Once I absorbed the Quake Hammer skill, I didn't immediately start using it. Instead, I sat down, legs crossed, like I was about to meditate, my hammer on my lap, processing the new set of information the skill had brought about.
Just like Hammer of Might, Quake Hammer was an offensive skill that relied greatly on the concept of one deadly blow, but it left its user open to retaliation if the attack failed. That, I was familiar with from Hammer of Might. Assuming they would have a similar development pattern, the skill would have some defensive maneuvers as it improved, but ultimately, it didn't matter much.
Because, if needed, I was confident that I could employ Fleeting Step to avoid most of the danger the current dungeon might provide.
Time that I spent running around was paying off.
"First, let's give ordinary practice a whirl," I said as I stood up, and swung the hammer several times, merely following its suggestions, even though it had many issues that could easily be fixed. Understandable, as among all the techniques I had, Hammer of Might had seen the most use.
Learning was much easier when there was a magical force correcting every mistake one might make, but that wasn't it. I also had two other techniques for different styles, and learning them had allowed me to understand my new skill even better.
Well, at least as far as how to move my body. The fighting skills used the power from the Stats in a way that defied physics — or, at least, the classical understanding of it — which was not something I was able to learn.
"Still, every little bit helps," I said as I continued attacking the air, doing my best to correct the moves based on my old understanding of Hammer of Might, though I mixed some tricks from my two other styles wherever I deemed appropriate.
As usual, the reward only arrived once I stopped.
[Quake Hammer (Rare) 1 - 26]
"Fascinating," I said, but my words weren't about the improvement. It was certainly welcome, especially since it gave me a better way to improve stronger skills than mere repetition, which meant I wouldn't be helpless even if the Mana Blow trick stopped functioning as a cheat.
No, my interest was a new attack that had been unlocked. I swung my hammer, targeting the nearest rock. It didn't break, but shattered.
"My first proper attack," I realized even as I repeated the attack four more times, trying to get a sense of what it was.
It felt like an enhanced version of the Shattering Blow perk, but with additional benefits. The greatest difference was a rush of vitality, wrapping around the hammer head as it landed, giving it an incredible destructive power.
It was similar to Eleanor's ranged attack, but unlike hers, mine didn't have the ability to modify the intensity of the blows, or use it as a ranged tool. Whether those features would reveal themselves as I improve the skill, I didn't know.
Though, if I were the bet, I would have said the first one was far likelier than the second one. A ranged hammer attack didn't seem intuitive.
But then, it wouldn't be the first time the System defied common sense. While the attack seemed effective, it wouldn't be too useful on the fourth floor. I could already kill the giant monsters in one blow, and more importantly, I couldn't use my Health as a disposable tool down there easily.
I still didn't have a way to bring food or other things without them degrading in a few minutes.
"Vitality attacks are a problem for the future," I said even as I moved to my next test, and used a mana blow.
[Quake Hammer (Rare) 26 - 27]
"Alright, that's bad," I said even as I started moving to the forge. While improving one point of skill with one blow seemed like an excellent improvement, the skill was still merely in its twenties. This meant that, for a Rare skill, mana blow wasn't as much of a cheat as the previous stage.
Meaning, no easy push to the peak unless I found a new method — another experiment I added to the list rather than starting immediately, as it was something I could work on during the night. I just needed to stand in front of the forge while testing the hammer technique.
I decided to use most of the silver I had brought to create a brand new set of foreign equipment instead: tongs, hammers, chisels, two sets of anvils. The small portion, I had left for further experiments. After that, I used the remaining iron to forge a cart made purely of anti-corrosive alloy.
Wasteful, but I had a lot of things to carry around, including trees. I couldn't simply carry them. After everything had been done, I dug a nice hiding spot that was concealed with a rock, and put the old set there. There was a chance they would be useful.
Then, I created a smaller hiding spot near the gate to put my food, my old equipment, and the other stuff I had to leave on the third floor to protect them until I could find a storage method that protected from the corrosion aura.
Another item for my ever-growing list. "I need a bunch of doctorate students to make them deal with the nonsense —" I started, then reflexively corrected myself as I smiled, remembering how angry the others got when I phrased it like that. "No, give them valuable learning opportunities."
I sighed wistfully, missing the times I could spend my time locked in a room, working on a particularly tricky model for a month straight. Running around killing monsters and building stuff might be something I turned out to be proficient at — with the System's extreme help — ultimately, it was not what I desired to accomplish with my life.
I was just doing that to create an environment for my research. Just like how I had to deal with a bunch of old men whenever I needed another grant.
"It's still better talking to a grant committee," I growled even as I stepped into the gate. Given the choice, I always preferred a giant army of insect monsters over a grant committee. For one, they had a better personality.
I didn't drag the cart forward immediately. First, I snapped a healthy looking branch from the tree, and moved toward the spot I picked for my forge.
"Not good," I said even as I went back, wondering what to do. I couldn't simply uproot a tree… could I? Of course, I could also create a line of trees that led directly to the spot, but it would take too much time.
Carrying a tree was easier.
With that in mind, I first went to the forge spot and emptied the cart. I knew the monsters didn't attack inanimate objects unless their density had reached a certain point. Still, I spent half an hour cleaning its surroundings.
A part of it was collecting the material. I needed the shells from the large beasts to boost the growth of the trees. Also, it gave me a chance to improve my Hammer skill by using the old trick of chaining mana blows.
[Quake Hammer (Rare) - 81]
Unfortunately, even when killing giant monsters, its cheat-like ability started to lose its effectiveness. I could probably push it to a hundred with a week of dedicated effort, but that would be the limit. Of course, for anyone else, that improvement would have been nothing less than a miracle, but for me, it was not worth the effort.
Assuming, of course, the situation didn't change radically.
However, just because the development had stalled below the old skill didn't mean that I was unhappy about replacing my old skill. The existence of the Health attack alone would have been worth it, as it opened a brand new research avenue for me.
Then, there was the difference between the Rare and Uncommon skills. Even without the special attack, the Rare skill outperformed my old one significantly.
It was an unexpected benefit to use the hammer skill as a mining tool, but I wasn't complaining. I dug a bunch of pits, and filled them with broken pieces of shell, and topped it up with my strongest fertilizer mixture. Then, I went back to the giant tree, uprooted it completely and put it on the cart.
Even with my strength, dragging it had been a chore. Luckily, as I dragged it, the monsters avoided me. A good benefit, though not one that was worth the effort. I still had to use Health on the tree multiple times to keep it alive.
Hard work, but certainly satisfying, I thought as I looked at the giant tree hovering proudly. Next, I started picking nice branches that could function as cuttings, and started boosting their growth. After the first time it finished, I realized that I had to make a lot of trips just to eat and replenish my Health.
I forged a small silver box from the remaining silver, making the best anti-corrosive metal I could achieve. Maybe it would work. I tried that, because otherwise, I would have to spend my time going back and forth just to replenish my Health.
Air-tight silver box worked somewhat. The next time I opened the box, I found the food starting to show signs of degrading, but it was still edible. However, the moment it connected with air, it started degrading even faster.
So, I modified the box even further. It was essentially a lunch box with multiple air-tight compartments. Not enough to maintain the food overnight, but just enough to keep my Health up while I explored the fourth floor.
"Now, let's get to work," I said. I had a lot of work to do if I wished to be done before noon.