Chapter 204. Choices again

Looking at Helen with a shocked face, the Necromancer couldn't believe his ears. He considered the option a possibility but dismissed it as too far-fetched. 

"Are you saying the Sanctuary can predict the future?"

[What? No, dummy! It's a judgment based on your previous interaction. It actually says that. You don't fully understand it, as you have yet to face Tier 3 or 4 monsters, but they are entirely different.

In comparison, the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 is laughable. At best, they gain slight intelligence. But starting with Tier 3, you can no longer view them as mere puppets, especially in the case of Elites and Bosses. Furthermore, their strength, capability in battle, and cunning are all restored to almost their maximum abilities. And that's not all...](Helen)

"..."

[After increasing your Difficulty Tier to Nightmare, you will lose a certain percentage of your Resistances. It can be as low as 10% for some or as high as 25% for others. That means you will take increased damage from all enemies. As for those enemies, they all gain anywhere between 25-50% increased Resistance. It can go even higher if they are Elites or Bosses with specific modifiers.](Helen)

"So, the Sanctuary thinks I cannot handle Elites or Bosses of that level yet?"

[Normal ones you might meet in Dungeons, Events, or Side Quests, yes, you could. But, what about fighting Astaroth after all the things I mentioned, and the restrictions on him have been heavily reduced?](Helen)

"That... How much do you think the increase might be?"

[From a fighting capability perspective? At least at the Butcher's level.](Helen)

"Fuck..."

[I've seen the recording of your fight with Astaroth. Michael. I am serious. If that fight would've taken place when you were at Tier 3 instead, you would've died in less than a couple of minutes.](Helen)

Thinking about it from a pure skill perspective, the Butcher was by far the worst enemy he had faced up to date. 

He had plenty of close shaves with death in other fights, but most were circumstantial. As for that horned bastard, he outclassed Michael from literally every point of view. 

He somehow won, and that could be chalked up to luck. If it hadn't been a Dungeon, and the monsters would've been fewer, he would've died 100%.

But he fought most demon-type Bosses he faced so far in a 1-v-1 battle without any other monsters to create Corpses from. Starting from Nevesk, where he faced X'Fall, to Yelesna Mines, where another strange demonic entity created by Lilith's lament attacked him, to the three succubus Bosses during his Stronghold Event in Nostrava... and now, Astaroth in Cerrigar.

"It's true. Based on the pattern of encounters I had so far, even if there were some outliers with summoning potential, all others fought me solo. If I had to face a Butcher-like Boss during every Main Quest, it would not even be gambling with my life. It's choosing certain death."

[That's not all. In Dungeons below Tier 3, as well as during any type of Event in the real world, most monsters are restricted to a certain number of skills they can use. That's why their fighting pattern appears simple. But that changes in Nightmare Tier. It's not named 'Nightmare' for no reason. As I said, even standard Bosses and Elites will be troublesome to deal with. Also, from what you have told me so far, the enemies you keep encountering get progressively stronger. X'Fall is a Baron, one of the lowest types you can meet, but those three in Nostrava were at least at Marquis level. And now, you even met a Duke, albeit a heavily restricted one, weakened by decades of imprisonment in a soulstone and further hindered by the weakness of its vessel. It doesn't sound very pleasant when put like that, but Yorin was a human, Michael. The vessels they will use after Tier 3 are not. They are more entuned to demonic energies, increasing their capabilities exponentially.](Helen)

Hearing the urgent and worried tone she used when explaining, Michael understood where her concern stemmed from. She was afraid that his hubris would impair his thinking and he would die a stupid death.

Without hesitation, Michael selected the second option. It was better to play it safe and stay alive. After all, he wasn't a hero, nor was he planning to be. 

Yes, he would like to implement various ideas that would make his life better in the long run. He would love to continue going on adventures and Quests where he can discover more about the Sanctuary's history. Still, all those have a very stringent requirement: he must be alive to enjoy them.

Seeing Helen exhale with relief, Michael smiled and kissed her.

[ Your choice has been confirmed.

Since locking your Paragon Page and stopping you from advancing to your Second Class Awakening might hinder your Main Quest storyline advancement, a special path is created for you. ]

[ Paragon Page Quest has been issued - Walking Alone

Objective 1: Clear 2 Strongholds alone

Objective 2: Clear 10 Nightmare Dungeons alone. 

Description: The Sanctuary is preparing a path specifically for you. To walk it, you must prove your commitment. 

Special note: The unique Glyp Experience gained through Nightmare Dungeons will be stored until the Paragon Page Quest has been cleared. ]

[ Class Awakening Quest has been issued - Master Necromancer

Objective 1: Complete 10 Side Quests

Objective 2: Reach Level 55

Objective 3: Upgrade your minions

Description: The Sanctuary strongly suggests you walk the Path of Rathma, The Firstborn, Master of Death. To do so, your Class must remain pure, and you must become more entuned with the Essence of Death. ]

As the duo looked over the details, Helen gasped and quickly used her Ring to call Natalia to the kitchen. 

Watching the pale beauty walk in with a confused look, the tigress quickly grabbed Michael's hand and placed it on hers, drawing an odd look from both.

Realizing her intention, the Necromancer shared his Class Awakening Quest and noticed the woman's immediate reaction. It was both a deep curiosity and intense confusion.

[How strange... but it also makes sense.](Natalia)

[What does?](Helen)

[Rathma's path as a Necromancer. It's been so long, yet nobody has been able to follow the same Class evolution path. Now, I finally understand why. It's not only the unique requirements but also the purity of the Class. For those who picked during their First Awakening traits of other Classes, it's impossible to achieve such a feat.](Natalia)

"There should still be some who chose to remain pure Necromancers though, right?"

[Yes. Therefore, the second requirement. There can only be one Master of Death. If my assumption is correct, it is a Unique Class after reaching Level 100. Based on what I read, you become a Grandmaster Necromancer during the Third Class Awakening, so the final evolution should be Master of Death.](Natalia)

"Then what about being only one? What do you base your assumption on?"

[Intuition.](Natalia)

"..."

[...](Helen)

Leaving its absurdity aside, the Night Lord theory made sense. Rathma wasn't just a pioneer of the Necromancer Class; he invented it. 

It is highly unlikely that all he could do was raise some Skeletons and Golems from the dead or use Bone, Blood, or Darkness skills. There had to be more than that for one to be called the Master of Death.

And if one genuinely reaches the apex and can control Death, what happens when that person inevitably dies, just like Rathma did?

Even though Malthael took on an Aspect of Death, he did not become a Master of it. So, in this regard, Inarius was right to fear the Firstborns for their absurd potential that overshadowed even Archangels or Prime Evils.

"I'll probably need your help since you know much more than I do on this matter. What about the last objective? I honestly didn't even know minions could be improved or upgraded without skills or Aspects."

[And with a good reason. Actually, there are two of them. One, it's extremely dangerous. Your minions, as you probably read in the books of Basic Necromancy I sent you, are just the souls of the Spirit World, briefly inhabiting the Sanctuary through a joint agreement. Therefore, the Sanctuary builds a vessel for them in exchange for their strength to protect the summoner. As the Necromancer grows in power, their energy feeds the souls in the Spirit World through the contract, and they can exhibit more power in our world. Therefore, it's a valuable ally for our world, which is constantly invaded.](Natalia)

"Mhm."

[But just like the devils create their own vessels, Necromancers could do the same. Instead of the most basic materials the Sanctuary put together, you can offer a much better vessel yourself and considerably strengthen your minions' capabilities. To give you an example, between your Skeletons using the body of a Minion in a Dungeon, an Elite, or the Boss, which would be the best?](Natalia)

[Obviously, the Boss.](Helen)

"..."

[Exactly. Unfortunately, though, most Boss's are vessels themselves and are attuned to demonic energy. What you need are human bodies that are strongly inclined toward Death's Essence. However, it's hard to find such bodies; even if you do, the second problem arises. The cost and materials.](Natalia)

"Ugh... I was kind of expecting this. How much are we talking about?"

[Hmm... probably even the most basic upgrade is probably anywhere between 10-50 million gold coins.](Natalia)

[WHAT!?](Helen)

"Damn..."

[...and that's if you can find the materials needed. It's not as simple as finding a dead body entuned to Essence and using Raise Skeletons on it. It's a whole ritual that requires very rare and specific materials to strengthen the bond between the soul coming from the Spirit World and the dead body.](Natalia)

[Nat, do you have the materials!?](Helen)

Exasperated, Michael lovingly tapped the overly excited Helen's forehead, drawing a baffled look from her.

"Even if she does have them, I don't have the coins. And I will not use yours. Also, asking for things from friends can ruin friendships. I understand that you're worried about me, but there's no need to be in such a hurry to fix everything in a couple of minutes."

[Ugh... sorry, Nat.](Helen)

[Don't worry about it. Even if you asked for them, I wouldn't have minded. After all, I don't have such materials to begin with.](Natalia)

[Eh!? Aren't you a Tier 4 Necromancer?](Helen)

"It probably has to do with specialization. You've seen our Class skills. Natalia should have focused on Bone skills and didn't invest in minions. After all, skill points are not endless."

[That's correct. While I don't have the materials, I can ask around. Hawezar might have the highest number of Druids, but it also has the highest number of Necromancers. How many batches of materials do you want?](Natalia)

"Five for the Reapers and five for the Cold Mages. Is the Golem I'm worried about..."

[You don't have to be. I researched it on my own after seeing your Golem, and it's not a normal one. It seems like you got a great gift from Maltorius since your Golem can evolve by itself. However, in exchange, its evolution is slower. The good news is that you can use certain materials to hasten its growth, which are less rare than those needed for your Skeletons.](Natalia)

"...and how much would it cost?"

[Probably around 5 million.](Natalia)

At that moment, Michael decided to industrialize the Sanctuary fully and introduce the idea of capitalism, regardless of how much he was punished with lightning strikes.

After Helen dragged Natalia back to the table with renewed ferocity, everyone returned to their serious conversation about improving the trade situation on the continent. 

Smiling at the back of the overly enthusiastic tigress, Michael walked upstairs and took a long shower, washing away the smell of blood from his skin.

As he returned to the kitchen to prepare food for the guests, Aylin joined him and said that Martel, Hoduin, Gonk, and Connie had also arrived, making the Necromancer wonder if a specific angelic duo would also drop in.

'Now I understand why I enjoy cooking so much after coming to this new world. It has nothing to do with ego as much as it has to do with calming my nerves down. Take your mind off the many problems plaguing you, and put your heart into the ingredients you must work with!'

While serving the dishes, Michael got the abridged version of the talks, where, in conclusion, at least two roads would be created in every region. One is between two of the most prosperous cities within, and at least one is connecting it to a neighbor.

Mira and Natalia were already pushing for at least five each, showing off their wealth, while poor Mayor Collin was sweating bullets trying to raise sufficient funds for the two they had originally planned.

As for Celeste and Beatrice... don't talk about it! Their regions were so poor that it might take a long while until they came up with coins for a single road between two close cities.

"I see. So, in order to make the roads more extensive, each region must pick a neighbor to build at least one road with, and this must not be repeated. Therefore, if Fractured Peaks selects Scosglen, Scosglen must pick a different region. That's actually good since we'll be able to connect all five more easily that way."

[Yes. And we've made serious progress with the cement you gave us the recipe for. We're currently running some tests.](Mira)