“Do you know how I’ve said that Vitality complements Dexterity?” Ted explained. “Well, the same is true for Charisma. For every point of Wisdom, you should get a point of Charisma if you’re going for the best balance in terms of casting speed and efficiency. However, for each point of Charisma, you need at least one-third of that in Intelligence. So, if you have 30 Wisdom and 30 Charisma, Intelligence should be at least 10.”
Ted continued, “If you wanted to go for a more damage-based build, you would need to focus more on Intelligence than Charisma. But if you’re focusing on Intelligence, then you need Spirit. For each point of Intelligence, you need at least half a Spirit. It’s basically the same relationship between Endurance and Strength. If you have 10 Strength, you should have at least 5 Endurance. Otherwise, you just cannot use all your Strength without tearing yourself apart.”
“Plus, there is still a two-way connection between Intelligence and Charisma,” Ted added. “Intelligence needs at the very least one-third of Charisma to exert its maximum power because otherwise, your control over your spells becomes sluggish. But that also means you want some Wisdom to increase your reserves of Mana.”
Unlike Dotty, who had experienced a completely different Class transformation—Class evolution of sorts—not losing her levels, Heidi had to lose all her points and levels in Healer to get her new Class. To be completely fair, she had never fully asked for the details about Attributes from her superiors. They had just told her how to distribute her points and to pray a lot for the Healer’s favor. But they had never given her a systematic description of how Attributes worked.
Thankfully, Ted seemed to know pretty much everything, even about how casting worked when it came to Attributes.
“It’s not that hard,” Ted said, raising his hands. “It’s actually pretty simple. The relationships should be taught more widely. It’s just that some people don’t fully trust the academies because there are still some marginal benefits to having an imbalanced build. But the reality is that while having a lot of Intelligence without any Spirit to sustain it might allow you to unleash kill spells against humans, there’s no way you would be able to sustain a battle against any monster, which, on average, is much more resistant than a human, without tearing yourself apart. And the same is true for physical warriors.”
Heidi noticed Ted giving her a long look when she returned, now dressed in Monica's borrowed pants and linen shirt, her body completely hairless. Though her boyish appearance was striking, Ted didn't comment on it. In fact, he had been quite kind to her - something Heidi especially appreciated given that during their first meeting, she had suggested he deserved execution for being a Cultist. She now regretted making that harsh judgment.
She spent a few minutes by herself trying to decide how to distribute the Attributes before settling and deciding that, for the moment, she would just operate on the same distribution that her Class had, which was 2 points in Wisdom, 4 points in Spirit, 6 points in Intelligence, and 2 points in Charisma. Her Class clearly favored a very offensive, damage-oriented distribution. Therefore, she decided to drop the 3 Attributes she had gotten into Intelligence, slightly skewing the build toward power. Ted had said that unless the difference was very big, it didn’t really make much impact at low levels, whether she had a few points more in one stat or another.
Heidi looked at the young man as he went back to sit on a fallen tree trunk, strumming helplessly on the mandolin, which, from what she understood, still wasn’t giving him any cue on how to use his Class and activate his own abilities. She looked at Monica, who clearly had a wonderful intuition when it came to people but also about the System, and wondered why she had not said anything to Ted, why she had not tried to experiment alongside him to make it easier for him to get Skills. Did she really have no idea what to do? Or was this one of her plans? One of her twisted plans?
If Heidi had to guess, she would say it was the latter. But given that so far Monica had been on the spot with everything, including the ruthless murder of Ivor, she chose to say nothing and trust the woman.
She took a look at the old notifications she had gotten with the Class and her Akashic Record.
*Ding!*
You have fulfilled the requirements for the Class – Phoenix Pyromancer (Uncommon)
*Ding!*
You have acquired the Class – Phoenix Pyromancer (Uncommon)
+2 WIS, +4 SPI, +6 INT, +2 CHA and 3 Free Attributes per Level
You are blessed with the Embers of the Obsidian Flame of the Phoenix. A Phoenix Pyromancer fights with extremely powerful offensive capabilities thanks to their connection with the Obsidian Flame’s Embers. However, Phoenix Pyromancers suffer from a smaller Mana Pool and weak Mana Regeneration.
Necessary Experience to Advance the Class (Modifier): x1.5
Class Malus:
-20% to Total Mana
-30% to Mana Regeneration
The fact that her Class was ‘Pyromancer’ had been enough to excite Heidi. A Pyromancer was a step up from a Fire Mage. It was someone who was more in tune with fire magic and could, therefore, wield much more powerful spells than your average Fire Mage.
The fact that she had a connection to an Ancient Beast's power through the Obsidian Flame was already mind-blowing. The Class penalties worried her slightly, but she figured they were there to balance out what was likely to be immense offensive capabilities.
Skills:
Obsidian Ember (Offensive Skill) - Lv. 1
Name: Heidi
Race: Human
Title: None
1st Class: Phoenix Pyromancer (Uncommon) - Lv. 1
Attributes:
Vitality - 0
Endurance - 0
Strength - 0
Dexterity - 0
Wisdom - 2
Spirit - 4
Intelligence - 9
Charisma - 2
Free Attributes: 0
She had lost all her healing abilities, but somehow, she felt lighter. More genuine. The white robes of the Healer had always felt like a costume she was forced to wear. Now, dressed in simple clothes with her head completely bald, she felt more like herself than she had in years.
"Hey," Monica called out, interrupting her thoughts.
“You should get these two, too.”
Monica passed her two Skill Books.
Heidi took it with a raised eyebrow and innerly thanked the fact that Monica had decided to give them to her.
The Phoenix Pyromancer Class offered very good Attributes for an Uncommon Class, but it also only offered Obsidian Ember, which meant she had no direct attacking Skill.
Within seconds, two notifications appeared to her.
*Ding*
Would you like to use Book of Fireball?
YES|NO
*Ding*
Would you like to use Book of Mana Sense?
YES|NO
Fireball (Offensive Skill)
Harness your Mana to create and launch a sphere of magical flames at your target.
Usage: Focus your mana into a condensed sphere of fire in your palm and direct it toward your target.
Mana Sense (Perception Skill)
Develop the ability to perceive Mana in your surroundings.
Usage: Focus your mind to sense the presence and movement of Mana around you.
*Ding*
Hidden Effect Uncovered!
*Ding *
Fireball's description has been updated.
Fireball Lv. 1
Offensive spell based on fire.
#1 Hidden Effect - A Stronger Flame: Your Obsidian Ember increases the damage of Fireball by 200%. The damage increases by 5% for each Level.
Current Bonus: 205%
* * *
They had entered the Dungeon once again to allow Heidi to test her new Class.
Heidi had seen Monica shooting Fireballs at the Crystal Wolves, but she hadn’t truly understood how powerful the spell was until it left her own hand.
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Even though her spell wasn’t powered by the Obsidian Flame but by Obsidian Ember, it still shattered the superficial layer of the first Crystal Wolf they met as if it were fragile glass. Two more Fireballs killed the creature without any trouble.
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Obsidian Ember reaches Level 2
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Fireball reaches Level 2
*Ding*
Offensive Skill - Fireball reaches Level 3
You have slain [Crystal Wolf – Level 14]
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature ten levels above you.
You receive extra experience and skill proficiency for killing a creature infected by Minor Corruption.
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Pyromancer (Uncommon) reaches Level 2
+2 WIS, +4 SPI, +6 INT, +2 CHA and 3 Free Attributes per Level
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Pyromancer (Uncommon) reaches Level 3
+2 WIS, +4 SPI, +6 INT, +2 CHA and 3 Free Attributes per Level
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Pyromancer (Uncommon) reaches Level 4
+2 WIS, +4 SPI, +6 INT, +2 CHA and 3 Free Attributes per Level
Heidi could feel in real time how killing one Crystal Wolf had already made her much stronger. The increase in Attributes made her feel like she could have done this the whole day.
“I think we can speed things along now,” Monica said.
Heidi's new Class made things much easier for the group during their next dive.
Now that Tertius, Lucca, and Rochus have earned enough levels to be useful but not enough to be a threat to the teenage girl, Monica has decided to bench them. And it wasn’t just a long-term strategic decision. None of them had Skills strong enough to deal significant damage to the Crystal Wolves, which meant they all had to wait for Dotty to act. But that made exploring the Dungeon terribly slow.
Therefore, Monica decided to put Dotty and Heidi to the test.
Instead of fetching the monsters like she had been doing up until now, making sure not too many Crystal Wolves came at them at once, she let the Hunter of Magic and the Phoenix Pyromancer deal with whatever the Dungeon threw at them.
Monica still killed the occasional monster that escaped Dotty and tried lunging for Heidi, but other than that, she pretty much kept to herself, not bothering the duo. The only thing she resented was the fact that Heidi gained a new Skill only hours after getting her new Class.
Skill List
Emberheart’s Fury - Lv. 1
The Obsidian Embers within your soul ignite with unmatched fury, empowering your magical fire-based attacks with scorching intensity and accelerating your spellcasting capabilities. While active, all fire-based spells are amplified, and the cooldown of your spells is reduced.
#1 Base Effect: Increases the power of all fire-based spells by 30%. The effect increases by 5% for every Level.
Current Bonus: 35%
#2 Base Effect: Reduces the cooldown of all fire-based spells by 20%. The effect increases by 3% for every Level.
Current Bonus: 23%
#1 Cost - Activating Emberheart’s Fury consumes 10% of your total Mana every minute. The cost decreases by 0.1% for each Level. The Skill remains active until you choose to deactivate it or run out of Mana.
Current Cost: 9.9% of your Total Mana
Special Effect - Unleashed Inferno: If your Mana falls below 20%, Emberheart’s Fury triggers an automatic powerful explosion of Obsidian Embers around you, damaging and knocking back nearby enemies. This effect can only occur once per activation of the Skill.
Even though it wasn’t nearly as strong as Phoenix Fury, Monica still felt a little pang of jealousy. The newly minted Phoenix Pyromancer was not only making great progress, but she had been lucky enough to get a Skill at Level 5. Ted had explained that one usually gained one new Skill - or an evolution of a Skill - every ten levels. However, there was a small chance, every five levels, that one could get yet another new Skill. And Heidi had been lucky enough to get one at Level 5 before she got the Level 10 one, which had been perhaps even more amazing.
Skill List
Emberstorm Convergence - Lv. 1
Your mastery over the Obsidian Embers allows you to fuse the raw power of multiple Fireballs into a single, massive Emberstorm, which devastates a targeted area and leaves behind an ember field that continues to burn enemies.
#1 Base Effect: Combines up to three Fireballs into an Emberstorm, increasing the damage of the Fireball by 50% for each Fireball used. The damage increases by 5% per Fireball for every Level.
Current Damage Bonus: up to 165%
Number of Fireballs you can merge: 3
#2 Base Effect: Each additional Fireball increases the radius of the attack by 20%. The effect increases by 2% per Fireball for each Level.
Current Radius Increase: up to 66% per additional Fireball
#3 Base Effect: The Emberstorm leaves behind an Obsidian Ember Field, dealing fire damage over time for 60 seconds. The damage increases by 10% for each Fireball fused. The effect increases by 1% per Fireball for every Level.
Current Ember Field Damage: 33% per Fireball
Special Effect:
Ember Vortex - When three Fireballs are fused, the Emberstorm generates an Ember Vortex, pulling enemies toward the storm’s center and disrupting their movements for 3 seconds.
#1 Cost: Emberstorm Convergence consumes 250% the amount of Mana required to cast a Fireball for each Fireball used. The Mana cost is reduced by 2% per Level.
Current Cost: 248%
#1 Cooldown: After Emberstorm Convergence is unleashed, Emberstorm Convergence has a 30-minute cooldown.
#2 Cooldown: After Emberstorm Convergence is unleashed, Fireball has a 1-minute cooldown.
* * *
Heidi gripped the corner of the wall, peering around it at the pack of Crystal Wolves prowling through the dungeon corridor. She counted ten of them, their crystalline bodies refracting the blue light from the gems embedded in the walls. Her hand tensed as she prepared her first spell, remembering Monica's lessons about staying relaxed until the moment to strike.
[Crystal Wolf - Level 17]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 18]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 17]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 16]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 17]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 18]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 17]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 17]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 16]
[Crystal Wolf - Level 17]
Monica, who had scouted the rest of the Dungeon by herself, told them that this was going to be the last battle before they reached the Dungeon Boss. She had left Tertius, Lucca, and Rochus outside, only bringing Dotty, Heidi, and Ted with her.
Heidi had fully grown into her role as a one-shot caster who essentially tried unloading all her Mana as quickly as possible, generating an immense amount of destruction at once. She briefly glanced at her three Skills before opening the dances.
Skill List
Fireball Lv. 22
Offensive spell based on fire.
#1 Hidden Effect - A Stronger Flame: Your Obsidian Ember increases the damage of Fireball by 200%. The damage increases by 5% for each Level.
Current Bonus: 310%
Mana Sense Lv. 7
Develop the ability to perceive Mana in your surroundings.
Emberheart’s Fury - Lv. 13
The Obsidian Embers within your soul ignite with unmatched fury, empowering your magical fire-based attacks with scorching intensity and accelerating your spellcasting capabilities. While active, all fire-based spells are amplified, and the cooldown of your spells is reduced.
#1 Base Effect: Increases the power of all fire-based spells by 30%. The effect increases by 5% for every Level.
Current Bonus: 95%
#2 Base Effect: Reduces the cooldown of all fire-based spells by 20%. The effect increases by 3% for every Level.
Current Bonus: 59%
#1 Cost - Activating Emberheart’s Fury consumes 10% of your total Mana every minute. The cost decreases by 0.1% for each Level. The Skill remains active until you choose to deactivate it or run out of Mana.
Current Cost: 8.7% of your Total Mana
Special Effect - Unleashed Inferno: If your Mana falls below 20%, Emberheart’s Fury triggers an automatic powerful explosion of Obsidian Embers around you, damaging and knocking back nearby enemies. This effect can only occur once per activation of the Skill.
Emberstorm Convergence - Lv. 8
Your mastery over the Obsidian Embers allows you to fuse the raw power of multiple Fireballs into a single, massive Emberstorm, which devastates a targeted area and leaves behind an ember field that continues to burn enemies.
#1 Base Effect: Combines up to three Fireballs into an Emberstorm, increasing the damage of the Fireball by 90% for each Fireball used. The damage increases by 5% per Fireball for every Level.
Current Damage Bonus: up to 270%
Number of Fireballs you can merge: 3
#2 Base Effect: Each additional Fireball increases the radius of the attack by 36%. The effect increases by 2% per Fireball for each Level.
Current Radius Increase: up to 108% per additional Fireball
#3 Base Effect: The Emberstorm leaves behind an Obsidian Ember Field, dealing fire damage over time for 60 seconds. The damage increases by 18% for each Fireball fused. The effect increases by 1% per Fireball for every Level.
Current Ember Field Damage: 54% per Fireball
Special Effect:
Ember Vortex - When three Fireballs are fused, the Emberstorm generates an Ember Vortex, pulling enemies toward the storm’s center and disrupting their movements for 3 seconds.
#1 Cost: Emberstorm Convergence consumes 234% the amount of Mana required to cast a Fireball for each Fireball used. The Mana cost is reduced by 2% per Level.
Current Cost: 234%
#1 Cooldown: After Emberstorm Convergence is unleashed, Emberstorm Convergence has a 30-minute cooldown.
#2 Cooldown: After Emberstorm Convergence is unleashed, Fireball has a 1-minute cooldown.
By now, Heidi’s Emberstorm Convergence had become a much more powerful spell than Ivor’s evolved Fireball. Furthermore, it had also become the lynchpin of Heidi’s and Dotty’s fighting strategy.
“Ready?” Heidi whispered to Dotty, who crouched just behind her.
The teenage girl nodded back at the Phoenix Pyromancer, who was finally growing a little over eyebrows back despite still sporting an almost fully bald head. After three days of constant fighting, they had developed efficient teamwork. More importantly, they had developed confidence, with Monica’s interventions becoming less and less frequent.
Heidi activated Emberheart’s Fury, feeling the familiar surge of power as she ignited the Obsidian Embers in her soul. The magic of the Twin Phoenix coursed through her veins, empowering her next spell.
There was a large hall before them that housed all the Crystal Wolves, banded together and alert, ready for a fight. Unlike most Crystal Wolves, who would find themselves sleeping throughout the Dungeon, these ones clearly defended the massive double doors that stood behind them.
As soon as Heidi caught their attention, she didn’t give them time to react. She activated Emberstorm Convergence, quickly fusing three Fireballs together. The process took a few seconds, but before the monsters could start lunging for her, she unleashed a massive firestorm in their midst. Smaller fireballs sped through the curtain of fire, peppering the monsters, destroying the crystal covering their bodies, incapacitating some, and killing others.
It didn’t stop there. At the center of the room, a vortex appeared, and the wolves started pulling toward its center while boiling them from the inside out because of the scorching temperatures generated by her spell.
Heidi felt the cooldowns kick in and stepped back, leaving space for Dotty. The teenage girl had gotten an upgrade to Antimagic Aura, which had turned into Antimagic Field at Level 10 and allowed her to negate most of the after-effects of Emberstorm Convergence. So, immune to the terrifying attack that Heidi had unleashed, Dotty started cutting away at the disoriented creatures. Twilight’s Edge decapitated the closest Crystal Wolf. Then she tucked under the maw of the second and impaled it from its throat up to its skull.
The remaining Crystal Wolves, though disoriented, were far from helpless. Three of them managed to break free from the vortex's pull.
“You counted poorly,” Monica said, appearing from behind Heidi, shooting down the three monsters who had escaped from Dotty with her own Fireballs in quick succession. She turned to the Phoenix Pyromancer.
“You should know your cooldowns by now. Without me here, you would have died.”
Dotty quickly finished the last of the monsters and went back to Monica and Heidi. Several steps behind them, in the middle of the corridor, was Ted.
“Can I come now?!” Ted shouted.
“You can come!” Monica replied.
“That’s what she said!” Ted shouted back, now getting closer.
Ted had still not been able to unlock a single Skill from his Bard Class.
Despite having craved the Class for so long and putting genuine effort into trying and figuring out its secret, the young man had yet to make any progress. Meanwhile, the women around him seemed to slowly leave him in the dust, which most certainly didn’t help his confidence.
They all looked at the double-doors that led to the Boss when Monica, who saw the corpses of the Crystal Wolves she had killed dissolve into blue clouds, suddenly heard a notification.
*Ding*
Class – Phoenix Healer (Rare, Enhanced) reaches Level 10
+5 VIT, +5 END, +5 STR, +5 DEX, +5 WIS, +5 SPI, +5 INT, +5 CHA and 6 Free Attributes
*Ding*
You have acquired a new Skill.