"Do you think this will give us a lot of experience? I've noticed that the historical dungeons don't give anything until the end."
Cain smiles at the nervous branch-haired form of Mythryll in her Demonic transformation. "I would say so. With a bonus for the underdog win and then another for setting the Goblins free, I think it will award us very well. Plus, it's a full 75 levels higher than I am and had over twenty thousand monsters in it. Even without bonuses, it should be incredible."
[Experience Calculated]
[Modified Beyond Parameters by Ability]
[Level Up]x20
[Experience Cap Reached]
Cain wonders how the cap is determined; he's seen some ridiculous level gains in a single shot when power leveling newbies. But then again, this one is much higher level; what they've received in one go would move a level 1 recruit to well over level 100. From fresh transfer to First Advancement in one quest, the reward would be a logical spot for the system to cap experience, at least on this side of the central continent.
That's another hundred Stat points, and Cain decides to allocate them first, so he doesn't forget in the excitement of upgrading his skills.
[Name] Cain
[Level] 180
[Class] Puppet Master
[Race] Ancient
[Stats]+130->30
[STR] 200->225
[DEX] 200->225
[CON] 200->225
[INT] 200->225
[HP] 3200->3600
[MP] 4000->4500
That last 30 points can sit for now; at level 200 he's likely to need to tweak one stat category to get the class upgrade he wants, so having a few unassigned points will come in handy.
The best part comes next. Level 180 is where he can triple his Lesser and Greater Golems, see the final two skills, and maybe even get a bonus skill from the Lord Commander designation. It's like his birthday, Christmas, and surprise wake-up sex all in one level.
His twenty points vanish instantly, and Cain moves to a total of 36 Lesser Golems and 24 Greater Golems available for Summoning before using [Ancient Resistance] to triple anything. As he hoped, that also unlocked a second hidden skill.
[Lord Captains] Lieutenants and Commanders are granted the Baron Rank and associated benefits.
[Baron Rank Skill: Retinue] Bodyguards and Sorcerors become Greater Golems. Grants 2 of each if the skill is not already known.
Now the Lieutenants and Cid will be able to call Agility and Caster type Greater Golems to their side. Four more Greater Golems might not be game-changing, but having them around has allowed him to send everything else out on attack without worrying about the group's safety.
The Final two skills of his Tree are now visible.
[Commander] Summon or Appoint 1 Commander. They may Summon 1 Sub Lieutenant and gain the benefit of the Puppet Master's Golem Enhancing abilities. Commanders may use the [Summon Lesser Golem] and [Summon Greater Golem] skills.
[General Staff] Grants Puppets intellect equivalent to the average of the Puppet Master's Species. Puppets may be fully autonomous after being given initial instructions.
Commander, he already knows about, but that [General Staff] ability thoroughly explains how Gillibrand was able to have his puppets run a city. With that skill, they're essentially androids, capable of living their own lives but not of disobeying their directives.
Both skills are ten points each, bringing him to level 200, where the token will grant him a chance at a unique class upgrade. Hopefully, he meets the requirements for something extraordinary.
"I think that's enough dungeon for one day, right? Let's relax in the shade and drink something nice and cold."
When they exit the dungeon, they're greeted by a welcoming committee of low-level Guild Members. Char is showing them around the castle and just happened to be passing by the portals when they walked out. The Shaman stops and stares in amazement, seeing their levels have increased so much, as well as Cain and Mythryll's current Demonic Forms.
"Oh, right. We forgot to change back." The Elf laughs, shifting back to her normal appearance, the leathers and bark of her Dryad type Demonic Form giving way to soft Elven skin and an elegant silk dress.
"I think I look pretty good, though. Just a bit too tall." Cain jokes, shifting back to what the system dubbed his Mafia Don appearance.
Char gives him an appreciative look and a wink. "Looking more stylish by the day, Guild Master. Got a hot date tonight?"
Cain wraps his arm around Misha and grins back. "She's hot alright, but I'm not sure we're going on a date tonight."
The new members, primarily youths in their early teens, all laugh at that, a few making jokes about how their parents do things like that. Cain enjoys making Misha blush, so he keeps his arm around her, squeezing her backside.
"We're going to grab some drinks and sit in the park. Feel free to join us when you're done. That goes for all of you."
Char ushers then away, headed towards Maggie, intent on introducing them to the Orcish Lieutenant that runs the castle defense on a day to day basis.
Cain decides to switch things up a little with his Merger, releasing all the Companions and Summoning four Seraphim Inquisitors, which uses one of his two spots for Epic summons, increased to Legendary [Glory of the Mark].
He can still Summon the other and triple his Seraphim in case of trouble, giving him twenty more possible Inquisitors not merged with him, but he's not entirely sure what their abilities are.
They fly, obviously, and have a giant sword, but he was too busy to watch them fight.
[Merger Complete: Skills Gained]
[Terror of the Seraphim] Aura ability. Reduces enemy attack speed by 30 percent
[Judgement] Call Divine Judgement down upon the Guilty for 800 percent Spell Power as holy damage and upon the Righteous for 800 percent Spell Power as healing. Range 5 meters from targeted point. 100MP per use.
Did he get the ability to Smite his enemies with holy fire?
[No. With Sanctifying Holy Light. The Proper way to cleanse the unworthy life from Sinners and Heretics.]
[I like how you think. Got any dating advice?] Cain jokes back.
[Pat her head and stroke her wings when she does right. Spank her bottom when she doesn't. Seraphim don't feel lust, so the courting process is very open and honest. We tell them we want them as mates and see if they agree.]
Maybe Cain and this Seraphim are going to get along just fine. His advice is strangely enticing.
As they relax in the shade, Cain starts thinking up ways to phrase what he wishes to say to Misha. He's not great with relationships or romance and he doesn't want to mess it up.
The Seraphim might not be the perfect option for dating advice, but with the whispers that Nemu and the Oath Breaker have been implanting in his subconscious, it's a pretty good balance.
There seems to be a common theme of headpats, though. Both the Seraphim and the Felian are big fans, and it's throwing him off. Do you even pat humans? Would she get mad for messing up her hair? He's pretty sure they weren't a thing in his previous life.
While Cain is thinking, Sora comes over with a message. Cixelcid wants to borrow Misha for the evening to make a surprise for Lickity. But not until after the kids and the Succubus have gone to sleep for the evening.
Misha looks up at the sky, checking the time of day before answering the Tengu. "Of course, I'm happy to help. I can come by just after dark; they should be exhausted by then."
The Lieutenant races away to let Cid know she's passed on the message, leaving everyone shaking their heads at her energy level.
"Cid and Lickity are such a cute pair; it's great that they managed to find each other," Mythryll says wistfully, looking off at something in the distance. Misha follows her gaze, but the only sees the Nila clones practicing their sword techniques, so she must be looking into space, lost in a thought.
When she turns her head, Cain leans forward to whisper in her ear. "I'm glad I've found you too. I want to talk more about that when you get back tomorrow."
His warm breath and then his soft lips against her ear send a pleasant shudder down her spine, but before she can come up with a response, Cain leans back and raises his voice a little so that Mythryll can hear.
"It gets dark earlier in Sunnybrook than it does here by about an hour. If you want to be there just after sunset, that's only a few minutes away."
Inside, Misha is conflicted. She knows what Cain wants to talk about, and she wants him too, but she's not sure that Girlfriend, wife, or companion is the right word for the relationship she wants. The time with Cid making his surprise for Lickity is just the time she needs to make her final decision.
