The Eight Elemental Skill Books
"Welcome to the Happy Skill Books Shop. How may I be of service today?" a young lady greeted Karsha and his companions with a polite smile as they entered the store.
"We are looking to buy some skill books," Karsha replied, glancing at the neatly arranged shelves.
"And what kind of skills are you hoping to buy today?" the shop attendant asked.
"Sword skills will do. I want ones related to the elements," Karsha replied. He didn't want any fancy skills since he only intended to assimilate them into the [Red Eye Tiger] skill.
He could merge the skills he learned into the Red Eye Tiger skill, giving him the offensive power he craved. Currently, he was only using basic sword skills he had learned back in the pit and the forest.
He didn't have any particularly offensive sword skills. So, with the ability to merge or blend newly acquired skills into a single one, he knew he had to choose the right ones.
From his master's legacy, Karsha knew the best way to approach the unknown was to be prepared on multiple fronts. He didn't know the attributes of the snakes he would be facing, so he aimed to learn skills associated with all eight elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Light, Darkness, Earth, and Lightning.
Every living being can wield one or more elements if they have an affinity for them. Most people can control only a single element. However, with Karsha's system that allows him to learn new skills, he knew he would be able to master all elements, regardless of his natural affinities.
"Karsha, you do know that unless you have an affinity for an element, you wouldn't be able to learn its skills and spells," Elder June said.
"I know that, but since I don't know whether I have an affinity or not, I have to give it a try. Who knows, maybe I will get lucky." Karsha, of course, wouldn't disclose the system's identity and prowess to anyone.
Because of the system, he had learned a Divine technique in less than five minutes. Who's to say he wouldn't be able to learn elemental skills without needing an affinity for them?
The shop attendant led them to a section filled with skill books related to the elements. Karsha began scanning the titles, looking for ones that would best suit his needs and integrate well with his Red Eye Tiger skill.
As he examined the books, he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. Each skill he acquired would bring him one step closer to mastering the elements and ensuring his survival on Snake Island.
"These are all the elemental skill books we have. They're rare and hard to acquire," the shop attendant emphasized, ensuring Karsha understood their rarity. "Feel free to browse and choose the ones you want," he added, refraining from mentioning the price since Karsha hadn't asked.
Xian, however, wasn't one to overlook a potential scam. "How much does a skill book cost?" he inquired.
The shop attendant paused for a moment before responding, "A skill book is priced at 5,000 spirit stones for Tier 1 and 10,000 spirit stones for Tier 2, following that order. However, there's a discount for those purchasing more than five books at once," he explained.
Karsha, now holding the books in his hand, was surprised to see their details and even an option to learn them without buying them. However, Karsha wasn't one to steal from the poor, so he refrained from doing so.
Of course, it would be a different case for people like the Varon Family, who were the sole reason he was now pursuing skill books. After reviewing all the books, Karsha selected the eight he wanted.
< Skill: Lightning Strike >
Tier: Tier 2
-- Infuse your sword with lightning and thunder, enabling precise strikes. Each sword strike releases a potent lightning bolt, dealing damage proportional to the skill's potency and the wielder's mastery of the element.
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< Skill: Darkness Aura >
Tier: 2
-- Harness the darkness surrounding you through your sword, striking your target with ominous force. The attack carries a 40% chance of triggering "Darkness Devourer," which steadily consumes 5% of the target's HP per second for 10 seconds.
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< Skill: Fire Beam >
Tier: 3
-- By expending Mana, the swordsman envelops their blade in flames. Each sword strike leaves behind a lingering blaze, continually draining the target's health as long as the wielder maintains Mana.
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< Skill: Illuminate >
Tier: 2
-- "Where there is darkness, there must also be light." Drive your sword into the ground, creating a vortex of illuminating energy that dispels all darkness. Enemies imbued with dark elements suffer a debuff of 30% on all stats for 2 minutes.
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< Skill: Earth Spike >
Tier: 3
-- By slashing with the sword, the earth responds, birthing razor-sharp spikes that erupt from the ground, piercing the target with lethal force. When in muddy terrain, the wielder can transmute the mud into quicksand, consuming the target without resistance.
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< Skill: Wind Blade >
Tier: 3
-- Harnessing both wind and Mana, execute a swift sword slash, unleashing a razor-sharp arc of air that silently strikes the target, bypassing their senses.
-- Mastery of this ability demands focus and a deep comprehension of wind patterns to execute the strike effectively.
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< Skill: Water Domain >
Tier: 3
-- Drawing upon the water element, the user can manifest a domain of swords composed of water. Each sword within the domain carries 70% of the wielder's attack power.
-- Remaining within the sword domain grants the wielder a 20% buff if the target stays within for 20 seconds.
-- Furthermore, the wielder gains a 50% buff if the target fails to land a clean attack within 60 seconds of entering the domain.
< This domain can integrate with any other domains the wielder possesses >
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< Skill: Ever Freezing Ice Domain >
Tier: 4
-- With a single sword slash, the area within 300 meters of the caster is enveloped in freezing ice. Any targets within this domain suffer an instant 50% debuff for 10 seconds, diminishing to 25% over the next 60 seconds.
-- Additionally, the domain can immobilize enemies by conjuring rapidly rising pillars of ice through successive sword slashes.
< This domain can combine with any other domains the wielder possesses >
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"This will do for now," remarked Karsha after carefully selecting the eight skills he intended to purchase. Despite being only Tier 2 and 3, the skills were impressive, and with the Red Eye Tiger boosting them even further, he knew he had made a good choice.
Take the Water Domain skill, for instance. Not only would he receive a buff when an enemy was within the domain for 20 seconds, but he would also gain a further buff if the enemy failed to land an attack within the subsequent 60 seconds. In total, he would enjoy a 70% buff within a minute if the enemy failed to attack or escape the domain. The buff would continue for as long as the domain remained active.
Then, there was the Ever Freezing Ice Domain skill, where the target would lose a whopping 50% of their stats for 10 seconds. This effect, combined with the Water Domain effect, would ensure Karsha had the upper hand for at least 10 seconds.
While he might be receiving a 70% buff to his stats, the target would be suffering a 50% debuff. If Karsha played his cards right and was able to trap the enemy for 60 seconds, he would be able to deal significant damage before the 10 seconds ran out.
'Maybe I should buy more domain skills in the future,' Karsha mused inwardly, feeling satisfied with his find. "I now need assassin skills, but with the Blink skill, I don't think anything here will surpass that," he added.
The Blink skill was indeed the best there was. He could time his target, and when they became vulnerable, he would blink and appear behind them, landing a deadly strike before blinking away.
'I am still at a disadvantage here, but with the Red Eye Tiger Skill, I can at least run away if need be.'
"I'll take these eight," Karsha said, handing the skill books to the shop attendant. He glanced around to see if there were any other skills that caught his eye, but nothing seemed promising.
"Good skill books are only found in auctions. The ones here are merely the basics," Xian remarked, indicating to Karsha that they wouldn't find anything exceptional in this shop. Selling skill books in regular stores wasn't profitable; however, in auctions, where multiple buyers competed for the same item, sellers could fetch much higher prices.
"Should we go to an auction house and try our luck?" Karsha suggested, but Xian shook his head. "There's no auction today, at least not in this city. Plus, we don't have the money to bid for any skills even if we went."
"Buy this one; I'll ask Father to give you any skill book of your choosing when we go back," Elder June chimed in. As the daughter of the sect master, she knew just how many skill books were in her father's possession. While some may not be useful to Karsha, she was confident he could still find some sword skills.
"Thank you," Karsha thanked her politely and then paid 100,000 spirit stones before leaving with the books. He was given a 10,000 spirit stone discount on his purchase, leaving him with 21,300 spirit stones.
As they passed by some pastry shops, Karsha spent 10,000 spirit stones on pastries and dry bread that could last for some time. Of course, these were not ordinary mortal foods, so they were expensive. Not knowing the true value of monster meats, he spent another 10,000 on fried chickens, intending to use them as bait while eating the rest.
Initially, he had contemplated killing the spy tailing him, and using his body parts. However, given the unforeseen turn of events, he had no choice but to consider alternative strategies for the time being.