Chapter 40: Udo Wood

I wake up to feel my arms around a soft body. I have dreamt of moments where I will be waking up like this, hugging a warm body. But my previous world is gone now, no idea if I will ever be able to even meet my parents. It's a shame, mom would have loved Roxanne.

Ignoring these unrealistic ideas, I focus on today's plan. I have bought Roxanne and a huge estate but it's not the time to be complacent, I will have to keep diving into the labyrinth. Still it doesn't mean that I should not enjoy this second life.

I open my Job settings and find a new Job added.

[Alchemist

Effect: Increase Intelligence(small), Increase Dexterity(slight)

Skill: Plating]

A rare job, or more likely a hidden job I should say. This job is an exclusive job for the massive rich merchant groups as normally you can't even see a single Alchemist.

For this Job you need to be Villager Level 5 and make a chemical product. I obtained it by making soap last night.

I was brought out of my stupor with a kiss, I grabbed her tight and went deeper into the kiss. Roxanne's tongue also responded with the same enthusiasm.

"Good Morning, Master"

"Good morning, Roxanne"

As it was still dark, I let go of the soft body, climbed up from the bed and lit up the nearby lamp. Looking back I could see the naked body of Roxanne in full glory lying on the bed. Even though yesterday night was crazy, my dick still went hard seeing this scene.

"Today let's go to Vale's labyrinth first" I sat back down on the bed and told Roxanne.

"Yes Master" Roxanne answers while sitting up

"We defeat the first floor boss, explore the second floor and then have breakfast" I recount today's plan

"Sounds good"

"After that we will go to the Trader's place" I said while looking at Roxanne

"The Trader's place?" Roxanne asks puzzled

"We will need more people to take care of such a big estate" I give her my 'logical' reasoning.

"Okay, Master" Roxanne answers plainly.

I couldn't see anything off from her face so that's good I think. Roxanne got up and started finding my clothes. Meanwhile I refocused my attention to my system panel.

<Alchemist: 1 Level reward< p>

Accept: Yes No >

The reward for Alchemist Job in the level up system. I may get a good reward as this is considered a rare job. I mentally click yes.

<Basic Alchemist Pack acquired: < p>

-Mystical Shard (inferior)>

A red finger sized stone appeared in my hand.

[Mystical Shard (Inferior)]

The Appraisal skill has almost always failed me with finding more information when the level up rewards are concerned.

I concentrate on the stone and it seems like it wants to do something and needs my approval. Focusing some more, the stone seems oddly conveying its intentions to me. Its function is to Augment? Strengthen? Upgrade? something along those lines. It's hard to decipher.

Thinking that a reward shouldn't harm me, I give my approval. The red stone shard suddenly dissolves into a red liquid and enters into my skin, vanishing totally. I check out my palm and then look at my body but I don't feel that anything has changed. Opening my Character reset page I check through everything.

Inside my Job settings I noticed a change in a Job skill. The Alchemist Job skill. First it read something like.

[Plating: Adds an invisible defensive coating around a target to reduce damage from one attack]

It was a good defensive magical shield which could reduce some damage suffered by anyone for one attack, you could even apply this skill to any demons if you wanted to make them harder to die. But now this skill has changed.

[Plating: Adds an invisible defensive coating around a target to withstand damage from one attack]

Just one word had made this skill from good to OP. But does it really mean any attack, like what about if I take on Saitama's punch would I not be One Punched?

If I had known that the finger sized shard was this good I would have tried to use it on a different skill. Anyways, it at least raised my survivability by a lot.

Just then Roxanne arrived in front of me with my shirt. Smiling, I let her dress me and I do the same to her. We freshen up and then wear our equipment.

"Let's go"

I use Warp and go through the black door. We arrive at the last location we left inside the Vale Labyrinth.

"The Boss room must be just ahead" I said while looking at the tunnel ahead.

"Yes Master" Roxanne replied with excitement.

She is always excited to fight, this time especially as it's a Boss. Even I am a bit excited to face my first Boss.

Still first I open my Character reset screen. Whenever I use a long Warp I rearrange my BP's into MP. First things first I need to swap out some Jobs.

[Job Setting

Acquired Job: Villager Level 5, Thief Level 20, Hero Level 10, Farmer Level 1, Explorer Level 14, Swordsman Level 1, Warrior Level 3, Merchant Level 1, Wizard Level 13, Herbalist Level 1, Monk Level 16, Alchemist Level 1

Set Job: Explorer Level 14, Hero Level 10, Wizard Level 13, Warrior Level 3, Alchemist Level 1]

I removed Thief as it is too high level already and even though it gives me more BP it's still not enough to unlock 7 Jobs or a higher leveled exp or crystallization rate. So it's better if I level up other Jobs first.

I need Warrior to unlock many other jobs and Alchemist is like my top job in terms of survivability. It's a First floor boss so Monk's Heal is also not needed. I most probably won't use Magic but let's keep Wizard there just in case.

As the first Job is Explorer, I have 112 BP. Let's add some points then.

[Character Settings

BP:0

Status: Strength +3

Bonus Equipment: Curtana

Bonus Spells: Incantation Omission,Warp

Bonus Skills: Required Experience x1/10, Experience Gain x5, Crystallization Upgrade x64, Fifth Class, Appraisal, Character Reset]

Bonus point used:

Weapon(2): 3

Necessary Exp Reduction (x1/10): 15

Exp Gain Up (x5): 7

Crystallization Upgrade (x64): 63

Incantation Omission: 3

Fifth Job: 15

Char reset: 1

Appraisal: 1

Warp: 1

Strength: 3

For this Boss battle I am testing something with my Crystallization skill so I am only keeping my Exp boost at 50x. Roxanne would get a 5x boost.

As this Boss can use a Magic skill, I have changed to a new Sword.

[Curtana

-Attack Power x5

-Incantation Interruption]

The sword looked a bit more impressive than Gram, it had the same Golden hilt theme but it had a single blue line going from the hilt onto the blade. This 2nd rank rarity sword gave me a new skill, Incantation Interruption. Basically if hit by it during the magic chanting phase the chant will get canceled.

I used the plating skill on Roxanne. Even after the skill is applied I can't see any sort of barrier on her. Even Roxanne didn't react to the skill being applied to her. But I still think it's better for her to know of this skill.

"Roxanne do you remember I told you that I was making Soap yesterday" I remind Roxanne of yesterday

"Yes Master"

"Well I succeeded in making the Soap and so I gained a new Job Alchemist" I replied a bit proudly

"By Alchemist do you mean those people who try to make Gold all the time?" Roxanne asks in doubt

Well you can chemically plate gold onto copper maybe that's what she means.

"Umm yeah, but I can't make gold yet" I answered with a wry smile

"Amazing, Master" Roxanne answers while looking at me in amazement

"So there is a new skill from this Alchemist Job called plating. Originally this skill if used on anyone would reduce damage but due to my Bloodline Power it mutated to withstanding a single attack" I just smile at her praise and explain the main reason I am telling her this.

"Woah, Master's blood is amazing, it can even change Job skills" Roxanne says with stars in her eyes.

"Well I have used this skill on you so that you don't get injured"

"Thank you very much Master" Roxanne replied happily "But this is just a Floor 1 Boss, its attacks are very slow so we won't get hit in the first place" She replied with complete confidence.

Well everything is slow for you. I just nod along and use the plating skill on myself.

Then we walked along the path and came into a small room. There was a big door in front of us.

This is the waiting room before the Boss's room. If there are two or more parties then you will have to wait in this room. The Boss will appear only if a single party goes in, if 2 or more parties go in, the Boss won't appear.

"It's good that we arrived so early so we don't have to wait" I said while looking around the room

"If we are lucky we might get some equipment from the parties before us" Roxanne says with excitement

I don't think that's lucky, considering the equipment found in treasure chests are of the people who were killed in the labyrinth. The labyrinth doesn't eat their equipment and just uses them as bait for other people.

As we neared the room the door opened up on its own. I enter holding Curtana tightly. The door closes behind us, I look around and the room is just a normal square room of about 4-5 meters.

In the back of the room smoke gathers and a demon appears.

[Udo Wood Level 1]

The boss looks like a larger version of the Needle Wood. It's even taller than me with a green trunk and has long branches sticking out instead of hands and feet.

Roxanne rushes in and strikes the boss with her scimitar. As the boss goes to strike Roxanne I activate my skill.

'Overwhelming'

The movement of its branches slow down, I rush in towards it and slash its green torso. From the impact I can tell that its body is too hard even for Curtana. Without missing a beat I slash its trunk again but I still couldn't cut its trunk.

Before I could strike a third time its branches speed up and I take a step back while pointing my left palm towards its trunk.

'Fireball'

The fireball hits its body before its branches can reach me and the Udo Wood collapses in smoke. On the ground I see a stick which looks bigger than a branch.

[Wand]