Woooooosh!
One after another, the Wind Spheres met their targets. I had launched my Spells with ease. These Zombies were still moving quite slowly, and with it, well, being Wind, it moved much faster. I chose the nearest Level 5 Zombie. At the same time, I saw a couple more Gamer Notifications come through, leaving me pleased.
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! Wind Magic's Record Count has doubled!]
[Ding! Wind Magic Uses: 40/10,000]
Wow. I was still suspicious when Points Doubler worked on the Zombies the two Zanpakuto killed but it really did increase Wind Magic to 40! That means I only need to cast Wind Spells five thousand times instead of the original ten thousand, effectively cutting my requirement in half. Using any Spells related to the Wind Element should increase that count as what I just saw.
And while I have Ring of the Wind Spirit equipped, I'll be able to create any Wind Spell that I want, as long as I can imagine what I want to create it into! Nothing will happen if I don't have the Ring of the Wind Spirit equipped.
Wind Sphere might be the only Wind Spell I have registered in my Spell Book right now, but I know that isn't the only Wind-related Skill I currently possess. I also have access to Wind Shackles, which was given to me by Ring of the Wind Spirit. If it is like anything until now, Points Doubler should count toward Wind Shackles too. I didn't want to use it right away, so I went with something simpler. And that resulted with the Wind Sphere.
With that line of thinking, this is where WIS comes into play. Increasing my count, that is. The more WIS I have, the easier it will be to regenerate my MP. As I saw the Wind Spheres blast the Zombies away, I had a look at my current MP Recovery Rate.
MP Recovery: 5 + (WIS / 4) MP per minute.
After I invested those Points, my WIS increased all the way to 90. I made it the same as my INT, which is also 90.
I think the formula changed, but this one is better I think. Plugging my 90 WIS in, I generate about 28 MP every minute. That's quite a lot! The downside is, I need to be idle. Being in an Instance Dungeon doesn't count that as a status, so I won't be able to regenerate any MP whatsoever, unless I level up again, or drink potions. Or if I acquire a Field Skill like MP Regeneration. I still want to see if I can create Resting Field Skill too, that will be very handy to have.
Regardless, I was satisfied. I saw the Wind Spheres strike the poor Level 5 Zombie.
[Ding! Your Field Skill, Keen Precision, has triggered!]
...
Keen Precision really does work on Spells!? Holy sh*t!
Seeing that Keen Precision works on Magic, it really did start landing critical blows and critical blows onto the poor Level 5 Zombie that was closest to me. It was getting shredded apart by the wind. I'll see if Keen Precision works on the Level 7 ones since my DEX is now much higher. I decided to increase it too, just like I did with INT, WIS, and LUK.
And just as I thought, these Zombies have zero Magic Resistance. Is it because they're Zombies? Or they're undead? I'm not sure, but I don't really care to find out. All I saw in my eyes were juicy experience points.
Albeit not as big as the damage numbers inflicted by my Zanpakuto's Attack Power. That was nuts. These damage numbers using my Magic Damager were much more tame compared to that. Much more in line to what should happen in an Instance Dungeon like this early on. The two Zanpakuto are just on a whole different level!
[-350!][-375!][-380!]
One Level 5 Zombie fell in a mere three Wind Spheres. It got shredded into pieces, as gruesome as that sounds. I don't need that imagery in my head, even though it played out before my eyes. This reminds me of that one particular Wind God. Who was his name again, Fujin, or something?
Granted, what we saw play out in front of us wasn't a powerful storm or anything. There was a nice breeze as the Wind Spheres continued their slaughter. Just like how the first Level 5 Zombie fell, the remaining seventeen Wind Spheres met their targets. Seeing it needs three to kill one, I conjured up one more Wind Sphere as the attack continued. Before we knew it, seven zombies fell!
On top of that, I successfully dodged every one of their attacks. Quite disappointing, but at the same time, should I expect much? They're Zombies. Not the good kind of zombies either that can run or jump at you. These types are the slow, crawling kind that are easy to maneuver around. I wonder if we'll get to see those kinds of Zombies in this Instance Dungeon? Right now, they're just Low Rank Zombies.
Regardless, Keen Precision is absurd. Do I even need to rely on my LUK stat at this point? That's a trick question. Of course I still need LUK! It can be used for other situations like loot drops, attaching effects onto Equipment, quest rewards, situational awareness, and so on. Plus it might even connect me with other major MCU characters. Only time will tell for that one.
In a blink of an eye those seven Zombies got blasted away, torn to bits. Ninety-three Zombies remain. The Zombie Street was quite packed now. The three of us heard a constant growling. It didn't stop. I did a quick count to see the remaining Zombies.
Low Rank Zombie Level 5 - x43]
[Low Rank Zombie Level 6 - x30]
[Low Rank Zombie Level 7 - x15]
[Low Rank Zombie Level 8 - x5]
Yep. That's a lot. No doubt about that. I say that, but we instantly cleared out thirty and fifty respectively with one Tenpuzan and one Whirlwind. This shouldn't be hard to tackle.
"Grr...!"
"Grr...!"
"Grr...!"
With each passing moment, the growling grew louder and louder. There wasn't much time left before we were met with more Zombies. It looks like they were grouping into rows of ten with what count they had left. The first row of ten were almost in reaching distance before I glanced at Tony. He spoke out to me, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Well you managed to kill seven of them, but there's still a lot left. Are you going to use that finisher move to clear them all in one go like last time, Myles?", Tony asked, keeping a steady cool in his eyes. Pepper seemed calmer now too, and was ready to attack if I needed the backup.
"That is an option, but nah. That sounds boring, you know? I could create more Wind Spheres, but there's another Spell I can try out, on top of Wind Sphere.", I said. At the same time, I heard another Gamer Notification come through. It was as if it knew I wanted to try out Wind Shackles next.
[Ding! Wind Shackles has been added to your Spell Book and has been removed from your Active Skills.]
[Ding! The details of Wind Shackles have been adjusted to fit your Spell Book.]
Would you look at that? This Gamer System changed Wind Shackles from an Active Skill to a Wind Spell. Cool!
That means it's going to start using my Magic Power, and not my Attack Power. I will need to keep that in mind, as my Zanpakuto will no longer influence Wind Shackles to potentially cause absurd amounts of damage. A shame, but it'll be worth it. It's my second Spell I have now.
Seeing that it adjusted Wind Shackles' details, I decided to have a quick look at it.
[Wind Shackles]
Rank: D
Level: N/A
Proficiency: 0/10,000
Range: Three targets, nine hits total.
Cost: 25 MP
Requirement: Ring of the Wind Spirit
Damage: Deals 300%, 350%, 400% Spell Power.
Incantation: 'O Wind spirit, heed my call. Become my blade and let your wind flow, becoming unbreakable shackles. Bind all of those beneath the heavens!
Special Effect: If a target falls in battle before the rest of the damage it applies, it will move onto its next target, potentially hitting more than the nine targets it may hit.
Neat. It looks like it costs half as much MP as it used to have, while doing more Spell Power! Did it try to offset the difference by changing Skill Power to Spell Power? I'm not sure. I wouldn't be surprised if it did that.
I also saw something new. Wind Shackles now has an incantation! And on top of that, a new special effect was added. It may hit more than nine targets if I can kill one of them before the three hits finish. Since there are nine hits total, I could potentially kill nine Zombies in one go!
You know what this means, right?
"I need to do an incantation. I'll need a couple moments. Make sure the Zombies don't get close, alright, Tony?", I said, requesting Tony's assistance.
"Incantations are real? I suppose since Magic is real, things like incantations will follow...", Pepper murmured, becoming surprised again.
"A couple moments? You got it.", Tony said, and shifted to the frontline. He readied his Lightweight Tungsten Hammer, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
I fell back, and joined up with Pepper.
"You're really going to do this?", Pepper asked, seeing me now beside her.
"I sure am. Perhaps this will give you even more inspiration to create your first Water Spell, Pepper.", I said, recalling the incantation for Wind Shackles. "O Wind Spirit..."
To my surprise, I could use Wind Shackles while having my two Zanpakuto still equipped. That means I could use the Stats the two swords give me, even though I can't use its Attack Power. That is very good to know. Perhaps I'll get more magic-based weapons down the line, but this will be enough for now.
Magic Power began to surge around me, and converge into a green-like aura. Following that were loud sounds of shackles being shaken back and forth. Wooosh!
One after another, the furthest Level 5 Zombie to the left saw a green shackle suddenly strike up from the ground up. BANG!
It locked the Level 5 Zombie, and I saw a big number appear afterward. It really is using my Magic Power!
[Ding! You have conjured 1 Wind Shackles!]
[Ding! Current MP: 786/911.]
[Ding! Your Field Skill, Keen Precision, has triggered!]
Wooosh! Wooosh! Shiingg!
The front most Zombie in front of us was suddenly greeted with a green metal chain striking up from the grind beneath it. It even locked the Zombie's movement in place. The moment the green chain latched onto it, a big damage number appeared over its head.
[-800!]
CRACK!
[-950!]
The Zombie fell in just two strikes from the green-clad chain. Wind Shackles continued its first string of hits, reaching the second Zombie to the left. BAM!
[-1100!]
With the additional damage added onto it for being the final hit, it defeated the Level 5 Zombie in one hit, unlike the previous one where it took two hits!
And that overall just counted as the "first hit" of Wind Shackles. More chains emerged from the ground upward, striking more that tried to hit us with their claws. Some even attempted to use their Active Skills but it was no use. One Zombie fell in two hits, one fell in one, another fell in two, and the last one fell in one. Wind Shackles claimed five Zombies in one fell swoop. Nice!
As Wind Shackles continued its motions, I saw some Gamer Notifications arrive.
[Ding! Points Doubler has triggered.]
[Ding! Wind Magic's Record Count Gain has doubled!]
[Ding1 Wind Magic: 42/10,000.]
[Ding! Wind Shackles' Record Count Gain has doubled!]
[Ding! Wind Shackles: 2/10,000.]
Points Doubler is even doubling Wind Shackles' record...
Do I need to say it again? Of course I do. Points Doubler is broken!
Still a long way to go, but this is definitely a good start.
Oh, and did you think this was a turn-based game? Sorry, this is my life we're talking about here. It isn't some turn-based game!
Since it wasn't, Wind Shackles continued its motion until all five Zombies fell. The first row wasn't cleared, and it looks like Tony was getting some attention by the remaining Zombies. Tony wasn't in a panic. He was using his Lightweight Tungsten Hammer to deflect the Zombies' attacks. Every time a Zombie swung at him, he would hit the arm back with the handle of his hammer, pushing the Zombie away.
"I could use some help here now that you've cleared some of the first row out.", Tony urged. I mean, I doubt he needed help, but this served as another good opportunity.
"Already on it Tony.", I quickly replied. I decided to not use Wind Shackles a second time. Instead, the wind whipped up around us. Wooosh! Wooosh!
Before Pepper could speak, she saw thirty Wind Spheres emerge around me, ready to blast some more Zombies into smithereens. Pepper just looked on with a blank look in her eyes.
"I was going to ask if you needed my help, but clearly you don't.", Pepper said, surprised to see even more Wind Spheres now.
"Haha.", I laughed. "I have more than enough MP to handle these Zombies, Pepper. We'll have you try out Water Magic next. But until then, why don't you try taking aim at a Zombie with that pistol of yours? Just to get the hang of battle."
"Alright. Just don't rush into that pit, okay? God knows I won't.", Pepper said, and nodded.
"I know."
After saying that, more Gamer Notifications arrived, detailing my count increase for Wind Spheres. It leveled up again too. This means it's going to do even more damage now to these Zombies!
[Ding! You have conjured 30 Wind Spheres!]
[Ding! [Ding!: Current MP: 516/911.]
[Ding! Wind Sphere has leveled up! 4 -> 7.]
[Ding! Wind Sphere Spell Power: 170%.]
[Ding! Wind Magic's Record Count has been updated!]
[Ding! Wind Magic's Record Count: 220/10,000.]
Wooosh! Wooosh!
One after another, the Wind Spheres blasted against more Zombies. The 140% Spell Power it used to have is now 170%. Each one struck the Zombies hard. BAM!
I can tell there is some damage variance. It isn't one-to-one, which is nice to see. Makes it more real, you know?
Going from what was left from the Wind Shackles, the Zombies quickly regrouped, and we now found more in front of us. Last time, it took three hits to kill a single Zombie with a Wind Sphere, so let's see if that stays true this time. It's stronger now, so it might take less hits!
I'm already 2% of the way to acquiring Wind Magic as my own. I bet I could even accomplish it this month alone before I meet Tony's deadline of March 31st. I can't even fathom how I will look like in a single month. Once you start the grind, you keep grinding, and grind some more. It doesn't end!
I can see myself spending each day raising my Skill or Spell Proficiency then use Consume when necessary and hopefully, like I said, acquire Rest, to rinse and repeat the daily cycle until all of my current Skills and Spells are maxed out. Ahh, the grind!
(A/N: If this isn't big enough of a hint, Myles is going to fly solo for a while after this Instance Dungeon is over. Likely until a major event, like the next Stark Expo so he can interact with characters like Rhodes)
The thirty Wind Spheres blasted the Zombies away like no tomorrow. With the 30% increase in damage, I was starting to kill them in two shots, meaning fifteen went down. How cool is that? Seven to begin with, now fifteen. I was satisfied already seeing this progress. During this, I looked at Tony.
"You take the right side while I take the left?", I asked Tony. With the rest of the Wind Spheres gone, I was going to use Normal Attacks to attack the rest of these. It isn't all about Skills you know.
Normal Attacks do damage, especially since I have the two Zanpakuto, while Tony has his Lightweight Tungsten Hammer. I want to level up Basic Sword Mastery!
It was a very good time to try that out. I saw Tony respond to me.
"Yeah. Let's go.", Tony said, and gripped his hammer. BANG! BANG! BANG!
The fight with the remaining seventy-eight Zombies raged on. After this, we would be about 20% of the way through this Instance Dungeon!