Construction Mage - Chapter 69: The Second Choice

Nice.

Google Docs Link

At first dawn, Clay impatiently made for the dungeon. It was a few hours earlier than the usual time he would go meet up with Malik. Naturally, it was because of the level up from the previous night.

The Mediate skill had finally reached level 10, and an upgrade was available just like with the Summon Elemental skill. It had come as a surprise, as the mundane task of creating bricks had long become a regular occurrence for him without any remuneration. From what he saw so far, it was due to the skills leveling up at a much slower rate when being used outside of combat. Still, things added up, and he reached the required threshold last night.

Unfortunately for him, the crowds of Ravenhold were already up and about. Large crowds stood in his way, causing his progress to slow as people went about their lives. Many of them were opening up shop, stocking up goods, or making their way out of the city to tend to the farms.

More noticeably, plenty of guards could be seen making their rounds as well. It was during these early hours that they carried out their inspections and kept the markets in order. The guilds made sure they had plenty of incentives to carry out their jobs properly.

While waiting for the crowd to inch forward, the sound of hooves and the clattering of rolling wheels made people instinctively veer off to the side of the road. Clay was pushed along to the side as a carriage waded through.

I guess that’s one way to get out of this human traffic jam. Lucky them. 

With nothing better to do, Clay weighed the possibility of purchasing a carriage of his own. It was practically like owning a sports car, so he quickly shook off the idea as soon as the issue of price came to mind. He knew it wasn’t something realistic to aim for before the guild idea had even started taking off.

As his daydreams swiftly turned to worries about the future, he finally made his way into the second ring and into the dungeon enclosure. Unlike what he usually saw, a long line of Delvers was waiting to enter the Greymark’s Bastion.

Right, regular parties do head in around this time. Just great. More waiting.

Thankfully, the wait didn’t take that long. The speed at which Delvers disappeared into the dungeon kept the line moving. It helped that multiple parties could make use of the altar at once. They simply needed to make contact with it. Before long, Clay found himself a nice spot in the corner.

Mindful not to hog up too much space, he stuck to a corner and placed a palm high on the altar, over two shorter individuals who had their figures hidden by a cloak. For a moment, he had thought his gesture might be intimidating to the people between him and the altar, but seeing how they didn’t react, he calmed down and summoned the status screen.

Without hesitation, he went down to where the Meditate skill was listed and selected the upgrade option.

[Analyzing stats…]
[…]
[…]
[Analyzing subject history…]
[…]
[…]

[Complete… Please select:

Combat Meditation: Allows the user to maintain the meditative state even when taking physical actions or casting spells

Warding Meditation: Creates a protective barrier around the user while they meditate, scaling based on wisdom and intelligence

Restorative Meditation: Allows Meditate to heal minor injuries and stabilize moderate ones

Veiled Meditation: While the user maintains a meditative state, it is harder for others to detect them. Scaling based on agility

Flash Meditation: Allows the user to restore stamina and mana at double the speed, in large chunks, at the cost of falling deep into meditation

There are five options this time instead of three?

For a full minute, Clay made sure to read over the description of each option twice over. There was a lot more to go through than he had expected, but it was a welcome surprise. Having more options could hardly be considered a negative thing. Though it would cost him more time to consider each one carefully.

The first option already drew his interest, but the subsequent ones were enticing as well. Combat Meditation was exactly what he had been using Meditate for in recent times. Picking this option would remove the drawback of having to stand still while maintaining the earth elemental. With the upgrade he had selected for Summon Elemental as well, he would be able to fight alongside it without an issue, effectively doubling his combat strength. The only reason he hadn’t taken it right away was that it was mainly a combat-specialized choice, and that was never his goal.

For the second option of Warding Meditation, it attracted his yearning for safety. As a person who had spent the majority of his life in a peaceful world, the new monster-infested place he had found himself in was far from his ideal residence. 

However, he lingered on it for only a split second before moving on. It suffered from the same disadvantage as the first option, for less benefit. If he had chosen the upgrade to summon more elementals, that might have been a different story, but in his chase, it was an inferior option at the moment.

The third option of Restorative Meditation nudged him in the same way as Warding Meditation. He even pondered whether it would be effective on illnesses, as there weren’t any doctors he could trust here. The best they had was thanks to the dungeons, using healing potions to treat the symptoms until they naturally recovered. 

I hear Delvers have a naturally stronger constitution, though. Maybe from the endurance stat? It doesn’t change the fact that having a skill that can save my life in my moment of need is a boon I would like to have, though. Definitely a contender.

The next option, Veiled Mediation, was perhaps the one Clay was more interested in. Not because he wanted to select it for its function, but to sate his curiosity about how it worked. Based on its description, it sounded like it would turn the user into a chameleon or something.

In terms of utility, it seemed like an alternative to Warding Meditation for those who wanted to focus on increasing their agility. Other than that, it had the same drawbacks.

The last and final choice—Flash Meditation—was another top contender for Clay. This was the opposite of Combat Meditation. It was something that wasn’t useful in combat at all, but would benefit him greatly in everyday life. It practically doubled his regenerations right away, which would likely bring him near the realm of being able to maintain his summons at all times. For someone prioritizing his life outside of the dungeon so much, it was practically the perfect choice for Clay.

Still, the drawback isn’t inconsequential. It would mean the Meditate skill will be locked away from combat from now on, as I can’t risk blanking out during a fight.

As he narrowed down the choices, he couldn’t help but take a look around at all the passersby Delvers, heading into the dungeon. Those very people were who he was targeting. He needed to establish a relationship with them. Ones that could bring them irresistible benefits or earn enough of their respect that they would hear him out and trust him.

The two main choices he was struggling with hinged on doubling down on his role as a back-line support staff or someone who could join the fray as well.

With his recent goal of reaching the second layer to start farming the resources there, he couldn’t deny that he was leaning closer and closer to Combat Meditation.

Now that I think about it, Combat Meditation is a misleading name. It didn’t mean it is only useful in combat. If I take it, I could work alongside my elemental during construction work, too.

Screw it. I already promised myself to focus a little more on combat already, so I have at least some competency in the dungeon. Since this choice isn’t only useful in combat after all, I can reach the point of being able to maintain my summon through other means, sooner or later. No need to rush it.

Taking a deep breath as he made peace with his decision, he locked in his choice.

[Combat Meditation selected. Confirm? (Yes/No)]

[Upgrading skill…]

[Skill upgrade complete.]

Status:

Name: Clayton Stratton

Age: 30

Class: Earth Mage [Apprentice] - Level 9

Profession: Staffmaker, Alchemist

Resources:

Health - 100%

Stamina - 112/112 [1.6/min]

Mana - 100/100 [8.6/min]

Stats [Mage]:

Stat Points: 0

Strength: 15 

Endurance: 16

Agility: 17

Dexterity: 11

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 43

Skills:

Spell Manipulation(I): 6

Earth Blast(I): 7

Meditate(I): 10(Max) -> Meditate(II): 1

Summon Elemental(II): 1

After taking a moment to gloat in his new upgrade, he was brought out of it when the next set of morning Delvers brushed up against him. It reminded him how busy it currently was and to move away since his business was done.

As he exited the enclosure, his mind was filled with ideas of how to make use of his new advantage. There was a plethora of things he could now do both in construction and in combat. It was practically gaining a new team member. Options opened up before him.

With plenty of ideas he wanted to test out in mind, he headed over to finish the last errand of the day—picking up his official license to operate a guild—so he could go off and experiment with his new ability.

I wonder if Thalia will be at the administrative building today. Things will go a lot smoother if she is.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter