Evolution: Size
Description: Significantly increases the size and weight of the drone. Additionally results in a high increase to the drone’s overall durability. However, this comes with a moderate decrease in its maximum speed and a minor decrease to its maximum range.
Evolution: Speed
Description: Significantly increases the maximum speed of the drone. Additionally results in a high increase in its general mobility. However, this comes with a moderate decrease in its weight and overall durability.
Evolution: Arcane Core
Description: Replaces the core functions of the drone with one that is mana-based in nature. This change in its base systems will result in its bolts being made from mana instead of energy. Additionally results in a minor increase in its maximum speed and a moderate increase in its fire rate.
Note!
No matter the evolution chosen, the final result for the Grade E2 Skill will be a decrease in both its base cost and upkeep. The exact amount of this change will be calculated after an evolution is chosen and will depend on that selection.
So, once again, the choice that was influenced by the Mage essence was obvious. But unlike the new Skill, the option before him now was actually quite attractive. Out of the three picks, it was also the only one that promised an increase in fire rate. And who would complain about their drone shooting more often?
The first two were a contrasting pair, as it was very one or the other. Big and tough, or speedy and mobile. By general mobility, Jordan could only assume that it would change how the drone’s treads work or something like that.
Jordan considered the options for a minute, weighing their merits and differences. All three had their ups and downs. Even the last one. Because while it didn’t carry an explicit downside, he could already imagine that it was kind of like locking yourself into a certain path on a skill tree in games.
This seemed like a pretty fundamental change in the drone’s “theme,” so to speak. So if he went more mana-based now, then it would likely remain the same way for any further evolution. Of which the System had also just hinted that this Skill would likely be evolving more than once.
Because in that note, it’d offhandly mentioned that evolving meant increasing its Grade to E2. And if every Grade increase meant an evolution, and he knew that Appraise had been given as E5 by default, he might be able to evolve this Skill three more times. Granted, the System could prove that idea wrong in a couple of ways. Like perhaps Appraise as a General Skill was E5, but then his Class Skills actually had a cap at E3 or something. Or that maybe not every Grade also came with an evolution, and it was at even numbers.
Anyway…
Selected evolution: Size
Finalize the user’s selection?
Yep, he confirmed. Now, why that one? Because at the end of the day, Jordan was a simple boy with a simple heart who believed that bigger toys meant cooler. And also because he didn’t want to commit to the Mana Core as a path if that assumption was right. So between the last two options, he already had the air drone as the mobile option, so Speed felt a tad redundant.
Skill cost recalculated!
Base Cost: 2 TP per cast, 4 TP per minute to sustain.
“Oh shit!” Jordan said aloud as he leaned forward. He wasn’t sure what he’d been hoping for on that front. But that new upkeep meant exactly one thing. The land drone could remain active at all times. His eyes were practically glimmering with excitement. But then before anything else, a new screen appeared.
New Title Acquired:
Title: Adept of Advancement
Description: Be amongst the first thousand Initial Mergers on your planet to gain both your first new Skill and Skill evolution.
Benefits: +3 to all Stats, +3% to all Stats.
Well hot damn… the System just really is more generous than I thought. All I did was use the gems that it rewards people with when other people die. So this is basically just a new reward for turning in a reward. Not that I’m complaining too much if you’re listening, oh System. It’s just… damn. Actually, that +3 to all Stats. Does that mean what I think it does?
Resources:
Tech Points: 12.10/20
Tech Points Regen: 5.47/Min
So close, yet so far until the original goal of 6 TP per minute. But as far a Summon Land Drone was concerned, this Title was an epic boon. Since not only could he perpetually keep the Skill going, but the surplus regeneration meant that it would only take a short amount of time to regenerate the base cost.
But with that happy surprise now settled, he immediately began to cast the newly evolved Skill in question.
When the System said it’d get better, it hadn’t been lying. For when the upgraded drone materialized in front of him, Jordan actually had to look up at it. Because from the position he was currently sitting in, the drone was quite a bit larger than just basketball-sized.
After Jordan quickly rose to his feet, he was able to get a more accurate impression. Standing right next to it, the very top of the tank was now at around his naval’s height. Now as a tank, it was actually longer than it was tall. So that still made its overall size pretty impressive.
He also got an update on his inherent knowledge of the drone. And as far as the decreases to its max speed and range limit, it actually wasn’t that bad. From 50 miles per hour, it had now had a max of 40. And the range had gone to exactly 22 miles. Which frankly annoyed Jordan just a smidge, because who would be insane enough to prefer 22 over the pristine wholeness of either 20 or 25?
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
But the neat thing about the drone was that its top was flat. Since it wasn’t an actual tank, it lacked the features that a normal one would have, such as the hatch for someone to go in and out. Which meant that there was something potentially very useful that he could now do.
Using one of the treads as a step to boost himself up, Jordan climbed onto the top of the drone. Then he sat down, sitting with crossed legs on the metal surface. The barrels of the pair of energy guns gave off a fair amount of light now that they were bigger. Still relatively dim compared to something that was actually intended to give off light, but at least he could confidently see his hands now when his arms were fully outstretched.
Jordan wasn’t sure if he would be able to sit like this for long. The first hill he encountered would likely be his doom. Though sitting unsecured like this did mean there was always the chance he fell forward, and then got caught under the tracks of the drone before he could react to desummon it or have it stop.
Out of all the ways one could meet their end on this planet, getting run over by your own Skill would at least be one of the funnier ones. Also very sad, but still, kind of funny. Though to prevent himself from meeting that untimely demise, Jordan did reposition himself by getting on his hands and knees instead, and then felt around for any bits within reach on the sides that he could grab onto.
The final resulting position was one where he ended up flat on his stomach, arms almost fully extended while reaching down the each side, and his legs hanging off the back. It was not exactly the height of comfort, with several pointy edges poking into awkward places. But for the time being, it would do. Just like that, he had upgraded from the measly speed of a human slowly walking through the dark, to someone driving through the streets of a city in their car.
Let’s see here, that ended up killing a few minutes as it is. How’s the Quest looking? Jordan asked himself.
Mandates remaining for this Quest: 18/25
Okay then, so not very good. Two more spots gone in just the time it’d taken for him to sort out the Skill stuff so far was not the most promising of signs. Especially if he intended to still at least make a serious effort for placing in the top ten. But dramatically upping his travel speed had been a major gain, so as far as trade-offs went, just two Mandates was a worthy one to make.
This was largely because the tugging he’d been feeling toward the nearest one was still there. So if someone else in the area had already claimed it, Jordan would have immediately noticed. A part of him was curious about if that would just eliminate him from the Quest, or if the System would just auto-direct him to the wherever the nearest, still unclaimed one was. But better not to find out, and just step back into gear instead.
On his trusty metal steed, Jordan set forth to not waste any more time. The rest of the Advancement Crystals weren’t going anywhere, after all. But this Mandate might, if he waited for too long. Plus it would be better this way for how he used the gems. Since he could still do one more evolution and get another Skill, yes, but his decision would be rushed if he did so now. But once the Mandate was found and he could claim a Kingdom, of which what that exactly meant was to be determined, he could take all the time in the world to think about it.
And there was another aspect as well, though he hoped it wouldn’t come to that. If other people or powerful monsters were in the area, the one-time use effects of the gem might be needed. If his TP and Energy Pistol ran out before a threat could be dealt with, then the just over 20 Advancement Crystals still left in his possession could make a huge difference.
The quiet of the forest was then disturbed as a tank treads of the drone crushed the layer of dry leaves in its path. Unlike the air drone whose propellers were fairly quiet, this one was… well, still more quiet than Earth tanks to be fair. Both because of its relatively small form as what would be like a child-sized tank, and the fact that if it could be compared to anything fairly, it would have been fully electric engines.
It only sounded obviously loud now because of how eerily silent the woods were in comparison. While if this were a noisier environment like the downtown of a city, the land drone’s noise would have seemed rather inconspicuous. Yet even with that thought to make the argument more fair, what mattered in the here and now was the simple fact about relative sound levels.
Anything that was close by or just generally had sharp ears would have no problem hearing it. So even as he cruised through the forest and had to alter course by noting the giant trees as they entered his field of vision, Jordan still had to remain highly alert. Who knew what, or who, might hear him coming and could set up an attack?
About half an hour then passed.
Jordan rolled his shoulder as he tried to shift his legs around. It hadn’t taken long at all before his awkward position while hanging onto the drone had gotten extra uncomfortable. As far as metal steeds went, this one definitely needed a metaphorical saddle.
But he wasn’t ready to call it quiets yet, despite the discomfort. Because he could tell that the Mandate was now almost tantalizingly close. As it turned out, moving over ten times faster meant the pull of the tugging was feeling at a rate also ten times greater than before. Who would have thought?
Huh, and hear I was about to spend almost a whole day walking for water. If I’d gone back and had this guy, I could have made it there by now. Even just getting here would take taken… what? At least six hours on foot? Jordan thought to himself somewhat amusedly.
It really just went to show how much smaller the world got when you could traverse it at a reasonable speed. Once he did have a way to make a comfortable seat that could be secured to the top of the drone, no distance would truly be too great.
As he had that amusing idea, Jordan’s thoughts suddenly skipped a beat. He could feel it. The rope pulling at him had just reached full tension.
The drone lurched forward as its owner commanded it to come to an immediate stop. The inertia pulling him forward made Jordan’s stomach do a flip that would have gotten perfect 10s from judges at a gymnastics competition. That sudden stop actually felt rather terrible as it felt like someone had just sucker punched him, but he didn’t care. Because he was finally here.
Despite its small size, it would have been impossible to miss. When Jordan hopped off the drone and his sore legs complained under his weight, he didn’t even notice the feeling. Because the second he looked at the spot just a few yards ahead of him, his eyes were immediately drawn to it.
A golden crown.
The design of it was pretty simple, just a gold circle with five pointed extremities sticking upward. For now, it was just sitting there on the ground, resting on the bed of leaves. Yet despite not actually giving off any light, it almost seemed to glow. Jordan walked up to it without even thinking, his right hand already moving to reach out for it.
As soon as he was close enough, Jordan grabbed the crown. His hand tightly gripped around its the base. And as soon as he touched, Jordan already knew. It was something he felt more certain of more than anything he’d ever known in his entire life, leading up to this moment.
It would belong to him and him alone. Now and forever, until the very end of his days. And with it this feeling, a screen appeared to affirm his claim.
Quest Complete!