Chapter 100

Chapter 99: The Use of Skill Points

Annie's awakening was a joyous event for everyone, and Rod was no exception. However, this did not mean that Annie's troubles were over. Even though they eventually killed the Death Knight, Annie's actions were still a clear violation of orders. In the end, Rod made the decision to punish her—three days in solitary confinement awaited her.

Even as Annie sat on the bed with a look of deep grievance, her eyes pleading like those of an abandoned puppy, this did not change Rod's decision. While others might see this punishment as unfair, Rod was not willing to break the rules. In the game, players occasionally went rogue due to various issues, and everyone would just laugh it off because even if they failed, they could always try again, and it would just be a funny story to tell later. But in reality, Rod was not willing to take such risks. This time, although Annie successfully drew the Death Knight's attention, she was also severely injured. If not for her half-beast heritage, she would have died. Rod would never agree to such actions unless absolutely necessary. The punishment was also a warning to others: just because the outcome was good does not mean everything is fine. If everyone thought that way, what would be the point of having a leader? Why not let everyone do whatever they wanted?

Although Liss and Old Walker pleaded for Annie, and even the usually serious Marin hoped Rod would reconsider, he ultimately upheld his decision and refused to accept any appeals. Seeing this, the others had no choice but to accept it. Fortunately, Rod's order only restricted Annie from leaving her room, and others were still allowed to visit her, which helped alleviate her loneliness. However, looking at the blue sky, white clouds, and green grass outside, unable to go out and enjoy them, was indeed a cruel punishment for Annie.

After returning from the Silent Highlands, Starlight temporarily entered a rest period. Not only Rod's mercenary group, but other mercenary groups also refrained from taking on missions. After all, they had all suffered heavy losses recently and could not spare the manpower to complete tasks.

However, there was one piece of news that surprised many mercenary groups: after completing the Silent Highlands mission, Rod's Starlight Mercenary Group leaped to the top three with 9 points. The groups ahead of them were "Burning Blade" and "Dark Fang," the only groups that did not suffer losses from the previous mission.

Mercenaries were not unfamiliar with "Burning Blade" and "Dark Fang." These two groups were top-tier in the Pafeld region, with large numbers and strong power. They were the main contenders for the mercenary guild's quota. However, Starlight's rise to the top three was a shock to everyone. Mercenaries were well-informed about each other, and they knew how Starlight was created. A group of only four or five people, who could not even meet the standard number of members, managed to jump to the top three, which was indeed surprising.

If Starlight's rise was due to the decline of other groups, the mercenaries would not be so surprised. After all, that would just be taking advantage of the situation, not true strength. But looking at the three missions Starlight completed—3 points for clearing the Pavel Cemetery, 1 point for gathering magic plants, and 5 points for the Silent Highlands rescue mission—no one would think it was a fluke. Two of these missions involved undead creatures in high-risk areas, and Starlight managed to win both times and return unscathed, which was truly astonishing. In contrast, other groups, even those with less dangerous undead missions, suffered heavy losses and were lucky to return alive.

As a result, Starlight's reputation began to spread in the mercenary circles, even overshadowing the two major groups. This was not surprising. "Burning Blade" and "Dark Fang" managed to stay intact because they had too many tasks and refused to take on the dangerous ones, thus avoiding disaster. If they had participated in the undead battles, the outcome would have been uncertain. In contrast, although Starlight had few members, they actively engaged in undead battles twice and completed the missions, making them appear stronger in the eyes of others.

However, Rod was not concerned with these matters. After making the "final judgment" on Annie, he locked himself in his study and began writing and drawing on paper. He had more important things to do, such as planning his skill points.

In the game, skill points were the most crucial for players, even more important than experience and equipment. Skill points could unlock and upgrade talent trees and increase the proficiency of various skills. Each class had three different talent trees, and each path required 35-37 skill points to fully awaken. However, this did not mean the remaining skill points were wasted. In fact, increasing skill proficiency was where most skill points were spent.

There were three ways to increase skill proficiency: the most common was to use the skill frequently, and after hundreds or thousands of uses, the proficiency would increase. Another way was to find books related to the skill and read them, which could also increase proficiency if understood well. The last way was to use skill points to directly increase proficiency.

For players, the first method was too time-consuming, and the second was quite labor-intensive, as skill books were rare, especially for advanced skills, which were as rare as ancient equipment. Moreover, these books were limited in the game, and each use reduced their availability. The third method was much more convenient. After upgrading, a simple click could increase proficiency as much as desired.

If a player wanted to rely on their own abilities, they could look at Serak. His sword skills were roughly at the A level, and it would take years for a player to reach that level through constant practice. But how many players would have the patience to practice a skill for years?

Each skill was a significant consumer of skill points. For example, to reach the highest M level in Rod's Moonshadow Sword Technique, 25-30 skill points were required. The skill points needed for just this one sword technique were almost equivalent to a fully maxed talent tree.

This was a disadvantage for Summon Swordsmen, as their initial skills were one level lower than the standard, meaning they needed one more skill point per skill than other classes. This was not something to be proud of.

In the Dragon Soul Continent game, a player could have at least 100 skill points upon reaching the maximum level. Additionally, through special tasks, items, and equipment, a mid-level player could obtain 200-300 skill points. Rod had 500 skill points in the game, which was one of the main reasons he could stand at the top.

Currently, Rod had spent five skill points on the first layer of "Summon Master" talents, "Soul Resonance" and "Structural Harmony," unlocking the second layer. Next were the Moonshadow Sword Technique at C proficiency and the Starfall Sword Technique at E proficiency. He saved the remaining five skill points and did not use them immediately. After unexpectedly defeating the Death Knight, Rod, as expected, gained a level for killing a higher-level boss, reaching level 16. He now had seven skill points.

The next challenge for Rod was how to use these skill points.

After reaching level 10 and awakening his talents, he gained 2 skill points per level, meaning he would have at least 190 skill points when he reached the maximum level of 100.

However, that was a distant goal, and he needed to focus on the present.

Rod put down his pen.

If any player saw the content on the paper in front of him, they would be shocked. The paper listed all three talent paths for Summon Swordsmen, all the sword techniques Rod currently had, and the skill points required for these talents and skills. To be able to recall all this information from memory was indeed impressive.

What should he do next?

Putting down his pen, Rod pondered the information in front of him.

Any player who received such an "unexpected reward" would first think of specializing in all talents. Rod had the same initial reaction, but he soon reconsidered. Was it necessary now?

This was not a game but reality. In a game, Rod could exploit player mindsets to gain unexpected advantages in PvP. But in reality, there was no need to do so. The people here did not know about skill points or proficiency, and they were unfamiliar with the Summon Swordsman class. They had no preconceived notions, so such effects would not be significant.

Should he specialize in one talent? Max out a talent as quickly as possible? After all, talents and skills were different. As long as the required points for each layer were met, the next layer could be unlocked. This way, even if Rod did not advance, he could still have a fully maxed talent path.

But this would be wasteful.

He would not consider maxing out sword techniques. Without unlocking a coherent set of sword techniques, Rod would not foolishly spend points on them, as he would need the points when the necessary techniques were unlocked.

The use of skill points should first consider what they were needed for. Currently, Rod's most urgent need was to level up. He had limited time and needed to maximize his power in the shortest time to gain experience efficiently.

Thinking about this, Rod's eyes lit up. He remembered a post on a forum where a player asked about talent point allocation for Summon Swordsmen. The player had a good idea but could not implement it due to restrictions, and Rod did not recommend it. But now, it seemed like an interesting approach.

"If I can combine quality and quantity..."

Thinking about this, Rod leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and soon the talent tree system appeared before him. This time, Rod focused on the "Soul Messenger" talent tree next to "Summon Master."

Soul Messenger, First Layer:

- Ethereal Armor (When a summoned creature appears, it gains a soul armor bonus, increasing defense by 10, 20, 30)

- Trinity (When the summoner has more than one summoned creature, the creatures' attributes increase by 5, 10)

- Shadow Companion (The summoner can attach the attributes of a summoned creature to themselves, gaining the same attack attribute bonus of 30, 60, 90)

Decided!

Thinking this, Rod took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and carefully reviewed the information in front of him. He calmed himself, reached out, and tapped the floating talent tree in front of him. Soon, a system prompt appeared.

[Consume 1 skill point to unlock talent—Soul Messenger Awakening]

With this prompt, Rod felt a sudden surge within his body, followed by a hot force spreading throughout.

[Soul Messenger, First Layer Talent Unlocked: Ethereal Armor Lv1 (When a summoned creature appears, it gains a soul armor bonus, increasing defense by 10)]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Ethereal Armor Lv1]

[Consume 1 skill point to upgrade Ethereal Armor to Lv2 (When a summoned creature appears, it gains a soul armor bonus, increasing defense by 20)]

[Consume 1 skill point to upgrade Ethereal Armor to Lv3 (When a summoned creature appears, it gains a soul armor bonus, increasing defense by 30)]

Great!

Seeing this, Rod clenched his fist, but this was not the end.

[Consume 1 skill point to unlock Soul Messenger, First Layer Talent: Shadow Companion Lv1 (The summoner can attach the attributes of a summoned creature to themselves, gaining the same attack attribute bonus of 30, 60, 90)]

[Passive Skill Acquired: Shadow Companion Lv1]

[Consume 1 skill point to upgrade Shadow Companion to Lv2 (The summoner can attach the attributes of a summoned creature to themselves, gaining the same attack attribute bonus of 60)]

[Consume 1 skill point to upgrade Shadow Companion to Lv3 (The summoner can attach the attributes of a summoned creature to themselves, gaining the same attack attribute bonus of 90)]

Finally, Rod exhaled, stood up, and looked at his right hand. He focused his mind, and soon a black card appeared before him. Rod reached out and firmly grasped the card.

"Swish!!"

With a light sound, the card in Rod's hand shattered, forming black mist that spread up his arm and enveloped his body. In a moment, the mist covered him completely. Rod opened his eyes, and a strange red glow appeared in them.

His tightly clenched right hand suddenly swung to the side, and a fierce whirlwind swept past. A large, black knight's spear appeared in his right hand, and a black shield appeared in his left. A faint blue, semi-transparent barrier, like armor, covered his body.

[Skill Activated: Ethereal Armor Lv3]

[Skill Activated: Shadow Companion Lv3]

[Elemental Protection, Heavy Armor Characteristics]

Done!

Looking at the system prompts, Rod clenched his fist and swung it.

Now, he had taken another step forward.

At that moment, footsteps were heard outside the door.

Hearing the footsteps, Rod's expression changed, and the black mist and ethereal armor around him dissipated. He sat back in his chair, and before he could tidy up the scattered documents, a knock came at the door.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened, and Old Walker entered. Seeing the room that looked like it had been hit by a typhoon, Old Walker was momentarily stunned but wisely said nothing. He walked to Rod's side and nodded.

"Kid, I have the results of your investigation."

...