Chapter 537: An Orchestra For You, Part 17
"I've got as much money as you need! Do it! Elke!!"
"Ahaaa! Thanks for your patronage!!"
There are three essential powers you need to survive in life: Muscle Power, Authority, and Financial Power.
Communication Power isn't part of the structural framework, it's just interior decoration, so it gets excluded. You won't fundamentally suffer without it, but having it makes life more fun—a frustratingly exquisite position to be in.
Putting that aside, I am currently slamming Elke with a Billion Dollar Material Bomber (also known as a Pay-To-Win Attack) to undergo a massive skill overhaul.
No, it's true, Critical Speed is amazing. If I unleash everything I have in a full burst, it's a massive bundle of potential that wouldn't just steal the max speed title, but could even snap two of Siegwurm's horns clean off.
However, the sad reality is that it's just too unwieldy for everyday use and PvP. To go even further, it lacks maneuverability, and it comes with the drawback of slowly chipping away at the individual strengths of the connected skills.
Which is why Critical Speed is being shelved for a while. I'll reclaim my original skills while testing out other connections... Yes, it's essentially a Skill Diet...!!
"Ufufufu, so much Mani, I just can't stop grinnin'〜"
"Was that a pun just now?"
Seeing Elke not just floating on air, but practically flying through the sky with her ears in pure excitement really drives home that she is Emul's older sister... But is this going to be okay? You aren't going to fail the connection, right?
Once you pass Level 130, leveling up even once becomes a massive chore. Plus, since my build felt somewhat 'complete' as it was, I couldn't be bothered and hadn't touched it until now... but taking a fresh look at it after so long, there's quite a lot of changes.
First of all, the UI has been slightly improved. No, seriously, this is actually huge. Skills are now sorted by style or specific categories, and the stat point breakdowns are clearer... It's not a dramatic shift, but it definitely hits the spot. Good job Amachi Ritsu; improving the UI is the first step toward a God Game.
Next, new skill acquisitions. It seems "Triple-Digit Skills" aren't merely a new tier of skill evolution, but rather, there are entirely new skills that only become learnable once you hit the triple-digit level mark. I mean, just looking at the names, these aren't the kind of skills you learn in the early game. What the heck is Astral World Guideline? That sounds cool as hell. Also, Seiten Style subtly unlocked some new skills too. Floating Cloud... Is it related to cumulonimbus clouds?
And finally... going through Elke's skill connection process, "High Connection".
"My on-hand cash is down to a single digit for the first time in forever... I'm getting shivers."
"This rabbit's pockets are feeling mighty warm and fuzzy〜"
Of course they are, considering I literally paid you all the money I had!! Come on, where's the respect for your cash cow? Bring me tea, bring me tea.
"Oh, want a manju?"
"I'll eat it."
"I'll eat it too, desu wa!"
"That'll be 300 Mani for you, Emul."
"Desu wa!?"
What a paragon of a money-grubber, not even giving a family discount.
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Let's fast-forward from here.
"Effuielle! How'd that thing I asked for turn out!?"
"It's all done〜 Here, your dolls."
The reinforced pipeline with Catzeria might actually be yielding a bigger, albeit quieter, boon on the Accessory side rather than the Blacksmithing side. Jewelers can somehow process gem-type items into threads... and then into cloth. Which means that ores can be incorporated as the main material for making dolls.
Despite the scuffle with that poser rabbit, the fact remains that Catzeria still has that weakness forcing them to play nice with me. They readily agreed, and the gem-woven material processed by Catzeria's... uh... Dal, Dalmation? No... Dalnyana? Or whatever her name was, was delivered to Effuielle, and has now been crafted into these two accessories.
There's a subtle theory floating around that "Items player can't own might still be fluidly traded between NPCs"... Actually, I'll just leave that kind of lore analysis to Library.
I immediately set the two dolls into the accessory slots previously expanded by Effuielle. Their distinct forms—which I've seen enough times to be sick of them—actually use the "real" materials, so even though they're in a cute, deformed state, they exude an aura that could probably insta-kill a Level 10 player through pure intimidation alone.
Their names are `Crystal Scorpion Doll` and `Trainol Centipede Doll`... Eh, what happened to the spider doll, you ask? Damn you, "one-short" monster...
"Thank you!"
"My, ain't ya in a rush..."
"Fah-feh-he-ffah!!"
"Emul, mind yer manners. Swallow before ya speak."
This idiot is eating the portion I was given too. Alright, next!!
◆◆
"Ya got some nerve tryin' to make me swing my hammer for free. Ya wanna get yer skull split open?!"
Yep, taking a detour!!
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"Peatz!"
"Gah! Sunraku-han!!"
"I've come to sell!!"
"The only reason this ain't illegal is 'cause it's barely skippin' the law! This is basically highway robbery!!"
Relax, the flow of money is basically a closed loop in Rabituza... even if it's currently being dammed up at Elke's place.
Alright, returning!
"What in the world is up with that guy... Is he some kinda money-suckin' tornado or somethin'..."
◆◆
"Bilac, fix weapon........."
"Ah, right there, the chair I placed..."
"My instincts are screaming danger, desu wa!!!"
Tripping, over, the chair, falling, headfirst, into, the forge......... Are you telling me to get even hotter?
"Oboaaaaaaah!!?"
"Sunraku-saaaaan!!?"
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"Did you cool your head, desu wa?"
"I was literally heating up until I turned pitch-black a second ago, but sure..."
"What're ya in such a rush for..."
Well, it's just... you know? It's not like there's a strict time limit or anything, but with so much to do, I was getting impatient... getting desperate entirely on my own despite there being absolutely no need to rush.
Perhaps because experiencing the exceedingly rare death of diving headfirst into a forge to become a baked Sunraku helmet reset my brain, the indescribable impatience had entirely subsided before I knew it.
"So, Imron, has your path to Ancient Craftsman opened up?"
"You're just throwing that at me out of nowhere, huh... Oh wait, you are throwing that at me... Well, anyway, I interrogated Isana and found out that there's a mana operation unit inside the Leviathan."
"Mana op-ray-shun? (Whispering)"
"Say what?"
"Ya little...! Wanna get yer skull split open?!"
Just a joke, just a joke. It looks like my composure has returned enough to tease others. While soothing Bilac, whose coarse black fur was standing entirely on end, I decided to ask more about the Leviathan situation that I had paused upon reaching the Second Shell Layer.
"By the way, what layer is the frontline at now?"
"The Second is already cleared. I made it down to the Third too, but... the difficulty spikes massively from the Third onward."
"Nngh."
No, I know it can't be helped. It's only natural that players who push forward without taking endless half-baked detours like me are rewarded. An MMO where you can hold the #1 spot forever only exists offline; since I'm playing an online game, this situation is bound to happen... Ah, crap, the composure I just regained is slipping away again. Ahhh, I wanna jump into the Leviathan raid right now...
Damn it, if I asked Orchestra, would they lend me a copy of "Me" for a bit? Since I'm clearing Orchestra, couldn't "Me" go clear the Leviathan in my place?
Author's Afterword
Also known as: Adding a little booster to make it easier for the author to read.
Explanations regarding the skills will be written in Inventoria.
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PN: Sunraku
LV: 147 (250……LvUP:20 + UMB:200 + UME:20 + RME:10)
JOB: Avenger (Dual-Wielder)
SUB: Arcanum "The Fool"
2 Mani
HP (Health): 100
MP (Magic): 100
STM (Stamina): 200
STR (Strength): 170
DEX (Dexterity): 170
AGI (Agility): 200
TEC (Technique): 145
VIT (Vitality): 1 (5321)
LUC (Luck): 239
Skills
・Limit Over Accel
・Eye of True World Observation
・Divine Arm of a Hundred Excellences
・Wolf Omen of Destiny
・Exploding Core Knee Strike
・Guardian Heart
・Stepping on the Death Line
・Double-Up Edge → Critical Raise
・Peerless Martial Endowment NEW!
・Dyna Spirits NEW!
・Astral World Guideline NEW!
・Fatal Gain NEW!
・Parabellum Routine NEW!
・Protect Smash NEW!
──【Vorpal Arts】──
・Vorpal Secret Art 【Fading Mirror】 Revised Stance
・Vorpal Secret Art 【Sever and Divide】 Revised Stance
──【Seiten Style】──
・Seiten Style "Hayakaze"
・Seiten Style "Tsumujikaze"
・Seiten Style "Todorokaze"
・Seiten Style "Raimei"
・Seiten Style "Hakurai"
・Seiten Style "Aranami"
・Seiten Style "Sakinami"
・Seiten Style "Hikinami" NEW!
・Seiten Style "Bokyou"
・Seiten Style "Ukigumo" NEW!
──【Avenger's Style】──
・Avenger's Observation Eye
・Avenger's Oath
・Avenger's Requiem Strike
──【High Connection】──
・Dual High Connection "Two Heavens, One Principle" (Sword of a Hundred Flashes + Lethal Finishing Touch)
・Dual High Connection "Stairway to Heaven" (Heavy Gravity Treading Conquest + Grace of Zero Gravity)
・Dual High Connection "Two Wheels of Wind and Fire" (Kurama Tengu Secret Tradition + Hermes Boot)
・Triple High Connection "Exploding Core Torrent" (Bloodburn Burst + Limit Maximize + Full Spirit Evocation)
・Dual High Connection "Advent Fist Pressure" (Sleeping God's Fist Strike + Tathlum Fist)
・Dual High Connection "Ignorant Preemptive Strike" (Dirty Sword + Slash Ignition)
・Triple High Connection "Oath of a Thousand Swords" (Ashura Kagura + Sengoku Burai + Sword Dance 【Inexhaustible Spin】)
・Dual High Connection "Until the Journey Ends" (Indomitable + Atlas Toughness)
Equipment
Right: Areadbhair Rebuild
Left:
Head: True Gaze Bird Mask (VIT+20)
Torso: Lycaon's Scar
Waist: Lacedaemon Girdle (VIT+5300)
Legs: Lycaon's Scar
Accessory: Storage Key
Accessory: Levin Trigger: Hazard
Accessory: Star Cloak of Lapistella
Accessory: Crystal Scorpion Doll (MP Regen + Extra instance upon HP Recovery)
Accessory: Trainol Centipede Doll (Status Ailment Ultra-Resistance: Poison + STM Correction)
Accessory: Lingering Shadow of the Spirit Horn
Accessory: Lingering Shadow of the Spirit Horn
Accessory:
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