Nightclown quickly made a decision. And pointed at the line listing [Puff!].
"I will purchase this [Puff!] skill." He stated clearly. Pulling a small sack of coins from his inventory.
The system made it easy for him. Every a hundred coins would fuse into a large coin. The 2,000 coins was simply twenty large coins.
Mr. Hamaball scooped up the money without hesitation. His expression remaining utterly neutral. Money was accepted. The transaction was finalized.
The wombat did not ask why Nightclown chose this skill over the others. Nor did he offer any sales pitch. For him, this was simply a side business.
"Two thousand coins for the skill [Puff!]." Mr. Hamaball confirmed. He nodded once. A deep, cumbersome motion. "Good choice."
The wombat then closed his eyes. His breathing deepened dramatically. The massive body seemed to inflate slightly. Though the effect was internal.
He cupped his large hands. And a small, intensely glowing ball of blue energy condensed between them. Slightly shimmering and crackling. The light was focused. Emitting a surprisingly strong heat.
Mr. Hamaball opened his eyes. And pushed the glowing orb forward. "Hold still, Little Bunny! This knowledge needs to settle."
Nightclown stood rigidly still. The globe of energy contacted the center of his chest. And instantly vanished. There was no pain. Only a sudden, cold sense of knowing. It was basically... the instant acquisition of skills.
He learned instinctively the complex neuromuscular pathways. And energy manipulation technique. Everything needed to be able to unleash the [Puff!] skill.
The chime of success overlaid his senses. Accompanied by the bright flash of the system message.
[Skill Learned!]
[Skill Acquired: Puff!]
Nightclown immediately accessed his status panel. Ignoring Mr. Hamaball who was already returning to inflating the blue elephant.
The transaction was over. Now, it was time for the critical data review.
He navigated the HUD to the skills tab. And pulled up the full description of his new ability. He needed to understand its limits and its potential cost.
[Skill: Puff!]
[Energy Type: Any]
[Requirement: Body Part (Mouth)]
[Effect 01: Use 1% of any energy type to blow a powerful, yet soundless blast of air.]
[Effect 02: Use 3% of any energy type to blow a powerful, explosive blast of air.]
[Cooldown: 2 seconds]
Nightclown stared at the description. He felt a rare, internal spike of satisfaction. This was far better than he could have anticipated. Bluntly, this skill was a game-changer for his immediate strategy.
He dissected the components rapidly:
[Energy Type: Any]. This was the most crucial detail. Jester, or Nightclown, primarily utilized Glitch. An Eldritch source of energy that was otherworldly and strange. Especially as he linked it to the wacky realm like Toonworld.
However, [Any] meant this skill was universal. He could use the standard physical Stamina. Or his primary Glitch reserves. Good! It would be ridiculous if it required [Energy Type: Mana] or something like that.
The energy cost was negligible. He could even spam [Puff!] if he wanted to. The recovery rate for both [Stamina] and [Glitch] was quite fast. Especially here in Toonworld;
Then, there was these dual effects. The skill offered two modes. The stealthier mode, which cost only 1% of energy. Delivering powerful, yet soundless blast.
This mode was a perfect utility weapon for a Rogue specializing in ambushes. It allowed for silent disruption. Potentially knocking an enemy off balance. Applying status effect. Or pushing them into a trap. All without alerting nearby enemies. Stealth would be preserved.
And then, there was this more destructive mode. A powerful, explosive blast. This was the higher-impact version.
Still cheap. Costing only 3% of the energy reserve. But providing much higher burst of kinetic force. However, this mode was loud. Using this would definitely break his stealth mode.
It should be intended to be used before direct combat engagement. Three times the cost for maximum effect was a standard, acceptable trade-off.
The next point to note was the short cooldown. Two seconds. A two-second cooldown meant this skill was highly spam-able.
He had quite a lot of darts for ammunition. Nightclown could use [Puff!] almost continuously with his [Ambusher Blowgun] in long ranged engagements.
This dramatically increased his effective combat range. A crucial upgrade. Completely complimentary to his new weapons.
The 2,000 coin investment had yielded instantaneous, high-level utility. It was a brutal efficiency gain.
"Thank you, Mr. Hamaball!" Nightclown said curtly. Already turning toward the exit. The polite, necessary formalities were concluded. Time was being wasted.
Mr. Hamaball merely waved a dismissive hand without looking up from his work. "Run along, Little Bunny. Go test your lungs."
Nightclown did not linger. He exited the circular shop. And immediately broke into a tight, efficient sprint. The village was behind him.
His priority had shifted back to the North Dungeon. The new weapon and skill were acquired. But they were useless until it was integrated through physical application.
...
Nightclown sprinted to the North Dungeon. Time was finite. And every second spent outside of active resource gain was unacceptable inefficiency.
Like a blur, he hit the dungeon entrance. And dropped immediately to the fourth floor access point.
The fourth floor was darker and gloomier than the upper floors. The environment was a humid, silent tunnel maze. Occasionally broken by the flicker of stylized, glowing plants.
The air was filled with the jackfruit-like scent. A smell left behind by the massive, rubbery [Gloomfang Spiders]. The native inhabitants of the floor.
Nightclown immediately activated [Hide!] once he reached there. Immediately he disappeared. Or rather, became a distortion in the visual field.
He moved low. His weapon was ready for deployment at any time. The [Thunder Nunchaku] was still in the inventory. But it could be taken out anytime. But his current immediate focus was the new ranged system.
He pulled the [Ambusher Blowgun]. A sleek, dark tube. And loaded the first test round: a [Silencing Iron Dart].
Cammy, the little cartoon camera, drifted silently above him. Its lens was focusing. Ready to record anything interesting.
A creature shuffled into view. The target... [Gloomfang Spider]. He re-checked its status panel through his system...
[Gloomfang Spider]
[Description: A robust arachnid known for inhabiting deep, dark toon environments. Its carapace offers decent resistance to blunt force, and its movements are surprisingly rapid. Its web functions as a binding agent that rapidly hardens.]
[Abilities: Quick Jump! Paralyzing Bite! Web Spray!]
[Resources: 900 XP, 250 Coins, Ironwood Branch, Gloomblack Silk]
The spider was the huge. Possessing thick, segmented legs. And a heavy, obsidian carapace. Its movement was deceptively fast. A lateral skip-and-shuffle that made aiming not so easy.
Nightclown knelt behind a cluster of giant toadstools. He oriented the blowgun. He used the silent-pressurized burst mode of [Puff!]. The action was quick. Barely a whisper of compressed air.
Ffffft!
The dart flashed and struck the spider's nearest leg joint. The kinetic impact was negligible. But he could see in the monster panel...
[Status Effect: Silenced (12 seconds)]
The spider flinched. But it made no noise. Its was silenced. It began rapidly moving sideways. Searching for the source of the irritation.
Nightclown surged forward. Covering the intervening distance in short burst of [Sprint!]. He snapped his [Thuunder Nunchaku] into action. Aiming for the head joint.
CRACK!
The impact reverberated off the carapace. The blow did not penetrate. He had to hit the same point twice more just to crack the shell. Exposing the soft, pale internals.
Even before the [Silenced] effect wore off. The spider had reacted and attempted a [Quick Jump!]. A high-velocity lunge.
Nightclown dodged low. Swinging the nunchaku into a barrage of strikes. Until a final, forceful strike to the head finished the job.
He quickly made an observation.
Result: Bad efficiency. Being [Silenced] didn't actually stop the monster's skill [Quick Jump!]. He had to try different method.
Next, he should try the combination of [Immobilizing Mystic Iron Darts] and [Lightning Spear].
He located a second spider. Patrolling a wide-open section of the cave floor. He quickly used [Hide!] and sneaked closer. Loading the higher-leveled [Mystic Iron Dart] on the way.
Nightclown planned to use the second form of [Puff!]. The loud one. He inhaled deeply, focusing Glitch energy into his lungs for the explosive deployment.
WHOOM!
The burst was loud. A sharp, contained cannon crack of air pressure. The sound was immediately absorbed by the surrounding environment. But the velocity was undeniable. The dart struck the spider's carapace with enough force to visibly push the spider almost a meter away.
Nightclown could see in the monster panel... [Status Effect: Immobilized (12 seconds)]
The spider was frozen. Unable to move.
Nightclown immediately charged. As he covered the distance, he retracted his [Ambusher Blowgun]. And the [Thunder Nunchaku] snapped into the rigid, long form of the [Lightning Spear].
He didn't aim for the joints. He drove the point of the spear directly into the center of the thorax. The velocity of the charge combined with the penetration focus of the spear.
BZZZTT!
The spear went through the carapace like wet paper. Total structural failure.
Result: Great killing efficiency. However, the loud WHOOM sound would attract nearby spiders if there were any. He should use it only against a lone opponent...