VRMMO: My first Contractee is Yandere

Chapter 34 Samurai's Growth

Samurai's Evolution

Name: Samurai

Gender: None

Level: 50

Race: Mimic

Magic: Earth Magic 5

Crafting: Woodworking 1

Skills: Mimicry 40, Ambush 27, Restraint 30, Action Interference Resistance

Unused Skill Slot 1, Unused Skill Slot 2, Unused Skill Slot 3

Stats:

Attack: 50Magic Attack: 50Durability: 400Agility: 500Luck: 50

Samurai has reached level 50, triggering an evolution that opened three additional skill slots, thanks to Liora's Summoning skill. In the game PHO, the TAME skill enhances summoned creatures every 10 levels.

Liora has focused on increasing Samurai's skill slots rather than boosting stats, as her Summoning skill has now surpassed level 20, adding two extra slots.

Given Samurai's nature as a Mimic, increasing skill slots is more valuable than stat boosts.

"So, one of these new skill slots should be for a detection skill, right?"

"What would be useful, God?"

"Simple options would be Detection, Ambush Alert, or Enhanced Scouting. There are plenty of scouting-type skills, though. And, of course, there are many skills that counter them."

In PHO, the battle between detection and counter-detection skills is an ongoing tug of war. For instance, a spell that avoids Detection might still be caught by Magic Detection.

After a few minutes of contemplation, I found an interesting skill.

"Hmm... this one seems intriguing."

"Then let's choose that one, God!"

"Well, I'm just considering it for now... but, sure, why not?"

I glanced at Samurai, who nodded back at me. With her finely crafted Elven face, Samurai is quite stunning, though Liora seems a bit intimidated by her.

The skill I decided to assign to Samurai is Sonic Wave. This skill emits sound waves to perform sonar-like detection of the surroundings.

The strength of physically detecting something is undeniable. While sense-enhancing detection skills may have more depth, relying solely on them is quite nerve-wracking.

Even though I'm a gamer, I only trust what I can see with my eyes—I'm not someone who relies on intuition.

????

Samurai made some sort of sound. Although neither Liora nor I could hear it, Samurai seems to have sensed something.

Pointing southward, Samurai then raised fifteen fingers in my direction (since they're mimicking, they can control their form freely).

Liora looked on the verge of tears.

Samurai's Sonic Wave skill has leveled up. I'm relieved to see that this skill will likely develop into a competent scouting ability. The Sonic Wave skill is exclusive to certain monsters—humans typically can't learn it. I'm a sucker for anything labeled "exclusive."

"What about the other two slots? Since Samurai is our tank, should we aim for regeneration skills like HP Auto-Regen and MP Auto-Regen?"

???!?

Samurai shook its head in refusal.

Liora, sensing Samurai's disagreement, momentarily emitted a menacing aura... She might really be a wild dog. While I gently bonked her head with [Aura of Darkness], I listened to Samurai's thoughts.

It's not easy for Samurai to communicate with anyone other than Liora. Liora timidly looked to me for confirmation as she relayed Samurai's proposal.

Perhaps she finds it too daunting to suggest something on her own, even though it's a suggestion from her tamed monster. A side effect of this "God role-play."

"Samurai says she wants a stronger body, God."

"Ah, I see. It seems like she didn't quite enjoy having her body torn apart by JackJack and raid bosses!"

Samurai visibly drooped her shoulders. As a Mimic, Samurai lacks many offensive options. Her usual tactic is to ambush, restrain, and drag prey into the treasure chest to devour them. What she needs most is agility for ambushing and durability to survive while restraining enemies.

Since Mimics generally rely on HP for durability, it's actually not that hard to rip off Samurai's tentacles—if you're a Raid Boss or a max-level player, that is.

"It sounds like Samurai wants a skill that will make her body tougher. There are a few such skills that only monsters can choose..."

At this point, I realized my failure to keep up with the taming forums was becoming a problem. Strengthening Samurai is important, but I can't help but prioritize Liora and myself.

"In PHO, the more exclusive something is, the stronger it tends to be. This skill, Tentacle Reinforcement, might be a good choice."

We could also consider Iron Wall, a skill held by Helmut, or Devil Armor from the Emperor Orc.

???!?

"Samurai says she wants both Tentacle Reinforcement and Iron Wall, God."

"Both, huh? Well, the skill slots will continue to increase, so it's fine, I guess."

Both of these skills will undoubtedly prove useful. I see no reason not to proceed. With these new skills, Samurai is even better equipped to specialize in interference activities.

As our main tank, Iron Wall will be especially beneficial, and the enhanced precision from Tentacle Reinforcement will make Samurai even more effective at protecting Liora.

"What a great skill, this taming one is. It uses up a party slot and splits experience, so it's tricky in an MMO context, but for solo play, it's a must-have."

It remains popular, though. However, it can be a mixed bag when it comes to party dynamics.

For example, if two NPCs are in a party, they should each get 50% of the 100 experience points earned from a battle. But if one has a tamed monster, the experience gets split into thirds, so each ends up with around 30 points.

Loot distribution also becomes a three-way split, making it advantageous for the player with the tamed monster. If the tamer has a skill like Item Box or something similar, any loot automatically goes into their inventory, making it easy to hide from others.

"And yet, taming remains so popular."

Given that PHO is essentially about taming NPCs and making them fight, there's no need to be overly fixated on having tamed monsters.

Still, there are plenty of dedicated tamers. It's an incredibly powerful strategy, especially for solo players or those with understanding teammates.

"Now that we have scouting capabilities, let's proceed to the catacombs."

"Yes, God!"

Samurai quickly used Sonic Wave to find a safe route for us. Our journey with the horse resumed. Since Samurai is a Mimic, there's no sound of hooves clopping. She could mimic the sound if necessary, but that's one of the impressive features of a Mimic's disguise.

However, there's no benefit to making noise in enemy territory, so we continued in silence.

Then, all of a sudden...

"Help! Someone, please!"

A woman's scream echoed out. This must be... an event. Without concern, Liora and Samurai continued toward the catacombs.

But I stopped them and decided to investigate the sudden event. These kinds of events tend to be either a huge hassle or come with really great rewards.

'Either way, I should enjoy the game!'