As he moved through the busy plaza, Michael accounted for his gains during his two trips to Lost Archives, which proved more successful than he initially anticipated.
Leaving aside the level-up, his gold reserves were approaching 50K, with 44,268 coins sitting patiently in his inventory, just waiting to be spent.
It had to be mentioned, though, that all purchases he had in mind would start from at least six figures, be them the horse, a Communication Ring, or starting various businesses.
Not only that, but his Equipment Inventory was almost full, with 18 Magic and 9 Rare Item Boxes shining on the translucent page.
With Helen's approval gained last night, he opened internally all of them. Ignoring the mostly useless Magic items, the Necromancer inspected the Rare ones.
As for the Magic Items, he was surprised to find a ring good enough to replace his Rare one.
[ Dark Ring
Magic Ring
209 Item Power
-----------------
* +1.5% Resistance to All Elements
* +1.5% Shadow Resistance
------------------
* +5.0% Shadow Damage ]
That, coupled with his remaining Magic ring, made for a much better choice when compared even with the Glamor Legacy.
[ Lingering Ring
Magic Ring
186 Item Power
-----------------
* +1.5% Resistance to All Elements
* +1.5% Cold Resistance
------------------
* +4.5% Damage Over Time ]
'Much simpler and better focused on my current build.'
The necklace remained the same Rare one.
[ Bloody Necklace
Rare Amulet
179 Item Power
-----------------
* +3.1% Resistance to All Elements
------------------
* +2.5% Shadow Damage Over Time
* +4.0% Healing Received
* +1.5% Cooldown Reduction ]
As for the other items, there were two pairs of Rare Boots, one of which could replace his current one.
[ Stomp Rival
Rare Boots
200 Item Power
-----------------
100 Armor
* Attacks Reduce Evade's Cooldown by 0.6 seconds
------------------
* +11 Intelligence
* +1.8% Dodge Chance
* +1 Rank of Corpse Tendrils (Necromancer only) ]
The new finds, however, were much better overall.
[ Obscure Stand
Rare Boots
244 Item Power
-----------------
122 Armor (+22 when compared with the currently equipped item)
* Evade grants + 30% Movement Speed for 1 second
------------------
* +14 Dexterity
* +13.0% Fire Resistance
* +1.7% Essence cost reduction (Necromancer only) ]
[ Heartless Crushers
Rare Boots
273 Item Power
-----------------
136 Armor (+36 when compared with the currently equipped item)
* + 1 Maximum Evade charge
------------------
* +5 All Stats
* +9 Strength
* +5.5% Fire Resistance ]
The Evade charge surprised Michael, as he realized that he has a movement-type Skill, which he could use in an actual fight to avoid getting pummeled.
While sliding back and forth in the plaza like a child, under the amused looks of the people, Michael decided to pick the Heartless Crushers temporarily.
'More Armor and better stats are always a welcomed gift. Furthermore, it's an extra Evade charge, meaning I can use this slide thingy twice in a row.'
Next, he got a couple of offhand items.
His currently equipped shield was the Storm Resolve.
[ Storm Resolve
Rare Shield
199 Item Power
-----------------
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
149 Armor
* 45% Blocked Damage Reduction
* 20% Block Chance
* + 80% Main Hand Weapon Damage
* + 12 Thorns
------------------
* +9 Intelligence
* +3.0% Crowd Control Duration
* +11 Thorns ]
He gained two new shields and one Focus item from this Dungeon run.
And all three of them were better than his currently equipped one.
[ Garrison Torturer
Rare Shield
278 Item Power
-----------------
209 Armor (+60 when compared with the currently equipped item)
* 45% Blocked Damage Reduction
* 20% Block Chance
* + 80% Main Hand Weapon Damage
* + 12 Thorns
------------------
* +9 Dexterity
* +12.5% Basic Skill Damage
* +3.5% Resistance to All Elements ]
[ Garrison Coup
Rare Shield
207 Item Power
-----------------
209 Armor (-2 when compared with the currently equipped item)
* 45% Blocked Damage Reduction
* 20% Block Chance
* + 80% Main Hand Weapon Damage
* + 22 Thorns
------------------
* +10 Dexterity
* +2.0% Critical Strike Chance
* +8.0% Maximum Minion Life
*Empty Socket ]
[ Awful Source
Rare Focus
225 Item Power
-----------------
126 Damage per Second (+126 when compared with the currently equipped item)
[84 - 126] Damage per Hit
1.20 Attacks per Second (Very Fast)
* + 2.5% Cooldown Reduction
------------------
* +12 Dexterity
* +3 Life on Kill
* +2.1% Lucky Hit Chance ]
The obvious choice was the Garrison Torturer, which provided enough attributes, Life on Kill, and a whopping 60 extra Armor.
'And now, finally, the gloves. The Beast Armor I am currently equipped with is already falling behind on armor and stats. Hopefully, the new ones can provide me with a better replacement.'
[ Beast Armor
Rare Gloves
154 Item Power
-----------------
77 Armor
* +10 Strength
* +2.0% Critical Strike Chance
* +2.0% Lucky Hit Chance ]
And indeed, the new ones were much better.
[ Soul Vices
Rare Gloves
290 Item Power
-----------------
145 Armor (+68 when compared with the currently equipped item)
* +5 to All Stats
* +13 Strength
* +1 Rank of Bone Spear (Necromancer Only) ]
[ Loath Vices
Rare Gloves
278 Item Power
-----------------
139 Armor (+62 when compared with the currently equipped item)
* +11 Intelligence
* +3.5 Shadow Damage over Time
* +1 Rank of Blight (Necromancer Only) ]
'So, in the end, I need to pick between a useless Bone Spear skill and plenty of attributes, or attributes, Shadow Damage over Time, and Blight... Hmm... I wonder if I could modify the current skill build again...'
In the end, since Intelligence provided more skill damage, the Loath Vices were a much better choice for his current build.
The other items were useless compared to his currently equipped stuff, so he decided to salvage everything.
[ Proven Guise
Rare Helm
252 Item Power
-----------------
315 Armor (+17 when compared with the currently equipped item)
* +5 All Stats
* +4 Life Regeneration while Not Damaged Recently
* +4 Maximum Essence ]
'The item is not bad, but when compared with my only Legendary item, it makes no difference.'
[ Bonewalker Helm of The Embalmer
Rare Helm
238 Item Power
-----------------
298 Armor
* +14 Strength
* +4.0% Crowd Control Duration
* +1.7% Cooldown Reduction
Legendary Aspect: Consuming a Corpse has a 22% chance to spawn a Blood Orb (Necromancer Only). ]
Glancing at the pocket watch, Michael decided to leech lunch from his lover.
That way, he could ask Helen's opinion on items as well. Since he was in the middle of walking, he couldn't randomly start taking off pieces of equipment, or the City Guards might kindly ask him to follow them for a brief 'discussion.'
In the end, patience is the better option.
[Back already? Judging from your expression, did everything go well?](Helen)
"Surprisingly so. I was even able to get a decent haul, and now I need your help to decide what items to swap and what Ultimate skill to pick."
[Did you level up again? I forgot how easy it is to level up before your first Class Awakening. After that... every increase is incredibly hard to grind. What about your Ultimates? Did you find an interesting one?](Helen)
"I didn't look over them yet. I was waiting to get back here first."
Sitting beside Helen on the brazier/pavilion, Michael reached out to hold her hand and shared his Skill Tree page.
Helen smiled in response and intertwined her fingers with his while resting her head on his shoulder.
There were four passive skills and their subsequent enhancements and three active Ultimates.
"Bone, Minions, and Blood... As expected..."
[You're talking about the builds?](Helen)
"Mhm. From the looks of it, you can achieve better synergy if you focus on only one type of Skills rather than multiple branches simultaneously."
[It does make sense. After all, you'll receive a limited number of skill points. That's with or without your Region Progression.](Helen)
"I'm curious about the one based on Minions. Army of the Dead..."
[ Army of the Dead
Type: Ultimate
-----------------
Cooldown: 70 seconds
Lucky Hit: 64%
Description: Call forth the deep-buried dead. Volatile Skeletons emerge over the next 7 seconds and explode when around enemies, dealing 45% damage.
Damage Type: Physical ]
[An interesting Skill.](Helen)
"It doesn't give enough details, though. How many Skeletons? Is it one per second summoned? Or is it based on how many people, demons, and other monsters have been buried at the point of summoning over time? It would be pretty strong in certain scenarios if it's the last option. Especially if its explosion works similarly to Corpse Explosion."
[I think you're reading too much into it. It's likely to be a limited amount of summons. Otherwise, it would be too strong even with only 45% damage.](Helen)
"That makes sense. Still, it can work wonders when combined with a Skeleton build, where I focus on the Minions."
[You probably need more items and better Aspects before deciding on that. That means more Dungeons cleared, higher enemies you need to fight, and more Class Awakenings you need to go through. Also, climbing the higher-difficulty World Tiers for better quality items is highly important. Lately, I've heard Wanderers talk about Ancestral Unique items restricted to specific Classes. According to them, the bonuses granted by such items can force you to rebuild your skills around it.](Helen)
"That sounds pretty strong. Did you encounter any?"
[Not yet. I've found Ancestral Rare items, which are pretty impressive, but even the Ancestral Legendary ones are rare drops I haven't gotten and seen until the Razorplate. So, it's best not to get your hopes up.](Helen)
"Fair enough. It's still a long distance away from me. Let's see the Blood Ultimate."
[ Blood Wave
Type: Ultimate | Blood
-----------------
Cooldown: 50 Seconds
Lucky Hit: 20%
Description: Conjure a tidal wave of blood that deals 120% damage and knocks back enemies.
Damage Type: Physical ]
[Your Blood Mist is a Blood-type skill, right?](Helen)
"Mhm. I honestly didn't even glance much at the Blood types after hearing Aylin's story of what happened back then..."
[About that... there are no such things as bad skills. Only bad people. So there's no need to avoid them on purpose so you don't bring back bad memories on Aylin's or Mina's end.](Helen)
"I understand the logic behind that; however, no matter how you look at it, once there's a precedent, people would look down upon a Necromancer using the same type of Skills. It's human nature."
[I guess... Still, depending on the size of the Blood Wave, it could be a strong skill for both damage and escape. Especially if used to knock back enemies and create space around you if, for example, surrounded.](Helen)
"Mhm. However, I don't think it will work with my current skill build. I need something that deals either greater damage or can act as a barrier. Right now, the only thing I have to act as an escape skill is the Blood Mist and the Evade."
[Evade? Are you talking about the movement skill?](Helen)
"Yeah. I literally figured that minutes ago. It does put a strain on the muscles, though. How does it work?"
[The skill forces your body's muscles into a state where they can exert more power. Therefore, the burst of speed allows you to move fast for a short distance. There are items, usually boots, that give extra Evade charges. However, it's not indicated to be used continuously until your Strength and Dexterity attributes grow by at least 200 points. Otherwise, you risk internal injuries.](Helen)
"Uhm... makes sense, I guess. Anyways, lastly is Bone Storm. Sounds... ominous."
[ Bone Storm
Type: Ultimate | Bone
-----------------
Cooldown: 60 Seconds
Lucky Hit: 40%
Description: A swirling storm of bones appears around you and your Golem, dealing 180% damage to surrounding enemies over the course of 10 seconds.
Damage Type: Physical ]
"Huh... Interesting."
[Mhm. Sounds pretty impressive. Also, it can act as a deterrent, especially for your current melee build.](Helen)
"I think we found our winner then?"
[Skill it, and let's try it.](Helen)
"Before that, take a look at the first enhancement for it."
[Hmm?](Helen)
[ Prime Bone Storm
-----------------
Your Damage Reduction is increased by 15% while Bone Storm is active. ]
[It seems like it might be the best among the three, especially for your current build. Both damage dealing and increased Damage Reduction. You got lucky!](Helen)
Seeing Helen's happiness, Michael smiled while walking away from the pavilion and stood in the open yard.
With a thought, bones of different lengths were summoned in the air around him, all giving off a dark color. Just as the Skill description mentioned, the bones began rotating around him, almost removing him from Helen's field of view.
From Michael's estimation, there was a distance of about three meters from him to the closest bone in the swirling circle around him.
"With this, I should be able to finish the other Dungeon as well today. Then, the goal is to reach Level 25 and get my Golem. I'll probably end up sacrificing it, but it should give me enough to go through my first Class Awakening."
[And then?](Helen)
"Then, I'll stop postponing the inevitable and follow Lilith's trail..."