt anywhere."

"Do you have 'Magic Sense' activated?"

"… What's 'Magic Sense?'"

"You mean you can see me with your own eyes? No skills to help at all?"

"Yeah?"

"Interesting …"

"Listen, if you haven't noticed, it's not safe for you to be here. I saw some Centaur guards evacuating citizens to some kind of shelter. If you follow them and tell them what happened, they may let you in, too. I gotta get going—"

"Wait," she interrupts while holding my hand with her reptilian claw, looking to me with a hardened gaze. "Why would you, a human, save me?"

Is she really asking me something like this under these circ.u.mstances? Though, since the enemies are aiming at demons, I guess it'd make sense of her to be skeptical? "Do I need a reason to help someone who was about to get hurt? Because I just jumped in without taking a moment to think."

"You mean you just stepped in the line of fire to protect a stranger that's not even of the same race as you without even considering the consequences? I may not have seen what you did to save me, but what if you didn't have the power or strength to live through it?"

"… I dunno. I don't usually think about what could happen in situations like these, and other than keeping what could be improved into mind for next time, I don't dwell on them any longer than I need to be."

"You realize you're making yourself out to be a fool, right?"

"Well, if I had to choose between being a fool who acts first and thinks later with no regrets, and a bystander who keeps thinking what he could've done and regrets not acting at all, I'd be a fool every time. At least by then, I can make the decision I made to be the right one instead of second-guessing whether it was right or wrong, and if it's a cute girl who's in trouble, you know I'm going to make the right decision every time."

The blue lizard girl widens her eyes. "… Cute?" she asks with a hint of red in her cheeks.

"Master! We gotta go!" Ren exclaims in the distance.

"There's my cue." I take one of the Health Potions I had in my pocket and hand it to the lizard girl. "Use this if you're injured and you be careful, all right?"

"… Of course."

I didn't realize at the end of that exchange how much attention I got from that lizard girl, as well as how much she'll contribute to my new life in Raiza soon down the line.

~~

I felt like she stared at me pretty intently as I left. While I'm used to being stared at this point, it's still kind of unnerving at times depending on who's doing it.

Anyway, even though this city may not be their hometown, the visitors of different races, including humans, were as determined to fight and defend this place as its own residents do, even if it means going against one of their own like I am.

Sheesh, and Lili sounded like humans weren't really welcome here.

While it might be true for some, I wondered if Lili was trying to scare me in a teasing way. She just had that sort of vibe to her when we first talked.