Chapter 37
The main event before bed: allocating status points.
If Nel has taken the first step in deciding her future, now it's Amina's turn.
"So, so, what am I going to become?"
"Maybe Amina will become a songstress?"
With expectant eyes, they look at me. Nel, too, seems curious about how Amina will grow, closing her own status screen to focus on this.
"The ultimate form Amina is aiming for is—"
"What is it?"
To match their anticipation, I deliberately pause for a moment.
"A busy-type idol!!"
I declare it with confidence.
"Busy-type... idol?"
But the meaning didn't get through at all.
"Nel, I don't get it."
"I don't know either."
"Huh?"
This reaction was unexpected. But what's said is said.
"Well, an idol is someone who sings and dances and is admired by everyone."
"An amazing person!"
"Like a mix between a dancer and a bard?"
"And the busy-type idol is an expanded version of that, which is what Amina is aiming for."
I quickly explain the basics of an idol and make sure Amina's direction isn't completely off. When I first declared it, their faces were like, "What's that?" mixed with a suspicious look that maybe this wasn't what they had in mind.
The sudden drop in enthusiasm made me feel a bit cold.
"Amina's role will be to fight, sing, dance, buff, attract attention, and draw monsters—a triple threat of chaos!"
"An amazing person!!"
"Amina, you're just saying the same thing as before."
"But, fighting, singing, dancing, and attracting monsters... wait, isn't that dangerous? Am I really supposed to sing and dance in front of monsters?"
"That's right."
"Whaaat?! That's dangerous!!"
While I avoided the suspicious looks, now there's a shocked voice echoing through the tent, as if saying, "What kind of nonsense is this?"
"Hey, I've been hearing the girls' screams for a while now. Keep the weird stuff to a minimum, okay?"
"Ah, yes! Sorry."
Amina's voice, being good at singing, carries particularly well. After Dent's warning, we lower our voices a bit.
"This is also considered one of the strongest styles. Once perfected, you'll be able to completely shut down most monsters and be unmatched in large-scale battles. But the path to completion is much harder than Nel's."
"Harder than mine?"
"Yeah, unlike me and Nel, the number of passive skills is significantly higher. You'll need to max them all out, so you both know how much work that is, right?"
If she says it's too dangerous and refuses, or if she refuses to sing while fighting, this style won't work at all.
"Ahh..."
Remembering the grind for passive skill development, both of them get a distant look in their eyes.
"I thought of this as the best formation that fulfills Amina's wishes while allowing us to continue adventuring together. But if you don't like it, I can think of a pure songstress formation instead."
From her reaction, it seems like Amina might prefer the latter.
"Can I still fight with that?"
"Not really. You'd be more of a support, singing from the back to assist the party. Alternatively, you could allocate 70% to combat skills and take singing skills as a hobby."
This build is also based on my knowledge and experience of the strongest builds. Preferences matter, and I don't want to push something she doesn't like.
How to allocate status points ultimately depends on the person. If there's a wish to become something, it's better to help fulfill that.
"Hmm..."
She's thinking. Of course.
It's not like a game where you can create a character from scratch. You can redo the training if you take the time, but you can't get that time back.
Wanting to be the strongest is just my wish.
I'm just happy if Amina stays with me. Forcing her would just be my selfishness.
"If I get stronger, it won't be dangerous, right?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, in a way, you'll also gain the strongest defense."
"I want to stay with Nel and Liberta, so okay. I'll try becoming that... busy-type? thing. I can still sing, right?"
"I'll make you sing until you hate it."
"I don't want to hate it. Singing is supposed to be fun."
But after a bit of thought, Amina suddenly smiles and agrees.
"Besides, Liberta, you said you'd make me the strongest songstress, right? I want to see if that's true."
"I'll keep my promise."
"Then it's fine. For now, just tell me what I'll be like in the future."
"Of course!"
As they say, a girl's heart changes easily. It doesn't seem like she's reluctantly agreeing; she's stepping forward willingly.
Then, I won't hold back my knowledge either.
"The busy-type idol is based on five passive skills: Singing, Dancing, Alchemy, Summoning, and Spirit Arts. It's a style that combines buffer and tank roles."
"Wow, can I really remember all that?"
"We'll cut where we need to, so it's fine. All passives will be maxed out, but the active skills for Alchemy, Summoning, and Spirit Arts will total only ten. Singing-related skills will be twenty-five, Dancing-related fifteen, and the remaining ten will be allocated accordingly."
The busy-type idol—if Nel's combat merchant is the ultimate attacker, this style is the raid battle's chosen one.
"Huh? But why do I need to learn Summoning and Alchemy? And Spirit Arts?"
"Amina, your main focus will be singing and dancing, but while doing that, you'll be defenseless, right? The other three skills will fortify your defense. Though, with the buffs from your singing and dancing, you'll be surrounded by crazy strong stuff that can annihilate the enemy."
The basic action of a busy-type idol is to spread buffs. The range of buffs from Singing skills is among the widest in support skills. Singing is a must, but in FBO, there was a time when a serious singer using this build became famous overnight.
I don't know what system they're using, but the better the singing, the higher the effect. It's a skill form that demands technical ability.
During a raid battle event where these busy-type idol units proliferated, it was nicknamed the "Idol Live Concert."
The common effect of Singing skills includes an attraction effect. Depending on the conditions, this can surpass the target-gathering ability of pure tank skills. Plus, since you're also spreading buffs, you'll gather even more hate. It's the idol's nature to attract attention.
While you're gathering monsters, other unit characters can attack them freely, boasting a hate concentration rate that makes pure tanks cry.
"Crazy strong stuff? What's that?"
"That's the combination of Alchemy, Spirit Arts, and Summoning. Among Alchemy skills, there's a Golem Creation skill. You create golems, summon them with Summoning, and use Spirit Arts to create BGM that enhances buff effects while the golems operate automatically. The synergy is insane."
However, this busy-type idol has a flaw. Compared to pure tank roles, it's significantly less tough.
To increase skill rotation, the stat distribution leans heavily on magic, so it's unavoidable. That's why you use Alchemy to create golems.
The "crazy strong stuff" Nel asked about is these golems.
Golems summoned with Summoning are considered allies and benefit from buffs. However, player-made golems can't move automatically; you have to control them.
Well, technically, they can move automatically, but their actions become very predictable.
Spirit Arts solves this drawback. Spirit Arts involve contracting with spirits or drawing out their potential using spirit buffs.
In the game's setting, spirits enjoy offerings of song and dance.
That's why this style synergizes well with the busy-type idol.
And when your affinity with a contracted spirit increases, they might form a band to provide BGM, possess golems to go on a rampage, or enhance the potential of Singing and Dancing skills. The synergy is insane.
In the game, Spirit Arts alone were almost unusable—no, they were quite difficult to use.
The spirits' AI had an affinity system, and each use would lower their affinity, reducing their power and effect range.
However, if you asked for support with Singing and Dancing, their affinity wouldn't drop and might even increase. They'd also proactively engage in battles they usually disliked.
In short, the key is for the spirits to have fun.
"Wow, spirits and golems are that amazing?"
"They're incredible. Especially if you raise them from the lowest-tier minor spirits to the highest-tier unique spirits, they'll work incredibly hard, perhaps out of gratitude."
That's why the relationship with spirits is crucial, and I want to max out Spirit Arts no matter what.
"Raising spirits, you make it sound easy. I've heard it takes thousands of years for spirits to grow, and I don't even know where they are."
"That's true for wild spirits. I have a rough idea of their locations, and their growth isn't that difficult. For Amina, it might be pretty easy. Just sing, dance, have fun, eat delicious food, and repeat."
"Then I can do it."
But according to Nel's understanding, contracting with spirits is difficult, their locations are unknown, and their growth takes thousands of years.
That's where my game knowledge comes in handy.
In fact, modern common sense is what makes spirit training the biggest hurdle for busy-type idols.
Spirits love to have fun.
You can lure them with items, but they primarily love singing and dancing. If you treat them like AI and cut corners, they'll notice and their affinity will drop.
The best efficiency comes from enjoying it as if you're playing with friends, as some攻略 sites put it.
Adults singing and dancing with little fantasy spirits. Even if you're using a cute avatar, knowing it's AI can be a bit embarrassing.
Some even joke that it's a battle to shed your shame.
But Amina seems to see it as having someone to sing with, and in this world, spirits are alive, so it shouldn't be a problem.
"Anyway, to summarize, Amina will be protected by spirit-possessed golems while singing and dancing to the spirits' accompaniment, strengthening her allies. Summoning is learned for setting up the stage. Got it?"
"Yep, got it!"
Once the busy-type idol reaches its final form, even hidden bosses will be surrounded by unique spirit-possessed golems and gang-beaten. The boss's minions? They'll be drawn into the idol's performance and turned into mincemeat. Status effects? The spirits' BGM will block them. Area attacks? They'll be destroyed before they can interfere with the idol's live performance.
"Now that you understand, let's allocate your status points."
"Okay! Uh, I can't do the math. Liberta, help!"
"Amina, I taught you before."
"Maybe we should take a break from adventuring to study math."
"Huh?!"
She probably can't even imagine that final form. Amina innocently starts operating her status with her wingtips but suddenly stops and smiles awkwardly.
Ratio calculations are something kids usually can't do. But I think it's useful to learn, so I make a mental note to set up a study session with Nel and Amina later.
"Done!"
"Alright, let's check."
**Amina - Class 1 / Level 9**
**Base Stats:**
- **HP:** 7 - **MP:** 11 - **BP:** 0 - **EXBP:** 0 - **Skill 1 / Skill Slots:** 3 - **Staff Mastery - Class 2 / Level 83**
With my guidance, Amina finishes allocating her status points and shows them to me cheerfully. And so, Amina has taken her first step forward.