Two months passed until the end of the semester, and as Bastion had predicted, the party reached level 50. The many Rank 1 enemies undoubtedly played a significant role in accelerating their leveling speed.
[Name]: Bastion Diamondhart
[Age]: 22
[Class]: Diamond Knight (Rank 3)
[Ability]: Diamond Body
[Rank]: Apprentice
[Level]: 50
[Health]: 100/100
[Mana]: 85/85
[Strength]: 80
[Dexterity]: 65
[Vitality]: 100
[Intelligence]: 85
[Wisdom]: 100
[Charm]: 50
[Intuition]: 80
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Earth Magic 3, Light Magic 3, Shield 3, Smithing 3, Sword 2, Whip 2, Unarmed 2, Heavy Armor 2, Fire Magic 2, Water Magic 2, Dark Magic 2, Wind Magic 2, Riding 2, Taming 1, Cooking 1, Traps 1, Enchanting 1
[Skills]: Shield Bash 3, Block 3, Charge 3, Reinforce 3, Amplify 3, Slash 3, Parry 3, Taunt 3, Stab 2, Smash 2, Dodge 2, Dash 2, Jump 2, Summon Familiar(Zephy) 2, Diamond Armor 2, Diamond Edge 2, Diamond Shrapnel 1, Diamond Rain 1, Diamond Steed 1
[Skill Points]: 25
He spent his status points carefully, following Seraphina's advice to ensure he had his bases covered before going beyond the limit. He wasn't entirely sure what the difference was but was happy to comply.
During their difficult dungeon dives, Bastion noticed he severely lacked mana, which made sense given his heavy reliance on skills when fighting Rank 1 enemies.
To address this, he invested all his status points into Vitality, Wisdom, and Intelligence, in that order. He planned to max out Intelligence and Strength next to maximize his already significant advantages.
As for his skills, Slash improved to level 3, though the only noticeable change was the increased force behind each strike. Slash increases the number of slashes on every even level and the power of each slash on every odd level. So, he remained at two slashes but with significantly more power behind each blow.
Parry now allowed him to divert skills at level 3 without being pushed back.
Taunt became more convincing.
Summon Familiar enhanced Zephy's wind affinity and increased its overall status, meaning the familiar would likely contribute more in battle once it reached level 3.
Diamond Edge and Diamond Armor were Bastion's most frequently used skills in the dungeon, so they leveled up faster than the others from the class.
Overall, Bastion had grown strong enough to breeze through the werewolf dungeon without completely draining his mana by the end.
As for Arts, only Smithing had improved, and that was only recently when Bastion began actively applying his knowledge to repair or replace golem parts. It seemed that putting knowledge into practice was just as important as possessing it.
Bastion felt somewhat disappointed in himself for not progressing in Sword, Whip, or Heavy Armor. He would have loved to take the corresponding Mastery classes, but between dungeon dives, smithing, and magic classes, there just was not enough time. He barely managed to fit in golem crafting by justifying it as practice for both magic and smithing.
There was a silver lining though. Bastion had gained the art of Enchanting.
Enchanting was a remarkably broad application of magical infusion. Engraving magic circuits and runes onto golem limbs counted as Enchanting, as did intent infusion, spell embedding, and even writing with magic ink. It also applied to magical tattoos that granted specific effects.
It was just the reward Bastion needed to justify giving up all his other options. In time, it would allow him to create magical devices of his own design.
Bastion wasn't the only one making progress. Elyra had grown as well.
[Name]: Elyra
[Age]: 27
[Class]: Maid Assassin (Rank 1)
[Ability]: Inconspicuous Presence
[Rank]: Apprentice
[Level]: 50
[Health]: 50/50
[Mana]: 60/60
[Strength]: 75
[Dexterity]: 100
[Vitality]: 50
[Intelligence]: 60
[Wisdom]: 50
[Charm]: 50
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Dark Magic 3, Sword 3, Dagger 3, Unarmed 3, Light Armor 3, Stealth 3, Cooking 2, Cleaning 2, Traps 2
[Skills:]: Slash 3, Stab 3, Throw 3, Parry 3, Dodge 3, Dash 3, Jump 3, Reinforce 2, Backstab 2, Clean 2, Cook 2, Garrote 1, Conceal 1
[Skill Points]: 25
Elyra maxed out her Dexterity, brought her Wisdom up to 50, and allocated the remaining points into Strength. As an assassin, Dexterity and Strength were her most vital stats, followed closely by Vitality. She already had enough mana and stamina to keep pace with Bastion, so she focused entirely on offense.
Her Mastery classes had been paying off as well, with improvements in Dagger, Unarmed, Light Armor, Stealth, and Traps. Each one was chosen to refine her effectiveness and precision as an assassin.
Unfortunately, she had to put aside improving her Cooking and Cleaning skills, much to her own dismay.
As for her active skills, their growth reflected heavy use during both classes and dungeon dives. Stab, Throw, Parry, Dodge, Dash, Jump, and Backstab each increased by a level. Even Cook and Clean saw a slight improvement, likely because she had started relying on them more often to avoid doing chores by hand.
It was a clear sign of just how much effort Elyra put into taking care of Bastion. This was especially true now that his attention had shifted toward golems. That usually meant cleaning up all the soot and spare metal parts lying around.
Lastly, was Lilia, their resident Mage/Wizard/Sorcerer.
[Name]: Lilia
[Age]: 22
[Class]: Mystic Water Mage (Rank 2)
[Ability]: Mystic Water
[Rank]: Apprentice
[Level]: 50
[Health]: 30/30
[Mana]: 100/100
[Strength]: 20
[Dexterity]: 30
[Vitality]: 30
[Intelligence]: 100
[Wisdom]: 30
[Charm]: 25
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Water Magic 3, Staff 2, Cooking 1, Cleaning 1, Traps 1, Spell Weaving 1
[Skills:]: Water Barrier 2, Mystic Mend 1, Mystic Veil 1, Mystic Downpour 1, Water Curtain 1, Summon Familiar (Misty) 1, Frost Ray 1, Magic Hand 1, Shocking Grasp 1, Minor Illusion 1, Amplify 1, Dash 1, Dodge 1
[Skill Points]: 25
Lilia maxed out her Intelligence as planned. Now she could finally focus on increasing her Wisdom, which had been held back at 30 due to her lack of pedigree. As a dedicated spellcaster, she needed all the mana she could get.
Thanks to their frequent dungeon dives, her Strength and Dexterity each increased by five points. While the boost was minor, it helped her move with more ease.
As a maiden in love, her growing self-confidence, nurtured by Bastion, allowed her to carry herself with greater poise. That self-assurance naturally elevated her Charm, making her noticeably more attractive than before.
Spell Weaving was the art of casting spells but was only received after creating them first. Bastion had taken the same classes as Lilia so he could do it as well, but he simply didn't have the time or energy to handle the complex calculations.
The spell Lilia created was a nasty Apprentice Rank spell called Suffocating Ooze. It formed a glob of sticky, viscous liquid and lightly launched it at an opponent's face, drowning them in the process. It was an insidious spell that Bastion had shared, based on his own idea but only implemented with free cast magic.
Her most frequently used skill remained Water Barrier, as expected. Bastion and Elyra rarely got injured, so the rest of her repertoire was mostly reserved for practice.
Now that Lilia had officially joined Bastion, he didn't hesitate to fund her skill list with mithril coins. She could have acquired more, but she preferred quality over quantity. Bastion had to force her to take Amplify, Dash, and Dodge.
Regarding the Summon Familiar skill, her pet was a Mist Lynx, a creature she fell in love with during her first date in the Beast Warren. It could summon a mist to conceal both itself and Lilia during combat when needed. Since she was a Mystic Water Mage, she couldn't produce mist on her own without healing her opponents, so she selected a familiar that could handle it instead.
This choice also paired exceptionally well with her new skill, Minor Illusion, which let her create blurry images from memory by manipulating light mana.
Overall, they were highly rewarded for their efforts in both their studies and dungeon diving. The true measure of their dedication became clear when Bastion received an update on Seraphina's own status.
[Name]: Seraphina Phoenixhart
[Age]: 22
[Class]: Alchemist (Rank 2)
[Ability]: Alchemist's Flame
[Rank]: Apprentice
[Level]: 60
[Health]: 85/85
[Mana]: 100/100
[Strength]: 40
[Dexterity]: 100
[Vitality]: 85
[Intelligence]: 100
[Wisdom]: 100
[Charm]: 65
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Alchemy 3, Fire Magic 3, Water Magic 3, Earth Magic 2, Wind Magic 2, Dark Magic 2, Light Magic 2, Throwing 2, Staff 2, Cooking 1, Riding 1, Taming 1, Traps 1
[Skills:]: Fire Bolt 3, Mage Hand 3, Amplify 3, Smash 2, Parry 2, Dodge 2, Dash 2, Jump 2, Summon Familiar (Mew) 2, Analyze 2, Synthesize 2, Extract 2, Vaporize 2, Summon Bottle 2
[Skill Points]: 35
Though she was now only ten levels ahead of the group, her impressive class skills, all at level 2, more than made up for the difference. Her priorities were clear, given her remarkable skill set.
This told Bastion she was cooking something up, something big, something meant to be used against the Demon Lord, though he had no idea what.
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