The Succubus

6

Surprisingly, Eric preferred an ax but said no melee fighter could rely on just one weapon. You had to be at least proficient with most of them. Monsters came in infinite variations. Some would eventually be resistant to or problematic to fight with your preferred weapon type.

Those were probably the best weeks of Matt’s life. Dena and Eric were nice to him, didn’t treat him like spare luggage they were trying to get rid of or as a charity case because his parents were dead.

The couple gave him respect, even though they were so much stronger than him. They could have treated him like something you’d scrape off a shoe and no one would have looked askance at them for it. He’d received invitations to eat with them a few times, and even Benny hadn’t said anything during the occasional meal.

Matt swore to himself that when he was that strong, he would remember their kindness and strive to show the same to others. So many of the delvers coming through Benny’s treated anyone weaker than them as sub-human and fawned over anyone stronger. It was all so fake. So meaningless. He wanted nothing to do with it.

“Hey, Matt. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I’ve got to ask. Why are you here?” Dena looked awkward as she asked. Even Eric looked up from his mana control trainer, which he put away to stand and join the conversation.

“You’re strong, good with a blade, and very hard-working. I’m just confused as to why you haven’t been snatched up by a guild or party already?”

Matt sighed. “No real secret to it. My Tier 1 Talent doesn’t allow for any mana cultivation. That invalidated my contract with the guild I was going to join. Any other guilds willing to take me had terms so absurd I might as well have sold myself into slavery.”

Dena winced, and Eric mirrored her expression. She opened her mouth to speak, clearly going to apologize for something that wasn’t her fault. So, Matt cut her off. He didn’t want their pity.

“That’s why I’m working here. Miles, the head guild representative, did what he could to help me. He wasn’t able to do much, but he pointed me in the direction I needed to go. That’s why I’m here, saving up money to purchase a slot in a Tier 1 dungeon. Everyone says there are no purely detrimental Talents, just paired talents you need to advance to fix. So, I’ll be a solo delver and advance on my own. It’s not even a purely bad thing, delving solo. I won’t have to share the essence, so I’ll advance faster, which will let me catch up with my age group.

“Hopefully, the problem is solved at Tier 3 and not Tier 25.” Matt tried to lighten the atmosphere with a joke, but the pair just stared at him for a long moment.

“Well, that’s a shit hand to get dealt. But you didn’t give up, which is the most important part. If this planet were a higher Tier, you’d be picked up by a guild for that alone. So many delvers lose the will to continue, the drive to advance. And that’s not something a Talent can compensate for.” Eric shook his head.

On that sour note, Matt went about his day, resolved to avoid thinking about his Talent more than he had to.

 

   

That night, another big fight broke out; one worse than the usual two-to-six-person brawl.

The party of delvers responsible for starting it came in later than most, so the common area was already crowded with parties eating and drinking. They sauntered in as if they’d just found the crown jewels of the Emperor himself.

Their attitude attracted everyone as they walked to the item identifier. Without hesitation, their leader walked up to the man about to use it and shoved him out of the way violently.

The air of anticipation built as they placed a skill shard in the reader. Skill shards were a rare drop at this planet’s Tier, but they could vary in usefulness. This group was so cocky and sure they got a good skill, they didn’t even bother to set the readout to be sent privately to their pads. Instead, the process was displayed on the large screen for the whole crowd to see.

The reason for their arrogance was readily apparent when the first lines of text appeared.

Analyzing skill shard…

Cracked skill shard detected. Requesting a higher authority to complete analysis.

A cracked skill shard was a rare variation of shard modified off the baseline. The change could be anything and finding two that were identical was said to be impossible.

The most famous cracked skill Matt knew of was a cracked version of [Shadow Sword]. The original skill projected a copy of the weapon to the side during a strike. Nothing crazy. The ‘shadow’ was only a quarter the strength of the original strike, making it useful but not amazing.

The infamous cracked version allowed the user to summon fully autonomous shadow swords. This was superior to even comparable skills like [Sword Minion] and [Sword Doppelganger]. The former needed real blades and the user’s concentration to control them. The latter was just a single sword that, while autonomous and equal in strength to the original, lacked durability and could be shattered with a powerful enough hit.

That [Cracked Shadow Sword] let the user summon endless autonomous copies at only a quarter strength. Having hundreds of blades that worked together in perfect harmony made it a skill everyone feared.

Matt blanked on the name of the individual who had gotten the skill but could remember they’d carved themselves out an earldom spanning several new planets with that skill alone.

Are we going to see the birth of a legend here?

Matt hoped not. Desperately.

If the cracked skill turned out to be a useful variation and not neutral or detrimental, this night would turn into a bloodbath. These idiots should have never revealed it publicly. They could get themselves and, more importantly, Matt, killed in the rush to steal the skill.

Just as Matt moved to escape the crowd on the cusp of exploding, the man who’d been holding the skill, and who was probably the party leader, got everyone’s attention. Still with his back to the crowd, in a voice dripping with arrogance, he called out, “I’d love to meet the people stupid enough to attack the son of Brackus of Brackus Holdings.”

That’s what he’s relying on to keep him safe?

Matt was flabbergasted. Brackus Holdings was a local courier service. While they had some influence and power, they weren’t nearly enough of a deterrent to stop people from killing his arrogant ass. The only difference was now they’d make sure to kill all the witnesses, too.

He spun, intent on slipping out, but saw Zephyr passed out on a table not too far from the item identifier. For a moment, Matt debated leaving the old man to his fate. It was his own fault he’d chosen a spot right where the action would be fiercest.

Just leave him. Getting yourself killed to save a drunk isn’t worth it. Just go.

Matt cursed at himself even as he started toward the old man. In the end, he couldn’t just stand by. Inaction was a choice; one he refused to make.

The trick would be getting close without attracting attention or triggering a stampede toward the party at the item identifier.

The item identifier beeped right as Matt slid up to Zephyr’s table.

The noise grabbed everyone’s attention, including his.

Analysis complete…

Skill shard identified as [Cracked Phantom Armor].

Original Skill Description: Tier 14 skill. Pre-charge 200 or more mana into the skill. When a lethal blow is detected, skill will automatically activate and block the attack. Alternatively, skill can be activated at the user’s discretion.

Cracked Skill Description: Channel mana into the skill to activate [Phantom Armor], which will then block physical and elemental damage with efficiency depending on the rate at which mana is channeled into the skill.

Rating: Detrimental - Extremely niche or limited use due to mana cost being continuous. Crack turns a highly sought-after, life-saving skill into a costly and inefficient general defense skill. Possibly recommended for mages with a strong emphasis on Mana Regeneration cultivation.