Nevreal, Boreas, Helen, and the rest of the Dwarves had successfully escaped the Kobold’s Nest.
Their numbers had greatly fallen after some Dwarf Warriors sacrificed their lives in order to buy time for everyone else to escape.
Aside from Helen, Robin, and Andy, only eighteen other Dwarves remained, which included Nevreal and Boreas.
Boreas had a pained expression on his face as he carried Helen on his shoulders. Many of his subordinates had died in this rescue mission, but he knew that if those men didn’t take the initiative to hold the Monster Horde back by sacrificing themselves, more Dwarf Warriors would have died.
Right now, he only had one thought in his mind. It was none other than to wait for the reinforcements from the Stronghold of Norria, and then to wipe the entire Kobold Nest from the face of the Gweliven Kingdom!
After finding a safe place to hide, the Dwarves tended to their injuries and sharpened their weapons.
Helen looked after the unconscious Robin and Andy and thought of her Big Brother Lux, as well as Colette and her other friends.
‘Please, be safe everyone,’ Helen silently prayed in her heart. ‘I hope that when the reinforcements arrive, I will once again be reunited with my friends.’
——
After the Summon Skeletal Fighter was upgraded twice, the requirements to upgrade to Summon Skeleton Archer had been reached and the option is now unlocked.
Lux only had forty four Rank 1 Beast Cores and ten Rank 2 Beast Cores left in his stockpile. However, he didn’t regret using them one bit. What was the point of having a stockpile of Beast Cores if you do not live long enough to use them?
‘Now, time to activate this new summoning skill,’ Lux thought as he used ten Rank 1 Beast Cores and put his new skill to the test. The source of this content s ovlꜰre.et
——
< Skill Evolution [EX] detected a new Skill. >
< Since the Skill is learned from a Skill Book and not from a Beastcore, evolution requirements will be waived. >
< Choose which path of Evolution you wish to take. >
Option 1: Summon two Skeleton Archers to fight for you instead of one.
Option 2: Upgrade Summon Skeleton Archer Skill to Summon Skeleton Hunter.
Option 3: Give your first Skeleton Archer a name. Named creatures will be stronger and more intelligent than normal ones. Also, you can upgrade your named creature individually if you wish it.
—–
Lux decisively chose the third option and a row of text materialized in front of him.
< You have chosen to give your first Skeleton Archer a name. >
< Know that your first Skeleton Archer is a female. Although it is already a skeleton, giving it an appropriate name will raise its loyalty towards you.
< Please choose a name >
—-
Lux blinked once then twice as he read the part which said that his first Skeleton Archer was a female. He had already thought of a cool name for his Skeleton Archer, which was Gilgamesh, but after seeing its gender, he had to scrap his plans entirely.
After thinking for a few minutes, he finally settled for a name and made sure to spell it properly.
—–
< You have chosen the name “Ishtar” as the name for your first Skeleton Archer. >
< Is this your final answer? >
< Yes / No >
—-
As soon as Lux clicked yes, another page appeared in his Soul Book, this time it was a page dedicated to his new Named Creature, Ishtar.
—–
< Ishtar >
“Let the living beware.”
– Named Skeleton Archer
– Rating: F
– Mana: 10
– Progress (0/100)
Health: 200
Attack: 20 – 30
Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 15
Vitality: 10
Agility: 10
Dexterity: 15
Title: The Forgotten Queen
– Ishtar is your second Named Creature and has been bestowed the title “The Forgotten Queen”.
– This Named Creature has gained the ability to evolve.
< Forgotten Queen >
– Regardless of what happens in the future, this Named Creature will be forever loyal to you.
– All attacks made by Ishtar will deal Ice Damage.
– Ice Damage can slow and even freeze those hit by Ishtar’s deadly arrows.
– As someone who bore the title, Forgotten Queen, Ishtar’s stats increase by 50% during the night.
– When you use Beast Cores to upgrade your Named Creature, its effects will be increased by 50%
Note: Let phantom arrows fly!
—–
Lux used seven Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Ishtar. Thanks to the 50% points boost, Lux’s Beast Core consumption was reduced by a good margin.
However, he wasn’t satisfied yet so he used another thirteen Rank 1 Beast Cores to further boost Ishtar’s stats, which raised her Rating to D.
After seeing her stats, Lux consumed the ten Rank 2 Beast Cores in his possession, and an additional seven Rank 1 Beast Cores to upgrade Ishtar’s rating to D+.
—–
< Ishtar has reached the requirement needed to change a Job Class >
< Please Choose your named Creature’s Job Class wisely >
< Compatible Job Classes >
—–
< Skeleton Hunter >
– A Hunter doesn’t only hunt animals. Anything living or dead can be hunted. If you are foolish enough to hunt a Hunter then be prepared to become hunted as well.
– This skill specializes in long range combat, as well as setting traps to ensnare their prey. They are one of the deadliest range professions around, and anyone should be wary of being marked by one of them.
(Job Class Bonus)
+30 Dexterity
Active Skill:
– Hunter’s Mark: Place a tracker on your target. Ishtar will be able to know her target’s location as long as they are within a three-mile radius around her. Up to three markers can be active at any given time.
– Set Traps: Place traps anywhere to bind, injure, or even cripple those who are unlucky enough to set foot upon them. Up to five traps can be active at any given time. More traps will be available on the next upgrade.
Passive Skill: Fast Reload
—–
< Skeleton Ranger >
– Rangers are natural protectors and have a strong empathy with wild beasts. They can wield bows, daggers, or short swords with great proficiency and are masters in both ranged and close combat fighting.
They are also proficient Beast Tamers, which allows them to have Beast Companions to fight for their side.
(Job Class Bonus)
+15 Dexterity
+15Agility
Active Skill:
– Beast Taming: Tames a Beast to become the Skeleton Ranger’s Beast Companion. A Maximum of four Beast can be tamed, but only one can be present at any given time.
When the number of Tamed Beasts exceeds four, the Skeleton Ranger will be given an option to release the Beasts that they have already tamed, in order to make room for another.
– Stealth: Blend in with the surroundings to decrease the chance of getting detected by the enemy.
—–
After a brief internal struggle, Lux decided to choose the Skeleton Hunter Job Class for Ishtar.
No matter how good the Skeleton Ranger was, what he needed right now was a dedicated damage dealer. He already had the Diablo and the Skeletal Fighters to swarm the enemy with numbers.
Adding a few more Beast Companions may bolster their troops and even increase their survivability, but the Hunter’s Skills like Set Traps and Hunter’s Mark, were nothing to sneeze at.
Setting traps was a no brainer. A properly set trap could make an enemy feel a world of pain, and it would also weaken them greatly.
Hunter’s Mark on the other hand, would allow Ishtar to trace any target that she had set her sights on.
Lux was only able to track Colette and the others because they were part of his party. If they weren’t, the Half-Elf wouldn’t have any idea that his friends had been taken by the Kobolds nor where the Kobolds hid them. This was why a tracking skill was necessary.
This was especially true for enemies. As long as Lux knew of their location, he could hunt them down anytime as long as they were within Ishtar’s range.
—-
After the binge upgrading, Lux was only left with twenty Rank 1 Beast Cores, but he regretted nothing. The red-headed teenager looked at Ishtar’s stats and nodded his head in satisfaction.
——-
< Ishtar >
– Named Skeleton Hunter
– Rating: D+
– Mana: 10
– Progress (0/600)
Health: 2,500 / 2,500
Mana: 900 / 900
Attack: 115 – 135
Attack Type: Ranged Ice Damage
Strength: 50
Intelligence: 55
Vitality: 50
Agility: 55
Dexterity: 85
Active Skill: Hunter’s Mark, Set Trap
Passive Skill: Equip Item
Title: The Forgotten Queen
Note: Screaming helps… not at all.
—–
‘Not bad,’ Lux thought as he gazed at Ishtar’s stats. ‘She now gets fifteen free stat points every time she is upgraded. This is good. She will be able to catch up to Diablo easily.’
The Half-Elf knew that he had already done everything in his power to prepare himself for the tough fight ahead. His second named creature, Ishtar, had the strength of a Rank 1 Monster.
Aside from Ishtar, he could also summon an additional two skeleton archers to fight for his side. But these extra summons were just cannon fodders that would die from a single attack from Kobold Warriors.
Even so, Lux still had uses for them. He immediately put their uses into action while waiting for their rescuers to arrive.