Chương 115: A Measured Step

"Cecil, you mentioned that the [Silver Fold Coin] was a very rare currency used by high-order beings," Arthur said.

"But what are your thoughts on this Faunite Crystal? Does it hold the same rarity and importance as the coin?" He needed to ascertain the crystal's true rarity. If it were widely available, he could afford to spend it leisurely; but if it were as rare as the Silver Fold Coin, he could not afford to spend even one without thinking twice. Having scanned the entire ant colony and mined all of its resources, Arthur had accumulated a total of 7, 487 Faunite Crystals.

This sum was enough to hire at least 10 Great Grand Master Status Skeletons. However, he did not know if making such a transaction was a wise choice. He doubted this current territory held any more of these crystals. While he could always check once he moved to the next territory, finding more remained highly questionable. Therefore, he needed to preserve his Faunite Crystals as much as possible, only spending them out of absolute necessity and avoiding any extravagance.

"Sire, commodities are classified into five tiers: [Standard, Refined, High-Grade, Premium, and Superior,]" Cecil explained.

"These tiers are commonly used to describe a commodity's rarity, availability, and usability. The Silver Fold Coin would be considered a Superior-tier commodity. As for the Faunite Crystal, I would evaluate it as High-Grade. However, do not underestimate it simply because of its lower tier. Every commodity that has earned one of these classifications is definitely very useful in various ways."

Based on Cecil's explanation, Faunite Crystals had a moderate chance of being found, proving they were not a widely mined resource. More importantly, it was still a lesser commodity compared to the Silver Fold Coin. This comparison clearly put into perspective exactly how difficult it would be for him to acquire [Silver Fold Coin]. Suddenly, the calmness in his heart vanished. A Superior commodity is needed to pay the debt, and it will potentially be awarded after defeating the territory Boss.

Arthur now understood why Cecil had tried to explain the severity of this Trial. However, Arthur did not regret taking it. Even if he had known these details earlier, he would have definitely accepted the request, because it felt like the right thing to do.

"Very well, I understand," Arthur said.

"Can you devise a plan for me to hire Skeletons? Based on my current situation, what Skeletons and which Status Skeletons would be enough to achieve the Trial Objective without blindly overdoing anything?" At first, his plan had been to hire a few Great Grand Master Swordsman Skeletons and a few Mage Skeletons with wide-range skills to kill the monsters. Although that strategy would have worked, it was unnecessary.

Spending Faunite Crystals needlessly without a plan was not a wise choice, so he planned to put Cecil's advisor mind to work.

"No problem, Sire. I will do what you need." Cecil started to analyze the plan as the dome hovering near his shoulder flipped its page. It did not take long for Cecil to come up with a plan, taking everything that was happening into account.

"Sire, taking things into consideration, I have devised a path that could be right," Cecil said.

"First, I would not suggest hiring multiple Great Grand Master Skeletons."

"Okay, continue," Arthur replied, not opposing the suggestion.

"Hiring without knowing what we are going to eventually face would be wasteful. Since you already have a team that can successfully hunt the monsters, we could use them to continuously eradicate the lower-level monsters," Cecil explained, outlining the norm of the current territory.

"I believe the monsters in this territory do not respawn, so the combat team may have done half of the job already." Considering the amount of monsters Arthur had killed since entering this place, and the combat team led by Yabo gathering around 9 kilograms of Night Crystals in two days, they must have already done some heavy damage. If he wanted, he could hire a few more Beginner Status Combat Skeletons using the abundant materials they had gathered.

He could definitely form a battalion of Skeletons; there was no need to spend the Faunite Crystals just yet.

"Then what do you suggest?" Arthur asked.

"I suggest dividing your resources into three layers," Cecil said, raising one finger.

"First, your existing Skeleton army will handle the regular monsters. Yabo will command the combat units, while Hall will scout ahead and locate unusual monster activity. Mayo can continue mapping the terrain, and Zero can appraise anything that appears unusual. The Butchers will process the corpses, while the remaining Workers will gather every useful material." Hearing this first layer of the plan, Arthur nodded. It was a solid plan.

"Second," Cecil raised another finger and continued.

"You should keep most of the Faunite Crystals untouched. As far as I know, Faunite Crystals are very rare, and I believe you will not find anymore in this Concentric Trial. While there are possibilities, I cannot say anything concretely. Therefore, I suggest you spend the total amount very carefully." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. This second layer of the plan put a chill in his heart.

Although he already felt that Faunite Crystals might not be available in other territories, hearing it said by Cecil made things serious. If he were to leisurely spend them on Skeletons, he knew the crystals would not be wasted, but Arthur currently did not know what other usages they had. Currently, he knew three things: first, the crystals were expensive and would make him rich; second, they would greatly help him personally improving his Crystal Cor; and third, he could buy any Skeleton with them.

These three things alone were enough reason to spend everything, but Arthur still wanted to know what other usages existed. So, Arthur nodded his head again.

"Then, the final layer?" Cecil raised a third finger.

"Hire one Great Grand Master Skeleton."

"Do you think only one will be enough?" Arthur asked. The Boss he was going to face remained unknown, and he had already explained the enemies present in this Concentric Trial. Yet, Cecil was still suggesting a plan to hire only a single Great Grand Master Skeleton.

"Sire, do not worry," Cecil advised, noticing Arthur's reluctance.

"If you want, you can select multiple Combat Skeletons and keep them ready. When the need arises, you can hire them in an instant. There are no complications in hiring multiple Skeletons at a moment's notice."

"No, that is a good plan," Arthur said, explaining his inner thoughts.

"It is just that it will take a lot of time to finish this Trial with lower-status Skeletons. My initial thought was to hire strong Skeletons and finish the Trial in a single day."

"I understand your thoughts, but as your advisor, let me emphasize the severity of this Trial again and the rewards we are aiming to achieve," Cecil replied.

"Wherever this Boss Monster is currently located, you will not simply defeat it by sheer strength. If that were the case, the Catalyst would not have provided a condition or hint to kill all the monsters in the territory. Currently, I lack knowledge, so we must take things one step at a time and not rush." Cecil's explanation regarding the importance of the completion rewards placed another ton of weight on Arthur's heart.

"Do you truly believe there is a secret to defeating the Boss hidden among the lesser monsters?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, Sire, I truly do," Cecil said.

"Therefore, I want you to take your time and let everything progress naturally. Do not rush it. Furthermore, I want you to improve your combat."

"My combat," Arthur repeated, a tone of anticipation lacing his words.

"Cecil, are you implying that the final Trial must be completed by me alone?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, Sire. I believe you may have to face the Boss Monster alone," Cecil replied.

"That cannot be true, right? These Skeletons are me; they are a part of me. How could they not be allowed to help me in the final battle?" Arthur asked urgently. Up until now, he had been far too nonchalant. Because he possessed his Faunite Crystals, he assumed he could simply hire a Great Grand Master Skeleton and easily kill the Boss. This line of thought had not faltered even after Cecil repeatedly tried to emphasize the Trial's severity. However, he finally understood what the Skeleton had been hinting at.

There was a real chance he would have to enter the final battle against the Boss all by himself. At that time, his Skeletons would not be allowed to assist him. This scenario completely overturned everything he had been planning. Considering the Boss Monster's reward and its tier as a Superior commodity, a currency used by High-Order beings, one could only imagine how ridiculously difficult this Trial would actually be. Arthur gulped hard, his mind wandering through various thoughts. Should he reject the request?

Would that be a wise choice? He pondered this question for a long time before Cecil's voice interrupted his silence.

"Sire, do not worry. You have already won half the battle simply by knowing that killing the monsters will provide a chance to encounter the Boss," Cecil reassured.

"Therefore, I want you to confidently step forward on your chosen path. Do not fall into despair; now is not the time for that."

"Cecil, regarding the hint about killing the monsters," Arthur began, suddenly recalling how he had obtained the Ability Card from a monster earlier.

"Could it be related to the specific rewards those monsters drop? Items like the Ability Card, the Night Crystal, and the Norm Evolution Night Crystal?"

"Yes, Sire. I also believe it is related to the rewards that special monsters drop," Cecil said, agreeing with Arthur's speculation.

"Therefore, we must kill every one of them, especially the special ones, to see if any rewards are given from that."

"Do you think this Faunite Crystal Core is also one of them?" Arthur asked. He could guess that the Ability Card was definitely a reward, but he had thought to extract the Crystal Core on his own.

"No, Sire. I do not think it is a related reward," Cecil replied.

"I believe it was a miracle that you even thought about doing such a thing. Therefore, it is definitely not a reward intended to be obtained by the one taking the Trial."

"Okay, then I am already at an advantage," Arthur said, giving a weird smile. At the very least, he could use this Faunite Crystal Core to his advantage.

"Very well said, Sire," Cecil said, praising Arthur for his quick thinking.

"So, what should I do now?" Arthur asked again, having finally decided on the path they were about to take. Earlier, the path had been confusing and filled with uncertainty. Now, however, Arthur's mind could see a straight path. All he needed to do was travel forward, make the necessary stops, and improve himself along the way.

"Yes, Sire. Let us choose one Great Grand Master Skeleton. You need a Great Grand Master with enough versatility to act as an emergency fighter, a guardian, and a breakthrough force," Cecil advised.

"Versatile? I have hired versatile Skeletons before. It is a good idea," Arthur said. Hearing what kind of combat Skeleton would be perfect for now, he immediately opened the Marketplace and filtered the list for versatile combat Skeletons. The search yielded plenty of choices, and he only needed to select one.

[Worker Status] Name: Garrick Designation: Battle Knight Specialist: Versatile Weapon Professional Status: Great Grand Master Monthly Maintenance Cost (MMC): 250, 000 Credits Contract Payment: Faunite Crystal"Cecil, what do you think of a Battle Knight with a Versatile Weapon Specialist?" Arthur asked.

"It is a perfect choice, Sire. It will perfectly suit our current situation," Cecil said, agreeing to the selection of Garrick.

"But just looking at the Monthly Maintenance Cost shows this Skeleton will not be cheap. It will devour a lot of Faunite Crystals." Looking at the price, Arthur felt a tinge of pain.