Assimilate All Talents

Sol could have left and gotten his new card, but he wanted to see Amber’s fight. There was no doubt in his mind that she would pass, but he still wanted to see how it went. Sol doubted he would get any details if he asked her later.

Initially, Sol believed Amber was going to fight the same examiner, but surprisingly, someone else called her name.

It was a short woman who had very fierce eyes. She sported the same guild badge Axel had, and a cute toy hammer dangled off her wrist. Sol didn't see any real weapons and was curious about what she could do, so he used [Analysis].

Name: Terresa

Race: Human/Dwarf

Talents: [Gigantify], [Titan Hammer], [Blacksmithing]

Level: 81

HP: 1400

MP: 500

Str: 130 (+35)

Vit: 120 (+20)

Agi: 85

Int: 35

Wis: 50

Talent Skills:

[Enlarge] Lv 9, [Titans Arm] Lv 6, [Analysis] Lv 3

Passive Skills:

[Intermediate Hammer Mastery] Lv 8, [Defiance] Lv MAX, [Strength Up] Lv 7, [Vitality Up] Lv 4, [Forging] Lv 2, [Observation] Lv 3

Active Skills:

[Extended Hit] Lv 3, [Concussive Blow] Lv 8, [Destructive Charge] Lv 4, [Earth Shatter] Lv 4, [Charged Smash] Lv 5, [Bludgeoning Tempo] Lv 5, [Mend] Lv 1, [Weapon Refinement] Lv 1

[Analysis] leveled up! (5 -> 6)

‘Oh? Nice.’

Paying little attention to the level up of his skill, Sol was initially surprised at the fact that the woman was a half-dwarf; if not for the status page, he would have thought she was just shorter than normal. Tossing the random thought to the side, he focused on her third talent.

‘Unfortunate. She probably got a job here because of it.’

For a multitude of reasons, adventurers would eventually retire. The most common reason for them to quit adventuring was because they got a bad talent for fighting. While it was possible to still fight and be an active adventurer, it would become unfavorable for them further down the line. It’s similar to being a talent behind your opponents; they would have a higher variety of skills they could draw upon which could be the deciding factor between life and death.

This was why few adventurers would continue that lifestyle when they got a bad talent. It was already risky being an adventurer and for it to become even riskier was a dealbreaker for most.

Those who retire from adventuring have a lot of options to choose from, but the most popular of them all was to get a job in the guild. The pay was good, and they had first-hand experience adventuring and working with the guild.

Sol wondered if he would also become a guild employee when he retired someday.

Sol shook his head. ‘That day is still far away.’

Focusing back on the fight between the examiner and Amber, Sol heard the examiner speak.

“Begin.”

Amber instantly vanished, Sol followed her movement with [Mana Perception]. She was running to the side, getting ready to flank the examiner.

Terresa smirked, understanding that she was dealing with an assassin, and unhooked her toy hammer from the bracelet it dangled from.

What happened next flabbergasted Sol.

Terresa raised the mini hammer all the way up and brought it down to the ground. As it fell, it rapidly grew in size until it reached 10 feet long. It was double the size of the half dwarf, and when it hit the ground it violently shook as a wave of dirt and dust flew everywhere. It was as if someone just dropped an entire house on that spot.

Amber not only stumbled a bit from the impact, but the dirt and sand that hit her deactivated her invisibility.

Now exposed, Terresa charged towards Amber with a grin. Having lost the element of surprise, Amber had to resort to using her speed advantage to dodge and retaliate.

Thankfully for Amber, Terresa was nowhere near as fast as her, and she could dodge with ease. The fight favored Amber, with her narrowly dodging the hammer swings and throwing in a jab or slash in between.

It was until one of the swings that Amber was narrowly avoiding suddenly grew even bigger and was impossible to dodge from its current trajectory. Terresa purposefully used the same attacks to lull Amber into a false sense of security before switching gears at the last second.

Unable to dodge, Amber quickly reacted and used her skill [Sand Shift]. Her entire body became sand as it was smashed and scattered in different directions. Terresa watched as the sand began to reform 10 feet away as an uninjured Amber appeared.

The skill had leveled up a lot during their time in the dungeon, and she was able to do much more with it. The only downside was the much higher cost in mana, which she had never invested much into.

Amber was fully reformed and ready to continue, but before she could charge back in, Terresa shrunk her hammer to its original size.

“Congrats! You passed. You are more than enough to be a B-Rank. Go speak to that representative over there, and they will take you to get your new card.”

Amber didn’t respond; instead, she stowed her daggers away and walked back to Sol. The examiner was left a bit confused at the lack of any enthusiasm at passing the test. Terresa didn’t care that much and shrugged before walking out of the field so another test could take place.

Sol, who was watching the fight, didn’t know who would have won if they continued. While Terresa surprised Amber last minute with that attack, he doubted it would work twice.

‘The ability to change the size of your weapon at will is frightening.’

Being able to change the size of your weapon at any moment could take your opponent by surprise and be the deciding factor. One could extend the length of a spear, greatly increasing their reach, or shrink a large weapon to better suit combat in small areas. If applied correctly, it could be an incredible ability.

Once Amber arrived next to Sol, he stood up, and they walked together to the receptionist who was waiting for them by the exit.

“Congratulations on passing your exams. Please follow me to receive your new adventurer cards.”

The two followed the receptionist up the stairs and were led to a small waiting room while they processed the new cards. They didn't have to wait long, as another guild employee came with the two new cards. They were shiny blue, representing the second highest rank of adventurers.

The cards were coated in an extremely thin layer of durium, which was an extraordinary metal known for its high durability and resistance to change. The stronger the impact it received, the more it resisted; the only way one could manipulate the metal was by heating it for a long period of time before slowly changing it to their desired form. It was a rigorous process, but at least that much effort should be given for B-Rankers who were considered the elites of the world. Only A-Rankers, who were the peak of strength in the world, stood above them, and they were considered anomalies who surpassed common sense, some more than others.

Sol received the new card, and with them, he was able to sell all the acquired goods from the dungeon. Since they gathered materials from floor 1 to 9, they had gathered a hefty amount. It took over 5 minutes with guild tools to assist the process to calculate the total sum. In total, they had gained 648 gold.

Sol tried to split the money with Amber, but she declined to take any of it. She wasn’t used to actually having income and didn’t really know how to spend it properly.

Placing half of the gold in his spatial ring, Sol handed over the pouch with the remaining gold and insisted, “Take it. You earned it, and you’ll need it to fix your weapon or buy a new one.”

She appeared to go through internal turmoil over accepting the money, but after another round of persuasion, she finally relented and accepted.

Glad he could give Amber her fair share of the earnings, the two left the Adventurer’s Guild to get some well-deserved rest at a nearby inn.