CH.389 Card Summoner skill orb<h4>[Brian POV]</h4>
<span style="font-weight:400">“Those two really are strong. I should probably take Ria with me to the next fissure. Maybe she can get Limit Break.” I pondered, as I was finishing everything with the dungeon core.
<span style="font-weight:400">Wilma was also very impressive. The way she was able to get the monster''s attention even without the Taunt skill. If she keeps that up, she’ll get the skill in no time.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Let’s finish this so we can regroup.” I said to myself as I got back to work.
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<span style="font-weight:400">A little whileter, I was done with the core so I walked to floor 7 and regrouped with Wilma and Ria.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey Brian. Did you do it?” Ria asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Kind of, but also no. I was able to add an exception to an exception, but the core doesn’t allow me to make Card Summoner skill orbs directly.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You should just do that thing you did with the prison dungeon. Maybe that way you could do it?” Ria suggested.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hack the dungeon? … would that even..? Yeah. That might actually work. I’ll try that before we leave.”
Spoiler
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">“... hacking a dungeon? What does that mean?” Wilma asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Did I never tell you about how we found Cailie?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes? She was banished and trapped in some kind of prison, right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. In a prison dungeon to be specific. Basically, the Nixie n, the merfolk n she was a member of, have a powerful dungeon somewhere near the dragon coast. But at some point, a member of the n came ind and took over a small dungeon that was made to be a sub-dungeon of their more powerful dungeon. And because the sub-dungeon is effectively a ve to the more powerful dungeon, they can order the weaker dungeon around. And they used it as a sort of prison or punishment. They would send someone there using the main dungeon, the person would automatically be made the dungeon master of the ve dungeon, and they couldn’t get out until they got enough points to ‘buy’ their freedom. They would have to do that by hunting the fish in theke around the dungeon and if they go too far, the dungeon would forcefully teleport them back to the core.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“So Cailie was trapped in that kind of prison. I see. What about that ‘hacking’ part?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hacking is just a term I use to for when I take over something without the owner’s permission. Kind of like hijacking, but not quite, as with hacking, the goal is usually just temporary control. You do what you want and then give the control back to the real owner, preferably without the real owner noticing.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... but you are already in control of this dungeon.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. I didn’t even consider using a card like Enemy Controller on the dungeon core, because it is my core. But when I hacked the Hallow Prison, I was able to ess parts of the dungeon’s ‘code’ that you can’t by just using the core, even if you are the dungeon founder. Well in HomeBase I can, but HomeBase is a special case. So maybe by hacking the core, I can get past the regr limitations of normal dungeon cores, so if I hack the core, I might be able to directly make the skill orb.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright. … directly? Does that mean you had an indirect way of doing it?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. I won’t really go into detail on how Card Summoner drop works because it is a pain, but I was able to add an exception. If someone who already has Card Summoner, or in my case Pack Opener, would be given Card Summoner as a drop, the dungeon can now give them a Card Summoner skill orb instead of trying to give out the skill, which will at most level up the skill, but will more likely do nothing.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“But isn’t getting the skill very difficult?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“There is a very low chance for it, yes. Well technically there is a full form on how you can calcte it and I can have Laura write it down. But honestly, don’t. Just ept the fact that it is random and you’ll get away with less.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... then how did you n on getting the skill orb?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Simple. I go to a challenge room and have Laura and Tahlia calcte my every move. That way, I should be guaranteed to get a Card Summoner skill orb and then I should be able to make more with HomeBase.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That doesn’t sound so simple.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. It really is simple. But simple doesn’t mean easy.” I corrected. “I mean,pare it to forging a sword. All you do is hit metal with a hammer. Simple, but simple doesn’t mean easy.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes. I understand now.” Wilma said. “... but do you really think you can do it?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure. It is really nothing but practice where I do exactly what Laura says.”
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<span style="font-weight:400">“Okay Ria. Unsummon Nephthys. I’ll open the challenge room for you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Can’t I just leave him summoned? He shouldn’t interfere as long as I don''t bring him into the room.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“True, but better to just unsummon him. You can just summon him again after the cooldown is over.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... fine.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You really love that bird, don’t you?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t call my Phoenix a bird or I’ll call your Blue-Eyes a lizard.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Deal.” I agreed just to end the yful banter.
<span style="font-weight:400">I then opened the challenge room door for Ria and also opened Dungeon Founder for our viewing pleasure.
<span style="font-weight:400">What Ria faced in the room was something kind of familiar to me. It was once the dungeon’s final boss, and Sorcerer of Dark Magic even annihted one when I had him test out this very challenge room.
<span style="font-weight:400">A lich. An undead sorcerer. Whatever you want to call it, it is a B-rank monster and not the easiest to take on. But Ria took on an A-rank just now, so a B-rank should be no problem.
<span style="font-weight:400">Soon after appearing, the lich began casting spells. Specifically ones of the Wind variety.
<span style="font-weight:400">Wind Wall, Wind Spears, Wind Bomb. Multiple spells were used to both defend and attack, but Ria didn’t seem to care much.
<span style="font-weight:400">She was weaving through the attacks like they were easy to dodge, while seemingly chanting magic. At least I could see her mouth moving. That is interesting as usually Ria’s spells are the kind that she can use without chanting with Internal Magic Technique.
<span style="font-weight:400">Ria then quickly moved using her Flickering Step, appearing right at the side of the lich, punching it with her fist, before letting loose a giant explosion of fire.
<span style="font-weight:400">“re Impact.” She called out to finish her spell chant.
<span style="font-weight:400">The explosion punch sent the lich flying to the other end of the room, but it didn’t seem to be finished yet.
<span style="font-weight:400">But neither was Ria. She again moved with Flickering Step, likely also using some Fire spell to boost her movement even more if the mes trailing her are any indication.
<span style="font-weight:400">With a speed that could be mistaken for teleportation, she approached the lich. She quickly threw another punch, but a weaker one this time, before throwing second and then a third.
<span style="font-weight:400">I then noticed something strange happening on Ria’s back. It looked like something was growing out of it.
<span style="font-weight:400">And indeed there was, as a pair of arms appeared from Ria’s back. They looked … well, not really like arms but more like some misshapen appendages, but they still seemingly operated as arms. Ria used them to take a hold on the lich, while using her regr arms to pummel the lich with a quick series of punches.
<span style="font-weight:400">And to end herbo of punches, she let out another re Impact, ending the life of the lich.
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<span style="font-weight:400">“... you made that look easy.” I told Ria when she returned.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Thanks. But I think that is because a lich isn’t that defensive. It does good damage with spells, but can’t take much, right?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, basically.” I confirmed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“So as long as I kept punching, it couldn’t chant or even let out spells.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It actually used some Wind spell to protect itself.” I pointed out. “If it hadn’t, the punchbo would have ended the lich before you finished the chant on the second re Impact.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh? So it focused on defense instead of trying to push me away? What a fool.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, it is a monster, so it did what it thought was best for survival. Probably.” I theorized. “What did you get as a reward?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... It is kind of boring. Just these.” Ria said, as she brought out two bracelets.
<span style="font-weight:400">I quickly recognized the shape. They were magic amplification bracelets that just needed an elemental magic stone set into them and they’d be ready to use. And they were made of mithril, so they were likely high quality.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I think they are perfect for you.” I said, and then exined to Ria what they were. I then rmended that she turn some monster cores into magic stones. Maybe get some help from Agunan so that the magic stones will hold some of his draconic fire magic in addition to Ria’s own fire magic. I’ll give her two B or A-rank cores to use for that and lend them Dark Sage topress the cores.
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<span style="font-weight:400">Then it was my turn to try floor 7 challenge room. I didn’t do it to test anything, but to earn myself a Card Summoner skill orb. I was a little hesitant to do it on floor 7, but Laura said it would likely be the only floor I could even get the skill orb from, as the easier floors would die too quickly, even if I was holding back.
<span style="font-weight:400">My opponent in the challenge room was something I had never fought myself and had even only seen once. Well, I had seen a regr variant of it, this one was skeletal.
<span style="font-weight:400">A skeletal twin-headed hydra. Higher B-rank monster, but I can take it on. The only question is, can I take it on while following the optimal route?
<span style="font-weight:400">(Laura?)
<span style="font-weight:400">(Yes. This monster will work. I’m still calcting optimal moves, so just go at it normally for now. Try to only use Sword Technique and Shield Technique for now.)
<span style="font-weight:400">(Alright. I’ll buy you some time.)
<span style="font-weight:400">I looked at the hydra that looked at me with its empty eye sockets. It then screeched before rushing at me, with its two maws ready to bite me in half.
<span style="font-weight:400">As if I’d let the monster do so. Using my duel disk as a shield, I blocked the left … wait is it technically the right mouth because from the hydra’s POV, that is right? Well for me it is the left mouth. I blocked it with my duel disk, while also using my sword to stab at the nostrils of the right mouth, causing it to pull back the right head while screeching in pain.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Now let go of my duel disk!” I yelled at the hydra, as I stabbed one of the empty eye sockets of its other head that was biting my duel disk.
<span style="font-weight:400">I then jumped back to take some distance, trying to buy time for Laura and Tahlia. Sadly I couldn’t just run in circles, as that would make it more difficult to get the reward I want.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Lucky for you, we have a n.) Laura said in my mind. (And I do have tomend you on those two critical hits. They will help us a lot.)
<span style="font-weight:400">(Thanks. Now let’s do this.) And thus began the task of ying a game with the hydra, with the skill orb I need being the reward.
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<span style="font-weight:400">(You have to take this hit, then sh at the right leg.) Laura instructed.
<span style="font-weight:400">I steadied my footing to take the hydra’s tail m, and then rushed towards its legs. Cutting the leg offpletely, I then quickly moved to the side before the hydrapleted its 360.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Now use Dark Chain to chain up the other leg, then wait for the hydra’s reaction.)
<span style="font-weight:400">Again, I did as instructed.
<span style="font-weight:400">With the hydra’s uninjured hind leg chained up and the other being out ofmission, the hydra began gathering mana into its two maws.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Use Space Shield, then dodge when the shield gives.)
<span style="font-weight:400">“Space, consolidate into a wall and protect me, Space Wall.”
<span style="font-weight:400">My shield of consolidated space blocked the double breath-attack for a while, but eventually it began to crack, so I quickly moved out of the way.
<span style="font-weight:400">(Now rush in and sh at one of the necks while the hydra is recovering from the attack.)
<span style="font-weight:400">The battle continued like that for some time. Me taking or blocking a hit, before going in with a powerful counter. Each of my hits was to hit a specific point on the skeletal hydra’s body. I was essentially farming critical hits to boost my score.
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<span style="font-weight:400">After a total of 9 critical hits, as well as the two idental ones I started off with, Laura finally said that I should end the fight with the next attack, so I started chanting some spells.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Time, quicken my movement, Time el. Time, slow down my opponent, Time Decel.” I started off with my two supportive Time spells. I then began chanting the Space Magic spell I’d use to end the fight.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Space, cut apart my enemy, Space Cutter!”
<span style="font-weight:400">With the spell flying at the hydra, it cut off both of its necks that I had already weakened with my sword, thus ending the monster.
<span style="font-weight:400">As it disappeared, a marble-like thing about the size of a tennis ball appeared from its disappearing corpse.
<span style="font-weight:400">I held it up high and basked in my victory. Now I can cheat Card Summoner onto my employees without having to put them through difficult fights.