I just gained something extraordinary and learned something extraordinary.
I was initially disappointed I didn't get Tony's Weapon Designer Skill, and that part looks like it's completely random. And on that point, if I encounter a major player in the MCU, it looks like I'll get a Skill out of it. Does it work with minor characters too? I'm not sure, but that's a great thing to have. I can definitely see myself getting much, much stronger with this.
But to my other point, I learned that Point Doubler triggers with a Skill's effect!
I had acquired my first Skill that directly adjusts my stats from a level up. I did not have any before this, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but it indeed does affect Skills too. How insane.
And thanks to that, I now have a new plan to tackle my Status Window.
Invest absolutely nothing into INT and WIS, because Point Doubler and Lofty Genius will take care of any shortcomings I may have for the time being!
If I want to do a more specific build later on, we'll cross that bridge when I get there. I can focus on putting stats into STR, VIT, DEX, and LUK. Honestly, I'm considering putting more into LUK, since that will directly influence my surroundings, item drops, likely encounters, and so on. If I didn't have 11 LUK, would I have come across Tony like this? I doubt it.
I didn't hesitate to check all of my new changes, including the new Skills I acquired.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Myles Alexander
Age: 18
Level: 3 (28/40)
Total EXP: 58
Location: San Fernando Valley, LA
Time: March 1st, 2006. 9:00 AM
Weather: Sunny, 48*F
Inventory: Unlocked
-Weapon: Crude Pistol (Gray)(New)
Quest Log: Unlocked
-Create A Skill (1/1)
-Create Instance Dungeon (0/1)
-Create Instance Dungeon (1/1)
-Kill 20 Slimes (11/20)
Relationships: Unlocked
-Tony Stark (Acquaintance)
HP: 404/410 MP: 35/35
STR: 20 VIT: 3 DEX: 6
INT: 10 WIS: 10 LUK: 11
Points: 0
Wallet: $190 USD
Attack Damage: STR + Attack Power + Skill Power
Attack Power: Equipment Power
Skill Power: Skill Damage
Resistance: VIT + External Modifiers
Target Resistance: Target VIT + External Modifiers
Target Attack Power: Target STR + External Modifiers
Field Skills:
Soul Protection (SSS)
Point Doubler (SSS)
Lofty Genius (A)
Basic Firearms Mastery (E) Lv1 (0.0%)(NEW)
Gathering (F) Lv1 (0.0)
Observe (F) Lv2 (0.0)
Active Skills:
Leg Sweep (F) Lv2 (0.0%)
Quick Shot (F) Lv1 (0.0%)(NEW)
[Basic Firearms Mastery (Field)]
You now have basic proficiency holding and using firearms.
Name: Basic Firearms Mastery
Type: Field Skill
Rank: E
Level: 1
Proficiency: 0.0%
Special Effect: +10% Attack Damage while wielding a firearm.
[Quick Shot]
Fires off three quick shots in succession, each doing more damage than the last.
Name: Quick Shot
Type: Active Skill
Rank: F
Proficiency: 0.0%
Range: Single Target
Cost: 10 MP
Damage: Inflicts 110%, 120%, 140% Attack Damage onto target. If the target dies, it moves onto the next target.
[Leg Sweep Lv2 (0.0%)]
By performing a sweeping motion with your leg, you strike at a low angle to hit enemies within range. Upon contact, the impact will disrupt their stance and apply a moderate amount of force across multiple targets.
Name: Leg Sweep
Type: Active Skill
Rank: F
Level: 2
Proficiency: 0.0%
Range: Medium-AOE
Cost: 6 MP
Damage: Deals 120% Attack Damage onto targets.
I decided to have another look at Leg Sweep, since it leveled up. It now gives me 10% more damage, but it costs a little more to use. I see how levels interact with it now, and like I said, the max Level should be 100. I do not know if Skills strengthen or evolve, so we'll see.
Once my WIS really kicks off with this next level up, I bet that it's going to get reduced. WIS is used like that. It helps with cost reduction, using less MP overall, and gaining it quicker as time passes. Stuff like that.
But this is really looking like a Status Window now, isn't it? Quick Shot is going to come in handy. What I really want to know about this is whether it uses one bullet, or three. More importantly, I'm no longer broke. Yahoo!
Yes, I still might be homeless, but that's only temporary. I can now check into a decent-rated hotel now for a couple nights, and not have to worry about what is to come next. I'm not even done with the Instance Dungeon either. With how it's going, I'll likely walk away with half a grand alone. Or potentially more!
"You're grinning again. You know that right?", Tony called out to me.
"Haha.", I laughed. "It's nothing. Just making some good progress, that's all. Let's clear the rest of this up.", I said to Tony. "After this, will you stay in touch? You can't exactly experience this without being in the Party. I don't know if it can cover long distances."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. That is definitely something to test, but not now.", Tony mused.
I mean, that's an interesting concept, for sure. Imagine Tony being in Long Beach at Stark Headquarters while still being in the Party. It could even count as a method to farm experience while being away from the grind. Now that would be awesome. But I think that's stretching it, is it not?
"Fair enough.", I nodded. "Mind if I continue using this gun? It shouldn't break from the rest of our battles, but it'll likely run out of ammo."
"In that case, I have a backup cartridge, for added insurance and all that. Just let me know if you need to use it.", Tony responded.
"Of course."
Just like that, we were on the same page.
We had nine Slimes left to kill. Nothing was happening in front of us, so we continued to head deeper into the tunnel, while ignoring the stench along the way. Before long, we soon arrived at a dead end. The tunnel vanished behind us, and a large, open area came into view that was entirely encased by hard concrete. Not a single vent could be seen.
WOBBLE. WOBBLE. WOBBLE.
This time, we felt the ground subtly quake around us. It wasn't big, but it was enough to catch us off guard. THUD!
"Well well. This one's much bigger.", Tony said, grinning this time.
What appeared before us was a gigantic green slime that was around ten times bigger than the previous ones. It suddenly jiggled its body fiercely, and it actually let out a crimson red aura. Once that aura spread out, it called its allies. Several smaller green slimes. Eight total, to be exact.
"If only I could have Jarvis scan this big slime. There must be something interfering with the outside.", Tony continued to say, murmuring to himself. It was loud enough for me to hear it.
"Jarvis?", I asked, even though I knew what Jarvis was.
"My AI. I have it to assist me with various tasks. Collecting data is one of them. He has quite the database, so I was hoping I could refer to this information later, but it looks like that won't happen.", Tony sighed.
"So you wanted to record this moment. Not a bad idea, but yeah, I don't think the outside has any impact here. If you want to use this AI of yours, you'll have to bring it inside. That is, if there is a next time.", I said, grinning back at Tony.
"We'll see about that. We've got some Slimes to kill. Stay sharp kid.", Tony said.
"I told you, I ain't a---", I began to say. "You know what, I'm not going to bother. I don't want to waste my energy.", I continued, and sighed.
Instead, I saw what was now before us. Nine slimes. The last battle. Each one's details came into view, and at the same time more Gamer Notifications for the Skill Proficiency of Observe increased at a steady pace.
[Slime Lv2][Slime Lv2][Slime Lv2][Slime Lv3][King Slime Lv4]
[Slime Lv3][Slime Lv2][Slime Lv2][Slime Lv2]
It really was a King Slime! Makes sense, since I can see a bright and golden crown sitting atop its head. It made rude gestures at me, acting like I had disturbed its nesting grounds or something.
Six Level 2 Slimes, two Level 3 Slimes, and one Level 4 King Slime. I didn't need to review the others again, it looks like they have the same Stats. But this King Slime...It's the Boss of this Instance Dungeon. With a hint of greed, I checked out its details, wanting to see if it would drop anything special.
[King Slime Lv4]
Not your typical Slime. Wears a little crown on its gelatinous body. It is known to call other Slimes to assist it in battle.
HP: 500/500 MP: 50/50
STR: 10 VIT: 10 DEX: 7 INT: 5
EXP: 20 Money: $200 USD
Skill: Kingly Gelatinous Strike, Sturdy Core, Poisonous Mist
Item Drop: Weapon Box (Purple)(Random)
Score! Now that's what a Boss looks like. Plus I'll get two Rare boxes once I clear this Instance Dungeon, since that was related to my Quest. It'll likely do some damage to me too. It also has a Skill called Poisonous Mist. I don't have any way to recover from poison right now so we'll need to be extra careful when using it.
And I just had to open my big mouth...
WOOOBLE!
"Move. Quickly!", I urged Tony. While we were pretty casual against the earlier Slimes, he saw the urgency in my eyes. This man was Tony Stark, so I didn't need to say twice about it. He knew I was being serious here.
Oooommm...
Thankfully, in the nick of time, we backed away while the King Slime tilted its body forward. A huge hole, likely assuming where its mouth was, opened wide. A dense, purple mist soon covered our surroundings, but it wasn't enough to reach where we were.
There was just one problem.
"This isn't good.", I frowned, seeing the dense and purple poisonous mist now surrounding the King Slime and other Slimes. Were they perhaps immune to it? I then turned toward Tony. "You don't have anything against poison by chance, do you?"
"Poison? Hardly.", Tony immediately rejected the idea. "Sure I might have enemies within the weapons manufacturing business, but no one would be dumb enough to slip a pill inside one of my drinks."
"Damn.", I cursed. Still, an idea popped into my head. And don't call me out on this, alright? This is a good opportunity. I am not a masochist! "I'm going to head in. I may get poisoned by this, but I'll have a way to treat it. Trust the process."
Seeing as I wasn't joking around here, Tony nodded. "Then pass me the gun. I'll see if I can pick one or two off on the right."
"Works for me.", I nodded, and tossed Tony the gun back. He gripped onto it. He handles himself well. I didn't need to worry about a misfire.
Taking in a deep breath, I looked forward, still observing the poisonous mist in front of us. I wanted to see if I could obtain a Skill from this, and if it works, it'll be a good one!
I'm talking about either Poison Resistance or Poison Immunity!