Chapter 62 – Growth Spurt
[Trigger Mechanism has leveled up to Novice 13.]
[Release Mechanism has leveled up to Novice 13.]
[Framework has leveled up to Novice 13.]
[Mentor has leveled up to Novice 12.]
[Congratulations! You have reached level 14!]
[You have gained 9 free Attribute Points and 3 Skill Points!]
Oh, god. That feels great. I grin as I look over my gains over these past three days. I would have loved to say it was hard, but I really can’t. This was incredibly relaxing and I loved almost every single moment of it. Really. Do you know how great it feels to just sit down and relax without having to worry about murderers lurking in the shadows? … Okay, bad example. I mean murderers that’s there to actually kill you.
Thanks to the possibility of just turning off my brain for a few days, my skill in trap making sore through the roof! I bet even Odin would be proud. This progress is phenomenal, and I bet my traps can take out just about anything within my level range right about now. This is going to be an amazing benefit going forwards; I just know it.
Oh! And the best part: Cobra and the boys managed to bring me to level fourteen with a little experience to spare. I didn’t actually think they would make it, but damn if Cobra didn’t deliver. I had some doubts when he decided to take upon himself a hard rated heist, but that little rascal actually pulled it off. All three of my low-level Spotters died during the job, but since neither had crossed the level ten mark yet, they didn’t lose anything but their pride. The jobs were successful though and I’m glad Cobra had the common decency to bring their gear back with him. If I had lost nearly nineteen gold worth of items I might actually have had a small emotional breakdown.
Everything went well though, and Cobra managed to earn me nearly fifty gold, several common grade weapons, as well as a bunch of crafting reagents for both Alchemy, Cooking, and Blacksmithing. I don’t particularly need all this crap, but he did manage to acquire one pretty awesome item for me.
[Gilded Ruby Necklace. Rare. +13 Charisma. Requires: Level 13. *Contraband*]
I grin with glee. If it hadn’t been because I’m already in danger of out leveling my gear again, I might actually have cackled in glee upon maxing out my gear value like this. Well, I did cackle a little bit yesterday, but that’s beside the point. That necklace by itself skyrocketed my Charisma to hit ninety-one. That means I get to recruit two new underlings. Not only that, but if I add all the nine attribute points I gained from leveling up, I can breach the one hundred mark, effectively buying me the possibility of recruiting a second Lieutenant. Can you believe that? A second Lieutenant at only level fourteen? Aria would freaking flip out if she knew! My Luck stat would suffer greatly if I did this, but by god if it isn’t worth it. Cobra is hands down the greatest thing that has ever happened to my crew, and I’ll be damned if I won’t grab the opportunity to double down on that.
I slowly start adding points into Charisma, and it’s a welcome surprise when I see that with the ten percent bonus to Charisma I gain from my race, I only need to add eight of the points to break one hundred. Chuckling, I add the last point into Luck, trying to even out the massive difference I have accumulated. A voice at the back of my head tells me I might have shot my future development prospects in the foot by skewing my attributes like this, but I’m not too worried. The strength of my skills will obviously suffer, potentially more than I can handle, but my high Charisma attribute also gives massive bonuses to my Intellect, which in turn increases my potential for spell casting.
Which brings me to my plan for allocating my three new skill points. I have to say, I spent a long time trying to weigh the benefits of this one, and with my massive growth spurt, I’m more sure than ever of my choice. Since I have already resigned myself to be the much-needed support player my crew desperately needs, I decide to further enhance our chances of winning by giving myself a better ability to affect the battlefield. And since my class is unable to take upon itself any of the major magic schools, as well as my Illusion magic being useless for this at its low level, I have found the perfect addition to my spell repertoire: Alteration Magic.
You have unlocked the lesser magic school: Alteration.
Mages across time have always pursued the pinnacle of magic. Who wouldn’t want to create matter out of nothing, uncover secrets long forgotten, or shape the reality as we know it? Alteration offers a path towards manipulating both you and your surroundings. The Alteration school has two diverging branches: Body and Environment.
Spells available:
Stone Skin – Alteration Body spell. Hardens the target’s skin, increasing their defence against Physical Damage by 15% + 0,2 * Skill level for 30 seconds + 5 seconds per Skill level.
Cost: 100 Mana.
Water Breathing – Alteration Body spell. Allows the target to breathe underwater.
Cost: 50 Mana - 0,2 * Skill level + (20 Mana per second - 0,1 Mana per second per Skill level).
Magic Light – Alteration Environment spell. Creates a magical light that can be attached to objects or hover above target for 5 minutes + 10 seconds per Skill level.
Cost: 50 Mana - 0,2 * Skill level.
Conjure Oil – Alteration Environment spell. Conjures a slippery oil on any surface in a 1 meter radius + 0,1 meter per Skill level for 30 seconds + 1 second per Skill level.
Cost: 300 Mana.
Oh, yes. Alteration magic. The school is pretty interesting and it’s often picked up by priests or other healing classes as a secondary school of magic. This is because Stone Skin is an amazing buffing ability for tanks, but there are also several very practical spells on the higher tiers that are just perfect for a sneaky little thief like me. The skills available are all amazing in their own right, and since I need to plan for the future, I want to pick up a spell from each of the two branches to open up more possibilities for the future. I have already made up my mind on which skills I want, so I waste little time in using my remaining two skill points on picking up both Stone Skin and Conjure Oil.
I grin. These spells are just what I need to increase my presence on the battlefield, and I believe our overall combat efficiency just increased by nearly twenty percent. These skills will definitely come in handy when we fight both bosses and players alike in the future, as well as add some flexibility to escape or create chaos on the battlefield. And this is before I even take my second Lieutenant into consideration! Or even the four new underlings I can recruit! I swear, I almost have more power at the moment than I know what to do with. Just gearing these underlings is going to cost me a small fortune, and I even have to start organising my combatants into two separate strike teams to increase efficiency.
I know that I promised myself to finally pick up the Cheat Death skill, but the more I progress, the more I realise I haven’t had much need for it lately. There are so many underlings at my disposal now that I don’t even need to reveal myself during combat anymore. Not that it does me any good yet either, considering my abysmal Luck attribute. At the moment, the only thing I can really do is sit invisible in the background and buff my underlings while they overwhelm my enemies. The skill is still a high priority for me, but with my current passivity, it slowly creeps lower on my list of priorities. I will get it soon though, or else I risk some divine being to strike me down for the sacrilege.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Before all that though, I need to decide which underling I want to promote. Thinking about it, I have three options. Choosing another Thug is already out of the question, so that leaves me with upgrading a Cutthroat, a Prowler, or one of the Agents. Yeah, I know what you think. Promoting one of the combat underlings gives great benefits to my overall combat potential, but I don’t want to always have to rely on brute force during my encounters. Upgrading an Agent could give me a lot of flexibility and possibilities for infiltration or deception, which is something I desperately need. Hell, even the game’s system prompts are calling me a violent brute at this point. Do I really need to add more fuel to that particular fire? But then again, why not focus on something I’m good at?
I need to consider all the angles here. My new and improved combat tactic is based on guerilla warfare, focusing on quick and brutal ambushes followed by a speedy retreat. This is why I have increased my ranged roster. Upgrading a Prowler would not only increase their damage output, but it would also give my ranged units a commander, freeing me up to do other tasks. On the other hand, upgrading a Cutthroat also comes with great benefits. No longer would I have to rely on scouting based on crude hand signals from my rogues. An underling capable of giving me a full report would be a potential goldmine when it comes to operational intelligence. I could gain that and even more by promoting an Agent, but a deadly assassin would be more helpful in a sticky situation.
Hmm. The choice is tough, but I think I’m gonna go with the Cutthroat on this one. Mostly because I want a scout who can talk, but also because I’m a sucker for powerful assassins. The Prowler would give me a powerful edge when it comes to my surprise attacks, but let’s be honest here. I’m not really that busy during combat, and I have plenty of time to perform managerial tasks from the backline. I hate to say it, but it’s true.
I exit the crafting station that has been my home for the past few days and head towards the main hall of our hideout. My underlings just recently returned from their latest heist and they’re currently all hanging around, drinking themselves into a digital stupor.
“Hey Cobra, how’s it hanging?” I smile as I spot the loudest drunkard of them all.
“Oh, hey there boss! It’s hanging just fine; a little to the left maybe?” He guffaws. I wince. Of course he took that literally. Never wastes a chance that one.
“We’ve reached another milestone.” I say, smiling. “It’s time for us to get another Lieutenant to share your burden.”
“What, already boss? Who are you promoting? It better not be anyone better-looking than me. I’ll stab them.” He says with mock outrage.
“Oh, please. Is there anyone more beautiful than you?” I wink. “You know, besides everyone?”
“Ouch. That hurts, boss. After all we’ve been through… It feels like you just stabbed a dagger through my heart.” He says with a saddened face. The corner of his mouth betrays his smirk though.
“It’s what we do, isn’t it?” I chuckle. “Funny you should mention stabbing though. I was thinking of promoting one of the Cutthroats. Any suggestions?”
He grimaces. “One of the rogues? Are you sure, boss? I mean, yeah. Stabbing things is a good skill to have, but those little rats aren’t really good in a fistfight, you know? I’d recommend you have a look at one of the Thugs.”
Wait, he has an opinion on this? Why? Is this the game trying to tell me something, or is it just another quirk of his personality?
“Why do you say that?”
“Isn’t it obvious, boss? The dwarf’s pretty cute, and I like a woman who can punch back while in the sack.” He grins. Oookay… A quirk it is then. Remind me never to ask him again.
“No, I think I’m going to go with a Cutthroat on this one. We have two candidates, and given your previous suggestion, I’m withdrawing your right to vote on the matter.”
“What? Not fair!” He says, his jaw dropping.
I snort, ignoring the odd guy. It seems like the game refuses to do any of the thinking for me. Not that I’m complaining, but it would be nice with some helpful information every now and then.
So, I have two candidates: the human or the purple-haired gnome. It doesn’t really matter which one I choose, but there are some small things to take into consideration. The first and obvious thing is that the human has been with me the longest, and it’s only fair to promote him based on seniority alone. He also looks the most nondescript of the two characters, with not really a single feature that stands out in a crowd. While that might be a good thing for a thief to have in real life, it doesn’t really matter much when in a game. The gnome, however, stands out like a sore thumb. I feel like the game did a better job of sculpting her character, and it doesn’t hurt to have a woman to talk to every now and then. Cobra is good fun and all, but I’m starting to feel like this entire crew is turning into a giant sausage fest. I may be a sexist prick, but who the hell is around to point that out, eh?
You have promoted Gnome Cutthroat(14) into a Lieutenant.
Would you like to name your Lieutenant?
Warning! All choices are final.
Oh, god. I cannot describe the satisfaction I get when reading that message. It feels just as great as it did the first time. I obviously opt to choose a name for my fresh Lieutenant and there shouldn’t be any doubt that I have the perfect name lined up for her.
“Welcome to the team, Viper.” I say with a wide grin.
The gnome stiffens, almost as if a bolt of lightning just struck her. Looking carefully around, her eyes eventually meets mine. She immediately looks away, her face blushing. “T-thank you, my lord.”
I blink in surprise. What the hell? What sort of A.I. plants a shy personality into the form of a tiny ruthless killer? Are they fucking with me? Am I stuck in some sort of Japanese anime? I sigh. What a letdown.
“Oy! You chose the girl!? Nice job, boss!” Cobra shouts from somewhere to the side. Wielding a pair of mugs, he stumbles forward, grinning at my new Lieutenant. He raises his arm, laying it over her shoulders. “Hey toots, how about you and me get to know one another a little better, eh?” He winks while grinning like a creep.
A glint of steel flashes across my peripherals, soon followed by a painful shriek. Cobra clutches the fresh wound on his thigh, dangerously close to his nether regions.
“Don’t call me toots.” She sneers, cooly. “Do that again, and my dagger won’t miss next time.”
Cobra guffaws. “You little bitch. Oy, boss! We got a fiery one here.” His gaze meets Viper’s before his smile drops. “I’ll make you pay for that.”
Staring daggers at his tiny colleague, Cobra grabs the hilt of his short sword, slowly dragging it out of its sheath. Before I can even blink, he swings his sword wide, but Viper deftly dodges backwards. She clutches the hilt of her dagger, bending her knees and enters a nimble stance. Cobra’s eyes harden, staring her down as he takes a threatening step forward.
I sigh. I should probably deal with this, but I really can’t be arsed. Whatever happens, they are perfectly grown-up computer programs and can figure things out on their own. I’m a criminal mastermind, not a preschool teacher. “Don’t kill each other.” I say before I turn around, heading towards the exit. I have new underlings to recruit after all, and I can’t waste time parenting this budding office romance.
I head straight for the nearest tavern, almost forgetting I need to take off my mask and reactivate the cosmetic disguise. It’s been a few days since I last did it, but that’s no excuse for being tardy. I would feel pretty stupid if that was the reason for my untimely end. Especially after getting this large boost to my power.
Hmm. I can’t really say I planned on recruiting this many underlings at once, at least not this soon. It’s only been a few days since I only had a little over half the capacity I now have. I have a vague idea of what I need, but I can’t say I’ve spent enough time to properly weigh my options. I will definitely get a couple more Spotters, bringing my numbers up to eight, but I still have two left. My ranged units should have enough people by now so I guess it’s time I started focusing on increasing my close-ranged fighters. I only have two Cutthroats, so I should definitely recruit one of those. I need to spend some of that excess gear I collected earlier after all.
But what about the last one? I don’t really need another Agent, and I’m not in any particular need for another combatant for now. Well, I could always use more, many more actually, but I think now might be a good time to consider another Specialist. But which one? I’m still not sure I can afford another crafter, even though I want one, so the Enchanter or the Tinkerer is out. That only leaves the Fence. It might be a bit early for me to get one, but I suppose it doesn’t hurt. I need gold right now, and a Fence is the right underling to help me towards that goal.
But is it worth it? … I shrug. Meh, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. I have twenty underlings now, and one premature decision isn’t going to topple my reign. Besides, I would love to see what he can actually do.
This is going to be interesting.