With some time to rest, Cynthia and Masterless Sword found a place to sit on a relatively clean spot. It seemed like everyone other than them two was covered in blood. Whether it was from the [Giant Rats] or their own, nobody knew anymore. Some looked on with jealousy at the two clean people who didn't have a speck of filth on them.
"Tch, those two got to have it so easy." Someone in the crowd grumbled. It was enough for anyone nearby to hear it, including Cynthia and Masterless Sword.
"Oi! If you've got a problem, say it to our faces!" She stood up and yelled in the direction of the voice, but no one came up to her. Everyone looked in her direction for a moment, but ultimately went back to their own business.
"Tch, coward." She frowned and sat back down with Cynthia. Then she started packing her magazines, preparing for the next fight. Cynthia kept her head down the whole time, just deciding on how to distribute her stats. She also filled up her half depleted magazine.
The guild master watched all of this from the side. He shook his head, knowing that Cynthia did her job well enough. They might've lost a few people if not for her. While he was also at the front mowing down [Giant Rats], he had much more awareness of his surroundings than the players due to his vast amount of experience in battle. He had a feeling inviting her, despite her low level, was a good idea. She had already proven that in this engagement.
"Hm…" Cynthia started at her screen, hard in thought.
[Formless Mist]
[Class: Marksman]
[Subclass: None]
[Credits: 250]
[Level 3: 210/400XP]
HP: 40
Mana: 0
STR: 6
DEX: 10
END: 3
INT: 4
AGI: 5
PER: 7
Free ATP: 5
Skills:
[Sharpshooter Lv.2]
Steadies your breathing and takes aim for 2 seconds. Shot will have 100% accuracy for where you wish to aim. Bonus 50% critical damage if a weak point is hit. Lasts until the next shot is taken.
-2 second charge time
-100% accuracy for 1 shot.
-+55% crit damage on weak spot hit.
Cooldown: 5 minutes.
[Cold Blooded Lv.1]
Hides your presence as much as possible. Though not invisible, you may be difficult to detect if an enemy's [PER] is low or if others don't use any detection skills or equipment. Utilizing camouflage of your own will further decrease chances of detection.
-Drastically reduces presence to others.
Active: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 15 minutes
[Desperate Escape]
When in dire straits, add on a burst of speed to escape pursuit. Being able to live another day is more important than dying with the enemy. Cannot be leveled.
-+40% AGI
Active: 5 minutes
Cooldown: 4 hours
Main Weapon: Sheytac N200
Sidearm: USP 2145
Cynthia tilted her head back and forth as she was trying to make up her mind.
"[If you're deciding on whether you should make an agility build, then go ahead. I believe it is one of your main stats. Just don't neglect your dexterity and perception. Intelligence and strength are of secondary importance, and endurance is probably the least important as a 'Marksman'.]" He came to this conclusion based off of the initial stats that a [Marksman] had. He assumed that the most important stats were the ones that started the highest. Of course, he could be wrong as well.
"Hm, you're probably right… for now, I'll put 4 points in AGI and 1 point into PER. That'll help it catch up, and I will be able to get around easier." She nodded her head in satisfaction. Although she didn't add any to DEX, she could do that next time. After seeing Masterless Sword run and hop around, she felt like it would be necessary for her to increase her own AGI by a fair margin as well.
[AGI: 5 -> 9]
[PER: 7 ->8]
[Free ATP: 0]
After settling that issue, she was free to relax until they set out again. She looked to Masterless Sword, wishing to strike up a conversation with her, but was still too shy about it. Masterless Sword noticed her opening and closing her mouth like she was going to say something. She laughed and started striking up a conversation with her.
While those two were busy making small talk, Dags went ahead and tuned out of the conversation. Instead, he turned his attention to the upgrade points that were waiting for him to spend them.
[Upgrade Points: 3]
[Increase Processing Power 0/5]
Increases available Processing Power by 25 each upgrade.
Upgrade Cost: 1 Upgrade Point.
[Increase Energy 1/5]
Increases available Energy by 30 each upgrade.
Upgrade Cost: 1 Upgrade Point.
[Increase Energy Regeneration Rate 2/5]
Increases Energy Regenerate Rate by 0.5 per minute each upgrade.
Upgrade Cost: 1 Upgrade Point.
[Unlock New Process: Increase Stats]
Process [Increase Stats] will be unlocked and added to the list of processes. [Increase Stats] will boost User's stats by 20% while it is active.
PP Required: 10
Energy Cost: 2 per minute.
Cooldown: 4 hours.
Upgrade Cost: 2 Upgrade Points.
[Unlock New Process: Miracle]
Grant User a one time save from death. When User's health would have otherwise dropped to zero, anchors health at 1 point for 5 seconds. After the 5 seconds are up, User can take damage again. Active for 1 in-game day before it wears off.
PP Required: 10
Energy Cost: 50
Active Time: 1 in-game day.
Cooldown: 3 in-game days.
Upgrade Cost: 3 Upgrade Points.
"..." He let out a long sigh. He wanted to get [Miracle] to make sure Cynthia wouldn't die in this next fight, but his past decision had come back to bite him. His Energy wasn't enough to use [Miracle] and if he upgraded his Energy reserve, then he wouldn't have enough upgrade points to buy [Miracle]. Since that was off the table, he weighed his other options. He could either get an Energy upgrade and the [Increase Stats] process, or he could put it all into Energy and Energy regeneration. He continued to ignore his Processing Power, as he felt that it was currently unnecessary for him to upgrade it. After several minutes of internal struggle he went ahead and got an Energy upgrade and the [Increase Stats] process.
[3 Upgrade Points spent]
[Current Upgrade Points: 0]
[Energy: 40 -> 70]
[Gained new process: Increase Stats]
[New Upgrade unlocked: Magical Empowerment]
[Magical Empowerment]
Empowers the next attack that deals damage with magic. Simply increases the force of the attack through magic, with no extra damage type. Can be used on physical, ranged, and magical type attacks. No mana from the User is required, and is drawn from the surrounding atmosphere instead. Possible to be channeled for a period of time to increase added attack damage.
-Increases damage by 20%, with 100% (double) extra damage when fully charged.
PP Required: 15
Energy Cost: 25 - 50
Charge Time: 1 - 5 seconds. Each extra second costs 5 energy.
Cooldown: 3 in-game hours.
Upgrade Cost: 3 Upgrade Points.
Dags was amazed at this skill. When he is able to get that in the future, he could increase Cynthia's single shot damage output greatly! As he thought about it though, he wondered if others would feel the mana draw in the atmosphere as the 'spell' was charged. Since the sides of technology and magic were at odds, would that make Cynthia a target if it were known that she could 'use' mana? This gave him something to think about, but it was still something for the future. For now he just had to worry about her safety when fighting against the [Giant Rats] and their queen.
Since he was done with his own upgrades, he once again turned his attention to the outside. It seemed Cynthia was listening to Masterless Sword drone on about some of her adventures so far. Honestly, he thought she was a good storyteller. She seemed to really know how to get others immersed and invested in the story.
"The boss slammed on the ground with a huge thunderous boom, and everyone started to relax. Just as we were approaching it to find the chest that should've spawned, it jumped back up and stomped two of our members into paste! It had faked death just to spite us in the very end! You should've seen the looks on their faces as they revived after the boss went down for real. They just about-" Masterless Sword animatedly recounted her story, but got interrupted in the end.
"Alright everyone, the 15 minutes are up! Group up in the previous order and let's move out! If we aren't back before dinner, my wife will give me an earful!" He smiled at that last bit, and so did the rest of the team. They also wanted to end this quickly and to get their rewards for the quest completion.
"[It's time for the final fight, prepare yourself. Remember the feeling of the state you were in earlier. I think it could be the key to unlocking the full potential of this class.]" He wished he could do more for her other than be a cheerleader, but he would have to repair his system more before he could.
"I'll try to. I don't really know how I got there before, but I have a feeling I can do it again." She whispered and looked up in thought, trying to imagine the feeling again. Her other thoughts were distracting her, preventing her from getting fully focused.
"[Don't worry about it right now if you can't. Just try to do it when you're behind your rifle again. I may be wrong, but I believe it's the 'Sharpshooter' skill state without actually using the skill. You might even be able to use other skills without actually activating them if you know the way, but it's just a guess.]" He hoped he was right, as that would actually be a huge advantage over those he simply relied on the skills to battle. He wondered if there were any others in the game who had figured this out yet.
She nodded as she kept trying to imagine the feeling. Masterless Sword and her got in position in the middle of the pack, starting the last leg of their trek towards the boss.