I logged back in. After bringing the two people to the laboratory yesterday, we registered as friends, and it was already late, so we disbanded the party.
Today happened to be Friday, and although I was a bit late logging in due to overtime, I was relieved to know that I didn’t have to work on the weekends this week. With that in mind, I made up my mind to play the game until dawn.
“Good evening,” I said.
“Oh, good evening! Or should I say good afternoon? It’s still early evening here,” Iris said.
“Hahaha, I wonder which one is more appropriate?”
As I logged in, I noticed Iris diligently mining the laboratory walls with her pickaxe. Not only that, but she skillfully utilized her numerous tentacles to perform various tasks simultaneously. She processed hides, crushed herbs, spun thread, and crafted wolf fangs with ease.
I see; she could indeed perform various tasks simultaneously. But still, I couldn’t imagine managing so many different tasks at once! It would be impossible for me!
“Is production going well?”
“Yes! Let me tell you! My skills and job levels have increased significantly! With this, I can finally show my gratitude!”
Iris’s tentacles quivered with delight. Perhaps the goddess who recommended her the Lesser Roper race had long foreseen this. Being able to multitask so many manual tasks outweighed any superficial appearance drawbacks.
“The quality… is ‘superior’?”
Not only that, but the leather she tanned, the healing potions she made from herbs, the spun thread, and even the intricate crafts using wolf fangs—all of them were of ‘superior’ quality.
This was truly astonishing. Quality ranged from “god” to ‘scrap,’ and ‘god’ was a level reserved only for items crafted by the gods themselves. Like drops from challenging quests, for example.
In other words, Iris had managed to create all her crafted items at the highest quality achievable by a player. Moreover, her job was ‘Apprentice Craftsman’ While it provided bonuses to all production-related skills, the AI assistance corrector values for each skill were lower compared to specialized job classes like ‘Blacksmith’ or ‘Tailor.’ I had glimpsed on the bulletin board that production-related skills were closely tied to real-life dexterity; the lower the correctors, the more it reflected one’s actual craftsmanship. So, in essence…
“So, you’re also a real-life cheat player,” I muttered.
“Hmm?” Iris tilted one of her tentacles, looking puzzled. Well, tentacles are surprisingly expressive, it seems.
Two out of the three of us turned out to be real-life cheats? As the one who invited them, I felt a bit melancholic being the only ordinary one.
“Speaking of which, what about Jigoro?”
“If it’s Jigoro, I think he’s out hunting.”
“I see.”
Hmm, then what should I do? In-game time was late afternoon. It might be too early to go hunting outside. In that case, maybe I should focus on some alchemy.
No, before that, I should evolve my race! Since I can change jobs too, it would be better to do it beforehand.
Hmm? Can’t I change job first? In that case, let’s start with race evolution. Now, what are the possible evolutions?
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Skeleton Mage:
This subspecies primarily utilizes magic and represents an advanced version of a skeleton.
Evil Skeleton Mage:
A subspecies of the Skeleton Mage capable of employing a variety of Abyss-type magic. Exhibits greater strength compared to the standard Skeleton Mage.
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So, it turned out there was an evolution option called Evil Skeleton Mage, huh? Judging from the description, it seemed to be related to my ability to use the [Necromancy] and [Curse] skills. I see, it appeared that the available evolutions could be influenced by the skills I possessed.
Wait a minute? What if I acquired the [Spirit Channeling] skill that I had put off until now? It’s likely another??-type magic. In that case, I should use up my surplus SP. Who knows? I might discover another evolutionary path!
Alright then, should I acquire it… Wait, huh? The required SP has decreased to 80. Ah, this must be thanks to [Yifa’s Blessing] unique skill. It stated that the necessary SP for skill acquisition would decrease. How fortunate. Let’s acquire it right away!
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You have acquired the [Spirit Channeling] skill.
Newly learned “Summon Undead” spell.
You have acquired the [Witchcraft ] skill through your past actions and experiences.
Newly learned “hallucination” and “Instant Death” spell attacks.
The title “Heretic” has transformed into “Connoisseur of the Abyss”
――――――――――
Wait, wait, hold on! Things were getting confusing here. How did acquiring the [Spirit Channeling] skill lead to all of this? I need to confirm!
First and foremost, my original intention was to acquire the [Spirit Channeling] skill, but it seems to be a technique for summoning Spirits to fight. Wasn’t it similar to [Necromancy]? However, it appeared to be a method of calling upon residents of the afterlife as temporary allies.
Initially, it seemed to be limited to the undead, but as you level up, you can apparently summon renowned heroes who have made a name for themselves on the battlefield, as well as maddened and raging gods.
This could become a trump card. I’ll train diligently to master it.
Now, that’s where the problem arose. Let’s start with [Witchcraft]. It seemed to be a form of mental attack and instant death magic. Yes, instant death. At the current time, the success rate was extremely low, but as my level increased, it would become possible to defeat enemies without giving them a chance to counteract. It had quite a villainous appeal to it, right?
The acquisition conditions for [Witchcraft] were uncertain, but with this skill, I had managed to collect all the Abyss-type magic. How did I know that? It was clearly stated in the description of my new upgraded title, “Connoisseur of the Abyss”.
―――――――――
“Connoisseur of the Abyss”
The testament of one who can wield all the arts deemed as evil.
Even as people fear you far and wide, will you still venture into the depths?
The effects of Abyss-type magic slightly increase.
Requirement: Obtain all Abyss-type magic.
―――――――――
Right? It’s written there, isn’t it? In fact, everything that was previously labeled as “??-type” has been replaced with “Abyss-type” It’s a bit silly not knowing the name of the lineage until you acquire all the skills.
Anyway, if one were to pursue mastery of Abyss-type magic, it would be quite challenging unless they were initially granted a research facility like me.
Now, if someone were to ask whether I would share the information as a pioneer, the answer would be a definite no. What’s the point of willingly exposing my trump cards?
Besides, my approach was to defeat them before they could even respond with unfamiliar techniques. That’s how I operated. Sounds villainous, doesn’t it?
Although it has been quite a detour, I wonder if the options for race evolution have increased.
――――――――――
Skeleton Mage:
This subspecies primarily utilizes magic and represents an advanced version of a skeleton.
Evil Skeleton Mage:
A subspecies of the Skeleton Mage capable of employing a variety of Abyss-type magic. Exhibits greater strength compared to the standard Skeleton Mage.
Abyss Skeleton Mage:
A subspecies of the Skeleton Mage that can utilize all Abyss-type magic. Exhibits far greater strength compared to the standard Skeleton Mage.
――――――――――
Alright! They’ve increased! Just as I expected! It was a wise choice to acquire [Spirit Channeling] beforehand. The description was blatantly urging me to choose that one. Now, let’s evolve!
――――――――――
Abyss Skeleton Mage has been selected.
Initiating evolution into Abyss Skeleton Mage.
Through the process of evolution, you have acquired the [Undying Wisdom] skill.
Through the process of evolution, you have acquired the [Abyss dweller] skill.
Through the process of evolution, you have acquired the [Abyssal Aura] skill.
As a result of evolution, the Staff of Hourai, Skull Mask, and Moon’s Feather Robe have all grown by one level.
――――――――――
The moment I touched the evolution option floating in the virtual window, my body was engulfed in a pitch-black aura. Oh, what a delightfully melodramatic presentation that tickles my inner chuunibyou.
Iris seemed surprised by the sudden change happening before her as she continued looking at me with curiosity. Perhaps I should have mentioned that I was about to evolve. My bad.
“Power surges within… So this is evolution.”
Incredible. Even though it was a virtual body, I could sense a power that surpassed anything I had experienced before. Truly, my status as a monster had been significantly elevated. Currently, I felt confident that I could easily defeat Ratman in a one-on-one battle.
And then, there were the three skills I had gained through evolution. They were all quite useful. [Undying Wisdom] had increased both my offensive and defensive magical capabilities, providing a boost to the potency of [Black Magic]. It was likely a common skill shared among the skeleton mage species.
The remaining two skills seemed to be related to my newfound status as a member of the “Abyss” race. [Abyss dweller] enhanced the power of abyssal magic and granted me some resistance to the light element, although it didn’t seem to alleviate my weakness to the said element.
If I were to be hit by a light element attack, it seems that the [Abyss dweller] skill would first reduce the base damage, and then the [Light Weakness] would increase the damage. In other words, it would still be a while before I acquired the [Light Magic] skill. It’s not going to be that convenient. But I’m satisfied with my current skills, so no complaints there.
The other skill, [Abyssal Aura], apparently envelops me with an aura that causes various status ailments to those within a radius of one meter multiplied by my skill level. It includes effects such as poison, paralysis, sleep, confusion, silence, charm, fainting, fear, hallucination, and instant death. It seems that I can inflict numerous status ailments through abyssal magic.
At first, I thought this was overpowered, but that’s not the case. It’s because the activation probability for each effect is uniformly set at 2%. By the time I reach the maximum level, it’s likely that opponents will have developed resistance to these ailments. It’s best to think of them as mere talismans.
And then there’s the growth of equipment. It was mentioned as “evolution-related,” so the condition for growth must be evolution. The next growth will have to wait for the next evolution. This is how the growth looks this time.
The other skill, [Abyssal Aura], apparently enveloped me with an aura that caused various status ailments to those within a radius of one meter multiplied by my skill level. It included effects such as poison, paralysis, sleep, confusion, silence, charm, fainting, fear, hallucination, and instant death. It seemed that I could inflict numerous status ailments through abyssal magic.
At first, I had thought this was an overpowered skill, but that wasn’t the case. It was because the activation probability for each effect was uniformly set at 2%. By the time I reached the maximum level, it was likely that my opponents would have already developed some resistance to these ailments. It was best to think of them as mere talismans.
And then there was the growth of my equipment. It had been mentioned as “a result of evolution” so the condition for their growth must have been evolution. The next growth would have to wait for the next evolution. This is how the growth looked this time.
――――――――――
- Staff of Hourai – Quality: God, Rarity: G (God Class)
A staff crafted from the divine tree of Mount Hourai. Indestructible. Ownership is fixed.
Its true power will surely be unleashed alongside the growth of its owner.
Initial Effects: [Magic Attack Enhancement] Lv2, [Magic Power Amplification] Lv2, [Magic Stone Emission]
- Moon’s Feather Robe – Quality: God, Rarity: G (God Class)
A robe worn by the gods and their attendants residing on the moon. Indestructible. Ownership is fixed.
Its true power will surely be unleashed alongside the growth of its owner.
Initial Effects: [Color and Shape Manipulation], [Magic Resistance] Lv2, [Flight] Lv2
- Skull Mask – Quality: God, Rarity: G (God Class)
A mask that amplifies the power of death. Indestructible. Ownership is fixed.
Its true power will surely be unleashed alongside the growth of its owner.
Initial Effects: [Necromancy Enhancement] Lv2, [Curse Enhancement] Lv2; [Disguise] Lv2
――――――――――
The equipment’s initial efficts seemed to have purely increased in level after evolution, and that was certainly satisfying. However, the new skills were also remarkable.
The function of [Magic Stone Emission] allowed me to solidify my excess magic power into magic stones. With this, I never had to worry about running out of magic stones.
[Flight] was a skill inherent to winged races, but with the “Moon’s Feather Robe” I could simply wear it and soar through the air. It was a significant advantage, especially since I had struggled with mobility. Now, I could escape to the skies if the need arose.
[Disguise] allowed me to alter the results of other people’s [Appraisal] when they assessed me. What was particularly helpful was that seeing through my [Disguise] required a specialized skill called [Perception], separate from [Appraisal]. Not many players had invested in that skill, given its hefty requirement of 15 skill points.
Now, let me explain the markers displayed above the characters’ heads, indicating their respective statuses. Regular players had blue markers, residents (NPCs) had green markers, criminals had orange markers, murderers had red markers, beasts had yellow markers, and monsters had black markers.
[Disguise] allows me to manipulate not only the markers but also my race and profession. In other words, it was a skill that allowed me to deceive others about my true identity. Naturally, those who possess the [Perception] skill would be the ones responsible for maintaining law and order in most settlements.
Still, despite the need to hide from the authorities, I knew I could still infiltrate the city at any given moment. As long as I maintained a low profile, I could carry out my activities without drawing attention. This newfound skill opened up a whole range of possibilities for me.
Also, my new skills have reached level 2 as well. I wonder if when my equipment grows and gains new abilities, they will also be at level 3.
“Is this considered evolution, Isam?” Iris asked.
“Yes, that’s right. Sorry to surprise you.”
“Oh no, not at all! Besides, it looks really cool! You appear completely black, and you even possess a third eye on your forehead! It’s as if… well, as if you were a final boss!” she exclaimed.
“Black? Third eye?”
I was intrigued by her description and glanced down at my own arm. To my surprise, I noticed that my bones shone with a glossy black hue, resembling obsidian. Moreover, as I looked into the gemstone on my staff, I observed an empty socket on my forehead where a third eye would typically be.
I hurriedly retrieved the skull mask that I had stashed in my inventory, and to my surprise, it also had a pre-made hole in the forehead for the third eye. It seemed like it was tailored specifically for me.
Moreover, the tips of my finger bones had sharpened to a point, and my skull had developed jagged edges here and there, exuding an ominous aura. If a regular player were to stumble upon me, they would undoubtedly attack without hesitation. It may sound strange coming from me, but I was truly terrifying. Iris, however, with her eyes gleaming, found it impressive. It just goes to show that she made the right choice by picking that otherworldly looking creature as her race.
“What kind of race or species did you become?” she asked.
“An Abyss Skeleton Mage,” I replied.
“Hee~~!” she exclaimed.
Iris paused her activities and stared at me intently. I didn’t mind her looking, but she needed to refrain from extending her tentacles and getting all excited by waving them around me.
I was not some female knight from an adult-oriented light novel catering to people with peculiar tastes! I was a male skeleton! Who on earth would demand to see that kind of thing!?
“Evolution, huh… I also want to evolve, but it seems that as a monster, my race level doesn’t increase unless I engage in battles. Although my job level keeps rising steadily. I must admit, I’m not good at fighting…”
“Is that so? I thought it was quite impressive how you managed to catch that thief who sneaked up behind me yesterday.”
“That was thanks to my skill [Capture]. It’s something I obtained automatically when I chose my race.”
[Capture]… I never knew such a skill existed. Wait a minute, now that I think about it, while I don’t need to eat as an undead creature, most other races require regular meals… What has she been eating… No, I shouldn’t dwell on that. I need to avoid thinking about it.
“If your race has evolved, does that mean it’s time for a job change?”
“That’s right. I’ll give it a try.”
Now, it’s time for a job change. I wonder what options are available. Huh? There’s ‘Apprentice Warrior’ and ‘Apprentice Alchemist.’ Let’s start by selecting something related to magic that I haven’t seen before.
――――――――――
Mage
A full-fledged mage who has graduated from being an apprentice. Provides slight bonuses to the effects and growth of all magic.
Fire Mage
A full-fledged mage who prefers to wield flame magic. Provides bonuses to the effects and growth of fire magic.
Dark Mage
A full-fledged mage who favors the use of dark magic. Provides bonuses to the effects and growth of dark magic.
Non-Elemental Mage
A full-fledged mage who prefers to utilize Non-Elemental magic. Provides bonuses to the effects and growth of Non-Elemental magic.
Summoner
A full-fledged mage who excels in the art of summoning. Provides bonuses to the skills of summoned creatures.
Apprentice Heretic Mage
A mage who has delved into the realm of forbidden magic. Provides slight bonuses to abyssal magic.
Apprentice Abyss Mage
A mage dedicated to mastering witchcraft. Provides bonuses to abyssal magic.
――――――――――
Hmm, I see. It seems that the skills possessed had a significant influence on the available options. Hence, there was only one choice I should make.
――――――――――
The selection has been made: ‘Apprentice Abyss Mage.’
The title ‘Connoisseur of the Abyss’ has changed to ‘Explorer of the Abyss.’
――――――――――
Of course, I’ve chosen to become an ‘Apprentice Abyss Mage.’ It’s only natural, isn’t it? And the title has changed again. ‘Connoisseur’ has transformed into ‘Explorer’. The effects were as follows:
――――――――――
“Explorer of the Abyss”
The testament of one who seeks to master the arts deemed as evil.
As you journey into the depths, you will be both feared by people and respected by creatures of darkness.
The effects of abyssal magic increase.
Requirements: Changing jobs to an abyss mage-type job
――――――――――
The effects were akin to a pure enhancement, and the experience was truly remarkable. In a sense, there was no turning back for me. I was determined to fully embrace the path of a specialized abyss mage and push forward.
“I’ve changed jobs to become an ‘Apprentice Abyss Mage’,” I announced.
“Huh? Abyss? What’s that?” Iris seemed puzzled.
“Ah, well… um?”
Suddenly, a system notification chime resonated in my mind, a sound that Iris seemed to recognize as well. It appeared that we both received the same message.
“A friend message from Mr. Jigoro?” Iris asked.
Just as I contemplating how to explain the concept of being an abyss mage to Iris, a friend message from Jigoro arrived, directed to both me and Iris. When I read its contents, a wide grin couldn’t help but appear on my face.
――――――――――
From: Jigoro
To: Isam, Iris
I’m currently on the south side of the Western Forest and encountered a bizarre duo of a giant larvae and a slime. They seem like players who chose monster races. I’m requesting backup.
――――――――――
Shouldn’t we….recruit them?
TN: Iris’ race is a lesser roper, to better understand what a roper is, search it; you’ll find many images depicting its appearance….well it’s basically an ugly looking monster that has a lot of tentacles/ tendrils. Tendrils are more accurate than tentacles for this monster so I may use this term sometime.
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Name: Isam
Race: Skeleton Lv10 max!
→ Abyss Skeleton Mage Lv10 new!
Job: Apprentice Mage Lv10 max!
→ Apprentice Abyss Mage Lv0 new!
Titles:
- Knowledge Seeker
- Title Earner
- Heretic → Connoisseur of the Abyss → Explorer of the Abyss. change!
- Underdog
- Mastermind Strategist
- Trial Survivor
Remaining SP: 58
Skills:
- [Staff Mastery] Lv13
- [Magic Control] Lv15
- [Earth Magic] Lv9
- [Water Magic] Lv9
- [Flame Magic] Lv0
- [Wind Magic] Lv9
- [Black Magic] Lv2
- [Void Magic] Lv1
- [Summoning Magic] Lv10
- [Enchantment] Lv7
- [Magic Circle] Lv9
- [Necromancy] Lv7
- [Curse] Lv5
- [Trap Magic] Lv7
- [Spirit Channeling] Lv0 new!
- [Witchcraft] Lv0 new!
- [Archeology] Lv7
- [Linguistics] Lv6
- [Alchemy] Lv7
- [Appraisal] Lv10
- [Night Vision] Lv-
- [Stealth] Lv10 max!
- [Sneak] Lv9
- [Ambush] Lv7
- [Status Resistance] Lv-
- [Light Weakness] Lv6
- [Blunt Attack Weakness] Lv10
- [Undying Wisdom] Lv1 new!
- [Abyss Dweller] Lv1 new!
- [Abyssal Aura] Lv1 new!
Unique Skill:
- [Yifa’s Blessing]
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