When Stephen returned to his living room, after caring for both his tenants, he could finally think about how he should spend his day. Or what was left of it?
He sat on his couch for a while, Comtess soothing his mind as he petted her soft curls.
While the little picnic he had earlier had already helped a lot in getting him to relax, it was still hard to no stay stressed by all that had happened since the portal’s appearance.
Now, though, he could finally focus on why he took such irrational risks. Yes, he could’ve died, something which was still relatively fresh on his mind, considering the levels of the lamia’s corpses found in the dungeon, but he hadn’t. For now, it was essential to keep to the more positive facts. He was alive and victorious.
As the young awakened looked at his status screen, he debated for a moment whether to spend his stats points immediately. But then, he decided it was better to wait a bit longer.
One reason was that he wanted to know how his current stats differed from before. Another was to test the effect of each stat and see if his available skills would affect his build.
As for the skills, finding out how to display them didn’t take long. The method was similar to before: “Display available skills.”The only difference was that he had to focus on the part of his status screen saying he had available slots.
The list was overly long, and Stephen thought it better to look through it while doing something else. He could move the panel on the side of his vision, thus not hindering him even if he had to drive or talk to someone. A brief skimming let him realise it was likely for the skills to be directly linked to his actions while inside the dungeon. Especially as the first skills he saw were proficiency skills for spear, sword, club, shield and throwing weapons. Maybe other skills would be displayed further down the list, but for now, Stephen believed it made sense for his available skills to be based on his past actions.
Each skill had its name, a brief description of its effect, and a price in skill points. For most of the skills he could see for now, the price was at two skill points. It was a low price considering the thirty-six points he had. It didn’t make his future decision any easier.
Stephen was tempted to optimise his future skill set even if it implied giving himself some leeway for acquiring future skills and keeping unspent skill points. On the other hand, knowing he had enough points to fill all his skill slots and getting more powerful was just as tempting.
To build a hopefully sturdier base for the future, at the risk of not getting strong enough to face the following challenges. Or to grab all the advantages he could now and hope for more opportunities to present themselves, negating his suboptimal choice.
Stephen was in a quandary, and he had no intention of making a brash decision. It was better to take his time to think about it, maybe even distract himself by doing something else.
Thus, taking the time to wash up and change his clothes, Stephen took some documents with him before going for a ride. It was much better to drive his small Twingo than the utility car he last loaned to bring back his purchases. His direction? The bank. Since he needed to get more information on the skills available that would grant him immediate power, he might as well focus elsewhere. He hadn’t forgotten the event about Octavia’s opening ceremony in the evening, nor how investing in her company could be a favourable venture for him.
He did want to support her, of course. That she was an architect who would lead her own company was a convenient situation. Stephen had no doubt he would have found another reason if she had worked in another field.
With the portal coming into existence and magic and monsters already having a foothold on Earth, the economy was due for a rude overhaul. Everything was bound to change, whether construction, food, clothing, medicine or even communication. Having an opportunity to invest in a budding company wasn’t something Stephen was willing to miss. He had some funds available, about 200k Lys, but hoped to get more for his own interests and to support his childhood friend.
His drive was spent reviewing the skill list and using his [Identify] skill now and then. The results from identifying entities were disappointing. The most he ever got was the name of an item or, for a person, that they were human. The only exception for living people was in the case he knew them, as he saw a [John Carter – human male – 57 years old] being displayed at some point about someone living in his neighbourhood. The skill's description of “basic and/or known information” was as accurate as misleading. He had hoped it would display all known information he had about an entity, but it wasn’t meant to be.
As for the skill list, Stephen noticed his guess seemed right. His actions taken in the dungeon had influenced the skills he had access to. What was less fortunate was that only those actions were taken into account. But not any of the things he did before in his life. For example, there wasn’t any running, crafting, programming, drawing skill or anything to do with dogs or animals in general. No skill in general knowledge like mathematics, writing or reading either.
The good news, though, was the appearance of magical skills. Or spells. For now, the spells Stephen saw were Spark, Mend Wounds, and Gust of Wind. The first was just enough to light a fire, provided there was combustible material to be targeted. The second was a minor spell that could close an individual’s wounds like sewing them could. The last created a gust of wind, enough to create a brief wind over a short distance, causing someone to stumble mid-step at most. The most striking difference, except that it was actual, honest, reality-altering magic, was their cost. Instead of the low cost of two skill points per skill, each spell costs five skill points.
There were also other skills with a different price of four skill points instead of two. The ones Stephen saw seem more impressive from their effects than other skills. Some, though, were greyed out. One such skill was Stealth, as opposed to its lower-priced version of Camouflage. Camouflage simply reduced a person’s presence but took into account his environment. It also required the user to stay immobile. In comparison, stealth allowed the user to enter a short period of invisibility at the price of a quartered mobility.
Upon seeing all those skills, Stephen was tempted to pick one and test its effects immediately, but it would be stupid to do it in the middle of the city. It wasn’t as if he had any social skills available. Whether it was because he needed to be understood by his target or because whatever he did wasn’t impactful enough wasn’t clear to him. What was, however, was that he would need to wait before enjoying the benefits of his awakened status. For now, he had to convince a banker to loan him some funds.
At least Stephen knew he hadn’t any debts remaining. His home and car were paid for some years ago. And while his earlier resignment from his job might pose an issue, asking for less profitable terms was enough to find a middle-ground. After a much too lengthy discussion, Stephen got a loan of 400k Lys, which would need to be reimbursed at a disgusting rate of 10% over the next twenty years, starting in a year. Stephen didn’t care much, knowing he would’ve either gotten rich by that point or this money wouldn’t have any more value.
What mattered was that he could invest half a million into his friend’s company with his current funds. He had no idea how it would compare to Octavia’s current investment in her company, but he hoped it would be enough to matter.
The other stop Stephen wanted to make in preparation for the evening was to buy a gift. One a bit more intimate. For that, he stopped at a jeweller, settling for a water-drop necklace and assorted earrings in silver and sapphires. If the set he picked was more on the expensive side, he didn’t care. If people believed him to be trying to woo Octavia, they wouldn’t be wrong. As far as he knew, she neither had a boyfriend nor a girlfriend. The worst would be for both of them to be embarrassed by the other’s reactions.
Until now, Stephen had always found a reason for not pursuing her. Either he wasn’t good enough for her. Or that living three hours apart was too far – she had just returned to Leathrom for the opening of her company, and her studies after high school were made in Lumen City or Maguelone. Or that they hadn’t enough in common. Or any nonsensical reason that could’ve easily been ignored if he dared act.
Funnily enough, his worry over this situation had vanished since he came out of the dungeon. Nothing like having several brushes with death throughout a couple of hours to put matters into perspective. If his meeting with Octavia didn’t go as well as he hoped, he would get over it.
By the time Stephen returned home, it was already past 4 pm. He wasn’t expected to show up at the venue before 7 pm, plenty enough time to prepare himself and even make some permanent choices on his skills.
He had had the time to look through each skill during his drive, and some choices were a must. With magic at his fingertips, Stephen had to take at least one. Mend Wound couldn’t be missed, even if it didn’t seem much better than sewing close his wounds by hand.
Skill
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Description
Cost (Skill points | Sp)
Mend Wounds
Allows to mend wounds by weaving a magic thread
> 5 Mp / Inch <
5
There was also a need for a more offensive spell. Stephen debated for a while between the benefits of wind and fire. Gust of Wind could grant a slight boost to himself or anything he could throw until he could use it directly.
Spark would be a more long-term investment since it could only be used as a trigger for a fire.
In the end, he picked Sparks, reminding himself that he would, for now, fight many Hyanura, and while fire didn’t go well with water, frogs-humanoids were also very weak to fire. So long as he made the proper preparations, the first floor should only become more manageable.
Spark
Allows to create tiny sparks capable of lighting a fire
> 10 Mp / Use <
5
By then, Stephen was tempted to delay his other choices and play with fire. Fortunately for his furniture and for Comtess, the nascent mage only threw a couple of sparks in the air and at a paper sheet before being satisfied. It wasn’t imposing. It was closer to sparks made when grinding steel than even small fireworks. Still, the spell was magically potent enough to ignite the paper.
After that were some less impressive skills, nonetheless essential. Proficiencies. The only question was which ones to pick. In the end, Spear, Shield, Sword and Throwing were selected, as Stephen couldn’t justify not choosing one over the other. He had changed weapons often enough during his delve to make all four just as crucial as the others.
Shield Proficiency - Minor
Makes it slightly easier for you to improve your usage of a Shield.
2
Spear Proficiency - Minor
– of a Spear.
2
Sword Proficiency - Minor
– of a Sword.
2
Throwing Proficiency - Minor
– of Throwing Weapons.
2
The following two skills Stephen believed he should take were both at an increased price, the only ones that weren’t greyed out.
Adrenaline Rush
For a short period, slightly increase strength and dexterity
> Cost 50 % Stamina <
4
Battle Awareness
While fighting, perception is increased
4
His repeated fights while surrounded, and especially the first one against the Hyanura, were the most likely reason for those skills to be unlocked. Stephen’s lack of memories about how he finished the fight was a good way to know he had been in a trance, only relying on his instincts and adrenaline to prevail.
With those eight skills picked, Stephen had already spent twenty-six skill points. Leaving him with only ten points and six skill slots.
For now, he had already covered his bases. He had a way to improve his fighting style and become a better fighter. Then, he had unlocked the usage of magic and a way to heal himself more efficiently.
What was left was to capitalise on his strengths. From how he had dealt with the first floor, he knew he would mainly need to ambush his enemies. He couldn’t afford to not weaken them as much as possible before engaging in close range.
For that, Stephen saw three skills which could help him:
Power Attack
Your next attack will deal slightly increased damages
2
Spot Weakness
It becomes easier to spot a weakness on an enemy.
2
Camouflage
Allows the user to blend in with his surroundings. Requires to stay mostly immobile.
> 1 Mp / 5 Sec <
2
The first was plain and straightforward, making each attack deal more damage. The second would ensure those damages would be more efficient. Finally, the third would allow Stephen more time to prepare before and after each attack, increasing his odds of making each attack matter.
He still had some points and slots available, but Stephen wasn’t sure what would prove better. Either to get as many skills as possible or to keep some points for later. He didn’t know how the skills would increase or if he needed points at a later date for something more important than getting new skills.
There was also the fact that many of the skills left had to do with harvesting resources, something Stephen was sure wasn’t needed for now, considering his monopoly over his portal on Earth.