The Calling of Wrath - Chapter 17 - Leveling Skills

                                                                        Cassandra
                                                        Year 819 | Month 1 | Day 6

Just like with the last Random Item Draw, a note appears in my vision only half finished at first before eventually finishing.

My mouth drops open for a few seconds before I close it again.

Figures I’d get something to fight them off after the battle.

I focus on the symbol beneath the missions list symbol – a simple box with the number 1 on the corner of it – before a note appears in front of me asking me if I want to take the Claw of the Reaver out of my System Item Storage now.

Having done this before with that direwolf pelt – which, aside from the fact that it was in perfect condition, wasn’t anything more than just a simple direwolf pelt after all – I select yes, only to select yes again once it asks me to confirm that I’m sure and gives me the spiel about not being able to put it back in the storage after taking it out, causing a sinister looking knife to appear in the air in front of me.

I reach out to grab it before examining the thing as I walk through the forest.

The knife’s blade seems to be made of the same material as the claws at the end of the reaver’s limbs, with some sort of blackish-grey metal being used as the base. The blade itself has a very serrated edge, with some strange markings on the flat side of the blade. And when I insert my MP into the blade, the markings begin to glow; likely being what gives the knife the ability to damage ethereal beings.

Too bad it takes up a lot more MP than the clothes I’m wearing does.

But then again, this knife is a combat weapon, while the healing and self-repair of the clothes aren’t. Not to mention that the clothes are technically the under armor of a set of armor, and are Tier 4, while this knife is just Tier 3.

Which feels weird to say, considering that I’m only Tier 1, but whatever.

After walking for several minutes, I take a moment to look around before going to some trees to gather firewood.

Time to attempt to cook again. And probably burn the food in the process.

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                                                                Several hours later

I begin humming once I enter the safety of my cave, trying as hard as I possibly can to ignore the still-worsening smell outside.

Today’s hunt was pretty good, but the EXP was pretty garbage compared to previous hunts.

That EXP penalty for killing lower leveled creatures is annoying.

But I do still have the EXP I got from the reavers and their mission, so now’s a good a time as any to go on a spending spree.

I open my status before moving to the Skills note.

After that, I select the plus on the Claws of Wrath skill and assign 1000 of my current 2600 EXP to level up the skill. Strictly because it’s the one I use the most by far.

Suddenly, a faint flash of red light shines from the claws on both my hands and feet, accompanied by a surge of pain, only for it all to go away the next second.

My eyebrows raise slightly as I notice that my claws do seem slightly different, but the change is so small that it’s hard to tell what’s changed.

Although since the note said they grew sharper, that’s probably what happened.

Guess since they’re racial skills, the skills are actually connected to my body parts in a way that my class skills aren’t.

Out of curiosity, I select the plus again on the skill, only to close out of it right after with a frown.

So the skill increased its level-up price from 1,000 EXP to 10,000 EXP between levels 1 and 2.

That’s a lot.

I glance at the other skills before deciding to just level up Siphon again, since I haven’t actually used Wrath Infusion yet. Mostly because of that warning at the end of the description.

Fortunately Siphon only takes 100 EXP to reach level 3.

Isn’t that the same thing it said when it reached level 2?

Hmm.

I guess it’ll probably take more levels for it to gain anything else.

As for the remaining 1500 EXP? I’ll just save that for now.

I think I would like to keep at least about that much in case I need to level a certain skill to be stronger at some point. Not to mention that I should save some EXP for leveling after completing my Tier Breach Mission.

My thoughts grind to a halt as I realize that my life for the next couple of weeks is probably going to be the same thing I did today every single day.

Including the putrid smell that’s only going to get worse.

I look around the cave for a few minutes, only to eventually focus on the entrance and the barrier.

Maybe I should build a door to block some of the smell?

I stare at the entrance for several more seconds before pushing the thought to the back of my mind for the moment.

The smell is probably the least of my worries right now.

Finding a group of fifteen creatures that I can use The Calling of Wrath’s second effect on to clear the third objective of the Tier Breach Mission whenever the cooldown ends is what I should be worried about.

Most of the direwolf packs only have around seven or eight direwolves, and I would rather stay away from the reavers if possible. I’m also not sure I’d even be able to gather enough to do it anyways. Not without going out to piss off some reavers and hiding away without hurting them before going out again the next night and hoping they brought friends.

But even then, it might not be a good idea to fill a bunch of murder-happy ethereal monsters with Wrath. Especially if the same number as last night showed up.

The direwolves are much weaker and easier to gather, so I might be able to just whistle for a bit to gather a bunch of them.

I just hope enough show.

Regardless though, these next few weeks are going to be interesting… but whether that’s a good thing or not, I’m not sure.

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Table of Contents

For those of you who can't read the image:

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[Random Item Draw]

Now selecting a random Tier 3 item. Please wait.

o o O

Congratulations! You have obtained the item ‘Claw of the Reaver’

This knife can use your MP to make it able to damage ethereal beings and will be temporarily stored in your System Item Storage for a period of 72 hours!

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Congratulations! Your racial skill ‘Claws of Wrath’ has reached level 2!

Your claws grow sharper and can drain even more health from anything they cut than before!

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Congratulations! Your skill ‘Siphon’ has reached level 3!

The amount of Wrath you can drain at once has been increased!

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