Chrysalis - Chapter 475

Chapter 475: 475






[Still, one advantage you have over monsters of your tier is that you have a fairly capable basis for multiple thought threads, which is the optimal way to grind your mental Skills . ]

[That's what I've been doing . At least lately . The idea was to advance my magic as fast as possible to try and unlock the Gravity Magic Affinity . I have a feeling that once I get it, it'll be strong . ]

Granin nods .

[I've no doubt of that . Space magic is one of the most advanced forms of magic known and only old boulders like myself manage to level our Skills to the point we can unlock it . Even then, it levels up extremely slowly . Only the most powerful and gifted of Shapers can do more than create and open gates with it . ]

Thinking of an army of ants teleporting around through magical gateways, I mutter: [yeah, well, gates sound pretty good . ]

[You aren't wrong . They form a huge part of every Dungeon civilisation . I'd go so far as to say, colonising the Dungeon would have been impossible without it . If your Gravity magic is as fundamental as that, it may be some time before you're able to unlock the affinity . ]

[Dammit . ]

[Agreed,] Granin sighs, [acquiring that skill would be the easiest and fastest way to power you up . Since you don't have access to it, and we don't know when you will, there's little point in trying to grind for it now . If we throw all our eggs in that basket and the Skill doesn't show up, then you'll end up in a bad way . ]

[I don't know about that,] I protest, [it's not as if that last battle was a real struggle . I dealt with that supposedly powerful monster with ease . ]





Granin gave me a long steady look at that point . I could almost hear his thoughts turning in his head, I could see how hard he was struggling not to call me an idiot .

[Out with it then,] I sigh .

The Shaper shrugged heavily and sat down before looking me in the eye .

[Look, Anthony . That Rhino was a stupid thought experiment . Had it landed that charge on you, you would have exploded into a thousand tiny pieces in an instant . ]

[What about my Diamond Carapace?]

[In an instant,] he insists, [your carapace wouldn't count for squat . It was carefully raised over a period of years, fed cores and Biomass, tested in battle after battle . It took the blood, sweat and tears of a team of three Shapers to create that creature and it was a certified killing machine . Luckily for you, it wasn't that smart, and it was inflexible . I don't think the poor creature even considered you would use Earth magic to open a tunnel beneath you whilst casting all those other spells . ]

[So you're saying I was lucky . ]

[In a way, you were very lucky . The opponent was lacking in intelligence, which is something you have an unfair advantage in, since you're a reincarnator . Most of the monsters that you'll face will be smarter, most of them will be just as clever as the average human . ]






[I thought it wasn't popular to invest in mental stats at this tier?]

[That's true, but creating a hulking brute without a brain is just asking for your expensive, labour intensive project to club its own brain out with a rock . Remember, these aren't pets . They are true, wild monsters that have undergone extensive core shaping after spawning . ]

He makes a good point . Tiny has been as much a hindrance as he has a help at various points . In some ways it just adds to his loveable charm, but in others it's nearly got us killed . It's all trade-offs .

[So what's the play then? What do you think I need to work on?]

Instead of answering directly, the Shaper asks me another question .

[What are your basic elemental skills like?]

[You mean, fire, water, earth and air? I mean . I have them . None of them are past rank three though . ]

[Oh? That's better than I thought . If you can get all of them to rank three and fuse them then you'll have a bit more firepower in your corner . ]

[To rank three? Is that all? I thought fusions would be better the higher rank the Skills were . Shouldn't I try and hold on for rank four at least?]





Granin hesitates .

[Yes . Technically, yes . The rank four fusion is much stronger than the third rank one . The fifth is even better than that . I'm not sure that anyone has done rank six . Certainly I've no idea what that fusion results in . You'd have to level up the four skills seventy five times, which would take a heck of a long time . ]

[But it would be worth it in the long run…]

[Surviving in the short term has to trump planning for the long term at some point…]

He has a point there . But nobody got anywhere without taking risks! I have a feeling like if I compromise too much then my path to power in the future is going to get cut short . Compromise now, compromise in the future, when will it end? I need to push hard, right now . Also, I have an advantage that Granin doesn't know about . The Gravity Bomb . I know it's a risk, but if I get deep enough into this tournament, hopefully the Cult won't be so prepared to sacrifice me to learn about my magic and I can snag a free win by blasting some poor monster into a compressed ball of their former selves .

[You've got to go big or go home, Granin! We're shooting for a more powerful fusion! Rank five! Hit me up top!]
Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www . webnovel . com for visiting .

I raise a foreleg for the inevitable five but to my mounting shock it appears as if Granin fully intends to leave me hanging . Perhaps he's able to sense my mounting despair over the mental link because he speaks up after a moment .

[I have no idea why you're raising your leg up in the air . I need to hit you where? And by the way, you do realise that in this case 'going home' means being murdered and then eaten?]

[It's a 'high five', you need to… never mind . Yes, I understand that I'm taking a significant risk . I just feel like if I can get as much strength as possible from the base elements, then I won't need anything else to push me through until I can finally get my Gravity Affinity . ]

Granin thinks about it for a few minutes .

[I take your point . If you can get hold of a more powerful fusion then it may prove to be more efficient going forward . I just hope we can keep you alive to that point . ]

[If I don't manage it, it's not as if I'll have to worry about what comes after . ]

[True . Just what sort of life did you live on your world?]

[Pretty ordinary I suppose . I mean, I think so? Stabbings are common, or so I believe…]

[You died from stabbing? That sounds rough . ]

[What? Nonono . A stabbing is just a hospital visit, no worries there . Got patched up a few times . No, I starved to death . ]

[How the hell…]

[Doesn't really matter does it? Bug off, Granin . Time for training!]