[Rank 2: Black chrome beetle(Elite) learned. Progress 50%]
[You gained 240 essences!]
[You leveled up! You gained +1 Might, +1 Speed, and +1 Toughness. +1 Free attribute point]
Theron Gray | Class: Novice | Rank: Unranked
Class: Novice| Level: 8 | Next 1535 xp
Mana: 17 / 17
Summon slots: 0/5
Essence: 4305
-Attributes | Free points: - (+1/level) -
Might: 9 (+1/level)
Speed: 8 (+1/level)
Magic: 12
Toughness: 9 (+1/level)
Resistance: 10
Abilities - Active
Abilities - Passive
Necrotic aura - lvl 1 | Summon Aspect
Extract Aspect | Unsummon Aspect
Necrotic touch - lvl 1
-
Hmm… I hope this is ideal. Hoarding all his free points in magic seemed to make the most sense in his eyes—all his abilities and summoning necessitated mana usage. While his wand helped a lot in that regard, the fact novice class granted him no free magic points per level irked his mind to no end. He sensed little point in investing in other attributes since their return appeared minimal in his eyes.
A massive quake shook him off his thoughts, the opening of the previously sealed passage rousing him off his seat. Rounding the cavern once more, ensuring no spots were missed, he withdrew to the other path, eager to retrieve what spoils awaited on the other side. Clad in darkness, he opened Berys’ final status page to allocate its free points, again reminded of the gulf between a common aspect and an elite one.
Aspect - Elite Metal-clawed Bear | Health : 34/46 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 5 | Next 600 xp
Rank: 1 | Max Level 5
Mana cost: 8 | slot cost: 1
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Bear | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+3/level)
Might: 52 (+6/level)
Speed: 14
Magic: 0
Toughness: 31 (+4/level)
Resistance: 18 (+2/level)
-Abilities-
Embolden Claws
At level 5, unevolved, Berys surpassed Borys’ might. It wouldn’t take long before its toughness outpaced Borys too. Power and toughness. With an evolution, this thing would be a beast in the long run… but to use it after it evolved, Theron had to let go of one of his current aspects. So, either Lux or Borys needed to make way for Berys, a tough choice weighing his mind as a gulf of wind welcomed his presence upon the opened path. Inside rested another chest, appearing sturdier with golden trims on its edges. A ray of gentle light glimmered from above, scintillating when a cloud rolled by. Theron peered his head around the dark cavern, finding nothing noteworthy, well, aside from the chest.
He tugged the chest open. A burst of luster dazzled his dilated eyes. Grimacing, Theron pushed his hands into the box, shrouding the blinding radiance with his hand. A warm, jagged stone responded to his touch, its heat spreading throughout his palm, seeping into the deepest parts of his vambraces and gloves. He yanked his hand back, revealing a gemstone, transparent and white, humming gently in the palm of his hand.
[Class stone-dormant. Crush to obtain a class. However, in its dormant state, the best it will give you is a common class. Obtain the other parts of the class stone to earn a higher-rarity class. Usable once you reach level 10. While in possession of this stone, it will absorb additional experience after level 10 to increase the chances of a better class.]
A class stone… Makes sense.
The initial sentence roused no questions in his head, but what came after most certainly did. To achieve the best possible results, Theron had to wait until he discovered the other caves and grind—a guess at best, but the fact he found this stone here was a good clue as to where these things were—and potentially, he’d have to scour the endless abyss awaiting within the mossy entrance for the best possible results.
Well, of course, the only question remaining would be; How long can I wait?
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“Let’s go,” He motioned toward the exit of the cave, thinking of the checkpoint. With Berys’ evolution, he had a better shot at clearing the Treant event, and the choice of its evolution was crucial.
###
What things the interface displayed befuddled Theron’s mind. The messages hinted at the elite’s more… complicated method of evolution and level-up before, sure, but he never expected that a simple rank-up would require materias, out of all things. He shuddered at the thought of its rank-3 evolutions.
[Evolution options.]
[Common path.]
[Rank 2: Savage Metal-fist Bear(Elite), grants bonus stats: +9 might, +9 Toughness. Growth/level: +6 might, +6 toughness, +4 resistance, +4 free attributes/ level. Grants a new ability: Savage Slam. Grants an innate trait: Metallic Skeleton. Summon slot cost: 3. Requirements: 1x R-1 Metal-clawed bear(Elite) Materia.]
[Savage slam[Melee]: Slams both fists on a target area, dealing 1.6x[2x] might damage within the area of effect. Cooldown: 20 seconds.]
[Pure Metallic Skeleton: Blocks 15 physical damage passively. Does not work against other damage sources.]
Incredible… Was all Theron conjured in his mind upon the descriptions of its evolution. This thing out-scaled Borys by a margin he needed not explain, and the innate trait was a massive cherry on top, enough for Theron almost to select that option instantly. Almost. But let’s check the other options beforehand.
[Fusion path]
[Rank 2: Giant Tusked Metal-fist Bear(Elite), grants bonus stats: +12 might, +6 Toughness. Growth/level: +8 might, +6 toughness, +2 resistance, +4 free attributes/ level. Grants a new ability: Savage rush. Grants an innate trait: Metallic Skeleton. Summon slot cost: 3. Requirements: 1x R-1 Black forest boar(Elite) Materia.]
[Savage rush[Melee]: Rushes toward the desired spot. Deals 1x[1.2x%] might as damage to enemies along the path. Cooldown 20 seconds.]
[Metallic Skeleton: Blocks 10 physical damage passively. ]
A lesser, but similar innate trait… Not that interesting.
[Rank 2: Three-tailed Sable Metal-fist Bear, grants bonus stats: +6 Might, +10 Speed, +2 Toughness. Growth/level: +5 might, +8 speed, +3 Toughness, +4 free attributes/ level. Grants: Stalker of the night. Grants an innate trait: Metallic Skeleton. Summon slot cost: 3. Requirements: 1x R-1 Metal-bladed dark panther(Elite) Materia. ]
[Stalker of the night[No affinity]: Increases might, speed, and resistance by 8 during nighttime. Being in darkness does not trigger this effect.]
[Metallic Skeleton: Blocks 10 physical damage passively. ]
I don’t have the materia for this one. Theron sighed, watching the potential of another copy of Borys vanishing. Although, a part of him doubted if that was the right plan, while having speedy monsters under his control allured him to no end, he yearned for a strong body at his side, to deter any possible unwanted attacks on him. A possibility non-existent in the Tutorial zone, though by some extension, his sable cloak provided him levity against the monsters in the wild.
But not against people. Other humans will gun for me straight away.
In that case, the first two options seemed the most sensible for that role. If he wanted a strong body by his side, it made little sense for it to rush away by using its ability. Savage slam also dealt incredulous damage, paired with its base might and might growth; a direct hit would spell doom for most rank-2 creatures, the treants notwithstanding.
Let’s see the last one… Oh, the tiger?
[Rank 2: Verdant furred Metal-fisted Bear(Elite), grants bonus stats: +8 Might, +8 Speed, +2 Toughness. Growth/level: +6 might, +7 speed, +3 Toughness, +4 free attributes/ level. Grants: Poisonous claws(Passive). Grants an innate trait: Metallic Skeleton. Summon slot cost: 3. Requirements: 1x R-1 Green forest Tiger(Elite) Materia. ]
[Poisonous claws(Passive): Deals passive minor poison damage from its claws.]
[Minor poison: Deals 3 health damage per 10 seconds.]
Poison… fits my current abilities. Balanced attribute gain… No focus on toughness, though. Is this a good option? Ten seconds for three damage wasn’t exactly life-changing, in his opinion, most monsters perished way before that… Unless they faced elites, or, god forbid, stronger foes, but 3 damage wouldn’t scratch their health bars at his current level. If only it was slightly better.
A difficult option to justify, indeed. Whilst having poison fit Theron’s kit, the name minor poison erred Theron to the other way. Not this one, I think… There’s more text below.
[Class-fusion path.]
[No compatible base(unevolved) aspect or materia of a similar class and rarity found.]
No compatible materias? Whilst the warning message didn’t show much other than a glimpse of what it entailed—a possibility of another evolution based on class compatibility. Since Berys was a bear, then… well, the only other bear-type enemies he’d seen would be the massive, overpowering bear back in the tutorial zone…
Yeah… I can wait until the next evolution before considering this option.
So, his choice boiled down to two; either the tusked or a pure metal fist version… Theron glanced at Berys, imagining what it’d looked like with a massive tusk on its head. Won’t it block its vision? He wondered. The extra damage block from its common evolution captivated Theron to no end, which eventually teetered him over to the savage metal bear option.
Theron closed his eyes, finalizing his decision with a mumble.
###
A massive bear stood in the midst of the empty field, its figure loomed by the shadow of the checkpoint, facing the sun about to set. He gave Berys a gentle pat on its back as he felt the rigidity of its protruding fur, a metallic sheen glinting on the inner surface of its dark skin, where its bones were at their thickest. No longer was it a purely brown beast, now, it became a mix of metal and fur, with its fists and claws fully clad in steel. He stored Lux within his compendium, an apt choice since his next battle would involve trolls, a beast best fought with pure physical prowess.
Theron flashed a satisfied smile as he pulled Berys’ status page.
Aspect - Elite Savage Metal-fisted Bear | Health : 55/55 | Mana : 0/0
Level: 5 | Next 600 xp
Rank: 2 | Max Level 10
Mana cost: 8 | slot cost: 3
Element: Normal | Affinity: Melee
Class: Bear | Type: Beast
-Attributes-
Free points: - (+4/level)
Might: 61 (+6/level)
Speed: 14
Magic: 0
Toughness: 40 (+6/level)
Resistance: 18 (+6/level)
-Abilities-
Embolden Claws
Savage Slam
Innate Trait: Pure Metallic Skeleton
Blocks 15 physical damage passively.
Strong. So strong.
From Theron’s quick calculations, a hit from a savage slam straight out dealt 122 damage, if unreduced by toughness. An incredible number, sure, but without sufficient knowledge of how toughness affected incoming damage, he wouldn’t know the exact amount dealt to Berys’ victims. The treants would no doubt reduce this damage by a ton, and he doubted it would kill them in a single usage of savage slam.
However, its slam would still hurt. Theron eyed the distant forest around him, eager to test what kind of power he was working with. If, say, it almost killed them with a single slam, then they were in for a great time. Because if the treants faltered from it, then that meant all the other monster types should fear Berys’ wrath.