[Possible Class List for Overgeared Skeleton One]
[1. Destroyer Skeleton Miner.
Details: (Good at mining)
2. Destroyer Skeleton Clown.
Details: (Can laugh well)
3. Destroyer Skeleton Dancer.
Details: (Can dance well)
4. Destroyer Skeleton Swordsman.
Details: (Increased proficiency in swordsmanship)
5. Destroyer Skeleton Dancing Smith.
Further information: (Good at dancing and blacksmithing)]
[Possible Class List for Overgeared Skeleton Two]
[1. Restorer Skeleton Miner.
2. Restorer Skeleton Clown.
3. Restorer Skeleton Dancer.
4. Restorer Skeleton Mage.
Details: (Increased proficiency in magic)
5. Restorer Skeleton Dancing Smith.]
Were the details right?
“...” Grid’s silence lasted a long while. He couldn’t accept the second class list of the Overgeared Skeletons in front of him. Was this a dream or reality? The boundaries were ambiguous and difficult to distinguish. Grid was blank like he had a lock on his mind, only to belatedly regain his spirit. He tried to analyze the cause of this absurdity.
‘I made the Overgeared Skeletons mine several times.’
In Grid’s memories, he had only occasionally used the Overgeared Skeletons for mining when he was lacking labor. The number of times was small enough to be counted on one hand. Following the first advancement class list, he couldn’t believe there was a miner option in the second advancement class list.
...This was naturally Grid’s subjective memory. At one time, the Overgeared Skeletons were forced to go mining when they were summoned. In particular, it had happened when their levels were low and they were too weak to be useful for hunting.
‘Cough... Yes. Let’s say they acquired the mining skill because I made them mine 100 times. And the clown and dancer options are due to their basic habits of laughing and dancing.’
Yes, the causes of these three classes were understandable. It was encouraging that the classes of swordsman and mage had also opened. Overgeared Skeleton One watched Grid’s swordsmanship and Overgeared Skeleton Two watched Grid’s magic, leaving room for increased strength.
“It’s fine. It’s fine...”
...By the way, what was a dancing blacksmith? He couldn’t comprehend this even if he conceded 100 times. It was purely absurd.
“Did you dance while I was doing blacksmithing? Eh? How can I believe this?”
It was natural for the Overgeared Skeletons to open the blacksmithing path. Their master was a blacksmith and they had observed him working many times. However, it wasn’t just a blacksmith. It was a blacksmith with the word ‘dancing’ attached...?
‘I wouldn’t worry if it was dancing swordsman or dancing mage.’
That’s right. The modifier being attached wasn’t the problem. Rather, it was good. The problem was that the attached position was wrong.
‘I want the proper combat power for the second class but...’
Grid originally wanted to pick the swordsman and mage for the Overgeared Skeletons. Unfortunately, Grid was well aware of the power of a modifier. The more modifiers an item had, the more powerful and useful it was. A dancing smith was likely to be a class with high potential. Of course, the combat power was low.
‘Giving up the class with a modifier for the ordinary swordsman and magician might give me a feeling of loss...’
Grid was struggling with this and asked Braham, “Braham, what do you think?”
He didn’t expect to get an answer though. Braham’s soul was in a very weak state, so he was sleeping almost all the time. Grid thought he would be asleep once again, but Braham woke up at the right time.
-It is better to make them a dancing smith.
Braham’s reasoning made sense.
-The first classes of destroyer and restorer are applied as modifiers to the second advancement. It will be the same with the third advancement. As you know, the concept of modifiers is absolute. The more modifiers there are, the higher the ‘status’ will be. The merits of the class called dancing smith might be small right now, but if you think about the future, it is wiser to choose a class with many modifiers.
Was it because they were the heritage of Shizo Beriache…? Braham was showed great interest in the Overgeared Skeletons. He actively advised Grid and was a big help to him.
“Okay... I will do so.”
This was an investment for the future. It was in order to make the Overgeared Skeletons have the modifiers of ‘destroyer’, ‘restorer’, ‘dancing’, and ‘blacksmith’ attached to the third advancement classes. Grid nodded and made a decision. “It might feel like a loss right now, but it can’t be helped. You will both become dancing smiths.”
Kyaak! Kya kya kyak!
The Overgeared Skeletons were pleased with Grid’s choice. They laughed and started to dance lightly.
[You have selected the ‘dancing smith’ class for Overgeared Skeleton One. Is this correct?]
“Co...rrect.”
[You have selected the ‘dancing smith’ class for Overgeared Skeleton Two. Is this correct?]
“That’s right...”
Flash!
Grid didn’t change his decision, and a golden glow appeared around the bodies of the Overgeared Skeletons who were absorbed in their dancing. Meanwhile, Grid felt a bit regretful. He was gloomy because they were now two dancing smiths who would be of no use in combat.
‘Sigh. I need to raise them to level 300 as soon as possible.’
The reason for the slow leveling of the Overgeared Skeletons was because the level difference with Grid was too large. The penalty meant that the Overgeared Skeletons received lesser experience points. However, as the level gap gradually narrowed, the level-up speed of the Overgeared Skeletons would accelerate.
[The second class advancements of Overgeared Skeleton One and Overgeared Skeleton Two have been completed!]
[The class compensation effect has increased Overgeared Skeleton One’s strength and stamina by 50. There is an additional 20,000 increase in health.]
[The class compensation effect has increased Overgeared Skeleton Two’s intelligence and stamina by 50. There is an additional 15,000 increase in health and 5,000 increase in mana.]
[The appearances of Overgeared Skeletons One and Two have changed!]
[The information on Overgeared Skeletons One and Two will be updated!]
“Ohhh!”
Once the class advancement was completed, the golden glow was absorbed by the Overgeared Skeletons. The Overgeared Skeletons now turned into shiny golden chibi skeletons instead of just chibi skeletons. If the previous Overgeared Skeletons were like chewed bones left behind by a dog, the current Overgeared Skeletons were fine skeletons made of gold.
However, their eyes were still the same. The ⌓ ⌓ shaped eyes were still naughty.
‘...I can’t see it.’
It was subtle.
‘Well... it’s fine since they’re cute.’
Grid opened the Overgeared Skeletons’ information.
[Name: Overgeared Skeleton One
Class: Destructive Skeleton Dancing Smith.
Level: 200
Health: 25,824 Mana: 160
Strength: 1,015 Stamina: 450
Agility: 420 Intelligence: 80]
-Class Specific Skills-
[Bone Cracking Lv. 4.]
[There is a low probability of destroying materials made of bone (undead, items, structures, etc.).
Resources Consumed: None.
Skill Cooldown Time: 20 seconds]
[Destroyer Dancer’s Blacksmithing Skill Lv. 1]
[-Learn how to make a weapon that is made of 100% bone material.
While making weapons, the skills ‘Dancing’ and Skeleton's Patience will always be activated. If a destroyer’s skill is used with this weapon, the probability of Bone Cracking will increase by three times. The time it will take to make an item is 20 minutes.
Skill Resource Consumption: Materials needed to make the item.
Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.
★ Due to the nature of the destroyer, there is a possibility that the item being produced will be destroyed. If the item being produced is destroyed, a wide-area explosion that deals 6 times the item damage specified in the production method will occur.
If the damage range is within 10 meters of Overgeared Skeleton One, Overgeared Skeleton One will also suffer damage.]
[Dancing Lv. 1]
[-Dance to provoke any enemy within 30 meters.
There is a 70% chance of the taunt being successful.
Resources Consumed: None.
Skill Cooldown Time: None.
The time required to activate the skill (time required to get into the rhythm): 5 seconds.]
-Skills Learned-
[Skeleton's Patience]
[-A conditionally triggered passive.
A skill learned from the Legendary Blacksmith’s Patience.
Once activated, defense, strength, and health are doubled.
Resources Consumed: None.
Skill Cooldown Time: None.]
[Intermediate Sword Mastery Lv. 7]
[Passive skill.
A skill learned from a master’s swordsmanship.]
[Silver Thread...]
[....
...
Omitted.]
[Name: Overgeared Skeleton Two
Class: Restorer Skeleton Dancing Smith.
Level: 200
Health: 19,000 Mana: 5,000
Strength: 50 Stamina: 650
Agility: 220 Intelligence: 1,045]
-Class Specific Skills-
[Bone Sticking Lv. 4]
[-Restores 20% of a skeleton-based undead’s health. The damaged part of the target will be restored.
Resources Consumed: 1,000 mana.
Skill Cooldown Time: 26 seconds]
[Restorer Dancer’s Blacksmithing Skill Lv. 1]
[-Learn how to make a helmet that is made of 100% bone material.
While making the helmet, the skills ‘Dancing’ and Skeleton's Patience will always be activated.
The helmet will gain the feature of ‘restoration’, and Overgeared Skeleton Two will show a high survival power if armed with this helmet.
The time it will take to make an item is 20 minutes.
Skill Resource Consumption: Materials needed to make the item.
Skill Cooldown Time: 30 minutes.
★ Due to the nature of the restorer, it may be difficult to make items. It is because the bones used as the material will be intentionally restored and manufacturing processes such as smelting and forging will be reset.
At this point, Overgeared Skeleton Two will have to start producing the item again from the beginning.]
[Dancing Lv. 1]
[Skeleton's Patience]
[Intermediate Magic Mastery Lv. 7]
[Omitted.]
The Overgeared Skeletons gained six stat points every time they leveled up. Given that level 1 had a basic 10 points for each stat and players gained a 20 point bonus for their first level, the total value of the level 200 Overgeared Skeletons’ stats should be 1,224. However, the Overgeared Skeletons had a stats increase due to the second class advancement bonus, the bone strengthening effect, and the various ‘usable items’ made by Grid.
The total number of stat points was nearly 2,000, which was comparable to that of ordinary level 200 players. It was almost miraculous considering the Overgeared Skeletons were less powerful than players. They literally resembled their master by possessing fraudulent stats. Still, that wasn’t the important issue right now.
“This...”
In fact, Grid had great expectations for the potential of the Overgeared Skeletons until their first class advancement. He had imagined that Overgeared Skeleton One would cause massive explosions to crush the bones of opponents while Overgeared Skeleton Two would use wide-area heals. The result was disappointing because they were terrible, unlike his imagination. The reality was that Overgeared Skeleton One could blow up the item while Overgeared Skeleton Two could reset the process...
‘Something garbage like this...’
Grid was forced to bind all his hopes onto the third advancement. The Overgeared Skeletons would have the modifiers of ‘destroyer (restorer) dancing blacksmith’ skeleton. He could still hope for a combat class for the third advancement. Then Braham’s voice entered the ears of the frustrated Grid, -Maybe it is because you are an idiot, but your imagination is poor. Sharing your thoughts are a pain. If this continues, my soul is likely to burst to death before it can recover.
“...?”
How could he be blamed when Braham was going to die anyway? Grid frowned while Braham scoffed.
-Stupid guy. You should be focusing on the provocation skill, not the blacksmithing. One has a wide-range provocation and damage ability while the other can launch an infinite provocation ability. What the hell are you regretting?
“...Ah!”
The Dancing skill didn’t specify the ‘category’ of the enemy. It was even a wide-area skill.
On the other hand, the Bloody Smell option of Malacus’ Cloak didn’t apply to creatures whose sense of smell had deteriorated like the undead. Additionally, Malacus’ Cloak was very dangerous because Grid himself attracted the aggro. However, the Overgeared Skeletons were summons who didn’t receive a penalty from dying.
‘This isn’t trash.’
Possibilities started to unfold in front of Grid. He anticipated that the Overgeared Skeletons’ third and fourth advancements would come faster than he had thought.
***
“...”
The defense of the evil eyes village had ended.
A month had passed, but Peak Sword’s condition was still the worst. He felt uncomfortable and unmotivated. It was hard for him to concentrate on hunting, so even Vantner was worried about him.
“Are you still thinking about that knight?”
The knight whom Vantner mentioned was the leader of the Blue Flames Knights of the Gauss Kingdom. He was a young knight named Apollo. Peak Sword was traumatised from killing him. It was because Peak Sword saw himself in Apollo’s image of fighting for his kingdom. A lonely struggle was the fate of a weak nation.
To be honest, Peak Sword hadn’t wanted to kill him. However, he had to fight for the sake of the evil eyes. It was a fair fight, and he had to knock down the enemy. The only thing he regretted now was deceiving the other party who had fought to the end for his kingdom.
Yes, Peak Sword knew all of this. Yet he still felt regretful when the face of the young knight came up.
“...He had only one life.”
Satisfy was only a game to players, but it was reality for NPCs. They couldn’t revive.
“Of course, I will kill him if the same thing happens again. I just regret that I didn’t say a word to him before he died. He was too strong.”
“Then from now on, say goodbye before killing them.”
“...Eh?”
“Say goodbye and kill. Isn’t that enough?”
“...”
“We’re going to be fighting NPCs. It was a planned future from the moment Grid set up his kingdom. Some of the enemies you will encounter will certainly be good people, and you’ll have to kill them. What if you have a mental breakdown every time? Your mind will soon become exhausted. Will you quit the game?”
“Kuk... Yes, my resolve was lacking. I was too short-sighted. I’ll have to greet the enemy in advance before fighting.”
“Good. That’s the right thing to do. Greet and kill them.”
“Hut... Yes.”
“...”
The two men clasped hands. Their conversation content was obviously missing the main point. The listening Overgeared members thought it was so absurd that they clicked their tongues. It was at this moment.
&Zednos: An explosion has occurred in the southern market.
The guild members who were in Reinhardt were talking to each other in the guild chat.
&Ibellin: What happened?
&Zednos: Agnus is visiting. Maybe he is making a commotion.
&Toon: Agnus is here? Why? Isn’t this crazy?
&Jishuka: Yes! He’s a crazy guy~
&Ibellin: (/-_-) I’m nearby, so I’ll be right there.
‘Agnus?’
In the Galgunos Temple, Bullet’s face hardened as he placed pressure on the war god followers with his undead and jiangshi. Agnus was obviously crazy, but he wasn’t a loose cannon. If a crisis that couldn’t be overcome arrived, he would enjoy the situation but always try to avoid the worst situation. Yet he was visiting the capital of the Overgeared Kingdom where they were obviously enemies...? Agnus wouldn’t have intended to cause a disturbance.
‘He seems to be having a hard time these days... Maybe he came here because he wanted to rely on me?’
‘Damn.’ Bullet couldn’t even send Agnus a whisper because Agnus was removed from his friends list. He couldn’t concentrate on the battle. Bullet worried about it before recalling the undead and jiangshi to his side.
“Eh? What happened?” The Overgeared members, who were hunting with him, asked.
Bullet scratched his head. “I’m sorry but I want to take a break. I’ve been hunting for too long.”
“Are you sleeping at that level?”
“...You have dropped from second in the necromancer rankings.”
It took a surprisingly long amount of time to produce the jiangshi, causing him to drop to fourth place. Nevertheless, Bullet was still a high ranker who was far above the average level of the Overgeared members. This was because the necromancer class was optimized for hunting.
“That was the past. You have to restore your ranking.”
“Today isn’t the only day. I’ll work hard next time. Then I’m going.” Bullet didn’t say anything else and used a return scroll.
He left to help his old idol, feeling grateful and sorry toward the Overgeared members who hadn’t done anything but treat him as an old friend. Still, once he gave his heart, he would never betray or easily abandon the person. This was the man called Bullet.