Level 20 Milestone
“Heh heh.”
The highest grade in a beginner skill pack—7-star—was something he hadn’t even dreamed of touching.
A 6-star, and a pet-exclusive one at that? He’d have to kowtow all the way to RaSe headquarters for that kind of luck.
It was the absolute best outcome possible.
Just for kicks, he checked the remaining four cards to see if some world-shattering miracle had hidden a 7-star among them. Nope—1, 2, 2, 1, as expected.
With that, the skill pack was fully unpacked. Without wasting a second, he learned them right away.
Haste Lv. 1 – 4-Star
Increases the target's attack speed and movement speed by 10% (Effect and number of targets increase with skill level).
Wind Cutter Lv. 1 – 4-Star
Hurls a blade of wind at the target. Inflicts bleed on hit with low probability (Damage and probability increase with skill level).
2 skills learned. 2 skill points consumed.
Carpe didn’t stop there. He dumped extra points into a few skills that seemed immediately useful.
“Done!”
And with that, his current skill window looked like this.
10-Star - Unlock Lv. 20
9-Star - Dretsch-Style Doll Techniques Lv. 10 (M)
8-Star - Magic Engineering Lv. 10 (M)
7-Star - Elemental Mastery Lv. 10 (M)
4-Star - Wind Cutter Lv. 1 (New!)
4-Star - Haste Lv. 5 (New!)
3-Star - Elemental Arrow Lv. 1
3-Star - Striking Lv. 5
For now, he’d bumped Haste and Striking up to level 5.
Buff skills could target up to three people at level 5.
Just enough to cover himself, Mukhyang, and Tina.
“Striking only boosts physical damage, so Mukhyang doesn’t really need it... but the per-level damage increase is solid.”
Tch. They’re useful skills—why not just master them? You earn three times the points of everyone else.
He played by his whims, but got oddly cautious about stuff like this.
“Hey now. Blow through points as you earn them, and you’ll go broke. Gotta keep at least 20 in reserve. What if you hit two 9-stars in a row? Gotta master both.”
You maniac.
Cheonma Jijon ribbed him, but preparing for the future was smart.
There was a hidden piece not far from Ruana guaranteeing a 7-star skill, after all.
He hadn’t mentioned it since Carpe wasn’t high enough level yet, but it was a must-have.
“I’ll test Wind Cutter in combat before dumping more points... Alright, Mukhyang. Your turn.”
“Kyuu!”
Familiar Mukhyang has learned 6-Star Skill - Giantization.
“Krrgh.”
Giantization did exactly what it said on the tin: it ballooned a beast-type familiar’s size.
Higher levels meant bigger max size, with proportional boosts to strength and stamina—but mana took a hit.
In short, a tanking skill.
“But with Tina around, does Mukhyang even need to tank?”
The point is options. Sometimes you need two tanks.
“Kyuu kyuu!”
Thrilled with her new skill, Mukhyang bounced around and triggered Giantization.
A brief flash, and she swelled to small-dog size.
“Kyuu?!"
Fascinated by her new form, Mukhyang twisted and turned, inspecting herself.
But someone was even more excited than the star herself.
“Splendid.”
A strange fervor lit up Tina’s usually stoic face.
She hopped down from Carpe’s pocket and approached Mukhyang.
“Mukhyang. A magnificent form. Befitting the liege’s first retainer.”
“Kyuu kyuu!”
“Yet there is one regrettable flaw.”
“Kyuu?”
“Since ancient times, divine beasts have shaken the world alongside their riders. One as noble as you deserves a mount worthy of her dignity.”
“Kyuu?!”
“Indeed. The plain truth, without exaggeration.”
An empty back was a divine beast’s shame!
Tina’s face was deadly serious.
“The same goes for knights. Without a comrade to charge the field with, a knight is but half complete.”
“Kyuuu...?”
“I believe the liege’s first retainer, Mukhyang, and second, myself, can complement each other perfectly.”
“Kyuu! Kyu!”
“Hm. As you say, offering your back is no small decision... How about this? Five acorns daily. Two in the morning, three at night.”
“Kyuuu... kyu!”
“No? Then... three in the morning, two at night?”
“Kyuu kyuu!”
Mukhyang nodded vigorously.
Cheonma watched the exchange with disbelief.
What the hell are they doing?
“Let ’em be. Looks important to them. Let’s plan our next route.”
Carpe was level 20 now.
Five more levels to the next job scenario quest.
Start with room upgrade materials. Level up along the way.
“Right, you mentioned a spot.”
Yeah. Not far from here.
The room upgrade needed Bark of the Sea-Soaked Ancient Log.
Cheonma hadn’t heard of it before either, but the name was a dead giveaway.
Follow Ruana Beach to the end—you hit the Sea Forest hunting ground.
The trees there grew by sucking up seawater at high tide.
Some overloaded on ocean mana and turned into monsters.
“Oh, tree monsters? Fantasy staple.”
Yup. Treants are the main mob there.
And the Sea Forest had a boss-grade Treant too.
The field boss Elder Treant—the first one mainland users could encounter.
Needs just one, so probably a boss drop, not regular mob. Sound right?
“Not just likely—sounds certain.”
Regular Treants might drop it at tiny odds, but it was definitely Treant-related.
One issue, though.
“What?”
It’s a field boss. Unlike dungeons, it respawns randomly in an area.
“Ah.”
In other words, first player to snag it wins—pure competition.
No telling where or when it’d pop, so discovery was luck-based.
“Yeah. Even with regression knowledge, can’t pin field boss spawns.”
Those details shift every timeline anyway.
“Huh, really? Butterfly effect?”
Not that fancy. Big events stay the same; small stuff flexes. That’s the gist.
“Word of the regression expert. I’ll take it.”
Anyway, tricky spot.
Sea Forest wouldn’t be empty, and snagging the boss first?
Even if he found it first, could he solo? And would others let him?
RaSe allowed PK.
First-strike penalty’s harsh, so most won’t... but idiots exist.
“...Why’re you looking at me?”
Who else? Head to town, prep the raid. Solo means full prep.
* * *
Back in Ruana, Carpe grabbed Sea Forest side quests.
“Hey, friend. Got time to gather sea mushrooms in the eastern woods? Reward won’t disappoint.”
“Sure thing.”
Sea Mushroom Gathering
📍 From: Chef Mike
“Treants pop up near town sometimes—worries us. We’re short-handed... care to help?”
“Got it.”
Treant Extermination
📍 From: Ruana Security Squad
“Plenty of Treant quests, huh.”
Means plenty of players there too.
“Ugh, yeah. Boss hunt’ll suck...”
Carpe sighed. No way around the luck game.
“No item that reveals boss respawns?”
No item, but there’s an 8-star skill: Boss Detecting. 6-hour cooldown, needs mana mats—not practical.
“Guess we tank it the hard way... Huh?”
That’s when it happened.
As Carpe headed to the general store, a robed figure approached.
“Long time no see, Heir.”
“Huh?”
Wait, what’s that old geezer doing here?
It was Drek, the Arkram elder disguised as a junk dealer.
“Drek?”
“Heh heh. Glad you’re well. Too crowded here—shall we move?”
Drek led him to a quiet alley, then tore a scroll.
Fwoosh!
They’d warped—right to where Carpe had job-changed to Magic Fist Lord.
“Haven’t been here in ages. So, what brings you?”
Totally unexpected.
“Heh heh. I’ll explain. But first...”
Drek bowed deeply—not to Carpe, but his chest pocket.
Perfectly formal.
“This humble servant of Arkram pays respects to the Magic King’s first sword.”
“Ah...”
To Arkram folk, Magic King Dretsch was a legendary founder.
Tina, his right hand, was legend too.
“Ooh! To behold legend with these old eyes. I could die fulfilled. I’ll preserve this moment with memory magic!”
...Even accounting for that, he was way too moved.
Drek lavished Tina with praise until she frowned, then switched gears.
“Ahem. Sorry. Old age makes me sentimental...”
“No worries. So, what’s up?”
“A gift for the even stronger Heir.”
“Gift?”
Ah, that. You just hit the level for it.
Carpe opened his mouth at the unfamiliar term—
Reached level 20. Gift box reward granted.
“Huh? Level milestone reward?”
Common in other RPGs—hit certain levels, get goodies.
Didn’t expect it in RaSe.
Gift level—gift rep for short. Every 20: 20, 40, 60... Bonus perk.
Usually Patron Spirits deliver via system... but your job ain’t from one, so NPC courier.
Usually potions, buff scrolls—growth aids.
Varies by job; gear sometimes. No big jackpots.
Normal jobs, anyway.
Mythic’s different, right?
Dunno. Too few samples. But not vanilla.
“Fwooo.”
Carpe took a deep breath.
“Can I open it now?”
“Heh heh. Of course. Go ahead.”
Click.
Carpe carefully opened the box.