Chapter 11B: Myths and Combat
“Have you ever opened a mystery box with anticipation of great treasures? I am sure you could feel the tenseness inside your heart every time.”
The large bearded AI said, but no one was listening. They didn’t even notice that he took out a name tag and pinned it to his vest. Apparently his name…was Al, short for Albert.
The box was slowly opening. They didn’t have any control over how fast the lid lifted.
“Why is it so slow?” Nell complained.
Finally, the chest opened. Inside was a load of emptiness, but the three messages that appeared before the teen’s eyes said otherwise.
In front of Alex, the three lines listed three skills that she got.
[You have received ‘skill’ Phantom Boa.]
[You have received ‘skill’ Venom.]
[You have received ‘skill’ Twin Fang Strike.]
The three skills were all snake based. Alex finally realized why the box was called Id. It had everything to do with her Agraria world. But why venom? She fought a constrictor. Guess Mother grouped snakes all into the same category. Alex couldn’t help, but shudder at the thought of the snake she fought could have been venomous.
“Skills,” Alex said as the skill window opened up.
The description of the skills was listed.
[‘Phantom Boa’ – Summons a phantom snake that binds the enemy. Enemy below the caster’s level is immobilized for a duration. Enemy above the caster’s level is slowed by a percentage based on level difference.]
Below the description was the percentage chance and duration as well as the mastery level and experience needed. Right now the skill was level 1 with 0% in mastery. At level one, it seemed it will hold one enemy for ten seconds with each level difference increasing the hold duration by 10%. The slow was the same with each level difference making the slow lower by 10%. So Alex can only slow an enemy nine levels above her. Otherwise, it is just a waste of time.
Alex’s mind churned over the many situations she could use her new skill. A smile appeared on her face as she moved on to the next skill.
[‘Venom’ – Form a vial of random venom once a day. Vial size grows with mastery. Venom duration will be based on enemy resistance. The status ailment of the venom varies.]
Alex was confused at this skill. It seemed to be another summoning type skill but for a vial of randomized venom. Perhaps it could be paralyzing or perhaps even corrosive. She wouldn’t know until she received the vial. It was helpful, but the randomness part of the skill was a bane.
The applications are numerous though. Alex could cover a weapon with the venom or directly drop it into the open mouth of an enemy. The vial doesn’t seem like they have a duration so perhaps she can stockpile venom too.
Alex’s grin returned as she turned towards her last skill.
[‘Twin Fang Strike’ – Passive: When attacking, there is a % chance that the attack will be applied twice at half damage. % chance and damage increase with mastery.]
This skill was her only combat skill…and it happens to be passive. Alex’s suddenly realized the implications of this skill. It pairs quite well with her venom. If she could apply the venom twice, perhaps the effect or duration will stack.
When Alex saw the percent chance of activation, a frown plastered across her face.
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“At level 1 mastery…only 10% chance?”
Alex sighed. It was laughable at that level, but a one in ten chance was still better than nothing. She took a deep breath and turned to look at her friends.
They were all swamped with a mix of emotions. Their faces went from glee to confusion, to disappointment, back to glee.
Alex tried her best to hold in her laugh. The only one who noticed was the bearded man Al.
“Alright, you maggots have ten minutes to discuss with each other. I will return in ten, and we will start the lesson.”
Al left them alone.
“What did you guys get?” Alex asked.
The others sighed.
“Let me go first then,” Alex volunteered.
She explained the three skills she got and its limitations. She also explained to them some of the uses she came up with. The more information her friends have of her limitations and uses, the better they can work together.
“They are all amazing!” Nell said.
“All very useful,” Kurt added.
“Mhmm,” Ruri nodded.
Now that Alex broke the ice, Nell decided to go next.
“My skills are very…strange,” She sighed, “First skill is Summon Shrooms. It summons a mushroom minion for an unlimited duration. Its strength varies on its size. The more mana I put into the summoning, the bigger he gets. Sadly he doesn’t have any method of recovery, including its stamina. It will fade away once it runs out of HP or stamina.”
“That is honestly an amazing skill,” Alex said, “It can be used as a scout to explore dangerous places without worry as it is disposable.”
“Yea, it is,” Kurt nodded with his bountiful military experience, “Is there a cooldown between uses?”
“Yes, there is, that is the worst part. I can only summon one per hour.”
“An hour? That isn’t too bad. If we choose to scout out areas carefully, an hour is more than enough.”
Her friends discussed the various uses of such skill before Nell moved on to the next one.
“My next skill is Tracking Spore. It places a spore on something I want to track. It has a track distance of one mile right now, but it said it will get wider with mastery.”
“My god, you get all the decent support skills,” Kurt sighed.
“Yea, but I don’t want support skills!” Nell cried.
“I’m sure we will eventually have a little bit of everything,” Ruri tried to console Nell.
“We know the uses of the tracking spore because it is so obvious, but what is your last skill?” Alex asked.
Nell’s face finally gleamed.
“My last skill is my only attack! Spore Explosion! It detonates the spores in the area creating an explosion. The more spores there are, the stronger the explosion.”
“But how do you get spores out into the area?” Alex asked.
“I…Have to summon a shroom. They passively release spores into the air.” Nell sighed.
“So it is a combination skill?” Kurt sighed as well, “It is useful as long as your shroom is around. Now the one-hour cooldown seems like a greater bane.”
“It will get better!” Ruri once again patted Nell on the head, trying to comfort her.
“I guess it’s my turn,” Kurt said, “I have only a single skill, but it has three different uses, so I guess it counts as three.”
“So what is it?” The others urged him to speak.
“It is the Three Wise Monkeys.”
“Monkeys?”
“Yea, remember I had to fight a bunch of apes in my world? Apparently, that is what translated into my skill.”
“So what does the skill do?” Alex asked.
“The first part is Speak No Evil. I channel to the strength of Kong, he who cannot communicate with humans. I gain a temporary boost to my strength.”
“So it’s a single target self-buff?” Alex started to throw out terms she learned recently.
“T-that’s correct.” Kurt sighed as he realized the emphasis on ‘self-buff.’ It was a skill that could only help himself.
“That’s great! You can cover for us with your increase in strength!” Ruri, as usual, acted as the emotional support.
Alex was lost in thought for a brief moment. The skill was very versatile as it can be used anywhere anytime. It may seem plain, but Alex was almost jealous of it.
“What is your next skill?” Nell asked while Alex was still lost in thought.
“Hear No Evil. I can channel the prowess of the Monkey King Wukong, he who covers his ears to stop the chanting of monk Tang Seng. For a brief moment, I can leap an extreme distance, or even perform a second jump mid-air.”
“So it’s another self-buff,” Alex added as she snapped out of her trance, only to once again go back into it to thinking about the implications of the second skill.
Ruri rubbed Kurt on the back as he once again went into a depression over the words ‘ self-buff.’
The combination of an increase in strength and agility can make Kurt into a one-man army for a brief moment.
“This is great!” Nell suddenly exclaimed, “You can be our champion! We will provide support while you go dance around the monsters!”
Nell suddenly realized she no longer has to get up close to the hideous beasts. Her mood improved drastically.
Kurt’s smiled a little at the compliment and continued.
“The third part of the skill is See No Evil. I channel the eyes of Hanuman who mistaken the sun as a fruit. For a brief duration, my eyesight can see increased distances and minute details.”
“So all your skills are self-buffs?” Alex said, “Then again, it is three parts of one single skill, so I guess that works.”
Kurt already used to Alex’s blunt replies…Or rather that is what he told himself.
“I guess it’s my turn.” Ruri finally said.