The orphans, or rather members of the shadow corps, could not enter the dungeon to train until they reached level 10. Thankfully the system had a training function that made reaching level 10 possible without ever putting yourselves in danger. This is where the four members of my part came into play.
Each of the three was to be a master to one of the children, while I would personally teach all of them. Chuck, who was selected for the hybrid 'class' would bounce between the three of them, but I would be his main teacher.
I unfortunately had to supply them with weapons, but the system had some cheap weapons available. James and Chuck were the most expensive as I had to purchase them a weapon as well as a spell book.
Luckily the system had something called a beginner's package that only cost 250 coins. I purchased four of them giving one to each.
What the packages contained was dependent on the person who opened them. James received the most basic staff and a spell called [shadow bolt]. It was similar to fireball or poison orb, meaning it had a level and the damage scaled as its level went up. The staff boosted damage of spells by 25%.
Chuck likewise received a spell, it was called [Shadow Weapon] which allowed him to form a weapon out of the shadows. The weapon could be anything. It likewise had a level and the damage scaled accordingly.
Nate received a bow that could generate a single arrow per second. It was a growth type weapon that would get stronger as he did, allowing him to fire more often.
John received a basic short sword, but also gained the skills [Sneak Attack] and [Vital Strike]. Combined with his natural talent this was a pretty fatal combination.
I could only shake my head as I saw this. If I had noticed these packages when I first started out things would have been a lot easier.
Like that the training began. I did not know much about the use of archery, so I was unable to teach Chuck anything regarding that. He would need to learn from Hylia. Fortunately, because Hylia could not communicate directly she sat on my shoulder as I repeated what she said. The training was actually pretty simple. The bows improved rapidly. By the time the first day had ended they had already gained two levels.
That night the recruits stay in a tent outside of my cottage. I did not have a way to get them a permanent residence at the moment, but they seemed content with the arrangement at the moment. I sighed thinking about how I would need to invest in a larger house in the future.
I was able to get a good night's rest that night, as I was rather tired from the lack of sleep the night before. The training had also surprisingly taken a lot out of me.
In the morning I woke up to the smell of breakfast being made. I yawned loudly as I left my bed, trudging my way to the kitchen. I was surprised to see Sierra wearing an apron singing and dancing as she prepared food. I could only smile at the sight. She had truly missed her calling in life.
She had made enough breakfast for all 8 of us to eat, and the food tasted amazing. A lot better than anything I could make. It even tasted slightly better than what Hylia could make, but I would never admit that out loud. A woman has her pride after all.
After breakfast we went straight into training again. The growth of the children surprised me, as they managed to gain a total of 3 levels that day.
The next day I was even more surprised as they gained four levels and topped out at level 10. Their training had encompassed all we had to teach, and each of the children learned their own unique skills.
Nate learned [Advanced Archery] which was increased the speed and accuracy of his shots.
John learned [Fatal Weakness] which guaranteed an instant kill against a weaker enemy that he struck with a vital strike that was unaware of his presence.
James learned [Shadow Magic Mastery] which reduced the cast speed of his shadow spells.
Chuck learned a skill called [Versatile] which allowed him to add half the effect from weapon specific skills to other weapons.
All of the unique skills they got for reaching level 10 amazed me. It must have been due to them being human and being unable to evolve. After all, all three of my party members had pretty unique skills as well.
With their training officially done I sent them off to the dungeon after a good night's rest. Only by fighting could they really test the power they had been given.
With that being said, The Velocinids still had not attacked, not had I heard anything from the guild yet, So I thought that it was time for us to once again enter the dungeon as well. Especially since I had spent almost all of the coins I had gathered, and I really wanted to purchase a couple of the books I had seen earlier.
After quickly confirming that my party was on with it, we proceeded to the dungeon. It was far less populated than it normally was, and Even the cyclops that normally guarded the gate was not there. He was replaced by a small blond human girl. She quickly verified our information and sent us inside. She seemed rather bored with the entire thing. If we had been back on earth, I would have sworn she would have been blowing bubbles with her bubblegum while playing on her phone. She would have worn Jeans with holes in the knees, and a t-shirt with a band on it. On her head would have been a backwards black cap.
In other words, just my type. Hylia bit me as she saw me turn around to check out the girl's butt. I have to admit I deserved that one.