? The merchant set aside his Fire Barrier scroll and leaned under his counter, digging through a pack at his feet. “You sure you only want the one skill? I have a few Elemental Strike skills here.”
? “It has to do with my boon,” Grim said, indicating his bow with a thumb. “It gives me an extra charge of any Dash skill I have. Basically, it cuts the cooldown in half.”
? The merchant made a gesture of distaste. “That.. may be. But you still should have an offensive skill, just to be safe. No delver can survive on just utility, you know.”
? “I have Concussive Shot,” Grim countered. “Don’t really need anything else. Not yet, at least.”
? What he didn’t tell the merchant was that he knew he was already taxing his mana pool as it was. Between infrequent uses of his Camouflage skill and the way he liberally used Shadow Dash, he didn’t think he could use an expensive offensive skill. Furthermore, though he couldn’t reliably use them just yet, the daggers he’d been given from the Invader boss had a minor enchantment on them as well. That would drain even more mana…
? “Well, plan for the future then, lad!” The merchant said, frowning. “I’m up to my neck in enchanting work here already, so I’d like to get this over with.”
? “I’m… not really suited for other elements,” Grim replied, offering the man a slight shrug. “Everything I have is Shadow-attuned, save for the Concussive Shot.”
? The merchant let out a snort of derision. “You can’t stay with a single element your entire life. Once you’re level six, you’ll have to start learning about the advanced elements.”
? “Advanced Elements?” Grim had heard of the extension of the basic elements before, but no literature or lectures on the topic had been offered in his Starting Guild. “What are those?”
? The merchant pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh of exasperation. “Really now, what are they teaching out in The Dungeons?”
? “Elemental magic is simple, but has massive growth. You know about the basic elements already: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Wood, Shadow, and Light. Well, each of them can be advanced in two different ways. The first happens from levels six to ten. That’s when you learn to fuse two elements together, creating a new element.”
? He reached into the air at his side and retrieved a rolled piece of paper. At first, Grim thought it would be another skill scroll, but it was quickly unfurled and placed before him. “This shows all the fusions.”
? Grim looked the list over, nodding slightly. Indeed, as described, there was a list of fused elements, including their base elements combined.
Fire + Earth = Magma (destructive terrain)
Fire + Water = Steam (pressure, concealment)
Fire + Air = Combustion (speed, blast, instability)
Fire + Wood = Wildfire (chaotic growth, rampant burn)
Fire + Light = Flare (blinding heat, radiance)
Fire + Shadow = Cinders (soul-burning darkness)
Water + Air = Mist (obscuring, evasion)
Water + Earth = Clay (shaping, trap setting)
Water + Light = Prism (refraction, dazzle, illusion)
Water + Wood = Sap (healing, bond, slow resilience)
Water + Shadow = Abyss (isolation, pressure, silence)
Earth + Air = Dust (disruption, erosion)
Earth + Wood = Petrify (immobilization, natural binding)
Earth + Light = Crystal (amplification, structure)
Earth + Shadow = Grave (anchoring, spirit-binding)
Air + Wood = Spores (propagation, confusion)
Air + Light = Halo (speed, perception warping)
Air + Shadow = Wraith (phasing, silent movement)
Wood + Light = Bloom (growth, purification, healing)
Wood + Shadow = Rot (fungal decay, infection)
Light + Shadow = Twilight (veiling, duality, deception)
? That was a fairly comprehensive list, Grim thought. “What are all these extra notes in parentheses?”
? “Those are my personal observations on the most common uses for the dual elements,” the merchant replied. “In other words, it’s what most people fall under.”
? He retrieved the scroll then and slammed down a thick book, making Grim jump. The leather cover was etched with all the seven elements… no, there were nine. Nine? “What are these other two?”
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? “Chaos and Corruption. You’ll never be able to channel those, but they’re mentioned in the book as well. You have to know how to deal with them starting at level six. Now, this book should have been given to you as soon as you graduated from your Starter Class. I guess Blackrose is getting lax these days.”
? “Blackrose? I didn’t go-” He cut himself off instantly, recognizing the source of the confusion. Maxwell, the administrator from Blackrose Academy, had referred him to this merchant specifically. “Ah. No, I’m from Beastwick.”
? There was a short stretch of silence as the merchant froze. Then, he slowly looked Grim up and down. “I see. Commoner?”
? When Grim nodded again, the merchant let out another long sigh, though this time, Grim had a feeling it wasn’t directed at him. “Noble sops. It’s a miracle they haven’t been wiped out by a dungeon flood in the last century.”?
? The merchant slid the book towards him. “Take this, then. It’s my old copy, and it has some of my notes in it. I can easily get another copy.”
? Grim opened his mouth to protest, but the man cut him off with a raised hand. “Really, it’s no issue. I only read it for nostalgia nowadays. Memorized it all years ago. I’m level fourteen now, so I’m well into learning the advanced elements.”
? He reluctantly picked up the book, offering a quiet word of thanks, and slipped it into his pack. The merchant merely nodded in reply, then continued pulling out a few scrolls. “Now. In order to learn how to fuse elements, you’ll have to be competent in at least two of the basics. I assume you’re good at using Shadow, or else you’d never have made it to level four.”
? He put four skill scrolls onto the table one after another, announcing each of them as he did. “Fire Strike, Water Bolt, Air Dash, and Shadow Strike. That last one is pretty rare, I’m not gonna lie. There aren’t many Shadow Users that delve regularly enough and sell their skills.”
? Grim’s mouth nearly dropped open in surprise at the appearance of Shadow Strike. He’d wanted the skill ever since he discovered his affinity for the Shadow Element. But, as the merchant said, it was exceptionally rare. One of the rarest elements to find skills for, let alone an offensive melee-type.
? “Oh, I definitely want that,” he said. Then, thinking of the dual elements, he frowned thoughtfully. “What other element should I go for?”
? “Well, that depends on what you want. Nobody can remain solely stealth-focused forever. To clear dungeons, you actually have to kill monsters. And that means that you need offensive, evasive, or defensive skills. Honestly, you should have one of each. There’s no need to have them in both elements, of course.”
? He slid the Shadow Strike and Air Dash skills forward. “Shadow and Air still make for a good stealth combination if you want that to be your core. Alternatively, you could push further into elemental prowess and pursue Rot. Or, if you want to be a more support-oriented delver, I’d recommend Twilight.”
? Twilight. Duality, deception, and veiling. Twilight users focused on illusions, he thought. Not… quite what he had in mind, but also not a bad option. “Is there any rule saying I can’t work on more than one elemental fusion at a time?”
? The merchant grinned coyly at him. “Not at all. But it does require more practice. And your level five to six journey will take a while if your guild trainers are smart, because it takes a long time to learn how to channel a dual element at once.”
? After a few moments of thought, the merchant withdrew the Fire Strike skill and returned it to his bag, then retrieved another one. “How about this? In return for your Fire Barrier, and… we’ll call it two hundred gold, I’ll give you Shadow Strike, Air Dash, and this–it’s an Air Creation skill. It’ll help you disperse anything from clouds of poison to thick mist. These three will give you plenty of practice with the basic two. I don’t have one on hand, but you should also get a Water-attuned skill of some kind. Either offensive or defensive. Water Dash is so rarely usable that you don’t have to worry about it right now.”
? Grim was ready to accept the deal at once, but hesitated. “You’re saying I should practice with the two different combinations to figure out which one I prefer?”
? “Exactly. I’m a bit of an expert on elemental skills, so I have a good sense of what elements would suit someone. Plus, this way, you’ll waste less time agonizing over elements. You can always learn more if you want, but at least this way, you can hit the ground running when it comes time to learn and use either Abyss or Wraith skills.”
? “Which are expensive, I bet.”
? “Precisely. But the Council of Guilds subsidizes at least one basic skill when you hit level five and get your new Ranking, so you won’t have to worry about that. Given your boon, I’d say you’ll probably pick up another Dash skill. If you want something with more power, you’ll pick Abyss. If you want to keep leaning into stealth, you’ll pick Wraith.”
? Grim nodded and held out his bracelet. The merchant copied his action, and two hundred gold was transferred over. “Excellent. As far as that Shadow Tendrils skill is concerned, please do not sell it. You can use it at your level, and the higher mana requirement will be good for your training. Absorb it yourself, and take the experience. It’s more valuable than coin.”
? Grim nodded again. That point had already been drilled into his head from Veyra and his other teachers–not to mention the party that had given it to him, once it had been identified. “No need to worry there. I’m not so rich that I can afford to sell my skills. Well, Fire Barrier not counting.”
? The merchant laughed at that and held out his hand. “Pleasure doing business with you, Grim. If you do come across any other skill scrolls that you don’t want, I hope you’ll sell them to me. I’m trying to be the number one elemental merchant in the city. And when you hit level six, come find me about an enchantment for your gear. You won’t find someone better.”
? “Thanks,” Grim said, returning the handshake. “Uh…”
? “Right, sorry, forgot to introduce myself. Name’s Evan. Evan Kett.”?
? That made Grim raise an eyebrow, and he looked the man over. “Your hair’s not red.”
? Evan laughed. “Not of blood relation. I was adopted after my parents both died in a failed raid. The family takes good care of me, and treat me like one of their own. At least, the Ketts in Ironmarsh do. You should meet my sister Lexi sometime. She’s a rogue-type too, and could teach you a thing or twelve.”
? Grim carefully tucked the skill scrolls into his pack, acutely aware of just how much wealth he was carrying now. Unlike the gold he’d earned in his delving, the scrolls couldn’t be tucked away out of sight. At least, not until level six, when he could use the Spatial Storage skill. He tried to keep the unease off his face as he made his way back to the guild base through the crowds.
Don’t look at me, I’m not carrying three highly valuable skills. Don’t look at me, I’m just a normal guy.
? He was nearly at the gate to the western half of the city when he heard someone call out, and nearly bolted. So close… But, against his better judgment, he turned and saw his new roommate, Silver. She waved cheerily at him, then jogged forward to catch up with him.
? “Grim! Perfect timing! I’ve just been looking for ya!”
? “You were?” He asked, frowning. He hadn’t had much of a chance to speak with his roommate and newest guildmate since her arrival. It felt as if most of her time had been spent with the guild leaders, testing her abilities. Rumors were that she was good with that staff of hers. “May I ask why?”
? She chortled at his question. “Because we’re roommates, of course! And who knows, we might work together in the future!”
? She slung one arm around his neck, the motion made a little awkward by the fact that he was a head and a half taller than her. He had to stoop slightly to avoid either lifting her or having her arm strangle him. “I… see. That’s a good point.”
? “I’m starving!” she proclaimed, though he could smell something garlic-based on her breath. “Come on, let’s go visit a food stall and get to know each other!”
A Transmigration Progression Fantasy
LitRPG Transmigration Progression Anti-Hero Lead Grimdark High Fantasy Local Protagonist Non-Human Lead
Death is a minor setback for the Night Lich.
Quill, commander of the Rotten Scourge and the most feared necromancer of the Westlands, is cornered by the Circle mages. In a final act of defiance, he casts a soul-transfer, only to awaken in the frail body of an elf orphan with his Black magic stripped away.
Yet fate grants him an ironic gift: a rare White Core fractured by Black. Creation is stained with death and decay, but when light meets darkness, it instead births something strange. Something unique. Something unstoppable.
Quill will claw his way back to power, forging a new army with centuries of forbidden knowledge. He’ll master reanimation along with creation–and this time, revenge will be absolute.
But dancing with death always comes at a price, and the Forgotten World doesn't take kindly to a missing soul.
- Steady Progression: Studying magic is hard.
- Crunchy Magic System: Raw and intimate spell theory.
- Army Building: Necromancer-turned-Golemancer.
- Morally Gray MC: Balancing morality with convenience.
- Competent MC: Wise and avid book reader protagonist.
- Lite-LitRPG: No +9999 notifications except for stat sheets.
- No Harem: Only one character at a time.