CH 34

Chapter 34: Skill Unification

When Yuto and Eliz returned to the surface, the Temple torches were being put out.

From the entrance of the Temple, the sun was just about to rise and white light began to pour over the horizon.

It looks like they accidentally spent the entire night inside the Dungeon.

Yuto: (Yeah, that took way longer than I wanted it to….)

Yuto tries to loosen the tightened muscles in his shoulders by rotating it in circles.

The reason why it took this long was because he spent extra time clearing additional quests as they moved through each floor.

If this was just about defeating a certain number of monsters, this would not have taken as long.

And Eliz had to make sure to take frequent breaks, and longer breaks were required to keep her from passing out inside the Dungeon.

Eliz does not participate in fights, but just being inside an environment like a Dungeon at all will wear you out.

When inside a Dungeon, you have to constantly be wary of attacks from monsters.

Yuto is a swordsman, so even if they were to sneak up on him, he would be able to take them out fairly quickly.

But Eliz is the rearguard, and she has almost no combat skills because she’s a Healer.

She has to be even more careful and alert at all times to not get jumped.

Her Endurance Skill and Level is low as well, and she does not have on the Bracelet of Endurance like Yuto does.

It’s no surprise then that she’s unable to keep up with Yuto.

Eliz: “Wo～w, the outside...is so bright, ye～s…”

Due to fatigue, Eliz can barely keep her eyes open. Her dried out eyes were tucked behind her eyelids.

Yuto walked slowly matching his pace with Eliz as they moved towards the Guild reception counter.

“Mr. Yuto! Congratulations! From today, you have been promoted to a C-Rank Adventurer!”

Yuto: “YES!!”

Eliz: “Mr. Yuto, congratulations, yes!”

Once they submit the monster stones, Yuto’s promotion was immediately determined.

The reason why the promotion came so quickly was because the contribution of so many monster stones was considered rather high.

Yuto received a new silver plate, and Yuto put it up against the light.

Now with this, Yuto is officially a mid-tier Adventurer.

Unlike before, from C-Rank and on, he will also carry additional responsibilities as an adventurer.

There are 2 main responsibilities.

One is contributing back to Kronos.

During the year, Yuto would have to accumulate a certain number of contribution points that the Guild will keep a record of. Without sufficient points, he will be demoted.

This is why C-Rank Adventurers will take on Guild Requests periodically.

Another responsibility is to respond to emergency Guild requests or obey the commands sent from the Guild.

Outside of Kronos, there are monster habitats, and there are times when monsters will raid the city.

And within Kronos, there are already monsters. They’re inside the Dungeon.

Yes, the Temple is securing all the Dungeon entrances, but as fallible living beings prone to error, there is absolutely no guarantee that monsters will never flood out of the Temple Dungeon entrances either.

If there are any monster attacks from outside or within, they will make an emergency call to all Adventurers.

As a C-Rank Adventurer, you are obligated to answer the call.

To be a C-Rank means that the Guild has determined that you have sufficient skills and strength to be able to help when these two circumstances arise as well.

Being tasked now with such important responsibilities, Yuto felt himself stand a little taller.

After he received the Guild Card, Yuto and Eliz parted ways, and Yuto completed the Daily Quest tasks as he made his way home.

Yuto: “Alright! Alright! How is my status now～?!?!”

With tension and excitement in his voice, Yuto brings out his Skill Board.

<<<<>>>>

Yuto (18)

Level 22 → 26

Skill Point: 1 → 25

<<SKILL>>

Fundamentals

├Physical Strength Lv 4

├Endurance Lv 3

├Magic Lv 2

├Resistance Lv 0 NEW

└Agility Lv 3

Technique

├Swordsmanship Lv 5┬

├Spellcrafting Lv 2

└Presence Detection Lv 2

Spells

[LIGHTNING] Lv 2

Specialty

[Critical Thrust]

[Armor Break]

<<<<>>>>

Yuto: “WHOOOOOAAA!! My Level and Skill Point increased a lot! And I have a new skill too!”

With the dramatic change in his status, Yuto rejoiced.

As he was clearing the Guild Request, Yuto diligently completed his Quests as well.

He completed 10 floors worth [Slay 100 of Each Type of Monster] Quests, [Use Spells 100 Times], and [Head to the 10th Floor of the Base Dungeon].

Once they arrived on the 10th Floor, just like it happened on the 5th Floor, a <CHAIN QUEST> [Defeat the 10 Floor Boss] appeared, and Yuto cleared that as well.

Lastly, he completed [Receive a Spell 100 Times].

In total, Yuto completed 14 Quests.

That is the reason why his status went up so much.

Yuto: “This new skill must be the reward related to [Receive a Spell 100 Times].”

[Resistance] refers to a fundamental skill of being able to resist magic spells.

Knowing the effect of this Skill, Yuto could easily guess what the Quest reward might be in his inventory.

Yuto: “If it’s an item that raises resistance, then maybe I could save some money on my next armor purchase….”

From here on out, if Yuto continues to dive deeper into the Dungeon, then he will inevitably encounter enemies who will use spells.

Like the Dark Rabbit Magicians he met today, spellcasting monsters will regularly start appearing.

Because of that, Yuto will not only need physical defense from his new armor but also magic resistance as well.

But any armor with both those attributes combined would be nothing less than a treasure and an armor of the highest grade.

But if his Skill allowed him to resist magic, then he can focus on getting armor with physical defense.

ーーUltimately, he would save money this way!

Although Yuto is making more than he ever was before, his frugalness is ever so persistent.

If he can save money or hold down costs, he will always opt for that option.

Yuto immediately starts distributing points into [Resistance].

Yuto: “I should also go ahead and raise all my Fundamental Skills….”

Fundamentals are the foundation of all Skills, Combat, and Strength.

The higher your fundamental abilities, the more efficiently you’ll be able to able to use all Skills resting on those fundamentals.

Hence, Yuto did not hesitate to evenly distribute his Fundamental Skills.

<<<<>>>>

>>Skill Point: 25 → 0

>>Endurance Lv 3 → 4

>>Magic Lv 2 → 4

>>Resistance Lv 0 → 4

>>Agility Lv 3 → 4

<<<<>>>>

Endurance, Resistance, and Agility are all requirements for Close-Range combat.

The reason why he increased his [Magic] as well was to increase the number of times he can cast his spell.

At the moment, Yuto can only use [LIGHTNING] 3 times in a row.

If he is able to use this 5 or 6 times in a row, then during his close-range combats, he will be able to start throwing in spells with his attack combinations more easily.

By increasing his Magic, Yuto expanded his combat tactics and options.

Yuto: “Good, good….I won’t have to worry about Fundamentals for a while…….huh?”

After distributing his Skill Points, a pop-up window came up.

[It is possible to combine your Fundamental Skills. Would you like to proceed?]

YES

NO

Yuto: “Combine…….?”

Yuto tilts his head to think.

He has no idea what would happen if he was to combine his Skills.

But if the Skill Board is recommending it, Yuto decided to just go for it and tapped [YES].

[Fundamentals]　　　　　　 [Fundamentals]

├Physical Strength Lv 4 →　└All Skills Enhancement Lv 4

├Endurance Lv 4

├Magic Lv 4

├Resistance Lv 4

└Agility Lv 4

Yuto: “Oh right! The [All Skills Enhancement]!”

Looking at the final result, Yuto hits his thigh in recognition.

Yuto has heard of [All Skills Enhancements] in rumors.

Apparently, it’s a rare skill that appears in only one out of tens of thousands of adventurers.

Because it enhances and increases all Fundamental abilities, it is considered an [Upper-Tier Skill] for that reason.

And Yuto obtained it……..

Yuto: “Whーwh, whーwhat should I do……?!”

At the sudden development, Yuto was thrown into panic and confusion.

Yuto: “........wーwell, let’s just see how many points it takes to level it up….”

The [All Skills Enhancement] is the Upper-Tier Skill of Fundamental Skills.

Yuto wanted to confirm if he could continue improving it with the same amount of points as before.

If it’s an Upper-Tier Skill, Yuto guessed that it would be higher than usual butーー.

>>You lack 20 Skill Points.

Yuto: “...........................”

The point requirement was so high that he immediately hardened into stone.

Yuto: “..................well, yeah…….I guess that would be too good to be true.”

He needs 20 points to raise the [All Skills Enhancement] to Level 5.

There are a total of 5 Skills. If he was to raise each Skill from Level 4 to 5, then he would have needed 5 points each, which in the end would have totaled to 25 points.

By combining all the Skills together, the entire requirement for Leveling Up the Skills was reduced….but only very slightly.

Demanding 20 Skill Points at once was too much for Yuto.

If he did not combine the Skills together, he could have raised specific ones to Level 5.

With significantly less points than what is required now.

Yuto: “If this was the case, was it a mistake to combine…..?”

Yuto sags his shoulder a little.

Yuto: “But at the very end of the day, this might have been the better choice………”

Right now, Yuto could see the cons outweigh the pros of his choice.

But that is only for now.

Even if he cannot feel the benefits, once his Skill Levels reach 6 and 7, than the reduction of Skill Point Requirements are going to continue growing.

After a few years, the difference will arise.

Yuto only has one thing to do now.

To clear as many Quests and collect as much experience and Skill Points as possible.

Yuto: “Alright! Let’s keep clearing these Quests!!”

Yuto quickly recovered and changed his mindset.