NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11: Valkyries
Nick could feel a surge of power the moment he selected the perks. It was as though they infused with his very being, offering him a taste of unparalleled power.
[Perks selected: Emperor's Slash and Farseeing Eyes]
+--Loading--+
[Leveled Up]
+--Loading--+
>--< Perks Interface Unlocked >--<
>--< Skills Interface Unlocked >--<
--(Stats)--
+-- Personal
Name: Nick
Title: King of the Cosmos
Race: Human; [Dragon Walker]
Gender: Male
Age: 25
Path: Warrior
Level: 3
Exp: 0/1,500
+-- General
CP: 45,000
Strength: 17
Dexterity: 24
Intelligence: 24
Luck: 10
Defense: 16
Health: 25/80
Mana: 35/35
Stamina: 30/110
+-- Path: Warrior
*One-Handed: 20
*Block: 20
*Medium-Armor: 20
Stealth: 15
Annihilation Magic: 15
Illusion Magic: 15
Restorative Magic: 10
Heavy-Armor: 15
Light-Armor: 15
Two-Handed: 15
Clairvoyance: 10
Divinity: 100
+-- Perks
Emperor's Slash
Farseeing Eyes
+-- Skills
[Note: You can earn skills by either extracting them from a Valkyrie or by finding a spell tome]
Ultimate Skill: N/A
Active Skill 1: N/A
Active Skill 2: N/A
Rearguard Passive: N/A
Advance: N/A
Area Skill: N/A
Zone State: Emperor's Will
[Zone State: Emperor's Will – Even when the battle is at its lowest point, a god like you is still able to change the tides. When you or a party member drops below 20% health, an aura encases you that enhances all of your stats by 1,000%. This aura can be focused on one part of your body to further enhance it by 300% but the rest of your body will only be enchanced by 100%]enhanced
'Zone State? Area Skill?' Nick lamented the system's lack of explanation for the skills.
It was fairly easy to figure what most of them were. He'd have to strategically use his Ultimate Skill, as it would have either a long cooldown or heavy condition. Active skills would require some strategic planning, though not as much. They'd still have some kind of cooldown or condition, but it shouldn't be nearly as bad.
But then there were the other skills. Because if it's description, he kind of understood what a Zone State was. Once a certain condition was meant, he'd receive a huge buff. The condition seemed to be connected to an extreme situation.
If other people also had a Zone State, it would be imperative to try and figure it out. Nullifying the usefulness of an opponent's Zone State seemed to be a huge advantage. Having your own boost while canceling your opponent's... even if they were usually stronger, it could end the battle immediately.
The names for the other skills didn't really offer him much insight. He knew a rear guard was like a last line of defense that defended the backline and created a path for retreat, but he didn't exactly know how that would translate to the game.
Maybe the skill would help him retreat? Or maybe it applied some last minute defense, like a defensive version of the Zone State.
That could be it.
Advance was an extremely ambiguous term. It could mean many things– advancing through an army, paying in advance, making a breakthrough...
For now, it would be near impossible for him to accurately guess what this skill was.
The same could be said for an area skill. Since he didn't really have a way to know what they were right now, he moved on.
>--< Valkyrie interface unlocked >--<
--(Valkyries)--
[Juliana]
Max Rank: SSS
Current Rank: C
Class: Mage
Rank Experience: 0/10,000
+-- General
Strength: 5
Dexterity: 5
Intelligence: 30
Luck: 10
Defense: 10
Health: 35/70
Mana: 65/65
Stamina: 50/50
+-- Skills
Ultimate Skill: Locked
Active Skill 1: Tempest's Rage
[B-Rank Skill: Tempest's Rage – This Valkyrie sacrifices 20% of her hp before attacking all surrounding enemies in a 5-meter by 5-meter square. This attack deals damage equal to 150% of Juliana's intelligence and has a 15% chance to apply the Charged debuff.]
[*Charged: This debuff causes its victim to become more susceptible to magic attacks, making them take 1% more damage for each stack. Max Stacks:3]
[Skill level:1/10]
Active Skill 2: Locked
Rearguard Passive: Locked
Advance: Locked
Area Skill: Locked
'So she does have a skill?' Nick thought as he glanced in her direction. Juliana was twirling her hair as she watched her new master, much of her earlier indignation completely gone.
The whole binding thing was a bad mess, but Nick would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy some of this new arrangement. He never had a girl before, so to have one as hot as her look at him like that...
'It sounds awful when you put it like that. This is a temporary thing. While she's bound to me, we'll both get a lot of experience and level up. I'm focusing on my own stats because it's good to start a game with a carry, but I'm not going to just ignore her. That would be mean. After we both get strong, I can free her.'
Though he nodded his head in affirmation, Nick wondered if he truly believed himself inside.
"So. You got quite a bit stronger, huh?" Juliana said as she walked towards him, twirling strands of her crimson red hair. It seemed to be a nervous tick of hers, but it also made her sexy so Nick didn't mind.
Well, there was a lot that made her look sexy. Of course, no Valkyrie would ever become a fan favorite if they weren't also hot. She wore her patented silky black dress, unmarred even after such a deadly battle.
'Almost unmarred,' Nick corrected himself when he looked at the gaping hole in her dress, showing a well-maintained flat belly and chiseled abs.
Her hourglass figure was otherworldly, one that would only be found in games and anime as it was simply too unrealistic for real-life girls to replicate such a body. 'Heh. My first girl gets to be as hot as a goddess, huh?'
Nick fell into a trance as his eyes passed the main attraction, which couldn't be hidden even by her large, flowing dress. They were so beautiful...
Just like her eyes. The deep red of her eyes was forced into his vision as her fingers led his face up from the "my eyes are up here!" zone.
A knot formed in his throat as he saw some of that old bich energy appear in her eyes again. This wasn't entirely bad, as her ferocity was also kind of hot. Still, Nick didn't like getting yelled at.
The look of ferocity was quickly dropped for one of compassion–and he could tell that the binding didn't entirely force this out of her. She dropped her hand from his cheek and laid it down at her side, staring at the ground.
Blinking, Nick asked, "Hey? Everything good? Uh, thanks for saving me! Sorry if I didn't say that yet, it's just, y'know, a crazy last few minutes."
Juliana let out a long, hearty sigh that trembled her entire body before whispering, "Please, don't take advantage of me. I- I took a big risk saving you. It was really dumb now that I think of it but... I couldn't just let you die-"
Her rapid-fire wish was interrupted by a simple word: "Ok."
Raising her head back to Nick's, he prayed that she saw no kind of malice or intent to harm her. A light smile and chuckle eased his fear, knowing that she trusted him now.
He trusted her as well, and though he was going to get stronger, the truth behind his ok was real. They were comrades, warriors, and maybe one day friends (or more!).
In a rush of emotions, he pulled her into an embrace right as the system gave another message.
>--< Tutorial Completed >--<
>--< Option for Quick Growth granted >--<
>--< Face a Primordial? >--<