Tyler was bewildered.
Self-reflecting, he had no intention whatsoever to pick up Tocchini during this journey, and it was impossible for him to have any thoughts about such a young child.
However, there were indeed hints in the text within his field of vision.
Now, within the energy points of the Divine Eye of Transcendence, there was indeed one usable point.
(Wasn't the requirement of the Divine Eye of Transcendence a "sincere confession"?)
(...Does that mean Tocchini likes me in a romantic sense?)
(No, no, no, that's impossible... Are children these days so precocious?)
Tyler still couldn't believe it. He didn't think Tocchini could understand the meaning of love.
"B-big brother, why aren't you answering Tocchini...?"
"Ah, sorry, I... I didn't expect Tocchini to like me this much..."
Even though Tyler was basically a scumbag, he hesitated in this moment.
To agree was definitely impossible, as the earned points would immediately be deducted. However... Tyler also didn't want to hurt the innocent Tocchini.
"But Tocchini, let me ask you, is your liking for me the kind of liking a younger sister has for her older brother?" Tyler cautiously asked.
"Big brother, big brother isn't Tocchini's real brother, so Tocchini's liking for big brother is just liking, unrelated to the identity of the brother~!"
Tocchini's answer almost confused Tyler.
In summary, Tyler had underestimated Tocchini a bit.
Children may be ignorant, but they are also pure. Once they develop feelings, it is genuine.
Moreover, perhaps demi-human children mature a bit earlier than ordinary human children...?
"Um, thank you for liking me so much, Tocchini... Then, when you grow up, if you still like me this much, then please tell me, okay? As for the matter of parting, don't be too sad. I will come back to Sunnytown to find you all after I finish my tasks."
Helpless, Tyler had to play the role of a typical gentle protagonist from Japanese anime.
"Yeah, yeah! Tocchini will grow up quickly~!"
Looking at Tocchini's earnest promise, Tyler felt a twinge of guilt.
(Silly Nissen: You really are quite "gentle," Tyler.)
(Tyler: I humbly accept your praise but can't take it to heart.)
·
With the point, Tyler immediately sought out an uninhabited place to utilize his "Precognitive Death Scene" ability.
This time, his death was foreseen to occur on May 27th, 187, precisely six days from now.
In the future death scene, Tyler was somewhat astonished to see himself and Avril in a gorge, joining forces to fight against a large evilkind figure in the form of a rock golem. Additionally, soldiers from the Gudetown Cavalry were engaged in combat with another rock golem nearby.
However, Captain Laidell of the Gudetown Cavalry launched a surprise attack on Tyler from behind, thrusting his spear into Tyler's head.
The sharp spearhead pierced through the back of Tyler's skull and emerged from his forehead, creating a gruesome scene.
(Silly Nissen: Oh, how unfortunate for you, Tyler, to be killed from behind-o like that AGAIN!)
(Silly Nissen: Maybe I should say, as if it's retribution for you targeting little girls. Hmph!)
Ignoring the Silly Nissen's sarcastic comments, Tyler focused on something more important that had caught his full attention.
—"Level-up conditions met,, 'Divine Eye of Transcendence - Lv2' automatically upgrade to 'Divine Eye of Transcendence - Lv3'."
Having accumulated 2 points of experience, the Divine Eye of Transcendence had leveled up. This was undoubtedly the most anticipated event for Tyler at the moment.
Tyler immediately examined the changes in the Divine Eye of Transcendence and couldn't help but be impressed. It truly was an ability bestowed by the humanoid luminescent figure, as the difference between Level 3 and Level 2 was like night and day!
=====
Divine Eye of Transcendence
Level: 3
Experience: 0/4
Energy Points: 0
Ability Details:
*[] refers to those newly-added abilities.
1. Identify the names, basic information, and [status information] of objects
2. Obtain the current world's time information and [surrounding geographic location].
3. Obtain information about one's own status and [attribute].
4. Obtain information about one's own skills.
5. Obtain information about one's "Inherent Abilities" and "Soul Curses."
6. Obtain an image of one's own death scene and generate a photo, consuming 1 energy point per use.
7. Read the inner thoughts of objects [below combat occupation Lv150].
8. [Discern the offensive intent of entities below combat occupation Lv150 within a 3-second timeframe.]
[Other Information]:
Energy Points: Can be increased by receiving sincere confessions from the opposite sex. Each confession increases one energy point, and the same confession counts only once. Alternatively, energy points can be increased by using "Universal Stones," with each "Universal Stone" increasing one energy point.
Experience: Each time an energy point is used, one experience point is added to the Divine Eye of Transcendence.
=====
The first change was the ability to see the status information of others, which meant Tyler could now discern their life energy, endurance, and magic energy. Those who have played video games know how helpful it is to have a health bar display in games where it's not initially available.
The second change was that Tyler could now see his own attribute information. He quickly confirmed it:
━━━━━━━━━
Strength: 4
Dexterity: 12
Intelligence: 9
━━━━━━━━━
To be honest, these attributes left Tyler feeling somewhat frustrated, considering he was a "Junior Assassin - Lv4" and also had "Hunter - Lv2". However, his low attributes seemed reasonable when he reflected on his basic information.
━━━━━━━━━
Life Energy: 40/40
Endurance: 25/32
Magic Energy: 60/90
━━━━━━━━━
Tyler compared his attributes to his basic information and effortlessly derived a preliminary calculation formula:
Life Energy = Strength x 10
Endurance = Strength x 5 + Dexterity
Magic Energy = Intelligence x 10
However, this formula still required more samples for verification. With only himself as the sample, it couldn't provide definitive answers.
The third change was the seventh statement in the description.
Previously, the usage restriction of mind-reading was vaguely defined, but now it had clear limitations. This made Tyler realize that he must not overly rely on mind-reading, as it could lead to significant difficulties when facing formidable opponents.
Lastly, there was the newly added eighth ability, a significant enhancement to Tyler's combat capabilities.
Having both mind-reading and the foresight of attack movements three seconds in advance was truly remarkable.
However, the limitation of it only applying to enemies below level 150 served as a wake-up call for Tyler. He would need to be cautious when encountering enemies of level 150 or higher.
·
The upgrade of the Divine Eye of Transcendence has bestowed upon Tyler a significant amount of confidence. Henceforth, he meticulously analyzed the intricate details of the forthcoming death scene.
First and foremost, the date of demise to be analyzed is the 27th of May, year 187.
Tyler calculated the time, considering the fastest route from Sunnytown to Ira Village, which entails traversing the gorge. If he were to travel by foot, it would take approximately ten days, whereas on horseback, it would require three to four days. According to the future death scene, Tyler finds himself in the gorge after six days, encountering Avril and the Gudetown Cavalry. This implies that, in this particular future, Tyler has most likely already entered Sandrift Gorge around the 21st or 22nd of May.
The motive behind venturing into the gorge is evidently to gather the exclusive sandrift flowers found only in Sandrift Gorge.
(Silly Nissen: Tyler, I... I previously misunderstood-o you... I never expected that you... you are such a noble person.)
(Tyler: Hmm?)
(Silly Nissen: I... I never imagined-o that you would-o risk your life against the demons in the gorge. You... you truly possess deep emotions and righteousness.)
(Tyler: You're overthinking.)
Tyler did not accept the praise from the stupid loli, as he did not believe that he would jeopardize his life for Granny Kana.
No matter how kind Granny Kana was to him, it did not surpass the importance of Tyler's own parents in the Earth World.
Tyler believed that since his future self in this scenario chose to venture into Sandrift Gorge, it implies that he has a high chance of success, and a considerable one at that.
Furthermore, with the Divine Eye of Transcendence now at level 3, Tyler feels even more confident in his chances of success.
(Being an assassin and still being stabbed from behind by someone else, it's quite disgraceful...)
(Laidell of the Gudetown Cavalry, let me have a meeting with you.)