Chapter 41: Three skills

Reidar tapped the holographic interface, selecting all three summoning skills. The system chimed as Survival Points drained from his account—4,200 for the Bone Militia, another 4,200 for the Guardian Shade, and 8,820 for the Primal Pack. Three leather-bound skill books materialized in front of him.

<Nice…>

He tucked the Summon Primal Pack skill book away for later—he’d need to hit level 20 before he could use it.

The other two dissolved into his palms with a warm tingle as he used and absorbed them.

—[«SKILLS»]—

Summon Guardian Shade

Tier: 2 Proficiency: 0.0% Type: Active Casting: Toggle [ Description ] Summons a single, non-offensive shadowy construct that passively siphons ambient mana for the caster. [ Core Attributes ] Mana Cost: 210 (Fixed Amount) Spell Type: Sustained Summon Cooldown: 1.5 minutes [ Summon Attributes ] Summon Potency: 1 x Guardian Shade (Caster Level -4) Summon Type: Shade Duration: 40 minutes [ Summon Abilities ] Mana Siphon: The shade absorbs a small amount of ambient mana and transfers it to the caster. [ Acquisition Data ] Source: Bought from Keth’moran in the Three Lakes town Requirements: Level 10

Summon Bone Militia

Tier: 2 Proficiency: 0.0% Type: Active Casting: Instant [ Description ] Raises a squad of skeletal warriors to act as a durable, if disposable, frontline. – [ Core Attributes ] Mana Cost: 260 (Fixed Amount) Spell Type: Batch Summon Cooldown: 1.5 minutes [ Summon Attributes ] Summon Potency: 10 x Skeletal Warrior (Caster Level -4) Summon Type: Undead Duration: 10 minutes [ Summon Abilities ] Vulnerable (Bludgeoning): Skeletons are vulnerable to bludgeoning damage. [ Acquisition Data ] Source: Bought from Keth’moran in the Three Lakes town Requirements: Level 10

—[«END»]—

“Now for sales.” Reidar produced two bulging sacks from his inventory. “Spirit Essence Crystals and Porcelain Shell Fragments. How much do they sell?”

“Three per shell, two per crystal,” Keth’Moran said. “How many do you wish to sell?”

“All of them. 3500 each.”

“Well… I shouldn’t have expected less from the first killer.” The vendor’s tentacles twitched. Then he waved a webbed hand. The materials vanished, replaced by a flood of notifications:

[17,500 Survival Points gained]

[Total SP: 22,973]

Reidar’s lips twitched upward. The number glowed brighter than he’d ever seen. That amount would surely come in handy in the future.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you,” Keth’moran said, though his tone sounded a little strained. “Is there anything else I might do for you?”

Reidar’s fingers hovered over the interface. Armor upgrades? Potions? More skills? The possibilities were before him.

Reidar scrolled through the vendor’s interface, fingers flicking past glowing skill icons. “Just need a basic healing spell.”

Keth’moran’s tentacles rippled in what might have been a shrug. “Filter applied. The Tier 1 healing skills are now on display.”

—[«SHOP»]—

—[«SKILL»]—

« Mending Touch »

Tier: 1

Description: A foundational healing spell that channels restorative energy into the caster’s own body to mend minor wounds. As it can only target the self, its mana cost is highly efficient.

Price: 2,364 SP

Requirements: Level 1

Core Stats:

Base Power: 50 Healing

Mana Cost: 5 (Fixed)

Cooldown: 5 seconds

Target: Self Only

Potential Effects:

Cleansing (Unlocks at 50% Proficiency): Has a chance to remove one minor Toxin or Poison debuff from the caster.

Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.

—[«END»]—

“Great.” Reidar tapped the purchase prompt. The skill book appeared in his hands and then dissolved into his palm after he absorbed it.

He dismissed the notification and closed the shop interface. The remaining 20,609 SP were temptingly waiting to be spent, but Reidar shook his head at his own thoughts.

Fireball still sat at 27.6% proficiency, Wind Blade at 34.5%, and those were just two of the skills he had available whose proficiency had to be increased. Adding more would spread his focus thinner than a Rift-Sprite’s porcelain skin.

“Anything else?” Keth’moran asked.

“Do afflictions exist here? Poisons, curses, that sort of thing?”

“They do. Venomous creatures, corrupted zones, and even some advanced spells inflict debilitating conditions.” The vendor gestured, summoning a menu Reidar couldn’t see and with which he was interacting. “I stock antidotes, resistance charms—”

“Later than,” Reidar cut him off. “I already spent quite some time here… I need to check on the others; besides, I need to rest a little.”

Besides, his equipment was already giving him some sort of protection, albeit not from sleep, paralysis, and those kinds of afflictions.

Keth’moran’s tentacles drooped slightly but perked up at Reidar’s next words.

“I’ll be back after clearing that sprite nest. Save the good Tier 3s for me.”

“Of course.” The Thalassari merchant dipped his head. “Have a safe hunt, Reidar Miller.”

Walking through the department store’s hallways felt strange now, after meeting someone like Keth’moran. Normal didn’t feel normal anymore.

<Well, normal doesn’t exist anymore… I better get used to it.>

Reidar found Malcolm waiting by the stairwell, arms crossed over his tactical vest. The soldier raised an eyebrow at Reidar’s empty hands. “No shiny new toys?”

“Bought skills more than gear. Got a healing spell and three Summoning ones.”

Malcolm looked surprised. Skills usually cost more than gear, so Reidar having enough points to grab a few meant he’d been racking up Survival Points like crazy.

Malcolm’s gaze dropped to the Rift-Sprite Conductor at Reidar’s belt, the bracers, the cloak, and the rest of Reidar’s equipment.

“Fair enough,” Malcolm said. “Kate is already downstairs preparing the scouting report for the elementary school. You want in on the briefing?”

“Give me five minutes,” Reidar said, leaning his head back against the plaster. He closed his eyes for a second and massaged his temples. “I’m running on fumes here. Trust me, I’ve been standing at that vendor’s makeshift counter for what felt like an hour straight. My legs are about to give out.”

“Yeah,” Malcolm said. He’d tracked how long Reidar spent at Keth’moran’s shop, hoping to guess what he bought. He doubted Reidar would spell it out, and even if he did, it wouldn’t change much. Reidar was level 14, and now he had three summoning skills. The guy was basically a one-man army. But the man, surprisingly, told him everything.

There was no doubt in Reidar’s mind that Malcolm was going to buy summoning skills as soon as he could, or at least something that would make him impossible to kill even against large groups of monsters.

In truth, while Summoning skills gave the number advantage, it wasn’t like they were the best skills out there. An assassin could always kill the summoner easily, after all, so a balanced approach was needed.

Either way, Reidar had tools for every scenario now. If he pushed their proficiencies high enough, he could share the skills with others. That could make it possible to clear Three Lakes in a couple of days. 500 people, each able to summon 16 creatures, meant 8,000 fighters.

Reidar sat on an armchair there.

“You can find me in the meeting room,” Malcolm said.

“Very well, then. See you later.”

Malcolm nodded at Reidar and went downstairs.

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