____________________
Name: Sky
Level: 0
Class: None
Health: 15/15 Mana: 5/5
• Strength: 11 • Vitality: 1
• Agility: 1 • Intelligence: 1
• Dexterity: 1 • Fortitude: 1
Stat points: 0
____________________
Just as Jaden finished putting all 10 stat points into Strength, the Skeleton Warrior had already reached him and swung its sword from above.
"Let's go," Jaden smiled as he stepped to the right, just barely dodging the sword by a hair's breadth.
Thud!
"Guluk-bulk!" the Skeleton Warrior's maw chattered up and down, seemingly annoyed for missing its target.
Ignoring the incoherent babbling, Jaden leaned on one foot before swiftly spinning around the skeleton's back.
Hup!
He clenched the hilt of his sword and slashed the skeleton's shoulder which held its weapon.
Clang!
The sword struck its target's armor.
[You have dealt 9 damage to the target.]
"...what?"
Jaden was stupified when he saw the red-colored single-digit number that appeared above the skeleton's skull.
He cringed at the damage he dealt which didn't even take 1% of the Skeleton Warrior's total health.
Ke-ke-ke-ke-kek!
The Skeleton Warrior seemed to laugh as its maw jumped up and down, its eyes curving into a shape of a crescent moon.
Being looked down upon by a monster that most likely hung at the bottom of the world's food chain, Jaden's face reddened.
'Damn, are all monsters like this? Can others also react exactly how a real human would?'
Just as he was thinking this, a skeletal fist suddenly came towards him.
Jaden evaded it with ease by ducking. He then sliced his sword adjacent to the location which he previously attacked.
[You have dealt 9 damage to the target.]
Following that, he twisted his foot and circled around the skeleton, striking its shoulder once more.
[You have dealt 8 damage to the target.]
[You have unlocked the passive skill: Sword Mastery.]
[You have learned Beginner Sword Mastery Level 1.]
'Sword Mastery?'
As Jaden jumped back from the Skeleton Warrior's attack, he read the description of the very first skill he had received which appeared at the corner of his retina.
____________________
[Sword Mastery (Passive)]
Beginner Level 1 (0%)
• When a sword-type weapon is equipped, attack power will increase by 2% and attack speed by 0.5%.
• Can level up.
____________________
'It's only Beginner Level 1...' he thought for a second before an idea popped up in his mind. His eyes then shifted to the Skeleton Warrior that was running towards him.
Kurug!
As soon as it reached its target, the Skeleton Warrior brandished its sword and slashed down from above.
Jaden could hear and feel the wind being sliced as he bent his knees and held his sword horizontally. As soon as the two swords collided, he swiftly sidestepped and slashed the undead on its shoulder.
[You have dealt 13 damage to the target.]
When the Skeleton Warrior turned to face Jaden, he had already moved to its blind spot and struck the same spot once more.
[You have dealt 12 damage to the target.]
As he kept circling around the Skeleton Warrior, it couldn't keep up despite possessing more stats than him.
Just like this, a few minutes passed.
As Jaden controlled the flow of the battle, the metallic shoulder-piece of the Skeleton Warrior already started cracking, clearly due to being targeted again and again.
After constantly moving around and swinging his sword for a while, Jaden started getting used to his body, despite it being as weak as an ant compared to his real one.
'If this battle had been in the real world, I would've dismantled this Skeleton Warrior in just a few seconds. '
"Kekuk-luk!" the Skeleton Warrior cried out as it extended its bony left hand, picking up its weapon that had dropped on the ground.
One could see its right arm missing as it struggled to move. Fractures could also be seen in its faceless skull.
Meanwhile, a foot swept the hilt of the undead's sword, kicking it a few meters away.
Clang.
Leaning on his forwarded foot, Jaden pivoted and delivered a reverse roundhouse kick to the vulnerable skull.
[You have dealt 10 damage to the target.]
But it didn't end there.
Continuing the kick, he used the same leg and clutched the undead's neck. He then jumped with his other leg, using the previous one as an anchor to wrap around the Skeleton Warrior like an agile snake.
He then delivered an elbow strike.
[You have dealt 8 damage to the target.]
Dropping down the ground, a dropkick followed the elbow as the Skeleton Warrior was forced to step back.
[You have dealt 8 damage to the target.]
Picking up the sword that he had impaled on the ground previously, Jaden slashed his sword upward and followed it up with a swing from above.
[You have dealt 14 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 17 damage to the target.]
Jaden then finished off the combo by spinning the sword around his body.
Clang!
[You have achieved a 6-hit combo! Damage has increased by 60%.]
[You have dealt 32 damage to the target.]
[Your understanding of the sword has increased.]
[Beginner Sword Mastery Level 1 has leveled up to Beginner Sword Mastery Level 2.]
[The Beginner Longsword's durability has dropped by 1 point.]
Despite having no eyes, Jaden could feel the Skeleton Warrior 'glaring' at him with hate.
He simply smirked as he glanced at the Skeleton Warrior's armor, which had long turned crude.
Numerous scratches could be seen everywhere on its surface, clearly due to Jaden's attacks.
Jaden then shifted his eyes onto his sword which had already turned dull.
--------------------
[Beginner Longsword]
Rating: Normal
Durability: 3/10
Attack 1~2
*Needs urgent repair, otherwise, the sword will be destroyed.*
--------------------
"There's only three points left in its durability...I hope it can last." Jaden mumbled.
He then grinned at the Skeleton Warrior. "You better drop something good."
Dashing towards it, Jaden brandished his sword once more.
...
...
[The Beginner Longsword's durability has dropped to 0.]
[The Beginner Longsword has been destroyed.]
[Alone, you have won against an enemy that should've been impossible to defeat given your current strength.]
[World Reputation +10.]
[All stats +1.]
[You have received the skill book: Skeleton Summoning.]
[You have slain the enemy.]
[You have received: Rusted Claymore.]
[You have received: Bone Dust x50.]
[You have slain an enemy 15 levels above you, experience points received increases by 150%.]
[You have received 8,550 EXP.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has ri...]
[Your level...]
[Your...]
[...]
"That's a lot of system announcements," Jaden said as he saw numerous blue windows that kept popping up.
"First, the drops."
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[Skill Book: Skeleton Summoning]
Rating: Unique [1]
Type: Active
• Use to learn the skill Skeleton Summoning.
• Summon a skeleton to fight for you.
Class Restriction: None.
--------------------
'What a vague description, this skill seems useless...' Jaden thought.
Summon skeletons to fight?
What can those fragile set of bones do when fighting against stronger monsters...
"I guess they can become bait?"
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[Bone Dust]
• Skeletal remains that have turned to dust.
• Usage unknown.
----------
[Rusted Claymore]
Rating: Normal
Durability: 24/24
Attack: 11~19
• Strength and Agility +1
User Restriction: Level 4 or higher. More than 15 Strength.
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"Not bad for a Level 15 mob." Jaden nodded his head, satisfied.
The whole battle only took a bit more than half an hour so it was pretty worth it.
Of course, it took that long because of the level gap between him and the Skeleton Warrior. [2]
"Let's learn the skill first."
[Do you want to use the skill book to learn Skeleton Summoning?]
"Yes."
[Ding!]
[You have learned Skeleton Summoning.]
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[Skeleton Summoning (Unique)]
Lv. 1 (0%)
Speak the words "I Summon You From the Realm of the Dead, Skeleton!" to activate the skill.
• You can summon a 'Growth-type Skeleton' that will gain 5 stat points, which you can allocate, after every level-up.
• The skeleton will start off at Level 1.
• The summoned skeleton's basic stats are 1 Strength, 1 Vitality, 1 Agility, and 1 Intelligence.
• Equipment can be worn.
Skill Duration: Until the summoned skeletons are recalled or destroyed.
Skill Usage cost: 50% of current health.
Cooldown: None
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"?!"
Although Jaden cringed at the summoning chant, he was still stunned.
"Isn't this basically a battle pet? It can level up but its level doesn't drop if it dies? I can allocate its stats? The skeleton can even wear pieces of equipment?
Although the cost of 50% of the current health to summon is pretty ruthless, nonetheless, this skill actually seems pretty good.
"What a good start." Jaden giggled.
Everlasting World only officially launched less than an hour ago but he felt as if days had already passed.
In his mind, although the battle took forever to finish, the struggle was worth it.
Cough! "I Summon You from the Realm of the Dead, Skeleton!" with an embarrassed red face, Jaden yelled.
A second later—
What answered his call was a strange dark vortex, which suddenly appeared beside him. A dark, gloomy aura exuded from the vortex, which dropped the surrounding temperature to a considerable degree.
The vortex was so dark it was akin to a black hole! Only, this one had a diameter of 3 or so meters.
And then—a skeleton jumped out.
Clack, clack, clack!.
One could hear its bones shaking and popping as soon as it emerged.
Jaden: "..."
Contrary to his expectation, the skeleton was pretty small. His own height was 185 cm and the skeleton only reached up to his shoulder.
'Yep, it looks useless alright.'
Its appearance was subpar.
Cracks could be seen on the surface of its skull and its whole body was white. It looked so weak that it might shatter in one slash of a sword.
Clack, clack!
The maw of the skeleton moved up and down as it stared at Jaden as if greeting its master.
[Please name your summoned skeleton.]
Jaden grimaced. "Can you speak?"
Clack?
'...right.'
"Well, too late for regrets now. From now on, your name is Abaddon, do you like it? A powerful name right?"
[Your summoned skeleton is now named Abaddon.]
[The summoning chant has now changed to: I Summon You from the Realm of the Dead, Abaddon!]
Jaden shuddered at the system's announcement about the summoning chant.
'Well, let's check your status window first.'
_________________
[Abaddon]
Level: 1
Health: 50/50
Mana: 10/10
Strength: 1
Vitality: 1
Agility: 1
Intelligence: 1
Stat points: 10
_________________
'How weak.'
Jaden shook his head as he looked at the skeleton with pity in his eyes. He then stroked its head which he found quite smooth.
Clack?
"Don't worry about being weak. I'll power level you. In the future, you'll become the strongest undead!"
Clack! Clack clack! Abaddon's jaws moved up and down, seemingly happy about it's master's words.
Jaden then shifted his focus onto the 10 free stat points.
'Since you'll be in the frontline pretty much every time, how I'll allocate your stats will be extremely important.'
So what should I go with?
Full strength?
Strength and agility?
Strength and vitality?
Or would a balanced growth be better? But a jack of all trades is a master of none.