"Status."
[Name]: Bastion Diamondhart
[Age]: 25
[Class]: Diamond Knight (Rank 3)
[Ability]: Diamond Body
[Rank]: Apprentice (Rank Up Available)
[Level]: 100(120)
[Health]: 115/115
[Mana]: 115/115
[Strength]: 100
[Dexterity]: 100
[Vitality]: 115
[Intelligence]: 100
[Wisdom]: 115
[Charm]: 60
[Intuition]: 200
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Earth Magic 3, Light Magic 3, Shield 3, Smithing 3, Sword 3, Whip 3, Unarmed 3, Heavy Armor 3, Fire Magic 3, Water Magic 3, Dark Magic 3, Wind Magic 3, Riding 3, Enchanting 3, Summoning 2, Cannon 2, Taming 1, Cooking 1, Traps 1
[Skills]: Shield Bash 3, Block 3, Charge 3, Reinforce 3, Amplify 3, Slash 3, Parry 3, Taunt 3, Stab 3, Smash 3, Dodge 3, Dash 3, Jump 3, Summon Familiar(Zephy) 3, Diamond Armor 3, Diamond Edge 3, Diamond Shrapnel 3, Diamond Rain 3, Diamond Steed 3, Tame 1
[Skill Points]: 75
"Looks pretty good," Bastion said, glancing at his status screen.
He had gained 20 levels in total after massacring nearly a million assorted creatures. The relatively modest increase was due to the soldiers sharing in the experience gain. No doubt they were thrilled with the huge boost.
For his attributes, he still favored Vitality and Wisdom, planning to invest all future points into them after his rank up, since he could rely on Reinforce and Amplify to cover the others.
His Intuition saw an unprecedented increase, reaching 190 after the defeat of the Demon Lord. This suggested that Intuition was somehow tied to his fate.
The remaining 10 points came from fending off the stampede, hinting that fate might be at work. It was likely he would encounter a hero or kingdom-level threat if he investigated the source of the stampede.
Gradually, he began to form a clearer understanding of what this mysterious attribute was truly for.
Moving on to his arts, Cannon had increased thanks to the stampede. Riding and Enchanting had also improved due to the significant time he could now dedicate to training, freed from the burden of paperwork.
Finally, all skills except Tame had reached level 3 through continuous practice, a total of over 9 skills brought to their current maximum in just half a year. An impressive achievement.
Once he finished checking his status one last time, he nodded to Seraphina beside him.
"Are you sure about this, Bastion?" she asked, staring down at him strapped to the table.
"Yes. I don't have an emergency backup like you did with Phoenix Mage, so I need a guaranteed option just in case. Besides, removing it afterwards shouldn't be a problem."
"Fine, have it your way," Seraphina said, nodding at Elyra.
Elyra drew her knife and carefully cut into Bastion's chest as if performing an operation. She placed a Rank 2 space stone into his chest cavity, then closed the wounds.
Lilia stepped forward and used Mystic Mend to seal the cuts, leaving a visible bulge where the space stone rested.
"It's done," Seraphina said.
"Wish me luck," Bastion said, before activating his rank up.
Bastion delved deep into his soul, entering the familiar desert with sunlight blazing overhead and hot golden sand stretching endlessly beneath him.
A blue, semi-transparent screen materialized, displaying his options. At the very top was a curious name for a class that gave Bastion an uneasy feeling.
Rank 4: Diamond Golem Knight
Rank 3: Shield Knight
Rank 2: Armory Knight
Rank 2: Magic Engineer
Rank 2: Golem Crafter
He glanced through the rest of the list and felt disappointment. Apart from Shield Knight which might be interesting, he didn't even bother examining the others closely.
Armory Knight was essentially the knight equivalent of a class focused on storage, the class he had obtained by inserting a Rank 2 space stone into his chest as a backup.
Magic Engineer and Golem Crafter offered skills that could streamline the building process, but Bastion already had golems to handle most of that work, making the class largely redundant. As long as he was capable of constructing something on his own, these classes would only speed up the process without providing any truly unique benefits.
So, he focused on his ominously named reward and hoped for the best.
[Diamond Golem]: Permanently transforms the user's body entirely into diamond, granting immunity to magical damage and bodily status effects. Reflects a portion of damage back to attackers while boosting physical attack and earth-based spell power each time it activates. Increases health, stamina, and mana regeneration.
[Diamond Prison]: Emits an aura that gradually encases enemies within its radius in razor-sharp diamonds. Enemies caught in the aura are slowed and take damage over time as the shards cut into them. The longer they remain within the aura, the more their movement and attack speed are reduced.
[Diamond Fortress]: Raises a diamond castle from the ground, forming walls, towers, and battlements to protect the user and allies. The structure can absorb damage, reflect a portion of physical attacks back at enemies, and provide elevated vantage points for ranged attacks. Allies within the castle gain increased defense and stamina regeneration.
[Diamond Legionnaire]: Summons a customizable diamond golem that can be equipped as a swords-and-shield warrior, a bow-wielding archer, a cavalry lancer on a diamond warhorse, or a halberd-wielding vanguard. The golem's form and weapon adapt to the user's command, dealing specialized damage and providing tactical support.
[Diamond Step]: Instantly teleport to any previously marked diamond within sight or memory. Can be used consecutively for rapid movement across the battlefield or terrain.
[Diamond Golem Contract]: Forms a bond with a personal diamond golem companion. The golem aids in battle, offering support through earth-based attacks or passive defense boosts.
"It's perfect," Bastion exclaimed, then sighed in resignation. "Except for that one tiny detail at the start."
This class was essentially a race change, transforming Bastion into a diamond golem. He would become a being even more difficult to kill than a dragon and comparable only to titans or very old giants.
Unfortunately, he had no idea what such a transformation would do to his humanity. Would he still think the same way? Would he still feel a woman's touch? Would he be able to have children? Were there spells capable of reversing or altering such a change? He didn't know, and that uncertainty made the risk unacceptable.
Perhaps in the future, after learning more about diamond golems and discovering spells that could restore or preserve human traits, he might consider taking this class. But for his Rank 1 rank up, he would have to firmly pass.
"Also, Diamond Legionnaire will consume an enormous amount of mana and won't be particularly necessary once I can create more golems on my own," he said, trying to convince himself and ease the frustration of potentially wasting such a powerful reward.
He looked at the image on the left side and found he had turned fully crystalline, unlike with Diamond Knight wherein only his hair had changed.
He sighed in disappointment before returning to his options and selecting Shield Knight. Hopefully, it wasn't as simple as it sounded.
[Ironwall Stance]: Passively increases the durability of the user's shield, allowing it to block a higher percentage of incoming damage. Increases knockback resistance, stamina, and stamina regeneration.
[Shield Wall]: Conjures a solid barrier formed from multiple spectral replicas of the user's own shield, creating an impenetrable wall that blocks enemy advances and attacks.
[Shield Ward]: Conjures individual spectral shields for the user and each nearby ally, each one a perfect replica of the user's own shield. These spectral shields block the next instance of damage their bearer would take, then shatter. Shields dissipate if not triggered within a short duration.
[Shield Throw]: Throws the shield at an enemy, dealing moderate damage and briefly stunning them. The shield returns magically to the user's hand.
[Reflective Block]: Perfectly times a block to completely negate an incoming attack and reflect all of the damage back at the attacker.
[Cover Move]: Instantly teleports to a targeted ally and interposes yourself between them and the nearest incoming attack, raising your shield to block the damage.
It was truly as simple as it sounded. The class would significantly increase the party's survivability, but it wasn't particularly impressive overall.
The skills could easily be purchased from the Mages' Guild once he reached Rank 3. Granted, the increased blocked damage and higher knockback resistance were nice perks, but they still didn't justify taking the class in Bastion's opinion. It wasn't even good enough as a backup option for him.
With a sigh, he turned to his backup option and read through the skills he would receive. Hopefully, it would prove more useful than merely allowing him to swap armors and weapons.
[Space Node]: Creates a localized spatial anchor that enables storage skills, stabilizes the surrounding space, and reduces the mana cost of space-related skills.
[Inventory]: Grants access to a personal storage interface, allowing the user to view, sort, and retrieve items instantly without physical access.
[Armor Slot]: Unlocks an additional saved armor configuration, allowing instant swapping between sets without opening the storage interface.
[Weapon Slot]: Unlocks an additional saved weapon configuration, enabling instant switching between weapon sets without opening the storage interface.
[Quick Slot]: Unlocks additional quick-access slots for consumables, gadgets, or utility tools, allowing immediate use without opening the storage interface.
[Facility Slot]: Unlocks a configurable facility slot, allowing the user to store and instantly deploy functional spaces from storage.
"Now this is what I'm talking about," Bastion exclaimed.
The ability allowed the user to store items, defend against hostile spatial interference, and enhance other space-related abilities.
The Inventory worked through an interface similar to the status panel. Instead of fixed slots, it offered a cubic storage space that expanded exponentially with skill level.
Slots operated independently from the inventory, allowing even more items to be carried. Armor and weapon slots swapped the current equipment with those stored, doing so instantly by exchanging space rather than physically moving the gear.
Quick slots were more than simple item holders. They could activate the stored item directly, such as injecting a health potion's contents into the user while the empty bottle was sent to inventory. This let Bastion use items without removing his armor. The drawback was one slot per skill level, and items did not stack, so infinite healing was impossible.
The Facility Slot was the skill Bastion valued most. It allowed an entire room, with all its equipment, to be stored and deployed anywhere. The skill swapped the space itself, not just the contents, making it perfect for bringing his forge on the road. There were limits, of course, but it was more than enough for practical use.
"It's a good thing I prepared this backup, or I wouldn't be able to have sex anymore," Bastion said, before accepting the rank-up and finalizing his choice.
Unfortunately, instead of waking outside, he was hurled directly into another dread filled dream.
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