Eol spent several minutes thinking over his options while using the training sword on the dummy. After a few failed attempts with the images in and intent in his mind, he finally got the hang of it.
-Infusion Skill: Optical Break
-Progress: 15/100
"Hm?" Eol turned around once more to see Dojun walking toward him. "What's up?"
"Just wondering how you were doing," Dojun replied as he leaned against the wall near Eol's training dummy. "You seem pretty focused."
"I'm making progress," Eol responded before checking his stats again. 'Hmm... If I have time, maybe I should make a body-type skill too?'
Dojun tilted his head slightly to the side in thought. "Hm, if you say so. Listen, Rokuko and I were wondering if you'd decided what job you want to pursue."
Eol raised his eyebrows at the question that didn't sound like one. "Hm, I'm thinking of checking out several trades and maybe becoming a merchant."
Dojun's eyes widened as he appeared to be deep in thought. "You'll need money for that, right? Tael mentioned we can make a quick buck hunting the weaker monsters near town. So, we wondered if you wanted to join us?"
"Oh, well..." Eol scratched the back of his head awkwardly but nodded after a moment. "I guess we could give it a try. But why me?"
Dojun jabbed a thumb over his shoulder at the rest of the class. "Can't you tell? They're avoiding Rokuko and me. Probably because of how we look. You've been the only one to treat us decently."
'I see. Anyone with any knowledge of fantasy books or games would automatically think of trolls and goblins as something nasty to kill.' Eol sighed before looking into Dojun's eyes. "What's your plan for hunting?"
"We could all go together and start with something easy like slimes if they exist here. We could take turns being bait while the others attack them from behind. That way, we can all be useful, and we don't have to worry about skills." Dojun said in a casual tone as he folded his arms and looked down at Eol curiously.
"What about weapons?" Eol asked.
"Mm, apparently, we'll be given a relocation fund. Some gold to help us transition into our new lives. I figured we could use that to buy some basic equipment. It's better to buy something useful that'll let us earn money than spending it on food and rooms."
"Fair enough." Eol nodded. "When do we get the fund?"
"At the end of the week. I wanted to ask now before another group got to you." Dojun showed a sly grin. "Alright, partner. I'll let you focus on your training, but don't be a stranger."
Eol chuckled as the troll walked away from him, flashing a thumbs up at Rokuko, who bounced on her heels in excitement. 'I guess they were really worried about it.' He frowned as he glanced around the room. 'They really do stand out more than me. I'm not the only elf, and the others are all fantasy races you'd expect to see on the good side, at the very least. Is this the standard, or would there be more of their kind in other towns?' As the day wore on, a familiar screen popped into his vision.
-Infusion Skill: Optical Break
-Type: Mind
-Rating: 1 Star
-Power: 23
-Cost: 8
-Duration: 2 seconds
-Striking a target with the infused item will temporarily prevent them from being able to follow your movements for the duration of the skill.
'What the hell?' Eol gaped at his newly created skill. It was more powerful than he expected, lasted longer than he intended, and cost far less than he thought it would! 'Something doesn't add up here, even when I take my trait into consideration.'
Eol looked around the room until he spotted Tael not too far away. When she looked in his direction, he gestured that he'd like to speak with her. She wore an amused expression as she nodded before continuing to give pointers to the human she was speaking with. Once she was done, she made her way over to him.
"What's the problem?" She asked with a smile.
"It's my new skill. I think there's something wrong with it.
"Oh? Tell me about it."
It took Eol a few minutes to describe the concept behind it and what the final result was. However, contrary to his expectations, Tael didn't show any concern.
"That seems about right." She chuckled. " Let me explain. When you create an infusion skill, the amount of power in it and its duration can equal up to the total of the stat you use for it. Ok?"
Eol wore a thoughtful expression as he nodded. 'Basically, I can produce a maximum power of twenty-five and a duration of the same amount in seconds. That's because I have twenty-five points in my mind stat.'
"Now, how do you think the cost is calculated?" Tael chuckled at his confused expression. "It takes the value of the power and adds it to the value of the duration. Then, it divides the result by two. Because there are only two variables. Though, for whatever reason, if it doesn't equate to a whole number, it rounds the value up to the nearest whole number. Your trait only takes effect after this process. So your trait will never increase the cost."
Eol's eyes widened in understanding at Tael's explanation. 'I see. She wanted us to learn this for ourselves rather than spoon-feed us.' Suddenly, a thought occurred to Eol.
"You said this is for infusion skills. What about other skills?"
"Ah, caught that, did you?" Tael chuckled. "With certain types of skills, you can manipulate the area it covers and their range. So, there can be up to four variables when creating a skill. That's something you'll need to take into account."
Eol rubbed his chin as he tilted his head. 'She probably means ranged skills. Or there are other types except ranged and infusion. It seems like creating skills will be quite a personal thing.'
"Thank you for your help." Eol smiled as he bowed.
"No problem. Be sure to ask me if there's anything else you need help with." Tael quickly turned away and headed over to help another of Eol's classmates.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. A dwarf poked his head into the class as everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him. He grunted as he stroked his beard while searching for Tael with his eyes.
"Ah, Tael. The class trainers are here. Do you have anyone ready for the class interviews so we can start assigning them to a trainer?"
"Perfect timing!" Tael clapped her hands. "Eol, you go on ahead with Haldun here. You've already created two skills, so it'll give the others a chance to catch up."
Haldun nodded before leading Eol out of the training room. They walked down several halls until they reached a large open area filled with desks. An individual was sitting behind each one, all looking bored as they watched Eol enter the room. As Eol passed by them, most glanced in his direction and gave him curious looks, but none spoke to him. After passing by half of the desks, Eol realized these people were likely the class trainers.
'There are more classes than I thought.' Eol frowned as he assumed each person represented a different class.
"Ok, take a seat," Haldun said as he pointed to the empty desk at the front of the room that faced the others. As he did so, Haldun continued. "I'm going to ask you a few questions. I need you to make sure to be loud and clear so everyone can hear your answers."
Eol nodded as Haldun cleared his throat. "Pioneer class candidate number one. Eol."
Haldun checked his notes as he eyed the reactions of the trainers. A bead of sweat appeared on Haldun's forehead as he read the next piece of information he had to make them aware of. "He is an empyrean elf, and his trait specializes in infusion skills."
Eol's eyes widened as the trainers went into a hushed frenzy as they spoke with each other. 'Damn, I didn't think they would reveal my race like this!'
"Ok, Eol, are you ready for the questions? Your answers depend on who can volunteer to be your trainer. If there is more than one at the end, you'll be able to pick who you want to learn from."
"I'm ready." Eol nodded solemnly.
"First question." Haldun coughed into a closed fist. "Would you prefer to fight in close combat, at range, or to support others?"
'Hm?' Eol frowned. 'Supporting others sounds like a good fit for crafting. But Tael said I'd be better off choosing a close combat class because of my trait.'
"I'm... undecided. I think fighting at range is a no for me. But I'm open to support and close combat."
His answer seemed to earn the approval of the trainers as they nodded vigorously. 'I guess that was the right choice? But what's up with that group? They seem to have zoned out.' However, as he studied them, he figured out the answer.
'They're ranged trainers. Since I'm not interested in their class, they don't need to pay attention.'
"Ok, next question." Haldun cleared his throat again, which made Eol think he should see a doctor or whatever this world had.
"What is your highest stat? Followed by the next highest, then your weakest."
'At least this is an easy question. And he's not asking for their exact values.' Eol smiled. "Mind, followed by Body, then Will."
Several groans could be heard from the trainers as they appeared deep in thought. Eol gulped as he wondered if his answer somehow disappointed them.
"Final question." Haldun coughed again as he eyed the trainers. "Do you prefer fighting alone or in groups?"
Eol frowned at this question. He felt that the answers Haldun gave him a choice of were too narrow. "Either. Personally, I'd prefer a choice that not only lets me hold my own but benefits working in groups too."
Eol noticed several nods and smiles among the trainers before one spoke up. "I'm willing to take him on as a student! I want someone who can work well with others!"
The other trainers began talking to each other excitedly, and soon enough, it became apparent that a few were offering to train Eol. The first trainer continued speaking to Haldun as he wrote down notes on a piece of paper.
"Ok, Eol. You've got quite a few options here. Let's go through them and figure out what is best for you." As he finished writing, he cast his gaze around the room. "First off is Laurie. A human priestess."
A small plump woman with brown hair and eyes stood up. Eol raised an eyebrow as he studied her white robe.
"I'm Laurie. If you choose to train with me, you'll earn the Priest class. We focus on providing support in battle and healing. I think that by combining your trait with the skills you'll be guided to in the church will make an exemplary combination. Though, this offer is only valid if you also choose to work as a priest of our church."
"Eol," Haldun said as he glanced at him. "It's quite rare to receive job offers along with class training. You shouldn't take such an offer lightly. It just means they value you more than most candidates."
"I see. Thank you for the explanation. I'll certainly consider it."
Laurie nodded happily and shot a smug grin at the other trainers before Haldun spoke again. "Your second offer comes from Paicy. A wolf-kin monk."
A burly human-looking man with black hair and bright blue eyes stood up. His wolf-like ears twitched as his bushy tail swished behind him.
"I'm Paicy. As Haldun said, training with me earns you the monk class. I won't lie. It'll be difficult. We'll have to focus on raising your will stat quite a bit. Depending on how well your training goes, I may extend an offer to join the Jade Pavillion Sect." Paicy quickly sat down and continued with his carefree attitude.
'Jade Pavillion Sect? That sounds like something out of a cultivation novel!' Eol couldn't lie. Paicy's offer sounded far better to him. But perhaps that was because of his nationality back on Earth. 'They've probably come up with skills that resemble cultivation techniques. Wait.' Eol frowned as he thought about his stats. 'Actually, that makes sense. I guess they've interpreted the three stats to be in line with cultivation. Huh. This world could be pretty diverse depending on everyone's views on different matters.'
Eol quietly listened to the offers of a gnome spellblade, a fairy illusionist, and a vampire orc shadow knight. However, none of them really caught his attention as Paicy did. Finally, a blue hand went up at the back of the room.
"I'd like to ask the candidate a question."