The evening light enveloped the city as two figures emerged from the Necropolis dungeon. It was Sol and Amber, returning after a long day of training.
"Freedom!"
The two guards glanced at the duo and, upon recognizing them, offered a cordial nod before returning to their duties. For the past three days, every time the two exited the dungeon, the young man among them always uttered something along those lines, and the guards had grown accustomed to it by now.
"No, no, no. This time, it's for real. I'm not going anywhere near this dungeon for at least a month!"
"Sure, see ya tomorrow."
"No, I mean it!"
The guards chuckled. After hearing similar declarations for the past three days followed by their return the next morning, they couldn't interpret it any other way.
"I'm participating in the knight selection, so I actually won't be here."
Upon hearing about the knight selection, the guards took him seriously.
"Well, damn, boy. I wish you luck tomorrow. I've heard rumors that it would be more difficult than past selections."
"Really? How so?"
The guard shook his head. "One of my knight buddies said there were too many applicants this year, so they had to raise the bar higher. That's about all I know, though."
Sol nodded but wasn't too worried.
"I should be fine. I didn't spend almost an entire month down here for nothing."
The guard laughed. "Well then, guess we'll be seeing you around more, or maybe even have the pleasure of working under you, Sir Knight."
The guard emphasized the last part in a joking manner.
"Haha, I'll be sure to treat you well under my command. See ya around."
Bidding farewell to the guards, Sol and Amber headed back to their inn. Compared to how the city was three days ago, it seemed the festivities had calmed down to some extent. It was as if the population was taking this moment to rest before the true festivities of tomorrow. Most who came to compete also abstained from the celebrations to avoid waking up with a hangover on the day of the test. However, there were still those who decided to party regardless of the possible consequences and even went out of their way to buy expensive detoxification potions. While these potions would help alleviate most symptoms of a hangover, there would still be a slight groggy feeling.
Arriving at the inn, Sol bade Amber goodnight before heading to his own room. He sat down on the bed and opened his status page.
Name: Sol
Race: Human
Talents: [Siphoner], [Transformer]
Level: 82
Exp: 13,218,000/98,417,000
HP: 1450
MP: 1650
Str: 85 (+70)
Vit: 80 (+70)
Agi: 80 (+70)
Int: 85 (+70)
Wis: 80 (+90)
Talent Skills:
[Siphon] Lv 5, [Analysis] Lv 7, [Aggregate] Lv EX, [Reinterpret] Lv EX
Siphoned Talents:
[Create Magic Hands] Lv MAX
Passive Skills:
[Muffled Movements] Lv EX, [Counter] Lv 8, [Precise Coordination] Lv 6, [Basic Psychic Mastery] Lv 3, [Intermediate Weapon Mastery] Lv 7, [Wild Hunt] Lv 2, [Invincible Body] Lv 8, [Perfect Balance] Lv 2, [Death Absorption] Lv 6, [True Sight] Lv 6, [Superior Mana Control] Lv 1, [Fortified Soul] Lv 2, [Relay Magic] Lv 8
Active Skills:
[Cross Slash] Lv 7, [Ground Shrink] Lv 5, [Snap Punch] Lv 8, [Invisibility] Lv 7, [Terra Spikes] Lv 9, [Rock Throw] Lv 4, [Burrow] Lv MAX, [Primal Rend] Lv 1, [Debilitating Strike] Lv 1, [Telepathy] Lv 1, [Unpassable Bulwark] Lv 1, [Intermediate Elemental Magic] Lv 5, [Overpower] Lv 4, [Create Undead] Lv 6, [Weapon Enhancement (Variant)] Lv 8, [Disable] Lv 1, [Backstab] Lv 6, [Bombardment] Lv 1, [Storm Blitz] Lv 8, [Piercing Lunge] Lv 8, [Seeking Shot] Lv 6, [Mana Slash] Lv 5, [Intermediate Light Magic] Lv 7, [Shadow Hands] Lv 7, [Shadow Form] Lv 5, [Empowered Strike] Lv 4, [Polychromatism] Lv EX
'Sadly, I wasn't able to max out [Terra Spikes] by the end of it, but I should be fine as is.'
After experimenting with [Polychromatism] and its varied attacks, Sol realized his time would be better spent training the skills he would use in the knight selection. While the magic hands and chromas were ridiculously strong, it wouldn't take a genius to put two and two together and connect him with the boss of the 20th floor.
This didn't mean Sol missed the opportunity to increase the skill levels. Once he found out how potent the full spectrum was, he would take Amber and quickly fight the boss once every hour, though it couldn't be considered a fight but a one sided annihilation. With one full spectrum attack, he was able to obliterate the boss's green hand and destroy it and everything behind the boss. Sol had to hold back so there would be an intact body for him to use [Siphon] on. The skill didn't evolve but became EX, allowing Sol to channel the power of duochrome without cooldown and with even more power than before.
For the other skills Sol actually trained, he focused mostly on his swordsmanship. It had been falling behind in lieu of more magical skills, but he didn't want it to stay that way. He had the ability to become a master of everything, so why would he limit himself to just magic?
[Fell Cleave] evolved into [Primal Rend], though meant for axe weapons, a sword would work just fine in delivering the devastating attack. [Disarm] evolved into [Disable], now not only making the target lose their weapon but also paralyzing the limb. No other skill evolved, but Sol spent time evenly training [Cross Slash], [Ground Shrink], [Counter], [Piercing Lunge], and [Mana Slash]. These were the skills Sol believed needed the most urgent attention so they would be up to par for whatever test may come.
'I also figured out what final talent I want to bring.'
Sol opened a new status page, but it appeared very different from the original one. It was the status page created by Deceiver's Earrings.
Name: Sol
Race: Human
Talents: [Sword], [Water Affinity], [Terraformer]
Level: 82
Exp: 13,218,000/98,417,000
HP: 800
MP: 950
Str: 110 (+60)
Vit: 80
Agi: 100 (+30)
Int: 50
Wis: 70 (+25)
Talent Skills:
[Water Strike] Lv 7, [Solid Steel] Lv 5
Passive Skills:
[Intermediate Swordsmanship] Lv 7, [Counter] Lv 8, [Gargantuan Strength] Lv 1, [Agility Up] Lv 6, [Wisdom Up] Lv 5, [Mana Efficiency] Lv 5, [Shortened Cast] Lv MAX, [Increased Mana Regeneration] Lv 5, [Physical Resistance] Lv 2, [Natural Armor] Lv 1
Active Skills:
[Cross Slash] Lv 7, [Ground Shrink] Lv 5, [Primal Rend] Lv 1, [Debilitating Strike] Lv 1, [Intermediate Water Magic] Lv 7, [Blurring Speed] Lv 5, [Disable] Lv 1, [Mana Slash] Lv 5, [Piercing Lunge] Lv 8, [Terra Spikes] Lv 9, [Burrow] Lv 6
'Sadly, I wasn't able to level up [Terra Spikes] one more time. There was some kind of bottleneck, but it should be fine as is.'
The final talent in Sol's lineup was [Terraformer]. On one of the trips back from the dungeon, Sol took an hour to rummage through the Adventurers Guild library for possible talents that he could impersonate. It was there that he found the unique talent [Terraformer], though he felt the name was familiar he just couldn't quite remember where he had seen it before. Regardless, he chose that talent because it not only excelled in reinforcing the body but also in the manipulation of the earth, allowing Sol to use [Terra Spikes] and [Burrow], which were both incredibly useful skills.
He also tweaked a few skill levels, raising those that should be higher, and manipulating his attributes to match up with his skills. For talent skills, Sol had to get creative to somehow make believable talent skills. For [Water Strike], Sol would combine the spell [Water Blade] with [Empowered Strike], making it appear much stronger than the normal spell. With [Solid Steel], Sol would just treat it as the reason his body was so strong from [Invincible Body].
With this setup, Sol believed he could perform extremely well in the knight selection, regardless of whatever test they threw his way. Closing both status pages, Sol rolled into bed to get a good night's sleep. He could practice further with [Reinterpret], but he wanted his mind fully rested for tomorrow.