Necromancer's Descent

28 - Alger

Nao / Rosalin's Point of View

I stare at the list of skills that went up, some related to the situation and others completely irrelevant. However, as expected there are no new weapon skills.

"No," I respond to the soldier, Marcus, with my best attempt at a smile.

That said, the black smoke from earlier, is that because of this new sense grudge skill? In that case, was that amount of smoke a lot or a little?

"Eh? You've gotten no new combat skills? Even after all of that?"

His eyes widen in surprise, and he crosses his arms in thought.

"You must have a horrible aptitude with weapon skills then. Despite being an absolutely brutal method, people are usually guaranteed to gain a weapon skill if they enter combat with a weapon. Even more so if they level up."

...clearly you haven't seen my overall luck with skills.

I hold back a sigh as Marcus looks around and then goes to grab a little engraved crystal from the ground where I killed the first goblin.

"Even if he takes it too far, he really has good intentions underneath... probably."

Marcus gives a small smile and then tosses the small translucent crystal to me. Still, the fact remains, that he needed to add 'probably' to the end of that sentence.

"It's yours now, for defeating the goblin. The knight destroyed the other goblin core, so sadly it can't be sold."

I stare down at the little engraved crystal after catching it, and watch the light of the sun seem to glitter in the crystal's reflections It's a pale blue, and feels... warm to the touch.

This crystal is a goblin core?

"Thank you."

It's not like I'm unfamiliar with the trope of monsters having cores you can sell or use for artifacts... but now where I'm in the situation, I can't help but to think of why they have cores.

Does it grow inside them? But what benefit does it have for them to have a core, if people don't? People don't have cores, right? I didn't see anything like that with Theodore- unless his heart with his soul in it counts as a core, of course.

"Hmm what kinds of mana do you have? Your mana type often effects what kind of aptitudes you have, so training you in something you're not suited for would be a waste," Marcus interrupts my stream of thoughts while scratching his cheek a bit, as he looks over me.

More than pity, it's like his eyes are saying 'can a body like that even be used to fight' which I'm honestly okay with, because this body is skin and bones.

"I only have blue mana, is that why?"

"...that's why," he responds immediately with a sigh, and then holds out a hand for me with a tired smile.

"The Lord asked you about this earlier, right? I think he's been affected by the saintess, who can learn all skills even if she only has blue mana too. She just keeps getting rare skills for blue mana that somewhat mimics those for yellow mana."

I grab his hand, and with no real effort on his part he pulls me gently to my feet. Is it just me, or does it sound like Mia is a little overpowered? Then again, I guess she has to be to defeat the demon lord.

"The Lord didn't..." Johannes had more likely been too busy wanting me dead or injured.

I note him grimacing briefly, but then he smiles again, as though he's trying to bring our thoughts to something happier.