I let out a content sigh as I closed the book on the counter with practised ease, a happy smile on my face.
Off-Hand Proficiency has ranked up from (A)!
Off-Hand Proficiency evolves into Ambidextrous (A+)!
It had ended up taking a total of three days to max out my Off-Hand Proficiency and evolve the skill. There was no doubt in my mind that the reason this skill levelled up with only three days of work was because it was a very simple skill. Without the System's inherent growth effectiveness and my Prodigy Trait, it would have taken far longer.
Still, I opened up the skill with a pleased smile- wanting to read it for myself.
Ambidextrous (A+)
There is no domination between your two hands- for both are equal. You may use both hands as if they were your dominant hand.
A very simple skill- but incredibly useful to me. I flexed the fingers of my left hand, noting how natural it felt to use and move it compared to before.
I stood up and drew forth Photon Ray. I stepped out from behind the counter and gave it a few practise swings- being careful of the shelves.
Perfect. There was no discomfort like before, and my grip wasn't shaky and clumsy like other times I'd held the sword. It felt smooth, natural to use the sword now.
You have obtained the Skill Swordsmanship (E)!
Damn, it really was easy to gain skills with the system. You swing a sword- Swordsmanship. You use your off-hand for a purpose you'd use the dominant one for- Off-Hand Proficiency.
But I had also quickly realised that things weren't as simple as that.
Once I got Off-Hand Proficiency to Rank C, I had quickly noticed the progress was much slower than before. I'd realised that I actually had to use my hand for a variety of tasks that the dominant hand would do, not just writing in a book like I'd done before. It was why it had taken three days, because of the variety of things I'd needed to do.
In other words, once skills reached certain thresholds- you needed to start actually focusing up if you wanted them to rank up. You couldn't just coast by on talent.
Swordsmanship was likely similar. As I used the sword, my Proficiency would go up. But, once I reached a certain point, that wouldn't be enough. I would need to devote myself to a Sword Style in order to continue to rank up or create my own.
That actually raised a question...
"System, I have a question."
What is your query?
"If I were to level up my Swordsmanship Skill and follow... Say... The Demon Slayer Route of learning a Breathing Style Swordsmanship. What happens once I learn the Swordsmanship style? Does my Swordsmanship skill evolve into that style? Or do I obtain a new skill based on that style?"
In the case of skills such as Swordsmanship, any sword styles learned shall become sub-skills under Swordsmanship with their own Ranks. The Swordsmanship skill will begin to rank up depending on both the number and rank of the collective Swordsmanship the user knows.
Interesting... It wasn't a 'master one to reach enlightenment' situation with this system. It expected the best of me; it wanted me to master as much as possible.
I liked that. I welcomed the challenge.
"Unum," I called back. "It's time!"
There was the sound of movement before Unum came out of the back, moving over to stand by my side.
I pulled the Bronze Daggers out of my inventory by one and handed them over to the servant.
They gingerly took the daggers in their hands and began to jab and stab at the air with them, getting used to them rapidly.
I used Analyse on them, curious.
Name: Unum (Temp)
Race: Servant
Job: Chef Level 5
Class: Rogue Level 1
Value: 5,200
My eyebrow raised... When I had scanned Unum the previous night, their value was only at 1,200 Gold. But obtaining a class had directly raised their value by over double, putting them at over 5,000.
It seemed the most value seemed to come out of Classes. Jobs were useful, make no mistake, but it seemed the System prioritised combat classes.
But then again, besides Chef, I hadn't seen the value of any production classes like Blacksmith or Tailor, or Enchanter.
Perhaps these classes would add more to the value than just chef- who was to say?
I also noticed that Unum hadn't obtained a Sub-Class... This was likely the result of not having a System to help along the path. Instead, they received a general class, and it would likely develop into a Sub-Class as they eventually chose their speciality.
I equipped the Leather Armor onto myself in my status screen- after toggling it so that armour wouldn't appear on my body but would still be effective. It was better if people didn't know just how protected I was at all times.
I walked with Unum up to the Dungeon door. I took a deep breath as I pushed it open.
Would you like to enter the Dungeon?
"Yes," I confirmed.
Please choose a Dungeon Instance.
Skeleton Level 1 - 10
Locked
Locked
...
"Skeleton Instance."
Entering Skeleton Dungeon...
Please remember that you can leave the dungeon at any time by saying or thinking the word 'Return' with the intention to leave the Dungeon.
White light filled my vision before it faded, and I found myself standing together with Unum in a Graveyard.
Soft white mist filled the air. Not quite enough to obscure our vision, but enough to let us know it was there, all around us, and make our vision slightly distorted as a result.
Nearby, there was a set of stairs beneath a ruined white archway that led underground- likely another area, maybe even the boss area.
I quickly readied Photon Ray as I heard the sound of dirt shuffling around...
Even knowing what sort of Dungeon this was, the sight of a bony hand bursting out of the dirt still startled me.
It wasn't just one either. All around us, bony limbs began to emerge from the dirt- slowly revealing skeletons clad in tattered rags and wielding rusted iron weapons- swords, shields, spears, axes, bows, and more.
"Try to avoid being hit too much," I told Unum. I'd handed them Health Potions the day before, making sure they kept them on hand just in case they ever needed them. "If you take enough damage, drink a potion."
They just nodded as they readied their daggers.
And then, I put Unum out of my mind as I charged at the Skeletons- the Sword of Mars gleaming eagerly within my hands as I began to cut them down like ants.
It wasn't a surprise; I was holding a Divine Construct of the God of War and was facing Level 1 - 10 Skeletons. Even if my other stats were subpar, the Divine Construct in my hands more than made up for the Level Difference.
But, even still, I didn't stop cutting down the Skeletons with the greatest of ease using the Sword of Mars... All because, after killing only four, I heard the most beautiful sound in the world...
You have levelled up!
When I heard that sound, I could immediately feel the change in my body.
The magical energy within me increased. My mind became just a bit clearer. My body had gotten just a tiny bit stronger.
This was what it meant to Level Up. I could actually feel the power now within my body, and it thrilled me as I brutally cut down Skeletons without remorse.
Fear?
How could I be afraid when I was having so much fun?
Finally, after ten minutes of fighting, Unum and I had successfully cleared out the first area. No more Skeletons appeared, allowing us to take a break.
I opened up my Status.
Class: Summoner Level 6
A pleased smile bloomed on my face as I saw that my Summoner Level had increased to six.
Killing the Skeletons had definitely contributed, but there was another factor.
I looked over at Unum, who splashed a health potion on themselves in order to heal up.
I obtained experience when my Summons fought too- as was expected from the Summoner Class. Which meant that part of my experience had come from Unum... Though I would have likely gotten more experience, the enemies in this area weren't any higher than Level 3- and most were only Level 1 or 2.
Still, I was more than satisfied for the moment with my increased Summoner Level.
I checked Unum's status while I was at it.
Name: Unum (Temp)
Class: Rogue Level 4
Level 4- an expected result. It seemed that, once you surpassed an enemy's level, the amount of experience you got from them dropped by half. The only reason I'd reached Level 6 was thanks to the fact I got experience from Unum as they killed Skeletons.
I debated on if I should go down into the crypt... Before I shook my head.
No, this was enough for now. While I hadn't gotten much gold, I'd gained something more valuable- Levels.
I was going to use those to summon more Servants. Then, I could train them and use them as a sort of auto EXP farm in Dungeon instances.
"We've done enough," I told Unum. "Let's leave."
Unum gave a nod at my words.
"Return."
The world flashed in white, and I found myself standing in the front of the shop once again, Photon Ray still gleaming in my hands.
Seconds later, Unum appeared by my side.
We hadn't been in the dungeon for much longer than ten minutes, but the time within the dungeon had been valuable.
"You may go," I told Unum, who bowed and headed into the back.
Once Unum was out of sight, I slowly lifted my hand with a smile on my face... Now that I had levelled up, I could finally do this...
"Summon Servant."
A crimson magic circle formed before me once again, just as it had done days ago, and crafted before me yet another servant who bowed to me immediately.
In terms of appearance, they were identical to Unum, even down to the smallest detail.
"From now on, as a temporary measure, your name shall be Duae," I told the Servant. Since I'd already gone with the Latin number theme, why not stick to it?
Though Duae was the feminine version of the Latin number two. Duo was both the masculine and neutral version, so I'd decided to go with the female version just in case it influenced things down the line.
The Servant radiated a feeling of joy at being given a name, and looked up at me- silently asking what it could do for me.
I thought about it for a moment before I reached into my inventory and pulled out the book on Magic that I'd received from the Gacha a few days ago and handed it over.
"Your job is to read this book, and begin studies about magic," I told them. "You'll also help me restock the shelves whenever I need them filled back up."
They took the book as though it were a Holy Grail, expressing emotions of raw joy, before they bowed to me and headed into the back to fulfil my orders.
I smiled and willed Photon Ray to turn invisible- a neat trick I'd learned I could do after a little practise. It was essentially the same as Servants astralising their weapons- except I could do this with any weapon that I equipped.
I moved behind the counter and settled in snugly to my chair, a pleased smile on my face... Today was a great day... Now, if only I could get that training room to start safely practising with Runes that would be fantastic...
Ringling~
The sound of the bell above the door caused me to perk up. Another customer!
"Welcome," I smiled happily as I saw someone finally come to visit my shop, "to Unlimited! The interdimensional shop for all of your otherworldly needs!"
Akeno blinked in amused bemusement as she looked at me. "Are you in your Chuunibyou phase still, Tiberius-kun?"
I just put a wry smile on my face. "I'm glad you could finally come to my shop, Himejima-san. Trust me, what I'm about to tell you is going to change the world as you know it..."
I smelt big money today~