Decision

Here I was, confronted with three 'Skills', of which I could only choose two.

'Spike Attack'

'Venomous Spikes'

'Venomous Claws'

However, with 'Claw Attack' already in my Skill Slot, I only had two spots remaining.

"I see…"

Mumbling to myself, I contemplated which decision to make.

Most people would replace my 'Claw Attack' with an obviously more powerful Skill, like 'Venomous Claws', but that would be a fatal mistake.

"I have already maxed out my 'Claw Attack', making it highly efficient and lasting in combat."

Even if the 'Venomous Claws' boasted of a higher power, it wouldn't be able to compare to the duration and cool down of my already existing skill.

I had only one (Adult) Demon Core, after all. There was no way to upgrade the 'Venomous' skills anytime soon.

There was also the option of taking both Venomous skills and leaving the 'Spike Attack' skill, but that would also be terrible.

Unlike the (Adult) Demon Core, I had a lot of the (Soldier) Demon Cores. That meant that I could upgrade the level of the 'Spike Attack' skill.

I tried merging the skills, but no icon emerged indicating that combining two skills was possible. I could only assume that I couldn't join two skills, for now.

It would be possible later on, though. After all, I had seen instances where it was achieved.

"That's it! I've made up my mind!"

Grinning slightly, I tapped on two of the icons before me.

I ended up picking 'Spike Attack' and 'Venomous Spikes' as my Skills.

Adding my 'Claw Attack' skill to the mix, this was the most efficient option.

The cores glimmered as I selected the options, and a surge of energy washed through me. Information concerning the Skills entered my head, making me grin in excitement.

"Now then, let's see what we have here…" I mumbled.

[SKILLS]

- You Currently Possess 3 Skill Slots

• Slot 1 - <Claw Attack>

• Slot 2 - <Spike Attack>

• Slot 3 - <Venomous Spikes>

[Skill Slots Will Be Added As Your Level Increases]

Good, the Skills were all present. I wish I knew what Level I needed to reach before more Skill Slots would be added.

"Now then, let's know more about these Skills" I beamed, tapping on the skills accordingly.

[Skill Information]

<Spike Attack>

Grade: 1 (Fixed)

Level:1 (Upgradable)

A skill obtained from the lesser Demon, 'Hell Kobold's Spawn (Soldier)'. It is a low leveled skill that generates hardened spikes. These spikes can be launched as projectiles, making them useful in long-range combat.

[Currently Unactivated]

Skill Duration: 2 Minutes

Skill Cooldown: 30 Minutes

[.]

Skill Information]

<Venomous Spikes>

Grade: 1 (Fixed)

Level:1 (Upgradable)

A skill obtained from the lesser Demon, 'Hell Kobold's Spawn (Adult)'. It is a low leveled skill that generates hardened spikes which are poisonous. These spikes can be launched as projectiles. They deal extra damage by poisoning the target, making them useful in long-range combat and drawn-out fights.

[Currently Unactivated]

Skill Duration: 3 Minutes

Skill Cooldown: 1 Hour

[End Of Information]

While the durations of these skills were longer than 'Claw Attack' before I upgraded it, their Cool down time was also considerably larger.

Looking at the build I currently possessed, having extra long-range abilities was a great bonus. The poison attribute I obtained from the 'Venomous Spikes' was indeed useful, but I couldn't lessen the cooldown without upgrading it.

Unfortunately, I had only one Demon Core. To my surprise, however, the (Adult) Core didn't vanish after I added the skill. It was most likely because of the extra skill within.

"I can choose to be patient and learn the skill later, or…" I mumbled, considering the next alternative.

I could choose to upgrade the current 'Venomous Spikes' skill I possess. I'd go with the latter.

I was obviously going to obtain more Demon Cores in the future and learn better skills. I couldn't get fixated on the remaining skill within the core.

Instead, I would try strengthening the ones I currently possessed. That was what was most important for my survival.

[Moments Later]

I was able to upgrade my <Spike Attack> skill to Max Level, and increase the level of my <Venomous Spikes> skill by one.

At that moment, the Cooldown of the former was one minute, while that of the latter was thirty minutes.

Whew. It was a good thing I didn't select both of the (Adult) Demon Cores skills. That would have been a huge mistake, considering the fact that I would only be able to use them once in combat.

"Now then, I suppose I've gotten considerably stronger. I also have many Demon Cores left.

"Paul!" I called out.

Instantly jumping to his feet, my lackey rushed to me at the sound of my voice.

"It's time to put your Skill to use. We'll be making more 'Core-2' weapons!" I said.

He nodded instantly. However, it seemed like he had something to add.

"I should hear him out…" I whispered under my breath.

"What's on your mind?"

Paul appeared startled to hear me ask this. His eyes lit up, and he spoke excitedly.

"I-I was thinking… why don't we make cooler weapons, like guns or canons!"

Sigh, not this…

There was a time when I also thought like this, but I eventually came to see how inefficient the venture was. As much as I would have loved to imitate one of my favorite Light Novel characters with his prosthetic arm, demon eye, and dual guns… I couldn't!

"Guns have triggers, canons have fuses… In an all-out battle, who will be the one pulling them?" I asked Paul point-blank.

Fazed by my question, the idiot made a blank look. Clearly, he hadn't thought of that.

"Blades are more efficient since I can just fire them at my targets. My hands are too busy tapping on [Subspace] or using my [Skills] to pull the trigger of guns!" I explained.

Slowly, he realized the message I was trying to pass across.

"Now then, do you have any other questions?" I smiled impatiently.

Taking the hint, Paul shook his head vehemently.

"Good. Now commence the 'Smithing'. We'll camp here for today. By tomorrow, we'll proceed to the ground floor. It's better to be well prepared since we might be leaving this place by then!" I spoke.

"R-really…?!" He asked nervously.

He appeared nervous, with a bit of excitement in his eyes.

I was certain that he was still frightened of the Demons, but after witnessing my proficiency in battle, Paul had grown even more confident of venturing outside.

A small smile formed on my face. The more motivated he was, the better it was for me.

"Yes. Now begin your work… There's much to do!"