Chapter 277: Spoiled for Choice

Chapter 277: Spoiled for Choice

Discussing level progress via writing it down in a journal and passing it around the group was a tedious affair but considering all the levels that everyone had gained from the impossible fight, Jadis was more than willing to be patient. Sharing her growth as well as seeing everyone else’s was worth the wait. Jadis was particularly excited since she was nearing the vaunted CLR sixty threshold and would soon be unlocking her tertiary class. She had no idea what options were going to be made available to her, but whatever they were she was certain they would be powerful. Maybe a little lewd, too, but definitely powerful.

Not that Jadis was lacking in terms of power. As her level twenty-five skill choices demonstrated, she was well on her way to becoming a one-woman army. Or maybe she was a three-woman army? Three-in-one army? Whatever.

The two skills her ritualist class had presented to her at level twenty-five were both excellent. However, there was a clear and obvious winner between the two, even if the other had great value to it.

Lesser Fractional Spread

Passive Skill. Increase all physical attributes by 0.2 of the Eldritch attribute.

Through Frost and Flame

Ritual Spell. Significantly increases your resistance to heat and cold. Resistance is effective against mundane, magical, and environmental damage. After the initial ritual, the spell requires recharging or the effect will end after forty days.Alll latest novels at novelhall.com

“I mean, the second option would absolutely be a good choice under most circumstances,” Kerr commented as she passed the book to Thea. “Just think about how often you get lit on fire or blasted by ice magic. It’s happened, what, half a dozen times in the past two weeks?”

“That’s true,” Dys grumbled as she put her elbow on her knee and rested her chin on her hand. “I am so sick of getting either cooked or frozen. Let me tell you, it feels way, way worse than it sounds.”

“I w—would still take the first option though,” Thea advised after having taken a few moments to think over the skills. “The first p—provides growth to, ah, attributes that would help you in those situations anyways, p—plus more.”

Thea was, of course, correct. Through Frost and Flame would give her a significant boost to her defense against thermal damage, but only thermal damage. It looked like it would be a convenient ritual, too, since it only needed to be recharged once every forty days, the equivalent of an Orosian month, but Lesser Fractional Spread was a passive skill. No ritual needed, and she would still improve her resistance to all kinds of physical damage as well as her other stats besides.

Most of the responses to the choice weren’t verbal. Everyone took turns writing more detailed commentary in the book, explaining various pros and cons as well as asking questions about synergy with already existing skills and rituals. The whole process was starting to give Jadis flashbacks to when she’d browsed various forums online on Earth, reading the discussions people would have about characters in anime or books. It was more than a little odd to think of herself as the center of one of those discussions.

The real crux of the discussion ultimately wasn’t whether or not Jadis was going to take Lesser Fractional Spread. Because she was, no question. No, the question became, should Jadis continue to use her Debauched Duplication ritual on Fractional Spread or switch it to something else?

Ever since she had gained the improved version of her Mirror Body skill, Jadis had used Debauched Duplication to double her Fractional Spread passive, increasing the number of attributes points she gained from it twice over. Now, with this “Lesser” version upgrade, the skill would be able to give her the same number of points naturally, no ritual required. That meant she could potentially use the duplication on one of her other passive skills without any loss to her overall attributes. On the other hand, if she maintained her passive duplication ritual on Fractional Spread, she’d be doubling her attributes again.

By Aila’s math, hastily scribbled into the margins of the journal page, Jadis’ attributes would jump from a fifty-three-point boost to a one-hundred-and-six-point boost. Jadis’ Fortitude, the attribute that offered her resistance to all physical damage including fire and ice, would reach one hundred and twenty-six. Jadis didn’t know the hard numbers on how well that would protect her, but considering how well Thea’s one hundred and fifty-three points of Fortitude protected her, she had no doubt that she would be a walking juggernaut. Well, more of a juggernaut than she already was. And that was just her Fortitude. All of her physical stats would be gaining the same benefit.

“Hey, uh, I know I’m not part of this,” Sorcha spoke up, interrupting Jay’s thoughts as she was rapidly writing down more thoughts on the choice to be made. “But I’m gonna say this anyway. It feels like you lot are getting super wound up on this whole skill choice thing. Maybe you should flip a coin or something? Or maybe set the debate down for the night and come back to it after you’ve had some time to let the tea steep for a while.”

“Jadis is not flipping a coin on this,” Aila immediately said, her expression stern as stone. “Don’t even suggest that. Jadis!”

Syd flinched, having been caught in the act of reaching for one of her belt pouches.

“What? I’m just curious about what chance has to say about it. Doesn’t mean I’ll go by it.”

“No,” was Aila’s uncompromising response.

“Fine, fine,” Syd held up her hands. “Look, leaving everything to chance isn’t a good idea, I agree. But I think Sorcha has a point. Let’s put my skill discussion aside for the moment. I can make a final decision later, after I’ve had a chance to contemplate all of your suggestions. Does someone else want to go next, just so we can talk about choices that maybe aren’t as complicated?”

“I can do that,” Bridget perked up. “I think my options are pretty straightforward, doubt there will be much debate. I’ve already kind of decided what I want, but I’d like to get your opinions first in case I’ve missed something.”

With that, Bridget took the journal and began writing in it, detailing out her newest class skills as well as the overall update to her status sheet. While she wrote, the others took some time to stretch, take some food from the platters their Dryad hosts and provided, and relax.

As Jadis closed her eyes and let all three of her selves lean back and just let her mind wander for a minute, she overheard a whispered conversation between Sabina and Sorcha.

“So, that’s—she’s really just one person? Not three sisters?”

“Yes, that’s true,” Sabina confirmed, her tone quieter than normal though she didn’t seem to be understanding the spirit of why Sorcha was whispering.

“That is... honestly one of the weirdest class skills I’ve ever heard of.”

“Oh, I agree,” Sabina chirped happily. “But then again there are a lot of weird class skills in this group, so it’s hard for me to say which one is the absolute strangest since I guess it’s kind of subjective. Splitting into three separate bodies is extraordinary, but drinking your own semen to regain magical reserves is also super strange too so that might be my pick for weirdest.”

“She does what now?”

Jadis sighed and opened her eyes, already getting ready to cut Sabina off before her half-explanation managed to make things even weirder than they already were.