Co-op with a buffing mage

We go to Treeza forest. I used to feel like I've had enough with this place whenever I'm here, but now I don't really care about any of it. I'm fine. More than fine. I couldn't care less about my damage. I would want to improve it for the technical efficiency of it, but what matters most is that I'm with Luna.

The truth to that is so real that what happened to me DOESN'T ACTUALLY MATTER. My experience with what I consider "the zenith of bad luck", simply falls short as it cannot keep up with rivaling my partner, and how lucky I am to have her.

As soon as we arrive, Luna starts preparing.

-"Okay, let's start by finding a monster, any monster. Then we can see what we can do by buffing your abilities! It would be best if it's a crystal butterfly, but we should start trying our combos as top priority anyway", Luna explains.

"Roger that leader", I reply.

We walk around and I notice my radar, connected to the tracker item - detects something. Well, it could only really detect one thing. Or rather... One specific rival of mine. If it ain't my long lost partner/rival-love/hate slimey acquaintance. PERFECT.

"Luna! I used a tracker item on that slime. I... "know" that slime... Let's target it!" I eagerly suggest.

Luna doesn't move. She doesn't say anything.

"Luna?"

-"OMG!!! That thing is the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!"

"Have you never seen a slime before?" I genuinely ask.

-"I mostly went to other regions to complete quests and although I already seen slimes in the past, this one is the cutest of them all!" she explains, grabbing the thing in order to hug it, suffocating it a bit due to her excitement.

-"Rune! I have a pet item that is used in order to tame a monster! Once we have a house we can live with that cute thing as a pet! Here, I'll use it!" she says as she is already using the item on the slime, which transfers it to a pet item in her inventory. Physical objects usually need to be carried but the MMO-like inventory system is generally used for technical items like potions.

She manages to do that before I explain to her my rivalry with that thing. Does that... Does that mean I won the bet with the slime? Does that count? I'm not too sure.

Shortly after, a crystal butterfly appears and we immediately engage.

-"Rune, I can buff your monster drop rate status. If you are the one to deal most of the damage, it will work. Now I'll cast that spell along with the weapon duplication".

I'm glowing a bit from the buffs casted on me. That glowing stays. In my hand - appears a glassy version of my new dagger. I throw it on the butterfly and it deals 2 damage. Immediately after the dagger itself left my hand - there was already another one appearing yet again.

"Luna, do those absorb more magic from you?" I ask, as it seems likely.

-"Yea, but don't worry about it, I still have much more!"

I throw another one and hit the butterfly. Something really bizarre happens.

I deal 2 damage and above that line there's another line. It says "Null".

"What in the hell is that?" I ask, looking at Luna.

-"Your stacks, your stacks from each hit dealing damage are accumulating more chance for a critical hit. You increased it beyond 100%!" she says.

I close my distance and eventually strike with the dagger, without throwing it. Crystal butterflies have the same amount of life points as slimes, that's a 100 points.

I keep attacking it fast, a combo of attacks to finish it quickly despite the low damage. It's life points reach 0 eventully, and as it is deafeated, it drops the rare "Crystal wings".

"Luna! We got it!" I declare.

-"Rune, check your skills. Anything new?"

I open my skill tree and see a new skill; "Crossing the Line - Excess critical hit chance will start a new damage line, applying extra damage. Extra lines will always critically hit. Each level increases the cap by 1 (maximum level: 4). Each level costs 1 extra skill point.

"Yea! Check this out, it seems a little complicated".

I show her my skill tree.

-"Rune you have 10 skill points left, right? Yea that's what it says", Luna notices.

"Hold on, shouldn't I have less? I'll try counting: 'Daggery', 'Conversion', 'Double critical damage', 'Loyal stack', 'Stacks accumulation', and the one that ensures my first attack will also be a critical hit - 'Rest Easy'. Yea, that would be 6 out of 15 points spent. Hmm..." I say as I check out my locked skill trees.

"My point in Daggery was refunded. It seems some things and... actions, trigger the evolution of my skill tree, my initial raised point influenced it but still got refunded as that tree got locked. That's why I still have 10 points".

-"I see. Well, if you think about it, you have just enough to raise that new skill completely. Every level raises the amount of possible lines. However, it costs greatly. Since every level costs more points than before, 4 levels accumulate to exactly 10 points. It's a big investment. What do you think?" she asks.

"I... I'm not sure..." I reply. It does seem like quite a big decision. Last time I made one of those without thinking...

-"Let's calculate a bit", Luna decides.

-"If any level gets you a new line, and the new lines will accumulate, then your first hit will deal 2 damage but accumulate more than a 100% critical chance. Your second hit will deal 2 damage twice, both lines accumulating critical chance, beyond 200% this time. Therefore, a third hit will deal 2 damage 3 times and so on up to 5 lines. Rune, if we calculate all the damage that accumulates, after 5 hits, which you are able to hit very quickly - you will be able to deal a total of 30 damage! Since it's only up to 5 lines, further hits will be 2 damage - times 5 lines, meanning, any hit beyond the 4th gurantees a total of 10 damage per hit!"

"You are... A math genius".

-"Don't you see Rune?" She says with excitement. -"Heavy damage dealers can hit blows that deals even a 100 damage, or 200 if it's a critical strike, but they don't hit nearly as fast as you, even other dagger users who specialize in dexterity will sacrifice some damage for speed, which you still beat becuase of your training".

"OMG... You are right Luna! This puts me back in the game!!!" I yell happily.

She is absolutely right! If you just grow old to accumulate stats, you might gain heavier stats but will lack the ability to properly apply it in battle due to age. That is why above a certain age, most people apply points in skills that are very passive, contributing to their livelihood. Since I triumph in that physical area, with this new skill I'll be able to fully compete in damage!

"Luna... I'll raise it all".

-"I'm right behind you", she says in validation.

I raise the skill to a maximum of 4 levels. It costs me 10 skill points. That. Feels. Heavy.

I'm very stressed.

-"Let's try to fight another one. Both the items the shop owner asked us to collect are used to improve a weapon's durability. We can get one extra of each, and ask him if he can upgrade your dagger's durability for us. It might cost more though", she suggests with a smile.

Her smile defeats my stress, as usual.

"Yes ma'am!"

We look for another crystal butterfly, and one shows up pretty quickly.

-"Wait just a second, the buffs I gave you were good for 5 minutes, I'll buff you again", Luna says.

She buffs me with the extra drop rate and the weapon duplication spells. I start glowing like before.

I throw my dagger, and deal 2 damage. I quickly throw another and deal 2 lines of damage, 2 damage each. I keep throwing quickly with precision and before we know it - every hit deals 5 lines of damage to a total of 10 damage per throw. The butterfly is deafeated so fast I can't even believe my eyes.

This time it doesn't drop anything. But I don't mind. I'm having fun. This is how I imagined questing with Luna would feel like.

"Luna!" I call her.

-"Rune!" She replies.

"You saved me".