Chapter 117: Training Montage

As soon as I use [Summon Arms], bursts of mana zoom toward my [Fairy Soldiers], much like how [Fairy Empowerment] works. Each of my ‘soldiers’ form weapons – swords, spears, halberds, and more – as they receive the mana. This should allow their attacks to inject damaging mana into the enemy rather than just splashing the mana onto them, which will more efficiently damage vital internal organs. In turn, that will make the enemy spend more vitality Animating its body while not in a normally livable state.

Since the skill works very similarly to [Fairy Empowerment] and [Fairy Explosion], I should be able to get shared breakthroughs, and, since I am so familiar with the breakthroughs now, it should be easy to train them and get levels.

Summon Arms: You've managed to summon weapons for your summons; this will help their attacks be more efficient and deadly.

1st Breakthrough: You've managed to send weapons to multiple summons at once; this will help you arm many summons at once.

I try giving multiple doses to the same fairy, but it doesn't accomplish anything. When I use the summoned weapons with my clone, I notice that it doesn't have any physicality to it, so with the help of [Mana Manipulation], I compress the mana at the sword edge to give it a physical blade to cut things with.

2nd Breakthrough: You've made your summon's weapon physical; this will let you inflict real wounds at a higher cost of mana.

I ignore the notification of my Class reaching level two hundred and continue observing my experience. As I gain more breakthroughs and skill levels, a single collection of experience grows a tiny bit larger; however, a faint amount is drawn out and consumed by the magic framework.

The Class shouldn't draw experience from something that I didn't use it for – say, for example, making airships – but it can still draw upon the experience when it evolves. I think what's happening is that certain experiences help alter the Class into the new evolution, but don't count toward levels.

As for how an evolution involving a cursed skill can corrupt a Class – or Race… the experience generated by a skill tends to cluster around the magic circle for that skill, while in the case of cursed skills the miasma is drawn to the inside of the circle. It is possible that integrating the skill into a larger framework may draw out some or all of the miasma, which might cause the magic framework to break down. Although, if miasma breaks apart magic frameworks, then how is it trapped in the cursed skill? Either that hypothesis is wrong, or… the experience gathered around the outside of the skill framework somehow cancels out the miasma on the inside, and drawing upon that experience for an evolution will free the miasma, or take it along with it and allow it to corrupt other frameworks?

I still need further study to know what is going on, but I feel like I am getting closer to finishing the cursed skill puzzle: it's possible that I can just use a legendary achievement to push out – or draw out – the miasma, but I need confirmation, and I need to know if the legendary point usage will enhance the skill or not so I can plan which point I need or want to use.

I focus back on my class skills for now. If [Summon Arms] works like [Fairy Empowerment] and [Fairy Explosion], on the most basic level at least, then can't I make exploding weapons? Or would I just need to use [Fairy Explosion] with it? If I can have the fairies stab a monster then make an explosion inside the monster, that will be a very devastating attack.

I summon a fairy, give it Arms and empower it with [Fairy Explosion], ordering it to attack an unlucky Domr wandering near the village. The fairy dashes off with its spear pointed ahead of it and stabs the poor thing. In an instant, unstable mana is injected into the creature, and it explodes in a cloud of gore. I am sure this can be a [Summon Arms] breakthrough; however, I already have this capability, so I should get a different breakthrough instead.

Next, I experiment with giving my clones ranged weapons like bows and throwing javelins. It works, but uses the mana I give them to make the projectiles, meaning it's a one-time deal; however, since my [Fairy Soldiers] already use their own mana to attack with, it works surprisingly well, and I don't need to manually reload them. Once they run out of mana they disappear and I can just summon more.

3rd Breakthrough: You've summoned ranged weapons for your summons; this will let them attack at range.

As much as I would like to keep getting breakthroughs for this skill, I should stop for now: yet another downside for Bond Classes. If I have every skill with three breakthroughs, then my max level will be four hundred, and that may be too much if my next evolution happens at three hundred and I want to level up my Bond even more before that point.

I spend the next few days getting all my levels for [Summon Arms] and the last point for [Fairy Explosion] and [Fairy Empowerment], bringing me to four capped class skills.

Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner has obtained levels 199-209! 165 status points awarded.

Ting! Summon Arms has obtained levels 1-40!

Ting! Sense Magic has obtained levels 597-598!

Right now, if I cap all of my Class skills, my max Class level will be two hundred seventy. I should focus on capping what I have for now, and then learn two more breakthroughs so my next max level will be two hundred ninety, before my next opportunity for a Class evolution, even if only to check what my options are. If I can get a Grand-tier class, it will only evolve at level four hundred, so I can be safe in getting more breakthroughs before I evolve.

While I am working on the skill levels, I also need to learn how to passively sense the MM force before I go back into the dungeon. A monster with an odd skill can quickly turn things into a disaster, as I have learned in several different ways now.

I begin by using my passive perception, and turning off my active perception, although I'll have to try and use both at the same time eventually. I let my body sit in darkness for a few moments before trying to feel the MM force pass through me. Each particle projects its own field; each one is different, ever so slightly. Some mana particles may have a slightly stronger field while some others are slightly weaker, all forming a unique image. The way the force attracts one mana particle but rejects another shows that each force ‘field’ can be differentiated and form a clear picture. Even essences will have different forms of the MM force, the various essences will be ever so slightly different from each other, and all of them can be detected by the force they give off.

By splitting my perception into two distinct locations and sensing the MM force at both, I can gain depth perception. Slowly, I start feeling the forces, like a tiny push or pull on my passive perception. The image becomes clearer and clearer until I can see all around me.

Ting! Sense Magic has obtained levels 599-601!

No new breakthrough, but the levels are very welcome. Over the next week, I work on my skill levels.

Fairy Rush: You've managed to increase how fast your fairies attack, this will help them attack faster.

1st Breakthrough: You've managed to accelerate your fairies past their normal limits, this will help them move faster.

2nd Breakthrough: You've managed to impart a boost of speed to your fairies; this will help you give your fairies a temporary speed boost.

Ting! Fairy Rush has obtained levels 1-30!

I first regain [Fairy Rush] and relearn those breakthroughs, then work on leveling up the skill through long hours of contemplation of the skill's inner workings and constant use of the abilities, before coming up with a test to prove my mastery of each breakthrough for the last level.

At the same time, as I am working on [Fairy Rush], I replace [Triangulate Summons] with [Beauty Mark] and level up the base skill to the cap. I hold off on any new breakthroughs for now, but the two I have in mind are to allow my beauty attacks to 'lock on' and to possibly increase how much damage the target takes. I can even go as far as to maybe make the mark itself explode or something… this skill may have a lot of uses I haven't considered before.

Since it was still the base skill, I also worked on [Summoner’s State], which really helps with training other skills alongside it; not surprising,  as that was what it is meant for. Since I am so familiar with 'state' skills, it is really easy to level.

Ting! Beauty Mark has obtained levels 1-10!

Ting! Summoner's State has obtained levels 1-10!

Another skill I work on while leveling up the others is [Summoner's Affinity]. As a passive, all I have to do was try and push my power to the absolute limit.

Summoner's Affinity: You've somehow managed to increase the power of your summons; this will empower your summoned forces.

Ting! Summoner's Affinity has obtained levels 6-10!

For [Summoner's Expertise], I have to summon as many [Fairy Soldier] as I can, as fast as I can, to level up. The mastery tests for the last levels take me a long time to accomplish, as trying to summon more fairies than the skill’s limit allows is really hard: either the spell won't finish, or a previously existing fairy will disperse.

Ting! Summoner's Expertise has obtained levels 25-30!

The last skill I work on is one of my favorites. [Summoner's Core], by far the easiest skill to level simply because I already know a lot about mana. Unfortunately, since most of the missing levels are in the 'state of the core' breakthrough, I don't learn anything new about mana, and I am very tempted to obtain more breakthroughs just to see if I can learn anything else about mana cores.

I don’t, though. I can resist temptation.

Ting! Summoner's Core has obtained levels 52-60!

With this last notification, I have capped out all of my skills. It took me a total of twenty-one days of training, but now I feel a little more complete, having one of my long-standing goals finally checked.

Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner has obtained levels 210-226! 225 status points awarded.

Alright, now which breakthroughs will do me best? [Beauty Mark] is a little useless right now, so I really should get at least one thing for it, preferably more than one. I can also get one for [Summoner's Core], but what will serve me best in a fight against a Treant, or even against Heroic monsters? [Summoner's Core] is great and all, but right now it's not a very good combat skill, and I need all I can get, so getting [Beauty Mark] two breakthroughs is really my best bet. My other skills are already in an acceptable spot.

The first breakthrough, for homing attacks, is easy; I've enchanted items to attract certain spells before, and this is no different. It’s almost like my anti-retaliation decoys, I suppose, but working in reverse and applied to my own spells? Now, what should my second breakthrough be? Detonating the mark? I can reapply it in a fight, and it can be a good finisher, but I feel like it would work best if I can pour a lot more mana into it, which will require another breakthrough. So now the question is, do I go all-in on an internal bomb? Or do I get something else? Let's look at it another way.

Do I need homing attacks? No, my [Fairy Soldiers] already have that effect, but it will work with their ranged variant… which doesn't ultimately matter, as the fairies are just a collection of mana and don't need to be preserved.

A finisher attack, on the other hand, would have come in real handy against the Void Slime as my last attack on it wasn't enough to kill it, and it almost resulted in Jowaru and Esofy dying.

Internal bomb it is, then. Pump as much mana as I can into a monster and then detonate it. I already know how to make mana explode; I already know how to shove more mana into something; all it will take is just another three or four days of rigorous training.

Beauty Mark: You've learned to mark someone with beauty, letting you target them even beyond your normal range

1st Breakthrough: You've marked someone with a lot of mana, this will allow them to act as a stabilizing beacon for your spells.

2nd Breakthrough: You've managed to mark someone with unstable mana; this will allow you to detonate the mana should you wish.

Ting! Beauty Mark has obtained levels 10-30!

Ting! Your Class, Fairy Summoner has obtained levels 227-232! 90 status points awarded.

So... if I want, I can mark someone and be able to keep my clones around them no matter the distance? The mark does decay, though, so after enough time, I will have to reapply it, but I can do that through a link I have with a clone, so it might as well be for as long as I want. The beacon mark does take up three hundred mana, which is a lot less than I thought and will certainly limit the range at which I can maintain my spells around the beacon. Also, the amount of mana I can invest in a single mark seems to be ten points of mana per skill level, so the higher the skill, the more mana I can mark someone with, which will also increase how deadly my bomb will be.

Now all that's left is to check my Class options.