Ivan's excitement surged within him upon hearing the question, pondering if acquiring skills was truly this effortless.
"Yes," Ivan replied enthusiastically.
The notification for the skill copying process appeared:
[Skill (Iron Rain) Copy in Progress]
[....]
[Skill (Iron Rain) Copy Failed]
[Skill Rank Exceeds Skill Developer Rank (D)]
[Skill can still be copied, but rank will be adjusted to match the Skill Developer's rank]
[Proceed with the process?]
[Yes/No]
Ivan had anticipated a drawback, but even so, this outcome was promising. A slightly lower rank for this skill could still prove immensely valuable.
"Yes," Ivan commanded, unwavering in his decision.
[Skill (Iron Rain) Copy in Progress...]
[...]
[Skill (Iron Rain) Successfully Copied]
[600 XP has Been Consumed]
In that very moment, Ivan felt the knowledge of how to use the skill imprinted deep within his mind.
"600 XP is quite a hefty cost," Ivan remarked, preparing to put his newfound skill to the test.
He retrieved the mana potion he had been rewarded from his Inventory and swiftly consumed it.
[D-Rank Mana Potion in Effect]
[Mana Capacity +10]
[Mana +15]
"If only my starting mana hadn't been so abysmal, I could have gained even more from this potion," he muttered, rubbing his mouth after downing the potion.
"End analysis," Ivan commanded, bringing his surroundings back to normal. His vision met the familiar boss room once again.
Ivan swiftly activated his newly acquired skill.
[Skill (Iron Rain) is Active]
[No Living Targets Detected]
[Eyes will be Used for Aiming]
Subsequently, rods began to shoot rapidly from above Ivan's head, propelled in whichever direction his gaze fell upon.
However, the skill proved to be drastically different from Vorgath's. Setting aside the fact that the rods were now considerably slower, they were also much smaller than Vorgath's.
Instead of the nearly forty-inch iron rods that had previously zoomed towards Ivan with incredible speed, he now witnessed slower seven-inch rods being launched from above his head.
"Ugh, what a drastic difference," Ivan remarked with a tinge of dissappointment, observing his dwindling mana due to skill usage before deciding to halt it.
Ivan's pensive state was short-lived as the familiar tutorial voice reverberated throughout the boss room.
"Congratulations, player, for completing the first floor of the tutorial. The leaderboard will now be displayed."
Ivan's screen displayed the tutorial leaderboard:
[Current First Floor Tutorial Ranking]
[1. Ivan Golborne - (1/1)]
[All-time First Floor Tutorial Ranking]
[1. Ivan Golborne | 3470 XP
2. Graham Corbaine | 760 XP
3. Zion West | 608 XP ]
"Damn, I'm leading the all-time rankings by a significant margin," Ivan exclaimed as he glanced at the screen before him.
[Are you ready to proceed to the next floor?]
[Y/N]
Without hesitation, Ivan swiftly made his way towards the fallen tyrant Vorgath's sword, determined not to leave behind such a valuable item.
[Rustless (C) Rank], the system displayed as Ivan examined the sword, before storing it in his inventory.
"Another item to turn into profit," Ivan muttered with a satisfied grin, as he proceeded to gather other items he deemed valuable. He retrieved Eline's bow and retrieved his spear, which he had previously thrown at Vorgath and now lay on the ground. With everything secured, Ivan was ready to venture to the next floor.
Upon accepting the system's prompt, Ivan found himself swiftly transported to the second floor.
"[Welcome to the second tutorial floor, player]," the familiar voice greeted, with a system notification echoing its words.
"[The Tutorial Store] is now accessible."
"[XP will be used for purchases in the store, as in-game currency cannot be obtained in the tutorial.]"
Ivan wasted no time in opening the store for items. If he intended to face the increasingly challenging bosses on the higher floors, he needed to be adequately prepared.
Ivan didn't bother checking the weapons section of the store. He already knew it only offered weapons of D rank or lower. If he was fortunate, he might find a C-rank weapon at an excruciatingly expensive price.
He was better off relying on his Craftsman skill for weapons. Besides, he currently possessed enough weapons. What he truly needed were armor and other items. Admittedly, they would also be of low rank, but they would still provide assistance, and he had no other means of acquiring them.
[(Brave Defender) Full Set of Armor Purchased - Cost: 410 XP]
[F-Rank Mana Potion x4 Purchased - Cost: 500 XP]
[Health Potion x2 Purchased - Cost: 2000 XP]
Ivan swiftly acquired everything he needed before equipping his new armor.
"Sigh, they were right. These health potions are truly costly," Ivan remarked, memories of his deceased teammates crossing his mind. Ivan felt a tinge of pity for them, but it didn't extend beyond that. He didn't know them well enough to care. All that mattered to him were his own goals.
With the Orc Slayer now in his hand, Ivan was ready to solo clear the first dungeon. However, he held back and waited for something.
Although Ivan's stats had significantly increased, and he could easily vanquish most of the dungeon mobs, with the floor bosses being his only real challenge, he didn't want to take any chances. After all, why should he if he didn't have to?
Suddenly, the notification Ivan had been eagerly awaiting appeared right in front of him.
[Penalty Time Exhausted. Game Developer Privileges Have Been Restored.]
Ivan, upon seeing the notification, swiped his hand, opening up his status window.
[Name: Ivan Golborne
Title: The Creator
Player Level: 19
Class: Game Developer
Game Developer Level: 3
Lives Used: 115/??????
XP: 860 (3470) (Tutorial Rank: 1)
HP: 89
SP: 3
Stats:
- STR: 44
- AGI: 34
- INT: 15
- DEF: 30 (+25)
- MAN: 15/15
Skills:
- Sword Mastery: D
- Eye of the Creator: F
- Master Craftsman: D
- Skill Developer: D
- Iron Rain: D
Inventory:
- Mana Potion: [Rank: F] x3
- Health Potion x2
- Bow
- Orc Slayer
- Rustless
Quest Log:
- Complete the Tutorial: In Progress]
"Alright, let's solo this floor," Ivan declared with unwavering determination as he made his way towards the entrance of the first dungeon.