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Chapter 88

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Translator: Cryus　Editor: Weasalopes

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I’m starting to see a huge stone in the middle of a circular depression.
It looks like I’ve finally reached Fire Spirit Rock.
This area is already in the vicinity of the Area Portal.
There are some monsters behind me, but I really don’t feel like dealing with them.
I’ve already used up half of my MP after fighting so many battles at once. I have less than 30% of my MP right now.
I’m planning to take a long break to recover my MP.
And it’s already past noon.
I want to have some lunch.

「Let’s have some food first.」

「Agreed.」

Lambda is eating some Portable Food for lunch.
He eats really fast.
By the time I’ve prepared my food, he’s already finished half of his meal.

「Is there really a need to rush? I’m a little worried about my MP, so I kind of want to take a long break.」

「Mmg.」

「You don’t have to talk while eating.」

He’s even watering down his food.
Isn’t it unhealthy to eat food like that in real life?

He’s gulped down his food, and is now waiting for me to finish mine.
It looks like he’s observing my monster summons in the meantime.
He seems to be enjoying the sensation of poking Rig.
Does he like playing with paws too?
Maybe.

「Alright, let’s take a break.」

「When should we continue?」

「When I have about 60% of my MP.」

「Then is it okay if I log out for a while?」

「Of course.」

Lambda is taking a tent out of his《Item Box》and setting up camp.
I’m taking a look at Volff’s stats while watching Lambda do the work.

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Volff　Wolf Lv8
DEX　12
AGI　27
INT　12
STR　12
VIT　18
SPI　12

Skills
Bite　Dash　Threaten　Listen　Sense Danger　Pursue

Class Change List
Gray Wolf
White Wolf
Black Wolf

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There are 3 options available.
I have no idea which one is best though.
I hope there’s a summary that explains the details at the very least.
I’m staring at the words “Gray Wolf”.
Volff’s stats and skills changed when I did that.

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Volff　Wolf Lv8→Gray Wolf Lv1（New！）
DEX　12
AGI　29（↑2）
INT　12
STR　14（↑2）
VIT　20（↑2）
SPI　12

Skills
Bite　Dash　Threaten　Divine Hearing（New！）Sense Danger　Pursue　Night Vision（New！）Conceal（New！）

【Gray Wolf】Monster Summon　Battle Position: Ground
An advanced version of the Wolf. Mainly attacks by biting. Mostly gray fur, with white fur at the belly.
Slightly larger than the Wolf. Superior in terms of combat and scouting abilities.
Its natural ability to see in the dark has improved.

《Do you wish to conduct the Class Change?》
《Yes》《No》

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Wow.
That’s a 3 level increase in terms of stats.
And there are new and improved skills too.
Nice.
I’ll take a look at the other options first.

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Volff　Wolf Lv8→White WolfLv1（New！）
DEX　12
AGI　28（↑1）
INT　13（↑1）
STR　12
VIT　18
SPI　14（↑2）

Skills
Bite　Dash　Threaten　Listen　Sense Danger　Pursue　Element: Ice（New！）

【White Wolf】Monster Summon　Battle Position: Ground
An advanced version of the Wolf. Mainly attacks by biting, with an added Ice element. Has white fur.
A wolf that has adapted to the cold. Attacks with the Ice element.

《Do you wish to conduct the Class Change?》
《Yes》《No》

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This looks good too.
Its stat increases aren’t as good as the Gray Wolf, but it has ice elemental attacks.
And it has white fur.
Adele would probably be really happy about it.
But there’s one more option.
I’ll take a look.

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Volff　Wolf Lv8→Black Wolf Lv1（New！）
DEX　12
AGI　27
INT　14（↑2）
STR　13（↑1）
VIT　18
SPI　13（↑1）

Skills
Bite　Dash　Threaten　Listen　Sense Danger　Pursue　Element: Dark（New！）

【Black Wolf】Monster Summon　Battle Position: Ground
An advanced species of the Wolf. Mainly attacks by biting, with an added Dark element. Has black fur.
A wolf that has adapted to the night. Attacks with the Dark element.

《Do you wish to conduct the Class Change?》
《Yes》《No》

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This one has Dark elemental attacks.
Its name sounds kind of scary.

Anyway, I’ll save a screenshot of the stats and skills page of all 3 versions.
Now, I just have to choose.
Hmm…
All of them seem like good options.
It’s hard to ignore the boost in combat abilities, but I think the improved scouting skills are also important.
I should go with the safe choice.

I’ll go with the Gray Wolf.

I open the window for Gray Wolf and select the《Yes》option.
Volff’s fur has changed from dark reddish-brown to gray.
His belly fur remains white.
His fur is still scruffy, but it’s slightly softer now.
I’m patting Volff, who shows his comfort by growling gently.
It’s comfortable for me too.

「Keith, is it just me, or has your wolf’s fur changed in color?」

「It’s the same wolf. I’ve made him go through a Class Change just now.」

「I see, even monster summons can change jobs.」

「I guess that’s one more thing they have in common with players.」

Players can undergo Class Changes too, so it’s possible for monster summons too.
I wonder how it affects players.
I’m curious.
But I’m a Summoner.

「I’ve finished setting up camp. I’ll come back in about an hour.」

「Alright.」

Lambda gets into the tent and falls asleep in no time at all.
It’s the first time I’ve seen what it looks like when a player logs out of the game.
It just looks like he’s sleeping.
Isn’t it possible for someone to attack him if they wanted to?
Well, I guess they’ll incur a penalty for that.

I should do something in the meantime.
I’ll check my spells, and if I have more time, I’ll do some Woodworking.

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Resist Steam（Steam Magic）
Boil（Steam Magic）
Steam Shot（Steam Magic）
Resist Lava（Lava Magic）
Refine（Lava Magic）
Volcanic Shot（Melt Magic）
Resist Dust（Dust Magic）
Evaporate（Dust Magic）
Thermal Expansion（Dust Magic）

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I take out my broken Kaya Wood Rod and saw off the splintered parts while checking the spells.
I’m reading the description for all 3 Resist spells.
They’re all written in the same way.
Only the elements are different.
Moving on.

I’m looking up Steam Shot, Volcanic Shot, and Thermal Expansion now.
It’s a blast of steam, lava, and hot air respectively.
Steam Shot has a short range, but does a lot of damage.
Volcanic Shot has a short range too, but it does damage over time.
Thermal Expansion has a slightly shorter range than Wind Cutter, but is easier to use.
Its extremely high accuracy seems to be its selling point.
It’s a spell that heats and expands the air in a target area and causes damage.
That sounds scary.

The last 3 spells should be the beneficial ones.
Boil causes the water in a container to boil all at once.
It’s like an instant water boiler.
It seems to work on whatever liquid the user wants to boil.

Refine is a spell that gets rid of impurities in a metal.
This’ll be convenient.
I’ll use it to make ingots.

Evaporate is a confusing one.
It’s a decompression spell.
It causes the volatile components in a liquid to evaporate as a result.
Can I mummify monsters with this spell?
I get the feeling it’s going to be useful somehow. I just don’t know what exactly.
Well, I guess I’ll figure it out eventually.

The broken Kaya Wood Rod has turned into Kaya Wood Drumsticks.
I’ll【Appraise】it.

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【Weapon: Staff】Kaya Wood Drumsticks　Grade C　Rarity 2
AP+1　M・AP+2　Power 2　Weight 0+　Durability 60
A weapon that can be used to deal physical damage or cast spells.
Easy to handle due to its moderately elastic form and slip resistant grip.
An item with a beautiful texture.
Can be used to play percussion instruments.

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Good.
But I’m not done yet.

I’m carving a hole in the front tip.
It’s a triangular hole.
But I’ve made the corners round instead of sharp.
I’m adding some assembly wood to the opposite end.
There are some items I want to use.

I’ll insert an Enraged Crane Beak into the triangular hole.
And on the other side, I’m going to insert the Snow Leopard Claws.
That’s what I’m planning to do.

What I’m trying to make is an imitation ice axe.
From the shape, it’ll look like a miniature pickaxe used in construction sites.
In Japanese, the word for pickaxe is written as “crane beak”, so I’m having a little fun with it.
But that’ll make it extremely light.
I don’t know how it’ll turn out until I make it.
And I won’t know how well it’ll work.

The Snow Leopard Claws that’ll go on the other side are meant to be a replacement for the bottom end of a pickaxe.
Since I have 3 push daggers, I don’t mind using 1 of them.

I’m taking an Enraged Crane Beak and a Snow Leopard Push Dagger.
I’m adjusting the holes to match the sizes of the items.
I’m scraping off some spare wood to use as a fastening wedge.

All I have to do now is to use a glue to secure everything together.
I should leave it to dry for a day.

Next.
I’m scraping a Hornbeam Branch I collected earlier.
I’m trying to make a practice weapon.
Specifically, a wooden sword.
I’m making a standard sized sword as well as a dagger-sized wooden sword from a single Hornbeam Branch.
I only need 15 minutes to finish making them.
Production Skills really are amazing.

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【Weapon: Sword】Hornbeam Wooden Sword　Grade C-　Rarity 2
AP+2　M・AP+1　Power 3　Weight 1+　Durability 70
A wooden sword made from Hornbeam Branches. For practice use.

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【Weapon: Shortsword】Hornbeam Wooden Shortsword　Grade C-　Rarity 2
AP+1　M・AP+1　Power 2　Weight 0+　Durability 50
A wooden shortsword made from Hornbeam Branches. For practice use.

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Huh.
It looks pretty good for an improvised weapon.
I’m making another set.
I have 2 wooden swords and 2 wooden shortswords now.
I guess I’m done with the preparations for now.

It’s starting to get enjoyable, so I’m going to make another one.
This time, I’m making a wooden katana and a wooden knife.

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【Weapon: Katana】Hornbeam Wooden Katana　Grade C-　Rarity 2
AP+3　M・AP+1　Power 2　Weight 1+　Durability 70
A wooden katana made from Hornbeam Branches. For practice use.

【Weapon: Knife】Hornbeam Wooden Knife　Grade C-　Rarity 2
AP+1　M・AP+1　Power 2　Weight 0+　Durability 50
A wooden dagger made from Hardwood Branches. For practice use.

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I forgot there were katanas in this game.
There were only a few players who used katanas in the Battle Tournament.
I guess it’s easier to use swords in that you could rely on the weight to deal damage.
You can’t do that with katanas.
To a certain degree, they’re harder to use if you’re not accustomed to them.
Even more so for players who only rely on their own skill.

It may be easy to rely on in-game skills, but I think you should use your own skill if you want to enjoy the game.
Even among the players I chat with, many of them share my opinion.

Honestly, I think bows, katanas, and stingers are hard to use.
As for the easiest, I’d say it would be the mace, club, and other similar weapons.

Oops.
It’s about time Lambda came back online.

「Sorry I’m late.」

「Nah, I think you’re right on time.」

I hand him a wooden shortsword.
I’m holding one in my hand.

「Go on and equip your armor and helmet. Let’s have a practice match. Don’t hold back.」

「Huh? Is this a sword?」

I’ll just give him an obligatory smile.
Also, it’s not really a sword.

「Aren’t we going to fight barehanded?」

「I just want to get a feel of your strength, that’s all.」

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10 minutes later…
He can’t even stand up straight.
He’s probably out of ideas as to how to fight me.
I know that feeling. I’ve been there before.

「Alright, I guess that’s it.」

Lambda still looks bewildered.
He doesn’t have to get so depressed.
It’s not like I’m doing this just to train him.
I just want to gauge his fighting ability, that’s all.

「Do you have skills related to shortswords and swords?」

「Nope, I don’t.」

「Huh?」

I’m not going to give him time to remain surprised.
I’ll move on to the next thing.

「There’s no time to stand around looking puzzled, alright? We’ll use wooden swords next. Do you need a shield?」

「No, this’ll do.」

He’s holding a wooden sword in his right hand.
The wooden shortsword is in his left hand.
He’s using a Dual Wield style.
With swords.

I’m going with only 1 wooden katana.
I raise it to eye level, parallel to the ground.
Alright, how’s it going to go?

10 minutes later…
Lambda is holding both swords loosely, standing still like a living statue.
He’s looking confused again.

「Why isn’t it working?」

「Hmm. I want to talk to you about that too. But first, let me ask you a question.

He’s strong.
Just as his stats indicate, he’s definitely stronger than me.
But I’m not afraid of him.
That’s because I’ve already read and predicted his movements.
It’s a fatal flaw for him.

But at the same time, I’ve found some of his strengths.
He’s definitely fast.
He has good balance. Even if his posture is broken, he won’t fall down easily.
He’s able to dash in any direction he wants to.
And his head stays in a stable position even when his posture is broken.

I wonder what sports he plays?

「Sports, you say? I’ve played soccer since I was young. I have no experience in martial arts.」

「Oh.」

That’s why.
I thought something was weird about his posture.
He’s slightly bowlegged.
Hardcore soccer players are more likely to become bowlegged.
And it’s only natural to be able to dash in any direction through prolonged practice.
Still, fighting bowlegged is going to put him at a disadvantage.
It’s important to correct his posture.

Even when standing normally, it should look like there’s a plant stalk going through your body.
In other words, it’s ideal to have your head, waist, and knees in a straight line.
When your head is in a stable position, it’s easier to observe your surroundings, and make better decisions much faster.

It’s best to stand straight in any martial arts.
I’ve been told that I have a good torso since I was young.
That’s not to say that a person with a strong torso is suited for martial arts.
In fact, my grandfather often says that training in martial arts will allow the practitioner’s torso to become well defined.

Yup.
His posture is good.
But he’s not doing too well in other areas.
He’s leaving too many openings when he uses his sword to swing, thrust, or even block.
But there’s hope for him.
His speed is enough to pose a threat.
He should use it to his advantage.

「Alright, I’ll say this first. It’s impossible to become strong in any martial arts in a single day. Do you understand?」

「Yes.」

「That’s why we’ll skip the entire process. I think the most important thing is to know what it is you want.」

「?」

「To get revenge. That’s your goal. After all, there’s no need to focus your efforts on something you can’t accomplish in a short time.」

「I see.」

「You’re already strong with a sword and a shortsword. That’s enough to defeat PK players. But that’s not all you want, right?」

「Right.」

「You want to improve your close combat skills, correct?」

「Exactly.」

Good.
Well, I understand where he’s coming from.

「And you’re an amateur in martial arts. That means you need to narrow down the skills that you want to learn.」

「Huh?」

「If you want to make your enemies suffer for a long time before defeating them, then there aren’t that many options to choose from.」

Lambda is looking at me with expectation.

「Sleeper holds will do the trick.」

「Huh?」

Sleeper holds.
It looks simple, especially if you watch pro wrestling.
Indeed, it’s boring to watch a couple of wrestlers trying to use a sleeper hold on each other.
But…
It’s actually quite scary.
I’ve suffered it so many times, I’ve even gotten used to it.

But I think this technique is pretty useful in this game.
Lambda could render his opponents unconscious just by pushing on their carotid artery.
If he’s trying to choke them, he could also deal continuous damage at the same time.
In the case of the latter, he could cast a healing spell on his opponents while strangling them to increase their suffering.
It’s ideal to cast Dark Heal on them.
Choking them also serves to hinder their spellcasting.
The Battle Tournament served as proof.

But there’s a flaw too.
It’s not a guarantee that he’ll be fighting 1v1 every time.
If he’s dealing with multiple PK players, it’ll be quite risky.
He should only use it when there’s only one opponent left standing.

「When it comes to that, I’d recommend picking up a few skills.」

「That’s what I wanted to discuss with you as well.」

He seems concerned about that,
He has a lot of Bonus Points saved up.

He’s sent me a message consisting his Skill Sets, as well as a list of skills that he can learn.
He’s learning and activating a few skills as we’re going on with the discussion.
I wonder.
Even though it’s not my own skills, it’s kind of fun to discuss stuff like this.

Here’s what Lambda’s Skill Sets look like now.

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Player Name　Omega
Race　Human　Male　Racial Lv8
Job　Avenger Lv2
Bonus Points Remaining 11

Skill Sets
Shortsword Lv6　Sword Lv4　Buckler Lv6　Punch Lv1（New！）Kick Lv1（New！）
Evade Lv7　Block Lv6
Light Magic Lv5　Dark Magic Lv1　Water Magic Lv5
Cooperation Lv4　Appraise Lv6　Identify Lv6　Discern Lv5
Precise Manipulation Lv5　Dual Wield Lv4　Disassembly Lv5　Throw Object Lv5
Trap Lv3　Safeguard Lv3　Grab Lv1（New！）
Camouflage Lv3　Disguise Lv3　Hide Lv3　Pursue Lv2　Torture Lv1（New！）
Silent Casting Lv3　Detect Presence Lv3
[Obtained from Vow of Vengeance]
Identify Karma Lv3　Manipulate Settings Lv3　Manipulate Status Lv1
Seal Abilities Lv2　Curse Lv1

Equipment　Cast-Iron Knife ×2　Rabbit Leather Armor　Leather Boots
Rucksack　Item Box

Items　Survival Knife

Titles　Guardian of the Forest, Man of Order
Sworn Avenger

Stats
DEX　20（+6）
AGI　22（+7）
INT　15（+5）
STR　17（+5）
VIT　16（+5）
SPI　15（+5）
Karma　950　Lower Limit 350, Upper Limit 3,500

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I obtained Lambda’s permission before checking his stats.
I stand corrected.
He’s a monster.

I suggested the【Punch】,【Kick】, and【Grab】skills because of his fighting style.
And he really wanted the skills himself.
He wants to pick up the【Joint Lock】and【Throw】skills eventually.
In fact, they aren’t available to him yet.
I’m sure that with practice and experience, he’ll be able to unlock the skills.

He’s also learned the【Torture】skill.
Putting it simply, it’s a support skill that allows the user to inflict more pain to the victim than the damage would normally cause.
That’s really scary.
Seriously, what are the game devs thinking?
This is too much.

It’s a Support Skill that I can learn too.
But I’m not going to touch it.
It’s not like I’m actively hunting PK players like he is.
It’s useless to me anyway, since I don’t have any skills that allow me to manipulate the Pain settings of other players.

「Alright, let’s put your skills to the test.」

「Huh?」

「To put it more clearly, you’ll be practicing sleeper holds. I think I know just the perfect opponent for that.」

Practice makes perfect, as they say.
I guess I’ll start teaching him how to perform a sleeper hold while we’re hunting monsters.
In any case, it’s going to be easier to demonstrate the basics.

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Protagonist　Keith
Race　Human　Male　Racial Lv10
Job　Summoner Lv10
Bonus Points Remaining 8

Skill Sets
Staff Lv8　Punch Lv5　Kick Lv5　Joint Lock Lv5　Throw Lv4
Evade Lv5　Block Lv5　Summon Magic Lv10　Spacetime Magic Lv3
Light Magic Lv5　Wind Magic Lv5　Earth Magic Lv5　Water Magic Lv5
Fire Magic Lv5　Dark Magic Lv5　Ice Magic Lv3　Lightning Magic Lv3
Tree Magic Lv3　Dust Magic Lv3　Lava Magic Lv3　Steam Magic Lv3
Alchemy Lv5　Pharmacy Lv4　Glassmaking Lv3　Woodworking Lv4
Synergy Lv8　Appraise Lv6　Identify Lv7　Discern Lv3　Cold Resistance Lv3
Grab Lv6　Horsemanship Lv6　Precise Manipulation Lv7　Jump Lv3
Heat Resistance Lv4　Climb Lv3　Dual Wield Lv5　Disassembly Lv2
Physical Fortification Lv3　Mental Fortification Lv4　Speedcasting Lv5

Equipment　Kaya Wood Rod ×1　Kaya Wood Tonfas ×2　Snow Leopard Push Daggers ×2
Silver Necklace+
Wild Horse Leather Armor+　Snow Ape Armguard　Wild Horse Boots+
Snow Ape Leather Helmet　Rabid Horse Belt+　Rucksack　Item Box ×2

Items　Survival Knife　Woodworking Toolkit

Titles　Old Summoner’s Pupil, Guardian of the Forest, Man of the Middle Path
Spell Archive

Monster Summons
Volff　Wolf Lv8→Gray Wolf Lv1（New！）
DEX　12
AGI　29（↑2）
INT　12
STR　14（↑2）
VIT　20（↑2）
SPI　12
Skills
Bite　Dash　Threaten　Divine Hearing（New！）Sense Danger　Pursue
Night Vision（New！）Conceal（New！）
Zangetsu　Horse Lv5
Helix　Hawk Lv5
Obsidian　Owl Lv5
Jean　Bat Lv5
Jericho　Wood Golem Lv4
Goki　Demon Lv4
Senki　Beast Ape Lv4
Rig　Slime Lv4
Bunraku　Wood Puppet Lv2

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