The obnoxious woman Alex had noticed earlier, known for leveraging her high CHA to get financial support from men, comments with a sly tone, “Women only do that if there’s something in it for them. He must be a seriously powerful player to make someone like her his follower.”
Finally reaching the Skill Hub, Alex asks, “Got enough FC to upgrade everything?”
Tereza nods, “I should be fine. I have plenty of stuff to sell if I need more.”
Alex, doing a quick mental calculation, realizes that with his recent attribute boosts, he can now not only learn and upgrade all of his Basic and Innate skills but also his Gold-Rank skill, which requires multiple stats at 11. “Every single point in Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship increases my accuracy, speed, and damage with swords by a full 10%. That’s just insane,” he says, barely able to contain his excitement.
Entering an upgrade cabin with Tereza, Alex notices a small crowd gathering outside, curiosity in their eyes as they watch the pair.
After two hours, Alex emerges and checks his new status, a grin spreading across his face.
Alex Kerber:Lvl 3
HP: 187/187, MP: 167/167
STR: 11 (+1), AGI: 11 (+1), PHY: 11, SNS: 11 (+1), CHA: 11 (+5), MNA: 11, INT: 11 SPR: 11 (+5), LUK: 11
Available Stat Points: 0
Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 3, Statistical OCD lvl MAX
Free Skill Slots: 0/3, Free Basic Skill Slots: 0/8
Basic skills: Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 3, Basic Footwork lvl 3, Basic Endurance lvl 3, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 3, Basic Eloquence lvl 3, Basic Concentration lvl 3, Basic Meditation lvl 3, Basic Mana Control lvl 3
Passive Skills: Pistol Proficiency lvl 3, Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 3
Active Skills: Annihilation Grenade lvl 3, Sealions Icewing Embrace lvl 3, Black Magic (Fire-Blizzard-Thunder-Series) lvl 3, ??? lvl 3
Fantasy Coins: 48,200 Soul Crystals: Small x8
Current Weapons: Mr. 5’s Revolver (Deep Blue), Sword of Pluto (Deep Blue)
Current Equipment: Commander Shepard’s Dog Tag (Deep Blue), Sealion’s Might (Deep Blue), Shield of Pluto (Deep Blue), Armor of Pluto (Blue), Visor of Pluto (Blue), Cuisses of Pluto (Blue), Gauntlets of Pluto (Blue), Sabatons of Pluto (Blue)
Miscellaneous Items: Navalia Wolf Jerky x3 (Gray), Healing Potion x5 (White),Gotcha Pork Roast (Light Green), Miso Ramen with Extra Pork (Green), Antidote (White), Jack’s Spare Silvery Mask (Light Green), Plant Essence x3 (Green), Frost Essence (Green), Solid Marine Saber (Light Green)
Special Items: Pluto’s Ceremonial Blessing (Deep Purple), Baroque Works Invitation (Purple), Player Contract (Tereza Řezník), Destiny Supporter Token (Purple)
Alex quickly calculates his FC spending, grinning at the investments he's made. “Pistol Proficiency and Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship were 5,500 FC together. Eight upgrades for my Basic skills at 1,250 FC each drained another 10,000 FC. Genius Conjurer with Annihilation Grenade and Sealions Icewing Embrace cost me 7,500 FC, and leveling my new Black Magic skill took a whopping 14,000 FC. Altogether, that’s 37,000 FC gone in the blink of an eye!” He’s also used two Soul Crystals for his innate and Gold-Rank sword skill upgrades.
“Totally worth it," he says, marveling at the results, especially the impact of his Basic Endurance and Basic Mana Control skills. Basic Endurance has ramped up his HP, while Basic Mana Control, has boosted his MP and overall mana regeneration significantly. "Definitely my favorite basic skills," he says with a wide grin.
As Alex leaves the chamber, he catches curious glances from onlookers.
"How long was he in there?” a player murmurs. “Did he fall asleep or something?”
“No, look! He’s glowing; he’s probably done some serious upgrades!”
Just as Alex reaches Tereza, he’s suddenly overcome by a strange sensation, like someone calling him. Following the feeling, he finds himself racing toward the central square. There, near the portal, a radiant light appears, and his heart pounds as a figure emerges from the glow—a spectral vision of Adelbert Steiner, looking older, wielding the legendary Excalibur II, and accompanied by his wife, General Beatrix with the mighty Save the Queen.
"Captain Steiner!" Alex calls out, confused and thrilled.
Steiner regards him with a proud, dignified expression as his form begins to fade. “I don’t have much time, my student,” Steiner says. “This place isn’t for me to remain. I’ve reached my peak, my absolute limits. After Master Vivi’s passing, my Magic Sword ability died, and I never felt right connecting with another black mage. But you, you’ve taken the right path, one I couldn’t. I’m proud of you—surpass me! Show me the power of a true Magic Sword. Goodbye, my student.”
With those parting words, Steiner and Beatrix vanish, smiling at Alex.
A notification appears before Alex:
[Your Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship has evolved. The subskill “Sword Magic” has been added.]
Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 3:
Requirements: 5 STR, 5 SNS, 5 PHY, 5 SPR, 5 AGI + 2 per level, Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 0, Basic Footwork lvl 0, Basic Endurance lvl 0, Basic Meditation lvl 0, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 0 +1 per level
Leveling Requirements: 1 Soul Crystal, 1000 Fantasy Coins + 500 per level
Effects: +20% accuracy, speed and damage with swords, shields, knight swords and 2 handed swords, with an additional 10% increase per level.
Effects: +5% parry chance with swords and +10% block chance, sturdiness and defense with shields, with an additional 1% per level.
Note: The skill applies to all swords, though effects reduce by up to 50% for subtypes like sabers, katanas, and machetes. Additionally, effectiveness decreases by 50% when wielding two swords simultaneously.
Subskill: Sword Magic lvl 3 (Level scales automatically with Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship)
Effect: Allows the user to imbue black magic into their sword, unleashing a mighty elemental strike on their enemy. This skill combines the full damage of a black magic spell and a powerful sword strike, enhancing both.
Effects: Spell Damage & Physical Damage increase by 20% + 5% per level
Effects: Spell Effects (like burn, freeze or stun) and Sword Effects (like bleeding) are 20% + 5% per level more effective and more likely to occur.
Note: True Sword Magic is cast by you alone, channeling both devastating spell and physical force into a single obliterating assault.
As soon as Alex receives the notification, the ethereal images of Steiner and Beatrix fade away, leaving him with a deep sense of awe. Some other players, clearly noticing the phenomenon in the sky, now look at Alex with a mix of awe and confusion.
“I’ve done it now… I already had attention on me, but now I’m outright famous,” he thinks, half-amused, half-exasperated.
He checks his status once more, his gaze lingering on the new Sword Magic lvl 3 skill. “Who cares about a little attention? Captain Steiner… thank you for this final gift. I’ll make sure to honor it.”
He strides confidently back toward Tereza, who, wide-eyed, ran after him and witnessed the strange event. She looks up at him, clearly intrigued and impressed.