I was Reincarnated as an Incompetent Leader with Zero Popularity who met his downfall early on. Instead of banishing the hidden cheat Protagonist, I decided to embrace him, and somehow, I ended up being treated like a Hero instead. - Chapter 35

“Giant Killing…? What the hell does that even mean?”

I questioned the mysterious voice, but before it could respond, Elena answered instead.

“It appears to be a title granted to adventurers who successfully defeat a monster at least fifty levels higher than their own.”

She spoke while closing a thick tome she had somehow acquired without me noticing.

Did defeating that giant slime meet the conditions for this title? I tilted my head in thought.

I wasn’t sure if its level was fifty or more above mine, but without Slime Cleave, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Wait… does that mean levels actually exist in this world?

Elena, as if reading my mind, provided an explanation.

“Yes, they do. However, only gods and a select few individuals have the ability to quantify them with exact numbers.”

Apparently, there was even a skill called Level Appraisal.

As expected from the goddess of knowledge.

I voiced a thought that came to mind.

“Is that what those examiners do at the adventurer rank-up tests? The ones who determine if someone is Gold or Silver rank?”

“They likely possess the necessary qualifications, yes. However, the level of proficiency varies greatly depending on when they acquired the skill.”

“So if the appraisal fee is cheap, it’s probably because they can’t actually see the exact level numbers?”

I recalled the examiners at the rank-up trials. Now that I thought about it, their evaluations had been pretty vague.

“Conversely, if someone has mastered the skill to the point where they can instantly assess things like ‘You need to defeat X more enemies to level up’ or ‘You are a Level 30 Swordsman’ or ‘That monster is a Level 100 Archdemon,’ then they could easily make a fortune off that skill alone.”

“Huh… yeah, that sounds insanely useful. If I knew the level difference between myself and a monster right away, I could choose to retreat before things got out of hand.”

“To reach that level of proficiency, however, one must first defeat five hundred different types of monsters.”

“And the primary attribute required is intelligence. Aside from magic, the requirements are almost identical to those for becoming a sage.”

Hearing Elena list out the conditions, I immediately abandoned any thoughts of acquiring that skill.

“By the way, would Chrono be able to learn it?”

“Hmm… right now, it would be difficult for her. But if she levels up, she should easily meet the necessary stat requirements.”

“She has an abnormally high aptitude for acquiring skills—almost a hundred times greater than an ordinary adventurer.”

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but be impressed.

As expected of the story’s original protagonist.

“Speaking of which, that voice from earlier also mentioned giving me a new skill.”

“Yes, it did… Allow me to check.”

After giving me a brief nod, Elena reached out and placed her hand on my chest over my clothing.

It wasn’t anything suggestive, but the suddenness of the gesture caught me off guard.

“I—I’m not touching you like that for any improper reason! This is simply to confirm the skill!”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“You… You always—! Ugh!”

With her cheeks slightly flushed, Elena scolded me like a flustered teacher being teased by a mischievous student.

After clearing her throat a few times to compose herself, she lightly touched her glasses and spoke.

“You’ve already acquired the new skill. It’s called Intimidation Against the Strong.”

“Intimidation Against the Strong?”

“Yes. When used against an opponent with a higher level than yours, they will momentarily flinch. The greater the power gap, the more effective it becomes.”

Elena’s explanation was clear.

But the more I understood, the more questions I had.

Mainly about how I was supposed to use it.

If I ever found myself facing an overwhelmingly strong monster, I could probably use it to create an opening for escape.

But once the effect wore off, wouldn’t that monster become even more enraged?

After all, a superior creature flinching before a clearly weaker opponent would be a massive insult.

“Oh… I could use it to gauge an enemy’s level.”

If I used the skill and it actually worked, it meant the opponent was significantly stronger than me.

Though, if I wanted to use it that way, I’d have to be extremely careful not to provoke them further.

“It might have its uses, but depending on how I handle it, I could end up picking fights with beings far above my league…”

The skill had likely been granted as a reward for defeating the giant slime, despite the vast difference in our power.

Still, I wasn’t sure how practical it would be.

Well… if the risks outweighed the benefits, I just wouldn’t use it.

That was my conclusion.