Chapter 26: [Arc 1] Chapter 20: One’s Weapons is One’s Life

Hello from the Water-Knot. How are you doing? Me? I'm currently back in the river area. Why? Because I got freaking lost!

The explanation will be a little long, so hold out with me here:

The new [Auto-Mapping] skill can record the map for a specific area as long as you have physically visited the place. In this case, "Area" can mean anything from a town to a plain, to a dungeon. Therefore, I've spent most of my days wandering around the dungeon willy-nilly, in hope of finding the exit, and leveling up the new map skill.

I've also trained my other skills, but not enough to be able to use magic decently well enough for practical use. The skills are like this now:

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SKILL LIST

Ability Skills: [MP Reinforcement LV6] 

Attack Skills: [Assassination Arts LV11]   [Steal LV2]   [Poison Bite LV21]

Magic Skills: [Light Magic LV1]   [Shadow Magic LV5]

Crafting Skills: [Thief Tool Creation LV5]   [Assassin Tool Creation LV5]   [Poison Synthesis LV21]   [Medicine Synthesis LV4]   [Thread Synthesis LV25]

Active Skills: [Stealth LV10]   [Thread Control LV45]   [Ultima Thread LV7]   [Thought Acceleration LV3]

Passive Skills: [Surprise Attack LV12]   [Free Movement LV38]   [Battle Continuation LV2]   [Parallel Thoughts LV26]   [Throw LV41]   [Auto-Mapping LV1]   [Language Adaption]

Resistance Skills: [Poison Resistance LV27]   [Paralyze Resistance LV15]   [Heretic Immunity]

Perception Skills: [Magic Sense LV19]   [Sense Foe LV9]   [Appraisal LV8]

Racial Skills: [Albino]   [Demonic Storage LV15]   [Transformation LV2]

Elements: [Lesser Light Element LV1]   [Lesser Dark Element LV2]   [Shadow Element LV5]   [Lesser Poison Element LV11]

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I managed to evolve both [MP Reinforcement (Small)], [Concentration] and [Shape Change] into respectively [MP Reinforcement], [Thought Acceleration] and [Transformation] when they reached the max level or when I had enough skill points. 1 point for each of them by the way.

[MP Reinforcement] gives an extra MP of the skill level times 10. A simple skill, but it's a good one since I've started to use magic and all.

[Thought Acceleration] is an active skill, but keeps the effects of the passive [Concentration] with no problems. The new effects slow my sense of time, making the world seems like it goes in slow motion. It works for me since I tend to get sidetracked all the time. Oh, and for strategic reasons as well, yep.

The [Transformation] skill is the last one I got my hands on, but it's the best skill of those three. This skill lets me morph my body like [Shape Change], and the additional effect lets me transform into another being. The difference between morphing and transforming is that morphing is continuously using SP, while transformations only need to use SP at the time of transformation. 

I can register several forms and access them whenever I want. I can transform into anything, but registering them lets me transform into it faster than the manual way.

When I transform or just morph my body, it turns into some black-purplish fog, which recreates itself into what I want to transform or morph to. 

The bad news is that the cost of transforming is skyscraper-level higher than just reshaping parts of my body.

The transformations are also weak. I tried to turn into a frog and succeeded, but the stats were less than half of my own and some of my skills like [Poison Bite] and [Demonic Storage] were rendered unusable. Luckily, the power-down only held when I was transformed.

The only transformation that doesn't seal any skills is the Grey Demon. Raptors, rats, frogs, even spiders turned me weaker when I tried them out. Another thing is that I need to know about what I'm gonna transform myself into. Just some half-baked knowledge won't be enough to be able to transform into anything.

Good thing most of my life was been dedicated to hunting these guys, so I have profound knowledge about them.

The turtle snake and the T-Rex are impossible because they are too big to transform into. Any transformation that exceeds my body mass is impossible. Not that I know too much about them anyway.

The good news is that I can design my transformations! One of them, the only usable one, is where I morph the points of my second pair of legs into monster heads.

This is a further development of the Horror Poison Bite that I used on the berserker. I've named this form for the Cerberus-mode. Since so little of my body mass is transformed, it's SP friendly and quick as heck. I can't make five heads since I need four or more legs to support me.

Three heads are good enough anyway. By shortening my arm-legs, I can even increase the length of my two new heads, allowing me to attack with them as the turtle snake did it with the rats. 

The Cerberus-mode is the only transformation that's useful in battles, but if I'm on the run from something, I can just transform into something that the chasers won't go after, like an ally or into my Grey Demon form and hide somewhere. That would be preferable, but a transformation of the whole body takes a while, like a minute or two.

That's not good enough for a fight, but I keep using the skill whenever I got the chance, even if I don't need it as much when I was a Grey Demon. The reason? Because [Transformation] can let me gain a human form if I get it to a high enough level!

It's [Transformation], so why should it be impossible to attain a human form with it? There's shit loads of stories and legends where monsters take on a human shape back on Earth. If a fox or a raccoon could do it, why not a spider?

I'm still aiming for a humanoid evolution, but I keep focusing on [Transformation] when I have the SP for it. 

That's the upgraded skills. Some may have noticed that I've gotten a new skill as well. [Sense Foe] was a skill that the Bright Imp could use, so I saved enough points to look for it after getting [Auto-Mapping]. It's a little skill that lets you notice hostility a little better, but this dungeon is a hot pot of enemies! I got this skill after [MP Reinforcement], and it has already reached LV9!

My level went up three times while spelunking the upper layers of the dungeon along with the class and skill levels, and subtracting the amount I used for upgrading skills and getting [Sense Foe], I have 0.9 skill points left. That's just a bonus though since the real reason for the exploration is to find the exit.

I've searched most of the area around my base, but haven't even found the "e" for exit yet. Then, I tried to backtrack to the bandit camp and start from there. The bandits came from the outside, so the camp must be on the way between the depths of the dungeon and the exit, or better said, the entrance of the dungeon.

I passed the camp, don't ask me about the remains of the bandits, and started to widen my mental map. And guess what happened. I ended up in the river area again... damn.

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The tunnel entrance that I'm in now is at the higher level of the river area, like the one I used when the T-rex was crashing the place. I can even reach the entrance that I used then from here, but that entrance just leads to rat-land.

Now I have the map back to this place, I guess? No idea if I'll ever need it. Since I'm already here, let's test out one of the bad boys I snatched from the bandits. 

After the battle against them, I took more than just food and potions. I eh, confiscated all their money, 427 Sol, one high-quality Item Bag, the materials and recipes for thief tool (already used them all up), and some weapons they had. I left spears and other big weapons to the Treasure Hunter but snatched small weapons like daggers for myself.

I got three daggers which are called Scrap-Iron Daggers. They have a rank of E-, ATK of 12, and their max durability is on 40. Somewhat less than the Scrap-Iron Sword I borrowed during the fight.

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I've also made some new throwing daggers, but made them smaller and dipped the tip in poison. I call them Poison Darts, due to their shape. Strange thing is that the appraisal of them also comes up with that name. They are rank F, with ATK of 10, but with a durability of 15. Just good enough for throwing, but still pretty good. Their true worth isn't even in the ATK, but in the poisoned tip, especially with all these Glavras monsters and their [Pure Water Dependency] skill.

And finally, there two are the two golden eggs in my weapon collection. One of them can't I even use right now for various reasons. It's this guy!

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Item Name: Straight-Edge Katana

Rank: C

Type: Katana

Durability: 144/150

ATK: 162

Weight: 55

Requirements: 

Effects:

Description: A katana from the Wakoku country made by modern technology. It is reinforced with the scales from the Sharpsteel Lizard, making it not only heavier but also creates a requirement of STR to properly equip it, including with the original DEX requirement that all swords from Wakoku have.

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A real deal katana! It even has its own category, as the new function of [Appraisal] tells me.

I don't see any scales on it, how did they reinforce it then? Eh, I'm not a blacksmith, and it still looks cool. Just your regular katana, around 70 cm, I think? I don't have any measuring tape on me, so I'm just guessing. The guard is circular and grey-colored. The grip has the same color, making the whole sword looks cold at first glance.

There is some strange stuff like requiring STR and DEX on it, but even I can lift it somewhat with my STR of 59. Not enough to swing it around, unless I do it with [Thread Control].

I can't use this thing anyway since my hands are too small to hold it. I mean, my height even when I stand on my hind legs I'm just half the size of a grown man. No way I can swing a katana that's even bigger than myself.

Since it bothered me, I started researching on this 'equipment' stuff. Turns out, special items become more powerful than it should be possible if you can connect the item with your aether circuit. I'm just reading out loud what's written on the [Appraisal] result for 'equip', but I guess that the aether circuit is like a nerve system spread around the body. When you get enough EXP, which is a form for aether, you would level up, meaning that the aether circuit becomes stronger.

Equipping means to add the item to your aether circuit, letting you use the item's power. The ATK means how much damage you can do with it normally, then there are special effects on some items. 

The downside with effects is that they lower the weapons ATK, based on how strong the effect is. Take the Bandit Dagger, it has an ATK of 32, way lower than the katana, despite their ranks is just one + apart. Not sure how much that is, but probably not much. The dagger can boost a skill, which reduces its ATK. 

The katana does also have a skill, but with a weaker effect than the dagger. Also, the katana is restricted to who has high STR and DEX, while the dagger doesn't have any restrictions.

The more restrictions a weapon has, the higher the ATK, and the more effects do the opposite, I guess. As I said before, I'm no blacksmith you know. 

Wakoku is a country located on the east edge of the Noterra continent, a continent discovered just some 100 years ago. From the description I got from [Appraisal], it's a country design after Japan and was founded by Migrants. The current rulers of Wakoku are the descendants of those Migrants. Definitely Japanese. Kinda want to visit that place sometime.

Ah, I got sidetracked again, sorry. Where was I? Oh yeah. The second interesting weapon. It's this one.

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Item Name: Black Steel Crossbow

Rank: D

Type: Crossbow

Durability: 176/200

ATK: 122

Weight: 42

Requirements: 

Description: A crossbow made with Black Steel. While boosting superior ATK for weapons, it has a demerit in being difficult to aim with, and every D rank arrows will break upon use due to the the excessive power generated from this weapon.

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A crossbow. Unlike the katana, this thing is just the right size for me, but still too big to use it in a battle. That doesn't mean I can't try it out. And now I'm in the perfect place to do it.

From up here at the tunnel entrance, I have a birds-eye view over the river area. No way I'm gonna be able to hit anything from this height, but this is just to test out the crossbow. I'm no archer anyway, so I don't care if I waste an arrow or two just for fun.

The arrows are also something I stole from the bandits. I mean confiscated! Not stolen! Anyway, I got some arrows for the crossbow. They are just regular wood arrows, so they'll break when they're used. 

Let's see, what should be my target? A frog is jumping around over there, so let's aim at that guy. Eh, is it wrong to aim at a living being? Big deal, I've killed enough frogs for a lifetime with my bare hands. Why should I care about using one for target practice at this point? Besides, there's no way that I'll come close to hit him.

Okay then, let's aim and... this is more difficult to hold than I thought. Not some shape-changing can help. Making my hands a little bigger at the cost of my second pair of legs, and presto! Now then, where was I? Aim, and... FIRE!

*twang!*

Cool! The crossbow made a nice sound when I used it. And the arrow is... right between the eyes of the frog.

Huh? Did I hit it? And a headshot? Ah, a turtle snake appeared. It must have used it's [Camouflage] skill to ambush the frog. Guess I stole the kill from it. Hey! Don't look over here! Please?

Uhm... I'm so sorry!

*ZOOOOOoooom*

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