abcnovels
Chapter 38
Chapter 38
I eat lunch and after taking some time to relax, I log in.
I finished my dailies before noon, so… What do I do in the afternoon…? I did acquire a fair amount of meat already. Which means… How about I go for Trolls to gain some Capacity?
My Capacity is at 652 now, hm. It increased by quite a bit over these few days, but it is nowhere near enough. Base cost for a Golem is 400, and a Red Skeleton with extra cost summon is 600. A fully-customized Red Skeleton can cost up to 4800.
Thinking of the base stats, rather than do a full customization of a Skeleton, it’s better to do an extra cost summon of a Red Skeleton...
My «Necromantic Secrets» will turn 20 soon, and then my Skeleton will become a Metal Skeleton… a metaske, just like Ske-san. Metaske’s initial cost is 400, isn’t it? A High Golem is 800? If the size goes up to Big, then 1200.
I became able to summon Ants, Spiders and Snakes… but doesn't look like I’ll use them? The undead spider… it has thread Skill, so it might be able to use it? In that case I might use it after all.
Currently, Skeletons are my main fighting force. When my «Necromantic Secrets» turns 20 I will probably become able to call #3, so I would love to call a Skeleton Wolf for its mobility and hit & run attacks?
And one more thing. By all means I would like to go to the North of Belstead again and absorb a Living Armor. Both cost-wise and size-wise, I want to avoid using Golems.
The cost of a Skeleton and of an armor must be the same. 1200 with extra cost summon. Wolf is small so probably 600? If I had 2000 Capacity I could summon 3 at extra cost. I need about three times more… but it would be just 150 trolls, so it’s not that big of a deal?
In the end, the choices are… leveling (Base and Skills), Capacity gathering, and crafting materials gathering.
As for Art verification… I’m a little curious about «Alchemycraft»’s?Element Manipulation?.?Assault Pierce?is… an Art I found no reason to use. It only moves me a few steps forward, and is hardly useful for avoidance.
Compared to that,?Royal Strotz?is very effective. When I block or parry, an icon appears which as I continue to defend, has a number on it increasing and stacking up. However, if I fail to block or parry the number of stacks decreases. Blocking gives +1, parrying +2, receiving damage -4, and logging out removes all stacks. It is currently unknown what the maximum amount of stacks and the max damage increase are.
Alright… let’s first go South to get a Goblin body, then head to Troll’s location to gather Capacity. I will also get Tokkei meat while at it, and my level will go up as well.
Looks like it’s safe to assume that it’s necessary to absorb bodies for side evolutions that split into a different evolution tree. When I took in Tokkei, I had Cook-A-Doo unlocked, and when I absorbed Owl in the Western forest I became able to summon Owls. Well, is it because their base skeleton is different?
I leave through the Southern gate and enter the forest, beat up a goblin, absorb him and retreat. Next, I teleport through the central plaza to Belstead.
Now to the forest in the South. I absorb Trolls and gather Tokkei’s chicken meat and feathers. Meat can be used for chicken broth and bouillon, so I would like to gather a fair amount of them. The problem is that they are small, which in turns makes the number of drops very low. It takes more time than acquiring pork or beef.
I synthesize the feathers with branches and stones I pick up, then put them up on consignment. One synthesizing gives over 10 arrows, so I put 100… a full stack of arrows into my «Necromantic Secrets». Thanks to the fact there are slots for each equipment, I can save inventory space. There are Servant weapon slots for each Servant, so there is plenty of space in there.
After arriving at the forest… I summon red skelly #1 and #2 at initial cost, their equipment being a mace and a small shield, and a two-handed sword. After all, If I summon with extra cost, I won’t have enough to summon #2.
I leave the Tokkei to #1 and #2. There is a need to absorb trolls anyway, so I take them on myself.
Now, it’s time to hunt.
Troll’s attacks are large cleaves, so I did not attack at the beginning of combat and only parried to stack up?Royal Stortz?. My attack power increases, so let’s beat him after gaining some stack.
Should I increase #1’s AI level a little more with Orbs? It would be good if he moved more freely, or rather, if his movement range increased… it would be the best if he could move away from me and hunt on his own. I feel like he has a limit set on how far away from me he can act. I don’t know whether it’s based on the Skill level or AI level though.
Apparently tamed mobs can go hunt on their own, possibly due to being wild animals in the first place… In regards to that, «Necromantic Secrets» seem to be closer to «Summoning Magic».
Let’s give him some orbs. They are non-tradeable items anyway. I have 57, so I give #1 seven of them. Eat well...
Oh, AI level went up to 35. Hm…? Looks like there are details written here. Was this added with the update?
1 is on the level of a toddler. 10 is on the level of an elementary schooler. 20 is on the level of a middle schooler. And by reaching 30, #1 has AI on the level of a high schooler.
Also, from level 30 AI becomes able to cooperate with other races, its action range increases and the restriction on bows is lifted.
And at level 35 it’s possible to ask them to gather items, as well as craft. Furthermore, magic catalysts can be used and Dark Magic is possible to use?
At 5, 15, 25, and 35 the time required for the AI to get used to a new body is decreased, is what it says?
There are no actual numbers on it, so rates are a mystery, but I guess I should increase AI level by a bit more? I won’t use all 50, but let’s level it a bit more.
...Mmmm, it started to have a hard time going up. It went up by 9 levels when I gave him 7 orbs, but when I next gave him 20 more it went up to level 50. Meaning, it went up by 15 levels. I have just 30 orbs left, so for now let’s leave it at this.
At level 40 AI has reached university student level and seems to have become capable of independent actions. It also seems that he started to think by himself and not only respond to orders. Magic other than dark was also unlocked. Furthermore, at level 45, combined magic was unlocked… but the current Skill level is insufficient and there aren't enough Skill slots for that. It’s meaningless until I reach level 30 of «Necromantic Secrets».
And at 50, AI was on the level of an adult. According to the description, it was on the same level as the player. And the Skill limitations coming from AI level all get lifted, the range of actions expands. It means that there will be no more “I can’t use this yet~” situations.
There is one more thing I learned. When the AI level reached 50 with the 19th orb, I gave #1 one more orb to make it an even number, but there was hardly any experience added to the bar. It seems that up to level 50 AI, it’s something like a tutorial. I’m curious what will happen when I level it up higher, but considering that I will run out of orbs, let’s leave it as it is now. I won’t be troubled at this level.
Just in case I summon #1 and #2 again and restart hunting.
Hm. The stats did not change, but their movements are now more efficient. #1 and #2 weren’t making any needless moves now.
Thanks to having his action range increased, #1 can fight all the Tokkeis within the range of my sight. #2 is acting as support for either me or #1… or rather, like a mobile striking force. When there are three enemies, I leave one each to #1 and #2, but in general I have #2 either attack #1’s or my target.
And so, let’s increase efficiency. I dismiss #2, do customization of a Red Skeleton Wolf and summon again. #1 costs 200 and #2 costs 400 now, so I have enough Capacity.
I grow two arms on #2, equip him with a two-handed sword and summon. ...This looks astonishing. A dark red boney doggie has two human arms growing out of him and holds a two-handed sword. He’s a wolf so he has four legs, that makes him pretty stable doesn’t it? Let’s further stabilize him. I put «Sword», «Balance Control» and «Bodily Enhancement» on him.
«Bodily Enhancement» is stat-increasing passive which is a merge of passives increasing STR and VIT. A merge of DEX and AGI is «Limb Enhancement» and a merge of INT and SPI seems to be «Soul Enhancement». For some reason the merged Skills increase less than originals, but it’s not a problem since I’m sticking it on a Servant.
His Monster Skills remain the same as usual - «Physical Resistance», «Life Absorption», «Low Undead» and «Bone Body», and in addition to those Skills I give him «Super HP Recovery» and «Automatic Recovery Trait». They won’t let me change his «Low Undead» and «Bone Body». It can't be helped, he IS a Skeleton.
Go, #2. Your mission is to slash. BECOME A SLASHER. I did not have a proper weapon for it so I had him hold a two-handed sword… but for this tactic, I think a katana would be better than a two-handed sword.
Although it did take him some time to get used to the new body, with high AI level he fairly quickly mastered it. Maybe it’s best to raise Servants’ level to 50 right away. At the very least to 30, otherwise Servants probably won’t cooperate well with players.
Body customization… is pretty nice? But I have way too few Capacity to play around with customization. And I will be able to summon metaskellies soon… looks like until my Skill level goes up to a point where it will be hard to level it further, I won’t have enough Capacity to customize well. How sad.
If I summoned a metaskelly and armor at extra cost, it would cost 2400 Capacity in total. A metaskelly dog would cost 600 at extra cost, so 3000 in total.
If I customized the doggo… it would be 2400 with just that. Without extra summon it would cost just 800? Two custom arms increase the price by ×4, after all.
In any case, I can’t do anything with «Necromantic Secrets» without Capacity, so for now let’s hunt trolls until I reach level 20 of «Necromantic Secrets».
Alright, it’s Thursday afternoon, before I go to hunt again… let’s withdraw money from consignment.
At the Merchant Union reception… I receive the sales for Onion Soup (buff), jerkies (normal & buff), as well as roast beef. Also, I withdraw the sales for the remaining bear soup I had.
So, there was about 1m of sales. Looks like jerkies pay off well. Let’s deposit the money in the union right away. The total amount of money I have now is… 4.4m and a little. The money I spent on my Servants’ equipment came back, so it’s plenty good.
Now, let’s go hunt. I leave the union and head to the forest. In about an hour my «Necromantic Secrets» should reach level 20.
I reached base level 24 when I was hunting yesterday. «Luminous Magic» reached 10 and I learned?Lumen Wall?. This one should be very valuable for the area in the North.
When I arrive at the forest, I summon #1 and #2… DELIVERY TIME.
?«Spatial Magic» reached level 10.?
?«Spatial Magic»’s?Gravitas?was acquired.?
Oh, it’s leveled… wait, that’s not it. ...Oh my? Finally?Inventory Expansion?’s consumption went down to 70%. This makes me happy.
?Gravitas?
Manipulates gravity to slow the enemy’s movements. The strength of gravity is based on Skill level.
I guess it’s the well-known gravity magic? I’m not even going to try wondering how it works - I’m pretty sure the theory of relativity will pop-up? If you asked me if I wanted to know that much, the answer is NO. I’m not seeking such “pleasures” from a game.
What is more important is the in-game mechanic. Whether this “Gravity” has a wide or narrow effect… is the problem. It would change everything. But at this point… it only seems to pull the target downwards. The value is… ×2, hm?
Will I be able to change the direction gravity pulls in if my level goes up? Like, repulsive force, an all-direction one? If I could use it, maybe I could fly… but I guess my MP would run out right away in this game? What is left is controlling the power output… the amount of magic power used. Although, I could fly into the atmosphere and burn up if I fail.
I’m sure this game isn’t too nice to players in that regard.
Let’s verify a little. First, whether it has a practical use or not.
I use?Gravitas?on a Troll I meet. ...Certainly his movements are duller, but it’s not to a level where his movements are restricted. The MP consumption is pretty low for a «Spatial Magic» spell… is what I would like to say, but it’s a spell with continuous effect. A type that continues to consume MP over the usage duration.
The spell itself isn’t bad… I think, but I won’t use it. I want to use MP for attacks. There is a possibility I will use it on enemies that are too fast… I guess? Also… if the gravity further increases, I might use it on flying enemies.
?«Necromantic Secrets» reached level 20.?
?«Necromantic Secrets»’s?Poisonplode?was acquired.?
Alright, it reached level 20. And of all things, it’s an attacking spell?
?Poisonplode?
Creates a poisonous cloud that Poisons the target and explodes.
An explosion with poison? I tried using it, and it seems to have low damage in itself, but it has a visibility decrease from the graphical effect and Poison ailment. The usage is the same as that of explosion-type spells. This vision obscuring effect does not seem to have any effect on me or #1. It’s plain but pretty useful-looking. I wonder whether it does work just on the spellcaster, his party, or because I have night vision. The Intensity of poison is at 4, which makes me curious. Even if it has a differing effect based on each enemy and players, it’s pretty strong. Feels like it will become a staple opening attack.
The explanation avoids touching up on the poison’s topic as much as possible… My «Aura of Darkness» has passed level 30 on Tuesday, so the ailment Intensity is also 4. Is there a possibility?Poisonplode? refers to the caster’s overall ailment Intensity capability? Intensity at 4 feels too strong to be default. I need to ask Ske-san to tell me how it is for him when he reaches level 20. He shouldn’t have «Aura of Darkness» at that point.
Now, for the time being, it can be said that I reached my goal with «Necromantic Secrets». I also gathered nearly 200 chicken meat, so there is plenty. It was worth hunting here over these few days. I gathered way too many feathers… there are so many of them it’s a pain to use them all up to make arrows...
And my Capacity hasn’t reached 3000 yet. With that said, I’m missing five trolls to reach it, to get in the safe margin. ...Well, it can’t be helped. For now let’s hunt five more trolls.
And it should be fine now… I passed my goal of 3000 Capacity so I return to the town… and go North next. The goal isn’t the temple, but absorbing a Phantom Knight. After absorbing one, let’s do some of the homework.
Let’s go back to… oh? There’s something I haven’t seen before? It’s armed… an Ogre Guard, huh? A level 30, but not a boss. Instead, it has Elite written on him. There’s also “Apprentice” written on him, like some novice driver stamp. So an apprentice guard, is it? I don’t know whether he is elite or novice at this point… I know what they mean by this though. He’s an Apprentice Ogre Guard, but is treated as an elite mob.
I resummon #1 and #2 as their metal versions. #1 is summoned with extra cost and #2 has two custom parts but no extra cost. I spent 2000 Capacity so I still have to spare, but let’s put #3 aside for now.
“We’re beating that.”
#1 nodded, and #2… gave thumbs up with the arm on his back. It really is a very eerie sight. The problem is, that it actually looks kind of cute. And they are bones, too. Wait, it could be actually disgusting if it was anything else but bones.
In any case, it’s an Ogre “Guard”, so he’s equipped with a one-handed sword and a large shield, tank style it is. His Skills are probably that of a tank, too. Level 30 is lower than that of the area in the North, but since I found him I might as well beat him.
...Is what I once thought. In this game, base level really isn’t a good reference point! If I had to say what’s different, it would be the AI level, just like in my Servants’ case.
He even does light feints. This is bad, I can’t parry everything.
I made a mistake and was unable to completely parry an uppercut, the sword hit my left biceps… and it’s gone. So you can lose limbs during combat? Certainly, it did not say it limb loss only happens when you die… the attack just now took 30% of my HP.
This Ogre Guard moves really well. Although he is an apprentice, he’s still an elite mob. And it looks like he’s fairly smart. The Undead in the North are really weak in this field, instead being numerous and tough.
#1 and #2 do attack, but they move away after hitting once. Although I’m having the most hate, it seems like he doesn’t only look at me.
Also, Ogre Guard isn’t the only enemy here, when a troll comes I leave it to #1.
"#2,?Ironcutter?.”
I want to beat it already, so I instruct #2 to use an art. As he ran, the two-handed sword he held had shone red and as he passed by the Ogre Guard, he slashed with?Ironcutter?. And from there, he took distance again.
Nice one, #2. That was a guidebook-level Art usage. Although that Art gives freedom of movement, it is difficult to activate and often ends up dealing trash damage. Looks like it was worth raising the AI level? Also #2, what are you holding in your teeth?
Thanks to #2’s attack, the ogre entered a damage taken motion, so I use that opportunity to slash with?Penetrate?into him. Normally, if I used it from the front, it would be stopped by the shield. Well, obviously, I would also protect myself from that.
When the ogre further faltered from receiving?Penetrate?, I gifted him?Nox Shot?. Furthermore, #1 attacked with?Ironcutter? and a?Distance Sword?flew over from #2… farewell, Ogre Guard.
What should I do about the drop… should I absorb him… or disassembly…? The body will be that of an ogre. Although, unlike «Summoning Magic», with «Necromantic Secrets» it will not be an ogre, but an ogre-sized skeleton. ...Alright, let’s absorb him.
??Dark Ritual?has acquired “Ogre” body.?
??Dark Ritual?has gained “9” Capacity.?
Yup, just as predicted.
Now, #2, what are you holding there? Oh, it’s my left arm. So you picked it up for me. #2 raised the arm up with one arm and passed it to me.
Still, can I put it back on? ...I see. A countdown timer appeared. So within five minutes it’s possible to put it back, after that time it will disappear. When it falls, the count progresses, and when I pick it up - it stops...
But there is no change to the lost limb treatment and my stats were temporarily lowered. So if I pick it up within five minutes, I won’t have to use a part? An hour and a half until the arm recovers completely… it’s faster than when I used a C quality part?
So… what should I do now? A lost limb is pretty troublesome. Obviously. My left arm feels strange and my DEX has decreased. It will affect my «Cook» Skill, not to mention combat.
Nn… looks like I need to put off the absorbing of a Phantom Knight. Let’s go do homework first and go there when the loss penalty is off.
I can do it in-game but… it’s 3 p.m…. 3 p.m. hm? Let’s log out and take a break while at it, and do homework in real. I decided so and headed to Belstead.
I take a break, do some homework, and once the penalty wears off I log in again. After confirming that the penalty is gone, I immediately depart North.
According to numbers added in the update, the area with the old temple is 2-2. 2-3, 2-5 and 2-7 are the town areas like Belstead, looks like they numbered them clockwise.
With the Starting Town as the center of a square split into 9 fields, the area with the old temple would be third in the first row, so I thought it would be a third area. But apparently the areas surrounding the Starting Town are all second areas, and areas surrounding the second town are third areas. In other words, even if it's a second area, areas that have no town in them have strong enemies.
Which means that there definitely is a town in the adjacent area shown on the map. Diagonally adjacent…? Well, even if it’s next to this one on the area map, it’s not guaranteed I can get there by walking straight in a straight line.
More importantly, let’s absorb a Phantom Knight. I deposited my money, as for valuables… alright, I’m prepared to die on this trip.
If I become able to summon a tank, I should be able to take on entire links by myself.
#1’s equipment is a one-handed mace and a large shield. Skills I gave him are «Long Handle» «Defense» «Balance Control» and «Bodily Enhancement».
As for #2, he is equipped with a bronze one-handed mace and a small shield. He’s a Metal Skeleton summoned at extra cost with two custom parts. As for Skills let’s give him «Long Handle» «Balance Control» and «Footwork».
Also, the two had their Monster Skills set as «Physical Resistance», «Life Absorption» «Low Tier Undead» and «Bone Body», as well as «Super HP Recovery» and «Automatic Recovery Trait» added by me.
The two’s Skill levels are based on «Necromantic Secrets» level, so they are level 20. Their «Super HP Recovery» and «Automatic Recovery Trait» is the same as mine, so 18 and 12. «Super HP Recovery» at level 18 gives more healing than «Automatic HP Recovery» at level 20, so I switched «Automatic HP Recovery» for «Life Absorption», giving them my «Super HP Recovery».
Since my «Necromantic Secrets» reached level 20, I had 4 slots for Skills, though Monster Skills remained at default 4. Probably, the number of Monster Skills will increase from here on.
Bringing the two bones that changed from dark red to metallic, I head to the area 2-2 in the North.
#1 aside, #2 still needs to get used to the new setup. His weapon changed from a two-handed sword to a mace and a shield, so I had him fight Forest Wolves along the way. I also disable?Inventory Expansion?before we arrive. I absorb the beaten enemies and once #2 gets used to fighting, we move onto the main event.
"#1, here is the plan: I will take on the Flying Heads that are in the sky, so be wary of the surroundings. Armored Skeleton Wolves will aim for me, so use Arts to attack them preemptively. Revenants and Forest Wolf Zombies will aim for you two, but they shouldn’t be too strong. Understood so far?”
"*KLOK*”
“Now, for the main enemy that is a Phantom Knight’s link, I will take on the Phantom Knight, so you two aim for the bones. #2 take out the archer, #1 take out the soldier alone. When you beat them, #1 stay on guard of the surroundings, #2 come join me in combat. Understood?”
"*KLOK*”
“Very well. Let’s go then.”
Most likely, or rather, definitely… if their AI level was low they wouldn’t be able to understand this.
When a Flying Head came, I left #1 to be on guard of the surroundings and defeat it in a magic battle. These ones aren’t a problem. Even if they hit me with their magic, I have resistance.
Although I have to fight against Revenants and Forest Wolf Zombies as well, they aren’t a problem. Since they are not targeting me at the beginning, I easily finish them off with?Overspell??Lumen Shot?.
Skeleton Wolves are usually in links of 3, but there are three of us as well, #1 and #2 are free of target at the start so it’s easy.
If there is a problem, it would be the reinforcements that come during combat with Phantom Knight’s link. They should be a little further, so I aim for the central part of the area.
There it is, the armored skeldier, archer, Phantom Knight group.
“I will shoot a spell from distance, #2 take a route around and attack from the back. I will also cast a Light Wall, so #1 be on standby.”
"*KLOK*”
KILL ‘EM ALL.
The archer has a large searching range so I get targeted by him, but I use ?Lumen Explosion?with?Overspell?and release it when they barely enter the range. Then, I next create?Lumen Wall?on the ground.
#1 and #2 moved around the wall and #2 attacked first with?Ironcutter?’s blunt attack version -?Armor Break?, hitting the archer’s legs from behind.
Just as instructed to, #1 remained nearby on guard. Looks like Undead were dumb enough to run straight into the wall and received a lot of damage.
The knight headed straight toward me. #1 smashed an?Armor Break?into the soldier from the side before he could get to me.
#1 easily beat the soldier who was already near death thanks to?Lumen Explosion?and?Lumen Wall?, meanwhile, I further fired a?Lumen Shot?at the knight. And he’s nearly dead now, though he did have a lot of HP.
While the Phantom Knight attacked me, #1 approached from behind him and did a full swing using?Armor Break?. And the enemy was defeated.
The archer? After being hit in the legs he fell over, was bitten in the leg, dragged all around, and smacked with the mace held in the customized arm on the back while at it. I felt a little sorry for him. This AI is too good.
Hmm… excellent. If I use magic preemptively, I can somehow manage. At least… in the current location. The further you go into the center of the area, the more enemies there are in this place. Looks like it’s still impossible for me to go to the old temple.
??Dark Ritual?has acquired “Living Armor” body.?
??Dark Ritual?has gained “3” Capacity.?
Great, nice. I can call… a Necroarmor, hm? Let’s go back a little, set Skills and equipment, then do my best hunting here.
Temporarily falling back to the nearby area!