Polly, the little four-tailed fox, appeared nearby, her small body bouncing happily around Broken. He smiled, then settled himself on the ground, gently scooping the fox into his arms.
“Hi, Polly… You were a tremendous help during the last battle,” he said in a casual tone, gently scratching behind her ears.
“Thank you, Master… It’s all because of you that I received an upgrade and can do even more for you.”
Broken nodded, and then his gaze shifted to the screen displaying her stats.
[Name: Polly]
[Level: 185]
[Health: 3,450 | Mana: 3,300]
[Strength: 404 | Agility: 720 | Intelligence: 275 | Constitution: 345 | Stamina: 348]
[Skills – 4]
[…]
[Vulpine Glide: These graceful wings allow you to glide and soar through the skies with agility and finesse. However, maintaining flight requires both Mana and Stamina, so use this skill wisely.
Mana Cost: 7 Mana/second
Stamina Drain: Moderate]
Broken nodded at the skill description. “Vulpine Glide, huh?” he murmured thoughtfully. “It looks like we have some real power to work with now, Polly. Though it seems the Mana drain is quite high per second, along with the Stamina cost. So, we’ll probably need to save this skill for when it’s really necessary.”
Polly nodded eagerly, her four tails swishing behind her. “Understood, Master. I promise to use my power wisely.”
Broken patted her gently on the head. “I know you will. Now, let’s see just how much 7 Mana per second impacts you.”
Starfall then chimed in. “What’s the Intelligence stat for Polly, Broken? Because the Mana regeneration rate is approximately 0.02 times the total Intelligence stat.”
“So, 275 times 0.02?”
“Around 5.5 per second,” Starfall confirmed.
Broken turned to her. “You’re pretty quick with those calculations, huh.”
Starfall giggled in response.
Broken then turned his gaze back to Polly. “So, if the wings cost 7 Mana per second to use, and Polly’s regeneration is 5.5 Mana per second, that means Polly won’t be able to keep this skill up indefinitely.”
“She can,” Starfall continued, “if the team has someone who can boost her Intelligence stat, increase her Mana regeneration, or even directly restore her Mana. But otherwise, yes-if she relies only on herself, she won’t be able to maintain the skill for long periods.”
Broken nodded, absorbing the information.
Starfall added, “The amount of Stamina she will need is also quite high, isn’t it? But I still think that the ability to fly is an incredible upgrade, Broken. I’m curious to see just how high Polly can soar.”
“Yeah, I’m curious about that too,” he said. “But with things as they are, how long can Polly actually keep up her flying ability?”
“Alright, let’s break it down,” Starfall replied, taking a breath. “Polly’s skill costs her 7 Mana per second, while she regenerates 5.5 Mana each second.”
She paused, her brow furrowing as she worked out the numbers. “So, if Polly’s using 7 Mana per second but regaining 5.5 at the same time, that means she’s effectively losing 1.5 Mana every second.”
Broken nodded, following along as Starfall continued. “Given her total Mana pool is 3,300, we can figure out how long she can keep this up. So, 3,300 divided by 1.5… that gives us about 2,200 seconds.”
A smile formed on Starfall’s face as she concluded, “Which means Polly can stay airborne for approximately 36 minutes and 40 seconds before running out of Mana―assuming, of course, that nothing interrupts her and she doesn’t use her Mana for anything else in the meantime.” Broken stared at her for a moment. “Are you sure you calculated that so fast?” frёeωebɳovel.com
Starfall giggled at his words. “Why are you so surprised, Broken? I’m a Mage, and we’re used to calculating things like this. We depend heavily on monitoring skill usage, as well as the Mana and Health conditions of the team. Being able to figure out these details can make a huge difference in our performance.”
“I’m really impressed. Maybe that’s why someone like Goldrich can even estimate someone’s Mana pool just by observing how they use their skills?”
Starfall nodded. “Exactly. Usually, every bit of Mana used has a value that scales with the damage dealt or other skill effects. For example, with a Mana cost of 1000, one skill might deal 500% damage, while another might do only 300% but add a mini-stun or damage over time-something along those lines.”
She paused, reflecting for a moment. “Goldrich really understands these skills inside and out, even down to how they scale. Though, he’s mentioned more than once that your abilities don’t quite fit the usual mold.”
“Really? He said that?”
“Yes,” she confirmed, “he thinks it’s probably because your class is unique. Maybe it’s the grade—since the higher the grade of a skill, the more efficient the Mana usage becomes. He even suggested that you might have something like a Unique-grade or even a Legendary- grade class.”
“That’s quite a blunt assessment, isn’t it?”
“That was Goldrich talking, not me.”
Broken chuckled. “You guys in the Ass Guild are really something else.”
“That’s rich coming from you, Broken,” Starfall teased, grinning. “You’re the real monster
here!”
Broken nodded and murmured quietly, “Alright. Thirty minutes of flight-that’s an incredible upgrade, even if it’s not enough for long journeys just yet.”
“Master…” Anna, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. “Can I try riding on Polly and flying with her?”
“Oh?” Broken smiled, amused by Anna’s straightforwardness. He turned to Polly. “Polly?”
Polly gave a nod.
“Of course, Anna,” Broken said. “I’ll let everyone take a turn riding Polly, as long as she’s comfortable with it.”
With that, Polly leaped out of his arms, her body shifting into her larger form. Her four tails unfurled behind her, and her majestic wings spread wide. She paused for a moment, giving
Anna time to approach.
“Polly, you really mean it?”
“Yes, Anna.”
Without hesitation, Anna climbed onto her back. Polly took a few running strides before spreading her wings and lifting off the ground. The others watched from below, smiling as Anna laughed with pure delight at the experience.
Next, Ivana tried her luck and was also allowed to ride Polly. However, when Karl and Yann stepped forward, clearly curious and eager, Polly refused them. It was clear she only wanted to be ridden by women and her Master, Broken.
This left Karl and Yann a bit embarrassed and visibly disappointed, though they tried to shrug
it off and hide their feelings.
“Well, it looks like it’s time for me to log out,” Starfall said, giving a polite bow. “I’m sure Maylock will be back online soon, and then we can decide on our next move.”
Broken nodded slowly. “Thanks, Starfall. Go get some rest-you’ve earned it.”
“Thanks, Broken.” She smiled, and with that, she logged out.
Once she was gone, Broken remained in place, patiently waiting for the Faeries who were
supposed to take him to meet their leader. He knew he had to speak with someone named Morel about something crucial.
It was clear that Morel was the one behind the challenge that had cost the lives of Livelywood and perhaps even endangered other NPCs.
While he waited for Maylock and the Faeries, Broken occupied himself by examining the various significant items he had acquired during the chaotic battle.