"Sure, I'll help you out" I agreed to his request, smiling at the tied-up man before me.
The frightened expression Paul had slowly dissipated into relief.
"R-Really?" He stuttered, still unsure of whether to believe my words or not.
"To tell you the truth, I've gotten stuck in my attempt to leave this place. I can't do it alone… I need you as much as you need me" I said with a sigh.
"W-Wha-?! Even as strong as you are?" He questioned.
"Well… The thing is…" I mumbled, appearing uncertain.
Judging by how this has played out so far, Paul was naïve when it came to this world and its system. I had thought I missed out on a lot since I wasn't summoned along with the first batch, but it seemed even the ones who were, didn't have much information as well.
If I could gain this guy's support, I'd be able to pull it off.
"… My 'Gift' is entirely useless in combat" I revealed to him.
"W-What… Y-You mean… You can't fight…?!" He asked, slowly returning to his panicky state.
"No. it's not that. Due to my high level, I've managed to survive so far, but since I have no offensive ability it's hard to survive when I'm surrounded. That's why I try to avoid many fights."
His expression fell upon hearing this. It looked like his trust in me had waned a bit. I had to fix that.
"B-But, that all changes since you're here. With our combined effort, I'm sure we can defeat those Demons!" I quickly added.
I'm sure everyone had their pick of the best, leaving me with the worst Gift. So, there had to be some sort of useful nature to exploit this guy's Gift that would make survival easier for me.
"T-The thing is… I-I…" Paul mumbled, looking at me with slight hesitation.
Come on… Don't hesitate. Spit it out!
"My Gift also has no use in Combat… I-I'm no use in a fight!" He yelped.
As I heard those words, my mind paused to process them.
"What the fuck is this retard saying?!" My mind flared.
Even after I was so nice to him, tch. What a wasted venture!
"There's no point in an alliance then. I'll have to find a way to-" I contemplated within myself.
Suddenly my eyes widened as they darted toward the fine tools I saw earlier. The knives and other makeshift weapons, which looked very well-made, still lay on the ground a few meters from our location.
A grin formed on my face upon realizing that things may not be as hopeless as I thought.
"He might still end up being useful, after all."
A brief moment of uncomfortable silence persisted between us before Paul finally decided to interrupt.
"E-Erm… So…" He stuttered, eyes darting all over the room.
He must be wondering what I intend to do now. Fortunately, he's not useless.
"A-Ah. I'm so sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment there." I quickly said, maintaining my 'nice guy' routine.
"Say, Mr. Paul… Could your Gift be related to smithing?"
His face expressed surprise when he heard this. It looked like I was on the mark on this one.
"W-What makes you say that?" He asked in a low tone, seemingly suspicious of my question.
"Oh, It's nothing really. I just saw some finely made weapons here, and I thought they were very well-made. It's not something anyone can just make in a place like this, and they seem to be in too good a condition to have been bought long ago." I explained.
Besides, a lot of those weapons were tools for killing. There was no way someone like Paul got his hands on them before the Apocalypse.
"A-Ah… You're right. Those are products of my Gift… [SMITHING]" He finally confessed, stunned by my accurate analysis.
He appeared impressed, and at the same time more fearful of me.
That was good. I couldn't have him underestimating me too much.
"Wow! That's amazing! Why didn't you mention you had such an amazing Gift?" I beamed instantly, shining my healthy teeth toward him.
"R-Really…?! I thought it was useless…" He mumbled, now even more confused.
Of course, [Smithing] wasn't too impressive a skill. In a fight, it was utterly useless. However, I didn't need this chump to fight my battles for me.
"I can't have him stealing all that Exp."
If he could smith those tools with the materials he had here. I wonder…
"My weapons are becoming pretty bent out of shape, losing their durability, and I'm not an expert at repairs," I mumbled to myself.
Besides, they're becoming less and less effective against the Demons I encounter.
I need more powerful weapons!
"No way! It's not useless. In fact, that's what I need the most right now. Mr. Paul, I believe I have found a way we can work together without you having to risk your life in the slightest bit. Will you hear me out?" I asked.
Feeling nervous, but slightly elated by the news, he nodded his head.
Great! He took the bait!
"My Gift is called [SUBSPACE]. It allows me to store things inside. It's useless in fights, but I can keep very useful things like weapons inside it." I explained.
"W-Wow!" He beamed.
Urgh!, what an absolute noob. For him to think [Subspace] is amazing, he must be unaware of the other Overpowered Gifts that exist out there.
"The thing is, my weapons are all makeshift objects I carved myself or kitchen utensils. They're hardly efficient when fighting against monsters."
He nodded slowly, taking in my words.
"But, after seeing the weapons you made, and the Gift you have, I finally realized that this is simply perfect! If you can make great weapons for me, I'll definitely be able to handle those Demons by myself and protect both of us. My level is pretty high, you know?" I smiled.
Everything I had stated was the truth… Well except for the last part. That was a lie.
"Really? T-That's amazing then! You're right." Paul instantly agreed upon realizing he wouldn't need to face any danger.
"How pathetic" My mind rang in disgust.
But, his personality didn't mean much. The only thing that mattered was what he could do for me.
I didn't want just any ordinary equipment made by fusing a few metals together. No… I had a better idea.
"[SUBSPACE]" I called out.
Instantly, the blue window displaying my arsenal appeared.
"Can you see this in front of me?" I asked Paul.
"See what?" He asked in confusion.
Even when the Blue Window was right in front of me, glowing in the dark room, Paul couldn't see a thing.
"I knew it, so others can't see your Gift window, uh?" I said to myself.
This works in my favor though. I wouldn't want anyone snooping around my stuff or spying on what goods I possessed.
"I tapped on one panel, and instantly, glowing rocks began to spill out of my [Subspace].
"W-What is that?!" Paul yelled, looking at the strange sight unfolding before him.
Ah, I see. To him, it was just as if strange glowing stones appeared out of thin air.
"Relax, Paul. It's just a manifestation of my Gift. I just brought these stuff out of my [Subspace]." I hushed him.
He quickly pulled himself together upon realizing the racket he was making.
"What are those?" He asked as he viewed the luminous stones on the ground.
"Oh, these? They're Demon Cores. I have quite a few of them left to spare…" I smiled.
"W-Wha-?! No way. You killed this many?!" He said in shock.
How funny. I've killed way more than these though.
"… Paul. I'll need you to 'Smith' me some weapons… And you'll be using these cores to do it!" I offered with a grin.
If this went well, then I would have achieved something remarkable which would better ensure my survival.