The Achievement Junkie

Their laughter continued for a minute or so until Daruun returned to his explanation, "Now that you've chosen to unseal Skaryn and you've taken on Duorda as your assistant, there's something to mention before we finish our discussion.

"I don't want you to kill Kylon, not without talking with her first."

"Huh?" Jack paused in thought, trying to imagine a cause for Daruun's statement.

"Just trust me. Unless it's necessary, you shouldn't kill her."

"Then, should I assume she's willing to rebel?" asked Jack. "If that's the case, how come you didn't mention her before?"

"In terms of rebellion, you still need to help Perchet, so don't forget that. He'll be a powerful asset in the future, so don't let him slip through your fingers. Kylon's situation, however, is even more complicated," stated Daruun. "She's currently the keeper of the last remaining enchantment key, so you'll have to track her down and meet her without Halmut finding out anything."

"Why be so secretive?"

"Because, like I said, her case is very unique. As for creating such circumstances, leave that to me. I'll create an opportunity to meet her but you'll still have to convince her of what actually happened and get the key. Will you do that?"

"I'll try to--"

"Jack, will you convince her of the truth and get the key?" Daruun repeated himself for emphasis. "Now that you've chosen this path, you'll need to sharpen your will and make it irrefutable. It's one thing to choose a smarter, less dangerous path. It's another thing to alter your goals due to difficult circumstances. If you want to achieve what I've achieved, If you want to guarantee the safety of your loved ones, if you want to experience life to the fullest, your will must become more undeniable than fate itself. Understood?"

Nodding, Jack took a deep breath and committed that to memory. "... Understood. I'll convince her and get the key, no matter what."

"Good. Then all you should do for now is level up those around you to increase your strength all the quicker. After you reach lv. 99, then we'll discuss what must happen to ascend again. Soon, your chance to meet Kylon will arrive," stated Daruun.

"Oh, and you should help Moranti and the others as soon as possible, even before you open all the tombs on the ninety-ninth floor."

"What are they doing?" asked Jack.

"At this very moment, they're in the middle of a heated discussion with Churstin. Churstin is holding a conference with them and Halmut in order to decide which side they'll join," Daruun explained. "The Churstin king isn't saying much and the others are doing well, but Halmut's influence and his command over the dragons are hard to overcome. I'm sure you're intervention will be greatly appreciated."

"Now that you've ascended and even leveled up, I'm sure your body is feeling just fine, right?"

"Better than ever!" Jack nodded, admiring the drastic difference in power now dwelling in his body and muscles.

"Just make sure to spend some points before you leave," added Daruun. "You may as well take some time and ponder what skills you'd like to focus on. From here on out, I can offer you tips or pointers but you'll be creating your own path. That path should reflect who you want to be, not who I think you should be."

"Got any tips for me now?"

Daruun smiled. "I think Duorda will agree with me that you're already stronger than you know. You've yet to fight another cosmician head-on, so you're still uncertain of your strength, but you're smart enough to not get killed or gravely injured. I believe your own judgments, in this case, will be more than correct."

"You just don't want to sit here forever and explain everything, right?" Jack teased.

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that you've grown and matured. If you don't make your own decisions now that you're more experienced, then how else will you mature further?" reasoned Daruun.

"Fair… But don't ignore me if I call you later, okay Gramps?"

Daruun laughed and sighed, "You got."

"Then, if you'll excuse me, I'll be heading back to the lounge to try a cosmix." Jack stood up and left with a smile. "Don't take too long catching up, Duorda. We've got to get going soon."

"Don't hold back, Jack! Unsealing Skaryn will help towards purchasing Undeath, don't forget that!" Daruun exclaimed as Jack closed the office door.

Leaving his new assistant behind, Jack wandered the halls and eventually returned to the lounge. He immediately ordered a drink and opened his skill list once again. Countless skills were at Jack's fingertips and he had forty-one thousand four hundred and seventy-six skill points on hand.

There was one thing Jack was certain of, that he wanted to keep twenty-five thousand skill points to immediately buy Undeath upon Skaryn's revival. Apart from that, however, Jack mulled over some spending strategies one by one. After a few minutes, three strategies made the most sense to him.

First, Jack could focus on his many passive skills. With sixteen thousand skill points, Jack could max out a few skills.

Second, Jack could buy a handful of the more powerful spells and skills that his pacts offered him. His low-level and high-level sword skills weren't bad, but they wouldn't be as effective against a god, who boasts mythic, legendary, and personal skills galore.

Third, Jack could do a bit of both. To max out one or two skills and then purchase some powerful spells to compliment Jack's transformations.

Crunching the numbers, Jack wanted to know exactly how much it would cost to level up one of his better lv. 6 passive skills to the max, lv. 10. Four thousand eight hundred skill points. That was the cost to go up those last four levels for a single skill. If Jack wanted to upgrade his companion bloodline skill to the max, that alone would take eight thousand nine hundred and sixty skill points. It was tempting, but Jack wanted to look at the skills and spells more closely before deciding.