Chapter 166 - 166

Looking through his skills, and what the book tells him of the class, most of it based on one single example who should have only just started down the Lord side of the skill tree after finishing the General side and not choosing to try for a more advanced class right away, Cain comes to a realization. 

The next skill he will be able to get is [Lieutenant] which the book says is in two parts. Either Summoned or Appointed. Summoned doesn't have details, other than that there are two to start with, but Appointed ones, the version the city leader uses are like his own Appointed Companion skill. They get the bonuses from his Summon related abilities. 

It would be nice if there was more information, but with only one sample used in this book they were limited to what he could or would provide.

Off in one corner of the library Cain sees a book under glass with an attendant. That's different, and this book doesn't have much he didn't already know, as the man who gave it to him feared, so he goes to investigate instead. 

"What might this book be that it needs security?" He smiles at the burly Librarian. 

"It's our library Challenge. It can't be used, only copied, and it gives an unspecified Guild Skill. Only one attempt is possible, starting to copy it begins a quest that is non repeatable. But if you want to try, you can. Materials are 10 Gold if you need them. 

"Sounds like my sort of Challenge. Has anyone succeeded?" Cain asks. 

"Two so far. One got a Guild Skill that grants everyone 20 percent bonus expertise, one got a Guild Ability to make Guild members Resurrect at the nearest Guild House. It's got a month long cool down, but there's no doubt it's an S Ranked Guild Skill."

That's an incredible ability. Preventing their members from being murdered or dying in dungeons? Who wouldn't want to be in that Guild? 

"I'll need materials, but let's give this a try." Cain says and the big Librarian, probably enlarged by a barbarian or berserker class, going by his size, hands him a stack of enchanted paper and an ink well with a special silver pen. 

[Quest: Copy Ancient Manual] 0.01 percent chance of success. 

[Rewards one Random Guild Skill] 

Here goes nothing "Oh mighty and benevolent system, grant me your blessing as I attempt this quest. Seriously, I'm really going to need it."

[Bonus Applied: +5 percent chance of success] 

The Librarian is laughing quietly at his antics as Cain starts writing, carefully duplicating the text he sees come up in his system display like a holographic projection. Not only is the language incomprehensible and runic, there's a time limit, the display fades with time before the next page appears. 

Cain is keeping up though, barely, and he's sweating heavily by the time the final page disappears. 

[Attempt Complete. Verify Text?] Y/N

[Attempt successful] 

[Inscription raised to Advanced 3]

[Quest compete: Determining Reward] 

[Please Spin wheel]

This is Cain's lucky method, the random generator. It hasn't failed him yet. 

[Benevolent Leader] Rank C. Allows Guild Master to select one Core Skill that all members of the Guild may use as if it were their own. 

The notification also appears on the glass above the book, making the Librarian Gasp.

"You bloody did it. Only the third one in a century. Shame it's only a Rank C skill though."

"Yes, that is a shame, but I'm certain I can find a Core Skill that everyone would appreciate, though I'm not sure which skill that might be." Cain smiles, thinking of his utterly broken skill tree. 

He selects the skill to see what he can select and his skill tree appears with most of the skills greyed out. Including [Advisor] which would have been his first choice. Everyone getting a Laura or Vala with retinue? Oh yes. He's not sure his sanity could survive them creating 30 possessive and cuddly copies of Nemu though. Summon Supporter is also out, that's a shame. Wait, [Personal Guard] that calls 2 epic Golems, and [Lesser Demon Army] that would triple the demons called by the Guild Skill [Demon Army] are both valid options? 

Maybe the system secretly hates everyone and wants the Darklight Host to destroy the world? Because both options are disgustingly good. 54 lesser Golems for an all Guild Party, or 2 Epic Golems per member. En Mass that's a lot of dungeon bosses. They wouldn't get all the bonuses his summons get, and they'd be epic not legendary, but still, disgusting. 

[Personal Guard] selected. 72 hours before skill can be changed. 

This has made Guild chat go insane. Everyone just got the notification that they can use [Personal Guard] which has a 1 minute cool down and costs 150 mana. Not all the members have that much, but everyone who is a decently high level does. Even in the level 30 range most of them do. 

[Guild Master is this a joke? We can Summon your Epic Golems?] One of the new members in Graska, a young Earth Mage, asks. 

[Not a joke, I just finished a Guild Quest and got that Rank C skill, [Benevolent Leader] , letting me share one single skill with everyone. That just happened to be an option.]

[OMF, we're in the Naga dungeon right now, and there's six epic Ice Dragons. We just picked the last used from the list.] Lickity adds. Cain isn't sure who she's with, but that run just got very easy. 

[I think you just broke the Guild System. I swear I heard it crying just now.] Cixelcid jokes. 

Misha comes running over, followed by a pair of small girls in blue Robes with glowing eyes. Their hair crackles with blue energy, the color of Misha's flames and they're both holding an open book. 

"Look, I got my own disciples." She giggles. Now Cain recognizes them, mysterious disciples, an Epic Quality caster from that accursed psychedelic dungeon. If you look closely, only the face is human, their hands have three fingers and are leathery like a reptile with thumbs and they've got whip like tails. The books are part of them, when they attack it bursts into flames and lashes out at the enemy.

Paired with the Dark Acolyte and outside the dungeon, they look pretty normal though, like fire haired church attendants. They just need incense censers. 

The Earl comes running in, looking at the book table, still showing the skill generated, then the disciples. 

"Of all things, it let you share a Summoning skill with your entire Guild?" He sighs. 

"Do you think it'll change their scores?" Red asks, coming over to look at the screen. 

"It won't, it's a Guild Skill, not personal. But we'll need to make a note in the logs about Darklight Host members all being secretly overpowered. At least the Summon it allows doesn't look too powerful." Arial, the black dragon tells him. 

Cain decides not to tell him, but Misha almost does before Danni silences her while his clone moves to hide her from sight.

"You've got a point, they're almost cute. But I suspect that spell could call something very dangerous. We don't have a skill detection net like some places, but combat type skills aren't allowed to be used in town, please put the cute little Demon away." RhickJaymz says, giving Misha a dirty look. 

"Sorry, I got excited." She mumbles through Danni's hand and blushes, making the Dragons laugh. She dismisses the little Demons and all the Companions start coming over. 

"We can't take you anywhere can we? Always doing strange things." Vala laughs. 

"Next time can it be puppets? Everyone would make a whole load of puppets and we could create our own town." Nemu suggests, thinking of an entire city full of little Felian Nemu puppets. 

At the multiple user's level worth of puppets they could create a thousand or more of them in total. Low level, but they'd have an entire, silent, Puppet town. Maybe for Halloween, if this world celebrated it. 

"You're called a Puppet Master, but you don't actually use Puppets like we expected. Is there something wrong with them?" Arial asks. 

"Not particularly, but the Lord Path doesn't give the skill much of a benefit. I think the skills to make them more than automatons must be in the other side of the skill tree. Mine are level 10 and don't even understand complex tasks." Cain shrugs. 

"They clean the house well though. They did well at clearing rubble too, once everyone understood how to give them directions." Laura adds. 

"Maybe I can program them like a video game npc? Limited interaction abilities and preset responses? Mine still aren't really at that level, but with a few upgrades or if they didn't need to speak they could be." Cain suggests. 

"That could work. If you're planning to run a shop or something you could set them up and watch them try. But I don't really know how they work either." Earl RhickJaymz says noncommittally. 

"Puppets are nice and all, but where do I get these skills copied? They'll make my Turtles a force to be reckoned with." Kone says, holding a pair of books in her hands. 

[Bestial Might] Beast Master Exclusive. Increases Quality of Beastkin type [Golems] by one Rank. 

[Abundant Companions] Beast Master Exclusive. Doubles number of [Bestial Companions] from 4 to 8.

"We had such a thing here? They're both S Rank Exclusive Skills, so they'll be very expensive to actually create, but the Scribes are just in the next room there." The Earl points up the stairs towards a pair of double doors between the Summoner and Exotic type class skill books. 

Kone runs off happily, willing to pay any price needed to get these skills. Cain and Misha follow after her while the others chat down on the main floor. The young Spirit Folk Beast Lord is arguing with the Scribes when they arrive, who are unwilling to believe she isn't wasting their time. 

"Listen girl, the claw of an ancient Legendary Dragon costs a hundred thousand Gold and you need two per book to make the ink for those books." The Scribe says as they come in. 

"How old is ancient?" Cain asks as he enters. 

"Over two thousand should do for the recipe. But we don't have any." A nearby scribe shrugs. 

[Danni, we need 4 claws. Maybe clip your nails or something?] Cain sends a thought to his dragon. 

[They'll disappear when you unsummon me you know.]

[That's fine, she's going to use the book right away and it'll disappear anyhow.]

Danni comes in a moment later with four very large claws.. "We have the materials. Can you do it now?"