Chapter 40: Not easy decisions
The silence stretched out longer than Reidar was comfortable with. Hearing that from the vendor wasn’t easy, especially since, according to Keth’moran, humanity might not even pull through, like what happened to the thalassari race.
Reidar studied the vendor’s inky eyes, wondering how many apocalypses he had seen since he started doing this... job.
<I better focus on the goods... Thinking about this will not make any good, after all.>
"Can you help me in selecting something?"
"Sure! Let’s give a look at the goods first!"
Keth’moran’s tentacles rippled. The holographic interface fractured into categories: Armor, Weapons, Materials, Consumables, Skills and many more. Reidar’s gaze locked on one specific tab: Skills.
He opened it and found a long list of items, each with its own purpose.
However, while Reidar liked quite a few, he didn’t exactly want to get those kinds of skills, at least not now.
What Reidar had to do was to take advantage of his trait and of his ’First Killer’ title. Normal skills would come with time, but summoning skills? They were likely not easy to come by and were especially strong in his hands. They were a necessity, especially because Reidar planned to go to Kingsgate, and he was likely not going there with other people. Journey alone was dangerous.
He needed a way to cross land crawling with monsters. Maybe not fight them all, but at least hold his own against a few hundred.
Maybe it was reckless optimism, or simply arrogance, but he felt that, with his trait and summons, it was possible.
Wiping out Rift-Sprites by the dozen might’ve gone to his head, but he had to try. The alternative was never reaching his family unless he dragged others along, which he was sure they would be unwilling to do for the sake of a stranger. It wasn’t an option. Who’d risk that journey? Between the monsters and no personal ties to Kingsgate, he’d be begging empty air for traveling companions.
"Summoning skills. Do you have any?"
The vendor got serious. "How do you know about them?"
"Well... It’s not weird for those from Earth to assume they exist, but... I actually got proof of it since I have one."
That left Keth’moran surprised. "It must have been because of a title you got."
"Indeed, it was," Reidar said. Keth’moran’s expression then changed.
"What you need to understand about summoning skills is that they are rare and mana-intensive. They are of two types. The first creates constructs, and the second summons willing creatures." A pause. "They also require a significant investment in terms of survival points."
"Show me."
"As you want."
—[«SHOP»]—
—[«SKILLS»]—
Tier 1
« Summon Minor Spirits »—Tier 1 Conjures incorporeal wisps of pure mana perfect for basic scouting or creating minor distractions.
Price: 2,000 SP Requirements: Level 1
Summon Details Summons: 5 x Wisp of Pure Mana (Caster Level -6) Spell Type: Sustained Summon Mana Cost: 2 per minute per wisp (Upkeep) Duration: Until Mana Depletes or skill is cancelled Cooldown: 1 minute
Creature Abilities
None.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
Tier 2
« Summon Bone Militia »—Tier 2 Raises a squad of skeletal warriors to act as a durable, if disposable, frontline.
Price: 4,200 SP Requirements: Level 10
Summon Details Summons: 10 x Skeletal Warrior (Caster Level -4) Spell Type: Batch Summon Mana Cost: 260 (Fixed) Duration: 10 minutes Cooldown: 1.5 minutes
Creature Abilities
Vulnerable (Bludgeoning): Skeletons are vulnerable to bludgeoning damage.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
« Summon Guardian Shade »—Tier 2 Summons a single, non-offensive shadowy construct that passively siphons ambient mana for the caster.
Price: 4,200 SP Requirements: Level 10
Summon Details Summons: 1 x Guardian Shade (Caster Level -4) Spell Type: Sustained Summon Mana Cost: 210 (Fixed) Duration: 40 minutes Cooldown: 1.5 minutes
Creature Abilities
Mana Siphon: The shade absorbs a small amount of ambient mana and transfers it to the caster.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
Tier 3
« Summon Mana Wisps »—Tier 3 Conjures a swarm of floating orbs of pure energy, each capable of a single, potent ranged attack.
Price: 8,820 SP Requirements: Level 20
Summon Details Summons: 15 x Orb of Pure Energy (Caster Level -8) Spell Type: Sustained Summon Mana Cost: 5 per minute per orb (Upkeep) Duration: Until Mana Depletes or skill is cancelled Cooldown: 2.25 minutes
Creature Abilities
Mana Burst: Each wisp can perform one ranged energy attack before dissipating.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
« Summon Primal Pack »—Tier 3 — Summons a pack of customizable bestial constructs ideal for aggressive melee combat.
Price: 8,820 SP Requirements: Level 20
Summon Details Summons: 3 x Bestial Construct (Caster Level -2) Spell Type: Batch Summon Mana Cost: 345 (Fixed) Duration: 1 hour Cooldown: 5 minutes
Creature Abilities
Savage Strikes: All summoned beasts possess this ability, increasing their melee damage.
Customizable Form: The Caster can choose between wolf, panther, or bear forms upon casting.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
Tier 4
« Summon Spectral Knights » — Tier: 4
Description: Conjures ten powerful, well-equipped spectral warriors to serve as elite combatants.
Price: 37,378 SP
Requirements: Level 40
Summon Details:
Summons: 10 x Humanoid Warrior (Caster Level)
Spell Type: Batch Summon
Mana Cost: 655 (Fixed)
Duration: ~30 minutes
Cooldown: ~3.4 minutes
Creature Abilities:
Intermediate Combat Proficiency: Knights possess a general aptitude for combat tactics and maneuvering.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
Tier 5
« Summon Elemental Quartet »—Tier 5 A powerful evocation that summons four elemental guardians simultaneously, capable of synergistic attacks.
Price: 38,896 SP Requirements: Level 40
Summon Details Summons: 4 x Elemental Guardian (Caster Level -1) Spell Type: Batch Summon Mana Cost: 800 (Fixed) Duration: 20 minutes Cooldown: ~5 minutes
Creature Abilities
Elemental Mastery: Each guardian possesses unique abilities related to its element (Fire, Water, Earth, Air).
Combined Attacks: Elementals can coordinate to create powerful synergistic attacks.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
Tier 14
« Summon Shadow Legion »—Tier 14 Manifests a large legion of shadowy duplicates of the caster, each armed with one of the caster’s own skills.
Price: 35,417,000 SP Requirements: Level 130
Summon Details Summons: 25 x Shadowy Duplicate (Caster Level -2) Spell Type: Batch Summon Mana Cost: 2,185,000 (Fixed) Duration: ~2.5 hours Cooldown: ~2.5 hours
Creature Abilities
Skill Duplication: Each duplicate possesses one randomly selected skill from the caster’s learned skill list.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
Tier 20
« Summon Ancient Dragon Wyrmling »—Tier 20 A pinnacle ritual that binds a supremely powerful juvenile dragon to the caster’s will.
Price: 2,900,000,000 SP Requirements: Level 190
Summon Details Summons: 1 x Ancient Dragon Wyrmling (Caster Level +15) Spell Type: Batch Summon (Requires 10 min ritual) Mana Cost: 30,000,000 (Fixed) Duration: 24 hours Cooldown: 30 days
Creature Abilities
Dragon Breath: Can exhale a devastating cone of elemental energy.
Arcane Resistance: Possesses high resistance to all forms of magical damage.
Territorial Dominance: Projects an aura that weakens enemies in its vicinity.
Flight: The creature is capable of high-speed flight.
Growth Potential: Grows stronger if fed monster cores during its summoned duration.
Note: Upon reaching 100% proficiency, this skill can be upgraded to the next Tier, further enhancing its power and effects.
—[«END»]—
Reidar’s jaw clenched. Twenty-two thousand points didn’t feel like much when everything cost millions. Reidar also compared the summoning skills to other kinds of skills. If a tier 1 summoning skill did cost 5000 survival points, a normal offensive one cost a thousand.
<Well... For sure Keth’moran wasn’t joking about the price.>
Though most of the summoning skills were powerful but pricey, there were some that Reidar could actually get. Though there was one he was interested in at tier 4.
"So... the knights," he said, scanning the details. "They come with their own skills, right?"
"They do, but not as you are thinking. They’re knights, so the crafter focused purely on their combat skills and defenses—no fancy extras, just what they need to fight. They are still skilled, though."
<Ah... that’s great...>
Reidar’s mind raced. Of the skills he could buy, there were three that interested him. The Summon Primal Pack, the Summon Bone Militia, and the Summon Guardian Shade.
The Summon Primal Pack seemed the best option, but it was also the most expensive of those he could get, and Reidar would need to get to level 20 to use it. These were three beasts, so it was reasonable to assume they were rather strong. Their form would be rather useful. Wolves for tracking, bears for tanking, and panthers for hit-and-run attacks. They also lasted quite some time.
<I wonder who made this skill...> It looked like they gave only three beasts available in exchange for the duration of the skill. Even higher-tiered skills didn’t last as long as this.
But 8,820 survival points would take a significant chunk out of his pockets.
The Summon Bone Militia was the second option. These skeletons were brittle and cheap, but they’d work as cannon fodder at best. Still, he could summon ten of them for ten minutes—and he could use the skill as soon as he bought it.
The Summon Guardian Shade was also feasible. Not because of its fighting power, which the thing had none, but because it would allow Reidar to get mana faster. The survival point cost wasn’t even that high, and he could already use the skill.
Keth’moran’s tentacles swayed in the silence. Reidar ignored the stare he gave him. He remained silent for quite some time.
The vendor cleared his throat. "A decision, perhaps?"
"Working on it."
Reidar had a choice here, one that mattered for staying alive. And with other skills on the table too, it wasn’t getting any easier.
<I can take all three of them if my calculation is not wrong, and I should have around 5000 Survival Points to buy something else.>