Wolf of the Blood Moon: A Blood Magic
Book 1: Chapter 6: Skills

Scarlet Asger

So one of my parents is one of the strongest races of demons? A noble demon bordering on royalty?

What the hell was a Class V demon doing getting involved with a human anyways?

Judging by the fact that there are spawn in this Fracture, it is most likely a Class I Fracture. The weakest type of Fracture there is. And likely the only reason I’m alive right now.

As for my magic… well, considering that I’m half blood lycan, that makes sense.

“Let’s get this over with before anything else gets here,” the tanuki begins, drawing my attention back to it, “your listed magic is what determines the direction that your skills will go in terms of the power they’re based off of. It does not mean that it’s actual magic. Although in your case, it might just be that later on.”

Yeah, I already knew that part.

“Stats do not change your body at all. All they do is alter the way your body interacts with reality around you, making you stronger in the sense that your presence in reality is stronger and you therefore are physically, magically, and mentally more powerful than you were with lower stats, which is something a lot of humans don’t seem to understand,” he continues, making my eyebrow raise slightly at the indignant manner of which he spoke that last part. “The stats you get per level are decided by your species and your magic combined with what ‘Class’ as you humans call it, that you’re in. Levels 1 through 100 being Class I, 101-250 being Class II, 251-500 being Class III, 501-1000 being Class IV, and anything beyond that Class V.”

Wow. He’s really just going straight through it without wasting any time.

“What each stat does should be self-explanatory, and I’ll correct you in the case that you’re wrong. All I’ll say on that front now is that a 10 in each of the three main stats is the average for most unawakened humans,” he says, ignoring my thoughts. “Next up, we have Skill Points and Skill Levels. There are two types of skills. Inherent, which are what you get from leveling up, and purchased skills. You have to level up inherent skills through using the skills, whereas you have to level up purchased skills – and purchase them in the first place – using skill points. Now think, ‘Skill Store’.”

I blink in surprise, trying to register everything that he just said. Because while he’s right that the stats are rather self-explanatory. Mostly. I haven’t heard much talk about the specifics of skills.

Deciding to just go ahead and do as he says, I think ‘Skill Store.’

Skill Name:Achievement Requirements:Descriptions:Classifications:SP Price: Predator IUnlocked through killing a demon at a higher level than you by at least three levels.

The lowest rarity predator skill.

It grants the user a 3% boost in stats when fighting a creature at a higher level than themselves.

Passive

Static

Common

Active

Static

Common

Active

Static

Common

Active

Static

Common

“Before you spend your skill points, I would like to advise you taking Predator I,” Tar says as I read through the skills. “At this point in the Fracture, there are far more likely to be more demons above your level than at or below your level, so any little bit will help. And the rest of the skills you have access to at level one with your achievements are simple utility skills. Ones not meant for battle.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ Nʘvᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

After reading through the first two or so pages of skills, I quickly come to agree with the tanuki before reaching out and touching the words ‘Predator I’, making a confirmation message appear afterwards. So I touch the word Confirm, making a warm feeling spread through my body for a few seconds before vanishing again.

“Now to explain. Skills are broken down into six rarities. Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Legendary, and Mythical. Each of them costs a different amount of SP to purchase, and the skills get quite a bit stronger the rarer they are. But they’re also a lot harder to unlock through achievements. Suffice it to say, if you unlock a high rarity skill, you’re going to want to purchase it.”

I glance at the tanuki before looking at the status I still have open next to my skills list, briefly noting that my SP dropped from 16 to 6. And that I have the new skill added to it already.

“There are three different types of skills. Active, which are skills that must be used in order to activate, Passive, which are active all the time, and Static, which are skills that cannot level up. They will always be at level 1.”

Literally every single skill I have unlocked right now is a static one. And only one of them has a requirement other than to slay my first demon.

Also, I find it weird how helpful the tanuki is being now considering how it treated me in the fight…

Hearing my thoughts, which is really getting annoying, the tanuki glances at me and says, “Fae are not allowed to participate in the war between humans and demons beyond advisement to their contractor and granting them access to the System in the first place. Furthermore, I needed to be convinced that you were worth the trouble. That you wouldn’t just die in your first battle.”

My eye twitches at his blatant admission that he would’ve just let me die.

So much for ‘our lives being bound together’.

The tanuki ignores my irritation to continue his explanation of skills, “Unlike purchasable skills, inherent skills do not have a rarity. They simply come to you at certain levels depending on your magic and species. But they are always at least as strong as purchasable skills up to the Rare rarity. At the same time though, their strength varies depending on your magic and species.”

I glare at him for a few seconds before sighing and focusing on the skills list again.

“Many purchasable skills are locked behind achievement restrictions, as you already know by now. But some of them are also locked by magic restrictions, only allowing you to purchase them if you have the necessary magic amongst the listed magics they require,” he says, pausing slightly as my wolf ear twitches at the sound of another spider spawn entering the floor from the stairs on the other side of it. “Most skills of any use in combat only become available after you reach level 10. So don’t bother searching through them for anything you can use to help you right now.”

That explains why they’re almost all utility skills, except for Predator I. Also, considering that there’s an old world country number – I think it was called a roman numeral – after the name, there’s probably a higher rarity for the skill. Which makes me wonder what would happen if I bought that too? Would they stack? Or would one replace the other?

I’m distracted again by the spider that’s slowly approaching our room. At this rate it’ll likely get here in about five or so minutes.

Stupid spawn and their sense of smell.

How does a spider even smell in the first place?!

“That should be everything. So you can go ahead and deal with that pest,” Tar says, making me do a double take at him for calling the demon a pest.

Wasn’t he supposed to be a neutral party to our little war?

“While I am considered a neutral party, after we sign a contract, most Fae end up rooting for the side that they signed the contract for. Besides. Even other demons consider spawn pests.”

Oh. That… makes sense.

Also, isn’t that a little brutal? For demons to consider one of their own a pest?

Actually, don’t answer that.

Wait, what about the mana stat? How is that calculated?

The tanuki gives me a less than useful answer, “Math.”

I stare at him until he explains further.

“You can figure out the exact formula when you leave this Fracture, just know that it is a combination of your Mental and Magical stat,” he finally answers after a few seconds of staring.

That’s better at least.

I slowly get up from the ground again whilst cradling my arm, still feeling the blood lightly trailing down it from the wound. At some point the blood claws on my hands just kind of flickered out while I wasn’t paying attention, so I reactivate the skill by thinking its name in my head again.

Blood Claws.

Then I begin to slowly walk towards the door.

Maybe I can find a storage room somewhere on the floor that’ll have bandages after this fight. Or better yet, a bunker that hasn’t already been locked. But the chances of the latter are rather low, considering how it’s already been at least half an hour, maybe even an hour – who knows how long I was unconscious for – since the Demonic Assault began.

Here’s to hope, I guess.

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