NOVEL NEXT Chapter 666 Mark Of The Beast
Chapter 666 Mark Of The Beast
Now that Overlord Joram had a few seconds to adjust to his new class, and to the enhancement of the bond with 'his Dave' as Hawk called the bird, he was zoning out again, looking at all the skills that he had available to him.
"You know, starting out with this class might not actually be optimal. There are so many introductory attack abilities, utility skills and hunting buffs with the Ranger Class, that simply aren't part of this class.
A lot of the skills that Beast Rangers get are for improving the stats of our beast, or our targeting with ranged attacks. There is very little for actual attack skills within the tree." Joram explained.
"Well, that is a bit of an issue. Nobody likes a one-trick pony. So, they will have to learn skills another way." Karl sighed.
"There are a few, just not nearly as many as there are in the Ranger Class, and they look like advanced versions of base attacks. I'm not sure that skipping the Ranger Class will actually be best for everyone." Joram explained.
The other Overlords got concerned looks. The Ranger had a point. If they missed out on the simple and easy skills, the ones that they would use every day, and only got the ones that were intended to buff them after they already had the basics, they would be in real trouble when it came to building their power base.
They could only rely on their beast for so much before they were going to have to get into combat themselves.
But there were options. Like the Special Forces Cadets that had been chosen for the first group, they could continue to train conventionally, and learn the basic skills from the Academy.
It might lead to an imbalance in their abilities, but it would be better than nothing.
But to Tabitha and Niall, the most offensive combat focused of the group, there was another issue that was becoming apparent.
The class was only part of the issue. The real problem was going to come with what beasts they chose.
Lightning Cerro had a versatile barrier that could also be used for melee offensive attacks. The Moor Cats had stealth on their side, and the bonded partner would have speed to help them. But what if a different beast was chosen?
That girl who had gotten the small bird, for example. Or someone who picked a less impressive beast out of fondness for the species. Both would be at a huge disadvantage in their growth. Like Karl's Beast Master class, they relied too much on their beasts, and didn't have a base of skills from multiple powerful beasts to get them through.
"We could just assign a curriculum to them that focuses on learning skills from the start. Rae and the others learned quickly when they were young, and they're still innovating. I think that if we have the right teachers in place, we can help the students master at least two or three basic skills at the start, and then they can work from there.
Speaking of which, how is the skill Library coming along?" Karl asked.
"We're up to twenty-seven different skills, but limited by what our Inscriptionists can learn well enough to make a tome. I really do need to steal you in the near future, and get you to put more down on paper for us." The Librarian insisted.
Karl nodded. "I expected that there would be something like that in the near future. It's not a problem, but I'm hoping that you will have a few skills that I can use as well. I will even replace the copies if I can learn them."
"What skill books can you even use?" Tabitha asked, curious about the particulars of Karl's class.
"Honestly, I don't know. I've only really gone for ones that were useful to one of the others in the team. I haven't tried to see the extent of what I can use. Likely no other trade skills, except maybe Dwarven Smithing, as I've already got Runecrafting.
As far as magic and combat skills, I suppose nearly anything is possible with the team composition that I have right now."
Lady Othello smiled at him. "Perhaps I can work with you and Thor, teach you both some Paladin type skills. It would make you both better in human form combat, and who knows what Thor can do with them in Cerro form."
Thor was definitely up for that. "As long as you help us with our warriors and the monk, I have no objections at all. More teachers are better for everyone, and if we're all training together, my training skills will affect all of you as well." Karl offered.
That was an enticing offer. The beasts had some unique skills, and if they could get a chance at learning them, it would be well worth the effort.
Of course, Karl would happily teach them a skill if he was able. Making powerful friends had been hammered so deep into his psyche by Thor's instincts that Karl didn't even notice that it was an outside influence anymore.
Danni gave Karl a smirk that said she would also be pressuring him for a skill before the night was out. But the relaxing with the Mackenzie sisters part would have to wait until the Overlords went home for the night.
The Librarian snapped her fingers and nodded. "Yes, that is the right way. We will gather a copy of all the skill books that we can spare, and bring them to a training session downstairs. Say, first light tomorrow, so that we can see which ones work, and what other skills can be passed on from the Overlords? Then we can all go to train the youngsters and the young beasts. Say, I don't suppose that you have a growth serum for Cerro, do you? If the beasts were Awakened Rank, they could learn much more."
Karl laughed. "We're already feeding them better than even Thor was able to manage in the early days, so they will grow quickly. But you'll have to give them at least a month or two if you want full-grown Cerro."
The blue dragon sighed. That was still a huge improvement, as Cerro normally took two years to get past the adolescent phase to adult, but she knew that this project would go off the rails the moment that the controlled environment was gone.