"Let's keep a move on, people! Drinks are on me when we return!"
...did they leave? They left, right? ...yeah, they're gone. Phew...
I saw the group of adventurers (I think that's what they are) go deeper into the Dungeon, completely ignoring me as I was standing in the open. Can't blame them though. Not after I spent my AP on two new skills specifically to prevent that.
Hmm? How did I end up in this situation? Well..., after I placed the last beacon, some local earthquake struck the Dungeon. I bet that it's because of me and those gizmos I've placed all over the place. Anyway, I got the "quest clear"-notification and the 5 (doubled to 10) AP and decided to get the hell outta here.
However, as I got close to the entrance, I heard some people. Human. And I'm a demon that was born and grew up inside a Dungeon. What would you do if you met such a creature? I'd hunt it down and ask questions never.
Because of that, I spent a total of 6 AP on two new skills (recommended by K-N) in the hope of not being part of some subjugation quest. And they worked.
Skill: Optical Cover Skill Type: Active Skill Tier: 1 Attribute: Light, Illusion Effect:
* Creates a light-altering concealment area around the user using nearby light.
* The concealment will be canceled if the user moves outside the designated area.
* Constantly consumes MP.
Skill: Reduced Mana Consumption Skill Type: Ability Skill Tier: 1 Attribute: none Effect:
* Reduces MP consumption of other abilities based on skill level.
[Optical Cover] is sort like a degenerated optical camouflage that you sometimes see in Sci-fi movies that uses nearby light sources (thank you, glowing crystals), while [Reduced Mana Consumption] lowers MP usage, as most could guess. It's thanks to these two, plus [Lurk] and [Camouflage], that the humans(?) didn't notice me.
When we're on that subject, were they even humans? I mean, they were a literal pig walking on two legs, a guy who seemed to have elf-ears, a green-skinned guy that could be a grown-up goblin for all I know, and a sorta see-through girl. Like, literally. Like a ghost! Was she a ghost? She was a pretty ghost if that's the case.
Answer. The individuals that passed by were, respectively, a Beastkin (Warthog), an Elf, a Hobgoblin, and a Light Sprite. The remaining humanoids were a human and what seemed to be a Damphir.
You don't say..., hold on. "Damphir"? As in the famous half-vampire? Which one?
Answer. The one dressed in the functional priestess garments.
A nun AND a vampire kid? How many fetishes is that one planning on having?
No, that's not important right now. I should focus on getting outta here.
Proposal. It would be better to stay in this Dungeon for a little longer.
Huh!? What are you joking about!? Did you forget about all the trouble I had to go through to reach this floor!?
Answer. This unit is incapable of forgetting. However, it is believed from observing the humanoids that entered that the surface contains multiple creatures that are above what owner Garami can face in battle.
In return, the Dungeon provides weak enemies such as the Pond Frog and Greycave Rat.
Additionally, more quests with great rewards have started to appear on the lower floors of the Dungeon. Quests with better rewards than normal.
In conclusion, it would be better to stay in this area for a while longer until owner Garami has reached a certain level of power.
......that's a lot of thought you've put behind that idea. ...okay, we could stay a little more. It's not that bad on the first three floors, I guess. Except for that stupid sauna tunnel.
With that in mind, let's stalk the adventurers. Maybe they could give me some cool ideas for my battle plan development? I mean, they didn't look like some medal-awarding adventurers or anything, but I got nothing else to base my knowledge on.
With that in mind, let's get a bird's eye view and stalk them~.
---
...those guys have the worst of luck. Maybe I could become friends with them.
From the top of the "labyrinth walls", I looked down on the adventurer party who were struggling with the big-ass snake from before. The pigman is keeping it in check while the swordsman wearing a cowboy hat is using wind spells to throw bombs provided by the Hobgoblin at the big reptile's head. Meanwhile, the priestess damphir is keeping the pigman healthy, the Sprite woman is cutting the snake's counterattacks in half, and the elf seems to be keeping an eye open for enemy reinforcement while also throwing in a spell or two to assist when he can.
And honestly, there is nothing here for me to gain. These guys aren't using some awesome skill to beat that beast, but pure teamwork. Impressive teamwork, I admit, but nothing that I can make use of.
It was then I got a nasty idea. I mean, it's a big-ass snake, right? And haven't I crushed one (albeit someone a few sizes smaller) and gotten some tasty EXP for nothing? So that's the deal. Let's squash this guy. I mean, the adventurers seem to be struggling. In the way that they seem to not have a finishing move to kill the giant snake. So let's give them a hand.
First, I bought another skill for 3 AP from the Skill Shop. Hmm? Why I'm not using my free skill slots, you ask? It's better to save them in an emergency. I still have more than 9 AP after this.
Anyway, the skill I bought is the passive skill [Climbing]. It's one of the skills I was thinking of buying before getting [Parkour]. [Climbing] improves my ability to climb on stuff, plus as a secondary bonus, the skill would give me pointers on how to climb more efficiently as well. Both a power boost and informative hints. Nice, right?
Back to the present, after I bought my new skill, I started to climb up to my target, a gigantic stalactite using my spit threads. Oomph, this is hard. Steady, steady...there. I've reached the rock.
Now, time to erode. I focused my [Aura of Darkness] on my front limbs and gradually weakened the base of the stalactite. Steady, steady... keep on eroding this thing from the inside...
*Crack!*
And then, all of a sudden, the stalactite broke off the ceiling. The sudden event scared me so much that I lost control over the aura and had my whole enveloped by it. It doesn't do any damage though, just that its area of effect is spread out now compared to the concentrate usage I did just now.
A nasty sound was heard from below and a System Message popped up. I don't have the luxury of reading it right now, so I'll flee first, then read it.
I used more spit threads to swing myself a distance away from the battlefield. I've been training on this little trick while I was camping on the 3rd floor. For some reason, I felt like someone was looking at me, so I went an extra distance just to be safe. After confirming nobody was around, I could finally take a break and look at the System Message.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Your level has increased. You have gone from Lv.5 to Lv.10.
You have earned a total of 0.4 Aether Points.
Due to reaching the level cap, you have earned 1.0 Aether Points.
Due to the Blessing: "Champion of Alvatria", an additional 1.4 Aether Points were earned.
----------------------------------------
Evolution is now possible.
----------------------------------------
Your title: [Giant Killer] has advanced into the title: [Titan Killer].
Acquired skill: [Greater Strength Lv.1].
Acquired skill: [Tougher Vitality Lv.1].
Skill: [Strength Lv.4] has been integrated into skill: [Greater Strength Lv.1].
[Skill: Vitality Lv.1] has been integrated into skill: [Tougher Vitality Lv.1].
...evolution? I guess that's fair. That snake seemed to be a D-rank monster, according to the Kigal-Note. But for my title to be replaced, not to mention that [Strength] and [Vitality] got absorbed into these new skills. K-N, mind giving me an explanation?
Answer. The [Titan Killer] title can be obtained by vanquishing a foe that is even more out of one's league while also possessing the [Giant Killer] title.
...D-ranked snake monster sure seems like it would fit that requirement by a mile or ten. Just asking, can all titles be, how should I call it..., "upgraded"?
Answer. Negative. Some titles can, but not all. An important note is that all Hunting Titles can be upgraded two times.
Now that you mention it, I remember reading something like that. Short-time memory, you're my bane. And the new skill can do...what?
Skill: Greater Strength Skill Type: Ability Skill Tier: 2 Attribute: none Effect:
* Increases STR value by 5 times the skill level.
* Increases natural STR growth from level-ups by 1 for every 10th skill level of this skill, plus 1.
Skill: Tougher Vitality Skill Type: Ability Skill Tier: 2 Attribute: none Effect:
* Increases VIT value by 5 times the skill level.
* Increases natural VIT growth from level-ups by 1 for every 10th skill level of this skill, plus 1.
......Okay, I didn't expect this. Can I laugh like a maniac now? Just a little? No? You guys are jerks...
But man, guess I'm not gonna be as frail as I expected myself to be. Should I start with bodybuilding? To improve these two skill levels so I get more for each level-up? ...but I bet no one would wanna see a super-buff grey demon walking around, so let's stop that train of thought.
...crap, almost forgot. The evolution-thing. But hey, these skills could catch anyone off-guard. ...and don't tell me I got the skills AFTER the level-up fever just now!
Name: Garami | [Migrant] Race: Grey Demon Gender: Female Level: 10/10 Evolution is possible. Traits: 2 Karma Value: -64 Main Class: Arachnid Assailant Lv.3
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Skills: 31 Titles: 5 Blessings: 1 Aether Points: 12.2 HP: 15/15 MP: 15/15 SP: 24/24 STR: 16 VIT: 14 MAG: 15 RES: 15 SPD: 56 DEX: 68 INT: 120 LUC: 150 LP: 5
...yup. it didn't. If it did, then both members of the macho duo would have been higher than this. Damn..., or maybe I should say something like "webs" since I've got this spider gig going on?
But man, I'm turning into a literal speed demon. And if my physical abilities are getting a boost from skills..., rather, if I throw in as many passive-type skills as possible, won't I become a true force of reckoning? It'd be better than getting skills I have to actively be conscious of to use, and probably forget if I get too many of them.
Yeah, passives are the best. I'll limit what new active-type skill I can get to whatever my classes or titles give me along the way. Or when I need them for real. Like Light skills and Poison skills for those "Technique User"-whatever you call them.
Notice. Evolution will provide 2 new skills.
Okay, that's cool. Wait, what can I..., never mind. The moment I thought "I wanna know what I can evolve into", a glowing box in the same style as the System Messages appeared in front of me.
Evolution Menu: Future:
* Arami Infernalis (Rank F+)
* Reha Zera (Rank F+)
* Dark Imp (Rank F)
* Unstable Djinn (Rank F-)
* Gazer (Rank F-)
Current:
* Grey Demon (Rank G-)
Previous:
* ---
Wow, five of them? That's impressive.
Objection. Every individual that can evolve will be presented with 5 evolution options, all of them being selected from the abilities the individual in question uses the most, and all of them being the best in its related "category".
Oh, okay. That means I don't need to worry about picking the best from two similar guys..., I guess. Anyway, is there some way to get more..., yup, there was. The second I touched on their names, new Message boxes appeared as they talked about the new evolutions. I tried touching the Grey Demon tab, but nothing came up. Bummer.
And what's up with the pluses and minuses behind the ranks?
Answer. They are telling the specific race's natural potential compared to other creatures of the same rank. More specifically, a creature with a negative-type creature would gain powers faster than the other two categories of the same racial rank but said growth would decrease as it reaches its higher levels. The opposite holds for the positive-type creatures.
Huh, so it's only telling whether it's good or bad early/late in the game. And the "neutral types" have a flat learning curve?
Correct.
That's great to know. Guess I'll have a look at them all and decide after that. Starting from the bottom of the list to its top, we have...
Race: Gazer Rank: F- Genus: Demon (Evil Eye Demon) Attribute: none Traits: Lesser Demon, Evil Eyed Description:
A flying demon that takes the shape of an eyeball.
It attacks anything that may threaten it. Despite this, it is a demon that is often chosen as a familiar for magic casters.
It focuses on Mana and Magic stats so it can make better use of its eye-based, supernatural skills.
It uses [Levitation] to move around and [Magic Eye of Hurt] to inflict magic-based damage to anything within its sight.
Okay, that's nasty. But quite the cliche type of demon. Flying eyeballs are damn common in dark fantasies, right? And it got another Magic Eye skill like mine. It's even got offensive abilities. Wow.
Aaaaand it seems that it could have some bonafide evil eyes as well. That's surely bringing the edgelord inside me out. What's the difference between "evil" and "magic" eyes anyway?
Answer. None. After Magic Eye-type skills evolve, they become either Evil Eye-type if they are offensive-based skills, or Truth Eye-type if they are anything else.
Tch. Man, that excludes the observation eye. I wish I had an evil eye...
Wait, would I get those skills mentioned here if I evolved?
Answer. That is correct.
Nice to know. What are my other options?
Race: Unstable Djinn Rank: F- Genus: Demon (Djinn) Attribute: none Traits: Lesser Demon, Demonic Spirit Description:
A spiritual demon who takes on a "broken" humanoid appearance.
They are said to find magic items to rest in for hundreds of years. They can be attributed to the sin of sloth.
This specimen has yet to stabilize its existence as a physical spirit, so most of its powers are yet to be granted to it.
These demons excel in Mana and Dexterity, and they will gladly produce traps so it does not need to fight on their own.
[Trap Creation] is the most used skill of this race, along with [Sleep Demon's Touch] that can make a target touched by the Unstable Djinn fall into an unnatural sleep.
Okay, this guy's off my list. It feels like a weaker version of what I already am, or what I can be in the future. I mean, [Trap Creation] is something I'm already scheduled to get thanks to the Arachnid Assailant class. And the sleep thing? Not so hyped about it.
Race: Dark Imp Rank: F Genus: Demon (Imp) Attribute: Darkness Traits: Lesser Demon Description:
A small, humanoid demon with black fur covering its whole body.
It's quite mischievous, but it is also quite loyal like the other Imp races.
It has high Mana and Dexterity stats that it makes use of to create mischief.
[Dark Blow] is the go-to skill of the Dark Imp, while it hides with [Lurk].
Yeah, this is a no-brainer. [Dark Blow] is simply boosting a physical blow with the Darkness attribute, something I could probably take without much trouble, and I already have [Lurk]. The only thing that's attractive about the Dark Imp must be that it has a humanoid body, but the Unstable Djinn has that too.
Then again, if I had to choose between those two solely because of that, I'd go with the Imp. I don't wanna know what a "broken" humanoid looks like.
Race: Reha Zera Rank: F+ Genus: Demon (Demonic Spider) Attribute: none Traits: Lesser Demon, Arachnid Description:
A spider-like demon that lives in the jungles and caves.
They hide in the shadows while waiting for their prey to fall into their trap.
However, the Reha Zera is also a benevolent monster and will refrain from attacking prey that is weaker than themselves.
It has high Speed and Dexterity stats, allowing it to move quickly and swiftly to lead its prey to its traps.
It creates enhanced poison through [Spider's Poison] and prepares improvised traps thanks to [Web Bomb].
Hey, this isn't looking so bad. The name's kind of strange though.
The advantage of this race would be that I get a new Poison skill that passively improves my poison, I guess? Not so sure about that part. On the other hand, [Web Bomb] looks easier. If I have some webbing on my hand, the skill turns it into a ball that I can throw at someone, and boom! One webbed-up loser.
The downsides are..., well, it's a spider. Not many would choose to become a spider, right? Unless it has some humanoid evolution further down the line...
Notice. The race known as Reha Zera does not prevent the owner Garami from evolving into a humanoid demon.
Phew. That's good to hear. This option's honestly strong. But what about the last guy?
Race: Arami Infernalis Rank: F+ Genus: Demon (Seaborn Demon) Attribute: Light, Ocean Traits: Lesser Demon, Seaborn Demon Description:
A demon from the ocean. It takes the appearance of an octopus-like creature that can disguise itself as a humanoid.
It can live on both land and in the sea and it will allure its victims with illusions produced from bioluminescent materials produced by its body.
It focuses on Mana and Magic stats that allow it to produce more illusions to trick its victims.
Its [Bioluminescence] skill gives it the ability to generate light by spending its SP, and it uses [Charming Lightshow] to inflict Charm onto a target and lure them to their final resting place.
Am I reading a thin book here or something!?
Okay, calm down, me. This must be because of that. [Optical Cover] and the other hiding-type skills. Heck, it wouldn't be strange if the status ailment skills have something to do with this as well.
Now that I've gotten to take a look at them all, it's only about deciding which evolution I should take, I guess.
Gazer has the potential of getting Evil Eyes and it can float, but the problem is that it's likely a huge MP-eater. Both the skills provided with the evolution feel like they would consume MP, and that's something I don't have enough of. That's why I'm cutting this one off the list.
Unstable Djinn is also rejected. It feels sort of risky to become a demon that's "unstable" and all.
Dark Imp just feels lackluster, and not only because it's related to Darkness. Most of what it does is something I already know or stuff that I could probably pick up on my own. Therefore, it's also fired.
Reha Zera, on the other hand, feels like a keeper. The only problem would be the spider form, but hey. I'm the girl who decided on the spider gig.
Finally, I got the Arami Infernalis. It's honestly a blow from outta nowhere. It feels like a good fit, but the fact that it feels like I'd go on a Lovecraftian path if I took it is sorta freaking me out.
And with that, I can safely say I'll go with Reha Zera as my evolution. If I didn't have that, however, I'd most likely take the Arami Infernalis instead.
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
You have chosen to evolve into the race: Reha Zera.
During evolution, you will not be able to move.
Do you wish to start the evolution into the race: Reha Zera?
Y/N
I can't move? Good thing I was preparing a small spider nest while looking at the evolution options. Finished it just now. And because of that, I say YES!
SYSTEM MESSAGE:
Commencing evolution to Reha Zera.
Alright. Kinda scared, but the results... are going... be... awe...