Chapter 86: Chapter 81: Decisions

One day, I would like to wake up in a bed. A proper one. Not just the silk mat on the floor I'd used on the rare occasion I'd actually gone to sleep willingly since getting trapped in this world, but something with a nice, thick mattress, and soft and squishy duvet to snuggle into. Maybe with some fluffy plushies to keep me company.

Alas, today was not that day, so I forced my stiff body off the rock-hard ground and into an upright position, thanking my pain immunity while trying to work out where I was. There was a statue of the Goddess in front of me, so I must have died at some point, but I didn't recognise the shrine. It was a large space, light and airy, with strange yellow light shining in through stained glass windows. Kinda like the fox-kin temple, but smaller.

And with a lot more mana...

So, still on floor six. And yes, trigger respawn was still running and had twenty minutes to go, so I hadn't even died. Wow, this place had really had a makeover, and now lacked any signs of the strange shadows or twisted furniture. The altar had a white cloth with gold trimming, and the windows bore the same colourful designs as when viewed from outside, the overall impression shifted from blood red to a lighter blue. Most surprisingly, the rift was gone. The background mana was the lowest I'd felt on this floor, which went some way towards explaining how I was still alive. That, and the four additional resistance levels that my status showed I'd gained while unconscious.

But that was not the most interesting thing on my status. Not by a long shot.

Name: Katie
Primary class: Princess of undying laughter (level 11 - MAX)
- Class skills -
Trigger respawn
Item box {Enhanced} [Evolve]
Mapping {Enhanced} [Evolve]
Appraisal {Enhanced} [Evolve]
Resistance focus {Enhanced} [Evolve]
Fast travel {Enhanced} [Evolve]
Secondary class: Aberrant monster tamer (Level 6)
Improved silk [Enhance]
Draconic breath (rainbow) [Enhance]
{empty} [+]
{empty} [+]
{empty} [+]
Tertiary class: None [+]
- Combat skills -
Unarmed proficiency: Level 20
Master dodger: Level 30
Spear mastery: Level 30
Master blocker: Level 30
Dagger mastery: Level 30
Sword mastery: Level 30
Master parrier: Level 30
Bow proficiency: Level 20
- Resistance skills -
Friend of fear
Pain immunity: Level 33
Poison immunity: Level 40
Corrosion immunity: Level 40
Disease immunity: Level 40
Mind magic nullification: Level 30
Heat immunity: Level 40
Light tolerance: Level 4
Cold nullification: Level 30
Curse immunity: Level 40
Soul magic resistance: Level 14
Spatial magic tolerance: Level 2
Suffocation tolerance: Level 9
Earth magic tolerance: Level 2
Blunt damage nullification: Level 30
Piercing damage nullification: Level 30
Cutting damage nullification: Level 30
Void nullification: Level 29
Mana toxicity resistance: Level 16
Starvation tolerance: Level 1
- Crafting skills -
Improvisational artisan: Level 15
Artistry: Level 4
Mining: Level 8
- Scouting skills -
Proficient stealth: Level 13
Perceive presence: Level 11
Proficient empath: Level 10
Perceive danger: Level 14
- Magic skills -
Perceive mana: Level 13
Bend mana: Level 6

I could evolve one of my primary class skills? Was that like a second enhancement, or would it become something completely new? I could also enhance my existing monster tamer skills despite still not having chosen them all, although I did note with disappointment that my available skill selection hadn't changed, nor had any of the existing skill options got more powerful. But, most importantly, I could finally pick a third class!

I could guess how multiple classes worked now, with each one five levels lower than the previous. I'd need to reach level sixteen in my primary class if I wanted a fourth class, but that was going to be tough with me sitting at the level cap already. Increasing the cap was harder than gaining levels. There was certainly no potion in the alchemist's store that would do it. I should assume I wouldn't be able to enhance any more skills after this one.

And once again, I was left wishing this world came with an instruction manual. It probably wouldn't have made too much difference to my choices, but I would still have liked to have known that beforehand.

Putting the floor six exploration aside for now, I teleported back to the catacombs. If I was going to pick a third class, getting a second opinion would be helpful. Maybe even a third, if I spoke all my options out loud and the dragon was still eavesdropping, and had strong enough opinions on something to intervene. I had enough orifices between my legs as it was, and given how suspect my life decisions had been recently, if I picked a new class on my own I'd probably end up with tentacles.

Saying that, I bet my zombie twin would appreciate tentacles...

"You're thinking something lewd again, aren't you?" she asked as I walked in, my mind still firmly in the gutter. "I swear, you only visit me for booty calls these days."

She pouted, but I could see the grin trying to break through from underneath.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but that's not actually why I'm here today. I unlocked my third class, and I thought you might appreciate having a laugh at whatever insane rare ones I've unlocked this time."

"I thought you swore last time to skip over the rare classes with your eyes closed?"

"That was a decision made by a younger, saner version of Katie that didn't pick fights with succubi in a demonic arena in the middle of the abyss just to experience the feeling of being sucked dry by them."

"No, just one that engaged in heavy selfcest. Or possibly necrophilia. I'm not sure which one I count as. Also, that would sound cooler if you hadn't already told me that the abyss is just a small town filled with freakishly unrealistic NPCs. I mean, bonus points for being in the middle of a lake of lava, but still, it's not like it's literal hell."

"Let's go with selfcest, please. Also, let's change the topic before I get distracted. Classes! Or rather, skills. Which of my princess skills should I evolve?"

"Resistance focus, obviously. The other skills might be cool, like if item box let you store living creatures, or fast travel let you travel anywhere, but that would be a long shot. Item box would probably just get bigger, and it's plenty big enough already. The last fast travel upgrade was useless, and another one will probably be more of the same. Whatever happens to resistance focus, it'll be useful, even if it's just another boost to levelling speed. It won't be fancy, but it's the safest."

I nodded, my twin's thoughts mirroring my own exactly. Wall of text, here I come!

Skill resistance focus evolved to resistance mastery
Gain resistance skills much more easily, and level them at an unparalleled rate. Counts as an achievement for the purpose of evolving all resistance skills. Removes racial restrictions on resistance skills. Lowers the bar for actions to count as achievements.

Pain immunity advanced to level 34
Pain immunity advanced to level 35
Pain immunity advanced to level 36

Evolution conditions met: Poison immunity ranks up to poison absorption
Poison is everywhere. It may be in the darts of an assassin looking to score a silent kill. In the traps of a hunter. In the fangs or claws of a predator. Even in the flesh of would-be prey. Any adventurer needs to be prepared for it if they wish to survive. After consuming the flesh of a fungus vesania, bathing in the nectar of an angelica vorax, suffering large doses of chilopoda venom, surviving the kisses of death, paralysis and pain from an aranea regina, shrugging off the potent sleeping gas of the vulpes sagax, not even noticing the poisonous spines of the daemonium spina and surviving the flesh-liquefying venom of a daemonium semideus, its ubiquitousness is something of which you are well aware, allowing this upgrade from immunity to absorption. Poison does not merely fail to harm you, but it feeds you. You know when your body takes in poison, along with details of the strength and intended effects, but those effects are reversed.

Poison absorption advanced to level 41
Poison absorption advanced to level 42
Poison absorption advanced to level 43
Light tolerance advanced to level 5
Soul magic resistance advanced to level 15
Soul magic resistance advanced to level 16
Soul magic resistance advanced to level 17
Suffocation tolerance advanced to level 10

Evolution conditions met: Suffocation tolerance ranks up to suffocation resistance
Most living things need air, and where there's a need, you can be sure something will be there to take advantage. Whether by smothering or crushing, or indirect routes like air-born poisons, predators will never skimp on innovation when hunting their prey. You have drowned in nectar, filled your lungs with chilopoda amber, slashed your throat, burnt your throat, frozen your throat, drowned in your own blood, had your airways blocked by a slime, had your airways blocked by the webs of the queen of all spiders, had your lungs severed from your trachea by a daemonium brutum, had your lungs melted by pure mana, and probably even more, and yet have somehow survived. It's almost like you have an irrational hatred of breathing. Luckily for you, this skill will cut down on the amount of oxygen you require, letting you do less of the activity you seem to hate so much.

Suffocation resistance advanced to level 11

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Void nullification advanced to level 30

Evolution conditions met: Void nullification ranks up to void immunity
Sight is one of the most common senses, which also makes it a popular target. Saying that, normally people would simply turn the lights out, and not magically break through regular darkness and out the other side, where there is not merely an absence of light, but the true darkness of the Void itself. You have looked upon a creature touched by the Void, heard his voice and gazed into his flame. You have even heard his Name. You have embraced the touch of the Void yourself, and have revealed yourself to the Creatures that dwell there. You have dared to tread landscape warped by the Void, and successfully banished the taint. For surviving the experience, you have earned this upgrade from nullification to immunity. This skill will maintain your sanity even should you fall into the Void itself, as well as greatly reducing the strain its touch imposes on your body.

Void immunity advanced to level 31
Void immunity advanced to level 32
Mana toxicity resistance advanced to level 17
Mana toxicity resistance advanced to level 18
Mana toxicity resistance advanced to level 19

Whee. Wall of text indeed. So that took the levelling bonus to two hundred percent, and got me a few evolutions too. It didn't completely change the skill, but acted like a second enhancement.

If I was counting correctly, suffocation tolerance had clocked up the most achievements of any skill I had. It was the first time I'd seen a first evolution get sarcastic at me since the red dragon evolved my heat resistance... Do I really suffocate that much?

Poison absorption was my first rank five skill. Probably requiring ten achievements, minus the one from my focus. Poison makes me stronger now? So, a powerful paralysis toxin would make me faster? That would be odd, but cool. The centipede venom hadn't counted before, so that must be part of the lowered requirements for achievements. Also, I had to laugh at the comment about the daemonium spina. I'd read their appraisal results, so I knew they were poisonous, but it didn't really matter. I hadn't taken any hits from their spines that didn't leave me with more immediate concerns than their poison.

That void immunity though... That description was concerning. The Creatures of the Void got capitalisation, and the dragon, who was merely 'touched' by the Void, didn't. That had Implications, which was equally in need of the capital. I intended to try very hard not to put that comment about falling into the Void to the test.

"Lots of upgrades?" asked my twin. "Your eyes have been scanning back and forth for ages."

"Yes, lots. Poison makes me stronger now."

"How convenient, given that your own body fluids are poisonous."

I blinked, then swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Nothing happened. I suppose it made sense that it wouldn't be that easy; my own fluids don't poison me either. It would be rather crappy if they did. What if I took the skill to improve my poisons?

Forget an instruction manual. I needed a respec button so that I could experiment and roll back if things don't work.

"Not to me, they aren't," I countered. "But I'll go find some poison to drink later. For now, it's time for the main event. My third class! The black dragon is going to bust me out of this place, so I don't need any sort of crazy spatial powers, but I need the strength to take down the demon lord and the ability to bring you with me without blighting anything."

It started off sedately enough. The first option was the basic mage class, with me not having obtained two second tier magic skills. Flame and ice mage had gone, replaced by an elemental mage class, and the decay and mind mage classes were joined by space and soul mage. It was a shame elemental mage didn't combine absolutely everything, or else it would have been a strong contender for my next pick.

The scout class was promoted from basic to common, and its derivatives became uncommon. Explorer requirements shot up to accurately mapping three floors, while assassin didn't change much, but I suspected our ambush of the arch-mage contributed.

Gardener was gone, which made me feel bad about my poor pet murder tree. It couldn't have been eating healthily since being buried. I really needed to finish digging it out. There was a replacement, though.

Available class: Miner (Common)
Even the most talented of blacksmiths can't forge a sword from thin air. People may look down on manual labour, but that doesn't make it any less vital to civilization. This class will fashion you into such a labourer, helping to provide the raw materials on which society runs.
Unlock requirements: Possess the mining skill. Dig at least ten metres of tunnel.
Class features: Mining skill and higher tier derivatives do not require achievements to evolve.
Skill domain: Crafting

That would help me dig the tree out more easily, but wouldn't help with any of my more serious goals.

"I also need to ask, which society?" opined the zombie. "The fox-kin were the only ones that did any mining, and they don't really qualify as a society anymore."

Yeah, way to make me feel good, especially given that vulpes hunter had a promotion, its new unlock requirements being four third tier combat skills and over a thousand kills. Chilopoda hunter shared the same upgrade, while aranea hunter was still common, with my kill count still too low for upgrades. I'd gained a few more hunter classes too, for limus, carnes and daemonium, but none of those were interesting. Well, daemonium was a little, given that demons would be what I was fighting once I left this place, but I had no guarantee that a 'demon' from that world was the same thing as a 'daemonium' from this one.

The standard warrior class was now uncommon too, with the requirements upped to three third tier combat skills. It had also gained a new advanced version.

Available class: Versatile warrior (Uncommon)
Hold the stick by the blunt end and poke the pointy end in your foes. Or take the big, heavy rock and bash your foe over the head with it. Or throw it at them. Or just punch them in the face. Living creatures can be remarkably fragile, and with this class you'll be able to explore a wide range of methods of breaking them.
Unlock requirements: Possess at least four third tier combat skills. Possess at least five offensive combat skills, which must include unarmed and at least one melee and ranged proficiency.
Class features: Increased physical strength and endurance. Individual weapon skills merge into combined melee or ranged combination skills.
Skill domain: Combat

Cool, but not anything that tempted me. If I had unlimited class slots, then sure, but I didn't, and there would be more valuable stuff available.

Survivalist was still there but hadn't had an upgrade, presumably because my improvisational artisan was still only second tier. And that was the last of the uncommons.

"Okay, all done with the boring ones," I said, staring at fungi fun-guy, which was still my first rare option. "Let the humiliation begin."

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