Concealment (Rank F) [SP Cost: 10]
Ability to conceal one’s Status against Analyze Eye up to Rank F. Also provides protection against Detection skills up to Rank F.
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Acquiring this skill was a top priority, as it would help me to protect my own stats and abilities. According to my earlier conversation with Melfina, the skills that I owned were impossible to acquire through normal means. If I was found to be in possession of such skills at Level 2, it would definitely draw unwanted attention, so I raised Concealment straight up to Rank D without hesitation. After all, I had more than enough fighting strength for the kinds of enemies that I would be dealing with for now.
“This should do as a temporary countermeasure against someone else’s Analyze Eye. To be honest, I’d still like to raise it to Rank B as soon as possible, though.”
I decided to continue focusing on subjugation quests going forward. Aside from earning levels and the accompanying SP required for ranking up, it also seemed like a good avenue for working on my cooperation with Clotho. Speaking of which, after defeating our fifth blue slime earlier, Clotho had also leveled up and earned itself ten Growth Points. I’ve found quite an excellent ally, if I do say so myself. With those ten points, it had even acquired a new skill.
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Absorption (Rank F) [SP Cost: 10]
The ability to absorb magic and convert it into energy. Effective against magic attacks. A higher skill rank increases the effectiveness of absorption.
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I thought it a rather interesting skill. Clotho could use the absorbed energy to heal itself or even as a form of attack. With a high enough rank, the skill might enable Clotho to completely negate magic attacks. I was quite excited to witness my new partner’s ongoing development.
“But you know, today’s fights were far too easy. Neither Clotho nor I took any damage at all.”
::Blue slimes are monsters that even beginning adventurers can safely hunt. It would have surprised me to see you struggling against opponents of this level. However, there are individual creatures with abnormally high levels who may have Evolved into a different race, so never let your guard down.::
“Do all monsters Evolve when they reach higher levels?”
::Level is not the only condition for a monster’s evolution. There are many other factors, including its surrounding environment and preferred diet. This is especially true for slimes, which have a very wide range of evolutionary paths. Even I cannot predict what Clotho will become.::
If it’s something that even Melfina can’t predict, it’ll really be something for me to look forward to!
“So, you can evolve into many different types of beings, eh, Clotho? I’ll be looking forward to it!”
I could feel the slime returning a lively acknowledgment inside my head. And with that, I headed downstairs for dinner. I had been too engrossed with fighting during lunchtime to eat anything, so I was more than ready to try my very first meal in this wild new world.