So far only Elly has requested to take the role of the spirit with four csses, Maria is fine with that as well but I wanted to explore more options first.

  "Before I agree to that, Elly, can you indulge my curiosity first? I wanted to think about making a spirit that would essentially be a 'buff bot'. But considering how weak even the best buffs were you showed me a while back... Are buffs stackable? For example, could we give everyone a css with [Guard Order] and get a workable defense that way?"

  "Sorta. You can't stack buffs of the same name. In that case, only the one with the higher skill level takes effect, even if the actual effect may be weaker. But nothing stops you from stacking different buffs that affect the same stat. If you really want to build a dedicated buff-spewing spirit... well, you're limited to non-magic, as you know. Chloe already has [Battle Order]-like skills, so we shouldn't waste energy on the order category... We could math that out but I don't think it is worth it yet. The spirit won't be able to do anything else due to upkeep costs and the effect will be low. You need a much higher leveled spirit before it makes sense if you ask me."

  "Sorry, that math has to be done. We have the time to do that at least. Can you, please? Assume we dump all four csses on maximizing party-wide buffs."

  "Fine, give me a minute..."

  Everyone patiently waits for Elly to finish. Or maybe impatiently, "While we wait on Elly, does either of you have any other idea, Lucia or Maria?"

  Lucia shakes her head, "Nothing special. Just an attacker or maybe a scout. No matter what we do, spirits with their 30% penalty to HP are too frail, magic is out as well..."

  Maria answers, "No, I think we should give Elly's idea a try."

  "Has she told you which css she had her eyes on?"

  "I think it was called Trick Shot. Honestly, I'm not sure what the point is."

  "The name tells me little what it does. Well, we're waiting anyway so it can't hurt to have a look right now."

  Trick ShotGrowth Rates25 HP, 36 MP, 58 SP, 6 STR, 9 DEX, 4 VIT, 7 MAG, 1 FTH, 3 WIL, 2 CHA Gun TrainingPassiveCan use guns without attack penalty.Increase effective STR by (skill level) for equipped guns. Enchanted Shot 50 SP per attackYou can add a rate 50 poison, burning or stun status effect to non-magical projectile attacks.You can add only one status effect to the same attack this way. Homing Projectile ConcentrationYou can readjust the trajectory of any projectile you shoot.A projectile can curve at most 90 degrees per meter of travel.You can only adjust projectiles until they've traveled up to their regur maximum travel distance.Why is the level 15 skill known, did we see that css somewhere? I don't think so. Maybe Elly saw it on someone in the fortress? Or did the css menu break and it now shows all skills? No, other csses still only show the first two skills. Ah, doesn't matter.

  Lucia asks, "So what is the point? She doesn't have guns. Does she want to swap over?"

  Maria answers, "I'm not sure what exactly she had pnned, my lord. But it did involve arrows and not guns."

  "I guess it would work with bows and not just guns. The skills explicitly mention non-magical projectiles, not specifically gun bullets or arrows or something. But then she doesn't really have the greatest MAG so the chance for status effects would be on the low side. At least she would have an easier time hitting a mobile target once we reach the level for [Homing Projectile]. But just that doesn't sound like that much of a pn... Didn't she say more than that?"

  "Ah, sorry, no."

  While I try to figure that out, Elly has finished her homework, "Best I can do at our level even with 4 csses is about +12 to all stats and another +9 to defenses, both for the group, and then the spirit can't do much else because it needs almost all of its SP just for upkeep. Seriously, if you want such a buff bot you should wait until us spirits are of a higher level. Like level 15 and one or two more csses so we can add another buff and maybe another passive or two to further strengthen the other support skills."

  "Yeah, that is basically nothing. Well, if buffs don't work out, pn B would be research into non-magical area damage. We had minor success with that when you created multiple arrows and fired them simultaneously. Of course, that was before the update that attached an SP cost to your arrow creation."

  "I mean if you only care about exp generation you could go for a spirit with a high skill level in [Intimidate] and high CHA. When the skill is high enough compared to the target's total level it inflicts damage at no cost, and that is ideal for the low-level flood monsters."

  Lucia objects, "That skill would also affect our own soldiers, they could break formation and then all monsters can storm the fortress. That's too risky."

  "If it weren't for that, the created spirit would probably be completely useless for any actual fighting we need to do in the dungeon and to get to the artifact. Or die of boredom sitting on the wall 24/7 just staring at the flood."

  Elly sounds disappointed, "Yeah, that's true, you two..."

  Maria says, "So if that doesn't work, Elly, can you expin what you had in mind? Jared was considering it but he needs to know the full picture."

  "Was he? Oh, perfect! So first I need the Bullseye and Trick Shot csses. I saw you looked at the tter while I did the calcutions. In addition to them, I need a specific elite css. Normally spirits can't get elite csses but the skill [Elite Summoning] would allow one such css per spirit. I've reason to believe that your Summoner gives either that or [Summon Expertise] at level 15. If it is the tter we could try to look for another css with [Elite Summoning]."

  "Let me quickly check these skills."

  Summon ExpertisePassiveYou can add 1 additional base job css to your summoned spirits.This increases to 2 at skill level 20 and 3 at 25.And the other.

  Elite SummoningPassiveYou can add 1 additional base job css to your summoned spirits, or 2 csses at skill level 25.If a spirit has already at least 3 base csses, one of the additional csses can be an elite css.As with base csses, requirements for elite csses don't have to be met."Yeah, eventually we need both. But what makes you think one of them must be on the Summoner css?"

  "It is no guarantee, there are a few more options but in general a css keeps within its theme so whatever it gives should improve your summon skills in one form or another. Be it giving you more MP, making the spirits stronger, increasing the css limit or making it cheaper in some way. But I have an educated guess. Back then when we looked for the [Summon Spirit] skill we found only Caller, Invoker and Summoner as options at all. I assume that Invoker would lead to the [Invocation] skill our lich friend put on the Binder css. I guess between Caller and Summoner one would focus more on the quantity of active spirits and the other more on quality of a few spirits."

  "If I remember correctly, Caller had only 32 MP per level, Summoner has 40 and the [Mana Boost] passive. Why don't we quickly check what Caller's level 5 skill is..."

  Extra SummonPassiveYou can have 2 additional spirits.This is a whole skill just for a +2 to the cap, while on Dread Lord's [Legion of Doom] it was a +1 just as a minor portion of a skill with three more effects. It really is a cheat.

  "With that, it is indeed possible that Summoner goes for quality, or at least a lot of csses per spirit at once, while Caller increases the cap of how many spirits you can own and then it wants you to switch between them in short succession."

  "Yeah, that's how I see it, too."

  "Anyway, what exactly are you up to there? I don't see the value of Trick Shot yet."

  "Not by itself, but combined with the other two csses."

  BullseyeGrowth Rates26 HP, 31 MP, 55 SP, 7 STR, 9 DEX, 3 VIT, 7 MAG, 2 FTH, 4 WIL, 2 CHA Bow TrainingPassiveCan use bows without attack penalty.Increase effective STR by (skill level) for equipped bows. Multi Shot 50 SP per attackSplit a non-magical projectile you shoot into 3 projectiles with half the original attack power.A projectile that was already split this way can't be split again.The projectiles keep their other properties. "And the elite."

  BombardierElite cssGrowth Rates26 HP, 31 MP, 55 SP, 7 STR, 9 DEX, 3 VIT, 7 MAG, 2 FTH, 4 WIL, 2 CHA Explosive Shot150 SP, a pinch of gunpowder per attackChange a non-magical non-explosive projectile you fire into an explosive projectile that inflicts (33% original attack power + 33% DEX + 33% MAG) physical fire damage in a 7x7 DU area.The projectile keeps its other properties. Ah, I always forget that we couldn't scout the level 5 skills of elite csses because spirits can't take them yet.

  Elly continues, "The idea is simply the answer to the only question that matters: explosions? And the answer is yes. Lots of them."

  "What? Take an arrow, add explosion and burning status effect, then split it and home them at the same target?"

  "Precisely. And for single targets, I can just split a stun arrow and leave the damage dealing to the rest of the party."

  30 SP to create an arrow, 30 SP for the shot itself, 50 SP for the burning effect, 150 SP to add the explosive trait and 50 SP for the multi-shot. Yikes, 310 SP and gunpowder for one such combination, and then it only inflicts 3 hits worth half of the average of three stats with a chance for a pseudo-crit thanks to burning. That much effort for 150% of the average stat as damage before defense? With a spell, I would have the same area and 110% MAG elemental damage at the cost of 175 MP.

  "And where do you get the gunpowder for the [Explosive Shot]? We don't have that kind of materials just lying around."

  "I should be able to create it by spending 30 SP since it is a part of a weapon I have training in. Kinda."

  "Okay, so just a guess."

  So that rises the cost to 340 SP for up to 150% damage and a status. Kinda poor.

  I can focus on one stat, can hit different elemental weaknesses, have reduced cost and don't need to invest a full 3 csses to get started with area damage. Maybe magic is broken after all.

  "Is there a base css with a simir skill so we can test that before we pn to waste your only elite css on just a guess?"

  "I guessed you'd say that. Would that suffice?"

  AlchemistGrowth Rates37 HP, 26 MP, 53 SP, 3 STR, 7 DEX, 3 VIT, 7 MAG, 7 FTH, 4 WIL, 2 CHA Fire Bomb200 SP, 1 bottle or vialTurn the bottle or vial into an explosive that sts for 5 seconds.When either the time is up or it gets thrown against an enemy or solid surface it explodes for (60% DEX + 60% MAG) physical fire damage in a 5x5 DU area. Healing Fsk 1000 SP, 1 bottle or vialFill the bottle or vial with a healing liquid that is good for 10 minutes.Can be used like a regur healing potion to heal (creator's FTH) HP or status damage. So assuming she can create the jar, that makes it 230 SP for 120% damage but no status, less area and poorer range. Currently, she would have maybe five uses.

  And the [Healing Fsk] is useless, [Undead] will just prevent the healing.

  Hmm, maybe as an army spirit if it works. Like a small troop of grenadiers.

  "So you can either create the needed bottles for 30 SP which makes this pseudo magic just twice as expensive - or the whole css is a waste of space?"

  "Yeah, those are effects that are just more efficiently handled with real magic but as, as a spirit I can never use spells. In contrast, single target DPS is better handled via non-magical means."

  Lucia says, "Even if it is less efficient, it should still generate more exp from the flood than mere single target damage."

  "Is that the best standalone area attack skill you've found, Elly?"

  "It is not exactly the best but outside of elite csses, non-magical area attacks have very little passives or modifiers they can profit from. At least as far as I've found. The [Fire Bomb] or whatever else I can take as an interim solution would eventually just get repced with the explosive shots. So the more important question is what else do I have left once the skill is obsolete, and among the options I found, the heal skill looks the most useful for long-term."

  "Okay, we'll do it as follows. I give you that Alchemist css, then you go to a front gate and check if you can use the [Fire Bomb] skill. If so, you get the other 2 csses you wanted after we have the Summon Master title. If not... we'll think of something else. I'm not willing to commit all of your csses to the idea until we have a positive result on that test. Any objections?"

  Elly sounds happy, "Works for me."

  Lucia answers, "Nah, I'm okay with that."

  Maria shakes her head, "None, my lord, though I'd like to get an additional css as well."

  "Sorry, Maria, that will have to wait. We just can't afford it at the moment. Though once we have the Spirit Master title you can at least get a second race, so you don't exactly gain nothing."

  "I... understand."

  For the moment, I take the upkeep cost for Maria on me, Lucia takes care of Elly. And with that, I can now finalize the css decision for Elly. One alchemical archer spirit coming right up.

  NameEllyAgeN/ACssesArcher 6, Alchemist 6RaceValkyrie 6ExtraSpirit 6HP1019/1174MP473/582SP1110/1332STR252+6 (either weapon)DEX302VIT200MAG120FTH172WIL154CHA116EquipmentSpirit Bow, Spirit SpearSkillsBow Training 6, Spear Training 6Fire Bomb 6, Healing Fsk 6Intimidation 6, Stealth 6, Wings 6Summoned Spirit 6WeaknessLightningElly leaves the room, "Well, I'm off then. Cya."

  "Yeah, and please bring back good news."

  Now, what should we do with the third spirit in case it fails...

  Wait, why didn't we just test if she can create a bottle right away? Ah, too te now...

  Maria asks, "Can we go over race options for when you have gained the title?"

  "Yeah, sure, let's do that."

  3QGN73