NOVEL WEB chapter 72
Chapter 72
■□■ Fifteen hours later ■□■
The moon now hangs directly overhead.
Yet, I continue to grip the fishing rod.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve been at it for so long, but I’m starting to get a feel for it.
It’s as if I can sense the creature’s presence through the rod…
I’m beginning to understand when it’s futile to reel in and when it’s the perfect moment to pull as the fish rests.
With this understanding, my efficiency seems to have skyrocketed.
It’s like I’ve truly grasped the essence of fishing.
Well, that might be overconfident of me.
▶ [Fishing] skill has reached LvMAX.
▶ [Balance] has activated.
Adjusting skill level balance.
▶ All skills have reached LvMAX.
▶ Intermediate skill acquisition conditions met.
Some skills will be unlocked.
▶ Acquired title: [Sage King]
SP +5 added.
▶ Acquired title: [Master of Self-Taught Techniques]
SP +5 added.
▶ Acquired title: [Hermit]
SP +5 added.
▶ Acquired title: [Crafter]
SP +5 added.
▶ Acquired title: [Collector]
SP +5 added.
▶ Acquired title: [Artist]
SP +5 added.
I really did understand fishing…!
Wait, isn’t this a bit too much progress all at once!?
And what’s with this title rush?!
I’m happy about all the SP, but still!
…Come to think of it, my first maxed-out skill is [Fishing].
I can’t help but wonder if I was ever truly a production class. It’s enough to make me wistful.
Well, thanks to this, it seems I can now acquire intermediate skills. Let’s check them out while fishing to lift my spirits…
I open the command menu with just a thought and call up the list of available skills. Indeed, there seem to be more skills available than before… I think?
No, it’s just that there are so many skills to choose from! It’s impossible to keep track of them all!
I try selecting skills that look promising and reading their descriptions. They’re labeled as ‘Intermediate Skills,’ so I guess that’s how I’ll have to judge them.
…
As I was fiddling around, I discovered there’s actually a filter function!
I should have noticed that earlier!
Let’s see…
It seems not all basic skills have direct upgrades to intermediate skills.
In fact, there are cases where maxing out multiple basic skills unlocks a single intermediate skill.
Looking through them, I can see four patterns:
– Orthodox evolution pattern
– New skill emergence pattern
– Composite evolution pattern
– Skills that end at max level
First, the orthodox evolution pattern. This is where the six elemental magic skills directly evolve into their corresponding magic types, or where [Smithing], [Compounding], and [Alchemy] become [Intermediate Smithing], [Intermediate Compounding], and [Intermediate Alchemy].
For the skills I possess, it looks like:
[Smithing] ⇒ [Intermediate Smithing]
[Alchemy] ⇒ [Intermediate Alchemy]
[Compounding] ⇒ [Intermediate Compounding]
[Fire Magic] ⇒ [Fire Sorcery]
[Water Magic] ⇒ [Water Sorcery]
[Wind Magic] ⇒ [Wind Sorcery]
[Earth Magic] ⇒ [Earth Sorcery]
[Light Magic] ⇒ [Light Sorcery]
[Dark Magic] ⇒ [Dark Sorcery]
[Cooking] ⇒ [Culinary Arts]
[Fishing] ⇒ [Angler]
[Tracking] ⇒ [Pursuit]
[Escape] ⇒ [Evasion]
[Invisibility] ⇒ [Concealment]
[Magic Armor] ⇒ [Magic Plate]
[Status Resistance] ⇒ [Status Immunity]
[Parallel Thinking] ⇒ [Multi-Thinking]
These unlocked skills seem to fall into this category.
Since these are orthodox evolutions, they’re guaranteed to be useful even when upgraded from basic to intermediate.
The new skill emergence pattern is where maxing out [Storage] unlocks [Spatial Magic], or mastering [Foresight] unlocks something like [Future Prediction].
These are more like offshoots rather than direct evolutions from basic skills.
For my skills, it looks like:
[Storage] ⇒ [Spatial Magic]
[Concealment] ⇒ [Disguise]
[Mana Manipulation] ⇒ [Mana Sensing]
[Thought Acceleration] ⇒ [Motion Acceleration]
[Foresight] ⇒ [Future Prediction]
These unlocked skills seem to fit this pattern.
They’re completely new skills, so I’ll need to get used to them, but just looking at their names, they all seem quite powerful.
The composite evolution pattern involves intermediate skills that can cover basic skills you haven’t acquired to some extent.
For example, there are skills like [Mining] and [Gathering]. If you max out either of these, you can acquire the intermediate skill [Material Collection].
With [Material Collection], you can perform both [Mining] and [Gathering] even if you don’t have both basic skills.
However, the level of the basic skill you don’t have is tied to the level of the intermediate skill. So if you acquire [Material Collection] Lv1 from maxed [Gathering], [Material Collection] will only be as effective as [Gathering] LvMAX / [Mining] Lv1.
For someone like me who has maxed out both basic skills, this might seem unnecessary. However, it apparently affects drop rates and rare item drop chances when performing [Gathering] or [Mining], so it’s worth considering.
But with [Divine Artifact Creation], I can make anything from junk materials anyway.
For now, [Material Collection] might not be a high priority.
By the way, for the skills I have:
[Mining] [Gathering] ⇒ [Material Collection]
[Crafting] [Leatherworking] [Woodworking] ⇒ [Intermediate Crafting]
[Metalwork] [Sculpting] ⇒ [Intermediate Sculpting]
[Appraisal] [Observation] ⇒ [Mind’s Eye]
It might be worth getting these to aim for advanced skills later, but they’re not top priority right now.
Lastly, skills that end at max level:
[Yamamoto Style]
[Magic Steel Refining]
[Divine Artifact Creation]
These have no intermediate skills.
In fact, they might already be a type of advanced skill. Well, it’s nice to have skills that are complete in their growth.
After all, it takes 4 SP to acquire an intermediate skill.
So I can’t just acquire them left and right.
By the way, I currently have 36 SP.
That means I could theoretically acquire up to 9 intermediate skills.
But I’d like to keep at least 10 SP in reserve for future use, so maybe I’ll get about 6?
So, let’s think about this.
Well, I definitely need at least one of the six elemental magic skills.
With just one, thanks to [Balance], I’ll have all six elemental magic skills, so there’s no reason not to get it.
Then there are the production skills like [Smithing].
Getting one of these is cost-effective since it covers three skills.
The remaining four choices are quite difficult.
I’m interested in… [Motion Acceleration].
This is a passive skill that gives bonuses to agility and intuition based on skill level.
At max level, it apparently increases agility and intuition by 1.5 times, which could be quite compatible with my absurd stats.
Plus, you can’t go wrong with improving agility and intuition.
Then there’s [Spatial Magic]?
This should be pretty strong too, probably.
Actually, not knowing [Spatial Magic] might leave me vulnerable if I face an enemy who uses it, which I’d rather avoid.
So I’ll probably get this one too.
That leaves two more?
Ugh, this is tough.
Is [Disguise] a must-have?
I imagine it’s what overpowered protagonists use to conceal their true stats, but…
I’m not even sure if [Appraisal] would work on my overinflated stats in the first place.
Oh.
There’s [Status Immunity]!
I definitely need to get this!
After the incident with Lili, I’m well aware of how terrifying status effects can be. This is a no-brainer!
So that leaves one more intermediate skill to choose…
Hmm.
Alright, I’ve decided!
[Magic Plate]!
The upgraded version of [Magic Armor]! While [Magic Armor] only covers part of the body with mana, [Magic Plate] envelops the entire body and substitutes MP for received damage.
In a game where pain feels real, I want any advantage I can get to reduce damage.
Especially with the impending squid battle, having a skill with immediate effects like this should be beneficial…
So, here’s what my current status looks like!
Name: Yamamoto
Race: Dullahan (Fairy)
Gender: ♀
Age: 0
LV: 38
HP: 3930/3930
MP: 2789/3930
SP: 12
Physical Attack: 5322(+4929)
Magic Attack: 1263(+870)
Physical Defense: 408(+15)
Magic Defense: 406(+13)
Stamina: 393
Agility: 413(×1.05)
Intuition: 413(×1.05)
Spirit: 393
Fate: 393
Unique Skill: [Balance]
Racial Skill: [Carriage Summoning]
Common Skills: [Smithing] LvMAX / [Alchemy] LvMAX / [Compounding] LvMAX / [Appraisal] LvMAX / [Storage] LvMAX / [Fire Magic] LvMAX / [Water Magic] LvMAX / [Wind Magic] LvMAX / [Earth Magic] LvMAX / [Light Magic] LvMAX / [Dark Magic] LvMAX / [Cooking] LvMAX / [Yamamoto Style] LvMAX / [Mining] LvMAX / [Gathering] LvMAX / [Crafting] LvMAX / [Leatherworking] LvMAX / [Woodworking] LvMAX / [Metalwork] LvMAX / [Sculpting] LvMAX / [Fishing] LvMAX / [Tracking] LvMAX / [Escape] LvMAX / [Magic Steel Refining] LvMAX / [Divine Artifact Creation] LvMAX / [Invisibility] LvMAX / [Concealment] LvMAX / [Mana Manipulation] LvMAX / [Magic Armor] LvMAX / [Status Resistance] LvMAX / [Thought Acceleration] LvMAX / [Parallel Thinking] LvMAX / [Observation] LvMAX / [Foresight] LvMAX / [Intermediate Smithing] Lv1 / [Intermediate Alchemy] Lv1 / [Intermediate Compounding] Lv1 / [Fire Sorcery] Lv1 / [Water Sorcery] Lv1 / [Wind Sorcery] Lv1 / [Earth Sorcery] Lv1 / [Light Sorcery] Lv1 / [Dark Sorcery] Lv1 / [Spatial Magic] Lv1 / [Motion Acceleration] Lv1 / [Status Immunity] Lv1 / [Magic Plate] Lv1
All those Lv1 skills are intermediate skills, you know.
I thought maybe [Balance] would kick in and max out all the skills, but it wasn’t that generous.
The experience tables for basic and intermediate skills are probably managed separately, so they’re likely recognized as different entities.
Still, being able to use level 10 magic from each basic magical discipline at this crucial moment could be a game-changer.
Now then, my troublesome squid friend!
Come at me!
I’ll reel you in in no time!