Chapter 50

"Hmm, what should I do next?"

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I placed my hand on my chin and thought.

The "Status Manipulation" I perform every time is an indispensable ability for me to continue and advance as an adventurer.

The way I allocate my stats and the skills I choose can drastically change my future, so I've recently been taking the time to carefully consider these things in a calm place.

"‘Concentration’ is a great skill, isn’t it?"

Using it can simultaneously increase 'Strength,' 'Agility,' and 'Stamina.'

I remember seeing a few front-line fighters using it during hunts up to the fourth floor. The problem is...

"The short duration and the fact that it can only be cast on oneself, right?"

The short duration of 'Concentration' is noted in the skill data that Salome investigated for me.

Depending on the skill level, the maximum duration is about 2 minutes, and it's recommended to use it only when you are confident you can defeat the enemy within that time if you are a front-line fighter.

"Combining it with ‘Speed Up,’ ‘Stamina Up,’ and ‘Designated Skill Effect Multiplier’ could be an option, but..."

If I were to take up an effect multiplier slot just for this, I should choose the versatile ‘Burst’ instead.

"My current Warrior level is 30, so I can raise ‘Concentration’ to level 7, but it will cost 41 skill points. That's not a small amount..."

Moreover, if I decide to do this, I will have to raise it to level 10, which will require a maximum of 237 skill points.

This applies to most of the combat skills I obtained at level 25, in terms of the skill points they consume.

"If I continue to go solo, shouldn't I focus on a strategy that involves charging into the enemy?"

Using ‘Concentration’ as an example, the same applies to ‘Backstab.’

What I need are versatile skills that can handle various situations.

With magic, I can reduce the number of enemies with long-range attacks or temporarily gain the strength of a front-line fighter with support magic from a cleric.

"Considering this, shouldn't I prioritize skills like ‘Burst’ (which I've already raised to level 8 with a maximum of level 10 and high support effects), ‘Speed Up,’ and ‘Stamina Up’?"

These support spells can also be cast on allies, so I can support my surroundings in emergencies.

However, since I've been keeping my distance since that declaration, these thoughts might be irrelevant...

"Next is the stat allocation..."

I currently have 183 remaining stat points. Thanks to ‘Designated Skill Effect Multiplier,’ I gain 15 points with each level up, which has been helpful. However, it's becoming difficult to level up with the monsters I'm currently fighting. Furthermore...

"All my stats are over 300, and the only one that's close to 400 is ‘Stamina’..."

This is because I chose the ‘Merchant’ class and my level increased, causing my stats to rise.

"Up to this point, I've been allocating points evenly because the number of stat points required increases with each 100 points. But shouldn't I change this approach now?"

At low levels, both skill points and stat points increased rapidly, so I allocated them freely. However, I can't obtain all the skills I want at this point, and I need to narrow down my options.

"Given this, I should focus on a back-line role."

Currently, I'm acting as a middle-line fighter, but if my magic power were higher, I could take out enemies before they get close...

My current magic power is 336, which is slightly front-line oriented. From here, I need to allocate points to ‘Magic Power,’ ‘Spirit,’ and ‘Dexterity’...

"Alright, I've decided. I'll raise ‘Rogue’ to level 23, then ‘Mage’ to level 40 to obtain the skills. After that, I'll raise the levels of ‘Warrior,’ ‘Scout,’ and ‘Rogue’ to 40 in that order, and allocate the stat points I gain to these three classes. By raising ‘Dexterity’ first, which increases with the Scout class, I can reduce the points needed when I exceed 400."

I plan to return to the fourth floor for hunting due to concerns about reduced combat power as a Rogue, but I need to maintain a luck of 500, so this is unavoidable.

With this approach, I can only grow through the class bonuses at level up, and I will have to endure a period of stagnation.

However, I have no plans to break through the fifth floor. I can reach level 40 in each class within two weeks.

I completed the Merchant class despite the uncertainty, so I'm sure I can manage...

Name: Tim

Age: 16

Class: Rogue Level 21

Strength: 347

Agility: 311

Stamina: 380

Magic Power: 336

Spirit: 300

Dexterity: 352

Luck: 480 + 105

Stat Points: 3

Skill Points: 187

Unique Skills Obtained: ‘Status Manipulation’

Designated Skill Effect Multiplier: ‘Skill Points Increase Level 5,’ ‘Stat Points Increase Level 5,’ ‘Experience Increase Level 5,’ ‘Item Drop Rate Increase Level 5,’ ‘Burst Level 8’

Skills Obtained: ‘Swordsmanship Level 7,’ ‘Bash Level 6,’ ‘Healing Level 6,’ ‘Light,’ ‘Trap Detection Level 5,’ ‘Trap Disarm Level 5,’ ‘Rear Evasion Level 5,’ ‘Item Appraisal Level 6,’ ‘Dagger Mastery Level 5,’ ‘Fire Arrow Level 6,’ ‘Ice Arrow Level 6,’ ‘Wind Arrow Level 6,’ ‘Rock Shot Level 6,’ ‘Meditation Level 6,’ ‘Wall Level 6,’ ‘Magic Focus Level 6,’ ‘Blessing Level 6,’ ‘Cure Level 6,’ ‘High Healing Level 6,’ ‘Safety Wall Level 6,’ ‘Speed Up Level 6,’ ‘Stamina Up Level 6,’ ‘Item Box Level 4,’ ‘Designated Skill Effect Multiplier Level 5,’ ‘Skill Appraisal’

"...This should be the right way."

After allocating the remaining stat points to ‘Dexterity,’ I continued to stare intently at the status screen.