My class Death Knight is just barely legal…

Chapter 189: Sadistic training.

After Ashs initial shock died down, he still refused to talk to me. Instead, he had decided to start a staring match, leaning his head on his hands while he concentrated on trying to give me a withering glare. It would have worked, if it werent for the dry mans calming presence. He seemed amused by Ashs exaggerated jealousy, but eventually managed to calm him down.

If youve both recovered from your dramatics, Id like to get back on topic. Unlike you two, I dont have all day. You were saying something about rushing your advancement, Arthur?

Right. The thing is, Ive been told that it pays dividends to delay a class evolution for a while if you can squeeze some skill evolutions in beforehand. Supposedly, that would improve the next class you get.

Youve been told correctly, in that case. The value of evolving skills cant be underestimated. The dry man affirmed.

Normally, I would continue to heed that advice. Unfortunately, Ive found myself at a bit of an impasse. My friend and I have been stirring up trouble in a neighbouring country, and were not quite done yet. Weve been a bit out of our depth for a while now and I fear it may get worse before it gets better, which leads me to think that tiering up might alleviate some of the risk involved. At this point, were too far in to give up, so running away isnt a compromise either of us is willing to make, either.

Both men took a moment to consider my situation, until, eventually, Ash was the first to speak.

Since you came all the way here, Im assuming you have some wiggle room when it comes to timing. How long do you have before your self-imposed deadline? Maybe you can place your focus on a few specific skills and get them to the cap in time?

Im expected back at our temporary base in a week, which wouldnt give me enough time to tier up the one skill I have my eyes on, unfortunately.

At this point, the dry man intervened.

Lets talk specifics. I am not going to ask to see your status, but walk me through the skills that youre keeping in contention.

I nodded, pulling up my status screen just for me to see.

Name: Arthur Titles [Dark prodigy] Class: [Hollow essence knight] LVL 100 Strength 1317 Constitution 1376 Dexterity 1317 Intelligence 484 Wisdom 868 Affinity 876 Free stat points 20

Skills:

Passive:

[Overloading combustion core](48%), [Dark flow sight](34%), [Cascading mana-intrusive Swordsmanship](59%),

[Sapphire Mental palace](N/A),[Dark Form](91%), [Crawling road](18%), [Weak mana sense](N/A),[Blackened essence(formative)](50%), [Hollow essence return](22%), [Essence lifespan](50%), [Adaptive physiology](N/A)

Active:

[Ghost apparition](74%), [Corrosive mark](39%), [Relentless orbs](67%), [Sword laser](46%), [Onyx chain wind](68%), [Aura dash](5%), [Hollow manifestation](23%), [Eidetic sacrifice](0%)

I only have four skills that I would realistically evolve, even in normal circumstances. One of them is at ninety percent, while the other three are at about seventy. Everything else is at sixty or lower. Of those skills, the skill at ninety percent would give me a larger boost in power than the other four combined, so thats the one Im truly pining after. Unfortunately, I just dont have the time to tier it up! It took me months to get this far and the final ten percent are going to take much longer than a week to get

Now youre really getting me curious, kid. Come on, spill! What skill is it?

It took some more convincing on Ashs end, but, eventually, I relented and told them about the specifics of [Dark form], my one and only healing skill. Calling it a healing skill wasnt doing it justice, to be honest. My entire strategy centred around this very skill and the pain immunity it provided. I had been told that mana overload was anguish to any other person, after all. I was only holding onto that particular advantage through [Dark form]s many powerful effects. Tiering it up and achieving tier 6 would prove a world of difference in combat. With some luck, it could even allow me to go toe to toe with tier 5 classers like Dalius. Hells, even the inquisitor!

After I was done explaining how the skill worked and how I got so much skill progression so quickly, both men sitting across from me seemed impressed, though Ash was more vocal about it. By that I mean that he started acting like a jealous toddler until the dry man shut him up with a pointed frown.

This skill does seem particularly powerful. It explains much when it comes to your recent accomplishments. I echo your thoughts when it comes to the magnitude of the advantage that tiering this skill up might bring you. Then again, every classer must make difficult decisions at times. Luckily for you, I believe I can help in a more direct manner than simply giving advice.

Really? I asked, my hope rekindled.

By all logic, it should have taken you years to advance your tier 5 skill this far. If it werent for the stress you constantly place your body under, you wouldnt have gained more than 25 percent progression. Your overloading strategy helps in this matter, since it forces your skill to almost constantly be active. From the sound of it, you have gained significant progress in dire situations as well, however. If we put your body under even more stress for the coming four days, we might just be able to get you those final percentages.

As the dry man explained his reasoning, a sinister smile gradually grew on his face.

Even more stress? I asked hesitantly.

Ash was kind enough to rephrase the dry mans plan.

How does being on the brink of death for four days straight sound, kid? Because thats what he really means

A few hours later, the three of us arrived in a wide open clearing. Quite a distance away from Necropolis, the place was deserted apart from some dead shrubbery, the type that you could find everywhere in the between lands.

Strangely, the density of dark-affinity mana was even higher in this area than it was elsewhere in these lands, something that I had only come across a few times. Even then, the scale of the shift was far more dramatic.

Remember this place, Arthur? This is where the war took place a while ago. Its since been scavenged clean and the bodies have been repurposed, but the mana created by the dead still lingers.

My eyes widened, realisation setting in. Now that I though about it, there was something familiar about the geography of this place. Not familiar enough to make the connection myself, mind you. No, the battle had been far too chaotic for that.

The increased mana density would be useful to fuel my [Dark form] skill as the dry mans plan took place, whatever it turned out to be. An inch away from death, huh? I could handle an inch

After a bit more walking, we stopped in the centre of the clearing, where the older man turned to me.

So, the plan is simple. I will attack you and you will stand there and take it.

If something about the dead-pan stare I answered his monologue with amused the dry man, he didnt show it.

Right so I just need to recover from the wounds you give me. Seems simple enough. You think this strategy will work? I asked.

Suddenly, my legs gave out and I fell to the floor. Surprised by the sudden shift, I tried to right myself up by pushing my hands against the ground, but quickly realised that they werent responding to me either.

Laying down on the dry crust of the earth, I strained my neck to look up, finding four grey whip-like appendages staring down at me, their pointed ends stained in the bright red colour of fresh blood. My blood, I realised, seeing my four appendages laying on the ground a few feet away from me in every direction.

I was distracted from my reverie by the dry mans dull voice.

Itll work, all right. So long as I can find your limits within a reasonable amount of time You can thank me later for taking four days out of my exceptionally busy schedule, young man. I wont even ask for a favour in return...

Something told me that I had underestimated this mans sadism. When the developing stumps that were supposed to grow into new arms and legs were cut off mercilessly before even getting halfway there, my suspicions were affirmed.