Chương 102: The First Semester

Level: 1 Experience: BLOCKED Healing: 430/430 Stamina: 440/440 Mana: 260/260 Class: Tier 0, Child (Blue) Effect: Increased Skill Acquisition (+10%), Increased Learning Speed (+10%), Increased Stat Gain (+10%), Increased Physical Gain (+10%), Increased Mental Gain (+10%) Vitality: 43 () Endurance: 44 (+1) Strength: 34 (+1) Agility: 42 (+1) Perception: 31 () Mind: 105 (+7) Magic: 26 (+1) Focus: 47 (+2) Free Points: 0 Tier 1 (22) (14+): Light Armor (100), Dwarven Etiquette (100), Eldarin Etiquette (89 + 14), Shield Skills (80+5), Speech (75 +25), Drawing Skills (70), Pulse Strike (67), Cleaning Skills (52+2), Bow Skills (52), Combat Tactics (51+1), Pugilist Skills (50), Sweet Tooth (40+15), Driving (39), Axe Skills (46+12), Dancing Skills (38), Deflection (40+10), Cooking Skills (30+8), Dagger Skills (29), Stealth (25), Throw (25), Medium Armor (25 +5), Wrestling Skills (21) Tier 2 (54) (2+): Mana Sense (100), Danger Sense (100), Focused Breathing (87+3), Focused Running (80 +16), System Sense (79+1), Algebra (68+8), Focused Toughness (63+2), Focused Meditation (60 +7), Soul Sense (62+1), Darkness Vision (56), Geometry (55+5), Trap Detection (40), Speed Reading (40 +6), Focused Sword Skills (37), Shadow Vision (37+3), Critical Thinking (30+3), Focused Dodge (29+5), Mana Vision (26+2), Monster Analysis (20), Depth Sense (20), Focused Rage (15+1), Eldarin Lore (8), Focused Monster Processing Skills (5+5), Poison Sense (5+5), Focused Spear Skills (3+3), Dwarven Script (1+1), Dwarven Lore (1+1) Tier 3 (54) (1+): Empowered Will (100 +1), Soul Resistance (92+1), Poison Resistance (72+7), Fear Resistance (61), Healing Resistance (60 +5), Eldarin Runes (40), Fire Resistance (27), Lightning Resistance (26), Mana Manipulation (24+6), Empowered Writing (20), Cold Resistance (20), Soul Strike (20), Skill Control (17+1), Arcane Resistance (16), Physical Resistance (13+1), System Control (6+1), Alchemy (5), Social Resistance (5+1) Tier 4 (8): Soul Link (23+3), Pain Immunity (5) Tier 5 (-): Experience Siphon(C) Equipment Gloves: Gloves of Processing (T2) (Blocks Mana T2 and Below) Boots: Armored Boots (T1) (Basic Equipment) Head: Armored Helmet (T1) (Basic Equipment) Body: Light Armor (T1) (Basic Equipment) Ring 1: Ring of Concealment (T3) (Hide Status T3 and Below) Ring 2: Ring of Remote Awareness (T3) (Allows for remote viewing from companion ring) Amulet/Bracelet: Experience Blocker (T4) (Prevents all experience gain for primary level) Weapon 1: Beginner's Blade (T2) (Sharpness-T2, Durability-T3, Self-Repair-T2) Equipment 1: Runic Writing Set (T3) (Write Runes T3 and Below) Winged Serpent Level: 27/462 Experience: 518/1, 788 Healing: 1, 050/1, 050 Stamina: 350/350 Mana: 850/850 Class: Tier 1, Young Winged Serpent (Red) Effect: Alchemy Skill Growth (+50%), Alchemic Skill Power (+100%) Vitality: 105 () Endurance: 35 () Strength: 52 () Agility: 84 () Perception: 38 () Mind: 96 () Magic: 85 () Focus: 45 () Free Points: 0 T1: Bite (87) T2: Toxic Breath (47), Alchemic Vision (32) T3: Alchemy (40), Poison Insight (22), Fire Insight (8), Cold Insight (8), Arcane Insight (8), Spatial Insight (7), Soul Insight (2) T4: Soul Link (23), Flight (20), Alchemic Bounded Field (12) I filled out the skill sheets for both myself and Ozy.

Part of the agreement with the College to keep him here and to buy skills for him was that I had to give them his status sheet. Healer Melon looked over my status sheets with a careful eye.

"I gained 426 skill levels, so it's quite good," I said.

"Your Mind stat has gone way up, which is also a good thing. It's at 76%, which is far from Meldor's threshold. That is good, very good."

"My subconscious was also protecting me with how close I came several times."

"Foolishness, Justin. Anyway, the worst of the danger is past," he said with a relieved look and then frowned.

"But there is another issue."

"What?"

"That armband limits your experience gain. Having a child's class will hurt you in the future. Since your soul depends on your stats and resistance skill, not getting a Tier 1 class will complicate your growth."

"What complications?"

"Increased chance of deformities as you grow older. Anyone can reach level 20 with crafting experience. I know you don't want to gain levels, but the risk is too high now, especially with Tier 4 skills and your age."

"But my mother said nothing about that." I was hesitating since I didn't want the person who cursed me to get experience from me, and I wanted to see how far I could go. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

"Unlike Meldor's Threshold, the effects would be more gradual. We are just at the start of when this could become an issue. The armband must come off, and you need to reach level 20 for your first class. That perfectly aligns with the two-week break at the end of this semester." I looked at the bracelet on my arm that was blocking out the experience.

"I just thought people couldn't resist gaining levels."

"There is that. You can replace it after you get your first class. But you must get your first class. Healer's orders," he replied, and I nodded slowly at this. While I was doing better with my classes, I was still struggling. Adding free stats would help with that.

"You don't have to add the free stat points when you level, if you can resist."

"Are you reading my mind?" I muttered in complaint. Ozy looked up at me, but I sent him thoughts of relaxation, so he calmed down.

"No, but everyone thinks the same thing. The longer you can resist using your free stat points, the easier it is to train them up yourself," Healer Melon said what I already knew. But he was repeating information to remind me what my mother wanted me to do, what was best for me. In this case, unlike the pet and all the Alchemical products, she would be right. I stroked Ozy's body as I remained calm and communicated that feeling through our bond. I would need to continue Speech next semester to maximize the skill.

While it wasn't my favorite, my father taught the class, and he would only be here at the College for this year. Poison Sense overlapped with other skills like Danger Sense and Soul Sense. It wasn't a bad skill, but it wasn't a great skill. At least I would be better at detecting the effects of poisons. Mana Manipulation had gone up slightly. It would take a long time to maximize the skill. Looking at Ozy's stats was much more interesting. He had 540 stat points to my 372.

It wasn't a surprise since he was a monster with high potential and had already reached level 27. Monsters had a cap on their maximum level and could gain experience from consuming Mana, even if they didn't have a specific consumption skill. While people liked to talk about having unlimited potential, reaching such a high level was completely out of reach. Even my mother was over level 150, but she wasn't even close to level 200, from what she had told me. Unlike a person, Ozy's skill list was much more condensed.

All those insight skills were incredibly powerful, along with Alchemical Bounded Field. It would allow him to directly alter the volumes of space around himself for attack and defense.

"I will need to train with Ozy to get him used to combat and get his first skill."

"The dungeon would be the perfect opportunity for the two of you. You need to level up, and it would be an excellent training opportunity."

"I am concerned about his size, but it should be fine, I think."

"I wouldn't worry. He won't gain that many levels in the upper layers of the dungeon. At most, you are looking at him going from arm's length to body length. You won't be down there for that long. He'll still be reasonable in size to fit indoors and travel with you."

"Just annoyed at the thought of someone getting some of my experience." I considered the soul skill book my mother had left me. The College routinely checked skills, and I didn't have the time to split my focus further. Learning soul skills came with a certain stigma, and I didn't want negative attention. While I was confident I could place first, I couldn't do that without counting on certain skills and splitting my focus. My ego and hubris weren't that large.

Windshell Gossimer wouldn't let me rest easily in first place at the College. I could easily gain 20 levels myself, even if I lost a portion of my experience in the dungeon. Also, with my mother gone, it would be a good way to make the Dark Cabal hesitate before coming after me for the next several years, or Xanatos at the very least since he was benefiting from this curse skill.

When I focused on soul skills, I wanted them to be my only focus, and I would hide deep in the dungeon after graduation for a long time to work on improving them and breaking the curse skill.

"I guess we should head down to Genoa's dungeon entry passage today, after I submit my skill sheets. No need to wait around to see if I place first."

"That sounds like a good plan. We can avoid other students who might plan to head down. While unlikely, you might be targeted."

"I guess I should look at the College's store to find a replacement bracelet for when I hit level 20 and to replace my rings," I said while looking at the one my mother had given me. My thoughts went to her, and I hoped she would return. We hadn't parted on the best of terms, and I was worried about her. No one ever returned from a final descent, hence the name. Ozy nudged me with his snout, and I gave him some head scratches. He really was quite sensitive to my mood.

If I got my resistances high enough, he could create effects centered on me, providing me with a makeshift combat aura. It would be dangerous, but it could have some powerful synergy. Right now, Ozy should work on Flight the most. The skills were named that way because they used Mana actively and generated a complex effect. They were in their own category, like passive, crafting, aura, and resistance skills. Distance and power impacted the Mana cost of the spell skills.

Leveling up spell skills made them more Mana efficient and expanded the range and power one could place into the spell skill. It was his fundamental movement skill, and his ability to dodge depended on that skill. I needed him to survive and to position himself properly in combat. I was good enough to protect myself, but not both of us. A pet shouldn't be a liability, but a boon. He needed to dodge during combat. With more experience fighting monsters, his other skills would develop.

I would need to moderate his fighting instincts. If I had to fight other people, they would target Ozy first. As a supportive teammate, he was the clear target to take down instead of me. Always target the support casters first was a lesson I knew. A support caster could offer a multiplicative effect in combat. With Flight, Ozy should be able to stay out of danger. Getting up, I carefully adjusted Ozy. The status sheets were picked up and straightened.

"I will grab my sword, since we are heading out after this," I told Healer Melon, who gave me a nod. I left with Healer Melon after equipping my sword. I repeated the same process I had three months ago, handing in my skill sheets and having several skills checked to ensure I wasn't lying about leveling up. I handed in Ozy's skill sheets as well, but the College would not double-check his skills. I could postpone getting equipment until after graduation.

I planned to ask my father for Tier 3 equipment for graduation. Although he only promised me a sword, I hoped I could get more if I got first. We headed to the elevator after completing the skill check. Upon entering, a staff member directed us to the ground floor. Having crossed the mountain portion, the elevator's two glass sides provided a remarkable view. The elevator was now surrounded by metal scaffolding instead of stone. I could see them working under the College, reinforcing the rock with metal.

Likely to prevent total structural failure during a strong collision. The College's base was also quite jagged after separating from the mountain. It was very likely that something would fall, potentially creating political turmoil if it fell on the College's host site. Even though I didn't take crafting classes, the College's crafting program was extensive, drawing in a large number of students. Even though the College was large, there were talents to make the underside as impressive as the top.

"Still crazy that something that big can float," Healer Melon said.

"I know. That it can maintain such a state without falling really gets to me. That must require sustained runic arrays. The Mana cost must be horrendous, but The Mathemancer had to have found some clever trick to keep the costs low."

"Something about using its own weight, at least that is what I heard," the staff member operating the elevator said.

"That would be interesting. And explain why there aren't flying dwarven carriages. It is a size issue." I also noticed the College's bottom might be fitted with retractable hatches, possibly for weapons or platforms. Without a Supreme Legend as the Dean, increasing the defenses was not a bad idea to help protect the place from a large-scale attack.