Two more days passed before Victor finally regained usage of Luzuzal’s Delusion and could speak normally. Every day he maximized his exercise and on the day before it recovered he received an achievement along with Serena.

  Achievement Big Damage: Deal 1,000,000 damage life time. Gain 50 Stat points.

  He realized he needed to allocate it and decided to go to Swordie for help. He asked Swordie in his room. “Swordie I want to ask an honest question. Is increasing my flow more a foolish choice?”

  “Sir increasing your flow would have the effect of making your baseline stats better since it would increase the sustained spells you can activate to 4 at tier spells with mana regeneration left over.” Swordie noted.

  “Is that the right choice?” Victor pressed.

  “It provides you with solid stats. Your skill set will be narrow with a single defensive option, 2 offensive options, and 1 utility option in magic hands.” Victor noted.

  “That was your recommendation a while ago. Is it still?” He asked.

  Swordie began a long explanation. “Yes, however I would recommend purchasing a few skills. Staunch would be a strong choice to cover your extreme weakness to bleeding. Charge would also be an effective skill to close the gap for you. Precise strike would allow you to gain additional damage for targeting weak points on a creature. I’d also recommend improving your Magic Writing to rank 2 as one day you’ll encounter a slave which you cannot free because the rank of the person who enslaved them is too high.”

  Staunch Rank 1

  Rarity: Uncommon

  Requirements: 15 vitality, Fighter 1 or Rogue 21, Cost 1 stat point

  Passive Skill

  Reduces bleeding damage by 50%. Profuse bleeding frequency and damage reduced by 50%.

  Charge Rank 1

  Rarity: Common

  Requirements: Strength 15, Speed 10, Fighter 1 or Rogue 10, Cost 2 Stat points

  Active Skill

  Stamina Cost: Variable based on distance.

  Greatly improves speed and damage of one strike at a high stamina cost. Buff is lost if you start running away from the target.

  Precise Strike Rank 1

  Rarity: Common

  Requirements: Speed 20, Rogue 1, Fighter 21, Cost 2 Stat points

  Active Skill: Automatic

  Stamina Cost: 2

  Precise strike activates automatically when you hit a weak point hitting stamina is automatically consumed to do additional damage based on prowess.

  “It’s 6 points for magic writing I see. It would be 6 points to purchase and upgrade either charge or precise strike along with 1 point for staunch. So 13 points. That still leaves me with 37 points. I’m inclined to maximize flow once again if you don’t think I’m making a huge mistake.” He waited hoping Swordie would tell him that is fine.

  Swordie cautiously agreed with his thought. “Sir. Your current stats allow for you to maintain approximately 2 boosts indefinitely. Normally I wouldn’t recommend doing this but maximizing your flow, if you refuse to abandon the curse of that abomination is a reasonable choice. The alternatives would be increasing either your vitality or willpower. Your Strength, Endurance, and Speed are all increasing rapidly with your exercise and if you maintain them for more than 100 days above 100 they’ll lock those stat gains in. If you do this make sure Emilie knows you cannot receive more than 1 boost skill from her or you will begin to take damage.”

  “I vaguely remember something like that. Wasn’t it a limit of 5 boost spells?” Victor asked.

  “Correct sir. Other general options include elemental resistance skills and elemental weapon enhancements . However those skills are far worse prior to tier 3 enhancements.” Swordie noted.

  “Swordie am I embarking on the right way to become stronger fast?” Victor practically collapsed his shoulders completely unconfident in his choice.

  “Sir, in this world elves are considered the most powerful race of so called mortals despite their eternal life. They aren’t powerful because they live forever, thought it doesn’t hurt. They are powerful because their enclaves force every elf born into the enclave to gain a significant amount of achievement points meaning a level 10 elf might have as many skill points as a level 25 human.” Swordie pointedly added.

  “So effectively achievements are an alternative leveling method.” Victor noted.

  “No. Some specialization skills and most skill ranks are associated with level. Skills also most commonly double in strength between tiers. Someone with 100 strength using the strike skill at rank 1 will do half the damage of someone using the strike skill at rank 2 before mitigation from endurance, armor and other factors is resolved.” Swordie noted. “While in effect due to the math behind damage reduction it doesn’t fully double the effect an elf with strike 2 and 200 strength is not likely more powerful than someone with 120 strength and strike rank 3. The same could be said of prowess and your Jolt skill.”

  “Wait my specialization doesn’t let me exceed my rank for skills. That seems like a huge weakness!” Victor protested.

  Victor tried to calm him. “It is sir. However as you will note sir your strength and prowess are currently less than half the value of your boost skills. To put it bluntly your skills are weaker and your stats are higher. This is why for the options you selected I generally recommend not spreading your skills or spells wide and instead focusing on raw stat boosts. At level 21 acquiring the skill Improved Mana Regeneration: Geyser will greatly improve your ability to sustain yourself in combat during critical moments. Furthermore Improved Boost spells will greatly increase your effective stats or reduce the mana cost of the boost skills further. You made your choice of build and it works well. However it is significantly weaker at low levels than at higher ones where being able to maintain multiple sustained spells is truly a mind boggling feat in these lands.”

  “Oh I understand way better now. That actually sounds better anyway because speed, strength, and vitality all have uses generically outside of specific skills. So boosting skills is a huge benefit if my damage doesn’t suffer too much.” Victor seemed to improve his attitude.

  “Additionally most items have skills of a set rank. If you acquire an item with a higher rank skill you can use it will use your stat to activate it. You are exceptionally equipped to use such an item.” Swordie proudly noted. “What would you like to do with your stat points sir?”

  “I want precise Magic Writing rank 2, Precise Strike rank 2, staunch rank 1, and the rest into flow. Charge at least right now doesn’t really feel like I’d use it as much.” Victor shrugged. “Might be good later though.”

  Swordie brought up his sheet. “Sir please confirm these changes. Bearing in mind you cannot take precise strike to rank 2 for the time being until you reach a higher level since it requires rogue 11.”

  Selected Title: Angelic Knight

  Race Human: Victor Vance Vogal

  Class, Specialization : Mage 9, Spellsword 5

  Level: 14

  Base Health : 190

  Stamina: 54

  Mana: 15

  Vitality : 19

  Speed : 69

  Strength : 32

  Prowess : 37

  Endurance : 54

  Rigor : 2

  Willpower : 17

  Flow : 158 (+70%)

  Luck : -60

  Resistance : 50% Resistance to mind control and manipulation.

  Title: Angelic Knight

  Skills: Speed Reading Rank 2, Academic Rank 2, Familiar Rank 2, Speechless Spellcasting Rank 2, Improved Buffs Rank 2, Rogue Skills Rank 2, Fighter Skills Rank 2, Precise Strike Rank 1 , Staunch Rank 1

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Hidden Skills: Memory Retention , Luzuzal’s Delusion Rank 5 , Luzuzal’s Devout Rank 2, Luzuzal’s Promise Rank 7,

  Spells: Barrier Shield Rank 2, Magic Hands Rank 2, Jolt Rank 2, Frost Bolt Rank 2, Speed Boost Rank 2, Vitality Boost Rank 2, Rigor Boost Rank 2, Prowess Boost Rank 2, Magic Writing Rank 2

  Current Exp to Level 15 3.2%

  “Wow that is a lot of stats from exercise. Confirmed. Let’s go get some breakfast.” Victor snapped Swordie shut.

  “Unfortunately this form lacks a digestive system.” Swordie noted.

  “Fine. It’s time for me to go get some breakfast.” Victor sighed.

  Victor emerged into the central hall. All of the sick had finally emptied out of it leaving only the guild members and Irina sitting around a large round table. “Little late to get up today.” Forala noted.

  “I got up way earlier. I was discussing the Big Damage achievement with Swordie. I can now sustain my four boost skills in combat. He silently activated Vitality boost and Speed boost. “Speaking of which Emilie I can only be buffed by one of your skills at a time or I will take damage.”

  “Isn’t the normal flow regeneration rate something like 1 mana per second for 100 flow approximately? How do you have 400 flow?” Emilie leaned forward over her eggs.

  Victor realized he had only been activating them at rank 1. “Oh I’m stupid. Most of this time I’ve been accidentally activating them at rank 1. Not rank 2.”

  Emilie blinked at him and leaned forward concerned. “You activate skills at the rank you last activated them at unless you think about changing it. Why would you be activating it at lower level?”

  Serena spoke up. “I noticed it when we were chasing after that assassin. If you activate your skills after that Fair Fight skill you get the rank 1 version of your skill unless you specifically swap back. You should try swapping back.”

  Victor activated 3 rank 2 boosts and noticed his mana slowly decline. “That is annoying but does make a lot more sense since I don’t have the skill level I used last. I’m glad I swapped before some life or death situation where it would have actually made a difference.” His sarcasm dripped down like rain off the roof.

  “Don’t worry sir it would have been a valuable lesson if it killed you.” Swordie proclaimed to laughter from the table.

  Victor sighed and Cawthorn cut him off. “BOOK NEEDS TO BE NICER!”

  “I’m sorry what?” Victor looked to Cawthorn how looked at him with determined confusion.

  “Did the accursed familiar just address me?” Swordie glowed irritated.

  “LEAVE MY MAGE ALONE IF YOU AREN’T BEING NICE!” Cawthorn crowed at Swordie.

  “I’m almost speechless.” Swordie stopped.

  “Me too Swordie.” Victor looked at Cawthorn with immense respect before turning to the rest of them. “Today we depart to the necropolis. Before we go I uh have a confession. I need to buy a sword. Zolvorn broke mine a while ago and I never got it replaced.”

  “You seriously haven’t bought one yet?” Serena looked at him with more disappointment than his mother when he failed Spanish class.

  “Sorry. I just never had a chance.” Victor noted.

  She stood up. “Emilie how much gold did you make healing them?”

  Emilie panicked. “What? Why?”

  “He’ll probably need a loan to afford a magic weapon. We might need it in the necropolis.” Serena stood up.

  “No! That’s my money I was going to use it to buy an artifact before we go.” Emilie protested.

  Victor put his hand up. “I’m just going to buy an elven rapier if one is available or a well made rapier. I don’t need a magic weapon if it would take her money.”

  “Your stats will be highest in the group. Giving you a magic weapon will vastly increase our chances of survival. It’s the most logical choice.” Serena insisted.

  Emilie whined. “This is why I hate spellblades! They always take all the resources in the group because they have high stats. I hate that you are right! It’s so unfair.”

  “I refuse to take her money. How much money could she even have from yesterday anyway?” Victor asked confused.

  “I made nearly 600 gold over the past 3 days from donations. About 30 people required a pure heal and unfortunately now the whole city now knows I have Instant Spellcasting for Pure Heal.” She sighed.

  Serena put her hands on her hips. “What were you even going to buy?”

  “I was going to buy a Full Flow Ring Rank 1 . If I fall below 50% mana it activates giving me 1 mana per second for a minute with a Cooldown of 30 minutes.” She slumped her shoulders. “It would let me keep up an additional spell in dangerous moments.”

  Forala looked at her. “It’s your gold, but is that the strongest your group can be?”

  “No.” She answered sullenly.

  “I don’t want to take her gold, I’d feel bad.” Victor put up his hands for them to hold up.

  Forala turned to him. “I’d never advocate she merely give you the gold. Robbing one guild member to pay another isn’t fair. Would a 10% fee be fair? You loan him 500 or 600 gold and he owes you 550 or 660?”

  Emilie put one finger to her cheek. “I guess that doesn’t sound SO bad. It’ll be forever before he repays it too so I can hold it over him.”

  Victor put his hands up and motioned ‘no’ with his hands. “No way. I don’t want to be indebted to anyone. If I owe money to someone they may as well own me if I can’t pay it.”

  Emilie seemed almost offended. “What? No! It’s not like I can collect by force. I’m relying on you to actually honor the deal.”

  Forala shook her head. “I’d make him pay you. Guild members have to honor their deals.”

  “See. I’d owe you for a long time and it would make you weaker.” Victor protested.

  Emilie sighed slumping forward. “A weapon for our best damage dealer is more effective than more mana on me.”

  Serena seemed almost offended. “I’m our best damage dealer. Victor gains the most from a magic item.”

  Brice sipped his drink. “I’m a good damage dealer.”

  Serena turned to him. “Your damage wouldn’t be improved much without a high tier staff or wand. Victor having rare artifact even a lower level one would significantly increase our chances of success and survival.”

  Emilie stretched out across the table. “It’ll be months before he can pay me back though.”

  Victor protested again. “I don’t think it’s right to do this. I do not want to do this. It feels like discriminating based on our classes.”

  Emilie shouted. “IT IS! I don’t want to give up my hard earned gold even though it would be better for the group.”

  Serena looked at Victor. “If we die it might literally be because your weapon wasn’t strong enough. Unless Swordie can turn into a sword to help you we should do this.”

  “I refuse. This is wrong. Even if there is a chance this specific case would work out it’s wrong to do this.”Victor put his hands up.

  Forala leaned forward head in hand. “Now this is interesting. I am unclear how to handle this. It’s possible it doesn’t matter or it might be a matter of life or death.”

  “There’s nothing to handle, she doesn’t want to give me the gold and I don’t want to take it.” Victor insisted.

  Serena irritated started. “You have terrible self preservation instincts. Let me try explaining this to you more clearly. If a massive skeleton leapt toward me ready to take off my head because your damage wasn’t enough to crush it or pierce it’s skull and I died what would you think about this conversation? Would you remember it after I’m gone?”

  Victor paused and briefly flashed back. “Okay. I see your point.”

  Forala snapped her finger. “Oh I have a great idea. Instead of Emilie loaning you the money, the guild will. Half of your income will go to your debt until you pay it off. Emilie can then deposit her money if she doesn’t need it and I’ll pay her 5% on it.”

  Victor glared at her. “That’s a bank. You’ve just invented banking. We are literally in a bank and you reinvented banking.”

  Swordie noted. “Even I couldn’t say it better sir Victor.”

  Serena nodded noting. “It would be an elegant solution though. Almost no bank will lend to adventurers since they are likely to skip out with the money or die. We could effectively be a bank for our guild members.”

  Forala pointed to her. “It’s a good idea. We could keep our fees low by lending money which would keep them alive longer.”

  Jenora grimly added. “If a party dies though we’d have to send someone to retrieve their equipment and repossess it for the guild. Otherwise every single death would be a massive loss for the guild.”

  Everyone paused before Forala spoke up. “Eventually that may be the case but the guild will become stronger long term doing that. Eventually a guild member will die. I know that. I will personally deal with the matter when the time comes.”

  Victor scratched his head. “Well I don’t feel that bad about borrowing money that would save someone else, especially if Emilie doesn’t have to go without her money.”

  Emilie perked up. “I knew I could count on you!”

  “I feel wrong taking someone else’s money. Just feels wrong.” Victor shook his head and turned to Forala. “I’ll find the item and then come back for the loan amount. I will need some assistance finding the best weapon for the price. Could someone accompany me? I’m likely to get ripped off on my own.”

  Serena, Jenora and Emilie all laughed. “That’s for sure!”

  Brice sipped his drink. “I can come along. I’m good at spotting high quality magic runes.”

  Victor motioned ‘come on’ and smiled. “The more the merrier.”

  Forala stood up. “I’ll come too. Irina you watch the guild hall.”

  Irina saluted Forala. “You can count on me boss.”

  Swordie noted. “I am a bit of a sword snob.”

  Victor laughed. “You’re invited as well. Would you like to sign off on it?”

  Swordie proudly insisted. “I must assure the quality of your training sword after all!” Victor chuckled as the group walked out into the damaged city toward the armory in the center of town.