LSP – Chapter 3 – Blessings

Its nighttime. In the bedroom where our family sleeps, I was lying sideways facing Shari. My imouto is sleeping facing upwards and breathing steadily. Her sleeping face surrounded by flowing thin golden hair looks very angelic.

While gazing at my imouto’s sleeping face, I think about my future plans.

Shari is about to turn 13 years old. It seems that children who turn 13 in this world who do not receive any blessings will die. This is the first point to note.

Next, it seems that in order to receive blessings, one must increase their level. This is the second point to note.

Lastly, in order to increase the level, one must defeat a large boar. And this is a high hurdle. I tried to imagine a scene where Shari holds a spear and was placed in the path of a large boar, but it’s impossible.

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be a large boar?” (Finn)

This world has a game-like aspect to it. If it doesn’t have to be a boar, a goblin should work just fine. Or maybe even a chicken.

Come to think of it, Shari sometimes butchers our chickens, but her level doesn’t go up. Maybe it has to be a stronger opponent.

So far, I have come up with two possible solutions.

The first solution is to take Shari to the forest and defeat a goblin. However, she might have to join the fight as well. There is also a possibility that she might need to deliver the finishing blow. If this was a game, we could just register her in a party, but there’s no such thing in this world.

The second solution is to go to the forest and catch a goblin alive, and then let Shari deliver the finishing blow. The problem is, can I even catch a goblin alive? Earlier today, I got scared by one and ran away from it.

Also, I’m not sure if defeating a captured goblin would increase Shari’s level. If it’s like experience points in a game, she might need to fight and gain experience to level up.

Come to think of it, I’m not even sure if defeating an uncaptured goblin would really increase Shari’s level. There are too many assumptions in this plan.

For now, I’ll try defeating a goblin myself. The real discussion can start from there. If I see that it can lead to Shari leveling up, then I’ll figure out how to catch a goblin. First things first, I need to conduct an experiment.

While thinking about this, Shari turned over and hugged me from the front. She usually hugged me from behind, so I was caught off guard. Well, maybe just for tonight I’ll hug Shari from the front. In front of me was my imouto’s sleeping face. I gently touched her face and slid my hand across her soft and translucent skin. I quietly pulled her body close to me..

As I embraced her slender body, she snuggles comfortably in my arms.

“Onii-chan will do something about it…” (Finn)

“Mm~” Shari, who was supposed to be sleeping, made a small sound. I gently stroked her silky blonde hair.

I’ll do my best, Shari.

The next morning, I sneaked out of the house after my parents left for the field. I entered the forest but didn’t go too deep because it was scary. I stopped by where I found the medicinal herbs the other day, grip my knife tightly as I sit under a tree, and wait quietly. However, the goblin doesn’t seem to be coming out anytime soon…I’m getting sleepy.

“Guuuee…” (Goblin)

I hear a noise. It seems like I dozed off for a bit. I was up late last night thinking about things, after all…

“Guuee, guuee” (Goblin)

I opened my eyes wide. There it was, right in front of me. It was a goblin.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” (Finn)

I didn’t improve at all.

I can’t tell if it is the same goblin as before, but it seemed to be just as startled by my loud scream as before and dropped the club-like thing it was holding in its hand. Seeing that, I start to calm down a bit. It was about one meter tall, which is scary if you think of it as a large dog, but not so scary if you think of it as a kindergartener.

“This is just a kindergarten kid!” (Finn)

I grip the knife tightly and stand up, then lunge forward to stab it. However, the goblin seems scared and falls on its backside, causing my knife to barely graze its head without piercing through. I lose my balance and end up falling on top of the goblin, causing the knife to slip out of my hand and roll away.

“Guuu…Guueee” (Goblin)

The goblin under me struggles, flailing its arms and legs while trying to scratch me. I hold it down with all my might. I can’t let it go free. Even if it’s just a weakling, it’s a monster as big as a large dog. I put my hand on the goblin’s neck.

“Die, die, die, die…” (Finn)

I keep strangling it while being scratched by the goblin. 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds…

Suddenly, the goblin in my hands disappears in a puff of smoke.

“Phew.” (Finn)

I stand up and pick up my knife. While facing the front, I concentrate on looking above my head to see my level bar. I was hoping to level up to level 2 or get some new blessings, but I don’t feel like I gained anything.

Let me think. Perhaps because goblins are weak, they aren’t worth much levels. My current level is probably around 1.5. What was my original level again? I only paid attention to Shari’s level and don’t remember my own. I sure am stupid in many ways.

Did I really defeat the goblin just now? I didn’t even know that goblins turned into smoke when defeated. In fact, I didn’t know anything. I’m too unprepared. And I’m supposed to be a former university student. Maybe I’m letting my childish excitement get the best of me. I need to start thinking more carefully.

As a Japanese person, it’s probably necessary to have some modern tools at hand. But all I have is a knife, and I don’t even know how to use it properly. I tried to think of various common tropes from novels in my head.

“I guess we could try this.” (Finn) 

I decided to dig a pitfall.

However, there’s no shovel here. And even if I go back home, I don’t have anything like a shovel. We do have a hoe, but my dad took it to the field.

I cut a thick branch from a tree with my knife and carve it diagonally. Then, I put my weight on it and thrust it into the ground, causing the soil to sink. I think I’m on the right track, so I decide to keep doing this for a while.

◇

30 minutes later…

“No, this is impossible!” (Finn)

So far, I’ve only dug a hole that’s 50x50cm and 20cm deep. I have already broken two branches of the tree. Even if I had a shovel, it would be impossible for a child like me to do this alone. Do murderers really bury bodies in the forest like this?

Come to think of it, even if I dug a pitfall, I wouldn’t know if the goblin would fall into it. Unless there’s bait or something. What do goblins eat anyway? Me?

“Gu-e!” (Goblin)

When I looked up from the hole, there was a goblin right there.

Unlike the goblin I strangled earlier, this one was holding a rusty short sword. Meanwhile, I was holding a broken tree branch that I had been using to dig the hole. The goblin seemed to be more civilized than me.

“Gwe-h!” (Goblin)

The goblin jumps at me. I quickly swipe at it with the wooden branch in my hand, but its short sword grazes my leg. That was close. No, I’m bleeding. This isn’t just dangerous, it’s really bad. Aren’t goblins supposed to be cowards?!

I swing the wooden branch and face the goblin. The goblin brandishes¹ its rusty short sword menacingly. It looks like the goblin is much more confident than I am. Hmm, what should I do in this situation?

I quickly crouch down and grab some dirt, throwing it in the goblin’s face. The goblin swats it away with its left hand and swings its sword at me. It grazes my right hand, causing a slight impact. It doesn’t hurt much at first, but blood starts flowing from the wound. The pain may come later. This is getting tough, and I feel like crying.

“Guooo!” (Goblin)

The goblin jumps at me again. Its short sword is aimed at my face. I try to dodge it, but at that moment, my foot slips on the ground. My foot slips in the air, and I fall down. A hole! Who dug a hole here?!

Fortunately or unfortunately, I was able to dodge the goblin’s short sword as I fell. Since the goblin’s foot is right in front of me, I grabbed it and pulled on it hard. The goblin, who had swung his short sword in vain, lost it’s balance and fell on it’s back. I quickly stood up and landed a knee drop on the goblin’s stomach.

“Gue!” (Goblin)

A strange sound comes out of the goblin, and the short sword falls from its hand. I stretch out my left hand and grab the short sword, then I hold it in my opposite hand and thrust it into the goblin’s stomach, putting all my weight behind it. I push it in, and the short sword sinks into the goblin’s body. Then, I turn it round and round. I put my weight on it and push it from the stomach to the chest. I feel the sensation of the short sword cutting through flesh and hitting the bone. I keep pushing and twisting it.

Suddenly, the goblin turns into black smoke and disappears, and a hot power wells up inside me. It’s a different sensation than when I strangled the goblin to death earlier. Did I level up? What should I do? I try to recall what my father said.

“I want to raise Shari’s level, I want to raise Shari’s level.” (Finn)

I strongly wish for this while being burned by the heat swirling inside me. I hear a high-pitched sound in my ears and feel a sensation as if my body is being disintegrated. And then…suddenly the world returns to normal.

I check my level and see that the second bar has reached its limit. I can feel a new blessing.

I stand up. Although I have injuries here and there, my body feels light. I feel a general sense of tuning in my body and start to feel excited. I can now understand why my father’s excitement was high. So this is level 2.

I look around and confirm that there are no more goblins. The goblin’s short sword is lying at my feet. Is this a drop item? It’s a valuable weapon. I pick it up and decide to take it home. Now, I should head back to Shari.

◇

When I sneak into the house, my parents are still in the field. Shari, whos is in the kitchen, looks back at me.

“Onii-chan, where have you been? And you’re covered in blood! What happened?” (Shari)

I rush over to my imouto who has a surprised look on her face and hug her small body tightly.

“Shari…” (Finn)

“Onii-chan, are you okay? Onii-chan…” (SharI)

Seeing me covered in blood and mud and in tattered clothes, Shari looks surprised. Even though I might soil Shari’s clothes, I hold my little sister tighter and embrace her with all my might. I knew how to do it in my head.

Peering down at my little sister’s cute face, I place my hand on the back of her head with the fine, silky blonde hair flowing over my hand. As Shari lifts her face a little, I slowly bring my face closer. Shari pouts and closes her eyes.

We kissed, activating the blessing. I recite the incantation in my mind.

“Level Connection!” (Finn)

Shari accepts me. A level circuit is formed between Shari and me.

“Begin Level Transfer!²” (Finn)

Strength drains from my body and flows into my imouto’s body.

“Mm, hmm, hmm…”

Shari opened her eyes in astonishment, but doesn’t back away.

“Mm, mm, ahn, ah, ah…”

Her face turns bright red. Her eyes become cloudy. It feels somehow sexy. If she weren’t my imouto, it would be a bit dangerous.

The bar above my little sister’s head that I’m embracing starts to extend. It goes from 0.1 to 0.2, then 0.3, and continues to grow. It reaches around 0.8 or 0.9 and still continues to grow. When all the strength drains from my body, the bar above Shari’s head reaches its limit. The bar flashes for a moment. It stops growing once it breaks through the first level.

Overwhelmed by the feeling of weakness, I close my eyes. I can hear Shari’s heavy breathing. I feel like collapsing onto Shari as all my strength leaves my body, but my little sister is standing firmly in my arms. I hear her murmur.

“Blessing… I received a blessing… I have to heal Onii-chan’s wounds.” (Shari)

At those words, I open my eyes. Shari’s rough breathing has quieted down. Shari gently embraces me, who has lost all my strength. Our gazes meet slowly. She gives me a challenging look with a satisfied smile on her face, looking a bit smug. Then, her lips part, and warm words of power flow out of her mouth.

“Heal!” (Shari)

For a moment, the surroundings are illuminated by a soft light.

◇

I washed and changed my clothes which were dirty with blood and mud. Although they were clothes dyed using plants and trees in a rural farming village, they were originally brown and didn’t stand out. I also changed Shari’s clothes into her nightwear and washed them, as they were also covered in mud.

Shari pours a cup of water for me, which I drank in one gulp while standing before sitting down.

“So, what happened, Onii-chan?” (Shari)

Right, I need to organize my thoughts a bit and explain everything.

First, Shari is at level 1. Her presence, which was on the verge of disappearing, is now clear. Her eyes are powerful and she’s staring at me intently.

And then there’s me.

I check my own level. It has dropped to level 1. I can confirm that the blessings are still within me, as I can see my level. Level transfer also seems like it could be useful, but I don’t want to use it now in case I accidentally die from becoming level 0, so I’ll seal it for now.

And then I realized, even if my level drops, my blessings don’t disappear.

I may have gone back to level 1, but the blessing I received when I was level 2 is still present. What will happen if I reach level 2 again? I’ll have to experiment with this later.

“Onii-chan, you’re thinking of something bad, aren’t you?” (Shari)

“Nononono, not at all.” (Finn)

“You seem a little uneasy, but… well…” (Shari)

Shari came in front of me. She sat down on my lap and hugged me from the front.

“I’ll protect you, Onii-chan.” (Shari)

Shari’s arms which are holding my head are stronger than before. It feels good to have the soft part pressed against my head, but it also makes me fidgety.

For some reason, I am starting to feel embarrassed so, I try to pull away, but she didn’t let go. I gave up and wrap my arms around her back and felt the squishy body of a child. Her waist is slender, lacking a feminine curve, but her legs are firmly planted on the ground.

“Oh my, you two seem close.” (Mother)

Looks like our parents returned from the fields while we were hugging. I quickly removed my arms from around her and felt awkward.

Shari turned towards our parents.

“Mom, Dad!” (Shari)

Her voice was strong.

“Shari has received a blessing. Shari will protect Onii-chan!” (Shari)

Shari looked proud of herself, and our parents looked at her in surprise.

Why am I the one being protected?

――

Finn: Level 1

• Blessing: Level check, Level transfer (new)

Shari: Level 1 (up)

• Blessing: Healing (doubled effect on Finn) (new)

Father: Level 2 (up)

• Blessing: Strength, Spearman (new)

Mother: Level 1

• Blessing: Water

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Image of Shari

Shari’s first level up
~ Link to source

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TL notes:

Thanks for reading!

Oh would you look at that, the author gave a character summary too, I guess I’ll follow his format in my own character list.

Hmm, I have a feeling that Finn will be able to get a new Blessing every time he hit level 2. Also Finn, you completely forgot to tell Shari about what happened. Well, it’ll probably get covered next chapter or when Shari insists on/force herself to follow him.

Btw I won’t put names for the kissing lines, since it’s a bit awkward to do so. Besides, you know exactly what those words mean.

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Footnotes:

1. Brandishes: wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.
2. Raw text was 『レベル譲渡トランスファー！』, and every MTL translated it as “Level transfer transfer!” which obviously doesn’t make sense, if anyone knows what it means, feel free to tell me and I’ll change it.