Chapter 68: The Druid's Direction
I didn't accept Charsi's Money, only instructing her to keep it for me and settle the accounts later. After learning that the Equipment would take about ten days to repair, I left the Blacksmith's Shop.
Checking the time, it was already noon. I hadn't expected to spend so much time at Charsi's. Next, I was going to visit Cain, hoping I could still mooch lunch at his place.
Unfortunately, my idea of mooching a meal was completely shattered in the Central Square. Cain was standing there, talking to several Class Changers with a Smile. I thought, old man, are you an NPC? Don't you need to eat lunch?
Only after the Class Changers left did I step forward to greet him.
Seeing me, Cain welcomed my return with a warm tone and a Smile.
"My dear Wu, welcome back. It's been half a year, I trust you've gained quite a bit."
I didn't expect this old man to have such an astonishingly good memory. After half a year, he still remembered me, someone he'd only met once. Not bad, not bad, it saved me the Effort of introducing myself.
I wasn't as stubborn as those Class Changers just now. Looking at the dazzling Sun overhead, I coaxed and dragged Cain to a restaurant. Filling our stomachs first was the priority, and I could also bribe the 'leader' along the way. It was killing two birds with one stone.
"Lord Cain, I have some Questions regarding the Druid Class that I'd like to ask you about."
After eating and drinking my fill, I let out a heavy belch and immediately got to the point. When you accept someone's favor, you feel indebted. Was my meal that easy to mooch? This afternoon, old man, you'll dutifully do some hard labor.
Cain seemed to have anticipated my purpose long ago. He slowly picked up his Cup, took a sip of Fruit Wine, and said unhurriedly,
"My dear Wu, do you understand the Druid? Do you know the Druid's position among the 7 Great Classes?"
I thought carefully. This was indeed hard to explain, so I shook my head.
"The reason Class Changers are Class Changers is because they possess Skills. Otherwise, there's no essential Difference between them and Mercenaries. Among the 7 Great Classes, the Druid is the most versatile Class. It has Summoning similar to the Necromancer, it masters Elemental Attack proficiently used by Sorceresses, and Shape-shifting is a powerful melee Skill. However, when you face these dazzling Skills, you must first consider your position within a Party. If you only choose to specialize in one branch of Skills, then if you choose Summoning, your use is inferior to a Necromancer; if you choose Shape-shifting, you cannot compare to a Barbarian; as for Elemental Skills, do you expect to win against a Wizard?
In this way, on what basis can you gain a foothold in a Party? If they need a melee attacker, they can completely choose a Barbarian. If they are slightly weak in terms of Magic, a Wizard is also more suitable than you..."
Cain slowly listed the strengths and weaknesses of the Druid Class one by one, covering almost all insights and analysis on Druids. Listening to him felt like a sudden enlightenment, as if a door had opened in the darkness.
"In short..."
Cain licked his dry lips and drank the Fruit Wine in one gulp.
"The Druid can be summarized with one word: 'All-encompassing'. The Druid is the only Class that integrates melee, Elemental, Summoning, and support. This is both the Druid's strength and the Druid's Weakness. You must utilize its 'all-encompassing' characteristic to possess Advantages that other Classes lack, but you also cannot be too mediocre, making all your Skill bonuses useless. Mastering this balance is crucial. As for how exactly to choose and balance..."
Cain looked at me with a serious expression: "That must be judged according to your Party's situation. Before choosing the direction of your Skills, you must find a Party, a Party suitable for you, and then choose your direction based on your Party's needs."
I smiled bitterly to myself. Isn't that saying nothing? In my current situation, choosing a suitable Party would have to wait until after Level 30 at least. By then, the effect of the Bugged Amulet wouldn't be so prominent, and with a little care, I could still hide it from others.
Next, Cain explained some of the rough points in Druid Skills and pointed out the key points of Optimization. He even cited classics and quoted scriptures, listing the signature self-created Skills of some Senior Druid Masters like counting family treasures. I really didn't know how much was stored in his Brain. If he was this familiar and knowledgeable about every Class, then even describing him as Learned would be an understatement.
Regarding Skill Optimization, Cain only explained some basics. It wasn't because his Knowledge was limited, but because he believed that only Optimization Skills truly suitable for oneself were the best Skills. Telling me some Experience and insights in advance, while it could save me many detours, undoubtedly also restricted my imagination and creativity. Only what one hones and comprehends in battle is the Skill most suitable for one's style.
I strongly agreed with this point as well. For the same Skill, a hundred Druids might have a hundred different insights. The insights of Seniors aren't necessarily suitable for oneself. Cain had already pointed out the correct direction for me; next, I must explore it myself alone. Although it was more troublesome, it was undoubtedly the best path to becoming an Expert.
"Lord Cain, what are your thoughts on our Shape-shifting Skills?" This was also the key Question I had for Cain this time.
"Shape-shifting? Then tell me first, what are your own thoughts!" Cain always liked to ask for the other party's Idea before explaining. Uh, he really is a meticulous Scholar.
"In my opinion, unlike the Necromancer's Summoning, what Druids Summon are all living things. As far as I know, all Life generally has the Instinct to learn. So, I think, if one can train a Summoned Creature long-term, will it become more Powerful?"
After hearing my Question, Cain looked at me with a Praiseful Vision.
"Not bad, you asked this Question well. Generally speaking, not many newly Job Promoted Druids can think in this direction."
Not many? Which means there are still people who have thought this way? And they are only newly promoted Druids. Then haven't those Druid Masters already researched it? My heart startled, and countless thoughts instantly flashed through my mind.
"Regarding whether the Life Summoned by Druids can become more Powerful through training, someone actually researched it long ago, and..."
Cain paused, as if to increase the credibility of what he was saying. He suddenly pulled out a thick parchment Book from somewhere and slowly flipped a few pages.
"According to research, we also discovered another interesting Fact. More than three thousand years ago, a Druid named Gadrotus accidentally Summoned a Ghost Wolf with a scarred ear. This Ghost Wolf was later unsummoned by him. When he Summoned it again next time, he surprisingly discovered that what was Summoned was still a Ghost Wolf with a scarred ear. This phenomenon immediately attracted the attention of the Druids at that time. Later, after countless experiments, this possibility was finally confirmed. That is, if a Summoned Creature is unsummoned, then what is Summoned next time is still it, until it dies in battle. This conclusion also provided favorable conditions for whether Summoned Creatures can evolve and become more Powerful through training. After all, only Creatures that can be repeatedly Summoned as long as they don't die will have more value for Level Up.
"However, the Result was quite disappointing. Through countless experiments, Summoned Creatures indeed became more brave and skilled in battle after long-term combat training, but their Strength increase was not proportional to the Effort invested in nurturing. Therefore, many people gave up on this Idea. In their opinion, the Summoned Creatures they painstakingly nurtured did not increase much in Strength and could be sacrificed at any time. In that case, they might as well use them as cannon fodder from the start."
"So this research eventually came to nothing. In the end, even the function that Summoned Creatures can be repeatedly Summoned as long as they don't die gradually became forgotten by people. After all, if Summoned Creatures cannot become stronger, this function is also useless."
"Training Summoned Creatures, does it really just make them more brave and skilled in battle, and no other Transformation occurred?" I asked again, not reassured.
"Of course. If they could Mutated and evolve, Druids wouldn't have to worry about choosing Skills anymore, and the Necromancer's Summoning branch wouldn't be the only outstanding one." Cain said with a Smile.
Before, I still felt a little depressed, originally thinking it was something I discovered first. I didn't expect others had already researched it more than three thousand years ago. I was still feeling smug about it. However, what remains now is more joy—so Summoned Creatures can Mutated and Level Up, it's my personal patent!
Cain and I talked about some other things. Now, I am completely impressed by his Knowledge. Who the hell treats people from the Other World as fools again? I'll swallow him whole. At least so far, I haven't found where I, this Transmigrator, am superior.
At the end of the conversation, Cain said something I didn't expect.
"Wu, I know you have some small Secrets. Please rest assured, Akara and I have no Malice/Ill Will. Everyone has their own Secrets; this is something even God cannot easily Blasphemy. However...
I have a suggestion, I don't know if it can bring you some Help/Assist. I think you'd best improve your reputation in Rogue. Although I know you don't like to show off, I think this can to a certain Degree Protect your Secret." Cain said meaningfully.
Although I knew long ago that Akara would tell Cain about my differences from other Class Changers, hearing him say this still made me pause. Then I carefully Pondered Cain's advice, and suddenly my eyes lit up.
That's right, paper cannot wrap fire. I don't have absolute certainty that I can hide my Secret, so why not build a reputation beforehand? Sanctuary is a Continent of Heroes. Countless Heroes are deified in people's mouths. If I can also become a Hero praised by people, then even if I occasionally reveal some Strength different from ordinary people, as long as it's not too outrageous, it can also be explained under the Hero's Aura. Well, Heroes naturally have to be a bit different!
Figuring this out, I immediately had a feeling of sudden enlightenment. Besides, although I prefer a Calm Life, I will absolutely not Refuse to become a Hero. Think about the feeling of being watched by thousands; which hot-blooded youth can resist? As for that stuff about being low-key and pretending to be ordinary, and conforming to the ancient wisdom of forbearance, go to hell! This is the Other World.