“Allow me to answer your question, My Lord.”

  Kurogasa said, ready to tinue addressing Ats’s question about the best css alternatives to Tempest Warden.

  “Please, go ahead,” Ats replied, gesturing for him to tinue.

  “I’ll present three alternative options and expin their strengths and weaknesses for parison,” Kurogasa began. “First, Are Vanguard, a hybrid of magid spear bat.”

  “Okay, tell me the strengths,” Ats prompted.

  “Are Vanguard blends water, lightning, and shadow elements, allowing you to develop all your elemental affinities equally. It provides stroility in both siarget and AoE bat, while emphasizing mana trol and magical defehis css bances offense and utility effectively.”

  “And the weaknesses?”

  “It has lower raw damage output pared to Tempest Warden, and it requires precise elemental ma to perform at its peak,” Kurogasa expined.

  “Alright,” Ats said with a nod. “So the biggest drawback is the reduced raw damage. What’s ?”

  “The sed option is Eclipse Spear Master, whibiealth and vampiribat,” Kurogasa tinued.

  “Strengths? This css fully develops shadow and dark elements, prioritizing stealth, lifesteal, and critical damage. It excels at siarget burst damage while also self-healing capabilities.”

  “And the weaknesses, It cks the AoE damage and team-wide buffs of Tempest Warden. Additionally, it relies heavily on shadow and dark elements, making it less effective in brightly lit or elementally diverse terrains.”

  “Uood,” Ats said thoughtfully. “This still feels like my third option. What’s the st one?”

  “Warlord, a support and offensive leader css,” Kurogasa answered.

  “Strengths, It enhances your leadership abilities, granting powerful buffs to improve team synergy. It also bances survivability and offense, making it ideal for prolonged battles.”

  “And its weaknesses, It has less focus oal bat pared to Tempest Warden and cks the versatility of elemental synergy. This limits its hybrid bat potential,” Kurogasa expined.

  Ats nodded, abs the information. “So, its strength lies in leadership, but it sacrifices elemental versatility.”

  “Exactly, My Lord,” Kurogasa replied. “These are the primary alternatives. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, but none are without promise.”

  Ats took a deep breath, processing the lengthy aailed expnations Kurogasa had provided. While it had been aensive discussion, it gave him invaluable insights into each css and strengthened his resolve to make the right choice withret.

  He weighed his options again, noting that Tempest Warden and Are Vanguard stood out as the most petitive choices. However, his decision wasn’t solely about the css itself—it also depended heavily on his Wavebreaker Spear, the Legendary-grade on he already possessed, and its synergy with Zefyros.

  The bination of css, on, and spirit beast promised to grant him both the versatility of strong siarget damage and the crowd trol and AoE potential he would need. With all these factors sidered, Ats felt he was nearing a clusion.

  Finally, he looked at Kurogasa.

  “Okay, now I’d like to hear your final reendation, Kurogasa,” he said firmly, ready to make his decision.

  Kurogasa nodded slowly before tinuing. “Thank you for the opportunity, My Lord. Here is my final reendation.”

  He paused briefly, then spoke with certainty. “The first reendation, and the overall best choice, is… Tempest Warden.”

  Ats couldn’t help but smile, relieved that the suggestion aligned with his initial preference.

  “The reasoning,” Kurogasa tinued, “is that it aligns perfectly with your water and lightning affinities, unrivaled AoE domieam synergy, and elemental power. Additionally, it synergizes seamlessly with Zefyros’s talents, making it the most optimal fit for your bond.”

  “I’m gd to hear that,” Ats replied. “What about Are Vanguard?”

  “Are Vanguard is a strong alternative,” Kurogasa expined. “It’s ideal if you wish to bahe development of water, lightning, and shadow from the start. It provides robust hybrid bat options while retaining flexibility with elements.”

  “Uood. And the other csses?”

  “Eclipse Spear Master is a uernative,” Kurogasa said. “It’s a pelling choice for fog on shadow and stealth development, excelling in siarget burst damage and healing. However, it sacrifices AoE and team-wide support.”

  “And Warlord?”

  “For Warlord, it’s strictly a situational alternative,” Kurogasa stated. “While it enhances leadership and buffs, it cks the elemental versatility and bat flexibility of your other options.”

  Ats houghtfully, the crity in Kurogasa’s reendations giving him the final fidence he needed.

  Ats turo the others, his expression inviting their thoughts.

  Edrik was the first to respond. “Do you need more ving to choose Tempest Warden? If so, I provide a detailed breakdown of how its skills, your current skills, your talents, Zefyros’s abilities, and the Wavebreaker Spear’s powers all align to make it the ideal choice.”

  Ats chuckled lightly. “I feel like that would guarantee my fidence even more, but holy, I trust all of your opinions. Let’s explore everything further as I train and familiarize myself with my new css, Edrik.”

  Edrik nodded in agreement. “Fair enough. Still, I guarahis is the best choice for you—Tempest Warden—as Master Kurogasa has thhly expined.”

  He then added, “One more thing.”

  “Yes?” Ats prompted.

  “The basic skills you gained from your Spear Warrior css,” Edrik said. “Those should receive upgrades or even merge with new abilities, so we focus on honing them further. The skills are Pierg Thrust, Power Strike, Defeance, Endurance Boost, Sweeping Strike, and Ground Sm.”

  Ats raised an eyebrow. “Impressive. You remember all of them, even though I’ve never explicitly listed them for you.”

  Edrik smiled slightly. “I’ve observed all your battles and studied your style to pn your training regimen with Master Kurogasa. It’s only natural.”

  “Anything about Flurry of Spears?”

  “Si was acquired from a skill scroll, it’s less likely to be affected by the css ge,” Edrik replied.

  “What about new skills from the Tempest Warden css?” Ats asked.

  “You’ll likely o plete specific quests to unlock them,” Edrik expined.

  “Iing. I hope it won’t take too long,” Ats remarked with a determined smirk.

  The decision was made, and with the support of his trusted Elite Subordinates, Ats felt more fident than ever about his step. Tempest Warden would be the foundation for his growth—and his future battles.

  Ats looked once more at his s, his decision now resolute.

  [You have chosen Tempest Warden as your new Css.]

  A surge of energy coursed through his body, faint hues of blue and gold intermingling with streaks of bd purple. The air in the room seemed to hum with power, and all eyes turo him in astonishment.

  “No way…?” Edrik muttered.

  Kurogasa nodded slowly, a knowing expression on his face.

  [You have received Quest 1: "The Crushing Tide" to unlock your first skill from the Tempest Warden css.]

  [Signifit ges have been made to your current skills.]

  [Pierg Thrust and Power Strike have successfully merged. You have unlocked a new skill: Elite - Thunderpierce Thrust Lv. 7 (Siarget, Lightning Burst).]

  [Defeand Endurance Boost have successfully merged. You have unlocked a new skill: Elite - Tempest Guard Lv. 8 (Defensive Parry + ter Shockwave).]

  [Sweeping Strike and Ground Sm have successfully merged. You have unlocked a new skill: Elite - Tempest Arc Lv. 4 (Wide AoE, Damage and Slow).]

  Ats took a slow, measured breath, trying to keep his enthusiasm in check. Still, he couldn’t deny the thrill c through him—this was a new milestone in his journey.

  His six basic skills had merged into three new ones. While having fewer skills initially seemed ing, he uood that these new abilities were undoubtedly more effective and far more powerful than the inals.

  For now, he decided to hold off on studying the new skills, saving their practice for ter. And, as Edrik had mentiohe css-specific skills of Tempest Warden weren’t unlocked immediately. He’d o plete quests to gain them, and it was clear there would o plete more than one quests.

  Turning to the others, he asked, “Why did you all look so surprised earlier?”

  Edrik was the first to answer. “I thi an ued surprise.”

  “And what’s that?”

  This time, Kurogasa spoke. “There was a rea from the shadow element when you unlocked the new css, My Lord.”

  Ats raised an eyebrow. “And what does that mean?”

  Edrik stepped in. “It means that one of the new skills you’ll unlock might already be ied with the shadow element.”

  “Wow,” Ats said, a grin spreading across his face. “I guess that’s another jackpot?”

  “Surely, you’ve been blessed with plenty of jackpots!” Edrik replied, g lightly with a pyful smirk.

  Ats ughed softly, feeling a surge of excitement ighin him.

  “Alright the’s test out these new skills aarted on the quest to unlock my css skills!”

  ***

  (Author’s Note:)

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