Ethan had been wondering about the specialty of his profession.
Since it was not only an advanced-grade profession but also a Unique one, he was certain it had to possess a special effect of its own.
Even high-grade professions had specialties, so there was no way his lacked one.
Earlier, when he learned the skill [Summon Undead Fire Spirit], he had sensed something different compared to when he acquired [Mourning Rain].
The feeling was subtle and mysterious, but Ethan could tell that [Summon Undead Fire Spirit] existed in a completely different place from [Mourning Rain], in the same space where [Summon Undead Knight] resided.
It was as though his profession was extending a special kind of hospitality toward summoning-type skills.
Focusing on that strange sensation, a new piece of information suddenly surfaced in his mind.
That was how Ethan discovered the true specialty of his profession.
It was simple, yet extremely powerful.
The specialty of his profession lay in grouping summoning-type skills.
By default, it used skill fusion to merge all summoning skills of the same nature into a single skill.
The skills he had learned from Sir Shawn's skill card collection were all summoning skills related to calling forth various spirits.
Since spirits shared the same nature, all of those summoning skills were automatically fused into a single unified skill, [Summon Undead Spirits].
All spirits that could be summoned were now treated as unlocked summons under this one skill.
In the future, if Ethan were to acquire another skill that summoned a different type of spirit, it would automatically merge into this skill as well, becoming an additional unlocked summon.
Ethan could now use this single fused skill to summon any of the spirits he had unlocked, just as he would when using their individual summoning skills.
Furthermore, through the specialty of his profession, he could continue adding new spirit summons obtained from other spirit-type summoning skills into this unified skill via skill fusion.
Another advantage of his profession's specialty was the nature of skill fusion itself.
Although it was not the complete, fully realized form of true skill fusion that manifested during profession evolution, it was still a genuine form of fusion.
Skill fusion did more than merely merge different skills. It enhanced them in the process.
Because of this, every time a skill was fused into [Summon Undead Spirits], that skill would be strengthened little by little, gradually becoming more effective over time.
"Not going to lie... I have never seen a specialty like the one your profession possesses. If my guess is right, I think you can learn all kinds of summoning skills as long as you have enough skill slots. And as long as the summoning skills are of a similar nature, they will merge into a single skill, leaving you with bonus skill slots."
Sir Shawn clicked his tongue in wonder.
"I had planned to give you skill cards gradually as your tier increased and you unlocked more skill slots. I didn't expect you to learn all my spirit-summoning skills at once… I do have other types of summoning skills, but I'd advise against using them for now."
"Do you think I should try to find a skill to fill my last skill slot in the dungeons?" Ethan asked.
"Hmm…" Sir Shawn rubbed his chin. "There's a level 12 dungeon called the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord] in the university's dungeon hall. If you can solo-clear it on Hell difficulty, your chances of obtaining a profession-specific skill card will increase significantly after a few attempts. Do you think you can manage it? It's the hardest dungeon among all the Tier-1 dungeons here and usually takes days to complete."
"I don't know, but I want to try," Ethan said without hesitation.
"Reach level 10 before attempting the dungeon, and don't forget to turn off the experience cultivator once you hit level 10. You'll still need to obtain three [Skill Enhancement Cards] before reaching Tier 2," Sir Shawn instructed.
Every ten levels constitutes a Tier.
Tier 1: Levels 1–10
Tier 2: Levels 11–20
Tier 3: Levels 21–30
…and so on.
With the advancement into each Tier, an Awakener gains three new skill slots and is permitted to acquire up to three new skills.
Yes, it functions as a law of the system. Each tier unlocks three new skill slots, and the system allows an Awakener to acquire only three skills per tier. If an Awakener fails to fill these slots before breaking through to the next tier, the unfilled slots will remain empty.
Once left empty, these slots cannot be filled later unless the Awakener obtains skills through special methods that bypass the three-skills-per-tier limitation.
Additionally, each Tier grants authorization to use three [Skill Enhancement Cards].
Each card can be applied to a single existing active or passive skill, enhancing its effects and potentially unlocking new ones.
...
Ethan made his way to the dungeon hall.
The university had many dungeon halls, each organized by dungeon tier.
He entered a Tier 1 dungeon, accessible to Awakeners between levels 1 and 10.
It was his first time out of the study hall or his student residential area, and since he had only been at the university for two days, he hadn't yet had the chance to mingle with other students—a prospect he had been looking forward to.
The dungeon hall was simple: a small, dome-like building with several floors.
Each floor had dozens of green gates lined up along the walls, each leading to a different dungeon with unique monsters and various rewards.
As he walked into the dungeon hall, the place was quite crowded.
He watched as people moved in and out of the dungeons, while others rested on the floor, recovering their spiritual energy and replenishing their stamina and energy before reentering.
Ethan went and stood before one of the glass squares hanging on the walls of the ground floor.
The gates were located from the first floor up to the top floor; the ground floor was meant for students to interact with each other, such as recruiting raid teams and engaging in similar activities.
Looking at the glass square, a system prompt appeared in his field of vision.
---
[Dungeon Hall: Tier 1]
[Number Of Dungeons: 169]
-1: Slime Pit (Level: 2 - 5)
-2: Rat's Nest (Level: 2 - 6)
-3: Muddy Pit (Level: 4 - 7)
.
.
-57: Old Stone Cellar (Level: 5 - 9)
.
.
-156: Skeleton Chamber (Level: 7 - 11)
.
-166: Goblin Hideout (Level: 9 - 13)
.
-169: Dwelling of the Snake Lord (Level: 10 - 15)
---
"Of course, I have to clear the strongest dungeon in this place to acquire the profession-specific skill, too, in hell difficulty..." Ethan sighed.
Ethan scrolled through the descriptions of the other dungeons, noticing that each one was completely unique. Every dungeon had its own set of requirements for a successful raid.
He paused at the information for the [Dwelling of the Snake Lord], the hardest dungeon in the hall. Clearing it could reward him with high-level equipment, and there was also a chance to obtain a profession-specific skill. Completing it solo in Hell difficulty would significantly increase the chances of obtaining the skill card.
In terms of requirements, there were none. You could enter as a raid team or solo, and there were no class restrictions. However, those seeking the highest rewards would need to tackle it alone in Hell difficulty.
As Ethan contemplated his plan, a group of people approached.
"You are looking to join a raid team?" one of them asked.
Ethan turned around and found nine other students standing, each wielding weapons and equipment.
Most of them were level 8 and level 9
"What?" Ethan asked as he didn't quite hear them.
"We are about to raid the [Skeleton Chamber] dungeon. We need a ten-member raid team to enter it. We are missing one. Would you like to join us?" the man who seemed like the leader of this asked.
"How much are you willing to pay?"
"We want all the equipment dropped in the dungeon, but we will split the gold coins with you equally," he replied.
"I accept... let's sign it with a contract," Ethan said, activating the contract function.
Ethan wasn't about to trust a random person, plus using contracts would secure his position.
"I accept." The man didn't hesitate and signed the contract.
[Contract Established]
"Let's go then," the man went straight to the business as they reached the third floor, where the [Skeleton Chamber] dungeon's gate was located.
---
[Choose the difficulty...]
Normal Difficulty
-Solo Entry: 10 System Gold
-Team Entry: 50 System Gold
Hard Difficulty
-Solo Entry: 15 System Gold
-Team Entry: 100 System Gold
Nightmare Difficulty
-Solo Entry: 30 System Gold
-Team Entry: 200 System Gold
Hell Difficulty
-Solo Entry: 50 System Gold
-Team Entry: 350 System Gold
---
Yes, one has to pay System Gold to enter a dungeon, and Ethan only has 50 SG, which he received as beginner's funds from the university, something given to every student.
Earning System Gold is one of the hardest aspects of progression, alongside leveling up and acquiring skills.
System Gold is the primary currency used for everything, from buying equipment to unlocking access to certain dungeons.
While not every dungeon requires SG to enter, this one does.
Ethan's task to obtain a profession-specific skill is also tied to the Dwelling of the Snake Lord dungeon.
Since it is the strongest dungeon in the hall, it understandably requires System Gold to attempt, and the entry fee should be considerably high.
The raid team leader selected the difficulty and paid the necessary cost.
He did not ask Ethan to contribute, especially since they were the ones who invited him.
[You have chosen the Nightmare Difficulty]
"Nightmare difficulty, huh?" Ethan muttered as he stepped through the gate, following the others.
...
[A/N: If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider adding it to your library and supporting it with some Power Stones. Arigato!]