Chapter 45

"Hehe."

Xing, the highest grade in the beginner skill pack, was a 7-star, which he never even considered aiming for.

A 6-star, especially a pet-exclusive skill, would be worth bowing in the direction of the Lase headquarters.

This was truly the best outcome possible.

He checked the remaining four cards to see if, by some miracle, a 7-star was hidden among them, but as expected, they were 1, 2, 2, and 1.

[6-star Skill Card - 'Gigantification' acquired.]

With this, the skill pack was fully opened, and he immediately learned the skills without delay.

[Haste Lv. 1 – 4-star]

- Increases the target's attack speed and movement speed by 10% (the effect and number of targets increase with skill level).

[Wind Cutter Lv. 1 – 4-star]

- Launches a blade of wind at the target. The target has a low chance of bleeding upon being hit (damage and probability increase with skill level).

[2 skill points consumed for learning 2 skills.]

Karp didn't stop there; he also invested points in a few useful skills.

"Done!"

Thus, Karp's current skill list was as follows:

[Skills]

10-star - Unseal Lv. 20

9-star - Dretshryu Puppetry Lv. 10 (M)

8-star - Magic Engineering Lv. 10 (M)

7-star - Elemental Mastery Lv. 10 (M)

4-star - Wind Cutter Lv. 1 (New!)

4-star - Haste Lv. 5 (New!)

3-star - Elemental Arrow Lv. 1

3-star - Striking Lv. 5

[Background Order Skills]

0-star – Repetition Lv. 20

- Available bonus skill points: 22

He first leveled up Haste and Striking to level 5.

Buff skills could affect up to three targets starting from level 5.

He raised them just enough to buff himself, Moohyang, and Tina.

"Actually, Striking only increases physical damage, so it's not necessary to buff Moohyang... but the damage increase per level is good."

-Well, since they're useful skills, you might as well master them. You earn three times the points compared to others.

While he plays as he pleases, he is unnecessarily cautious in these areas.

"Ah. Spending all your points as you earn them can lead to ruin. You should at least keep 20 points. What if you get two consecutive 9-star skills and need to master both?"

-Crazy guy.

Though Chima scolded him, preparing for the future is a good judgment.

There was a hidden piece in the Luana region that guaranteed a 7-star skill, not far away.

He didn't mention it yet because he hadn't reached the minimum level, but it was one of the hidden pieces he had to get.

"I'll try out Wind Cutter in battle and see if I want to level it up... Now, Moohyang. Your turn."

"Meow!"

[Moohyang has learned the 6-star skill - 'Gigantification'.]

"Grunt."

'Gigantification' is a beast-type pet-exclusive skill that inflates the size of the pet.

The maximum size increases with skill level, and strength and health stats increase proportionally with size, while magic stats decrease.

In short, it's a tanking skill.

"But with Tina around, will Moohyang need to tank?"

-It's about having more options. You might need two tanks in certain situations.

"Meow meow!"

Seemingly happy to learn a new skill, Moohyang jumped around and used the Gigantification skill.

A short flash of light, and Moohyang grew to the size of a small dog.

"Meow?!"

Curious about her transformed self, Moohyang began to examine her body.

However, the one who was even more excited was Tina.

"Truly excellent."

A strange enthusiasm swirled around Tina's usually expressionless face.

She leaped out of Karp's pocket and approached Moohyang.

"Moohyang, you look magnificent. You have the dignity befitting the first retainer of your lord."

"Meow meow!"

"But there is one regrettable point."

"Meow?"

"Since ancient times, divine beasts have gained fame alongside their riders. For a noble being like Moohyang, a suitable rider is essential to maintain dignity."

"Meow?!"

"Yes. This is an indisputable truth."

An empty back is a disgrace to a divine beast!

Tina said this with an infinitely serious face.

"This applies to knights as well. Without a comrade to charge into battle with, a knight is only half complete."

"Meow...?"

"I believe that Moohyang, the first retainer, and I, the second retainer, can complement each other."

"Meow! Meow!"

"Hmm. While it's true that letting someone ride you is a difficult decision... how about this? I'll give you five acorns every day. Two in the morning, three in the evening."

"Meow... Meow!"

"Is that a no? How about three in the morning and two in the evening?"

"Meow meow!"

Moohyang nodded vigorously.

Watching the two retainers' conversation, Chima said with a bewildered expression.

-What are they doing?

"Let them be. It seems important to them. Let's think about the next route."

Karp's current level was 20.

He still needed 5 more levels to reach the level required for the next job scenario quest.

-Let's look for room upgrade materials first. We can level up while we're at it.

"By the way, you mentioned a place you had in mind?"

-Yes, it's not far from here.

The material needed to upgrade the room was 'ancient bark that holds the sea'.

Though Chima had never heard of it before, the name provided enough hints.

-If you follow the Luana beach, you'll find a hunting ground called 'Seawood Forest' at the end.

The trees there absorb seawater during high tide and grow.

Some of the trees in the Seawood Forest grow abnormally and become monsters due to excessive absorption of magic from the sea.

"Oh, tree monsters? A fantasy staple?"

-Yes. The Seawood Forest is a hunting ground where Treants are the main monsters.

And there is a boss monster among the Treants in the Seawood Forest.

The Field Boss 'Elder Treant'. It's also the first field boss that Lase players encounter when they move to the mainland.

-It's only one, so it's likely a drop from the boss, not a regular mob. What do you think? Does it sound promising?

"It sounds more than promising, it sounds certain."

While regular Treants could drop it at a very low probability, it was definitely a Treant.

-But there's a problem.

"What is it?"

-The problem is that it's a field boss. Unlike dungeons, it respawns randomly in a specific area.

"Ah."

In other words, the first player to kill it gets it, leading to competition among players.

Since you can't predict where or when the boss will appear, it ultimately comes down to who discovers it first.

"Right. Even with future information from the regression, you can't know the exact respawn location of the field boss."

-Those minor details change with each regression, so you can't pinpoint them.

"Oh, really? That's interesting. Like the butterfly effect?"

-Not that grand. It's a bit complicated to explain, but just understand that the major events follow the same path, while minor details are fluid.

"Considering the words of the highest authority on regression, I'll take your word for it."

Anyway, the situation was a bit tricky.

There would be other players in the Seawood Forest, and could he secure the boss monster first?

Even if he found it first, it was questionable whether other players would let him have it.

Lase was a game where PK (Player Killing) was possible.

-Well, the penalty for first strike is so severe that most players wouldn't do it... but there are always exceptions.

"…Why are you saying that while looking at me?"

-Should I say it to the sky? Let's go back to the village and prepare for the raid. You need to be well-prepared for a solo raid.

* * *

Upon returning to Luana, Karp first accepted some minor quests related to the Seawood Forest.

"Hey, can you spare some time to gather sea mushrooms in the eastern forest? I'll give you a fair reward."

"Yes, I'll take care of it."

[Accepted the 'Sea Mushroom Gathering' quest from Chef Mike.]

"The Treants sometimes appear near the village, and I'm worried about the security. We're trying our best, but we lack manpower... Can you help?"

"Sure."

[Accepted the 'Treant Elimination' quest from the Luana Security Officer.]

"There are quite a few quests related to Treants."

-That means there will be a lot of people in the Seawood Forest.

"Ah, right. It's going to be tough to get the field boss..."

Karp sighed. No matter how much he thought about it, there seemed to be no way other than luck.

"Is there an item that can tell when the boss respawns?"

-There's no such item, but there is an 8-star skill called 'Boss Detection'.

However, with a 6-hour cooldown and the need for magic materials, it wasn't a very practical skill.

"Guess I have