《Core .001》 Volume 01: Prologue - New World My name is Shiro, I got this weird name from my parents who are just infatuated with Japanese culture. They say they named me after the snow that fell the day I was born. I also have a white cat who so happens to have the name of Shiro. What are the odds? Considering the cat is older than me by a year, I often wonder with their terrible naming sense if they named me after a cat. Of course they franticly insist that I was named after the pure white snow on that day and by no means after a cat. I mean they do realize that we live in the age of the Internet right? I can freakin¡¯ check what the weather was like 12 years ago! And guess what?! There was no snow that entire December at all! Of course good luck bringing that up to them, because the moment I do they always end up in a hurry or busy! Now that is not to say they aren¡¯t busy or in a hurry to go places though, you see my parents are unfortunately rarely home. They travel around from place to place for their jobs. Which often led me to transfer from place to place. Recently though they decided since I got a bit older, it is best if I make some actual friends. So they decided to buy a house near Yellowstone and leave me with a babysitter. Personally I am kind of upset about the whole thing. My dream is to travel around the entire world and have an awesome adventure! Who wants a boring life sitting in one place their entire life? Men were born for adventure! For better or for worse the babysitter they got is fairly lazy, more so than that lazy cat who wouldn¡¯t even lift a paw if a mouse is literally right in front of him! I mean talk about lazy! The babysitter as well just comes over and mostly lies down and relaxes all day leaving me to my own devices. I could probably blow up the house and they wouldn¡¯t care. Which kind of makes me feel a bit dejected. But there are perks because I can go wherever I want and do whatever I want without being hounded day and night like some of my friends. Of course when I say ¡°friends¡±, I use the term loosely, for you see despite my current enthusiasm I am generally pretty timid around others. Not to mention I am a bit tomboyish, so I have little in common with the girls in my class. Most of them see me as a bit ¡°weird¡±. So while I do have ¡°friends¡± which I hang out from time to time, it is more in tune with friendly acquaintances. While I would like to have some true friends, I know it is kind of hard for a person like me. My timid outwards personality aside, my dream of traveling around the world on an adventure kind of makes finding actual friends who are willing to travel with me rather scarce. Despite my classmates being children of the age of around 12 like me, they consider my dream to go on an adventure ¡°childish and unrealistic¡±. I have a hard time imagining what kind of childhoods these people had... *sigh* Speaking of adventure, I am right now on a mini-adventure. It is now the middle of the night and I snuck out of the house. Of course when I say snuck out, I actually mean walked out the front door. And as expected the babysitter showed zero care! Talk about irresponsible...Seriously! Either way I am in a really really good mood today, because today will be an experience of a lifetime! A large meteor shower is going to take place in a short while. This meteor shower is going to directly hit Earth to boot! Of course the composition of the meteors is made out of ice, so there is no real risk of any sort of extinction event you see in the movies. *lol* I brought my portable telescope along and know just the spot in the park for best viewing away from the crowds. When the first one falls, I am going to wish for a life of adventure! I can¡¯t wait! [2 hours later]Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Alright! Telescope is fully set up and the meteor shower should begin any minute now! Ooooh! I see it, I see it! Awesome! They are entering the atmosphere and are burning up! ...So cool! Wait...what is this?! They are not burning up at all, what the heck? They should be made of ice and burn up quickly but it does not seem that way, what in the world is going on?! * rumble * * rumble * * rumble * The ground is shaking...oh sh*t one is coming right this way!!!!! OMG! OMG OMG! I don¡¯t want to die! Please god don¡¯t let me die, please, please I¡¯ll do anything! I am too young to die! Argh! I still have a lot of things I want to do! I still have things I want to tell my parents! Is the cat going to be fed properly without me? Argh! What the hell am I thinking, Do I really want my last dying words to be worrying about a cat?! I really want to go on an adventure¡­ *BOOM* ¡­. ¡­ ... So..cold¡­ ¡­ Where am I? ... ¡­ Who am I? ... ¡­ What am I? ... ¡­ What is an I? ... ¡­. ¡­ What are these questions? ... ¡­ What is the concept of a question? ¡­ ¡­ Concept? ¡­ ¡­ What? ¡­ ¡­ Is? ¡­ ¡­ Language? ¡­ ¡­ ?????????????????????? ¡­ ¡­. ¡­. ¡°Breaking news!¡± ¡°The meteors that were thought to be made out of ice were actually made out of some kind of crystalline structure!¡± ¡°These meteors are not breaking up in the atmosphere as first envisioned and are causing serious damage throughout the world! Authorities are urging citizens not to panic and to stay indoor or go to the local bomb shelter if available. This is not a drill, I repeat this is not a drill!¡± ¡°We will have further news as soon as...whats that? Hmmm...SERIOUSLY?!?!¡± ¡°Viewers, it saddens me to inform you all that an unprecedented situation has occurred. Due to the meteors high energy density, it seems to have obscured radio telescopes around the world. I regret to inform you all...that..that a giant asteroid is following right behind the meteor shower. And is scheduled to impact Earth within an hour¡­ May god show mercy... ¡± ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- . ¡­. ...
Congratulations! You have awakened as a Level 1 - Dungeon Core
¡­ Must expand...Must protect¡­Must summon monsters...Must cultivate DP...processing¡­ ¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡­ ¡­ 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 DP¡­
System Error! System is in danger of crashing! Utilizing all available means to mitigate the anomaly.. Isolating area outside system for containment...
¡­ Mana ¡­ ... ¡­ Adventure ¡­ Cat ...
Anomaly has been neutralized. System has been rebooted.
¡­ ¡°Ugh¡­ My head hurts¡­ what happened?! I remember there was a meteor..then I had some important job to do? ¡­ then a chalic... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH¡± * collapse * ¡­ Volume 01: Walking out of the box to a new world (1) ¡°Mmm...¡± The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is a strange looking ceiling. Like I am in some kind of catacombs or something. ¡°Where¡­ am¡­ I?¡± I slowly get up an look around. I remember having a headache for some reason and collapsing but now I feel somewhat refreshed. Well until I notice how eerie the place around me really is¡­ Is this some kind of prank? ¡­ Wait I died didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t tell me it is one of those cases where they take you for dead and bury you and you end up waking up¡­ That would really suck¡­ Speaking of which despite it being so dark I am able to see the details pretty well...odd¡­ * ROOOOOAAAAAAAAAR * * rumble * * rumble * * rumble * Ugh! I quickly grab the sides of my head to cover my ears from the terrifying roar from the far distance only to find that it is not helping at all. Why?! I am covering my ears so it should help reduce the ringing noise¡­ MY EARS! WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE MY EARS! MY EARS ARE MISSING! Ok, calm down¡­ deep breath... stay calm... Think logically, my ears can¡¯t possible be missing because then I would not hear any noise at all. So in worst case, just my outer ears are missing and not the ears themselves...though somehow that doesn¡¯t make me feel much better¡­ I slowly feel the side of my head as I subconsciously move my hands upwards. I suddenly feel a warm soft fluffy sensation, but at same time feel rather ticklish...Quickly, I realize there is something sitting on my head and I start to panic, as I try to discern what it is by trying to shake it off. That is when I realize that there is something long sneaking right behind me¡­ ¡°S-Snake!¡± I quickly rush down the stone hallway to distance myself from the snake, while at same time swerving my head left and right trying to shake whatever it is on my head. As I turn around, I notice the snake is literally on my tail! At this rate I am not going to get away from that white snake. I steel my courage and smack the snake with my hand. ¡°Ouch!¡± Due to the sudden pain I quickly jump and duck for the floor, I turn around to try to see if I could fend off that white snake only to notice it missing with no hint of it in sight. In its stead I see an odd blue box.
You have taken 1 damage
¡­ Okaaay¡­ I am dreaming ri..ght? This is no time to be in denial¡­ Breath in and out slowly¡­ Lets quickly take in the facts. I know that I died when that meteor hit¡­ And since I am feeling pain, I can¡¯t just shrug it off as a dream¡­ Don¡¯t tell me it is like one of those ridiculous scenarios where I get reincarnated in a different world of swords and magic and get a whole breakdown when I say or think of the word ¡°Status¡±¡­ hahahaha
Status
Name Shiro Race ???????? - ?¨¡? Class Level
Gender Female Status [????????] Beastkin - Cat 1
Age 12 years Free Points 0 Hunger 100/100
HP 249 / 250 (0.12/m) STR 12 INT 10
MP 10 / 10 (0.01/m) AGI 15 WIS 8
Stamina 48 / 50 (0.6/m) VIT 12 MNTThis tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. 20
Mental 38 / 70 (0.2/m) DEX 13 LUK 100
Skills
[LP] English 5 [RA] Smell Sense 1
[RP] Night Vision 2
Ha¡­ ha¡­ * sigh * I guess I can look at the bright side¡­ I think I figured out why my ears are missing and the identity of that ¡°White snake¡±¡­ I turn around to look at my back and see a wiggling fluffy tail. Yup that confirms it! Setting aside my urge to grab the tail, I quickly confirm that I am in a safe spot and begin reviewing my ¡°Status Screen¡±. A few minutes later, I pretty much got the gist of it. To summarize what I learned, as far as attributes go: [STR] gives you more muscle strength which also helps improve your endurance a bit [AGI] improves your speed and reflexes plus flexibility [VIT] helps improve your defense, increases regeneration of [Stamina] while at same time reducing its consumption. It also helps with overall endurance and HP regeneration. [DEX] helps you with accuracy and control [INT] improves your mana regeneration and allows you to solve problems faster [WIS] reduces the mana consumption of spells and helps with memory [MNT] helps reduce consumption of [Mental] and helps you resist psychological attacks [LUK] is a bit odd in that it helps you slightly push probability in your favor. You can¡¯t normally raise this attribute though. Now there is also consumable stats as well: [HP] is your life points, when you reach 0, you are dead. [MP] is how much mana you have and is used for casting spells and other various uses. If MP reaches below 10%, it will put a strain on [Mental] [Stamina] is how much short term strength you have. Every action consumes stamina, more so with skills. If your Stamina reaches 0, you will not be able to move at all. [Mental] is one I am not too familiar with from my experience with games. But from my understanding based on the information display about it, any form of thinking or mental stress has an impact on consumption of [Mental]. My Mental is at 38 probably due to all the headaches I had and the confusion state. Casting spells and some skills also reduce Mental. Mental hitting 0 means going unconscious. My race is Beastkin, more specifically a Catkin variant. In terms of level up. It seems that you need to raise your race class to level 10 before you can get a basic job based class. And level 25 if you want a combat based class. Each class gets their own bonuses from leveling up. In my case I get the following: Sentient Creature - +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin - +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin - +2 AGI +1 DEX Every 10 levels, a new class skill opens up as well. Unfortunately, I did not get too much information as far as skills go, such as how to acquire or trains skills. And me doing a few punches in mid-air did not seem to grant me any skill in punching. The markers on the skills seem to represent as follows: [LP] Language Passive [RP] Racial Passive [RA] Racial Active This has me seriously worried about a possible language barrier... I doubt people speak english here now do they? Possible god who reincarnated me, where is my language cheat skill? * sigh *¡­ I guess I¡¯ll have to go out to find out.. I currently have 2 actual skills, one is my [Night Vision] racial passive which improves my visibility in the darkness by 200%, which explains why I can see so well despite being so dark here. My other skill is a racial active skill called [Smell Sense]. It helps increase my sense of smell by 100% at the consumption of 0.1/s [Mental]. Of course there is a risk of higher [Mental] consumption in case of it is being used in areas with high odor. With all that out of the way it leaves me with one last concern about my ¡°Status Window¡±. What in the world is up with my Age, Race and Status? Has my confusion somehow caused it to weird out on me or something? Or is it because I was 12 when I died but since I have a new body my age is now in limbo? Same for my race which should have been human but now I am a Catkin? While I would love to spend the entire day thinking about all the possibilities, I need to come to terms with reality and prioritize! I have been preparing for adventuring my entire life despite how short it may have been. The first priority should be to secure food and a safe place to stay. And this place looks to have neither. ¡°Storage!¡± ¡°Open Storage!¡± ¡°Inventory!¡± ¡°Item Box!¡± ¡°Open Sesame?¡± * sigh * As I figured¡­ I have no convenient storage magic cheat either. Which means I have no food or any other survival gear. My only weapon is my teeth and claws, and I don¡¯t even have a skill to help assist those at all! And I am under no delusion, if god is too stingy to give me a storage cheat, he certainly did not make my claws and teeth indestructible. So if they break, I am so doomed that it ain¡¯t funny! Oh by the way, I am pretty sure that it is a god who reincarnated me or something along those lines because it simply makes no sense that I am suddenly a 12 year old in the middle of some sort of catacombs. And considering that I am wearing virtually no gear and level 1, it pretty much rules out the awakened memories scenario. So putting two and two together, that is the only logical conclusion I could come up with so far. Well anyways¡­ enough distracting myself, I need to find myself out of here ASAP! After that, I can decide on what to do. Since the direction I came from is a dead end, I so far only have 1 way to go. Which in itself is a blessing, because if this place is one of those dungeon like places and I chose to go deeper in, I¡¯ll be totally screwed¡­ Since I have decided on what to do, I proceed to go down the only hallway I see. As I move through the hallway, I notice a bunch of exotic creatures, from giant toads to lizards. This so screams dungeon to me, but I am still not 100% sure. My biggest confusion is they don¡¯t seem to be attacking me or even paying attention to me at all for some reason. So either god gave me some concealment cheat or maybe, just maybe they are herbivores that just happen to fill up this place? I can of course try attacking one to test that theory, but I am not that stupid. I know in most games and literature you read the protagonist goes ¡°Opportunity for easy XP~!¡± and comes up with some ingenious surprise attack to get them by surprise. But in my opinion, half of them are crazy! You only live once! I understand that in this world I might have to fight to survive, but there is a time and a place for everything, and this is no time for a clueless suicide. If they are going to ignore me, better for me. Once I get out of this place and get some information, then I¡¯ll consider the easy safe way to power level. Maybe that is why god did not give me any cheats, he probably only gives them to those with a few screws loose and willing to entertaining them, in comparison, I am just plain old boring, sorry. I continue to cautiously walk in the tunnel for what feels like 2 hours, while briefly using my [Smell Sense] skill every 5 minutes or so just in case. I finally end up in what seems to be a big room, and my [Smell Sense] is telling me there is a creature in this room that is significantly different than the ones I met in the hallway. Unfortunately even with my improved [Night Vision], I can¡¯t really make out what the creature is due to how large this room is. It also seems the creature¡¯s skin color is black which isn¡¯t helping me any. At best, I can tell the creature is sleeping. Though my [Night Vision] does help me see is the glistening dagger that is lying not too far on a nearby pedestal. Which puts me in my first dilemma since coming here. What do I do? I obviously can¡¯t turn back since its a dead end. So my only option is to sneak past this creature who I am hoping is also a herbivore. Come on [LUK] I am counting on you to make it a herbivore! Pretty please with a cherry on top... With my futile plea out of the way I start considering my other option, to grab that dagger on the way out. The worst possible scenario is if this place is a boss room or if I have some sort of conceal on and the moment I grab that dagger I am forced to engage in combat with whatever that is which seems to be at least 5X bigger than me! I can of course leave the dagger there, but if I do that who knows what kind of things may show up. And if this giant creature does end up attacking me, my odds would probably be better with a dagger regardless of how futile it is. * sigh * I guess this is where the saying goes ¡°You only die twice¡± or since I am now a Catkin is that nine times? Dear god, please make my cheat that I have 9 lives! Though somehow I have a feeling that even that might not be enough. Coming to a conclusion, I decide to make the final judgment on whether or not I should go for the dagger once I get closer to the pedestal. Which is closer to both the exit and the mysterious sleeping creature. Maybe if I get closer, I can make a more sound judgment if I should take the risk or not. With my heart beating like mad drums, I slowly and steadily tip-toe closer to the pedestal. Within about a minute, I get close enough to the pedestal to touch the dagger. And for better or worse, I can now make out the giant sleeping creature¡­ Eeeeekk!!!! What is lying in front, a few meters away from me is a GIANT PANTHER! I quickly cover my mouth with both hands to prevent myself from squealing in terror! Dear god, please tell me in your world giant panthers are herbivores? Right? Right? Or at the very least friendly to fellow felines like Catkin maybe? A girl can only dream¡­ * sigh * Now is the moment of truth, do I go for the dagger or not? I do a bit of soul searching and decide to go with the most ridiculous option possible. Go with my instincts. Now I know what I said about not taking stupid risks, and denouncing those less than sane protagonists that needlessly throw their lives into the fire like moths. But truth be told, I don¡¯t think I have much choice here. No matter how you look at it, this is a dungeon, and this is either a mini-boss or a boss of some sort. Why else would a giant panther be just lying there next to a dagger on a pedestal. And if that is the case, then there is a possibility that beyond this room the monsters are going to be aggressive. If I can get my hands on a decent weapon from a sleeping boss regardless how low the odds its better than trying to wrestle a weapon out of a non-sleeping monster. With my mind made up, I decide to go for the dagger. Just this once I will be that idiot protagonist, but never again¡­ are you happy god? And then when I grab the dagger, I will sneak up on the panther and murder it in its sleep...NOT! I might be doing something relatively crazy, but I am not that stupid. If I did that I¡¯d be dead faster than I could cry uncle. It would literally make me into mince meat in one strike. Grab dagger and run, end of story! I slowly reach for the dagger with my right hand, with every inch it feels like my heart is beating faster and faster. With what felt like hours, though lasted only a few seconds, I finally place my hand on the dagger. Looking at the monster, it seems like it is still casually enjoying its sleep without a hint of waking up. With a slight sigh of relief, I raise the dagger slowly towards myself. At that moment I hear loud snort. With trembling eyes, I slowly take a look as my face turns pale white as my hair! Because in front of me I notice the giant panther moving. OMG! I AM GOING TO DIE! Again¡­ The giant panther started to move around as I stood there frozen solid. Inside my head I am contemplating whether I should not move, hide, or just make a run for it? Though due to my immense fear I could not move even if I wanted to. The panther continued to move little by little and then much to my bewilderment stopped again to sleep. IT WAS FREAKIN¡¯ REPOSITIONING ITSELF IN ITS SLEEP! ARGH! DAMN YOU! I LIKE LOST 5 OUT OF MY 9 LIVES ON THAT ONE! Okay, I need to keep it together¡­ I should just be glad he did not wake up, be thankful for that at least. With the dagger in hand, I continue to slowly but steadily make my way out of the room. Once I made it out of the room, I collapsed on the floor breathing heavily. I think my [Mental] went down by half just from that alone! At this rate, my hair is going to turn white from all this stress¡­ oh... wait¡­
Due to overcoming a large mental hurdle: +1 MNT
Argh...thanks but no thanks! Volume 01: Walking out of the box to a new world (2) After taking a minute break by the room exit, I decide to go further down the hallway. As far away from the sleeping giant cat as possible. While I am a bit nervous if there any more dangerous monsters down the hallway, I can¡¯t imagine any of them being scarier than that sleeping panther boss. And now I at least have a dagger to defend myself. I continue down the hallway for at least another half an hour which was mostly empty with the exception of a few giant plants here and there, during that time I tried to identify the dagger to see if it did anything or what kind of dagger it was but no no avail. Trying to use things like ¡°Appraisal¡±, ¡°Identify¡± and etc obviously did nothing since I had no such skill. The only hint I got what the dagger did was comparing the status screen before and after. The dagger seems to give: +3 STR + 2 AGI +2 INT. Which is a pretty decent boost to my stats if I don¡¯t say so myself considering how worn out this dagger looks. At the end of the hallway, I come to a room which seems to split into five paths. Using my [Smell Sense] skill, I sniff each hallway to try to see where there is fresh airflow. I was a bit worried on how accurately I¡¯d be able to discern that but luckily it was pretty obvious based on the odors coming from each path. So without hesitation I follow my nose. I travel down the passage for about an hour and a half, and the terrain seems to have changed from catacombs to a large cave. Along the way I met other creatures like large bats and slime like creatures. But strangely enough, none of them have attacked me. Not that I am complaining or anything. Now generally slimes are usually a beginning monster that is easy to level up on. But that is only in game theory. In reality slimes are resistant to physical attacks, other than their nucleus they are pretty much untouchable. And trying to kill a slime by attacking their nucleus with a short dagger is like serving yourself on a platter. Personally, even if I meet a low level monster, unless it is half dead lying there I¡¯d rather not fight it at this point. I have no armor at all and if I get heavily injured while knowing where I am, I am guaranteed to die. This isn¡¯t a game where the protagonist takes heavy injuries after a fight and then walks out and collapses on the road only to be saved by a passing merchant. In reality, thieves will pass by, steal all you have an waste you right there. I mean this is a world of swords and magic which generally means middle ages where life was cheap. My plan as far as leveling is pretty simple, realistic, and level headed. When I come to town, I will sell this dagger, find a part time job that provides some housing and slowly build up my stats. Since I managed to get +1 MNT from that incident, I imagine other stats can be trained to an extent. Once I raise my stats a bit, I will build traps and kill weak monsters via traps. You might call me playing dirty or being a disgrace of an adventurer or even a scary cat. But I¡¯ll call you a total retard! It isn¡¯t even about shying away from a fight but simply common sense! I am right now Level 1. To get a non-combat profession you need to be level 10. Which means that an adult in this world is at least level 10 if not more. Even if we assume in the most unlikely scenario that a normal Level 1 Catkin starts out with all stats at 1. By gaining 9 Levels their combat stats should be at least: 28 STR : 37 AGI : 28 VIT : 19 DEX which is a total of 119 combat stats. My total combat stats without the dagger is only 52. Effectively, a new Catkin farmer is over 2X stronger than me right now! And if they have same stats as me at Level 1 they would be 3X stronger than me. Sending me to fight in this condition is like sending a newborn baby with a dagger to fight! If you want to go commit suicide playing hero, go on without me, I am fine as I am thank you very much. Though I really do wonder why the monsters here are so docile. If this was a real dungeon the monsters would be swarming me rather than ignoring me. Maybe this used to be a dungeon in the past but the dungeon died and the monsters just roam free in the ecosystem that existed for a long time? Looking at the worn out dagger, though I am not a specialist I¡¯d estimate it is at least a thousand years old. I also see no indicator of any kind of human traffic. Which makes me wonder where exactly am I? I hope I am not in some place hundreds if not thousands of miles from civilization. That would be pretty devastating. As I was thinking that, I suddenly come to a dead end in the cave. Worried, I use my [Smell Sense] again and pick up air flowing through a somewhat small hole behind the foliage which I may be able to barely fit in. I decide to take a short half an hour break to recover the best I can and then proceed to climb through the hole. As I reach the other side, I hear a somewhat loud hissing noise. As I take a glance I see a giant rat staring right at me making hissing noises. This is the first time that anything so far has made an aggressive motion toward me. Maybe it is just being territorial and if I quickly leave it will leave me alone just like all the others. As I take a step forward, the giant rat quickly jump on top of me and bites me in the left shoulder and I fall to the floor with the giant rat on top of me.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
You have taken 35 damage. You are now Bleeding.
¡°Ouch! That hurt! Let me go! I don¡¯t want to fight!¡± Not listening to my helpless please and not willing to let me go no matter how much I try to push it away. I instinctively hold tight on the dagger and stab the giant rat in the neck!
You have dealt 15 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
Despite my feeble attempts and hitting it to the neck, I barely do much damage due to my poor aim and its tough hide, it also does not help how dull this old dagger is either. In a panic I continue to stab at it again and again!
You have dealt 15 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have dealt 14 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have dealt 18 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
Due to my frantic attacks, the rat seems to have loosened its hold on my shoulder slightly giving me a ray of hope. But to my dismay the rat bit down even harder than ever!
You have taken 82 damage.
In less than a minute, I am almost half way through death door! Why does he hurt so much while I do so little damage?!?! This isn¡¯t fair! I am a freakin¡¯ cat, being done in by a mouse is like the worst death I can think off! Of course during this time I continue to stab at its neck the best I can but at this rate it is pretty clear I don¡¯t stand a chance!
You have dealt 19 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have dealt 22 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
I need to come up with a strategy and quick! Looking at the damage it seems that my damage is increasing little by little over time. And I doubt it is because I am doing better with using a dagger as I am stabbing like mad. Not to mention despite stabbing it in the back of the neck it isn¡¯t taking much damage overall due to its thick skin at the back of the neck. Me stabbing it over and over at same spot is weakening its hide defenses, but not quickly enough. As I was thinking that...the [Giant Rat] sinks its claws into my body.
You have taken 12 damage.
¡°Argh!¡± With that, my HP has officially dropped below half. But it was not done just yet, after sinking is claws it extended it¡¯s left arm and did a sudden slash for my body at high speed right as I stabbed it again in the neck.
You have dealt 25 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have taken 96 damage.
¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡± The pain that I felt was astronomical! At this instant I knew that I was going to die again. With less than 10% HP left I was effectively a goner. But even so if I am going to go down then I will take this bastard down with me! I aim my knife and stab it straight in the eye! ¡°Hssssssss¡±
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 73 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
For the first time, the giant rat fully let go of my shoulder and fell ton its back to the floor hissing in pain. I did not lose this opportunity and jumped on top of it and continued to stab it on its soft underbelly.
You have dealt 35 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have dealt 40 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have dealt 32 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have dealt 56 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
With that the rat finally stopped moving¡­ With the battle done I take a look around to see where exactly am I since I got distracted by the giant rat and check to see if there is some place I can rest. But as I turned by head I finally fully took in the surroundings. I was in a small cave system and about a few dozen meters I could see the exit of the cave to the outside. Of course life is never really that simple because between me and the exit there are five hissing [Giant Rats] staring me down in attack position. Volume 01: Walking out of the box to a new world (3) ¡°Yup, today is a good day to die...I am totally screwed...¡±
Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX
¡°¡­I finally leveled up but does not change the fact that I am screwed...¡±
System Announcement! You have killed a monster that is stronger than you and leveled up after killing it...condition met You have killed a monster that is stronger than you with less than 10% HP remaining...condition met You have ended up in a situation that has less than 0.01% chance of survival...condition met
¡°No gee sherlock¡­no need to rub it in my face how screwed I am!...Putting a number on it doesn¡¯t make me feel any better either!¡± As I was remarking about the system spelling out my death sentence...the [Giant Rats] got closer and closer and began to surround me...
System Announcement! Enough conditions have been met, the system will now attempt to analyze your entire being. And will attempt to generate a Unique Skill to reward your achievement. There is no guarantee that a Unique Skill will be generated and is solely depended on analyzing your entire existence as a whole. A Unique Skill is both a blessing and a curse. When one accomplishes an achievement but at same time is put in a scenario with near 0 chance of survival. The system allows the being to value their entire existence and pay an eternal price of their future potential for the slim chance to turn things around. Generating Unique Skill...Please wait...
¡°¡­¡± At this point I stare blankly at the window and not sure if I should feel happy or feel worse like salt is being poured on my wound...It is like its trying to give me a shred of hope only to disappoint me in the end...
System Announcement! Your existence has been evaluated and has been found qualified to receive a Unique Skill. You have gained a new Unique Skill [All-Observing-Eyes] 1. Passive ¨C You are now capable of learning all skills regardless of race or qualifications. With the exception of Unique Skills. Any Unique Skill that is learned will be turn into a [Neutral] degraded version called a [Special Skill] 2. Passive ¨C You are now able to learn and improve your skills just by observing them being used on valid targets. The probability of learning a skill increases depending on how many times you have seen it during your entire lifetime. The probability decreases depending on the difficulty of the skill which vary from levels to other qualifiers such as racial requirements and etc. 3. Active ¨C You can awaken the [All-Observing-Eyes], when the eyes are awakened, you are able to see all weak points, you are also able to predict moves of your opponents based on your lifetime knowledge of the creature attacking. Probability of skill acquisition doubles. Your perception of time is also distorted and you are able to perceive time 100% + [MNT] slower. Your vision is improved by 300%. For every minute you activate this skill, after the skill is deactivated you will lose 20% (-1% for every 100 MNT) of your total [Mental] and your vision will decrease by 10% for 24 hours. [Overload] When this ability is overloaded, you use up 5 minutes worth of the skill in just 1 minute. Effects of the skill is doubled and all stats are raised by 20%. Once the ability expires, maximums of all your stats are reduced by 50% for 48 hours. 4. Sub-skill ¨C You are able to now use [Identify] Level 5 5. Passive ¨C You are now unable to learn skill books, receive heritages through normal means or train skills normally.
And here I was hoping for immortality...Oh well, if I am going to die I am going to take these giant rodents down with me at the very least¡­I put my free attribute point in [AGI] which will probably benefit me the most in this fight and scream: Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°[All-Obeserving-Eyes]! [Overload]!¡± And with that time slows down by 242%. My stats rise dramatically and my vision sharpens so that I can see even the smallest motions. The first to attack is the giant rat from the front, it rushes me at a rather fast speed which I barely dodge even with my improved perception and speed.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Charge] Level 1
Noticing the notification, I quickly activate the [Charge] skill aimed at the second [Giant Rat] behind the first to gain some distance. With my Charge I am my dagger barely manage to stab it in the right eye. Unfortunately the attack was not as solid as the first rat I hit despite the improved stats but still did decent damage.
You have dealt 67 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
The [Giant Rat] in retaliation took its left paw and began to swipe it at me at a fast speed which I managed to quickly move out by a hair¡¯s breath and spin around.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Claw Swipe] Level 1
Taking this opportunity I use my left hand and [Claw Swipe] the rodent¡¯s soft underbelly.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 112 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
As the rat flips over I spin around and then quickly land on the rat stabbing the rat downwards right in the weak spot of the neck!
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 165 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
With that the first out of the five rats died. Feeling a slight sense of relief I let my guard down only to notice another rat charging at me. I quickly try to dodge and activate charge to attack another rat in the back like I did the first. Unfortunately due to my carelessness the rat that attacked me slightly grazed my arm.
You have taken 8 damage.
While lowering my guard is definitely a death flag, my biggest concern though is my dropping Stamina consumption. While Racial skills tend to be weaker than normal skills and have lower Stamina consumption as well. That does not mean they are free. Another benefit of Racial skills is you can override cooldowns which can be seen on how quickly I just used [Charge] a second time which normally would not be possible. The downside is that Stamina consumption increases exponentially. Which is why I need to make each hit count! During my charge I position my second hand on the dagger and carefully aim at the weak spot shown to me by the [All-Observing-Eye]. I put all my weight into it and stab the rat right in the eye at the perfect angle that the dagger goes right into its brain.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 320 damage to the [Giant Rat]! Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX
While the level up and 1 hit kill was certainly very welcome. My dagger getting stuck in the skull was certainly not! This opening caused me to be jumped on by a rat from the side. I quickly activate [Claw Swipe] with my other arm, hitting the rat on its chest but unfortunately that did not prevent the rat from knocking me over and landing on top of my thigh. Luckily that was enough for me to pull out the dagger and to prevent it from landing another bite on top of me. Despite that, the impact still managed to damage me by 15 points. In return, my [Claw Swipe] did five times that at 75 damage! Obviously this situation would not last for long as the [Giant Rat] prepared to do its own [Claw Swipe]. But I wasn¡¯t just sitting there doing nothing either as I was already swinging the blade right into its eye! While that was not enough to kill the Rodent or even deliver a critical hit. It was enough to push the rat to the side and get up. Right at that moment to my surprise a rat charged me from the back pushing me towards the floor. Having a [Giant Rat] jump you from the back is worst case scenario! As it would leave me completely defenseless. Noticing that there is another [Giant Rat] a bit to the front, I brace the timing and activate [Charge]. At this point I have long surpassed my limits and my Stamina is almost drained completely. If not for the level up, I would not be able to use any more skills. So I¡¯ll have to make the last one count. As I charge the [Giant Rat] I again aim for its eye as I did with the previous rats. With the added push of the rat from behind I charge at faster speed than normal going for a heavier impact.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 255 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
While this may seem like a good amount of damage at first, it is not so great for me. I need to save the last skill for charging the healthy rat from behind. If I don¡¯t do that I don¡¯t stand a chance. And I can¡¯t afford to waste Stamina on a [Claw Swipe] to finish this one off. Which means I have to take a very risky move that might be the end of me. I duck to the ground and do a flip, after the flip I activate [Charge] and rush the last remaining healthy rat, fully expecting a [Claw Swipe] from behind. To my surprise, it does not come. As always I ain¡¯t gonna complain if it is to my favor. For this charge I go about things a bit differently and lift both my feet off the ground in a charge. My aim here was to not only stab the healthy [Giant Rat] in the eye but also to kick it backwards so it knocks into the other rat behind it. This is where my [LUK] stat must be shinning because not only did I succeed in operation ¡°Bowling Rat¡± pushing the rat to trip the ray behind it while it rolled. I also got a very hit in despite focusing less on aiming this time around.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 329 damage to the [Giant Rat]! You have dealt 10 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
At this point my [Stamina] has already hit near zero. I can¡¯t do any more skills or move around too much. My only hope is to kill this rat under my feat and hopefully it will be enough for a level up. I tighten the hold on the grip with both hands and stab down into the eye of the rat who tumbled below my feet. I put all my concentration to insure I land a good blow.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 276 damage to the [Giant Rat]!
I barely manage to do enough damage to kill it. That brings three rats down, two injured rats to go. Since the remaining two rats are a decent amount away from me I use this slight second to access the situation. Things are not looking good as I only have 10 seconds left on my [All-Obeserving-Eyes] [Overload]. And I do not have the [Stamina] to use any skills. I look at the rat to the side that I thought would [Claw Swipe] me from the back. Only to realize it is already dead. Ha? When did I kill it I only did 255 damage? Wait... maybe it was lower level than the rest? That would make sense considering that rat was mostly staying to the back. Talk about luck! Maybe things are finally going my way! One more left! I take a look at the last rat who is getting up and glaring at me and slowly take a step forward to shorten the distance¡­ Suddenly my foot gives out and I fall to the floor...
You have taken 5 damage.
I try to get up but can¡¯t move a muscle. I quickly check my Status only to realize my [Stamina] has hit 0. I can¡¯t move a muscle. I look forward and see the rat limping toward me. It seems to have somehow injured its foot. But slowly and steadily the [Giant Rat] moves closer and closer to me. Within a few seconds he stands towering next to me and ready to [Claw Swipe] me to death. ¡°So this is how it end ha...at least I gave it my all and took four of you out with me...¡± As I prepare to take in my ever coming death. My [All-Obeserving-Eyes] [Overload] comes to an end and I blackout¡­ ¡­ Volume 01: Walking out of the box to a new world (4) ¡­ The next thing I notice, I am in a dark place isolated from everything...this dark place feels very eerie but at same time very familiar...I try to move my body but I could not...Am I dead again? I try to look around to see if there is anything of note around me but see nothing...just endless darkness...I should be feeling some kind of feeling from all this but for some strange reason I feel nothing...It is like I have lost all emotion or sense of being...Suddenly a white light begins to illuminate the place..and for the first time in a long time I begin to feel something to the tune of loss, but at same time hope. As I try to reach for the light, the light suddenly explodes and I abruptly awaken. Only to find myself in some sort of cave¡­ ¡°What happened...did I die and get resurrected for a 3rd time?¡± I take a look around and notice I am in the same cave that I fought the [Giant Rats]. I look around and see that there are corpses of the rodents lying around in blood..I try to get up but find it rather difficult. I look down and see that there is a rat corpse lying on top of me...I struggle and push the corpse off me and get up. Looking around to confirm that everything is safe I take a look at the system messages I see in the corner.
You have successfully survived a battle with less than 0.01% survivability. Limit Break 1 / 3 achieved! Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX You are suffering from mild Hunger, all attribute maximums reduced by 20%. Recovery reduced by 50%
So it seems like I somehow didn¡¯t die and manage to live? ¡°Status¡±
Status
Name Shiro Race ???????? - ?¨¡? Class Level
Gender Female Status [???? ??????] Beastkin - Cat 4
Age 12 years Free Points 1 Hunger 35/100
HP 75 / 310 -155 (0.063/m) STR 21 +3 -14.7 INT 13 +2 -9.1
MP 10 / 10 -5 (0.0057/m) AGIA case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. 27 +2 -18.9 WIS 11 -7.7
Stamina 40 / 80 -40 (0.39/m) VIT 21 -14.7 MNT 24 -16.8
Mental 50 / 100 -50 (0.072/m) DEX 19 -13.3 LUK 100
Skills
[LP] English 5 [U] All-Observing-Eyes 35h [RA] Claw Swipe 1
[RP] Night Vision 2 [NA] Identify 5
[RA] Smell Sense 1 [RA] Charge 1
Hmm...my stats have gone up a bunch but despite that I feel weaker due to the penalties of [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload] and [Mild Hunger]. Looking at the cooldown timer, I have been out for about 13 hours. Considering how much time I spent traveling through that catacombs on top of sleeping, it is no surprise that I am feeling pretty hungry. I really need to secure myself some food..The question is where? Before that, the first thing I need to do is rationalize the situation. Right now my stats are terrible and I need to wait 35 hours to recover my stats. By that point I will obviously starve to death. So I am between a rock and a hard place...going to fight means death and staying here means death. That said, it is not all doom and gloom. Since I have been sleeping here for 13 hours and the corpses have gone untouched means that there is most likely no other rats around this part. Adding to it that this place seems like where the rats are nesting, I would assume there is unlikely to be any danger within the vicinity for the time being. Of course at same time it most likely means that civilization is not anywhere close by either. Putting those thoughts together, it should be rather safe to venture slightly outside the cave as long as I don¡¯t go too far. So my best bet right is to make this place my base for now, build some basic traps and secure some food. That said, there is still one big risk with this plan. While I can probably secure some fruits, mushrooms or vegetables outside and I can probably get supplies to make a fire to cook these rats. Since this is a new world, I don¡¯t know if any of those things are poisonous. So effectively, whatever I eat I would be gambling my life. Though even with those risks, I think it is a safer bet than going out there while my stats are reduced by 70%. Even a single [Giant Rat] can easily kill me at this point, and I somehow doubt [Giant Rats] are the king of the jungle around here. With my mind made up, I venture outside the cave and take a peek around. When I reach the end of the cave I see that the cave is located in a burrow surrounded by vast forest. Once I make sure there is no danger in the vicinity, I proceed to collect large branches and begin to cover up the burrow. While I am doing this I pick up any sort of nuts or fruits that I find. I also find a long flat stick and some vines. My goal is to make the burrow into a sort of bunker, than make a makeshift spear which I can attack from the bunker with little risk to injuring myself. While I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll kill anything this way it should be enough to discourage many predators if they happen to come my way. Unfortunately due to my reduced stats, dragging the branches is harder than it would normally be. After about 2 hours I finally manage to put together the burrow defenses and sharpen a basic spear. Once that is done I go back in and begin to drain the blood and skin the [Giant Rats]. While I am sure that some of this rodent¡¯s materials can be sold for money, I honestly don¡¯t know which parts, and despite my familiarity with working with the knife due to my ¡°adventuring¡±, I doubt my disassembly is good enough to not damage the materials. My only priority at this point is to procure meat from the rats. This process takes me about 15 minutes and once I am done I again leave the burrow and prepare a fire outside to the side the old fashion way. Luckily I have plenty of experience setting up fire in this way from all my mini-adventures and despite my lower stats I am still stronger than what I was back on Earth which makes the process easier. With the fire started and the meat skewers set up to cook, I quickly run back and hide behind the burrow defense. Who knows what kind of creature would be lured by the smoke. While animal based monsters will probably distance themselves, there is a probability of humanoid monsters with some intelligence following it. Thankfully even after 15 minutes, no monster has shown up. So I sneak back out of the burrow, take the meat skewers and put out the fire. All the meantime I am drooling...but I know that I have to resist these urges despite how hungry I am¡­ Now normally I would find rat meat pretty disgusting...for some reason I can¡¯t think of it anything more than delicious meat. Is it because it looks and smells like any other meat skewer? Or is this my inner-Catkin talking? I use [Smell Sense] on it to see if I can locate any odd odors * growl * ...err...bad idea¡­ hold it in stomach just a little bit more ¡­ I build a simple trap using the vines and a few sticks and place it in an area where I have seen a lot of small animals such as squirrels and foxes or at least looks similar to them...probably¡­I then gain distance and wait for an animal to take the bite. Which apparently does not take long. Within a bit over a minute a bunny like creature takes the bait and starts chewing on the meat. Once I see he is half way done I quickly spring the trap to which the bunny like creature begins to trash violently but ultimately is unable to escape. I pick up a few stones and go back closer to the enclosure to wait out half an hour.. during that time a few foxes tried to approach and snatch the bunny but I used rocks to scare them off. After confirming the rabbit is still fine, I let him go by cutting the vine. I then finally proceed to take a small bite of the meat skewer which has already gotten cold. The flavor is rather bland unfortunately but due to my hunger offsetting my taste buds, it actually tastes better than it is. After the first bite, I wait another 30 minutes while keeping an eye on my health and status screen to make sure I do not get some sort of poison. And after finally confirming it is safe once more, I gobble it all down like a glutton. Of course I make sure to save a few to eat for tomorrow just in case.
You are now well fed! [Mild Hunger] debuff removed!
Once I am done I feel energy refill myself as some of my stats are restored. Now I know what you are probably thinking. ¡°Why in the world did you eat a [Giant Rat] when you caught yourself a bunny?¡±. The answer is simple really, and no it isn¡¯t because I developed a new taste for rats if you are wondering. Not only is there little food on the bunny due to it being rather small compared to the rats which will even shrink more once I disassemble it. The biggest issue is I have no clue if the rabbits are poisonous or not. That might sound a bit weird but it is actually quite logical. You see, this is a new world where I know absolutely nothing. For all I know in this world all snakes are non-poisonous and all bunnies have lethal poison. This isn¡¯t my old world so I can¡¯t make any assumptions more than I have to. I mean with these bunnies having 3 ears you can never know... And testing if the bunnies are poisonous is much harder than testing if the [Giant Rat] is poisonous. While the foxes eat the bunnies, those bunnies are part of the fox¡¯s diet, so it is more than possible for the fox to have immunity to a poison the bunnies might have. Just like how a Honey Badger is resistant to venom of a snake. In comparison, I am pretty confident that a [Giant Rat] is not part of a bunny¡¯s diet. So if they had some sort of poison, it would be easily apparent. Now with all the urgent issues out of the way, I can finally start planning on how I plan to proceed in this new world. Volume 01: Walking out of the box to a new world (5) Alright, first things first. I use my newly acquired [Identify] skill on my dagger.
Ancient Mithril Dagger A dagger made out of mithril which has been lying around for many millenniums. It is so old that it began to deteriorate out of old age, which is saying a lot considering mithril is known for its longevity. Due to the deterioration, the properties of the dagger have been significantly weakened. [Unidentified] +3 STR +2 AGI +2 INT [Identified] +6 STR +4 AGI +4 INT +1 DEX Durability: 25 / 15,000
What?!?! Well it seems like in this world things that are not identified are not able to pull out their full potential...Though now it seems I have a new headache to deal with * sigh *. While the increase in stats are appreciated, finding out this is a mithril dagger is not making me happy at all. Now I need to rethink my entire plan for when going to civilization. At issue here is that a Mithril Dagger is most likely something that is very expensive. Even if the dagger can¡¯t be repaired, even just the raw materials of the mithril probably is worth a fortune. Now what would you do if you found out a 12 year old cat girl who is only level 4 is walking down the street with a treasure like that. That is begging to be robbed! Now of course I can sell the dagger as per my original plan, but things are not so simple now. For one, I don¡¯t know the currency of this world or the value of things in this world. For all I know, the place I am selling it to will completely rip me off, and if I say no deal for whatever reason they might take it from me by force. If this was a normal dagger that would be one thing, because even if I get ripped off, as long as I get enough money to last me a day or two, during which I can get myself a part time job. But selling a mithril dagger seems like a loss with added risk. Of course not bringing the dagger has its own risks as I would end up with lower stats to defend myself. Though can I really defend myself if I get attacked? As I said even a beginner farmer should still have stats way above me. At best I could use the [Charge] skill to run away. In comparison, if I have a rare treasure and some thief combat class who has a skill that can detect hidden treasure takes an interest in it, my chance to run away would be 0. I know I am being overly paranoid, but this is a new world. I am not some protagonist who can just wing things through hoping a miracle will prevent my throat being sliced¡­ I guess I have no choice... I will hide the dagger somewhere safe outside of town and then pick it up when I plan to go hunting¡­ The wooden spear should be good enough around town. I will get a feel for the currency and market prices of this world, then once I get some strength, see if I should keep or sell the dagger. Now then, I have well over 30 hours left until I gain back my stats. While I would like to have trained my skills, with the drawback of my Unique Skill...that would prove to be impossible. So my only option of using time efficiently is try to raise individual stats. So lets do some training! For the next few hours I do all kinds of rigorous training from push-ups, to jumping jax to running around the cave back and forth. I do so for over 15 hours, with some breaks for rest and food of course here and then. Unfortunately I failed to get any improvements in any attributes which is quite disheartening. At this point it is pretty tiring and I want to take a nap. Interestingly enough, despite it getting a bit darker, it is no where near night. Is this world on a 24h clock like Earth? I wish I could get a better look at the position of the sun to tell how things are and get an estimate, but the forest is too thick to get a good view. And I am not curious enough to wander too far away from this cave into a clearing. As the saying goes ¡°Curiosity killed the cat¡±.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I sleep for around 9 hours and when I wake up surprisingly it is still bright outside. Seriously, how long is a day in this world?! Well anyways, lets not get too distracted. In a few hours, my debuff is going to disappear, which means I have to set out today. I have contemplated the possibility of staying in this cave and leveling up until I can get to level 10 and get a non-combat class. But I quickly turn that plan down, because I seriously lack information. I don¡¯t even know how to get a class. Not to mention that a strong monster can come to this cave at any point, more so since these corpses are beginning to rot and smell. Even under the ideal scenario where none of that happens, I don¡¯t know if in this system there is a thing like nutritional value. I can¡¯t imagine an all meat diet for days or months being healthy under normal circumstances. And even if it is not a concern I have no way of preserving the rat corpses and would have to risk experimenting with the fruits and other animals. So I need to get information about what I can eat and what I can¡¯t, which can only be done in civilization. Not to mention... I am starting to feel rather lonely... The next few hours were rather uneventful. I did not bother training because if I did not manage in 15 hours I doubt I¡¯ll manage in a few more. And this day is going to be a long one . So I need to conserve my strength the best I can. I will have to save the training for another day. Instead I spent it preparing the best I could. Finally I got the message I was waiting for!
[Overload] debuff removed!
With my stats fully restored, I leave the cave. Now of course I am not just going to go walk in a random direction blindly. To find civilization, I need to look for a road, river or some trail. Once I find one of those I can follow them. I climb what seems to be the tallest tree in the area standing on a small hill. With the help of my claws, and my improved strength, I find the task far easier than I remember it. At the top of the tree, the first thing that I notice answers one of my curiosities from the other day. Because what I see there is two suns! I am not sure how life can exist on this planet with two suns around because from what I remember hearing those conditions tend to cause a lot of instability in a solar system, but hey I am not a rocket scientist, so I shrug my shoulders and move on to my main objective. As I take a peak around me, surprisingly I notice that a road from a distance of what I¡¯d estimate to be 2-3 miles away. I get off the tree and cautiously make my way toward the road. Obviously I am using my trusty [Smell Sense] skill from time to time. After about an hour or so I make it to the road. Looking in both directions, I can not make out anything, even after climbing a nearby tree. I tried studying the tracks or using [Smell Sense] to try to see if I can figure out which direction is closer or has more people going. Unfortunately I was getting nowhere fast, so I decided to rely on my ¡°Eeny, meeny, miny, moe¡± skill and hope my high [LUK] stat pays off. When I pick a direction I proceed, but not directly on the road but a bit away from the road. Because a maiden walking alone on a road is like begging to trigger the kidnapped by bandits flag. And personally I already had more than enough near death excitement for two lifetimes. And while I don¡¯t think there will be too many monsters near roads, on a road I don¡¯t have much cover making myself a sitting duck. So instead I just move parallel to the road a few meter away. I move in this way for about 3 hours. And for the first time I smell the scent coming from behind by the road. A minute afterwards, I begin to hear the sounds of a carriage. My first impulse is to jump out and meet the carriage and see if I can get a ride to town. But I hold myself back and instead watch the situation. I have to remember that this is a new world and who knows what the situation is around here. For all I know they skin Catkins around these parts. Again, better safe than sorry. As the carriage comes closer and closer, I begin to hear some voices of people chatting in some weird language. ¡°????? ??? ?????¡± ¡°?? ????? ???? ??????¡± Not being able to make out what they said, I begin to panic. I forgot about the most crucial thing! God didn¡¯t give me no language cheat and I don¡¯t know the language of this world! Crap! I¡¯m a total idiot! While I derail myself, the carriage gets closer and closer, close enough for me to see it. The carriage is being escorted by 4 guards, one on each side. And on front of the carriage are 2 men who are chatting with each other. ¡°??? ????? ??? day...¡±
You have acquired a new skill [LP][Trillan] Level 1
Hooray for Unique Skill cheat! Now I can finally make out what they are saying!! ¡°¡­ ???? tomorrow. Come to ???? ????. Alright?¡± Or¡­.maybe not¡­ ¡°????. We have a deal then!¡±
Your skill [LP][Trillan] has become Level 2
Or¡­ maybe to?¡­ I tried to follow the carriage the best I could. Which proved rather difficult, because not only were they moving pretty fast for my taste, it was also harder for me to move through the dense forest. I also have to be careful so that I don¡¯t get mistaken for a robber and attacked out of nowhere, so I had to also keep a good distance. I was only able to keep up with the carriage for about 15 minutes, but it was enough to get me [Trillan] language skill to Level 5. I also noticed a quirk in my Unique Skill. I am still not 100% sure as I had little time to check. But it seems there is a limitation where I can only get 1 skill every 5 minutes per person. Which means I should be very careful about revealing my Unique Skill. Since I can¡¯t control what skills I can and can¡¯t learn. An opponent can waste my 5 minutes by throwing me a useless skill to learn. With that duly noted, I continue towards what I hope is a town. After a long and tiring 10 hours of walking. Without triggering any flags. I finally manage to make out a village. Volume 01: All I wanted was a little bit of freedom (1) In front of me stands a village. From what I heard from the guys on the carriage, this village is called Diara Village. In terms of size, this village is pretty large, but not to the tune of being a town surrounded by a giant wall and guards. Actually, this village is mostly guarded by a fence even I can jump over if I put in enough effort. So it seems like its purpose is more to keep animals in and out rather than to protect against a large monster attack. I am also pretty glad this village is not a huge guarded town, nor a small village. Making this just perfect! The problem with large towns that have guards and all is that I would never make it in. I know in most literature the crazy protagonist walks in, tells the guards he lost his ID or comes from some remote village that has no ID, in a week they would already get a key to the city from the mayor and rescue a princess or two. That unfortunately is not going to work in reality. No country is going to allow random people who might be criminals or spies from another country to just walk in without an ID and assume a new identity. The guards are more likely to just say ¡°too bad, go back and get an ID or get someone to confirm your identity¡±. It is not like they are under any obligations to help you out while risking their own necks. The problem with a small village is everyone knows each other, so a foreigner coming it tends to get attention which I would rather not have. Since I know very little about this world, I¡¯d rather not get any attention. I can already imagine how things can easily go wrong. ***** [Start Shiro¡¯s Imagination] ***** [Villager A]: ¡°Hey there, I don¡¯t remember seeing you around these parts, are you new here?¡± [Shiro]: ¡°Yeah, I just came in today from far away¡± [Villager A]: ¡°Is that so¡­ Which parts do you come from?¡± [Shiro]: ¡°Oh you know a remote Beaskin village on another continent far away which I am sure you never heard of...¡± [Villager A]:¡±Is that so...You mean the Beastkin Country on [Watchamacallit Continent]?¡± [Shiro]:¡±A-Ah...yeah thats the one!¡± [Villager A]:¡±YOU DARE COME HERE AFTER BEING IN WAR WITH US FOR DECADES?!?! YOU KILLED MY SON! GUARDS! GUARDS! THERE IS A SPY IN THE VILLAGE!¡± ***** [End Shiro¡¯s Imagination] ***** Well maybe I am exaggerating a little bit. But I can¡¯t imagine me not knowing anything in this world is not bound to easily make people suspicious. You can¡¯t just pretend you don¡¯t know common sense and get away with it that easily. So it is important to minimize dialog and instead collect information indirectly. That said, speaking of war. There is one last thing I need to check. I walk out onto the road and walk in the opposite direction of the town. I pass by another carriage while keeping an eye on the faces of those in the carriage. Once the carriage passes by, I go back into the forest and follow them back to town. My goal here is to find out if Beastkin happen to be at war with humans or not. If they are, the people on the carriage would have started acting suspiciously. While I saw a few twitches when they saw me¡­ it did not seem to the point of panic or anything of the like. So it is safe to say that this country is not in war with the Beastkin. That said, considering the faces, I have a feeling Beastkin may be discriminated around these parts. Which is not something I did not expect, but it may make my job hunting quite a bit harder. * sigh *¡­ Either way I will proceed with the original plan cautiously. The first thing before I make it into the village is hiding my [Ancient Mithril Dagger]. What I am looking for is a clearing in the forest away from the village. I know the most common way to hide a treasure is under a marked tree, and that is precisely what I am not going to do. Precisely because it is too common of a hiding spot, and who knows if some person coming to get herbs is going to accidentally dig it up. And let us not forget places near a tree tend to be difficult to dig due to the roots. A non-conspicuous clearing with nothing there is the best place to hide things, at the very least in the short term. Once I locate such a clearing and memorized the location, I dig up a deep hole. It takes me about half an hour to dig up the hole because I want the blade at least a few inches deep. I then take 25 steps away and leave a few rocks embedded in the ground as a marker. With that out of the way, I finally proceed towards the village. Inside the village I peak my ears and try to pick up as much information as I can. I also use my [Smell Sense] to help navigate myself to the flea market in the village. There not only can I listen in on plenty of conversations, but I can also get a feel for the currency in this country. From what I see in the market, I see copper coins, iron coins and silver coins. Paying close attention to what people are buying and how much change they are getting in return. I conclude the following: 1 Iron Coin = 100 Copper Coin 1 Silver Coin = 100 Iron Coins Looking at the trend I would assume there is gold coins as well but so far I have not seen anyone trade those around these parts. So I have no clue where they fit in and I am not going to ask a vendor either. Again my goal is to be as least conspicuous as possible. And now you are expecting me to say how much these things converts into dollars right?...how about not! Converting currency into a currency of another country let alone another world is an exercise in futility. Sure it works ok if you are comparing 1st world countries with similar economies. But when comparing completely different countries and economies, it doesn¡¯t work that way. Even when comparing commodities, like food, costs between places with manual farming and farming assisted by machines makes a huge difference. These are all things I picked up while traveling with my parents around the world. I also use this opportunity to use [Identify] on people. And here is what seems like a typical adult person looks like:
Bob VallenThe narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Gender Male Race Human Class Level
Age 34 years Status ? Human 14
HP ??? MP ?? Merchant 5
Which confirms that even a regular person can wipe the floor with me 10X over and have room to spare. By the way, this is what a typical combat class person around here looks like:
Andrew Bellard
Gender Male Race Human Class Level
Age 48 years Status ? Human 20
HP ???? MP ?? Cook 7
Warrior 8
Though this makes me wonder an interesting point. Is the only way to level to fight things? I can¡¯t imagine a Merchant or a Cooking going out in the field to level up by killing monsters...So I am definitely missing something¡­ And I somehow doubt that people are just going to reveal these things in the middle of the street out of nowhere...this isn¡¯t a game where everyone else is an NPC screaming random vital information around strangers. My top priority is gathering information and finding a place to stay. If I can find a way to level up without hunting until Level 10, that would be ideal. So now I will prepare to execute ¡°Operation: Infiltrate the Inn¡±. Tada! Everyone knows that the best place to get information is the Tavern Inn. When people are drunk, you can get them to spill almost anything without any suspicion at all. On top of that, it is a location that gets plenty of foot traffic and plenty of opportunities to ask random questions. It probably won¡¯t be easy, especially if the beastkin discrimination is very severe. That said my plan is to go to the cheapest looking inn and effectively offer my services for free. All I will ask in return is minimum amount of food and a place to sleep. That place doesn¡¯t even have to be a room, a corner would be more than enough for me as long as it is a safe location. I am used to sleeping virtually anywhere while being on the move. I estimate that my chance of success is about 20% or so, but even then it is well worth it. If I get turned down, oh well, but it does not hurt to try right? What is the worst that can happen? ¡°¡­¡± Somehow I feel like I triggered a flag...Don¡¯t mind! Don¡¯t mind! I just have to be prepared for the worst that is all there is to it! I spend a few hours looking around the Inns that have taverns and go for the cheapest looking one. Luckily this isn¡¯t a large town where the cheapest Inn would be in the middle of a slum. Because even if I could secure a job there, I wouldn¡¯t feel safe sleeping there. This Inn is located in the poorer districts, but it is not to the point that screams ¡°crime everywhere¡±. I get near the Inn and begin investigating it in the least conspicuous way possible, I take note of the owners of the inn and the staff there. And from a distance try to judge their personalities. From the looks of things the middle-aged lady named ¡°Anne Dalton¡± is probably the best person to approach as she seems to have the most authority in the inn. She also seems to have a decent reasonable personality as far as I can tell from a distance. It helps a lot that this inn is an open door one where you can peak inside, probably to draw in customers to the tavern. Now then I wait until the tavern gets more and more filled up and the waiters can¡¯t keep up with demand. And I choose this moment to strike! At this point I am less likely to get attention if I get turned down and my chances to get hired is increased due to immediate demand. ¡°Principle of Supply and Demand¡±. Time to start ¡°Operation: Infiltrate the Inn¡±. The most important thing at this point is ¡°Confidence¡±. If I stutter or act uncertain, they may think I am suspicious or something. The more confident I am in relaying my message, the less likely I will be suspected of anything. I slowly walk into the tavern inn and head for the middle-aged lady. When I reach her I quickly recite my practiced lines. [Shiro]:¡°Excuse me. My name is Shiro. I was wondering if you need some help. I just got into town for a day or two and was hoping I can get a part time job around here. I don¡¯t need much, just some scraps of food and a place to...¡±
You have taken 206 damage. You have been stunned for 2 seconds.
[Shiro]:¡°..eh?¡± eh? eh? EHHHHHH?!?!? I am totally confused what in the world happened! But I feel a numbing pain from the top of my head as I feel blood begins to drip down¡­ I totally zone out and it takes me a few seconds to get myself together and I look down to notice there is a broken spilled mug on the floor covered in blood. It take a look up and notice the entire tavern is staring at me with disgusted eyes... Like they are looking at mud...Then the voices begin to flood in as I slowly regain myself. [Tavern Customer A]:¡±WHAT IS A STINKIN HAIRBALL DOING HERE?!?! ITS GOING TO GET FLEAS IN MY FOOD!¡± [Waiter A]:¡±We sincerely apologize, we will get rid of it right away!¡± The middle aged lady [Anne Dalton]:¡±Shoo! Go away! We have no scraps for you!¡±. she then grabs a broom and starts shoving me out of the Inn. ¡°Shoo!¡±
You have taken 3 damage. You have taken 5 damage. You have taken 4 damage. You have taken 2 damage.
SERIOUSLY?!?!? I MEAN SERIOUSLY?!?!? This is beyond discrimination¡­ they are literally trying to kill me! Its like they found an icky cockroach on the floor and trying to squash it! I mean I expected to be discriminated and poor treatment and all but this is ridiculous! I mean who just takes a filled mug and throws it at you the first thing they see you!?!? While I would like to give them my two-cents on how completely unreasonable they are being, I get my act together and run! Because at this rate, they will actually kill me! I even activated [Charge] to get some distance as fast as possible! Volume 01: All I wanted was a little bit of freedom (2) Once I feel like I am in the clear, I take a moment to catch my breath. That was too dangerous...I almost died there for some reason I don¡¯t even know! I am starting to rethink this whole civilization thing! Maybe I am better off in that cave...a powerful monster might come out any time but here I feel like I am surrounded by powerful monsters everywhere! As I was thinking that I suddenly heard a voice of a women from behind me¡­ ¡°Hey, you there, are you looking for a place to work? If so I got a good place, you can work at my place. I know how hard it is for beastkin as beastkin are not really liked around these parts. But that doesn¡¯t speak the same for everyone.¡± I instinctly take a step back and get a cold sweat thinking someone came after me to finish me off. After processing what she said, I slowly calm down, but do not let down my guard. I may be 12 but with all my traveling I know a thing or two about lowering your guard in hostile places. The easiest time to be taken advantage off is right after you¡¯ve suffered a setback. Like encountering a loan shark after losing big at a casino. Her behavior is simply...suspicious¡­ That said, there is still a possibility that I am over-thinking things and may end up losing my only real chance of getting a place to stay along side information. Lets query about it some more...no matter what I wouldn¡¯t want to offend her either by saying no...this is a world where someone will try to kill you with a mug in the middle of an Inn the moment you come in. So counter to my original conjectures, I doubt people around here will have issue murdering me in broad daylight in the middle of the street either. With my back to the corner I decide to probe some more: ¡°Wh-What kind... of-of...pl-place is it?¡± I say with a clearly shaken and apprehensive voice. The women notices my fright and responds to me with a more gentle tone ¡°My family runs a stable, as long as you are willing to work I can get you food and a place to stay, maybe even some coins if you do a good job. We already have a foxkin working in the stable, but more help would be appreciated.¡± Hmm...I take a moment to process that and think things over. Working at a stable is not as good as working at an inn...but it is still a good option. I can get in contact with people, especially merchants and get lots of information. Not to mention if a person is leaving town and I ask them a stupid question that makes me look suspicious in any way, I won¡¯t have to worry about it. So while not my first choice, it is still a good option. BUT! That is one thing and this is another. Can I trust this person? For all I know she will take me into a back alley, chop me up and make me into cat stew! Who knows if some people around here think catkin is a delicacy! I already got one lesson in being complacent. So I need to be extremely cautious like I have never been before! ¡°Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me¡±! While there is little I can confirm about how accurate her statement is, there is one thing I can confirm if she is lying or not. I use [Identify]:
Mary Zinger
Gender Female Race Human Class Level
Age 28 years Status ? Human 12
HPIf you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ??? MP ?? Stablehand 3
Well she at least is not lying about working at a stable. But still...I can¡¯t let my guard down. But for now, lets accept her offer. Since I walked all over this village during my inspection, I know there are 2 stables here. If I see her lead me in any direction that is not straight to one of those stables, I will bolt out as quick as I can. ¡°Really?...misses?¡± I ask. ¡°Ah, sorry my name is Mary. Mary Zinger. And yes my offer still stands.¡± she replied. ¡°Then I will take you up on your offer! Thank you very much!¡± I reply back enthusiastically. Once she got my confirmation, she began to lead me towards the stable. I kept my guard up to the max and watched both her and the surroundings. We kept walking for a few minutes towards the smaller of the two stables in this village. So far there have been no detours. When we came to the stable, she stopped and told me to wait here. As she went inside to notify her family. While it is possible that this is just etiquette in this world. I can¡¯t afford to risk it when my life is on the line. So I up my caution from 100% to 120% ready to sprint out at any time. I also activate [Smell Sense] to better take in my surrounding. Which by the way was both a good idea and a bad idea. The stench of the horses is pretty bad! But I can¡¯t afford to let up! In a few minutes, I began smelling a new scent which was not that of a human nor a horse. I take a look and an adorable young brown haired foxkin walks out of the house! Not to let the cuteness overwhelm me, I do my best to keep my guard up. I need to take in every possible scenario in this hostile place, for all I know that is a human dressed up foxkin to trick me! Yes, I am that paranoid at this point!
Amber
Gender Female Race Beastkin - Foxkin Class Level
Age 10 years Status ? Beaskin - Foxkin 5
HP ??? MP ?
Confirmed! Cutest thing ever confirmed! Wait she is 10 years old and higher level than me?!?! seriously?! How come I feel so defeated?! Okay, focus! This might just be my chance. She is level 5 and a 10 year old...which means she somehow leveled up 4 times which I doubt was by fighting monsters. While asking an adult how to level up might be strange, asking a 10 year old is much easier. I can just trick her by pretending to quiz her to see if she knows. A child would no way find that suspicious. I got this in the bag! While I was busy dabbling in my own little world, the Foxkin girl came up to me and said: ¡°I was told to bring you around and show you where to work, afterwards help you wash up and get you some food¡± For a 10 year old she sure gets down to business fast..she didn¡¯t even introduce herself or ask for my name..you are making older sister sad¡­ The foxkin brought me around the back of the stables and showed me where we need to clean along side other things we needed to do. We did so for about 2-3 hours. I tried to strike up a conversion with her to get to know her better and maybe get some conversation going. But outside of work related stuff, all I got was: ¡°...¡± I guess in this world there is not much room for a childhood...which was the same in the middle ages where everyone works and works from morning to dawn. It probably is even harder for beastkin around here. After we finished up the foxkin Amber who has by the way yet to introduce herself brought me to a well and helped me wash up. I kind of went through mud, blood, alcohol, you name it. So my white hair was already looking more like grayish brown rather then white. While there was no bath or the like and the water was cold, I still felt very refreshed washing myself up after all this time. Not to mention the odor was really getting to my [Smell Sense]. I hope when I level up this skill I¡¯ll be able to eliminate some odors completely. Cause knowing how much I stink does not make feel very comfortable. By the time I finished washing up, the foxkin Amber who I repeat has yet to introduce herself has already come back, she left prior to me since she had far less dirt on her overall. She was carrying 2 bowls of what smells like some kind of soup * growl * After handing one to me she took a look at me and muttered. ¡°White...¡± This was the first time she ever said anything to me outside of work! I took this opportunity while tasting the soup to strike a conversation. Even if she is strict about working without any distractions, it should be fine while eating right? Right? ¡°Yup! Its all natural 100% white! I got into a bit of a bind getting here so it turned out that way...by the way my name is Shiro! What is your name?¡± I say in a proud matter of fact tone. ¡°...¡± The foxkin girl continued eating her food while contemplating something for a while...I hope I was not being too awkward I innerly thought. Social conversations are not exactly my forte¡­ After what felt like a minute contemplating ¡°Amber...¡± she suddenly said. YES! PROGRESS! Now what? Oh yes, I need to strike up a conversation and get some information! Important stuff like ¡°Can I pet you? Or can I rub your fluffy tail?¡±...errr..FOCUS! That is not what I need to ask, I need to ask information about this world. After that I can ask to pet her and rub her tail! While I was foolishly deluding in my own world, Amber finished eating and went to put away her bowl. Losing my chance to continue my conversation, I dejectedly finish my soup as well. For the first time in this world I noticed that it started getting darker. With one sun gone and the 2nd one setting, it grew closer to nightfall. Today has been a really long and stressful day...and I can safely say my hair turned white because of it. I giggle at my lame pun as I start to feel rather sleepy from all the work and stress I have done today...I can...hardly keep...my eyes..open¡­ * yawn * I try to get up to follow Amber but strength leaves my body and fatigue gets the better of me. * collapse * Volume 01: All I wanted was a little bit of freedom (3) ** POV Allen Gower ** Today is a night day, so we will most likely have to close up early. Which unfortunately is not good for business * sigh * Well, overall today was a slow day anyways. Probably an hour or so and we will close up. As I was thinking that I notice someone approaching the entrance. It would be nice if it was a customer, but it is Mike for the 3rd time this week * sigh * He is probably here again to burrow money by pawning his slave until he gets enough money to pay back the loan he took out a month back to try to keep his failing business afloat. Personally I don¡¯t mind since it is very obedient and hardworking. But he simply wants too much for it. There is a right price for everything. As Mike opens the door I greet the enthusiastic Mike with a non-enthusiastically remark. ¡°What¡¯s up Mike? If it is about pawning your slave again, I am not giving you a copper more!¡± Mike though does not lose his enthusiasm as he takes a large bag off his back and puts it on the floor. ¡°It is not about that! I have a proper slave to sell you this time, and I think it is a rare find!¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± I reply still non-enthusiastically¡­I somehow simply can¡¯t imagine Mike having a rare find. Still he continues and opens up the bag and a sleeping head pops out of it. ¡°Look at this catkin, isn¡¯t it super rare?!?! It has this rare white hair! It was super naive and trusting hahaha! I bet you it is probably a beastkin royalty or something! You can probably easily sell it for 1 gold or more to a noble or something!¡± I activate ¡°[Appraise: Humanoid]¡± * sigh * ¡°Mike, do you take me for a fool or something? How long do you think I have been in this business?¡± Mike looks at me with a dumbfound face and asks ¡°What do you mean Mr. Gower?¡± ¡°First of all, beastking royalty is not white nor is it a catkin in the first place. Second of all, the catkin you brought is a measly level 4 which is below standard if I do say so myself. An average 12 year old should be at least level 5 if not 6. Third of all, while I have not seen a white haired Catkin before, I have seen other beastkin including Catkin with exotic colors. The exotic colors does not mean they are rare or unique in any way. Quite the opposite actually. Exotic colors are unnatural in beastkin who live and camouflage themselves in the forest. Having an exotic color is like asking to be hunted down. Whenever you see an exotic color on a beastkin, it generally means there is something seriously wrong with it. Considering this one is such low level and is so naive and stupid. I would guess retardation. And even if it was a unique beastkin, not only would I not get a gold for it, I would lose more money transporting it, there is no nobles here for hundreds of miles in this remote village. At best, I can give you 1 silver for it¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Finally the enthusiastic smirk disappears off Mike¡¯s face. ¡°Come on Mr. Gower! I really need the money! Give me at least 5 silver for it. My wife told me to sell it no less than 5 silver...¡± Again with the begging * sigh * ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, you are free to sell it to another slave merchant...oh wait...there isn¡¯t any in this town! Hohoho¡± I always love pulling out my favorite catch phrase. This village has recently started growing rapidly and I am the first to capitalize it while locking out the competition. Mike looks at me with a dejected face and says: ¡°You know you are going to go to hell for this! I am trying to feed a family here!¡± To which I nonchalantly reply: ¡°I am just an honest hard working man doing his job. Either way you are interrupting my business so make up your mind 1 silver, take it or leave it.¡± Mike begins to turn red from anger but calms himself down and gives in. ¡°Fine...1 silver it is¡± I turn to Rick who has been sitting and reading by me this whole time and ask him to prepare the slave collar and the payment. To which he nods and goes to the back. After less than a minute he brings in the slave collar and the payment. He goes over to the tied up sleeping catkin and attached the collar. He then takes off the command seal and pours a bit of mana to it. When he does that the catkin begins to shrivel up and releases an ear piercing scream. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!¡± The sudden scream shocks Mike, but to me and Rick it is an every day thing so we already had our earplugs on. The screaming and thrashing continued for about a minute and stopped with the catkin fainting again while foaming in the mouth and bleeding from her eyes. I hate it when they do that¡­ Cleaning that up is such a pain... * sigh * ¡°What the hell?!?! That shocked me¡± Mike exclaimed. To which Rick replied: ¡°Yes, that is normal. The slave collar directly attacks the slave¡¯s mind, the more they resist the more painful it is. That is necessary to insure full control. Personally if it were up to me I would take out their voice-box prior to placing the slave collar on bait. But despite it having no real use, customers would just claim it now is damaged goods and want less for it. So we have to put up with the annoyance. Since the collar has been placed, here is your 1 silver¡± Mike receives his 1 silver and grits his teeth. He seem to have remembered his anger and kicks the catkin on the floor while muttering ¡°Damn you for getting our hopes up! Must be nice doing what your told without having to worry about making end meet¡± At that I exclaimed. ¡°Hey there! That slave is not your property anymore! If you damage my property you will have to pay for it!¡± To which he jumps back in fright and quickly leaves the shop. * sigh * ¡°Rick, take it to the back and place it with the others¡± I say. ¡°Yes, sir! I do wonder, if this slave is mentally retarded, why even buy it?¡± he questions. ¡°And that is why you will always be a greenhorn in this business. Sure if this was a dogkin, I would not buy it since dogkin¡¯s primary use is as a tracker. A retarded dogkin is same as a dead dogkin. But for bait like a catkin, it is another story. The more simple minded they are the better bait they are.¡± Receiving my explanation, Rick wipes the stains away and takes the catkin in for holding. Today is such a slow day¡­ * sigh * After about an hour passes I get ready to close down when suddenly I see a customer head for the door. But not just any customer. A business like smile appears on my face. ¡°Why if it isn¡¯t my favorite customer Mr. Razer¡­ Do you need to restock on bait again?¡± I ask. ¡°Yeah, the previous 2 hit the bucket a bit early. So I need a fresh batch. This time though I am hunting a [Hell Boar] so I don¡¯t mind if they are the disposable kind as long as they serve their purpose¡± He responds. ¡°I see¡­ Then I might just have the right thing for you. I recently got this 12 year old level 4 white catkin which I think would serve as perfect disposable bait¡± I suggest. ¡°You mean that retarded white catkin that has been hitting the rumor mill lately?¡± he asks. ¡°Yes, that one. But don¡¯t worry despite being retarded it is more than capable of taking orders. If anything it would be easier to control¡± I assure. ¡°I see¡­ despite it¡¯s low level it is worth a shot as disposable bait. How much for it?¡± he inquires. ¡°Only 2 silver¡± I respond while robbing my hands and smiling. ¡°Hmmm...alright...I¡¯ll take it. Anything else you have?¡± he confirms. ¡°Excellent choice! We also have a 14 year old level 7 rabbitkin with improved jump skill for only 3 silver which should prove useful¡± I add. ¡°Sounds good, I¡¯ll take that as well¡± he exclaims. He pays me 5 silver while Rick goes to the back and retrieves the slaves and the command seals. Mr. Razer takes the command seals and his¡¯s dogkin slave picks up the slaves and then carries them out the door. With both of them gone I close up shop. If only more customers were like Mr. Razer... * sigh * Volume 01: All I wanted was a little bit of freedom (4) I suddenly woke up when I felt a splash of cold water. When I looked around I was in some sort of old basement with prison like bars and towering over me is what seems to be a dogkin boy in his late-teens. I try to remember what in the world just happened when I notice the blue notifications and reality hits me.
A [Slave Collar] has been forcefully equipped on you. You were exposed to an extreme mental pain: +1 MNT You have taken 35 damage.
Suddenly the memories of the excruciating pain that felt like my skull and brain were drilled through resurface and I shiver none stop. I only come to when I hear the voice of the dogkin boy in front of me. ¡°Get up! We have work to do follow me!¡± I am at first confused but as I slowly calm down and follow the dogkin. I somehow get the gist of the situation. Despite on my insistence on being vigilant and keeping my guard up I messed up big time! Ugh! I can¡¯t believe I was so stupid and fell for the oldest trick in the book! I am so ashamed¡­ I wonder if Amber knew and was in on it¡­or was she a victim like me¡­* sniff * ... What is done is done! There is no use crying over spilled milk! I need to think of what to do moving forward, not lament on the past. I take in my surrounding as I follow the dogkin to see if there is anything I can use. Shortly I am brought into a large room which has multiple beastkin standing. And a middle aged man sitting in on a stool. Next to him I see a small dogkin kneeling on the floor. Then a stern voice comes out of the middle aged man. ¡°I am pretty sure I told you to get 10 herbs per day. Why did you only bring back 9?¡± he asked in a cold tone. ¡°I AM SORRY! I AM SORRY! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! T-There was monsters which I ran to avoid and by the time I got away it was too late because of the night day! I AM TERRIBLY SORRY!¡± The dogkin answered in a panic. ¡°I don¡¯t need to hear your excuses. Regardless the reason, if you do not bring back 10 herbs, punishment is in order.¡± The middle aged man exclaimed. ¡°PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT..NO! I¡¯LL GET 10 TOMORROW! No, I¡¯ll make up for it and get 11 tomorrow so please, anything but that!¡± the dogkin pleaded. ¡°Are you telling me what to do? [Slave Collar: Punishment]¡± the middle aged man exclaimed. A glowing symbol shinned on the middle aged man¡¯s hand. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA¡± The dogkin boy grabbed his head and screamed out in agonizing pain. Suddenly I got cold shivers all over. This traumatizing scene felt all too familiar...So that means if I disobey...I will feel that terrifying pain again? As I was agonizing over what was to come, the dogkin who led me here took out a small basket and spoke up. ¡°Each of you, take 1 small piece of bread, that will be your breakfast. Then prepare to head out in an hour. For those new here, I will brief you on your roles on the way¡± I follow the other beastkins lining up for bread and take a small piece of bread as well. The portion was slightly larger than the size of a mini-donut. Which part of this is breakfast?!?! * munch * ...ugh! And it tastes bad too... But for now I can¡¯t afford to complain and need to look for an opportunity. There is a total of 4 dogkin including the one giving out orders and the one on the floor. Then there is 2 catkin, 3 foxkin and 1 bunnykin. Once the hour passed, we were lined up outside the house and given small bags, as the middle age man met up with 2 more people. A man and a women around the same age. We then proceeded to leave the village. After about an hour of walking, the 1st middle aged man spoke up. ¡°Alright, start collecting stones, dogkin start sniffing for the [Hell Boar]¡± he ordered. Hell Boar? Somehow I do not like the sound of that¡­
Your skill [RA][Smell Sense] has become Level 2The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Your skill [RA][Smell Sense] has become Level 3
While having a very very bad feeling, I follow the instructions and collect stones in the bag. I also keep an eye on the dogkin while they are sniffing. I finally got my [Smell Sense] to Level 4 after observing the leader dogkin and it stopped going up after that. The dogkin began to lead us on a trail of the [Hell Boar] while I also secretly used my [Smell Sense] to follow as well, don¡¯t want to be the last one to respond to an ambush after all. We then arrived at a scene where a humongous reddish boar the size of a truck who had steam coming out of its body and was currently smashing against a tree. On top of the tree is a panicking monkey trying hard not to fall off the tree. I feel a huge amount of dread at the overwhelming strength of the boar.
You have acquired a new skill [RP][Toughness] Level 1
During this time, the 3 humans begin to break down the strategy. ¡°Alright then, we will go with the usual strategy for the [Hell Boar]. We will circle the [Hell Boar] with bait and after it rushes attack it while it is weakened¡± the middle aged man said. ¡°Alright, you heard the boss. Now go!¡± exclaimed the dogkin. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to mess up, I for the first time spoke up. ¡°What are we using as bait?¡± I ask frantically. The dogkin turns toward me with a perplexed look. ¡°Oh, the retarded one. Isn¡¯t it obvious...you¡± he replied with a casual tone. WHO ARE YOU CALLING RETARDED?!?...wait...wait...more importantly...what did he just say...it can¡¯t be...did I mishear? Suddenly my face became as white as my hair. They want us to act as bait for THAT THING! Are they trying to kill us?!?! I wasn¡¯t the only one to freeze up...the foxkin, bunnykin and the other catkin had similar looks on their faces. The only difference was it didn¡¯t seem like they were that shocked about the whole thing as I was. ¡°We don¡¯t have the whole day here, you have 5 minutes to get in position, surround and start circling the boar and start throwing rocks at it. If you do not, there will be punishment. This is an [Order]¡± he decreed. At the same time a bunch of symbols began to glow. With terrified faces, everyone reluctantly moved forward and began to surround the [Hell Boar] from a distance then slowly but steadily closed in the perimeter. Fearing the excruciating pain from the collar, I also followed while praying for my life. I put the 2 free points I had saved up for a rainy day into [AGI] in hopes of raising my chance to live if even by 1%. As we got closer and closer eventually the [Hell Boar] who has long broken down the large tree and was eating the monkey noticed us. And began to look around. We began circling the boar in a rotation to try as best we can do divert the obvious upcoming charge if even by a millimeter. All while shaking in fear and throwing rocks at it. The [Hell Boar] suddenly started to become more and more red. And more steam began to come from it. I suddenly got a very very bad feeling about it. As I was watching I suddenly got a notification.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Meteor Rush] Level 1
The [Hell Boar] suddenly looked in our direction and let out a loud noise. ¡°SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!¡± * rumble * *rumble * *rumble * Of course even before that, the moment I saw the ridiculous sounding skill I activated [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload] and [Charge] to move as fast as possible! I mean has anything involving ¡°meteors¡± ever ended well for me?
Due to overcoming your movement limits: +1 AGI
Suddenly the humongous [Hell Boar] disappeared and in its place I saw a trail of fire. Before I noticed I was smashed by a large force of burning wind and recklessly flung in the air. Landing dozens of meters away.
You have taken 302 damage. You have been stunned for 3 seconds.
When I came to, I looked up and what I saw looked akin to a war zone. The whole place behind me was smashed into bits and pieces. Trees shattered, fire burning everything around. Blood all over the place and bits and pieces of body parts which seem to be the bunnykin who was a few meters behind me. The [Hell Boar] itself is standing still in a mini-like crater. I stood there staring in total shock. Even as the 3 humans began to attack it from behind and I was getting notifications left and right, I could not come to.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Spear Mastery] Level 1 You have acquired a new skill [NA][Slash] Level 1 You have acquired a new skill [NP][Dagger Mastery] Level 1
Suddenly I felt something wrong and I came to. I forcefully deactivate [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload]. I do not know why, but something tells me if I fall unconscious here it would be really bad. It seems that if I use the skill for less than 1 minute, the penalty will be proportional to that. As I only used 10 seconds, I will only suffer [Overload] debuff for 8 hours. I slowly get up and do my best to get as much distance as possible while keeping an eye on the situation. Surprisingly, with all 3 humans attacking the boar and doing heavy damage, the boar is not moving at all. Only after about 30 seconds passed from the charge did the boar began to move. But at that point it was severely weakened. The fight lasted about 3 minutes after which the boar finally fell.
Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX
I got another level up, but looking at the scene from hell I could not be happy at all. At this point the leading dogkin gathered all the surviving beastkin and the middle aged man spoke. ¡°Since we found it earlier than expected, all Dogkin, I expect you to fulfill at least half your quota for the day. All bait, go back to base and be there within 5 hours. This is an [Order]!¡± the man shouted, then turned to his companions and said ¡±Lets go ahead celebrate our victory guys! I know a good new place!¡±. With that, the middle aged man and his companions sprinted back to the village. I took one last look around the hellish battlefield. And noticed that there was also a foxkin lying there with missing feet and arm. But he was still barely alive and moaning. ¡°That foxkin is still alive¡± I exclaim while pointing. The dogkin takes a glance and says ¡°Leave him. He is already useless as bait¡± I looked at the dogkin with an dumbfounded face. ¡°Weren¡¯t we ordered to all come to base? Wouldn¡¯t that be a breach of an order?¡± I interjected. ¡°Yes, and he will die for disobeying it. What point are you trying to make retard?¡± he looks at me bewildered as though looking at a child who said something silly. And then walks away. Totally bewildered and left with no choice due to my powerlessness, I dejectedly follow back to base. ¡­ Volume 01: A new path forward in the darkness (1) If there is one thing I realized from this event is that I can¡¯t keep going on this way. As things are, I am going to die 100%. I don¡¯t think this is the first time they used beastkin as bait. My original plan was to stay under the radar and find an opportunity to escape, but as things are going I am going to end up dead before that time comes. So there are 2 options for me. First option is I can increase my value and get them to invest resources into my benefit, while not revealing all cards and use that to make my escape. Or raise my benefits just enough that they won¡¯t use me as bait but still stay under the radar overall. Both choices have their ups and downs. The first choice has benefits as it gets me protection from strong people while I increase my strength. But the downside is that I would have to reveal my abilities. The chances of getting out would also be slim because I know very little about this world, so them tricking me is more likely then me tricking them. I can literally end up a slave for my entire life. Which I definitely do not want! The second option benefits is that I can gain some advantages while at same time not revealing my cards. That said there is the risks that they would get suspicious or use me as secondary bait. I really don¡¯t have enough information¡­ Hmmm...wait a second...right now we are heading back to base and the master is not here. Isn¡¯t this a perfect opportunity to collect some information? Particularly, I am interested in the situation of the dogkin. Why didn¡¯t they use them as bait like the rest? And they also got more food during breakfast too... I also want to figure out how levels in this world work. Hopefully they are more talkative then Amber¡­ The problem is...everyone¡¯s mood is pretty down...It feels kind of awkward to start a conversion under these conditions...But I can¡¯t afford to lament any longer, every second can mean the difference between life and death! The question is who do I ask¡­ I take a look around the members walking back to base. And decide to talk to the younger one of the catkin who is 11 years old and level 6. They are the youngest one of the group not counting the dogkin. And maybe as a fellow catkin things would go smoother. I slowly walk up to her and say ¡°Hey..can I ask you something?¡± She looks at me with a blank and tired expression and replies. ¡°What do you want...retard?¡± WHA?!?!?!? Okay that started out right away on the wrong side of the road¡­ ¡°I am not a retard! I am Shiro!¡± I somehow exclaim despite being extremely tired myself. I thought the dogkin might be have a thing against catkin, you know the old dog vs cat rivalry. But this is absurd...even a fellow catkin is calling me a retard..what did I do? ¡°ye...ye...what do you need? I am beat make it quick...¡± she says. I want to say a lot of things and get to the bottom of this. But right now the most important thing is getting the information I need to live. ¡°I was wondering why we were all used as bait while the dogkin were excluded?¡± I inquire. * sigh * ¡°...you really are a retard if you don¡¯t know the most basic things. Dogkin start out with a racial of [Smell Sense] at level 3. Which means they are useful for tracking monsters and also for gathering herbs. Since they have value, no one is going to use a dogkin as bait. Especially since Catkin, Foxkin and Bunnykin are faster. So they use us as bait. If you were thinking something stupid like I have [Smell Sense] too so I can do just as good a job. I suggest you give up on it while you are ahead retard, the difference between Level 1 and 3 is huge. Anyways..if you are done...leave me alone...¡± she responds.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. GUH! Again with the retard thing...They don¡¯t even know me and they call me retard...But again I need to control myself and focus on the real questions I want to ask. I can take a few insults if it means staying alive. Since they already thinks very little of me, might as well go for broke and ask ¡°that¡± question. I have a feeling I¡¯ll regret it but what is the worst that can happen? ¡°One more question please!...how does one level up without fighting?¡± I ask quickly. ¡°...¡± As expected¡­ but it was worth a shot ¡­ ¡°...retard¡± she murmurs. ...Well if she is not going to answer what I need I might as well get to the bottom of this! It is really irking me! ¡°Why do you keep calling me retard? What did I ever do to you? Call me by my name Shiro!¡± I exclaim. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? You are called a retard because you are a retard! Do I need to spell it out for you?¡± she responds. I am really getting nowhere fast...while I was thinking that¡­ ¡°What is going on back there? If you have the time to talk, move quicker back to base!¡± shouted the dogkin boy leading the group. ¡°Sorry Ryo! The retard wanted to know how someone levels up!¡± she yelled back. * giggle * * giggle * * giggle * * giggle * All around me I hear the beastkin trying to suppress their laughter¡­ Why do I keep jinxing myself...now I am certain everyone thinks I am a retard...I droop my shoulders in utter defeat. Like this we make it back to base without me getting a proper answer. But it was not all losses. I did get an answer to one of my most important questions. The fact that the dogkin are not being thrown away as bait is already offering me a way to improve my chance of survival. Of course I am not going to reveal that my [Smell Sense] is level 4. But I can pass it off as level 3 just fine. Maybe I can also get some extra herbs and sell them for money secretly. There is the whole [Order] thing, but I come from a society where everything is behind a legal binding contract. I am sure I can find a loophole given time. After we arrive to the base and eat ¡°lunch¡±, if one were to even call that lunch. I decide to put the plan to action. I am going to first try approaching that lead dogkin named Ryo. I know he does not think highly of me but if he says no, there is no loss. But if I piss off that middle aged man, he might use that [Punishment] thing. I instinctively get a cold sweat and shiver in fear. Alright, begin ¡°Operation: Secure moderate safety¡±. I walk up to Ryo and say. ¡°Ryo, I heard if you have [Smell Sense] Level 3. You can do herb gathering and tracking instead of being bait. Is that true?¡± I inquire. He frowns and says ¡°What of it?¡± ¡°I happen to have [Smell Sense] at Level 3!¡± I say in a proud voice. ¡°You don¡¯t say...¡± he says in monotone pretty much ignoring me. ¡°You don¡¯t believe me do you?!?! I can prove it if you want!¡± I exclaim. * sigh * ¡°Retard, I don¡¯t know who put you up to this¡­.actually...sure have it your way. If you want to gather herbs and act as a tracker all you need to do is see the boss¡± he replies in with a tired voice which changes mid way to a condescending one.. At that I freeze up for a bit and tremble. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? I thought this is what you wanted?¡± he beckons. I have a really really bad feeling about this¡­ He grabs my hand and drags me to see the middle age man then throws me there on the floor. The middle aged man is playing cards with his 2 companions and when he notices our presence he asks. ¡°What¡¯s up Ryo?¡± ¡°This retard here says she has [Sense Smell] Level 3 and wants to be a tracker and collect herbs¡± he replies with a grin. ¡°Is that so~?¡± the middle aged man inquires in a playful tone. I suddenly hear laughter coming from his companions...I really have a bad feeling about this¡­ ¡°Hmmm...Since we made a killing on the [Hell Boar] subjugation and have some time to kill...why not...play a little game~? It is simple really...tomorrow you can go out with the other dogkin and gather herbs. Gather 15 herbs by end of the day, if not, not only will you starve that day, [Punishment] will be given.¡± he exclaimed. I shrivel up at the word [Punishment]...I don¡¯t ever want to feel that terrible pain again...But before that there is something important I need to say. I steel myself and reply. ¡°B-But...T-the d-dogkin only need t-ten...¡± with a shaken voice. He lets out a villainous smile. ¡°You are a catkin though with a nose of a dogkin right~? So you should be able to gather herbs faster. Or are you saying you lied to your master..if so..then maybe some [Punishment] is in order...¡± he affirms. I let out a cold sweat and tremble...this is so unfair! But before I voice out my protest I realize there is nothing I can do about it...I grind my teeth and reply. ¡°T-That is s-so unf...P-Please d-don¡¯t p-punish me¡­.I-I¡¯ll do as y-you command m-master...I-I¡¯ll gather 15 t-tomorrow..¡± with a frightened dejected voice. ¡°Very good!¡± he laughs ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it. Ryo, tomorrow, show the retard what herbs it needs to look for. And assign another bait to look after them. We don¡¯t want it dying on us while doing something stupid.¡± he adds. ¡°As you command boss!¡± he assents. He then takes my wrist and drags me away. While we head back to the beastkin holding area, I hear the middle aged man and his companions beginning to bet on how badly they think I will fail¡­Good thing I didn¡¯t say my [Smell Sense] was at level 4 or they might have said something crazy like ¡°Your smelling is double that of an average dogkin? Then get me 20 herbs¡±. Then I¡¯d be totally screwed¡­ Either way, I can¡¯t afford to mess this up...anything but that [Punishment]...I shiver...But this is also an opportunity to get some freedom and find a loophole out! ¡­ Volume 01: A new path forward in the darkness (2) The next day, Ryo brought me a rusted knife and a box with multiple herbs in it. In the box contained 5 different plants. I make sure to remember their smell and use my [Identify] on them.
Dire Milkweed A weed that tends to grow next to high traffic areas and grass fields. Often used in the making of low level health potions. Quality 1/10
Lavender Ginger Roots A herb that grows next to trees. Often used in the making of low level antidotes. Quality 1/10
Violet River Grass A grass that grows by the side and bottom of rivers. Often used in the making of low level mana potions. Quality 1/10
Vile Nightshade A shrub sometimes found in forests and fields. Often used in the making of low level confusion poison. Quality 1/10
Black Lobelia A type of flower that grows in forests. Often used in the making of low level paralyzing poisons. Quality 1/10
Behind Ryo is the oldest of the Foxkin who is standing by. After I confirm that I remember the scents he turns to her and says. ¡°Take care of the retard and make sure she does not get herself killed. Be sure to be back before dinner.¡± ¡°Do I have to?¡± she asks while looking at me annoyed. ¡°This is an order from the boss, so make sure you do it properly¡± he reprimands. ¡°Yeah..yeah...lets go and get this over with retard.¡± she responds. GRRR! ¡°Why does everyone keep calling me that?!?! My name is Shiro!¡± I exclaim. ¡°I don¡¯t really care what your name is. Why do I need to remember someone who is not going to live past the next hunt? Especially when you stand out like a sore thumb. If you manage to live through 10 battles, then I¡¯ll ask for your name. Either way lets go, of course if you want to stand here all day I am fine with that too. The one who is going to get punished is you not me retard¡± she points out. Guuuh! I really want to get to the bottom of this but she is right. My neck is on the line here and I can¡¯t afford to waste anymore time. Not only do I need to get 50% more than a dogkin. I am also not familiar with the area. [Identify] helped a bit in knowing where things usually grow, but I have no clue about the geography of this area.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. We leave the base and head outside the village into the forest. I first spend an hour making another wooden spear for protection using the rusted knife and then I activate my [Smell Sense] and begin scanning the area. I pick up some scent and begin to move. Like this we walk for half an hour through the forest. I would have liked to start a conversation to see if I could get some information from the foxkin girl. But [Smell Sense] Level 4 takes up a lot of [Mental], if not for my high [MNT] stat I may not have be able to have it last through the day. And I have a feeling any conversation with her at this point isn¡¯t going to end well for my [Mental]. Surprisingly enough she is the one who starts up a conversation first, of course the contents of the conversation though are not so surprising. ¡°So how long are you going to sniff pretending to be a dogkin? I have [Smell Sense] level 1 as well and am well aware you are not picking up anything. So why not just give up and accept your punishment?¡± She asks in a less then pleased voice. ¡°We are almost there...¡± I nonchalantly respond. She rolls her eyes and ends the conversation. After 5 minutes we arrive at our destination. Over there are 2 small [Vile Nightshade] shrubs. On one there are 3 bulbs and on the other there are 2. For a total of 5! I start picking them off and placing them in a bag. ¡°That was just blind luck!¡± said the ticked off voice behind me. I just shrug it off and ignore it, not willing to start a pointless argument. Once I finish collecting, with no help from the foxkin I might add. I continue on in a different direction following my [Smell Sense]. Within 2 hours I mange to collect 2 [Dire Milkweed], 3 [Lavender Ginger Roots] and 1 [Black Lobelia]. I am on a roll! I have already collected 11 within less than 3 hours! Which makes me really happy, contrary to the foxkin following me who seems really irked. There is still about 10 hours till dinner time. At this rate I may be able to get 15 of them and have extra to spare. Maybe make some money on the side and hide it. The question is I do not know the limits of the [Slave Collar], for all I know it triggers if I try to deceive the master or the like. I need to get some information on that as well. Regardless, with the foxkin here, I can¡¯t exactly do that anyways. Even if the collar does not have such options. If that middle aged man asks her to tell him what happened, I doubt she wouldn¡¯t be willing to rat me out. It isn¡¯t like I don¡¯t want to trust her and all, despite how she is acting towards me. But I know all too well how terrifying the collar is. So for now I¡¯ll wait till I am allowed to do this alone. Then figure out a loophole in the collar and make money on the side. As I was thinking that, the foxkin suddenly stopped me. ¡°Stop! We shouldn¡¯t go any further in this direction. Past this point the probability of a monster showing up increases dramatically. Normally, I don¡¯t care if you go there and get yourself killed, but I am under the orders to make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed doing something stupid¡± she exclaims. I nod and turn to walk in a different direction. With a plan made up, I on purpose start slowing down the rate at which I find the herbs, finding one about every 2 hours. As time goes on, the foxkin girl becomes more and more smug. And randomly says things like ¡°Told you it is beginners luck¡±. By the time we get 15 it is time to return for dinner. Of course she was not too thrilled about me making the agreed upon quota. Standing next to the entrance of the base is Ryo who seems to be waiting for us. ¡°I hope you are not planning on making excuses prior to your punishment¡± he says. For the first time since coming here, my face breaks out into a grin. Just imagining the look on his face is going to be epic! ¡°No excuses! I made my quota just fine!¡± I say in a proud voice while showing the bag. He makes a crooked astonished face which by the way I make sure to commit to memory and then he turns to the foxkin. ¡°She didn¡¯t cheat by stealing them or asking others for help?¡± he asks in an accusatory tone. I feel offended¡­ ¡°No, it was just blind luck!¡± the foxkin exclaims somewhat ticked. It¡¯s like everyone hates me or something...what did I do to them? ¡°Anyways, we will report to the boss, you are dismissed¡± he says while grabbing me and dragging me to the middle aged man indoors. You know¡­ I can walk just fine by myself without being dragged there...I am more than capable of doing that on my own..no need to get rough! I ain¡¯t scared of him. Especially now that I met my quota. We come to the main room where he is again playing cards with his companions. ¡°Boss, she finally came back¡± said Ryo. The middle aged man turns around and stares at me. I shrink back and start trembling¡­ ¡°So how did it go, was she able to find at least one?¡± he asks in an amused voice. ¡°No boss, she managed to somehow get all 15. I asked Kuina if she somehow cheated or something but it was a negative. So she somehow managed to pull it off¡± replied Ryo. The middle aged man freezes up for a second trying to process the information and his bemused attitude disappears. ¡°How is that possible? You ain¡¯t kidding me right?¡± he inquires for confirmation. ¡°I don¡¯t know how but it¡¯s right here¡± Ryo replies while handing over the bag with the herbs. The middle aged man looks over the bag while pondering something. During this time the woman in the group interjects in the conversation. ¡°Maybe she is some kind of mutation variant? She might be retarded but started out with high [Smell Sense] skill¡± she explains. GUH! STOP CALLING ME RETARDED! I think I use up more [Mental] per day from people calling me that over looking for herbs! That is how pissed off I am at this point! Of course I know better than to actually voice out my complaint here¡­ ¡°That might be the case...¡± replied the middle aged man then after pondering for a bit added ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll let you be a tracker and see how you do. You will collect 15 herbs per day. If you fail to do so, there will be [Punishment]... Ryo, tomorrow, take the the herbs to the adventurers guild and sell them, bring the retard along as well and get it registered in the guild. You know the drill. Also, make sure Kuina goes as well to keep an eye on the retard¡± ¡°Yes boss!¡± Ryo responded. Did he just say adventurers guild?!?! And they are going to register me into the guild?!? While I am totally stunned, this also isn¡¯t the way I imagined to be registered...I mean being registered as a slave...this isn¡¯t how its suppose to be! Wait! Maybe I have this all backwards and this is the reverse route...where a dashing hero will show up wanting to add me to his harem. Listen to my story, free me from slavery while giving me a legendary weapon and lots of other awesome loot. To which I will go ¡°My Hero!¡±. Then when we leave town I¡¯ll say ¡°Thanks again! I will always remember the favor! Well then...It¡¯s about time we split ways. I doubt we will ever meet again. K thx bye!~ Sayonara~ Adios~ So long and thanks for all the fish~¡±... a girl can always dream... Anyways, back to reality. If I register for the guild I wonder if more options will open up to me...I also hope I don¡¯t trigger the old fight in the guild flag...I definitely don¡¯t stand a chance if that happens... ¡­ Volume 01: A new path forward in the darkness (3) The next morning, Me, Ryo and Kuina set off for the Adventurers guild. When we arrived there, the guild was rather empty with a few people here and there. We came over to the desk and were greeted by a 28 year old women wearing glasses who seems to be a receptionist. ¡°Hello, how can I help you today?¡± she asked. I was a bit taken back as it was the first human I saw in this world who acted remotely courteous towards beastkin. Of course being as cynical as I am, it might be just a show of professionalism. ¡°We would like to register this one to the guild¡± said Ryo as he pushed me forward. ¡°Alright¡± she says pulling out a card, then ¡°do you know how to read and write?¡± she asked. ¡°I do not¡± I exclaimed. ¡°I see, that is no problem. I will fill in the information for you. I just need your name, age, race, level and proof of identity. I should note that we will be conducting a mandatory appraisal for verification¡± she added. ¡°Okay...My name is Shiro, I am 12 years old and of the Beastkin - Catkin race. My current level is 5. As for proof of identity, I don¡¯t know what that is¡± I replied. ¡°Here is her proof of identity¡± Ryo interjected while taking out a paper. So there is such a thing in this world like I thought...I wonder what happens if you don¡¯t have one¡­ She writes down all the information on the card.
Your skill [LP][Trillan] has become Level 6. [Reading and Writing] unlocked.
¡°Alright...[Appraise: Human]¡­Everything seems in check. Now I am required by guild policy to give you a breakdown and answer any questions you might have that are related. When you start out, you will be a Rank G adventurer. As an adventurer you can pick up requests that are on the board to the right. Once you pick a request you bring it to the counter. You can pick up any request in general, but any requests above 2 ranks would need special approval. So as a Rank G adventurer, you can pick up a Rank E requests or below without issue. There are also cut of points for Rank D, Rank A and Rank S. To take requests of those ranks you need to pass a special test. There are 4 types of requests, normal requests which are your typical request. Continuous requests, which are repeatable and have no limits such as herb gathering. Special requests, which are specifically requested of you in private. And lastly there are mandatory requests in case of emergencies, which often happen when there is a flock of monsters attacking a nearby city which the government can not handle or needs assistance. Not participating in a mandatory request can lead to suspension and in some cases imprisonment by law. When you complete a request you will get points. 1 point for requests of same rank, 2 points for requests of 1 rank above and 4 points for requests 2 ranks above. Once you reach 20 points you will get a promotion in rank. You will be given a guild tattoo rune which will store all information. If the tattoo rune gets destroyed, there will be a fee to restore it. This tattoo can also be used to share information with others. In the case of slaves, you can share information about requests you completed to your owner.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. We also have a few services available in the guild. The material selling station to the left where you can sell herbs and monster parts and we have a class change orb on the 2nd floor. We also have a library on the 3rd floor but it is not accessible by slaves without supervision from their owner. Do you have any questions? If not, all you have to do is sign here on the card. It can be scribbles or anything of the like even if you can¡¯t write¡± said the receptionist in a machine like manner. Thinking about what was said, I decide to take a long shot. ¡°Yes, I have a few questions¡­. How do you level up without fighting and how do you choose a class?¡± I ask in as innocent voice as possible. ¡°...¡± The receptionist looks at me blankly as though she does not understand the question. * slap * I suddenly hear a slap from behind, and I turn around to see Ryo face-palming. ¡°Don¡¯t mind her nonsense. She is a bit retarded¡± said Ryo to the receptionist. How envious I am of those literally works where a protagonist can just come up to anyone and use them as a human encyclopedia as they please. ¡°You want me to reveal top secret information that can destroy the country if known, that I have not even revealed to my own family to someone with no background or history? Hell I knew you for 2 whole days so here is all the details. I even included it on a silver platter for your convenience¡°..how enviable¡­ * sigh * ¡°¡­ while the question is rather...weird...since it is something even a child should know¡­ guild policy requires me to answer all questions prior to registration as long as they are remotely related...even if they are...odd ones...¡± she says in a perplexed tone. THERE IS A GOD! Ryo is shaking his head in annoyance and Kuina is pretending like she doesn¡¯t know me but who cares! I am finally getting a REAL answer! It¡¯s not like I have any reputation to lose at this point..so...Bonzai! Bonzai! ¡°When you do any sort of work, you get experience. When you get enough experience you level up. It generally takes about 2 years to get a level doing work. Though you can get more experience depending on how well you do your work, or if you have achievements in your work. When you reach Level 10. You get to pick your first non-combat job. The non-combat job options will be related to what work you did prior. For example, if you do herb collecting. At level 10 you will often get option for [Gatherer] job, and if you are well versed in the herbs you collect you might even get [Herbalist]. Though generally to get [Herbalist] you need to actually work with the herbs. But the chance is there regardless how small. After you get level 10 you will stop getting experience for doing work that is not related to your job. There is also often an option for a Unique Job which appears for those eligible for multiple jobs or meet other criteria. Often times it is called the ¡°Jack-of-all trades¡± job because it lets you get experience from doing multiple things. On the downsides the bonuses and skills of those jobs tend to be poor. Of course there are exceptions, sometimes you can get a specialized Unique Job like the famous [Sacred Blacksmith] which allows the forging of holy weapons. There are also people who have multiple talents that mix, for example a person can have a talent for [Herbalist] and [Alchemist] to create a combination job which is can do both well. But these are extremely rare. This is why the class change orbs exist. Some people try out jobs like Unique jobs and find it does not fit them, so they change their jobs via the Job Change orbs we have upstairs. And when you reach level 25 of combined racial job and work job, you can get a combat job. Does this answer your questions?¡± she confirmed. With finally getting the answer I have been waiting a while for and in a good mood I reply. ¡°Thank you very much miss!..¡± I then feel the impatience and frustration of Ryo behind me and decide to be a bit mischievous¡­ ¡°...That was exactly what Ryo wanted to know but was too embarrassed to ask...¡± I exclaim while beaming with the best smile I could make. Suddenly I get a cold sweat as I feel blood thirst from behind...EEEK...I think I went a little too far¡­ ¡°Hurry up retard! I don¡¯t have all day! I have other matters to attend to¡± he yells while losing his cool. ¡°Yes!¡± I responded by reflex. ¡°If that is all your questions, please sign here¡± said the receptionist while handing me a card and an odd pen. I take the pen which seems to draw some of my magic power and I sign the paper with my name. Then hand the paper and pen back to the receptionist. ¡°...¡± After the receptionist checks the card, she frowns and looks at me at a rather strange way while I see temper building up. The professional receptionist facade is slowly but steadily cracking. Did I do something wrong? ¡°I thought you said that you didn¡¯t know how to write...wer..were you making a fool out of me?!?!¡± the receptionist threatened. OOPS.. I let my guard down again!¡­ I am guessing I can¡¯t get away with saying ¡°I learned it just a minute ago¡± now can I?¡­ I need to do some damage control pronto! Lets see...maybe the old fashioned knocking on my own head while sticking out a tongue while smiling and going ¡°teehee¡± would work...sure sounds like a great idea! IF I HAVE A DEATH WISH! While my mind was panicking on how to deal with this situation and coming up with ridiculous nonsense. I suddenly felt a large impact on my head and fell to the floor face first.
You have taken 64 damage.
Looking up I see Ryo¡¯s fist. ¡°Sorry about that, this one was born a bit retarded. She probably only knows how to sign her name. Can we finish the registration and move on?¡± he explains. The receptionist looks at him somewhat unconvinced but seemingly not wanting to draw anymore attention decides to accept it. She takes my hand and places a tattoo rune on the back of it. Once that was done, we exited the guild and Ryo instructed us to bring the herbs to the guild when done, then went back to base while me and Kuina proceeded to the forest outside the village. ¡­ Volume 01: A new path forward in the darkness (4) While we were walking through the forest looking for herbs. I was processing some of the information I got from the guild. Long story short, I doubt I can level up outside of killing monsters. I might be able to speed things up if I start collecting herbs for real. But with Kuina here that is rather difficult. I can try waiting out till I get enough trust to be alone, but I don¡¯t know when that would be. I need to level up as much as I can while looking for a solution to the [Slavery Collar], cause even if I do get out, it does not change the fact that I am too weak. But regardless, I need to start collecting information on the [Slavery Collar] and my best bet on it is Kuina. Though that is hard to pull off when every half an hour Kuina says things like ¡°You won¡¯t be so lucky today¡±. She is really taking things a bit too personal. After some thought I came up with a solution. I call it ¡°Operation: Two Birds with one stone¡±. The plan is simple really, I will use my [Smell Sense] to find monsters and identify their smells from a safe distance. Once I know how the monsters look like and their average level. I will on purpose lead us to monsters while looking for herbs. An evil grin appears on my face. Everyone says that companions are born in battle! If me and Kuina fight together and grow stronger together. She will eventually accept me and I¡¯ll be free to ask her anything I want. My very own foxkin encyclopedia! Of course there is a lot of risk in this plan. I really did not want to fight monsters head on. I would prefer to trap and ambush them from a safe distance. But now since I will be ¡°accidentally¡± leading us to monsters. Not only will we not get the ambush, in some cases the monster will get the head start since I would have to approach from a direction of the wind to get around Kuina¡¯s [Smell Sense] Level 1. The bright side to this is Kuina is pretty strong. She is 15 years old and level 9. So she should be almost 2X stronger than me in theory. So if we hunt solo monsters that are Level 5 and below it should be pretty safe...probably¡­I¡¯m sure she would be very thankful once this is all over! Now then, lets start the operation. But first lets get a head start by getting some information from Kuina. While she might not be willing to talk about many things, since this topic is related to herb hunting it should be fine. ¡°Hey Kuina, I have a question. What kind of monsters are around these parts and what levels are they? I want to be sure that I avoid them the best I can¡± I say in the most innocent tone I can muster. Kuina looks at me a bit ticked and says ¡°Who let you call me by my name retard?!?¡± she takes a moment to ponder while glaring daggers at me then continues ¡°Ugh..fine. The monsters around these parts include [Rabid Squirrels] who range from level 2 ¨C 6. [Stink Beetles] who range from level 3 ¨C 8. [Dire Mokeys] who range from level 5 ¨C 12. [Red Wolfs] who range from level 8 ¨C 15. Just try not to get yourself killed on my watch.¡± So it seems like the only ones that fall into the acceptable safety range are [Rabid Squirrels] and [Stink Beetles]. Though I somehow have a bad feeling about the later. I wish [Smell Sense] could help me detect a monster¡¯s level but that is just wishful thinking. So first order of business is finding what [Rabid Squirrels] smell like. I try to hone in on all the mammal scents I can¡¯t identify and proceed in that direction. As we get closer, Kuina suddenly stops. ¡°There is a monster near by!¡± she exclaims as she takes up an alert stance. Playing dumb I ask ¡°Do you know which kind of monster is it and how many?¡± ¡°It smells like a single [Dire Monkey]¡± she exclaimed. I see...that is a scent of a [Dire Monkey]...a bit risky but there is still a high probability it is within safety range. I prepared my spear for combat. We both stood there covering each other¡¯s back searching for the monkey. Of course I actually knew exactly where the monkey was due to my higher skill level despite not being able to see it behind the leaves of the tree. The monkey was still a distance away and I was worried that Kuina would insist to run if there was an opportunity to escape. So I let the monkey get closer and closer while remaining vigilant. Once the monkey got close enough we both noticed it, I instinctively activated [All-Observing-Eyes] though at that moment I saw a rock being flung at me.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Throw] Level 1
I barely dodged it by a few millimeters and used [Identify] on the [Dire Monkey].
Dire MonkeyUnauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Gender Male Race Dire Monkey Class Level
HP 390/390 MP ? Dire Monkey 8
A little bit out of my comfort zone but should still be doable. The biggest issue is getting to it since it is on a tree. I guess it is time to try my new skill! I grab rock from the ground and use the [Throw] skill. Unfortunately the [Dire Monkey] flung to the side and I missed but luckily it was enough to get him off balance and he landed on the ground. Not wanting to miss this opportunity I activate [Charge] while stabbing with my spear. In the past my spear thrusts were more akin to a child playing with a stick, but now that I have spear mastery even at level 1 I feel I can probably at least compete in a high school competition. I stab the monkey in the shoulder, not wanting to lost the opportunity while the monkey was off guard, I then raise the spear and use downwards [Slash]. Unfortunately, due to my spear being a blunt weapon due to it being a wooden spear and not a real one, the bonus of slash was limited but still better than nothing.
You have dealt 62 damage to the [Dire Monkey]! You have dealt 83 damage to the [Dire Monkey]!
Despite my decisive blows, my mastery of the spear and the monkey¡¯s rather low defense the damage I did was rather lacking due to my poor weapon. I then jump back and gain a little distance as a spear is not particularly grand at short range. Since I injured the shoulder of it¡¯s dominant arm, it should have a harder time throwing things as well. I then take a notice of Kuina who is just standing there staring blankly. ¡°What are you doing Kuina?!?! help me out here!¡± I exclaim. She snaps out of her stumper and yells back ¡°What are you doing! This is our chance to run!¡±. Somewhat perplexed I question back frantically ¡°What do you mean run?!?! It is injured and alone so we can take it out!¡± Noticing the monkey making a move to attack head on in rage. I again activate [Charge] and stab the monkey in the stomach blowing it back. This time due to it being a decisive blow at rather close range, the damage was much better despite the poor weapon.
You have dealt 136 damage to the [Dire Monkey]!
From behind I can hear stomping and and yelling. ¡°Ugh! You stupid retard! Why do I have to put up with this!?!?¡± Kuina complained. Then she gets in a ready position and¡­ runs away¡­
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Sprint] Level 1
¡°WHA?!?!¡± I exclaimed completed stunned. I totally did not see that one coming...wasn¡¯t she ordered to protect me? Since the monkey noticed that its opponents has shrunk down from 2 to 1 and that I was momentarily off guard. It decided to vent its anger and jumped straight at me! I quickly brandished the spear and again thrust forward hitting the [Dire Monkey] by its thigh. Unfortunately, the hit was shallow and not only was the damage low but I was not able to stop its momentum and the monkey landed right on top of me. As a result I ended up falling to the ground and letting go off the spear. With the monkey on top of me it started bashing me in the face with its arms over and over.
You have dealt 18 damage to the [Dire Monkey]! You have taken 24 damage. You have been stunned for 0.5 seconds. You have taken 32 damage. You have been stunned for 0.5 seconds. You have taken 28 damage. You have been stunned for 0.5 seconds. You have taken 36 damage. You have been stunned for 0.5 seconds. You have taken 31 damage. You have been stunned for 0.5 seconds.
Things were not looking good¡­ In no time at all I lost almost half my HP and I could not pull myself together as the monkey kept bashing me on the head. As I was panicking trying to find a solution out of this desperate situation I heard a loud * thud *, afterwards I stopped feeling being attacked and opened my eyes. The monkey was gone and instead was a blue window.
Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX
I took a look around and behind me was the [Dire Monkey] with its face to the floor and a rusted dagger stabbed in the back of its neck. Preceding over it was Kuina. Who then came over to me and asked if I was okay¡­oh who am I kidding¡­ ¡°Are you stupid?! Are you a retard!? Wait don¡¯t answer that! Who in the world attacks a monster head on like that? Do you have a death wish?! I don¡¯t care if you die but don¡¯t do it on my watch or I¡¯ll get in trouble!¡± she complained. Wondering thus far I asked the first thing in my mind ¡°I thought...you ran...so why...¡± I inquired. ¡°Of course I ran! I don¡¯t have a combat class nor any combat skills, the only thing I can remotely use for combat is an ambush via [Sprint]¡¯s momentum from a long distance. And even then that is pushing it. I am not a suicidal retard like you who rushes in head first!¡± she bellowed. This is definitely something I did not consider...Since my Unique Skill does not allow me to get or train skills normally, I never thought about how difficult it is to obtain skills. So despite Kuina being Level 9 she is most likely weaker in combat than I am? This is really a bind, I am going to have to reconsider my options and might have to find a way to convince Kuina to fight monsters with me. At the very least provide some cover¡­ So for now I put ¡°Operation: Two Birds with one stone¡± aside and proceeded to gather herbs at a steady pace. When we collected the 15 herbs for the day we headed for the guild, Kuina seemed to be rather upset that I was able to meet the quota 2 days in a row. ... Volume 01: A new path forward in the darkness (5) When we arrive at the guild, I go to the counter to sell herbs and cash in my quest only to find it closed. A bit confused I then head for the reception desk instead. ¡°Hi, I would like to cash in the repeatable Rank G herb collection quest¡± I say as I place my bag on the counter. This time the receptionist is a rather tall 34 year old man. I am inwardly glad it isn¡¯t that lady¡­ ¡°I am sorry, today is a night day. During night days the herb collection ends early and is sent to the alchemist shop by the supply officer. If you want to cash in your quest, you would either have to wait till tomorrow or go to the alchemist shop before it closes to receive proof.¡± he informs. Noticing the opportunity to acquire a production skill, I gladly chose to go to the alchemist shop. After asking for directions from the tall man, we quickly head there taking up only about 10 minutes to reach the shop. The alchemist shop was located at the edge of town in a small two floor building. We entered the shop and saw a bunch of shelves with all kinds of ingredients, in there was a man wearing an official guild uniform standing there with multiple bags of herbs. Besides the guild official, sitting on the floor was an old man who was silently grinding some herbs on the floor.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Herb Processing] Level 1
Production skill get! Though I was more hoping for alchemy skill, is it maybe divided into multiple skills? I come closer to the duo and turn to the guild employee in the shop who is already looking my way. ¡°I was told by the guild to bring the herbs here for cashing in my Rank G herb collection quest...¡± I explain to the man. ¡°Hmmm...that should be fine, give it here and I will inspect it¡± the man responds. I hand over the bag of herbs and he looks over the herbs carefully. After he finishes inspecting the herbs he places them in the bags. Then he stretches his hand forward and a part of his hand disappears. It then reappears with some copper and iron coins and a piece of paper which he then hands over to me.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Item Box] Level 1
Now there is an unexpected gem! But I can¡¯t let myself wallow in excitement just yet, I need to confirm something important. ¡°Mister, what was that? Is it some sort of rare ability?¡± I inquire. ¡°Hm? Ah this? It is called [Item Box], it is a heritage skill. So it could not be learned through regular means. It allows a person to use something similar to space magic with much less difficulty and mana cost. Of course this skill is not exactly magic despite the similarity. There are a few [Item Box] heritages in the world, and one of them is owned by the guild. It is a requirement for the guild master and guild supply officer to learn this skill for the safe transportation of documents and items¡± he explained.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Perfect! Now I have a safe way to store stuff without anyone knowing! ¡°Thank you very much mister!¡± I exclaim with a double meaning. Unfortunately at level 1 I am only able to store about 1 cubic meter of stuff. So things like my spear is a no go, but I should be able to retrieve my dagger and store it as well as fit in a few herbs. It would be nice if I could get him to use it again in 5 minutes to see if I can get another level in both skills or pickup other alchemy related skills. While I was thinking that¡­ ¡°Come on! We are done here, lets go back before the boss gets angry that we are late¡± Kuina insisted. I hesitate at first but without much of an option, I reluctantly agreed and we left the shop and headed back to the guild. There is always a next time I thought. After I showed the paper to the receptionist, he processed the request and marked it as complete. Making this my first ever quest completion, and placing me 1/20th way there towards ranking up to a Rank F adventurer. Once we got credit for the quest, we naturally headed back to base. Today has probably been the best day so far! I got registered in the guild, 2 combat skills, a level up, production skill and the famous [Item Box]! Things are finally going my way! We arrive as it started to get darker due to the setting sun and are shown inside by Ryo to the Boss. ¡°You are late, you better have completed your assignment without excuses¡± the old man grumbled. With a displeased face ¡°S-sorry...we g-got d-delayed. I-I got all 15 herbs...¡± I hurriedly replied fearing punishment. ¡°I see...very well then show me the guild tattoo information¡± he asks while looking somewhat in a better mood. I show him the tattoo information which he reviews carefully and then a condescending smile appears on his face. ¡°Now then, hand over all the money and herbs you got. This is an [Order]!¡± he exclaims. I get a little startled but hand over the coins I got as ordered while somewhat perplexed¡­He looks over the coins, counts them and turns back to me. ¡°Very good! Very good! You are at least smart enough not to try to steal things behind my back while I ain¡¯t looking...or maybe in your case it might be more accurate to say your too retarded to even think about it? Regardless, it is time to issue standing orders to you. From now on, during gathering days, you are required to get 15 herbs per day. You are required to cash in all herbs you pick to the guild for quest completion unless told otherwise by me. All money you earn is to be handed to me. This is an [Order]!¡± he announces. Argh! You really had to take a complement and turn it into an insult?!?! I am really getting sick of this treatment! And just when I thought I got some freedom to tinker around I now have to an [Order] to deal with? Talk about ruining a good day...how can things possibly get any worse!?!? ¡°Oh, by the way. Tomorrow we are going on another subjugation. So you will be required to act as a tracker, I will be personally keeping an eye on you so make sure you do it properly..or else...¡± the middle aged man threatened. I just had to ask¡­ ¡°I-I u-understand! I-I¡¯ll d-do my b-best...¡± I muttered while shivering. With that I was dismissed and proceeded to have dinner, with the now slightly larger portions. It still tastes bad though¡­I also noticed that there were 2 new bunnykin during dinner. Most likely to replace the losses during the [Hell Boar] incident. The next day, I was brought to the front of the base. Looking around I notice that I was the only non-dogkin there out of the beastkin. Which made me somewhat nervous that I would be used as bait again. Luckily my fear did not last long as the middle age man came in front and started briefing us with the details. ¡°Everyone is here I see, today we are going to be hunting a [Dire Bear], which should be a simple prey so we do not need any bait. This is what we would be using to track it¡± he said while taking out a piece of wood with a bear claw mark on it and letting everyone sniff it. With the scent memorized we proceeded into the forest tracking the bear. Interestingly enough, the middle aged man¡¯s companions did not come with us. In about 2 hours since we left, the first ones to pick up the scent of the bear was me and Ryo. So we proceeded down to narrow down the bears location as we got closer the other dogkin also picked up the scent and it did not take long to track it down at that point. When we arrived I saw a large over-sized bear prowling around. It did not take long for the [Dire Bear] to notice us and let out a roar as it headed straight for us. ¡°GGGRHAAAAAAAA!!!!¡± ¡°Step back¡± said the middle aged man as he stepped forward brandishing his spear. We quickly followed his advice and took a distance. As the bear approached within a few meter range, the middle aged man pulled back his spear and putting strength into the spear he thrust it forward with great force while taking a step forward.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Thrust] Level 1 Your skill [RP][Toughness] has become Level 2
The spear hit the bear straight in the neck going right through it and splattering blood from the other side. With that one hit, the bear died almost instantly. ¡°Annoying special requests, hardly worth the time...¡± grumbled the old man in a bad mood. Then added ¡°Hurry up and drag it back to town¡± towards us. Dragging the bear was no easy task, and it took us 6 hours just to make it back to base. It would have taken longer if not for Ryo who was way above us in level doing most of the heavy lifting. With that, the day ended surprisingly uneventfully. I mean it does make sense that not every event has to end up in a life or death situation normally right? Either way I got the [Thrust] skill which should definitely help with wielding my spear and maybe my dagger. And increase in [Toughness] will help me survive, so other than the difficulty dragging the boar, today ended up relatively well. Volume 01: Reaching enlightenment in all the wrong ways (1) The next day, me and Kuina were back to the usual herb gathering in the nearby forest. During this time I was thinking about what to do about the [Slave Collar] and how to get around the [Order] that was issued the other day. Unfortunately, I do not have much to go by at this point. In conclusion, I need to ask Kuina for more information about the collars. As I was thinking that suddenly my brain froze up for a second and unintentionally I let out a noise that best describes my predicament as I wobble and almost fall unconscious. ¡°Ewwwwwwwwwww¡­.¡± I squirm as I cover my nose with one hand while holding my head with the other from the headache. The most foul stench I have ever smelled entered my nose and lets just say [Smell Sense] Level 4 did not do me any favors. I quickly turn it off, and after my senses which blanked out for a second returned more or less, I take a look around vigilantly. Kuina picks up that something is wrong and also gets into alert position. Then suddenly her face breaks down a bit as she closes her nose. ¡°Ugh! A [Stink Beetle]! We should get out of here¡± she complains. Contemplating on what I should do and the pros and cons. I soon notice the sound of footsteps. Looking in the direction of the footsteps, I can barely make out a dogkin running through the forest while panicking. I can still barely make out who it is, but from the looks of it, the dogkin is the smaller one who I first saw being scolded by the middle aged man on the first day I was brought in. Not too long after I saw a rather big beetle the size of a medium sized dog flying after him while buzzing and letting out a yellow like smoke around itself.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Stink Bomb] Level 1
While inwardly swearing to myself to never use that skill even if my life depended on it, I turn to face Kuina. ¡°It seems that dogkin is in trouble, we better go help!¡± I urge. Not giving a chance for Kuina to respond, I activate [Sprint] and close the distance while preparing my spear. ¡°W-wait! What the hell are you doing! Come back here!...Ugh!¡± she yells in a bewildered tone. Not willing to lose the justifiable opportunity to get stronger, I ignore her and continue to rush forward. As soon as I get closer, the dogkin notices me. ¡°H-help! Please! I am being chased by a monster!¡± he wails helplessly while running and stumbling about. I soon pass by him and close in on the [Stink Beetle], when I get in a decent enough range. I activate [Charge] while using [Thrust]. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
You have dealt 232 damage to the [Stink Beetle]!
My momentum from both the [Sprint] and [Charge] while using [Thrust] impales the [Stink Beetle] and pushes it back into a tree. Despite that large amount of damage, my face still had a large frown on it due to the unbearable smell. On the bright side, since I took that critical hit prior with [Smell Sense], my sense of smell has somewhat been numbed. Even still, I could smell the unbearable stench. On top of that, due to the large impact and the poor quality of my weapon, a crack forms on my spear. Noticing the limited remaining durability of my weapon and not willing to be subjected to this smell for long, I decide to hurry this up as quickly as possible. Right as the [Stink Beetle] bounces off the tree I spin around backwards and activate [Slash], slamming into the [Stink Beetle] as hard as I could with the side of my spear.
You have dealt 86 damage to the [Stink Beetle]!
With that my spear shatters into pieces. While pushing the [Stink Beetle] slightly away. As I prepare to use [Charge] and [Claw Swipe] to land the finishing blow. Suddenly Kuina jumps out and finishes off the [Stink Beetle] with her rusted dagger. With a deadpan expression I rudely wonder if Kuina is doing kill stealing on purpose due to the finisher exp bonus. But quickly put that thought aside. At that moment Kuina glares at me as she yells ¡°What the hell is wrong with you!?!? Why do you keep doing this! Are you a retard!?!?...wait don¡¯t answer that...Ugh! Why do I have to be done one stuck with such a retard?!?!¡± ¡°The dogkin from our group was in trouble so I went to save him¡± I explain as I look around in search of the dogkin only to notice he has long run away. Not even a word of thanks I inwardly complain as I walk away to get some distance from the foul stench. ¡°So what?!?! That is his problem, not ours! That is no reason to get ourselves killed! It is everyone for themselves in this world, we don¡¯t have the leisure to be worrying about others! Unless you want to be the first one killed!¡± she reprimands following right after me. ¡°It is not like we don¡¯t get any benefits as well¡­ We get experience from killing monsters and that helps us survive does it not?¡± I respond. ¡°What the hell is your retarded brain thinking?!?! You¡¯ll die 100X over before you make any sig...¡± She counters only to stop mid sentence and stare blankly at the air. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask cautiously, hoping not to draw in any more ire than I already have. ¡°...I¡­leveled up...¡± she mutters to seemingly herself Seeing this as an opportunity to sell her on the benefits of fighting monsters together and getting stronger, I quickly press on. ¡°See! We can kill easy monsters like this one and level up, thus making us stronger and more likely to survive! With my [Smell Sense] at Level 4, finding weaker monsters should be a breeze! By the way, if I remember correctly you should have hit level 10! What non-combat class are you going to take?¡± I inquire. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I am going to get the [Runner] class, it is the only non-combat class I can get that increases my comba¡­ wait a second, stop changing the topic! You just got lucky these few times and you think you can just rush in there and kill monsters?! For the last time, if you have a death wish, do it when you are alone! Don¡¯t involve me in it retard!¡± she yells. From that point on she gives me a whole hour lecture, which felt like an eternity, about how retarded my actions were and etc...etc...frankly speaking it went in one ear and out the other after about 10 minutes or so. Hence I don¡¯t even remember most of it, but I can probably guess the content with ease. After giving Kuina some time to cool off her anger, I think back on my original goal of trying to get information out of Kuina about the [Slave Collars]. And I just have the perfect way to do it. Honestly speaking, I think me and Kuina have gotten somewhat closer these last few days. If in the beginning her glare would be like 100 daggers, now I¡¯d say it is more like 99? Maybe Kuina is a tsundere? I mean how could she not have opened up to me after so much that we have been through together? While thinking that, I decide to implement my plan and turn to Kuina. ¡°Hey Kuina...¡± I casually beckon. ¡°Again, who let you call me by my name retard?!?¡± she interjects while glaring at me. ¡­ok...I need to calm down... just remember she is definitely being a tsundere...yup...no need to let it get to me¡­breath in and out slowly...alright...I got this... ¡°I want to ask you a few questions about the [Slave Collars], in exchange, I¡¯ll swap my larger food portions with your smaller portions for 5 days!¡± I attempt to persuade her. She looks at me with a somewhat perplexed expression. ¡°You aren¡¯t lying to me are you? There is no take backs or what not...¡± she asks with some suspicion in her voice. ¡°I swear! All I want to know is how the [Slave Collars] work, and how [Orders] work. I don¡¯t want to somehow mess up in the future and get that terrifying [Punishment]...pretty please...¡± I beseech. ¡°Alright...fine I¡¯ll tell you what I know...but no take backs! If you change your mind at any time, I am going to get in your way collecting herbs and make sure that you definitely get a [Punishment]¡± she threatens. ¡°We have a deal!¡± I say excitedly while nodding my head in confirmation. Finally I can get the information about the [Slave Collar] that I have been trying so hard to get my hands on! And with that information, I can finally plan my escape! Things are getting better and better by the day! ¡­ Volume 01: Reaching enlightenment in all the wrong ways (2) ** POV Kuina ** Amongst the beastkin, there is a story about how from time to time a beastkin is born with an exotic color. Not only is this exotic color unnatural making it hard for the beastkin to hunt in the forest without detection, often times these beastkin are born with deficiency such as blindness, deafness and retardation. These beastkin are referred to as ¡°retards¡± in our clans. Often times we even isolate them for the protection of the clan. Personally, in the 15 years I have been alive, I have never met these so called ¡°retards¡±. And while I do not doubt the stories told far back by our ancestors, as these stories have rarely if ever been wrong. But they are not without their exaggerations. Of course with the living example showing up in front of me one day, I¡¯d argue the ancestors were being modest. Originally, beastkin are not native to this continent. We either came here through willful migration or captured and forced here by slave merchants. This continent overall is harsh on beastkin and discriminates against them. Even in the few countries on the continent that have lesser discrimination, it is virtually impossible for a beastkin to live their lives normally in these lands. The majority of the beastkin are slaves and are treated like disposable junk. This has gone on for over 1000 years. Then one day comes this retarded Level 4 Catkin out of the blue, walks into an inn and asks for a job like she is a [Human] or something. Then after being thrown out, she still followed humans with no apprehension. I mean talk about retarded! Where has she been her entire life, stuck in some hole under a rock?!?! And that isn¡¯t even scratching the surface! Every living thing that is born in this world is born with a preset knowledge. That preset knowledge is engraved in our very existence and allows us to know how to level up and gain classes. Even if someone were to lose their memories they would still know how to properly level up. Of course not this retard! This retard didn¡¯t even know something as simple as that! I mean seriously, what world is she from? It definitely isn¡¯t this one... I am used to being discriminated everywhere I go, but the stunt she pulled off in the guild was utterly embarrassing. She might as well have just screamed out ¡°Hey! I am a retard!¡±. Even worse, I got stuck babysitting this retard! Which has been easier said then done! My job is to make sure she does not do anything stupid, and all she does is stupid! When everyone runs away from monsters, she just runs at them head on! I am surprised how she even lived till 12 years old. It must have been some miracle or some dumb luck. Well she isn¡¯t lacking in dumb luck that is for sure. How she finds 15 herbs by the end of the day is beyond me. I mean even Ryo who has [Smell Sense] Level 4 would not find herbs as quickly as she did on the first day. I wonder what¡¯s this retard¡¯s [LUK] stat at? I would ask, but somehow I get the feeling she would ask ¡°What is a [LUK] stat?¡±...ugh...my head hurts just thinking about her stupid face¡­ Most people who train for combat do so through 2 routes. First route to advance is to work towards their non-combat class and then level that up to a combat class. The other way is to train in skills, once you attain skills, you go in with groups to level up safely. Those with money even capture monsters to help them level up to a combat class quicker. But this retard just rushes in blindly! I mean I have to admit, she sometimes is pretty fast on her feet...that last time almost made it seem like she used [Sprint]...but that is impossible...ugh! I must have been seeing things and her stupidity is infecting me¡­ I can¡¯t say my life is a good one, but I know I have it better than others. While the master who uses us as bait is often times cruel, he is reasonable. He keeps things professional and rarely goes out of his way to torment us outside of bringing order or doing our jobs. I know many beastkin who are abused on a daily basis and I am thankful I ain¡¯t one of them. The only thing I need to worry about is surviving as bait, and with my experience the risk of dying is rather minimum.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Most of the deaths are among the newcomers. And I have seen plenty of newcomers die after their first few assignments. To the point I stopped even caring about their names. We live in a world of survival of the fittest. If they are weak, they die. Simple as that. In that sense, I am shocked this retard is still alive...what dumb luck¡­ The only thing I have to look forward to in this life is breakfast and dinner. It isn¡¯t much, but as slaves even that is a lot. And what is this retard doing right now? She is giving away her privilege of larger portions for 5 days in exchange for information that everyone who is a slave should know. She might as well be chopping off her arm for learning what the weather is like today...But hey, I am not going to complain, more food for me! In this world, everyone is for themselves and anything that benefits me, I¡¯ll take. Your loss is my gain. You can only blame yourself for being so retarded! ¡°I am no expert of [Slave Collars] and I do not know how they are made or the likes. What I can tell you is the basics that every slave should know. Again, you better not take back your word if you don¡¯t like the content...or else...¡± I threaten again, then continue on ¡°When a [Slave Collar] is put on you, information is usually pushed into your brain. This information includes the preset conditions that the slave merchants have set up, plus custom conditions. The most common conditions include not hurting the master, not to commit suicide unless told to and to follow all [Orders]. When you go against a condition, you will begin to experience pain. In some cases even thinking about going against the conditions can cause pain. Which is why it is nearly impossible to disobey an order accidentally, because any attempt to do so will bring upon pain...of course with a retard like you, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you messed up somehow. If you are concerned, you can always check the list of standing conditions and [Orders] in your [Slave Collar]¡¯s menu. Will save me the time of explaining all of them to you¡± I add. ¡°W-what do you mean menu? Do you mean the Status menu?¡± she stupidly inquires with wide open eyes. Argh! That stupid face really ticks my nerves! ¡°No you retard! It is under your equipment menu! You know, open up ¡®Equipment¡¯ and view the details of your [Slave Collar] ¡± I yell getting more and more irritated at her blunt stupidity of things everyone should know. ¡°...Eh...Eh?!?! EHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?!??!?!?!?¡± she stops and suddenly yells. I don¡¯t think you need to over exaggerate about finding out there is an equipment menu...but then what do you expect from a retard¡­ Suddenly she begins to wobble and her knees give out and she falls on the floor. She then grabs her hair and starts messing it up while screaming.. ¡°ARGGGGGGGGGG!! GYAAAAHHH!! GUUUUUUU!!!¡± she screams. She really has some mental issues¡­ ¡°I AM A TOTAL IDIOT!!!¡± she screams, then starts rolling on the ground like a maniac repeating ¡°The shame! The shame!¡± over and over¡­ She then bumps into a tree while rolling, gets up on her knees and starts whacking her head against the tree repeating ¡°Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!¡± over and over. At this point, it is getting rather strange even for this retard. Even I begin to worry. Of course my worry lies in the fact that if she kills herself this way, I¡¯ll get in trouble. So I go over to her, grab her shoulder and say: ¡°Stop retard! Are you trying to kill yourself or something?¡± I reprimand. ¡°Kuina! I am a total idiot! A total idiot!¡± she conveys while grabbing both my shoulders. ¡°I know¡± I respond being told the obvious. ¡°No! You don¡¯t understand! I am a total idiot! Ugh!¡± she screams. ¡°I assure you, if there is one person you don¡¯t need to convince, that is me...¡± I reply while tapping her shoulder in assurance. This retard really likes repeating the obvious ha¡­Anyways, I better put a stop to this¡­because it is getting really annoying, on top of that... ¡°Look retard, I frankly could care less what you do all day. But if you don¡¯t bring the 15 required herbs, then I won¡¯t get my larger portion! We are already behind due to the whole monster incident so hurry the hell up and get yourself together!¡± I reprimand knowing my priorities. ¡°...eh?...You are right!¡± she exclaims and gets up on her feet. I sigh in relief that my food increase is safe and sound for the time being. Judging by how shocked she was by the equipment menu, I wonder once the 5 days are up if I should trick her into handing more food for the knowledge of the title menu. Hehe. Not that it would be useful to her anyways, at best she¡¯d have the [Retard] title. Either way, knowing that I¡¯ll have more food when we get back makes dealing with this retard just a tiny bit more bearable... ...
[Slave Collar] Details
Status: Inactive Locking mechanism: 100.00% [Complete] Establishing link to organism: 100.00% [Complete] Force opening link to mind: 100.00% [Complete] Establishing link to master rune: 100.00% [Complete] Taking over organism via mind to system link: 0.00% [ERROR] - Insufficient mana. Please insert more mana to resume the process -
Volume 01: Reaching enlightenment in all the wrong ways (3) The shame! The shame! The shame! With my stupid assumptions that when the [Slave Collar] is put on you, you become a slave. I have literally become a slave willingly! Ugh! I feel like a heroine in a harem! How can I ever live with myself?!?! * sob * Suddenly I hear Kuina talking about collecting herbs to meet the daily quota¡­WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD I CONTINUE ON DOING THIS WILLINGLY!?!?! Then I realize something...rushing things is exactly what got me in this situation in the first place! I should for now continue things as-is, then come up with a strategy going forward. If I rush things now again, I¡¯ll get myself in a deeper hole. So I reluctantly agree, and we resume our hunt for herbs. While I try to think of what I should do moving forward, that becomes impossible as all my head is filled with embarrassment and self deprecation. I am stressing out so much that even finding herbs has become rather difficult. By the end of the day, I just barely managed to get the 15 herb quota. After reluctantly surrendering my dinner to the thrilled foxkin, and barely managing to get some sleep with all the floating thoughts of what just happened. The next day I finally managed to cope with it, at least to an extent that allowed me to think properly...hopefully¡­ So while me and Kuina travel through the forest to collect herbs, I come up with a plan on what to do going forward. As much as I would love to leave this place ASAP, I have no place to go. And no way to secure food. And since I am not being used as bait, I can easily stock up on skills from both monsters and the middle aged man¡¯s group. I noticed from Kuina that level is not everything, and skills play a big role too. So the fastest way to get stronger is to increase my skills. If anything, I can run away any time. So all I have to do is pretend I am still a slave...guuuh! So simple..and yet...so hard¡­ Oh I know! I¡¯ve been mind controlled by a super evil magician! That¡¯s right an evil mind controlling magician! And now that I have broke free of his mind control I need to fake still being under control to exact my revenge! That¡¯s right! There is no way I would willingly become a slave without some sort of mind control, damn you evil magician! I¡¯ll get you for this muwahahahahahahaha! As I subconsciously begin to let loose an evil grin. Noticing that Kuina is giving me a strange look...I adjust my posture and move on with my planning. Now that I know that I¡¯ll stick here for at least a short while, until I exact my revenge on the evil mind controlling magician, I can move forward with my plans. Other then gaining of skills, there is 2 things I can do in the short term. The first thing would be retrieving my dagger. Now that I have [Item Box] and can¡¯t receive a random [Order] to hand everything over. The other thing I can do is stock up on herbs. While Kuina is watching me, I can still manage to sneak in a few herbs from time to time while she isn¡¯t looking or claim they have been accidentally damaged. That should be fine for the short term until I come up with more long term plans. With that in mind, I begin to head towards where I hid the dagger while collecting and sometimes secretly snatching herbs as I go along. The tricky part here is how to get the dagger without Kuina noticing. I doubt the old fashioned ¡°I gotta use the restroom¡± trick is going to work in an open field that I hid the dagger in. Talk about my plans backfiring! So I¡¯ll have to go for the 2nd oldest trick in the book despite it being more risky. But I don¡¯t have much of a choice.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. When I get to the clearing where I hid the dagger, I pretend like I notice something and begin digging. ¡°What the hell are you doing? Don¡¯t tell me that now that you think you have a nose of a dog, you now also have the urge to bury bones like a dog?¡± she inquires. * sigh * I knew this was gonna happen...but as long I can secretly sneak the dagger in my [Item Box] without her noticing, I am willing to take a slight hit to Kuina¡¯s high evaluation of me. ¡°No! I think I noticed something an just wanted to check it out! It doesn¡¯t matter as long as I make 15 herbs right?¡± I retort. She shrugs like she does not care and I continue digging. Though I am careful not to dig out the dagger completely and that a light layer of soil remains. When I get to that point and I confirm the dagger, I prepare for phase 2. Which involves distracting Kuina so that I can quickly take out the dagger and store it. ¡°Look Kuina a monster!¡± I exclaim while franticly pointing at a direction behind Kuina. Kuina stares at me¡­ ¡°...¡± She isn¡¯t turning around at all¡­About a minute passes and my finger begins to lose strength under the pressure¡­ ¡°Do I look like an idiot to you?¡± Kuina questions while knitting an eyebrow. ¡°Ahmm¡­ No?¡± I respond. ¡°Do you think I did not notice you secretly stashing away herbs while we are walking here? I am not blind you know! And now let me guess you are trying to bury them right? I don¡¯t know how your retarded brain works, but tell you what. If you surrender 5 more days of your larger food portion, I¡¯ll look the other way.¡± said Kuina. Somehow I get the feeling my evaluation has dropped to an all time low¡­ Even I know that if herbs are left alone without being processed they begin to lose their quality, and this does not even include things like worms and other insects which eat decaying foliage... I can deny this ridiculous notion here and now, and clear my good name¡­ But I can¡¯t do that without revealing the dagger... So my only option¡­ is to play the retard...guh! I hesitantly nod and Kuina lets out a grin. ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything, you have 5 minutes¡± she notifies me as she turns around. I quickly retrieve the dagger and store it in my [Item Box]. Then cover up the hole. I finally got the dagger! I should be happy... I really should... But somehow I feel empty... I have this nagging feeling like I lost ¡°something¡± that I could never take back during this exchange¡­ With my shoulders drooped in feelings of utter humiliation and extortion¡­ we finish up the herb gathering quest and we return to base. When we enter the base, we are greeted by Ryo. ¡°Took you long enough, report to the boss and get ready for tomorrow. We are leaving the base and heading north, the boss plans to do 2 quests from the guild on the way. We won¡¯t be back for at least a week if not more¡± he announces. Following his instructions, I report to the boss by showing the quest details and handing over the money. Then again reluctantly exchange dinners with the rather pleased Kuina and turn over for the day in mental exhaustion. The next day, we were lined up outside the base and given supplies to carry. This time all the beastkin were brought along, though the middle aged man¡¯s companions were not present. We traveled by the road heading outside the village by foot while the middle aged man drove a horse for about a day. We then set up camp in the forest. The beastkin including me were assigned shifts for night watch in groups of 3. While the middle aged man slept in the tent. The next morning, we were briefed on the subjugation target this time around. It was the [Woodland Ant Queen]. Unlike typical ants that tend to make burrows, [Woodland Ants] build their nests around trees. Though like other ants, when you have a queen, you also have worker and soldier ants. Since this is a new colony, the numbers should be relatively small, but still too many for a single adventurer to deal with. Especially if the queen decides to run while the soldiers and workers buy time. Since unlike typical ants which build nest burrows which they guard with their lives, [Woodland Ants] have no issue abandoning their area if need be, making them a tricky target to subjugate. The plan this time around is that the bait will lure the soldier and worker ants away. While the middle aged man will sneak in from the side and kill the queen. The role of the trackers is to coordinate the bait with the exception of me who will help the middle aged man avoid conflict before he reaches the queen. Something about me being too retarded to do something as complex as coordination...grrr! With that, we set off into the forest and begin tracking the [Woodland Ant]¡¯s nest... Volume 01: Reaching enlightenment in all the wrong ways (4) It took us about an hour to locate the [Woodland Ant]¡¯s nest. When the nest was found, Ryo did some recon and found out that we are dealing with about 31 worker and soldier ants. With that knowledge, the middle aged man came up with the plan. ¡°Here is how we are going to do it. We have 6 bait and 5 trackers. Ryo will be on point for any stragglers and the retard will come with me. So we have a total of 3 usable trackers. You will divide yourselves into 3 groups of 2 bait and 1 tracker per group. The first group will consist of the 2 foxkin and will head for the ants first. Once you gather their attention, head east. You can use [Sprint] but make sure you do not run away too far and lose them or they will come back to their nest. The second group will consist of the 2 bunnykin, after about a minute passes and the first group of ants are out of immediate sight. You are to run towards the remaining ants and use the [Jump] skill to jump over them. Then run to the north dragging them them along. This is the most important job so don¡¯t mess up! The third group will consist of the 2 catkin, after those get out of sight, you are to use rocks to pull away the elites and few others that happen to remain and drag them away from the queen. You don¡¯t have to worry about grabbing all of them, just get as many as you can and take them east. I will then approach from the south and finish off the [Woodland Ant Queen]. Once she is dead, feel free to bring them in one by one or if they run away that is fine too. When I give the signal, we will commence the operation. This is an [Order]!¡± announced the middle aged man. We moved in closer and took up our positions. When the middle aged man gave the signal, Kuina and the other foxkin walked towards the [Woodland Ants]. It did not take long for the [Woodland Ants] to notice them and they began running towards them while making hissing noises. When they got close enough, Kuina and the other foxkin activated [Sprint] and ran east. The [Woodland Ants] chased close by after them.
Your skill [RA][Sprint] has become Level 2
By the end it seemed like 13 [Woodland Ants] separated from the nest. Once they were out of immediate sight, the middle age man gave the second signal. With that signal, the 2nd group of bunnykin ran forward and activated [Sprint]. Once they approached the ants, they activated [Jump] and flew over the [Woodland Ants].
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Jump] Level 1
The higher level bunnykin seemed to be a bit ahead on both the [Sprint] and the [Jump], thus made it to the other side of the [Woodland Ants] a second quicker. The second bunnykin jumped a bit behind and at lower altitude and accidentally ended up tripping on the head of one of the ants on the way down of the jump. So while the first bunnykin continued running on forward, the later one fell over and rolled. He then desperately got up and reactivated [Sprint] but it was clear to see his legs had injuries which slowed him down. Never the less with will power he trotted forward the best he could as he dragged the ants to the north. ¡°Tch..it better not mess up the plan¡± the middle aged man grumbled. With the 2nd group out of visible sight, we confirmed that 10 [Woodland Ants] have followed them. This leaves the remaining number of ants protecting the queen at 8. And with that the 3rd signal was given. The 2 catkin ran towards the remaining ants though visibly slower due to lack of [Sprint] ability and started throwing rocks at the remaining [Woodland Ants], then made their way to the west. This promoted 5 [Woodland Ants] to chase after them, one of which was larger than the rest. Most likely the soldier ant.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. After confirming that the ants were out of sight, we began to head for the queen who was guarded by 3 larger ants. These ants already seem to have taken up a vigilant formation around the queen. ¡°Alright, so far it is going well. Retard, your only job is to use your [Smell Sense] and tell me if any of the groups start heading back ahead of schedule...you better not mess this up¡­.or there will be a severe [Punishment]¡± he threatened. Pfft! Who is scared of your [Punishment]?!?! I want to stick out my tongue and give him a piece of my mind. But I know full well he could behead me with just a lift of a finger. So I keep it to myself...for now... So instead I nod and we proceed closer and closer to the ants. In no time, the [Woodland Ants] notice us and one of them rushes forward while the others stay back to protect the queen. The middle aged man pays it little mind and rushes forward thrusting right through the [Woodland Ant], thus killing it instantly and continues to run straight for the queen and her 2 guards.
Your skill [NA][Thrust] has become Level 2 Your skill [RA][Toughness] has become Level 3
At this point both guards begin to rush forward as the queen begins to retreat. Though he pays it no mind and spinning the spear flings both guards to the side as he chases towards the queen. ¡°Hey retard! Distract those with some rocks while I deal with the queen!¡± he yells. WHA?!?! I thought I got out of being bait! Grrr¡­ Well this doesn¡¯t seem too hard, I can get some EXP and these ants don¡¯t seem to be that fast, at least not anything I can¡¯t handle with [Sprint] at Level 2. So while the middle aged man continues to rush towards the queen, I use my [Throw] skill and fling rocks at the 2 soldier ants. Unfortunately due to their rather decent armor, I only end up doing less than 10 damage per throw. The 2 guardian ants only stop for a second to glance at me before ignoring me and continuing towards the middle aged man to protect the queen. But that short difference was enough time for the middle aged man to catch up with the queen and with a sweep of the spear knock her off her feet and tumbling on the ground. The queen tries to get up and face him in combat but right as she gets up, the middle aged man lands on her back impaling her with the spear. She lets out a shrill of pain and tries to shake him off her back. But the middle aged man keeps his balance and again thrusts the spear in the back of her neck, killing her almost instantly. Of course prior to her death, I used this opportunity to also get an ¡°accidental¡± throw on the queen when the 2 soldier ants approached to get some free EXP from her. With the death of the queen, the 2 guardian ants let out a shriek of their own and begin to redden. Then rush at the middle aged man with infuriating vigor.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Berserk] Level 1
The middle aged man pays it little mind and with 2 quick swings of the spear kills the 2 soldier ants. He then gives a signal to Ryo which Ryo then relays again with a whistle.
Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX
A short time afterwards, I see Kuina run back with the other foxkin slightly behind her. And with her comes 10 [Woodland Ants] chasing right after. The middle aged man just moves forward and starts massacring the ants. It took him no more than a minute or 2 to quickly slaughter all 10 of them. With them dead, Ryo sent the second whistle signal. And soon came the bunnykin followed by 6 [Woodland Ants], except only one of the bunnykin actually came back. Of course this group of ants was dispatched even quicker. And finally the last whistle signal was sent. With it came the 2 catkin followed by all 5 of the remaining [Woodland Ants]. Probably with a soldier ant leading them, they were less likely to split up or lose track. And like the last group, it was but mere child¡¯s play for the middle aged man. Though luckily, the entire exchange took over 5 minutes so I got a last parting present in the last sweep.
Your skill [NP][Spear Mastery] has become Level 2
Now that the ants were all cleaned up, we were ordered to use rusted knives to remove the legs of the ants. There was simply too many corpses to drag back to town so we had to be picky on what we could and could not take. The legs were the easiest things to remove from the corpses without the risk of damaging the materials due to lack of [Disassembling] skill. Though I say easy, but in reality it was extremely difficult due to how tough these things were, even at the softer joints. Though it was slightly easier for me then others because I secretly used the [Slash] skill. Ryo and the middle aged man handled disassembling the more expensive materials. Especially the queen. Of course sneaking a peak at Ryo while he was disassembling made things a lot easier for me.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Disassembling] Level 1
Then not too long after, the middle aged man added a cherry on top!
Your skill [NP][Disassembling] has become Level 2
Unfortunately 5 minutes later did not yield any more increases from neither Ryo nor the middle aged man. That said, today has been a very delicious skill-fest, and I am more than happy for it! It was a good thing I decided to stay for the time being. Of course this is only until I get my revenge on the evil mind controlling magician! Of course it¡¯s not all positive, neither the middle aged man nor Ryo even bothered to ask the remaining bunnykin what ended up happening to the other one. Like they don¡¯t care at all. At one point during the harvesting of materials I managed to sneak out on a restroom break only to find the bunnykin has been brutally mutilated and shred to bits by ants. It was a cruel reminder on how harsh this world really is... From there I hurried back to the rest as my [Smell Sense] picked up some remaining ants lingering around. It took us a few hours to disassemble and pack all the materials. After which we were forced to carry it. How I wish there was a skill for carrying heavy baggage! Well there is [Item Box], but I can¡¯t exactly use that in public now can I? Once we traveled for about 6 hours, we set up camp and were allowed to rest till end of the day. Volume 01: The path that will forever close (1) The next day, we got back up and were forced to again carry the heavy materials and the baggage. Since everyone here was under [Order], they didn¡¯t even bother doing the material count. Of course it was possible that these materials only had moderate value so the middle aged man did not care much about it, and the expensive materials were carried by Ryo. Either way, I managed to sneak a few pieces into my [Item Box] when I was 1000% sure no one would see. I don¡¯t work for free you know... Even with lightening my load a bit, it still was rather heavy due to carrying both the materials and baggage. After a grueling 10 hours of walking, we ended up coming to a small village. It was about maybe a third the size of Diara Village? There was no adventurers guild here, but luckily there were shops here where we could sell the materials. Which definitely helped with lightening our loads. I was hoping on picking up some sort of merchant skill when we were in the market, but unfortunately there was no luck. Were they not using any skills? Or did I just have bad luck? Speaking of odd things though, I did not get a skill for horse riding either when I saw the middle aged man and others riding a horse...strange... When we started going for the Inn though, I noticed a shop by the side with a man sitting smashing a hammer against a metal object on an anvil. And to my delight...
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Blacksmithing] Level 1
Unfortunately I could not stand there for 5 minutes and see if I could get any more levels, so I had to move on. Maybe if I get another chance to pass by I would find out. When we arrived to the Inn, the middle age man bought himself a room, and a few spots in the stables. One spot for the horse, and the others for us. Either the middle aged man is being cheap, or Inns around here don¡¯t even allow us access. Which would really make things difficult when I plan to go on my own. Prior to going to sleep, Ryo gave a bit of a heads up on where exactly we are going and why. There have been some strange sightings and monster attacks between this village and the next village over. Our job is to investigate the forest between the two villages. Considering the distance between the two villages, there is a large area to explore. So this will be our last chance to sleep under a roof for a long while. Since this was a special request, it was hard for the middle aged man to turn it down. And since he was on his way here anyways, he decided to get the [Woodland Ant Queen] nearby. The nature of the investigation it seems is due to the large amount of monsters that have been attacking both villages. The villages previously sent some lower level adventurers but they never heard back from them again. That does sound quite worrying and makes me wonder on what I should do. These kind of vague investigations rarely end well based on my knowledge. But then I probably shouldn¡¯t conflate literature knowledge with real life ones ha? I don¡¯t think anything could kill that middle aged man, but him using us as bait when it gets dicey is something he most definitely could do. I saw it first hand with the [Woodland Ants] subjection where he had me distract those ants despite me not being bait anymore. But on the other hand, there is plenty of advantages here as well. The most obvious advantage is that if we plan on staying in the wilderness for a while, that means fighting a lot of different monsters. And if it is anything as fruitful as the [Woodland Ant] subjugation, I can get both skills and levels with minimum risk. If it gets to a point where he uses the beastkin as bait and runs, I can just run away as well. With my [Sprint] at Level 2, I can probably get away pretty fast, add to it [Charge] and [Jump] and I have a pretty solid escape arsenal. As the saying goes, the greater the risk, the greater the reward? But then lets look at it another way, if I do run away now, where would I go? If I try to go to a village, they will try to enslave me again. This time there would be no guarantee that the [Slave Collar] would be defective. If I go to the forest, I risk being attacked by monsters, especially when I am sleeping. So it isn¡¯t really a choice between going to the wilderness or not, but to be exact. Going into the wilderness with strong protection or going there without protection. Not to mention, the party sent before consisted of Rank F adventurers. In comparison, the middle aged man is a upper tier Rank C adventurer. The difference in strength is worlds apart. It would be safe to say the middle aged man has more levels than the entire Rank F party combined.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. To put it in some context, the [Woodland Ant Workers] were Rank E monsters. He slaughtered 10 of them in less than 2 minutes. Considering from what I heard prior, he is one of the strongest adventurers in this region, along side his companions. There isn¡¯t a safer spot I can think of to farm levels and skills. When things are put simply like that, I have no choice but to follow¡­ . The next day, we left at around mid-day due to the middle aged man stepping out for last minute supplies. Unfortunately, I was not brought along so I could not get some more of that sweet blacksmithing skill. Blacksmithing is the production skill I am the most excited about because it may allow me to repair the dagger. One can only imagine how powerful that mithril dagger would be once it is fully repaired. But as expected, Level 1 blacksmithing is nowhere enough to repair something made out of mithril. I tried to take a look at it while everyone was sleeping just in case and couldn¡¯t figure out anything at all. There is also a possibility that there is another skill that is necessary for repairing other than blacksmithing. So I am out of luck for the time being. Contrary to how we came to this village by road, this time around we traveled exclusively by forest. Probably as part of the investigation. Which made traveling a bit slower and harder. Though on the bright side, the trackers including me got far less luggage to carry. Since our assignment is to look for monsters. The initial goal is to complete our [Smell Sense] and become familiar with the local monster scents. Once that is done, we will search for the source of the anomaly. Personally, I couldn¡¯t be happier than going on a find monster skill hunt¡­ err.. I mean smell hunt¡­ Of course Kuina and the other non-dogkin are less then pleased about the development due to being forced to carry about 50% more baggage. Taking a quick glance at her, I notice she is already glaring daggers at me¡­ It is not like I am the one who came up with this idea¡­ If you have a problem, take it up with the middle aged man ok? She is most definitely a tsundere! No doubt about it¡­ Though the trackers also have another job as we move along, pick up any herbs we see. Apparently the middle aged man is pretty stingy and does not want to give up the herb revenue while we are passing by. We travel for about an hour and do not come across any monsters so far. Which is pretty normal, all things considering. Only after 2 hours did we finally pick up some scents. To be more accurate 3 scents. We first target one of the scents, which seems to be a mammal scent and head towards it. It took us about 30 minutes to reach where the scent originated from, and standing there next to a tree is a weird looking beaver. According to [Identify] it is a [Terranian Beaver]. It does not take long for the beaver to notice our rather large group and start running for us. I simply can¡¯t wait to see what skills I¡¯ll get! In response, the middle aged man takes out a dagger, and flings it at the [Terranian Beaver] killing it instantly.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Throw] Level 1
Okay¡­ I did not see that one coming¡­ I do appreciate the [Throw] skill despite me already having the racial one as I can combine the two. The bigger issue is that I did not think of a possible downside to being protected by someone who is ¡°too strong¡±. The fact that the monsters don¡¯t even get a chance to use their skills! If he just kills them too fast, I am out of luck¡­ With that sad realization, we head for the next scent which seems to be some sort of reptile? It takes us about an hour to reach it due to some detours we needed to take due to crossing a river and etc. But we finally arrived where the reptile monster should be. The scent of the monster seems to be coming from the tree. But we see nothing hiding on top of the tree or next to it. Is the tree some kind of reptilian monster? It looks like a normal tree to me... Obviously though we keep our distance from it, just because we can¡¯t identify it does not mean we should carelessly go into its attack range. Though if the middle aged man gets impatient, he might just send one of the beastkin he uses as bait to check it out. To have a better view, I activate [All-Observing-Eyes]. With my improved vision, I look around the tree carefully and notice something. I keep staring at the anomaly for a good half a minute and what I have been waiting for appeared.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Blend Stealth] Level 1
Yey! My survival skills are going up! But as always, fate will never let me have my 5 minutes as the middle aged man begins to get irritated. Since I am not going to get another skill level from it now, might as well as make the best of it¡­ I take a rock and combining by two [Throw] skills, I throw it at the [Terranian Iguana] which blended in rather perfectly with the tree. The [RA][Throw] is weaker than [NA][Throw] but allows for more control, since I am a good distance away I make sure [RA][Throw] is focused on accuracy over more damage. While [NA][Throw] will do most of the damage, in this way I combine the two skills.
You have dealt 34 damage to the [Terranian Iguana] !
Since [Blend Stealth] requires a target to be perfectly still, it quickly gets thrown out of stealth on impact. Once spotted, the pissed middle aged man charges forward and with a strong motion impales the [Terranian Iguana] to death.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Impale] Level 1
Ooh! Nice, yet another skill! The skill fest continues! Unfortunately the 3rd smell is all too familiar with me, it was a [Giant Rat]. So there was no skills for me to gain there. The middle aged man again killed it by throwing a dagger, and unfortunately [Throw] skill did not seem to rise. We continued for about 3 hours through the forest and did not find any other new scents while avoiding monsters. Afterwards, the middle aged man ordered that we set up camp. It was somewhat early to do that, but we found a rather safe area and wanted to take advantage of it. So with that we retired for the day. Volume 01: The path that will forever close (2) With the arrival of the next day, we tidied up camp and continued on towards the next village. After traveling for around 8 hours, we pick up a new scent. We tracked down the source of the scent for a bit more than an hour and came across a [Terranian Deer]. Like most monsters, the moment it saw us, it quickly charged at us. Of course to the middle aged man, something like this was not really a challenge. With a thrust of his spear, the large [Terranian Deer] collapsed.
Your skill [RA][Charge] has become Level 2 Your skill [NA][Thrust] has become Level 3
The fact that the middle aged man can just one shot all these things is pretty impressive. I wonder how high his skills really are¡­ so far other than [Throw] I have yet to reach his bottlenecks. Either way, that strength is pretty reassuring to have¡­ Well at least until I steal all of it * snicker * After that we continued on and within about 5 hours, we made it to the neighboring village. This village was even smaller than the one prior. I am not an expert at making estimates, but I would guess no more than 50 people live here? As we entered the village, a young man of 27 years of age who looked like a hunter with a bow on his back and a knife on his pants came to greet us. While staring at him for about a minute¡­
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Eagle Eye] Level 1
¡°You must be the Rank C adventurer sent by the guild I presume?¡± he inquired. ¡°Yeah, are you the one who issued the request?¡± the middle aged man prompted back. ¡°That would be the village chief, I am merely a hunter who acts as the village guard¡± the young man responded. ¡°I see... were there any recent attacks on the village? On the way here I did a preliminary inspection and I did not see any unusual activity. Can you provide me with any more information about the request?¡± the middle aged man followed up. ¡°Hmm...The last few days have been fairly quite. The intervals of the attacks tended to vary, but you are going to have to ask the village chief. While I may be acting as a village guard, to be more precise, I am more of a temporary or backup guard. In the previous attack, our guard was injured so until he recovers, I am acting as a full time guard, normally I just hunt game¡± explained the young man. ¡°Is that so...Then bring me to the village chief¡± said the middle aged man. ¡°Right this way¡± replied the young man. We did not travel long until we came across what seemed to be the largest building in the village. Which isn¡¯t saying much since all the houses here are pretty small. The middle aged man was invited inside the house, while we were forced to stay behind. After about 2 hours, the middle aged man came back out and told us to make camp to the side. He will apparently stay at the village chief¡¯s house and obviously no one is going to shelter beastkin. And like that, we retired for the day.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The next day, we sold some of the stuff we brought while stocking up on some minor supplies. We were then escorted out of the village by the chief and the young man. It seems like over night they were discussing some sort of plan of action and details, but unfortunately we were not there to be privy of the details, and the middle aged man didn¡¯t seem to be interested in explaining them either, even to Ryo. The only detail I managed to piece together from the conversation while heading out of the village was that they made a time table plan of investigation and mapped the locations where we would be investigating at and at what date. They also agreed that if any new information arrives, to bring it to the middle aged man alongside a minor restock of supplies. In this way we would save time going back and forth to and from the village. With that out of the way, we went on our way. Now with a vague map, the middle aged man guided us around the forest to investigate. We moved from spot to spot making camp, then we trackers went out to look for anything suspicious and at same time collecting herbs. The middle aged man also did his own investigation and killed monsters from time to time. Unfortunately I was not there since he acted independent. Once we scouted a perimeter for any suspicious activity, we then made it back to camp. Then packed up and relocated the camp to the next spot marked on the map. This went on for 3 days with nothing really out of the ordinary. And there was very little productivity since I did not see the middle aged man fight, and it wasn¡¯t exactly a situation where I could fight monsters either. Kuina has been especially on guard to make sure I don¡¯t do anything ¡°stupid¡±. The best thing that I managed to accomplish was finding those [Terranian Iguanas] from a distance. Since Kuina could not see them, I was able to find ways ¡°around them¡±. It would be nice if I could ¡°accidentally stumble¡± into them, but unfortunately the weakest one was Level 14. They were also pretty rare. Either way, it was enough for me to raise my [Blend Stealth] to Level 4. Unfortunately, unlike the [Terranian Iguana] who already has brown skin and with help of [Blend Stealth] can make itself almost unnoticeable, for me it is not that simple. Aside from human skin tone being nowhere close to the brown of the iguana, my white hair stands out quite a lot. At best, I can stand in a room and if a person walks in, they probably won¡¯t notice me. But if a person walks in a room and starts looking around for me, they would be able to find me with little issue. Not too long after that, we made it back to camp. When we arrived, we began to pack, getting ready for moving to the next zone. About 5 minutes into packing, I smelled a horse and human coming our way. I turned around in the general direction and it seems Ryo noticed it as well. ¡°Someone is coming, from the scent it looks like they are from the village¡± Ryo notified. ¡°Is that so?¡± said the middle aged man, ¡°It is a bit early for the scheduled report so most likely something has happened...Just in case, hurry up with the preparations to move¡± he added. In a few minutes, one of the villagers drove in franticly screaming. ¡°Sir Razer! Sir Razer!¡± ¡°What happened?¡± asked the middle aged man. ¡°M-Monsters! The village is under attack!¡± the villager yelled while barely catching his breath. ¡°Calm down and start from the beginning¡± said the middle aged man. ¡°Y-Yes! About 2 hours ago, the village was attacked by 7 [Terranian Deer] and about 20 [Giant Rats]. We tried to fend them off the best we could but with our guard still injured, they quickly overwhelmed us forcing us to hide in the village. I was sent out by the village chief to ask for help, please help us!¡± spoke the villager with a sense of urgency. ¡°Hmm...I see¡­ Though my guild request only asked for investigating the cause, nothing about protecting the village...¡± murmured the middle aged man while taking a contemplating pose. ¡°Please help us! At this rate the crops will be completely destroyed and our houses might be reduced to rubble. If it is money, we can pay if it is in our ability!¡± pleaded the villager. ¡°Generally...I don¡¯t take these kind of unofficial requests...the guild is pretty strict on these things you see...but if you are willing to pay five time the standard rate per monster, I may consider an exception...¡± said the middle aged man mocking a hesitant voice. ¡°Five times?!?! We already barely managed to put up enough money for the investigation! Are you trying to rob us?!?!¡± yelled the outraged villager. ¡°Not my problem¡­ I am already doing my job for the investigation as you can see¡­ It is already a pretty tiring job. If you want me to do extra work, obviously you have to pay a premium for it¡± explained the old man now mocking a tired voice. The villager gritted their teeth but eventually had no choice but to give in due to the urgency. ¡°Fine! Have it your way! But no villager better be hurt! And minimize the damage to the village as much as possible!¡± spat the villager. The middle aged man got on his horse and shrugged his shoulders ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises other then killing the monsters¡­ Unless you are willing to pay more that is...¡± said the middle aged man with a wicked smile. The villager turned all red and looked like his head was going to explode, but held it in and relented. ¡°I am going ahead to the village! Finish packing up as fast as you can, and as soon as you are done follow me back to the village. This is an [Order]¡± yelled the middle aged man. And like that, he and the villager made haste back to the village. We hurried up the best we could, but it still took us about half an hour to pack up all the stuff. Once done we followed after them¡­ Volume 01: The path that will forever close (3) We traveled through the forest for about an hour heading for the village. At that point, I noticed something with my [Smell Sense] . I took a look at Ryo and it seems like he noticed it as well, as he began to slow down his pace while contemplating something. After about a minute of contemplating. ¡°Stop for a second...¡± said Ryo. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked another dogkin. ¡°...¡± It seems like those with only Level 3 [Smell Sense] have not picked up on the situation at hand. Thus making it difficult for them to resist [Order] telling them to head for the village. But Ryo knows the situation that is unfolding in front of us, or to be more precise, heading for us. What my [Smell Sense] is telling me is that heading our way is 6 presences. One of those is the middle aged man, the other 5 I have never smelled before...But one thing I do smell that makes this situation so tense is the smell of blood¡­ This is definitely not looking good¡­ The problem is that I do not know whose blood I am smelling, as I have never smelled the middle aged man¡¯s blood before. But I am sure Ryo has, but him choosing to keep quite is not helping the situation¡­ In less than a minute, suddenly all the dogkin began to panic. I am guessing they realized the situation. ¡°Ryo!¡± One of the dogkin could not take it anymore and called out to Ryo to make a decision. But Ryo seems to remain hesitant. I can understand his concern¡­ Technically speaking, we can retreat at this moment. While there is an [Order] for us to go to the village, the middle aged man did not say to go the village even if it kills you. Which means the base condition of not killing yourself takes precedence over the [Order]. They are still pushed to go to the village, but they can now take a different path to the village, even if it is a longer one in order to assure safety. If the middle aged man is running for his life, then that might be the best option. That is of course if he ends up dying here. If the middle aged man finds out that we ran away though, I doubt he will spare any of us. Even if he doesn¡¯t kill us, it would be living hell. On top of that, even if we run, I doubt we would get very far as the rate they are moving is faster than my [Sprint] at Level 2. While my [Smell Sense] is not exactly good enough to detect speed coming towards us, by comparing when we noticed it vs the other dogkin, I making a rough estimate. After plenty of hesitation, Ryo finally comes to a conclusion. ¡°Drop the luggage and hide! We will observe the situation. Prepare some rocks and if necessary, we will set up an ambush!¡± Ryo urged. For now I do as told and wait a bit. After about a minute. I momentarily activate [Eagle Eyes] and my [All-Observing-Eyes] to assess the situation, with the combination of both eye improvement skills, they are now barely in my view. What I see in my view is the middle aged man and¡­ he is heavily bleeding... There are what seems to be arrows in his back with multiple cuts all over. Chasing him seems to be 5 Orcs, or to be more precise, 4 [Mountain Orc Elite Warriors] and 1 [Mountain Orc General]. Based on their level, the warriors are about mid-tier D Rank monsters and the general is a low-tier C rank monster. Normally, the middle aged man should be able to beat them considering his strength. But considering how heavily injured he is, at current condition I would guess 50/50? Of course I am no combat specialist, but the middle aged man is over 15 levels above the general. And if we join in the fight, our odds would probably be 90/10 in our favor? But again these are just wild guesses.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. If all the beastkin ran away, I may be able to slip out. But since they chose to stay, me leaving alone would be rather difficult. Even though I am not bound by the [Slave Collar], I don¡¯t have anywhere to go and everything is hostile towards me. And if I chose to run, that middle aged man may hunt me down. Considering he moves faster than [Sprint] at Level 2 means that my chance of escape from him is slim. On top of that, despite the enforcements of the [Slave Collar] not working, my collar still seems to react to his commands. So there may be a function for tracking down the collar. There is also another issue to consider, if the middle aged man decides to fight. That would definitely be in our favor. But what if he just decides to run past us and use us as bait? Frankly speaking, without worrying about the middle aged man, they can probably get rid of all of us in less than a minute. Considering the limitations on stamina and the condition of the middle aged man, he is unlikely to abandon us as he would not get far. Other then maybe Ryo, the Orcs can literally ignore us. So it would be in the middle aged man¡¯s interest to fight with us. But who knows what people will do in desperation. This is a huge risk no matter what option I chose... So here is what I am going to do, for now I will wait here with the others and see what happens while using [Blend Stealth]. If I see the middle aged man retreat or get to the point where he is about to be killed, I¡¯ll use that opportunity to use [Charge] and [Sprint] away, find a hiding spot and [Blend Stealth] until the danger passes. With my mind made up I go to the farthest away tree I can manage without looking suspicious and wait. It did not take long for the middle aged man to come into normal visible sight. Using my [Eagle Eye] I take a closer look and notice his slave ruins seem to be slightly glowing. Which adds more credibility to my suspicion that we could be tracked. I do wish Kuina could have told me these things...or maybe she also didn¡¯t know? Obviously chasing close from behind were 5 orcs. ¡°ATTACK THE ORCS AND ACT AS MY SHIELDS! THIS IS AN [ABSOLUTE ORDER]!¡± yelled the middle aged man. What in the world is an [Absolute Order]?!?! What¡¯s with all these surprises?!?! I¡¯ll definitely have a word with her when this is over since I paid well for this information! As if on cue the beastkin came out of their hiding spots and began to throw rocks as they moved forward towards the orcs and got as quickly as they could between the middle aged man and the orcs. By the sudden surprise of the ambush, the orcs paused for a second and during this split second the middle aged man turned around and unleashed an attack I have never seen him do before. His spear suddenly blurred and divided impaling 2 of the orcs at the same time.
Your skill [NA][Thrust] has become Level 4
I slightly frown...I do enjoy the [Thrust] skill don¡¯t get me wrong but I would have preferred the cool looking skill¡­ One of the orcs took the hit to the throat and died instantly, the other one took the hit in the shoulder and just fell over. But right after an arrow flew out and impaled the middle aged man in the thigh. ¡°Shit!¡± the middle aged man cursed.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Crossbow Mastery] Level 1
The sudden hit from the arrow threw the middle aged man somewhat off balance. And one of the orcs with a large club tried to run and hit him. Though found himself blocked off as the smallest dogkin got in the way.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Bash] Level 1
In that instant I froze up as I saw the dogkin turn into red paste and blood splattered everywhere. Terror filled my very bones as the realization of what I just saw steeped in. A beastkin of around my level was killed in just one hit! Only one hit! The scene was so terrifying for me that I could not even move, despite wanting to run away, I can¡¯t move due to fear! Thank god I activated my [Blend Stealth] prior¡­ Of course despite my situation, the battle continued on. Ryo stabbed the injured orc that was on the floor with his short sword right in the wounded area. While the middle aged man recovered and stabbed the orc that killed the dogkin in the eye killing him. In the meantime, one of the bunnykin jumped right at the archer.
Your skill [RA][Jump] has become Level 2
Only to be brutally shot down mid air and fall to the ground. This is ridiculous, does [Absolute Order] make them like mindless kamikaze zombies or something!?!? They are literally jumping into death! At this time the orc general tightly gripped his great axe and quickly charged at the middle aged man. The middle aged man tried to move his spear, but it got stuck in the skull of the previous orc.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Penetrate] Level 1 You have acquired a new skill [CP][Runner: Accelerate] Level N/A Due to a special action, a new special [SPD] stat has been unlocked
Like that, I got my first class based skill¡­ But I had no room to rejoice¡­ That is b-because¡­ ..K¡­.Ku...Kuina was s-shred in half from neck to thigh¡­protecting the middle aged man!!!! As I watched in complete disbelief, Kuina¡¯s lifeless corpse rolls on the floor...my focus began to blur and my mind became blank as the battlefield slips away from me... Volume 01: The path that will forever close (4) ... I was only awakened from my stumper by the voice of that detestable middle aged man¡­ ¡°Guard the perimeter with your lives, this is an [Order]! Ryo, which bag did you pack the potions in?!?!¡± yelled the middle aged man. I took a brief look around and it seems I somehow spaced out through the remains of the battle. From the looks of things, the orc general and the archer have been defeated, and thankfully no one else seems to have died somehow. Though the middle aged man appears to have taken quite a few new injuries. ¡°It is in the big bag on the left¡± replied Ryo then headed to the front to take up guarding the perimeter along with the rest. The middle aged man walked up to the bag and began to forage through it looking for the potions. His condition seemed to be pretty serious. He was standing about 2 meters in distance facing away from me...that...that evil magician...the one who took away Kuina¡­ My eyes became sharper and my body began to redden up. If I had any thoughts of taking a step back, with the activation of [Berserk] they were now gone, along with most of my sanity as anger overflowed, all that remained was hatred! The only reason I barely remained sane is due to my high [MNT] stat.
Due to overcoming a large mental hurdle: +1 MNT
My body began to slightly emit white smoke as my [Stamina] began to fall sharply to almost nothing and the [Ancient Mithril Dagger] appeared in my hands. If there is any reason I remain unnoticed, it is due to my [Blend Stealth]. Soon, the middle aged man found the potion he was looking for, and like a predator who just found his prey a small opening was created. And in that small opening I closed the distance with [Charge]. When I closed the distance short enough I unleashed [Meteor Rush]! At that point my speed transcended beyond any normal possibilities, this was not only from the combined speed of [Charge] and [Meteor Rush]. Due to the gift Kuina left me [Runner: Accelerate]. All my skills that increase speed were improved.
[CP][Runner: Accelerate] Level N/A Increase speed of all skills by 20% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [SPD]
With that, my skills like [Charge] and [Meteor Rush] improved by 21%. As I accelerated, huge pressure was put on my body far more than any roller coaster I have ever felt.
Due to overcoming a your limits in speed: +1 AGI
And as I got close enough, I let out a [Thrust] aiming right at the weak point shown by [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload] in the back of his neck! If the middle aged man was not focused on the potion or was a speed based type, my efforts would most likely be fruitless. But the situation was in my favor as the dagger reached his skin. At that point my [Penetrate] skill activated. This skill helps lower the defense of the opposing target. While humans unlike monsters have weak skin, that is only relative. The middle aged man is so high level, despite him not even being a [VIT] build, his [VIT] stat most likely is higher than all my combat stats combined! This is also why I spent all my remaining free points into [STR] as every little bit counts.
Due to overcoming a large hurdle: +1 STR
As I barely penetrate through his skin and reach blood, my [Impale] skill activates. And the force I exert increases by a huge margin! That is the power of the [Impale] skill, if you get a solid hit in, and reach blood, it significantly increases your attack power. But regardless of hit or miss, if [Impale] is used, your body is frozen up for half a second. Now that I have reached his softer insides, and with help of [Impale], my dagger quickly shreds through!
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 291 damage to the [Bruno Razer]!
And just like that¡­ he died...This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX You have acquired a new skill [RA][Hearing Sense] Level 1 Non-Combat class has been unlocked! Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX You have taken 345 damage. You are critically injured!
I force deactivated my [All-Observing-Eyes], and stood there. I could not move even an inch. Not only did the [Impale] freeze me up for half a second, the consequence of [Meteor Rush] is being unable to move for half a minute! And thus I was locked in a prison of my own mind! As the reality of what just happened began to catch up to me¡­ A very terrifying reality that I could never have imagined¡­ While I have already killed monsters in the past¡­ The emotions of killing a person¡­ killing the evil mind magician that has been tormenting me¡­ getting revenge for Kuina¡­ all those emotions¡­ were not there¡­ What I felt was¡­ emptiness¡­ complete emptiness¡­ This emptiness was far different then the emptiness of revenge or the like¡­ this odd emptiness¡­ felt¡­ mechanical in nature. It did not feel like I killed a person or an enemy, it felt more like an automatic can opener opening a can. Like a scripted process¡­ Absolute emptiness¡­ devoid of anything and everything... And this terrified me. I have not met any god when I reincarnated, I do not know anything about myself¡­ Other then becoming a Catkin...was I somehow altered down to my psychology? Am I even Shiro or just a being who happens to have Shiro¡¯s memories? These thoughts flooded my head and in this cage of my mind, that 30 seconds felt like an eternity¡­ Once the 30 seconds passed, I was finally able to free myself and began to move...but my body was shacking and my insides were melting¡­ * bleh * I threw up blood and extreme pain overtook me.
You have taken 20 damage from internal bleeding. Due to overcoming a huge strain on your body: +1 VIT
I quickly grabbed the [Health Potion] that the middle aged man dropped and chugged it down like my life depended on it! Because it kind of did! The potion did not heal my injuries automatically, but was thankfully able to offset the damage of the DOT from the critical injury to an extent. Just in case, I grabbed another potion and chugged it down. I then put all my free points into [VIT]. I also took off the middle aged man¡¯s mantle which gave +10 [VIT]. I would have taken other gear but they were way too big for me to equip, not to mention some of the gear had restrictions. After maybe 2 minutes, despite still being in tons of pain...I was able to stabilize myself more or less. I then turned around and saw all the beastkin staring blankly at me with wide open eyes and gapping mouths. I got my act together and decided to explain the situation. While things seem calm around now, there most likely are more of those orcs around. There is no way those 5 would have been able to injure that middle aged man to that extent, not to mention some of the arrows in his body do not match the crossbow. So we need to get our act together and move quickly! ¡°I¡¯ll make this brief, my [Slave Collar] was defective and with this we are now all free!¡± I emphasize with an exited voice. Then I look around for their reactions in expectations...but, so far most of them continue staring blankly without making any noise¡­ ¡°YOU RETARD!¡± Ryo suddenly shouted. ¡°Eh?¡± said I stunned in surprise. ¡°WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?¡± Ryo continued to yell. ¡°What do you mean what have I done? I got rid of the despicable man who has been imprisoning us and now we are free!¡± I retorted. ¡°Free? You retard! Who asked you to free us in the first place?!?! In this world there is no room for beastkin! The humans who rule this continent hate us! Unless we are under humans, there is no future for us! Bruno may have not been the best of guys, but he treated us fairly and did not abuse us for no reason like many others do, and now with your retarded ¡°freedom¡±, you have doomed us all! Because not only do we have no place to go, once the humans learn that we killed our master, we will all be killed!¡± he roared in fury. ¡°Eh? Eh!?!? But¡­but...he used us as bait! So many of us died because of him! Kuina died because of him!¡± I responded the best I could caught completely off guard by the revelation. ¡°Kuina? Hah! You are the one to talk retard! You think I don¡¯t know? I received reports from Kuina about your little ¡°excursions¡±, on how you put yourself and her in danger facing off monsters and almost getting both of you killed! Weren¡¯t you using Kuina¡¯s high level and experience to help level yourself?¡± Ryo pressed on with a sarcastic and accusatory grin. I wasn¡¯t using Kuina...was I? Sure I wanted to level up... but it was a mutual benefit was it not? And deep down all I wanted was¡­ * sniff * ... ¡°That is not true! I never put her in danger and leveling ourself was the only way to survive! I wanted to be friends!¡± I bellowed in a desperate anger. ¡°Friends? Survive by getting a few measly levels? Are you being serious retard? If anything, I¡¯d argue it was your fault Kuina died in the first place! Last I checked the one who forced her into leveling up was you, and got her the [Runner] job. If not for that job, there was no way she would have made it in time to block that attack with her body! The one who killed Kuina was you retard! And now, with your retarded antics you want to get us all killed?!?!¡± he shouted. Eh?!?! Suddenly with that realization...doubt and guilt began to spread in my mind as I began to feel helpless¡­ Due to being taken aback by the revelation, for the first time since the conversation, I took my eyes off Ryo and onto the other beastkin in hopes of maybe someone providing me something...anything...but all I could see was hostility in their eyes¡­ Inwardly, I begin loathing myself for my foolishness as guilt begins to overtake me. ¡°...¡± Seeing I had nothing to rebuke him, he turned around towards the other beastkin. ¡°Let¡¯s go everyone! There might still be monsters around so we better get out of here as fast as we can. Grab all the supplies you can carry that won¡¯t slow us down too much¡± he announced as he began walking towards the supplies. ¡°Oh retard, one last piece of advise from your senior. I suggest leaving this country and heading south east. We are next to the border so the walk should only be a few days at best. You are probably not going to make it...but it is your only choice at this point...Because when push comes to shove, we are going to blame Bruno¡¯s death on you and there will be no place in this country for you as you get hunted down. Good luck retard, you¡¯ll need it!¡± he informed as he began packing the supplies that fell out of the bag, when Bruno searched through them. I took another look around at the other beastkin who already started taking heed of Ryo¡¯s order while at same time glaring at me with disdain. ¡°What are you waiting for! Scram retard!¡± screamed one of the other dogkin while the others agreed in murmurs. Feeling completely dejected and helpless...I took one last look at what remained of Kuina¡­ ¡±I¡¯m sorry...¡± I lightly muttered as tears began to fall uncontrollably from my cheeks, and just like that I slowly trotted towards the south east all alone¡­ ¡­ Volume 01: Epilogue I have been walking for over a day now towards the south east. Still feeling dejected and glum, regrets fill my heart to the brim. But I realize there is nothing I can do anymore¡­ all that is left is to move forward... I use my [Smell Sense] plus my new racial skill [Hearing Sense] to avoid all monsters the best I can. As I traverse the landscape, I run into a small uninhabited cave. I know it is uninhabited because my [Smell Sense] is not picking anything up¡­ so unless there is a monster who can somehow hide their scent, it should be in the clear. Either way, I am too tried to move for much longer...If there is such a monster...then it will be the end of me¡­ Nothing I can do... I am just glad that I stored some extra food in my [Item Box] from the monsters we killed during the investigation. Luckily that detestable middle aged man was not too stingy on food during the investigation due to all the monsters we killed. Of course it wasn¡¯t from the goodness of his heart either, the meat was going to rot anyways and kept piling up. Since he did not want to waste time going back and forth too much between the village, he just let us take all the remains as we pleased. That was the first time in a long time that I actually ate to full. Using the last bits of my stamina, I put together a few basic traps and methods of alarm outside the cave and lie down ready to collapse. But then I remembered something important. I am now over level 10 aren¡¯t I? Which means I can get my first non-combat class. I am really not in the mood for it now, but I know that I should at least give it a look.
Runner A profession specialized in running. You will gain experience from running. Unlock Special Stat: SPD Stat Bonus: +4 AGI +5 SPD Stat Bonus per level: +2 AGI +1 SPD Skills: [CP][Runner: Accelerate]
Herbalist A profession specialized in processing of herbs. You will gain experience from collecting and processing herbs. Unlock Special Stat: PER Stat Bonus: +3 INT +1 DEX + 2 WIS +5 PER Stat Bonus per level: +2 INT +1 DEX +1 WIS +1 PER Skills: [CP][Herbalist: Analyze Herbs]
Manager A profession specialized in management of materials and personnel. You will gain experience from managing resources and others. Unlock Special Stat: LDR Stat Bonus: +4 INT + 4 WIS +3 MNT +7 LDR Stat Bonus per level: +3 INT +3 WIS +2 MNT +2 LDR Skills: [CP][Manager: Boost Morale]
Animal Trainer A profession specialized in the training of animals. You will gain experience from raising and training animals. Unlock Special Stat: AFE Stat Bonus: +2 AGI +3 INT +6 WIS +2 MNT +6 AFE Stat Bonus per level: +1 AGI +2 INT +3 WIS +1 MNT +2 AFE Stat Bonus per 10 levels: +1 LUK Skills: [CP][Animal Trainer: Animal Affection]
Unique Job: Creationist A profession specialized in the creation of all things. You will gain experience from producing, building and making things. You will also gain experience based on how ¡°worthy¡± the user of the produced item is. Unlock Special Stat: PER Stat Bonus: +5 to all unlocked attributes +5 PER Stat Bonus per level: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER Stat Bonus per 10 levels: +2 LUK +3 DEX +3 PER 50% Increase in attainment of all production skills Skills: [CP][Creationist: Analyze Everything]
¡°Talk about a sour reminder...¡± I mutter in sadness as I see the [Runner] job.. No! I need to get my act together and move on! Focus... So from what I remember, the jobs are suppose to be based on what we did prior to hitting level 10. I can understand Runner since that one seems to be common among those used as bait. I can also to an extent understand herbalist since I have the skill and I have been using [Identify] on herbs quite a bit. But why do I have Animal Trainer and Manager? Those seem to be some pretty high level jobs and I don¡¯t remember training any animals or managing anything. I doubt me pocketing some resources into my [Item Box] qualifies right? Or is it the [Item Box] itself that opened the class up? As for Animal Trainer, the only animal I have ever trained even to the slightest was my old cat Shiro. Did that count somehow? And then there is that Unique Job of creationist¡­ I remember the receptionist lady saying something about Unique Jobs sometimes appearing...and she said most of them are crap and it is very rare to get a good one. But WOW...that looks so OP! Beyond OP even! And not only is it crazy OP, it is even more OP with my Unique Skill. Since I can unlock other attributes such as [SPD] from gaining other classes¡¯ skills. Unfortunately it does not work on [LUK], but even then I still get two points every 10 levels!A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The only thing that is useless is the 50% increase on attainment of all production skills. Since I can¡¯t really attain them through normal means. But it might be possible that higher level skills are harder to get with my Unique Skill, and it might increase the possibility of getting them maybe? I still to this day don¡¯t understand why I did not get [Horse Riding] skill¡­ Interesting enough, it seems that most non-combat classes are pretty poor as far as combat goes, unless you plan to go mage build? Very few give you any attack stats...Of course it is possible that there are some and I just don¡¯t have them. If I remember correctly, the middle aged man had [Trainer] class, that probably had some combat stats on it considering the name of the occupation. Now lets take a look at that [Creationist: Analyze Everything] skill.
[CP][Creationist: Analyze Everything] Level N/A Allows the skills that specialize in identification to see other details that would normally not be seen that are specialized for the creationist class. +3% for every level in your non-combat class +1% for every point of [PER]
I don¡¯t get it¡­ I guess I would need to find out what it does, but even without it, the Creationist class is definitely pretty darn good¡­ So with no further ado, I pick the [Herbalist] class! Joking! Obviously I go with [Creationist]! It isn¡¯t even a competition! That really wasn¡¯t all that funny was it¡­ * sigh * ¡­ I am already tired, I¡¯ll check on that skill tomorrow...assuming I¡¯ll make it through my sleep safe and sound¡­ ¡°Good night..¡± I mutter and fall asleep¡­
Status
Name Shiro Race ?e?stki? - Cat Class Level
Gender Female Status [?or???] Beastkin - Cat 12
Age 12 years Free Points 0 Hunger 100/100 Creationist 1
HP 470 / 470 (0.68/m) STR 57 +6 INT 28 +4
MP 15 / 15 (0.032/m) AGI 70 +4 WIS 26
Stamina 160 / 160 (3.275/m) VIT 58 +10 MNT 41
Mental 180 / 180 (0.41/m) DEX 29 +1 LUK 100
SPD 19 PER 26
Skills
[LP] English 5 [NP] Spear Mastery 2 [RA] Berserk 1
[RP] Night Vision 2 [NA] Slash 1 [NP] Blacksmithing 1
[RA] Smell Sense 4 [NP] Dagger Mastery 1 [NA] Throw 1
[U] All-Observing-Eyes N/A [RA] Throw 1 [NA] Blend Stealth 4
[NA] Identify 5 [RA] Sprint 2 [NA] Impale 1
[RA] Charge 3 [NP] Herb Processing 1 [NP] Crossbow Mastery 1
[RA] Claw Swipe 1 [NA] Item Box 1 [NA] Bash 1
[LP] Trillan 6 [NA] Thrust 4 [NA] Penetrate 1
[RP] Toughness 3 [RA] Stink Bomb 1 [CP] Runner: Accelerate N/A
[RA] Meteor Rush 1 [RA] Jump 2 [CP] Creationist: Analyze Everything N/A
Interlude #1 - Hero summoning circles in my closet My name is Daniel, I work as a contractor for managing quality control at factories. Due to the nature of my job, it involves that I travel around the world insuring factories are up to the client¡¯s standards. Not only do I have to travel a lot, I tend to have long hours and sometimes even have to stay overnight. I also have a wife and a daughter. My wife¡¯s job also requires her to travel a lot, so we don¡¯t often see each other. My daughter is 4 years old, and is mostly taken care of by the babysitter due to our occupations. The thing me and my wife share as a hobby is infatuation with Japanese culture. More specifically, things like Anime, Manga, light novels and etc. Unfortunately, our jobs even get in the way of that as well. Of course, I always watch an anime while on a plane, or read a manga or light novel while heading to work by bus or train. But even then, time is very limited. Not to mention those environments are not exactly great for enjoyment of content. But today is a very good day! Not only did I get to leave home early today, the newest anime movie of THAT came out! Yes, THAT! The thing fans have been waiting a whole 10 years for is now available for my viewing pleasure! The theater system I put together that hardly ever got used did not go to waste! I can finally enjoy some quality anime time! I arrive home in full excitement at what is to come and open the door. ¡°Daddy~!¡± screams a little 4 year old girl and runs straight for me. ¡°Hohoho! Haven¡¯t you gotten big Shiro?¡± I exclaim as I pick her up. ¡°Are ya gonna leave again daddy?¡± she questions. ¡°Nope, I got the entire day off today!¡± I reply in excitement. ¡°Yey! Lets play then daddy!¡± she beckons. ¡°Err...okay...in just a moment...let daddy watch his anime movie, then we¡¯ll play, ok?¡± I plead in desperation. ¡°NO! I WANNA PLAY NOW! PLAY WITH ME DADDY!¡± she screams and starts banging against me with her small arms. This isn¡¯t looking good..I have been waiting so long for that to come out! I need to think of something fast! ¡°How about this, want to play watch anime with daddy?¡± I question in the most sincere voice I can muster. ¡°NO! I wanna play with the dollies!¡± she insisted. During this time I have already sat down in the theater room while holding her in my arms. ¡°How about this, play watch anime with daddy, then we¡¯ll play with the dollies?¡± I appeal as I turn on the remote. ¡°No! Play dollies now! You always say you will later and you don¡¯t!¡± she cries. At this point the anime starts rolling in the credits. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Just watch with me for a few minutes ok? I¡¯ll even get you that ice cream that you like...¡± I say attempting to bribe her. ¡°Mmnn!¡± she grumbles. After a few minutes after the anime starts playing, she gives in and she hesitantly watches it with me. By the time the movie ends, she seems to be semi-hooked on it. She is definitely going to end up as a tsundere isn¡¯t she? Though this gives me an idea to maximize efficiency. If I can only interest Shiro in things like anime and etc, then wouldn¡¯t that be hitting 2 birds with one stone? She¡¯ll be happy I am spending time with her and I¡¯ll get to watch my anime and the like. I guess this is why I am one of the best QC managers in the world, looking for efficiency in everything hehehe. Now then, lets start by replacing her bed time stories with light novels¡­ What can possibly go wrong? [2 years later] ~~~~~ ...And with 1 slash, the greatest hero Satou beheads 5 gods all while checkmating the 5th dragon god king in chess. Yes, Satou is that OP! His awesome slashes are so awesome that he can do anything! ANYTHING! Then why is Satou facing off the 5th dragon god king in chess? That is because Satou who is a Japanese is averse to killing due to the peaceful mentality driven into Japanese at an early age. And with the end of the match, he beheads 3 more gods annihilating them in an instant with just 1 slash! Doesn¡¯t make sense? Illogical? All of that means nothing in the face of Satou¡¯s slashes. He can even slash reason itself! HE IS THAT OP! Satou then opens a portal and heads back to his base located on a hidden island. With him are 3 new girls who just joined his party. 2 of which are princesses. ¡°I am back¡± Satou exclaims. ¡°You just stepped out for like 1 minute and you got 3 more added to your harem? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! I MEAN THIS IS RIDICULOUS! I MEAN JUST YESTERDAY YOU VISITED A VILLAGE AND GOT 50 GIRLS TO JOIN! AND GUESS WHAT?!?! 5 OF THEM WERE SOMEHOW SECRET HIDDEN PRINCESSES!!! WTH! DO PRINCESSES GROW ON TREES OR SOMETHING?!?!? I MEAN HOW MANY ARE YOU PLANNING TO ADD TO YOUR HAREM?!?! THERE IS ALREADY 10,403 GIRLS THERE! AND SOMEHOW 1,582 OF THEM ARE FREAKIN¡¯ PRINCESSES! DO SO MANY COUNTRIES EVEN EXIST?!?!?¡± Arisa screamed through mind transmission in futility. ¡°Rest assured Arisa, I will make all 10,587 of them happy!¡± Satou assured with absolute confidence. ¡°Ha...you don¡¯t say...WAIT! WAIT A SEC!?!?! 10,587?!?! SINCE WHEN?!?! WHERE THE HELL DID 184 OF THEM JUST COME FROM?!?!¡± Arisa bellowed via mind transmission in utter shock. Ignoring the background noise, Satou stared at the sunset and swore. Yes, that OP Satou swore! That same Satou who can do ANYTHING swore! That he would make all 11,023 of them happy! ¡°ARGH!!! WHEN?!?!?! HOW?!??! WHY?!?!? ¡­ ARGH! WHATEVA I GIVE UP!¡± Arisia roared via mind transmission in complete bafflement. Because OP Satou can do anything! ANYTHING! ~~~ ¡°The end...¡± I say as I finish reading the light novel chapter to Shiro prior to bed. ¡°Alright, time to go sleep, good night sweetie!¡± I bid my farewell for the night. Only to be grabbed by Shiro. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask. ¡°Don¡¯t go daddy! Stay with me...¡± she pleads in a trembling voice. ¡°There is nothing to be afraid of sweetie¡­ Daddy guarantees no boogie-man is gonna enter this household, so go get some sleep¡± I urge. ¡°...will...the hero come?¡± she asks. ¡°That¡¯s right sweetie! The hero will come and chase the bad boogie-man away!¡± I assure. ¡°HIIII!!!!¡± she screams and gets under the covers, then extends a trembling arm gripping my cloth will all her strength. ¡°PLEASE DADDY! DON¡¯T GO!¡± she cries while tears come out of her eyes. Ha? What in the world is going on here? ¡°Ahmm...sweetie¡­.what exactly do you find scary¡­can you tell daddy?¡± I inquire. ¡°Nh..the hero...is scary¡± she mutters while shaking. Okaaaay¡­. ¡°And why do you find the hero scary? Can you tell daddy?¡± I ask in puzzlement. ¡°Nh...I-I h-heard the scary hero...c-comes to take away little girls c-calling them lolis to add to h-his harem...¡± she explains while completely trembling. Hmmm...it might just be my imagination...but somewhere, something may have gone a bit wrong¡­ Nah...I am probably just over thinking things...when I was little, I also was scared of strange things...it is probably just a phase she is going through...kids and their odd imaginations¡­ but more importantly...there is a serious issue I need to address. ¡°Okay sweetie, I¡¯ll stay with you till you fall asleep. Though can you do daddy a favor?¡± I request. ¡°What is it?¡± she questions. ¡°Can you not mention the word harem around mommy? Or something real scary will happen.¡± I respond. ¡°S-Scarier than a hero?¡± she queries. ¡°Yes, much scarier!¡± I insist. ¡°O-Ok, I won¡¯t say it to mommy...¡± she assures. Good, that should do it! As for the rest, what¡¯s the worst that can happen? [2 years later] ¡°I am home!¡± announces my wife as she enters the door. ¡°Hey honey! How¡¯s it been?¡± I inquire. ¡°The same old same old you know¡± she responds. ¡°Where is Shiro by the way?¡± she asks. ¡°Ah, she is reading manga and light novels, she really loves the stuff¡± I explain. ¡°No I do not!¡± screams Shiro from the neighboring room. Sigh...she is such a tsundere¡­ ¡°Then why are you reading them?¡± I respond in a teasing voice. ¡°Cause I am trying to find all of the hero¡¯s weaknesses! Duh! And when I grow up, I¡¯ll become a demon lord and wipe out all the heroes in my dungeon! Muwahahahaha¡± Shiro boasts. ¡°...you are not having her read anything strange are you?¡± asks my wife. ¡°Of course not honey...I know better then that...she is just at that rebellious age..¡± I assure. ¡°An 8 year old?¡± my wife asks while frowning her brow. ¡°You know...kids...they think of the silliest things...¡± I explain. I mean what¡¯s the worst that can happen? Interlude #2 - Glory and honor is in the eyes of the beholder Today has been-ith a great bounty! Thine-self and thine brethren have gloriously vanquished our foes and attained provisions. As we approach-ith our most sacred of dwellings, I seethe a most vile scene! My brozza from another mozza has been-th viciously stabbed to death by the most vicious of creatures! My brozza who wouldn¡¯t even hurt-ith a fly was murdered-th ruthlessly and cowardly! Blast the monster! Me and my brethren shall embark-th on a righteous holy crusade to seek-th retribution against the vile creature! We surround-th the vilest of creatures and bare-th our mighty weapons against its vile horrid presence. My most bravest of the brethren rushes-th to put and end to this vile creature, with a righteous and valiant charge! But the vile cowardly creature fleas-th and assaults-th thee ozzer brozza in the most cowardly of ways! What cowardliness! While injuring my honored brother, he courageously attacks-th back at the vile cowardly monster, only for the cowardly vile creature to avoids-th his righteous glorious blow and like a coward the vile creature claws-th into his belly. How vicious this vile creature is! But this vicious cowardly vile creature was not satisfied-th just yet! It hopped-th on my brozza and tore-th through his neck unjustly killing-th my brozza! Has thee no mercy?!?! This vicious vile creature¡¯s transgressions can not stand-th! And I stand-th for it no longer! Thine honored self charges at the cowardly vicious vile creature and injure its arm, only for the cowardly vile creature to flee-th yet again, assaulting-th another of my brethren! What cowardliness!If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. And like that, another of my honored and courageous brethren fell-th, as the vicious cowardly vile creature shred-th through his eyes! Does thy viciousness and cowardliness know no bounds-th vile creature? While Thine was shocked-th by the overall hatefulness of the creature, one of my honored brethren attempted-th to vanquish its evil presence. But the vicious vile creature quickly countered-th and my honored righteous brozza only managed to knock-th the vile creature over! My honorary righteous brozza attempts-th to finish off the hateful creature only for the cowardly creature to exploit-th him and cowardly attack him in the eye! Thine could take-th it no longer and I assaulted the vicious creature pushing-th it down, only for it again to cowardly escape-th and murdering-th yet another of my brethren in the most cowardly of ways! The vicious cowardly hateful vile creature then charges straight at me and assaults-th me in my eye and flings me into my last remaining brethren.
You have taken 329 damage. You are critically injured and severely bleeding
When I come-th to barely standing up, I notice the vicious cowardly hateful vile creature has ended the last of my brethren! And my glorious self has been-th critically injured! But gods have-th mercy! The vicious cowardly hateful vile creature has collapsed-th on the floor and is unable to move! I move towards the hateful evil creature and with the last-th of my glorious strength, I prepare-th the final blow to end this monstrosity! Thine has avenged you my brethren! Even if thine shall join-th you and my ancestors in Valhalla, thine will take-th thee vile creature with me! Or so I swear-th in the name of Von Zon Allon Don Ron Zekaron Shon van Dan Jen Mellaren the 32nd Junior Of Vaizaron! As I move-th my glorious righteous hand to finish it off!
You have died due to excessive bleeding.
¡­ [Non-Canon] ¡°So you wish to enter Valhalla based on the glorious battle you have fought?¡± said the mighty existence standing before thine. ¡°But of course! Tis was a glorious battle of valor!¡± Thine affirms in confidence. ¡°Let us see here ¡­ * click * click * click * ¡­ According to our records, you and 5 of your brothers... surrounded and mercilessly attacked a level 1 little girl?¡± the mighty existence inquired while frowning his brow. ¡°But tis was vile and vicious!¡± Thine insisted! ¡°You don¡¯t say...¡± the mighty existence replied in a dismissive voice. ¡°Next applicant!¡± he then shouted. Volume 02: Prologue - New Life I woke up fully rested and for better or worse alive, I don¡¯t know how many hours I have slept but I do feel somewhat refreshed. I still have some lingering thoughts about what happened that day, but I put that behind me and move on. I need to get out of this country as fast as possible! And like that I proceed forward. A couple of days come and go as I make it through the dense forests. At one point I even wonder if I am going the right way or if there is anything to where I am heading in the first place. Now that I think about it, there is no guarantee Ryo did not just send me on a wild goose chase... But at end of the day, I don¡¯t really have anywhere to go. And at this rate my food supply will not last long¡­ I tried my [Identify] skill to see if with help of [Creationist: Analyze Everything], I can get a bit more information about things, but found it somewhat useless as seen.
Ancient Mithril Dagger A dagger made out of mithril which has been lying around for many millenniums. It is so old that it began to deteriorate out of old age, which is saying a lot considering mithril is known for its longevity. Due to the deterioration, the properties of the dagger have been significantly weakened. +6 STR +4 AGI +4 INT +1 DEX Durability: 24 / 15,000 Analysis: Made of mithril
Talk about ¡°no duh sherlock¡±! The information it gave me was pretty much all over the place of mostly things I already knew to begin with. I probably need a higher [PER] or higher level to make any actual use of it. Until then, I am stuck with captain obvious. Putting that aside, the question comes down to what exactly do I plan to do moving forward. Do I attempt to make contact with civilization again? Or do I try to somehow make it out in the wilderness? So far, I did my best to avoid monsters through detecting them early with [Smell Sense] and [Hearing Sense]. And sometimes even running away with [Charge] and [Sprint] or hiding via [Blend Stealth]. With this reservoir of skills, I was able to somehow avoid fighting for the time being.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Now sure, I will be able to gain levels if I fought. But back then I fought because I had no choice, now though things are a bit different. There is no reason to take any extra risks, unlike before I do not have a second person looking out for me, so who knows what kind of situation might arise. I also do not have a 100% safe place to sleep and rest after a fight. So the risks are even higher. Of course that does not mean I have given up! The most efficient and safe method is to utilize traps! The ideal would be if I make a trap and get XP for my production class, then when killing the monster who fell in the trap get XP towards my racial class. I would then get an extra bonus for utilizing my trap! Talk about hitting 3 birds with one stone! So even if I remain outside of civilization, I should be fine? Probably?¡­ Well either way, it does not change the fact that I still need to find a town. Even if I plan to avoid civilization for the most part, there are a few things that I require. The first thing is learning if I have left the country I was in...wait a second...what country was I in? Ugh! I only know the name of the village but not the name of the country! This puts a huge damper on my original plan on spying on merchants to get information...I may be able to manage if I come across a merchant in the middle of the road that I am positive I can defeat and say something like ¡°I came from Diara Village and got lost while heading towards a neighboring country to the south east, do you happen to know the directions?¡±. Though there is definitely a risk in that...If there is now a bounty on me, then it would provide a hint for tracking me down. Not to mention the merchant may refuse to even talk to me...I can threaten him, but if there is no bounty on me, there will surely be one after. There is also the option of killing the merchant after I get my answers¡­ But can I really do something like that? Sure I killed that middle aged man...but I still believe he deserved it¡­ killing someone innocent¡­ Can I really do that? Lets get back to that thought at a later time¡­ There is also other benefits of getting close to a town. For one, the amount of monsters near towns and villages are less abundant, so even if I decide to stay away from civilization, I would be more likely to find a safe place to sleep. And if the town is the size of Diara Village with low security, during night days I can probably sneak in and snatch some stuff with the help of [Night Vision] and [Blend Stealth]. Maybe on some days I can stay hidden somewhere with [Blend Stealth] and steal some production skills as well! On top of that, if I get attacked by a powerful monster that I won¡¯t be able to run away from. I can kite it to town and get assistance. Now obviously there is no way I can get away with doing that without some repercussions, this isn¡¯t a video game where you bring the boss mob to town and NPCs take care of it for you and then just let you go scot-free. But even still, I¡¯ll take 80% chance of being killed to 100% any day...Speaking of which¡­ the amount of monsters have decreased quite a bit the past day¡­ does that mean I am closing into a town? Though knowing my luck, I might be closing in the territory of a strong monster instead¡­ No! No! Lets not jinx myself and trigger any flags...I¡¯ve had enough BS already! Either way¡­ I am still hesitant on joining civilization¡­ and there is definitely issues with just living in the wilderness¡­ unlike animals, monsters actively seek you out and try to kill you. So I think a good compromise would be a hybrid of both¡­ live in the wilderness not to far from town¡­ And if I can sneak in and steal some production skills...and with some luck maybe I can do THAT cheat! You know the good old golem cheat! If I can make golems to protect myself during both sleep and hunting, that would be awesome! Of course there is a possibility create golem is a magic skill rather than a combination of blacksmithing and enchanting¡­ It could also be both¡­ Well anyways¡­ lets not get too distracted¡­ And just like that I made up my mind on the path forward. Volume 02: Seeking a new path in uncertainty (1) I continued to walk for a few more hours, when my [Smell Sense] picked up a bunch of presences. The total number was 8 I think and they were on horseback. I hope its not bandits¡­either way, I better make some distance and find a good hiding spot. If they are on horseback that means they can close in on me faster than I can react. And like that, I began to run away. But to my dismay the 8 people continued to head towards me, and it seemed like they are moving faster than before! Did they somehow catch on to my presence and are chasing me?!?!? This isn¡¯t good! I need to find some safe spot and hide ASAP! I continue to run frantically with [Sprint] and occasionally use [Charge] to close in more and more distance. I try my best to find a suitable hiding spot, but to no avail! Looking back with [Hawk Eyes] and [All-Observing-Eyes] I can already barely make out the 8 chasing after me! At this rate they¡¯ll catch up to me in less than a minute! And looking forward, I see no obstacle I can use to widen my distance, nor any decent place to hide! At this point, them catching me is a certainty! If they catch me, will they enslave me again?!?! or kill me?!? I shudder at those thoughts. There is not much I can do, at best I may be able to improve my chances by maybe 10% max! I simply have no choice¡­ As I run, I try to get out of line of sight and then duck to the side, afterwards I quickly climb a tree and activate [Blend Stealth] hoping for the best¡­ At this point it is in fate¡¯s hands¡­ I did not have to wait long until the 8 men surrounded the tree, as one of them pointed at me.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Presence Sense] Level 1
Well that explains how they found me so easily! I gritted my teeth. Talk about not fair! Looking carefully, they were all wearing a similar uniform. Were they part of the same organization or some sort of soldiers?... Could it be that soldiers were sent to hunt me down since I killed a Rank C adventurer?!?! I frantically panic due to the sudden turn of events, looking for any possible way I can make my way out of this desperate situation. One of the men, a short chubby one with a large beard rode forward in his horse. ¡°Howdy there missy! No need to be afraid, we are just the local patrol¡± he beckons. No way am I gonna believe anything he says! I already learned my lesson the first time! Not to mention, even if he is the patrol, that is exactly who I want to avoid at this point! I glare back in futile resistance... ¡°* sigh *¡­ Look there missy, I understand ya¡¯r worry...judging by the slave collar ya must be a runaway beastkin slave right?¡± he inquires to which I instinctively cover up my collar and begin to panic even more. ¡°* sigh *¡­ Ron, ya handle this missy over here. She is a fellow beastkin so she¡¯ll trust ya more right?¡± he added. Like hell I am falling for that one! I see one of the middle aged men with dog like ears come forward, and his horse stands besides the bearded chubby man. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that would do much good¡­ When beastkin fall into slavery, with some exceptions, it is everyone for themselves. So it is not uncommon for there to be betrayal amongst compatriots...plus...that one there is most likely retarded...¡± said the dogkin. ¡°I AM NOT RETARDED!¡± I yell by reflex, then quickly cover my mouth. ¡°Ho...so she can talk!¡± exclaimed the bearded chubby man. ¡°...err...sorry that I offended you...That was not my intention. Just to set the record straight, we are the Avian Kingdom patrol. I do not know how much you know about our kingdom, but in the Avian kingdom, outside of criminal slaves, general slavery is banned. So if you are running away from the rest of the continent, this place is rather safe for beastkin. The reason it is so, is because the official religion of the Avian kingdom is the Dragon God Religion. The Dragon God¡¯s avatar supposedly looks similar to a dragonkin or lizardkin...so it would be pretty bad if those who look similar to the religious deity to be used as slaves. That of course does not mean that discrimination against beastkin does not exist in this country, unfortunately it still prevails even here. But at the very least, you do not need to be worried about being returned to slavery. Even if you committed some sort of crime or etc, unless it is an international crime, there is nothing for you to fear.¡± the dogkin explains. Hmmm...that does sound pretty lucrative...but I can¡¯t afford to let down my guard¡­ ¡°T-Then why are you here and why did you chase me?!¡± I question. ¡°We are a patrol missy, we make sure the border is secure and at same time clean up any dangerous monsters. We chased ya precisely because ya ran, finding that suspicious, we went to check what was up. We don¡¯t mind bringin¡¯ ya to town if ya want, but ya will have to wait until the end of our patrol, and we are required to run an [Appraisal] on ya as well.¡± the bearded chubby man replied. Well their story seems fine on the surface...and they are wearing armor with a mark on it, indicating they are at least part of some upstanding organization. Frankly speaking, if they wanted to take me by force, I wouldn¡¯t last a second. Especially against that bearded chubby guy who is even stronger than that middle aged man who enslaved me...The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. But lets just add a little more caution to the wind. ¡°I get you are a patrol, and you want to run an [Appraisal] on me, that is fine...But why bother bringing me to town and not just let me be on my way? What¡¯s the catch?¡± I inquire. ¡°Frankly put missy, we don¡¯t care either way. It is up to ya. As long as ya submit to an [Appraisal], that is all we really care for. Just as soldiers, it is our responsibility to insure the safety of civilians. Despite us sweepin¡¯ these places regularly, there is still plenty of monsters around. So I figured to offer ya some respite. Whether ya take it up is up to ya. Of course, there are some circumstances ya have to understand. We can¡¯t just bring ya straight to town. Our main job is patrollin¡¯ after all, so ya would have to wait till the end of the day. We also can¡¯t lend ya a horse or carry ya on one due to regulations. Ya would have to follow us from behind to the best of ya¡¯r abilities. We can also only bring ya to town, despite ya¡¯r circumstances, things like food and shelter is not in our responsibilities¡­ What will it be missy?¡± asked the bearded chubby man. So they are not going to drop everything they are doing for my convenience and provide food and shelter free of charge without question? How I envy the heroes of literature...anyways lets not get too distracted... What should I do? The temptations are pretty strong here, especially if I want to level my non-combat class¡­ Looking at it from perspective, I did accomplish my goal of confirming that I am in a new country. So at least I don¡¯t have to worry about being pursued¡­I have considered the possibility that these people are fakes and just pretending to be a patrol, but in reality they hunt slaves that escape. But considering their level and classes, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. And again, considering the difference in strength between me and them is night and day, they wouldn¡¯t even need to bother to convince me if they really wanted to take me. Not to mention, I don¡¯t see any [Slave Collar] on the dogkin¡­ so maybe I should at least take them up on the offer to bring me to town? From there I can decide where to go. Last but not least, if they bring me to patrol with them¡­ I wonder if I can get some awesome skills? Decisions...decisions... ¡°A-Alright...I¡¯ll come with you..¡± I relent with slight hesitation in my voice. ¡°Okay, then. Come over here and stand by this elf here missy. He will do the [Appraisal]¡± said the bearded chubby man while pointing at the man who I happened to get the [Presence Sense] skill from. Now that I think about it, I have focused mostly on their levels and classes and paid little attention to their races. The bearded chubby man is a dwarf, and the guy who tracked me is an elf ha? Well I guess that is no surprise considering there are beastkin in this world... I slowly get down from the tree while contemplating these things and stand next to the elf. ¡°[Appraise: Human]¡± said the elf. Then he took a piece of paper, and wrote something down, then passed it to the dwarf. The dwarf took a look at it while pondering a bit. ¡°I see...Well things seem to be clean on this end, so ya are free to come alon¡¯ missy. Though ya are a pretty decent level for ya¡¯r age aren¡¯t ya? Ya don¡¯t see too many 12 year olds hit level 13 already. Unfortunately, It seems like ya chose a non-combat class already, which may be a demerit¡± said the dwarf. ¡°What do you mean by demerit?¡± I inquire. ¡°It is quite simple missy. As mentioned before, discrimination still exists for beastkin even around these parts. This makes getting a job and making a living much harder. Which is why most beastkin that escape here end up joining a craftin¡¯ guild. In doing so, they can sell their wares through a 3rd party and make a livin¡¯. While a class like [Blacksmith] or [Alchemist] may be a bit too difficult to get, due to needing to raise the skills for it. Something like [Herbalist] or [Builder] should be attainable. So now ya are forced to risk ya¡¯r life in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to make ends meet and then save enough for a class change¡± explained the dwarf as me and the patrol traversed through the forest. ¡°So what exactly does someone get for joining a crafting guild? Is there any conditions or requirements?¡± I question with curiosity. ¡°Well...the town of Hallion has 3 craftin¡¯ guilds. The Alchemists Guild, Builders Guild, and Blacksmithing Guild. The conditions to join is that ya must show up during the monthly selections and pass a test. The test depends on what position ya wish to apply. For something like a [Herbalist], the test is rather simple as most early positions require that you only know how to identify basic herbs and able to process them to an extent. Positions like [Blacksmith] and [Alchemist] are a bit more complex as you are required to show off ya¡¯r skill already. If ya pass the tests, ya become a disciple of that guild and sign a 2 year contract. The guild provides things like basic shelter, food, trainin¡¯ and some materials for its disciples, the amount varies depending on your achievements in the guild. In retrospect, ya must give a commission to the guild for every sale regardless of who provides the materials. Of course the amount of commission does vary depending on who provided those materials. If ya sell outside the guild without paying ya¡¯r dues, there are severe consequences¡± warned the dwarf. That sounds rather interesting, I can level up my non-combat class while at same time provide for some necessities¡­Maybe for once since coming here, I¡¯ll finally get some stability! While the guild taking commissions and the contract is not to my liking, at this point I¡¯d take almost anything as long as I am not being used as bait, nor having to worry about being killed in my sleep. ¡°When is the monthly selections, and will they discriminate against beastkin?¡± I probe. ¡°Lets see¡­ If I am not mistaken, the Blacksmithing Guild will be holdin¡¯ selections the day after tomorrow. The Alchemists Guild will hold selections a week after and the Builders Guild will hold their selections 2 weeks after. And ya don¡¯t have to worry about discrimination, at least as far as Hallion is concerned. The Blacksmithing and Builders Guild is run by dwarves, and the Alchemists Guild is ran by an elf, so ya don¡¯t have to worry about being discriminated by the humans¡± assured the dwarf. ¡°Hey! Hey! What¡¯s with all the human hate?¡± queried one of the humans in a teasing voice. ¡°Shut ya¡¯r trap! Or I¡¯ll cut ya down to a gnome!¡± yelled back the dwarf. ¡°Sorry about that missy, these guys are a bit insensitive, they no mean no harm¡± the dwarf added. ¡°You are the one to talk!¡± retorted another. ¡°Quiet down now! I am picking up on a presence!¡± interrupted the elf. We all stop and turn towards the elf waiting for further information. Of course, I was waiting on something else entirely¡­.
Your skill [RA][Presence Sense] has become Level 2
Yup, there it is! ¡°There seems to be about 10 monsters ahead, they are traveling in a group¡± notified the elf. I also activate [Presence Sense] but it seems out of my range, so there are still more levels for me to gain. I then activate [Smell Sense] and pick up on their scent¡­ ¡°Orcs¡± I mutter...did the follow me? ¡°What did ya say? Do ya know something?¡± pressed the dwarf. ¡°Well..uhmmm... where I was before, it was attacked by [Mountain Orcs]. Due to that I was able to escape...¡± I inform. Of course I am not going to tell them the full story. ¡°Is that so? All right, ya stay here and we will go eliminate the Orcs. After which, we shall head back early to make a report and have it investigated¡± announced the dwarf. While I am a bit hesitant to meet up with those Orcs, especially after what has happened a few days back...That said, it should be safe with this strong group...and I want to steal some skills! Of course I can¡¯t say that, so I involuntarily nod. With that the patrol rushed on their horses to intercept the orcs, leaving me behind. Of course I wasn¡¯t going to just let free skills slip away from me that easily! So once they gain some distance, I activate [Sprint] and chase after them to the best of my ability. I can always come up with some sort of excuse later, like being afraid of being alone with orcs around and etc * snicker * ...Though to be fair, I can¡¯t say that I ain¡¯t a bit worried to be alone with orcs around... When I arrive at the scene, I hide behind a tree with [Blend Sense] and observe the battlefield. And as expected, it is a complete massacre. With charging spears, the patrol easily land-slided through their formation. While the dwarf smashed them to bits with his over-sized hammer. In the meantime, the elf provided support via a bow. Of course in that moment, the delicious skills started rolling in! I normally don¡¯t like spam, but this kind of spam I¡¯d take any day of the week!
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Hammer Mastery] Level 1 You have acquired a new skill [NP][Shield Mastery] Level 1 Your skill [NP][Spear Mastery] has become Level 3 Your skill [NA][Impale] has become Level 2 Your skill [NA][Penetrate] has become Level 2
Suddenly I feel a huge headache and my eyes begin to spasm out! ¡°Arghh!¡± I scream in pain. After about a minute, the pain begins to subside and my vision begins to return to normal. It seems like I overdid it, as there seems to be a limit to how much I can get at once...I should be more careful next time...because if this happens in actual battle, I might lose my life. I then take a look at the battlefield and see that they have already finished up all the orcs and headed for me. ¡°So ya came after all missy?¡± questioned the dwarf. ¡°Uhmmm...yeah...I was worried that...¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry missy, it isn¡¯t a problem if ya came or not. It was only for ya¡¯r protection after all, so ya should be more careful next time. I can understand how traumatizing this may have been for ya, so lets leave quickly¡± said the dwarf. ¡­ It seems like he thought that me collapsing in pain after seeing the battle was due to some sort of trauma...well no skin off my back, so I do not see any reason to correct him¡­ With that we headed towards the town of Hallion. Volume 02: Seeking a new path in uncertainty (2) In a few hours, we arrived at a rather large town. It was surrounded by large stone walls and people were lining up at the gate. From the composition of the people, I saw that only about half were humans, while there were quite a lot of dwarves, some elves and yes beastkin. ¡°Well this is as far as we can bring ya missy. We have to make a report to the higher ups. Just line up by the gates with the rest, unfortunately I can¡¯t help ya skip the line so ya are on ya¡¯r own from here. Since ya have that Adventurers Guild tattoo, ya should have no problem with identification. I¡¯ll be seein¡¯ ya missy and wish ya luck!¡± said the dwarf as he made his way towards a separate entrance in the walls. So now, the moment to make a decision has come¡­ do I go inside the city or do I try to make my home in the wilderness? Hmmm¡­ It wouldn¡¯t hurt to just check things out right? Right? Just a little... I can leave any time¡­ Seemingly convincing myself, I get to the back of the line and wait. The wait lasted over an hour, which would have normally been pretty boring. But I used [Hearing Sense] to eavesdrop on conversations and see what I could learn. I know eavesdropping is not a good thing, but I am pretty desperate here! When I reach the entry booth, sitting there seems to be another dwarf. ¡°Please present ya¡¯r identification¡± said the dwarf. To which I comply and show the identification on my Adventurers Guild tattoo. He then writes down some details, then starts staring at me for some reason. ¡°May I know the purpose of ya¡¯r visit missy?¡± he inquires. ...uhmmm...what is the purpose of my visit? Tourism I guess? Since all I want to do is take a peek... Though considering the people standing in line, somehow I have a feeling something like that would sound rather weird...Oh, I know! ¡°I heard that there is a Blacksmithing Guild in this town and there are selections soon, so I want to join!¡± I respond. ¡°Is that so? If it is the Blacksmithing Guild, there is definitely a selection comin¡¯ up the day after tomorrow. Ya can find the guild if ya head down to the center of town, then turn east towards the commercial district. From there, ya can¡¯t miss it¡± informs the dwarf as he writes something else in his booklet. Well that would save me the time looking for it, so that¡¯s a plus. As I was about to leave I just remembered something. If the guards are being so helpful why not try to get a bit more info? ¡°Can I ask if you know a cheap and safe place a person can stay? Also some place where one can gather information?¡± I inquire. ¡°Hmmm...if that is what ya want, that would be the Adventurers Guild. As long as ya don¡¯t mind sharin¡¯ a room with a dozen people or so, they have cheap places to stay for adventurers such as ya¡¯rself. Ya can find the adventurers guild in center square. Similarly, they have a library that adventurers can use, though ya probably knew that being an adventurer and all. So if ya¡¯r lookin¡¯ for more information, try the bookstore which is located at the southern end of the main road¡± says the dwarf. Oh yeah! The Adventurers Guild library! I forgot all about that due to it not being accessible to slaves! That is definitely my top priority! I am glad I decided to come here! ¡°Thanks mister!¡± I happily exclaim as I head towards the Adventurers Guild. The town seems to be pretty darn large with traffic heading in all directions. It is larger than all the villages I have seen combined and more! As I head for the Adventurers Guild, I curiously look around and take in as much as I can. From the looks of things, I have seen plenty of beastkin walking around, and none of them seem to be used as slaves. Of course looking at them overall, I see they are worse off financially than the other races, but never the less, better than slavery!Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Could this mean that I can finally settle somewhere? And then focus on leveling up in a safe manner? The whole thing feels so surreal to me¡­ With those thoughts, I make it to the Adventurers Guild. I open the door, and take a look around. The layout is similar to the previous Adventurers Guild, so I can get straight to business. The first thing I do is head to the quest area and look in the Rank G section for the repeatable herb quest. And as expected, it is there as these herbs are rather common and are used in rather important recipes. Knowing that, I head for the material selling station while taking out the herbs I stored up in [Item Box]. I stored a total of 15 herbs there, 10 of which I plan on selling, and the other 5 I plan on keeping for experimenting with alchemy when I pick that up. I would have normally stored up a lot more herbs, but not only is my [Item Box] rather small, I had to make room for food. At end of the day, considering I planned to escape eventually, not to mention how poorly we were fed, storing food took precedence. I make my way to the counter and place the herbs there. ¡°Lets see what we have here, 2 [Dire Milkweed], 3 [Lavender Ginger Roots], 1 [Vile Nightshade], 2 [Black Lobelia], 2 [Violet River Grass]. That comes out to 32 iron and 50 copper coins. Adding the 10 iron coin bonus for the quest completion, that would be a total of 42 iron and 50 copper coins. Can you please place your guild tattoo on the orb?¡± said the dogkin at the counter. Now that I think about it, there have been a lot of dogkin in proportion to other beastkin. Is it because a high [Smell Sense] helps improve survival rate when crossing countries? I place my tattoo on the orb claiming credit for the quest, then take the money given to me, which by the way I am super excited about because this is the first time I actually get to actually keep my income! With that out of the way, I head upstairs to find the library. Like in the previous guild, the library was on the 3rd floor. It seems like this is some sort of standard format or something? I open the door to the library and see a few bookshelves. Frankly speaking, it was pretty underwhelming. Regardless, beggars can¡¯t be choosers. As I enter the library, I end up being stopped by female elf. ¡°Hello, you seem to be new around here. I am the librarian Kesha, nice to meet you¡± said the elf. ¡°Uhm...yes...my name is Shiro, nice to meet you too¡± I mutter caught a bit off guard. ¡°Since you are new around here, let me explain the rules. The library is open from 6 o¡¯clock to 21 o¡¯clock. Taking books in and out of the library is prohibited. Eating and drinking in the library is prohibited. You are required to put down a down-payment of 1 silver which acts as insurance in case any books are damaged. You also have to pay 1 iron every day you plan to use the library, which goes towards the maintenance of the library¡± Kesha notifies. What?!?! I have to put down 1 silver just to enter the library? That is so messed up! It is like information is being kept away from me on purpose! Next I¡¯d bet by the time I get the 1 silver the library will mysteriously burn down! Guh! Okay...okay...lets not jinx myself and raise any flags...lets first ask some other information. ¡°How much does it cost to use the sleeping room in the guild and is it possible to put equipment as down-payment for the library if you don¡¯t have 1 silver?¡± I inquire. ¡°The cost to use the beds at the Adventurers Guild is 8 iron. And I apologize, but we can not accept equipment as down-payment¡± Kesha responded. Well it didn¡¯t hurt to try at least...anyways, I¡¯ll see what to do about the library a bit later. It is definitely important but I need to think a bit of where I stand. I have a total of 42 iron and 50 copper coins. A bed costs 8 iron coins, food at stalls cost about 1 iron coin based on what I¡¯ve seen coming here. Though it might be cheaper if I go off main street. Assuming I eat 2-3 times a day, it should be 10 iron coins per day. So as it stands, I can only last 4 days. If I sell the herbs I kept for alchemy, I can probably stretch it to 6 days. So I have 2 options at this point, I can go adventuring out and collect herbs. With my ability I should be able to collect at least 10 - 15 herbs a day. Of course normally I¡¯d be able to collect more, but this being a larger town makes finding herbs a lot more difficult. Though I don¡¯t exactly know the difficulty of the monsters around this area. But 10 ¨C 15 herbs should be doable. So I should earn around 50 iron coins a day give or take. Subtracting living costs, I should be at 40 iron coins per day assuming weather permits of course. I can also kill monsters via traps from time to time, gaining levels for my race. Of course all this puts a risk to my life regardless how small it is. The other option is that I can apply to be a disciple for a profession for 2 years. If I apply for that position, I won¡¯t have to worry about food or shelter. I may also be able to extract information from fellow disciples about this world in casual conversations. I could also make a lot of money selling the things I created. And naturally, I would be able to level my [Creationist] class. While at this point, I probably still make more from my race class per level vs my [Creationist] class in terms of combat. If I can unlock more attributes, and get to level 10 and unlock more skills, the tides would easily switch in favor of [Creationist]. Especially since I can¡¯t level my racial skills myself. Both options have their ups and downs...wait..wait...thinking about it logically, can¡¯t I do both? Lets say I become a disciple in the Blacksmithing Guild. I can get access to metal and make both gear and traps to help level my racial class. Normally, a person who joins the guilds spends their entire time leveling up their trade skill. But to someone like me, that is pointless. I only need to make about 5 or so equipment a day to sell, then I can go look for herbs to collect and monsters to kill! The best of both worlds! Not to mention, if I get high enough [Blacksmithing] level, I can maybe fix that mithril dagger which from both cost perspective or combat perspective would be worth quite a lot. It is getting a bit late for today, so I should probably retire for the day. And starting tomorrow I¡¯ll go look to see what herbs are available in this area. Then the day after, I¡¯ll go to the monthly selections for the Blacksmithing Guild. With my mind made up, I head for the 4th floor which according to the sign is where the beds are. I pay the 8 iron coins and enter the room used for sleeping, which is divided by gender. In the room I see a bunch of makeshift beds all over the place, and 5 dwarves occupying the beds. Besides them I see lots of bags full of equipment. After studying the dwarves a little, I move to an isolated corner and take a bed there retiring for the day. Volume 02: Seeking a new path in uncertainty (3) I woke up from what I would call the best sleep I have ever had since coming to this world. While the beds were nowhere as good as the ones I had at home, it beats sleeping in caves and on floors any day. You don¡¯t realize how much you miss the things you take for granted until you lose them¡­ The sleep was so comfortable, that I ended up oversleeping. By the time I crawled out of bed, which I didn¡¯t want to but still had to drag myself out, it was already noon. So effectively, the plans I had for today kind of ended up as a wash. Of course that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t do what I can. I walk down to the receptionist counter. Which was rather empty this time of day. ¡°Excuse me please, can I see the samples of the local herbs in this area?¡± I ask. ¡°Sure, no problem, give me a sec¡± said the receptionist who came over to the counter. She then went over and took a box, then brought it to me. ¡°T-thank y-you¡± I said with a semi-shaking voice as I receive the box. The problem? For the first time since coming to this town, I interacted with a human. I know that slavery of beastkin is not allowed here and I can¡¯t exactly blame all humans for the action of some. But I can¡¯t help it that my body tenses up whenever I come near a human¡­ Putting those thoughts aside, I examine the herbs in the box. The most common herbs, [Dire Milkweed], [Lavender Ginger Roots] and [Violet River Grass] were all there. But there was some new herbs as well.
Red Cave Moss Moss that grows near or inside caves. Often used as a catalyst for making potions and in other alchemic formulas. Quality 1.2/10.0
Blue Hoya A plant that grows in warm areas. Used for the making of wax. Quality 0.9/10
Sleepy Jasmine A shrub that grows in warm areas. Often used in the making of low level sleeping poison. Quality 1.0/10
Ever since I got my new class, now my [Identify] is breaking things down into decimals...is this a byproduct of [Creationist: Analyze Everything] or my [PER] stat, maybe both? I wonder... I make my way out of the guild while eating the last of my provisions and head for the gate. Getting out was definitely quicker than getting in, but it still took a good half hour. Once out, I began searching for herbs. And as I feared, the amount of herbs was rather lacking. At this time, I did my best to avoid monsters since I knew it was not safe to hunt alone, especially due to not being familiar with the area. Today was simply a getting to know the area tour. By end of the day, I barely managed to collect 7 herbs, 1 [Violet River Grass], 1 [Sleepy Jasmine], 2 [Dire Milkweed] and 3 [Lavender Ginger Roots] . This place is freaking brutal for collecting herbs! Even these were far harder to get than I anticipated. But I guess with a town so big and so many dogkin, it isn¡¯t that surprising ha? Every dogkin that escapes and comes here probably thinks about making ends meet via collecting of herbs. Once I made it into town, I head back towards the guild. Only stopping by a vendor to buy a pair of meat skewers for a total of 1 iron coin. The taste is as one would expect, pretty bland...but still much better than what I ate so far in this world. I guess seasoning is a luxury in this world. In the guild, I decide to cash in the 7 herbs I got, plus the [Violet River Grass], [Dire Milkweed] and [Lavender Ginger Roots] I saved from last time. The reason being is that these 3 herbs are quite available here despite the extra effort, and I need all the money I can get. After selling the herbs, I managed to collect 37 iron and 50 copper coins. Which puts my total savings at 71 iron coins.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Well 63 iron coins to be more precise once I again paid for a bed to stay at the guild. The next morning, I reluctantly had to get up early. The reason is because today was the monthly selection for the Blacksmithing Guild. The 5 dwarves who stayed with me in that room seem to have gotten up earlier and were preparing things. They then headed downstairs at around same time I did. Walking towards the Blacksmithing Guild, I noticed the population of dwarves rapidly rise. And they were all headed in the same direction¡­ How competitive is the monthly selection I pondered, getting pretty worried. When I arrived, there was at least a small village of 50 dwarves standing there waiting to get in. Of course dwarves were not the only ones there, I saw a few humans and 1 elf as well. Though I was the only beastkin in the group. After about an hour of waiting, a rather sturdy built dwarf came out of the blacksmithing guild and stood in front of everyone. ¡°All right then ladies! We will now begin the monthly selections! I hope ya not be wasting my time! Follow me!¡± yelled the dwarf in a loud overbearing voice addressing a crowd mostly made of men.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Voice Manipulation] Level 1
As we came in, the dwarf pointed at an open area. ¡°Each of ya take a spot, take the [Copper Ingot] provided, and make me a dagger within 3 hours! Ya can use ya¡¯r own tools or the ones provided, just don¡¯t be blamin¡¯ ya¡¯r tools for ya¡¯r own failure!¡± he bellowed. We each took up a spot as instructed, which contained a single ingot and some tools for smithing, but unlike others who began hammering away from the get-go, I stood their dumbfounded. Wait...aren¡¯t they gonna at least instruct us on what to do at the very least?!? I guess I¡¯ll have to learn as things go along... I began to observe the dwarves around me to see what they were doing, in about a minute.
Your skill [NP][Blacksmithing] has become Level 2 [Creationist] quest unlocked!
With that, the process began to become a bit more clearer. While I would have liked to look at what this whole quest business was, now was not the time. As such, I began to imitate what I saw others do as I scanned around looking for who seemed to be the best smith in the group of 50. In a short while I found the best smith and began to take note. And as expected, a minute after another blue box appeared.
Your skill [NP][Blacksmithing] has become Level 3
Unfortunately, that was as far as it went. No matter who I looked at after, none of them would raise my level. So I was forced to make due with what I could. The process was far harder than it appeared. At issue was that I simply lacked the strength. While my level is rather high and being a beastkin gave me decent strength, it simply paled in compared to a dwarf who got a whopping 5 STR per level. I was barely at the STR level to make due. I did my best to replicate what I saw, and barely managed to finish it by deadline of 3 hours. With finally being done, I took a moment breather and took a look at-
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
¡­what that is all about¡­ So lets see, ¡°Quest Menu¡± probably?
[Creationist] Improve your production skills Improve your production skills, by either gaining a new production skill or enhancing an already acquired production skill. Type: Continuous Status: 4/5 Reward: 25 [PER]
[Creationist] Weapon creation Produce 10 weapons with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/10 Reward: 1 [PER]
So is this how one raises their unlocked stat? Through doing all sorts of quests? As I was looking over the quest information, I noticed 5 dwarves come up and began examining the results. Each dwarf was responsible for evaluating around 10 attendees. The dwarf on our side began his evaluations. ¡°Crap...Junk...Garbage...Barely passable...Why did ya even bother comin¡¯?...Decent enough...My grandma who has neva smithed in her life can make better!...Horrible...Terrible!...¡± muttered the dwarf who suddenly came to the last person in the group, me. My stomach began to tighten from nervousness¡­ ¡°WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?!¡± shouted the dwarf. ¡°HEY RON! COME OVA HERE! I wana to show ya somethin¡¯ ¡± added the dwarf as he shouted the other way. ¡­ Could this be ¡­ ¡°that¡± event? The one where my awesome skill leaves everyone speechless? I wonder in anticipation. ¡°What is it Sam?¡± said the other dwarf who came over. ¡°Look at this! Isn¡¯t the best piece of junk you have ever seen?!?!¡± exclaimed the dwarf acting as my examiner, as he hands the dagger to the other dwarf. ¡°Ya are right! This is definitely the best crap I have seen in my entire life!¡± replied Ron. ¡°¡­¡± ... I wanted to say something but no words came out of my mouth¡­ ¡°Come here guys and take a look at this!¡± announced Ron bringing in more examiners to look at my dagger. From then on, a round of praises and insults began to fly in the same sentence. After being taken aback for a while I finally put together my resolve¡­ ¡°Uhmm...S-So does this mean I pass or fail?¡± I ask the examiner Sam. ¡°Hmmm...¡± pondered the dwarf, then asked ¡°What is ya¡¯r [Blacksmithing] level missy?¡± Just to be on the safe side¡­ ¡°My [Blacksmithing] is at level 2...¡± I reply. In a soft hesitant voice. ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE LIE TO ME MISSY! ¡­ I¡¯VE BEEN A BLACKSMITH LONGER THAN YA BEEN ALIVE! I CAN TELL YA¡¯R AT LEAST LEVEL 3!¡± he bellowed. ¡°Hii! S-Sorry!¡± I apologized in fright at the sudden outburst. ¡°I don¡¯t know how in the world ya got ya¡¯r [Blacksmithing] to level 3 and made somethin¡¯ like this! Ya are definitely talented for ya¡¯r age, but this here is all weird...It feels like ya have spent ya¡¯r entire time leveling [Blacksmithing] by randomly hitting a piece of metal. For a copper dagger, it is perfect and at same time completely flawed! Like ya have neva seen a dagger in ya¡¯r entire life and just tried makin¡¯ something that looks like one, and at that ya got perfect marks! Maybe ya should go for a [Sculptor] instead of a [Blacksmith]?¡± Sam questioned. ¡°S-So does that mean that I failed?¡± I asked while drooping my shoulders. ¡°Hmm...Here is what we will do...I shall let ya in as a temporary disciple, ya have until the next monthly selection to make a proper dagger. If ya can¡¯t by then, ya will be forced out!¡± Sam responded. And like that, I became a temporary disciple of the Blacksmithing Guild... Volume 02: Seeking a new path in uncertainty (4) Out of over 50 people that came, only 12 managed to pass the monthly selections for the Blacksmithing Guild. Me being one of them, or at the very least temporary being one of them. All 12 of us were brought into a room, and in front of the room stood a dwarf. ¡°So ya are the new recruits ha? I am Advanced Disciple Gregon! I shall be in charge of ya lot! From now on, here is what ya need to know as Junior disciples...¡± We spent about 5 hours being lectured by Gregon about the details of this and that. All of it could be summarized into 8 simple points: 1) We will each be assigned a room and share that room with 3 other people 2) Food will be given twice a day at 7 o¡¯clock and 20 o¡¯clock 3) We are required to smelt 20 [Copper Ingots] and 10 [Bronze Ingots] per week, these ingots must exceed the quality of 1. We are allowed only a 10% failure rate. If we fail, no dinner for a week. If we succeed, 2 [Copper Ingots] and 1 [Bronze Ingot] are ours to practice with. 4) If the quality of our smelting and blacksmithing is good enough, we can ask for special permission to instead smelt 20 [Bronze Ingots] and 10 [Iron Ingots]. In doing so, we can keep 2 [Bronze Ingots], and 1 [Iron Ingot]. Above that, we need to become an Intermediate Disciple. 5) As a Junior Disciple, we are forbidden from publicly selling our wares. Private sales are allowed, but we have to hand over 90% of it to the guild. To sell publicly, we need to at least become an Intermediate Disciple. 6) We are allowed to receive private guidance once a month from an Intermediate Disciple and once a year from an Advanced Disciple. 7) To become a Intermediate Disciple, there are 2 methods. The first is to pass a test given once a year, and the second method is to win in the competition. 8) The competition is held once every 3 months, and is held between the Junior Disciples and Intermediate Disciples. During this competition, not only do you have potential to become an Intermediate Disciple, you also have a chance at being kicked out, as this competition is also used to gauge how you have improved. If they do not see much improvement during the competition, you will be marked as untalented and thrown out of the guild. We were also required to sign the 2 year contracts, and given some general information. After being shown to my room along side 3 other roommates. The first thing I did was head to where the ores were being smelted. The reason being quite obvious¡­
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Smelting] Level 1 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist:Improve your production skills], has been reset.
And just like that, my [PER] pretty much doubled! I spent around 2 hours staring at everyone to make sure I pick up the highest level smelting I could get. Which ended up with me getting [Smelting] to Level 4. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the limit in this area.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. The issue is that the blacksmithing guild is divided up into 4 areas. North, West, South and East. Right now I am in the south area which is limited to Junior Disciples only. To get better skills I need to move to a different area, but those areas are forbidden for Junior Disciples without special permission. Now that my smelting skill has reached such a level, I went to the counter and retrieved the first of my copper ores to begin smelting. When I was observing the others doing smelting, I wasn¡¯t only looking to gain their levels but also paying attention to what they were doing, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t have taken as much as 2 hours to take just their skill levels. With the assistance of [Smelting] at level 4 and what I learned while watching, I smelt my first [[Copper Ore] into an ingot.
Copper Ingot A poor quality copper ingot. Used in the production of metallic goods Quality 1.23/10.00
Hmmm...well at least it surpassed the quality threshold of 1 that is required for our quotas...I am also seeing an extra decimal appear, is that due to my increased [PER] stat? As I was thinking that¡­
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
[Creationist] Ingot creation Produce 50 ingots with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/50 Reward: 1 [PER]
Somehow I have this feeling of production being a total grind fest¡­ * sigh * Since the test and lecturers took up the majority of the day, not wasting any more time, I get more [Copper Ore] and smelt another ingot. This time around, being more familiar with the process, it took much quicker and the results were much better.
Copper Ingot A semi-poor quality copper ingot. Used in the production of metallic goods Quality 2.04/10.00
While I was rather happy with the improvement, I was still less than fully pleased. Based on the lecture given, the average [Copper Ore] has a quality score of 5. Considering my skill level, there should be no reason why I could not smelt an ingot with similar quality score. Since it was already getting close to dinner, I smelted my last ingot for the day and managed to get a quality score of 3.26. So my improvement rate is at least quite phenomenal, but still a long way to go¡­ Copper is just the lowest level metal after all. Like everything else so far, metals are broken down into ranks: Rank G: Copper Rank F: Bronze Rank E: Iron Rank D: Steel Rank C: Enchanted/Demon/Holy Steel Rank B: Mithril Rank A: Adamantite Rank S: Orichalcum Yup, a long way to go¡­ And my lack of strength is not helping either. I really need to level up or raise my [STR] stat...My arms are hurting like hell from just this. I hand in my 3 [Copper Ingots], and head towards the cafeteria for dinner. The food was broth which was less than spectacular, as all things I have eaten thus far in this world. After that I headed off to bed while thinking about what I should do for tomorrow. If not for my lack of strength, at the rate I am improving, I should be able to smelt 20 [Copper Ingots] per day. But due to my lack of it, I can probably at best smelt only 10. So my top priority should be raising my strength maybe? The thing is that training stats has proven pretty unreliable. So the only reliable way to gain strength is to level up. Unfortunately the XP I am getting from smelting and smithing things alone is minuscule. Even if my ingots are used by others to smelt things giving me extra XP, it is far from enough. So I would need to aim for raising my racial class if I want to gain strength...So should I go herb hunting tomorrow and attempt to trap some low level monsters? Though I would have preferred to do that at least after making better equipment¡­Who knows what can happen in combat... Wait! There is another option isn¡¯t there?!?! If I can somehow find someone who uses a skill that helps unlock another attribute, I may be able to improve my strength significantly in one go. Similar to how [AGI] and [SPD] have overlaps, there should be an attribute that overlaps with [STR] as well. The question is... How would I find someone with such an attribute and learn it? My Unique Skill is limited to only when used on a valid target, so I can¡¯t just go to a training ground and watch them hit target dummies with skills. I already tried when watching the middle aged man during training, and no dice. Of course if I can watch someone dueling with another person, that would probably work. How about this...tomorrow, I¡¯ll make about 2 [Copper Ingots] in the morning, then head to the Adventurers Guild. There, I will inquire the receptionist details about how often they have duels or other combat sessions going on under the pretense of wanting to learn live combat. From there, I will head to the forest and collect some herbs. Then when I come back, smelt 2-3 more ingots and call it a day. Not to mention, if I can make over 40 iron coins tomorrow, that would put me at just enough to be able to access the library. Then I can visit it the day after and read up information about this world. If there are any books on blacksmithing, I can also improve on my ability in that way too. Speaking of improving on ability, I should also probably use that private lesson from an Intermediate Disciple. But that should probably wait until next week. Judging from the smelting, I still have room to improve even on my own. With my plans for the short term made up, I fall asleep. Volume 02: Seeking a new path in uncertainty (5) We were woken up the next day at 5 o¡¯clock, at this time everyone begins preparations for the day. I too hesitantly make my way out of bed and head for the smithy. Prior to breakfast, I manage to smelt 2 more [Copper Ingots], with the best one having a quality score of 3.87. It seems my progress has stalled¡­ Well...whatever...I head for breakfast which was again broth, though a different type...Do they know anything except for broth over here?!?! And in such a sour mood, I headed out of the Blacksmithing Guild to the Adventurers Guild...only to be greeted by rain¡­ Does god hate me or something?!?! Did I do something to them? At this rate, by the time I get 1 silver saved up, the library will really burn down¡­ * sigh * Giving up yet again, I decide to just smelt copper for the rest of the day...and as expected, someone up there really hates me...Despite the hard and gruesome work due to my lack of strength...after making 8 more copper ingots, the best quality score I managed was only 3.98... Aka, I am stuck! Should I ask for help? I really don¡¯t want to waste my chance with an Intermediate Discipline on just smelting...Smelting was suppose to be the easy part...so I can imagine I¡¯ll need far more from smithing¡­Should I ask a fellow Junior Disciple? Or will I just embarrass myself? While I have not gotten to know anyone yet, not even my roommates, I really don¡¯t want a repeat of last time where they look down on me for not knowing the basics¡­ Lets give it one more day...maybe I¡¯ll find something in the library as well to help me. The next morning was a repeat of the prior, where I made 2 [Copper Ingots] in the morning, this time getting a quality score of 3.99. Seems like breaking into 4 is going to be a problem after all...Luckily, this time around after breakfast, the sky was pretty sunny. So with things finally looking a bit brighter, I walk to the Adventurers Guild. Of course good things can¡¯t last for long, because when I got there, it was flooded with people picking up requests...as one would expect from the morning rush... I really wanted to ask the receptionist a question about the whole dueling thing. But I guess that will have to wait till later, I don¡¯t want to waste time waiting in line for an hour or 2. Dejectedly giving up, I head out of town towards the forest. Unfortunately my body is aching like hell from all the strain I put in yesterday, but regardless I press onwards. I can¡¯t afford to take a break just yet. My goal this time in the forest is simply herb collection, to make enough money to access the library. Of course I also want to see if I can find all the new herbs as well. As for fighting monsters, that will have to wait until I at least get better gear. Taking the situation with the monkey as an example, if I had a helmet, then I wouldn¡¯t have been stun locked to near death. Speaking of gear! Now that I think about it...there is a third way to get higher strength isn¡¯t there? That would be gear! Unfortunately my mithril dagger is pretty useless despite it giving strength because I need to hold it in my hand to use it. Without that, I do not get the stat bonus, but I can¡¯t hold it because my hands are occupied with either the hammer or maintaining balance. If I can make or buy equipment that gives [STR] for each part of my body and get a better hammer than the default crappy one provided, which gives nothing. Then I can probably raise my strength enough to be able to make things more efficiently. So after this, I¡¯ll also stop by the nearby equipment shop and see what kind of stats to expect and what kind of prices these things cost as well. It would be good to know market price of equipment anyways when I get promoted. My trip around the forest netted me a total of 12 herbs for the day. With both my [Sense Smell] and [Sense Presence] there was no exciting and unforeseeable events that happened. If anything, what was unforeseeable was that even after storing the the [Blue Hoya] and [Sleepy Jasmine] in the [Item Box], I still managed to collect a total of 42 iron and 50 copper. Knowing my luck, I expected to somehow be 50 copper short¡­ The library is on fire isn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t it? Though when I came back to the guild to cash in the quest, to my surprise, the library was not on fire! After cashing in the quest at the material exchange, I head for the information desk. ¡°How can we help you?¡± asked the elf receptionist at the desk. ¡°Uhm...I was wondering...is there any training grounds where I can get live combat experience? Of course preferably in a safe manner...I am also fine with viewing it from a distance like duels or etc¡± I inquire. ¡°If you are looking for something like that, then I would suggest signing up for our training courses¡± responded the receptionist.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Training courses?¡± I question. ¡°That¡¯s right. Once a week, the Adventurers Guild holds a training course ran by a Rank C adventurer for adventurers below Rank D. The cost of the training is 2 silver per person and lasts for 6 hours. There is a limit of 5 spots per week. The next training course is scheduled in 2 days and we have 2 spots open, are you interested in signing up?¡± responds the receptionist. Grr...are you trying to tempt me away from my library?!?! Do you think you can bend my iron will with 6 hours of stealing a Rank C adventurer¡¯s delicious skills? Oops...I almost started drooling¡­ Stop for a sec! Lets think logically here, do I really need to chose one or the other? Isn¡¯t there another option? Frankly speaking, the cost of the library is not 1 silver coin, but 1 iron coin. I only need 1 silver as a deposit. Which should mean I can withdraw my deposit after I am done with the library? While there are many things I want to research in the library, the things that I need immediately could probably be done in 1 day. After I do the training, I could eventually save up another silver coin. The bigger issue is timing, if I want to spend the entire tomorrow in the library. That leaves me with no time to get the remaining 96 iron and 50 copper coins. Even without the library, getting that much around these parts would be tricky¡­ If only I had something I could sell...there is no way I am selling the mithril dagger at this point...There is the mantle, but I have a use for it ...If only I brought some monster parts from those that were killed...wait a sec! I did bring a few monster parts didn¡¯t I?! I check my [Item Box] and yes, they are there! [Woodland Ant Legs]! How could I forget?!?! ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be interested. But can you give me a bit of time to put together the money?¡± I plead. ¡°Sure, no problem. I am here when you are ready¡± replied the receptionist. I head straight for the material exchange again and take out the 6 [Woodland Ant Legs] that I stashed away. Each leg sold for 32 iron coins, netting me a total of 1 silver and 92 iron coins. And I also sold the [Sleeping Jasmine] and [Blue Hoya] that I stored for 10 iron coins. Giving me a total of 3 silver, 7 iron and 50 copper coins. Somehow I have a feeling all the mental exercises I have been doing for the past few days have been for naught¡­ Is this where that saying of ¡°If you mind it you lose¡± comes in? Anyways, I signed up for the training and put a down-payment for the library, with those two things out of the way, I head back to the commercial district. Before I enter the Blacksmithing Guild, I do a bit of window shopping and look at the prices of equipment. Particularly, armor that increases [STR]. Looking at the armors though, I came to another realization of a slight problem...SIZE! Looking at all the combat equipment in the shops, they were simply too big for me! So it seems unless I make it myself, the only options to buy are belts and weapons. Looking at the belts, I saw the following which gave [STR]:
Horned Rabit Leather Belt of Strength An average belt made out of horned rabbit leather +1 STR +2 DEF Durability: 20/20 Quality 5.12/10.00 Price: 1 silver coins
Copper-Plated Leather Belt of Strength An average belt made out of dire fox leather and plated with copper +1 STR +12 DEF Durability: 50/50 Quality 5.31/10.00 Price: 5 silver coins
Bronze-Plated Leather Belt of Living Strength An average belt made out of dire wolf leather and plated with bronze +3 STR +2 VIT +25 DEF Durability: 100/100 Quality 5.48/10.00 Price: 27 silver coins
Iron-Plated Leather Belt of Strength An average belt made out of dread wolf leather and plated with iron +8 STR +2 VIT +50 DEF Durability: 200/200 Quality 5.26/10.00 Price: 1 gold 10 silver coins
Steel-Plated Leather Belt of Strength An average belt made out of dusk boar leather and plated with steel +15 STR +4 VIT +1 AGI +100 DEF Durability: 500/500 Quality 5.17/10.00 Price: 5 gold 25 silver
While many thoughts go through my head at how expensive the equipment is to how nice those stats look...I end up at one remaining thought...If [Steel-Plated Leather Belt] goes for over 5 gold, how much would my 2 metal tiers above [Ancient Mithril Dagger] go for if repaired? I definitely need to level my Blacksmithing...But in terms of purchasing, the first thing I probably need is a better hammer...In terms of affordability, only these 2 fit the bill:
Copper Blacksmithing Hammer An average blacksmithing hammer made out of copper +3 STR -3 AGI +1 ATK +1% improvement for Blacksmithing Durability: 250/250 Quality 5.03/10.00 Price: 2 silver coins
Bronze Blacksmithing Hammer An average blacksmithing hammer made out of bronze +13 STR +2 DEX -15 AGI +2 ATK +3% improvement for Blacksmithing Durability: 500/500 Quality 5.25/10.00 Price: 10 silver coins
So next thing I should probably do is save up for the blacksmithing hammers¡­or maybe attempt at making one myself? With that thought in mind, I make my way to the Blacksmithing Guild for dinner, then head to bed right after. Volume 02: Hammering in my new reality (1) When I wake up the next day, I do my usual routine of making 2 [Copper Ingots], and have breakfast. With that done, I head straight for the Adventurers Guild¡¯s library. Paying the 1 iron coin entry fee, I finally feel a sense of relief that I would finally be able to get information about this world! Now before I start reading, my first order of business is to take a look around and see what they have, this way I can use my time efficiently. Looking around, as I kind of expected, there was not much variety of books in this small library. And obviously they wouldn¡¯t have something as convenient as ¡°Common Sense For Dummies¡± ha¡­ Putting my disappointment aside, now that I get the gist of what information I can access, I proceed with taking my first few books. The topic in question is geography and history. Spending about an 5 hours skimming through the books. I learned that there are 5 continents in this world, the books did not cover much about the other continents other than their names and some general information. For example, the beastkin originate from [Watchamacallit Continent]...I mean seriously what an odd name for a continent¡­ Other then the basic information about the continents, they had a bit more detail about the continent I am currently on, [Adaress Continent]. It seems this continent has a whopping 87 countries on it. Though most of these countries are rather small. Out of these 87, there are 4 countries which are much larger than the rest. These countries are also the most powerful countries. In order of strength, Hyfa Empire, Avian Kingdom, Zarion Empire and Shargon Kingdom. Right now, I am in the Avian Kingdom and the country I came from seems to be the Hyfa Empire. These two powerhouses seem to share the center of the continent, while Zarion Empire occupies the north, and Shargon Kingdom aka the dwarf kingdom occupies the south. Another important information is while the Avian Kingdom is considered the 2nd strongest country, its situation is a bit unique. Apparently, this country is protected by a deity called the Dragon God, who lives in the Sacred Mountains in this kingdom. In the almost 2000 years this kingdom has existed, it has won and lost many wars, but it has never been the one attacked due to the protection of the Dragon God. So without worrying about defense, it allowed this country to gain a lot of wealth. The information also confirmed that the slavery of beastkin was banned in this country, but is common in other countries. The books also had a few vague maps of this country, which I did my best to memorize. I tried to see if there was any information about skills, production, magic and the like, but unfortunately most of that was rather vague. At best it just tells you this skill exists or what to look out for and etc. It also has basic info on what consumables and items to pack when traveling. After jotting some of it down in my mind, I moved to the next step of looking up information about monsters. In particularly, my interest was about monsters in this area. And as expected, there was a journal documenting the basic information I was looking for. The surroundings of the city of Hallion has 3 points of interest. The first point that I have seen is the forest. In it are 3 dominant monsters. [Forest Goblin] which ranges from level 9 to level 12 for the scouts, and level 10 to 16 for the warriors. While other stronger Goblins to exist, they are mostly remain in their villages located somewhere deeper in the forest and rarely come close to this town.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Then there are [Dire Wolves] which range from level 8 to 15. I never got around to seeing the [Red Wolves] back in Diara village, but maybe because I was looking for solo monsters and these travel mostly in packs. Lastly there are [Dire Foxes] which range from level 5 to 10. The next point of interest is the Hallion Mines located to the north. This seems to be where most of the ores come from, and most likely where the [Cave Moss] is located. The mines themselves seem to be pretty huge and lead deep into the mountains. Some of the mines are infested with [Kobolds], with scouts going from level 11 to level 15. Throughout the mountains there is also the danger of [Saber Mountain Lions]. While encountering one is rather rare, the reports say their levels range from around 45 ¨C 55, making them Rank D to C monsters. Finally, the last point of interest is the plains to the south. Monsters there include [Ravenous Coyotes] which go from level 10 to 13, [Horned Rabbits] which range from level 4 to level 9. And lastly, [Venomous Rattlesnakes] which range from level 6 to level 8. Now that I know the composition of the nearby monsters, there are a few I should be able to hunt safely, especially if I get some equipment. I also took a look at information about these monsters, from some of their skills to which parts can be sold. Other then that, I also looked around for information about less common monsters not to get any surprises. I even took general note of monsters from nearby towns just in case. From there, I moved on to reading about all kinds of classes, both combat and non-combat. There wasn¡¯t much information other then a few general things, but regardless it had a lot of useful information that I was looking for. Once I was done compiling this information, already 10 hours had passed since coming here. This leaves me with only about 2 hours till I have to head back for dinner. The final thing I took a look at is information about religion. The last thing I want to do is offend some religion and end up being hanged as a heretic. Unfortunately, due to the small size of the library and most of the books being tailored to adventures, the information was very sparse. Regardless I barely managed to piece some of it together. The biggest religion in the world seems to be something called [Hell¡¯s Dungeon]. Though some insist on calling it [Divine Dungeon] and the like. Interestingly enough, there are actually 2 religions concerning [Hell¡¯s Dungeon]. The first religion sees the Dungeon as some sort of pathway to the gods. So when a person is about to die, or already died, they are lowered to [Hell¡¯s Dungeon] to meet the gods. Some warriors even see it as an honor to die challenging [Hell¡¯s Dungeon]. The other religion also worships [Hell¡¯s Dungeon], but in a different way. They also see [Hell¡¯s Dungeon] as a holy place, but in a different way. Instead, criminals and war prisoners are sent into the dungeon as sacrifices for atonement. So while both religions worship the same thing, their views are complete opposite. Ironically, while there have been many arguments between the 2 largest religions, they never actually fought with each other in fear of offending the deity of [Hell¡¯s Dungeon] . According to information, while there are plenty of small dungeons here and there. [Hell¡¯s Dungeon] is a humongous dungeon that can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world. It is said that the monsters in that Dungeon are as powerful as Rank A and above. No person has ever conquered it in history, and some even say it is unconquerable as it is a home of the most powerful deity. Personally, I don¡¯t know about a deity, but that screams ¡°last boss¡± to me. I really hope the god that reincarnated me does not have any silly plans of sending me there to face that ¡°last boss¡±. Cause I will decline in a heartbeat! I don¡¯t even want to set foot in that place let alone go face off some all powerful deity. Then there is the Dragon God religion, which is mostly followed by this country, and a few small countries in this region. This religion seems to be pretty straight forward, and personally sounds pretty fishy to me. There are not much customs to this religion really, there is only 1 requirement. Every year, you are required to offer an offering to the Dragon God. The offerings are collected at every town and sent to the Royal Castle. Then it is offered to the Dragon God. How is that not an exploitation scheme? The last major religion is mostly followed by the elves. Not much is written on it, but their subject of warship is the [World Tree] which seems to be located on a large island near [Watchamacallit Continent]. It is said that the [World Tree] is protected by a race called the [Golden Elves]. Not sure how it differs from other elves though¡­ By the time I finished sorting through the information about religion, I only had half an hour left. So I took a look around to see what other general information I could find. One interesting tidbit I learned reminded me how backwards this civilization is in some sense. I mean according to one of the books, this world has 2 suns, and these suns rotate around the planet. Hahahaha...good old Geocentrism, I wonder if they also think the world is flat? On that light note, while giggling at the silliness of the backwards civilization, I make my way out of the library and head back to the [Blacksmithing Guild] for dinner. Tomorrow, I have to give it my all since it will be a Rank C all skills you can eat! With all the excitement, I had trouble sleeping, but in due time, sleep overtook me. Volume 02: Hammering in my new reality (2) I woke up the next morning in a really good mood, despite not exactly being a morning person. There are a few reasons why I am in such a mood which is independent from the training. Because at night while having trouble sleeping, I came up with an idea to get past my sluggishness in improving my [Smelting] efficiency. The first thing I did was the usual smelting in the morning, and again I was stuck at 3.99 quality. But that was fine, because my true plan comes later. I went to eat breakfast and headed out of the Blacksmithing Guild. I have until 12, or a bit more than 4 hours of free time. And I plan to use that time efficiently. My goal? It is simple, if I think about it, production classes are tied down by a stat called [PER]. If I raise my [PER], I should be able to make better use of my skills and find my flaws even without help from others. While it might be hard to do with actually smithing things, smelting in comparison is much simpler. And the best way to raise [PER] outside of leveling is completing the class based quests. I am right now 3/5 into my [Creationist: Improve your production skills] quest. So I need 2 more skill levels to get +25 [PER]. Since I can¡¯t access the Intermediate Disciple areas, my goal is to see if I can nab some skills by visiting the Alchemists Guild, Builder Guild along side other shops that do not have guilds and pick up skills such as Tailoring, Leatherworking and etc. I do not have much time so I put together the most efficient route to get things done. The closest place is the store specialized in leather goods. I also came up with the perfect way to approach things as well. It takes me about 2 minutes to reach the shop and I enter it. ¡°Hello! How can I help ya?¡± spoke a dwarf at the counter. ¡°Uhm, yes. I am a discipline at the Blacksmithing Guild, and I was planning to make a belt with a leather belt as the base. Is it possible to view the creation of the belt so that I can take into account its creation process in my design?¡± I inquire. ¡°Aren¡¯t ya a hard workin¡¯ missy¡± complemented the dwarf ¡°But unfortunately I can¡¯t really help ya. Most of the shops products are sent by the Hunters Guild in the next town. While I can make a belt with my skills, my primary job is sellin¡¯ and reparin¡¯ the goods¡± he added. ¡°Is that so¡­I understand, thank you for your time¡± I say in a dejected voice and leave the shop. ¡°Sorry I couldn¡¯t be of help missy. If ya ever need some leather, feel free to stop by any time!¡± said the dwarf as I went out the door. The next order of business is the Builders Guild, which is located more to the side. From my understanding, the Builders Guild has the widest range of production skills due to their overall wide range of expertise. It takes me about 10 minutes to reach the guild. I walk in front of the elf receptionist at the counter. ¡°Hello, I am interested in joining the Builders Guild in the future. Though, I want to become a bit more familiar with the job flow first. Is there any place I can view things like constructions or other projects and the like? It can be from a distance if access is an issue¡± I plead in my best impression of a pleading kitten possible. ¡°A beastkin huh...¡± muttered the receptionist at the counter in a rather pitying voice. ¡°Please¡­¡± I beg. I feel a bit ashamed, but gotta do what I gotta do. ¡°* sigh * I would like to help you but the Builders is off access to non-members. You can visit during the monthly selections a bit over a week from now, there will be plenty of things on display then¡­ Hmmm¡­ If it is only about viewing the job flow, there is a construction going on by the western wall. You can get some familiarity there, but make sure to keep a distance and not to do anything to disrupt the construction work, ok?¡± Relents the receptionist. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± I say, and head out of the guild. Taking note of the construction location, I leave the eastern commercial district and head west. While my goal is the construction, there is one other place I need to stop by on the west side. While the north and east are mostly lower class areas, the west is more of an upper class area. And only a few stores are allowed to be here. Before stopping by the construction, I head towards one of the few stores in the area. That would be the tailoring shop. After finding the shop, I open the door. Sitting there was a human woman at the counter, and off to the side was another one spinning some thread. ¡°Hello, how can I hel-¡± said the woman sitting at the counter, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence. She took a look at my attire and frowned. ¡°If you are looking for clothing, I suggest going to the used clothing store in the east district, now get out of my shop!¡± she implicated with a rather stern voice. I was feeling rather embarrassed and uncomfortable for multiple reasons. But at same time I was in a dilemma. The reason was pretty simple.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Thread Weaving] Level 1
The dilemma was obviously, ¡°do I try to stall 5 minutes to see if I get another level or not¡±. Though by the looks of it, for every second I remained in the shop, the more ticked off the woman seemed. Despite being so close to completing the quest, I could not tolerate the glare and quickly left. It is not a total loss, and I have an idea to make up for it. So with no further ado, I head for the western wall to view the construction. When I come near the wall, I notice a large area sealed off via wooden barricades. I come as close as I can to those barricades and activate [Eagle Eyes], scanning the surroundings.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Carpentry] Level 1 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills], has been reset.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Yummy! Of course I am not done just yet!
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Stonemasonry] Level 1
I greedily walked around the barricades while using [Eagle Eyes] to get as much skills as I could manage. In the end, I managed to get [Carpentry] to level 2 and [Stonemasonry] to level 3. Unfortunately, by that point I ran out of time. I was hoping on stopping by the Alchemist Guild as well, but got too distracted trying to gobble up skills here. Overall though it has been a good haul! It is not like this is the last day or anything, so there will be plenty of opportunity. Of course there is one thing I wanted to do on the way back to the Adventurers Guild. I stop by again next to the tailoring shop and walk in. ¡°Uhm... excuse me... I left in a hurry but can you tell me where the second hand clothing shop is?¡± I inquired. The woman at the counter stared at me for a few seconds blankly then after a while came to. ¡°You again! I told you to get out of my shop! You are scaring away the customers! Do you want me to call the guards?!?!¡± she bellowed. ¡°...¡± My eyes opened up wide in shock. Then I came to and quickly made my way out of the shop. My surprise was of course not due to how that human acted. I kind of expected that really. My shock was more due to the blue box I got and what happened after.
Your skill [NP][Thread Weaving] has become Level 2 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills], has been reset. Your [PER] stat has exceeded 100. The quality of the [PER] stat has improved.
The moment that appeared, the whole world seems to have changed as I began to notice things that I have never noticed before. My eyes became sharper and keener to even the slightest of details. Though, while I would love to explore the full implications, I was running out of time so I quickly head for the Adventurers Guild. I just barely managed to make it to the guild on time and was guided by the receptionist to the training grounds located in the basement. When I got there, I saw a wolfkin standing there, who according to [Identify] was 34 years old with classes of [Trainer] and [Rogue], along side stood 3 human boys of varying ages, none of which had a combat class though. At first, I was a bit skeptical on why a Rank C adventurer would bother training 5 people for 6 hours for a measly 10 silver coins. Considering even a Rank D quest would net over double that amount, not to mention a Rank C quest can get them up to 10X that. That is just from the reward, excluding monster materials. I also somehow doubted the Adventurers Guild would make up the difference either. Only after my visit to the library did my question get answered. The peculiarities lie in the [Trainer] non-combat class. It is one of the few classes which give combat stats for a non-combat class. The way to level the [Trainer] class is by training others. Thus there is an incentive to take up others and training them. This also kind of explained why that middle aged man held on to all the slaves, while his companions had none. It also explained why he used that weird tone like he was a drill sergent rather than a master. I guess these peculiarities matter? Though what makes this whole thing even more lucrative for me is the [Trainer] class has the unlock-able stat of [POW]. Which is exactly the stat I was looking for! Well kind of. [POW] is similar to [STR], but unlike [STR] which also increases your stamina and endurance, [POW] is more like raw strength. That said, it is a bit of an odd choice for a Rogue. Unless maybe they specialize in one shot penetration maybe? While I was contemplating these things, the wolfkin rogue noticed me and called out. ¡°So everyone is here I see? All right then, my name is Zack. I will be your trainer for today! The first order of business is I need to figure out your abilities. The guild has provided me with information about your levels, but I am looking for things deeper than just levels. I am looking for your skills, your tendencies and habits. Then I will see how they can be improved. If there are no questions, then one of you come up and face me. You can use the training weapons provided by the guild. The rest of you, sit in the corner somewhere¡± Not wanting to be the first one up, I move myself to the corner away from the others. The reason is that I don¡¯t feel very comfortable around humans. I know this place makes non-criminal slavery illegal. But still, I always subconsciously feel discomfort whenever I approach humans. The oldest of the three humans who had a total level of 24 scoffed and picked up a training spear. ¡°Lets see what you got beastkin¡± said the human. Then suddenly thrust the spear forward. Zack seemed to pay it little mind and easily deflected it with his training dagger. ¡°Is that all you got?¡± asked Zack.
Your skill [NP][Dagger Mastery] has become Level 2
Ooh! Profit already! The human continued attacking non-stop, but all his attacks proved to be completely useless. After about 10 minutes of dueling, Zack changed from defensive to offensive, deflected the spear and then held his dagger to the human boy¡¯s throat. ¡°That will be all, next!¡± Zack announced. ¡°Shit!¡± spat the boy as he made his way back towards the others. This time, the second oldest boy went up to fight, his level was 15 and he used a sword. Unfortunately, it seemed like he really lacked any decent skill as I did not get anything from the entire 10 minute exchange. ¡°Next!¡± Zack yelled. After a brief pause, the youngest of the three got up. Despite being only 14 years old, he carried himself in a proud manner. Though to be fair, he had a rather high total level of 18. Interestingly enough, he did not go for any sort of weapon per say. He put on a pair of gloves and leg guards and took up a stance just like that. In the next instance, he quickly threw a fist at Zack. And for the first time, Zack showed a rather surprised face, but regardless he easily deflected it.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Close-Combat Mastery] Level 1
In this way the fight turned into a melee as the young boy continued to dish out punches and kicks left and right. Still, it was not enough to make Zack lose his cool, but you can clearly see that he was rather impressed. After 5 minutes into the fight I got a slight hint of why that was.
Your skill [NP][Close-Combat Mastery] has become Level 2
After the 10 minutes passed, just like the previous two he easily dispatched him. ¡°Very impressive talent you got there, if you keep this up, you¡¯ll have a very bright future¡± Zack commented to the boy. Then he turned his face and looked at me. ¡°You coming or what?¡± he questioned. ¡°Uhm¡­ Yes!¡± I replied and got up. I normally would prefer a spear due to my higher mastery and more experience using it. But looking at the training weapons, the spears are way to big for me¡­ So instead I ended up taking two daggers and went in position to face him. The question is, how much strength should I use? I really don¡¯t want to stand out too much, nor do I want to show my abilities to others, but at same time if I don¡¯t push him to use some skills, I can¡¯t attain them. I also am kind of curious at how well I would do against a Rank C adventurer. So how about I give it some skill, but not show everything? Alright then lets start, I imbue one of my daggers with both the normal and racial [Throw] skill. This time I focus the racial skill on power as accuracy means little at this range, and like that I [Throw] one of my daggers at him. Not surprisingly, he deflects the dagger though makes a rather confused expression. I use this fraction of a second opening and activate my [Charge] skill while imbuing the dagger with [Thrust]. Zack¡¯s eyes open widely, but his astonishment only lasts for fraction of a second, as suddenly his dagger makes a weird motion and blocks my attack. I was hoping to get him with that, but as expected of a Rank C adventurer, something like this isn¡¯t going to cut it. Maybe if I did a [Meteor Rush] that may work, but even then I don¡¯t know. Regardless, things were still proceeding to plan. Now using my newly acquired [Close-Combat Mastery], my [Jump] skill and my forward momentum, I jump over him while upside down in mid air to get him by surpri- ¡°Wah! Wah! Wah! Wah!¡±
You have taken 25 damage. You have been stunned for 0.5 seconds.
¡°Ouch!¡± I yell as I land on my back to the floor. Okay... maybe that wasn¡¯t such a good idea¡­ Things don¡¯t exactly work out like they do in the movies now do they it seems¡­ I thought that maybe I could perform that move where I jump over the opponent like a ninja, and then attack from behind would be possible with my skills, but not only did I mess up on the [Jump] skill jumping too far, the fear of falling and getting dizzy seems to be in full effect! How in the world do those heroes in literature and movies suddenly become capable of these scary things?!?! The bright side is that [Toughness] and stats in general help a lot, if I did this back on Earth, I¡¯d probably be in the hospital for months. After coming to, I took a glance at Zack and he seemed to be looking at me strangely¡­ suddenly... ¡°Hahahahahaha!¡± ¡°Did you see that beastkin? Talk about total failure, what an idiot! Hahaha¡± ¡°Pathetic¡± It seems the peanut gallery is getting a kick out of my misfortune¡­ As I was feeling embarrassed and dejected from my epic failure of a performance. Zack suddenly changed his glare at the boys, and bloodthirst came out! Instantly silencing them. He then turned back to face me. ¡°That is all I need to see, lets move on¡± Zack said. Feeling a bit left out, I opened my mouth. ¡°But...I...¡± ¡°If you are worried about not facing me for 10 minutes like the rest, fret not. I only needed to see where you stand. There was nothing wrong with your overall performance and I got to see what I needed to¡± Zack interjected. Having nothing more to say, I get up and go back to the corner. I guess I¡¯ll have to take solace with the blue box I got during the fight.
Your skill [NP][Dagger Mastery] has become Level 3
This also confirms one of my earlier suspicions. If someone uses a skill at a lower skill level, I can¡¯t get that skill until they actually use it at same level or higher. Which complicates things quite a bit, especially since the skills have to be used in actual combat. That said, there is another thing I have to consider. I need to intercept a [Trainer] skill in order to unlock the [POW] stat, and due to the limitations, that might prove rather difficult. According to the book I read, the [Trainer] skill improves strength based techniques in similar way to how [Runner] improves speed based techniques. The issue is that a Rank C adventurer¡¯s strength even without skills is already overkill, especially when they have a [Trainer] class which enhances just that. And my mission during the next 5 and a half hours is to have him use such, and not on blank air or a test dummy but on a valid target! Even worse, there is a possibility that I pick up some other skill instead! * sigh * Now I am feeling even more dejected... Volume 02: Hammering in my new reality (3) ¡°First, I will evaluate each of your performances. Josh, your spearmanship is decent, but you are too hasty and you lack proper defense. It is said that a spear starts with a thrust, and ends with a thrust. But despite decent technique, your haste breaks apart your flow. Your defense is also rather lacking leaving many openings. I would focus on defense while occasionally dishing out strong single attacks. Eric, I¡¯ll be frank. The sword is not for you. Not only do you lack the skills to use a sword, your usage of the sword is more like a spear rather than a sword. If you plan to continue in the way you are doing now, you might as well switch to a spear. Alexander, to be honest, your close-combat ability is almost flawless to an extent. You have good variability, good defense and good offense. If there is any flaws in your ability, I would say it has to do with the fact that you give up too easily on things you feel will not succeed. Which means if an opponent figures out your fighting style, and you don¡¯t invest into making openings, your chances to win becomes zero. You need to experiment more and learn to deal with unpredictability to a better extent. Now Shiro, your techniques are all over the place. While you may have tremendous ability, your control over it is poor and your synergy is off. Not to mention, you seem to completely fall apart when things don¡¯t go according to your plans. When in reality, you need to focus even more when that happens. You also need more practice synchronizing your techniques for better efficiency. So here is what we do, for the next hour I will pair you up and I want you to fight each other and gain experience fighting different opponents. Josh will fight Eric and Alexander will fight Shiro¡± Zack announced. We divide up the training area and I face towards Alexander. Personally speaking, I thinking I¡¯d rather face the other two as this guy seems really strong. Though maybe he has some techniques for me to snatch, as he is the only one I actually benefited from. With that in mind I prepare in combat position. ¡°Hmph! To get stuck with a lowly beastkin, how insulting¡± Alexander mutters. And I am reminded again why I dislike humans! Maybe I should really beat the shit out of him to vent off some stress? I activate [Charge] and dash straight towards him! Then activate [Thrust] aiming one of my daggers straight at him while preparing the other one for defense. He moves slightly to the right dodging my attack, so I swing my other dagger right at him but fail to reach him as he moves away... As I try to stop my momentum, I find myself lacking in ground¡­.ha? Suddenly I noticed it wasn¡¯t that he was moving away, but the one moving away was me! Soon after, I topple on the ground. Looking back, I notice his foot was sticking out and what happened was that he tripped me mid charge! ¡°You foolish beastkin are as stupid as ever I see¡± Alexander ridiculed. Grrrrr! I glare back at him with full killing intent, only for him to shrug and make a bemused smile. While I feel quite humiliated due to all this! It wasn¡¯t all lose...
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Evasion] Level 1
This guy has quite a lot of skills for someone his age¡­ Not only that, the weird thing is that his non-combat job is blurred out somehow. While I can see its level, I can¡¯t see what it is. The other thing I noticed was the weakness of the [Charge] skill, which I did not pay attention to before. Since [Charge] makes my legs move a lot faster, it normally would put a huge strain on my legs. To prevent that, when [Charge] is used, my legs become temporarily numb. So in the case someone trips me or something attacks my legs during that period, if I don¡¯t pay attention, it will go unnoticed! Alright lets try something else. I activate [Sprint] and start running around in circles. Then I [Jump] right at him! As long as I am not doing back-flips in mid air, it is not a problem. He dodges yet again, but this time I activate [Charge] from almost point blank range while paying attention to my feet. This forces him to block and he gets pushed back. Of course I don¡¯t particularly give him time to rest as I continue attacking non-stop with both my daggers. At first, he blocks my attacks with leisure, but with every swing of my blades, my mastery over my skills continue to improve exponentially. It seems that combat skills like [Blacksmithing] and [Smelting] have variations, and just picking up the skill without actually knowing anything is not good enough. Of course having a high skill level still provides a solid base, thus as the person uses the skill, their ability would eventually coincide with the skill. This makes sense to an extent, kind of like how two swordsmen can have the same skill level, but different sword styles. Just by getting the skill may mean your swordsmanship is on par, but it does not mean you magically create a style and experience out of scratch. What I lack now is my own style. Of course there is another reason for my rapid improvement in skill. That is due to my [PER] stat exceeding 100. Now things I could never perceive normally are becoming much clearer to me. After about 20 minutes, I begin pressuring him due to my superior speed. Which prompts him to switch from mostly defense to offense. He takes a step back, and lets out a punch. To which I block and try to aim straight for him during that small opening. Though to my surprise, I got flung back due to the punch!
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Punch] Level 1
How many skills does this guy have?!?! He is only 14 and he is loaded with skills¡­ That said, I can¡¯t get distracted and have to focus! I have an advantage in speed, but due to his higher level, he seems to have an advantage in strength. So I need to be careful about taking on his attacks head on, especially ones imbued with active skills. While taking caution, I charge back into the melee. After about 30 minutes of sparing, my skill improved tremendously. While I can¡¯t say that I have reached the true power of [Dagger Mastery] Level 3. I am at least able to show [Dagger Mastery] Level 2 or so. Evidence being that I could fight him head on at equal grounds in both offense and defense. Unfortunately, I simply lack the oomph to make a deciding blow. I really want to sucker-punch this jerk! But I am at my limits and breakthrough is unlikely within the remaining 10 minutes¡­ It can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯ll show a bit more of my skills. I wait for a good opportunity, and then charge straight at him while seemingly putting down my guard. As I see him take the bait with a smug grin, I awaken [All-Observing-Eyes] and time starts to slow down. As I observe his on-coming punch via slow motion, I adjust my daggers to deflect his fist at an ideal angle causing him to slightly lose balance and locking him in place. Then with help of [Close-Combat Mastery], I slightly bend myself at an angle, and knee him in the solar-plexus while its imbued with [Bash]! After which I deactivate my [All-Observing-Eyes] as I watch him be flung backwards and land on the floor, then clench his stomach in pain as he spews saliva out of his mouth on the floor. That¡¯s what you get for belittling me asshole! ¡°You bitch! I¡¯ll get you for this!¡± Alexander yelled. Unfortunately for his plans of revenge...I timed it perfectly at the end of the hour. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Everyone take a half an hour break and we will resume right after¡± announced Zack. I then show my tongue to Alexander while no one else is looking, infuriating him even more as I make my way to my corner feeling rather accomplished. Wait a second! Why am I feeling accomplished over something like this! My goal here is to figure out how to get the [POW] stat and time is ticking! As I was coming up with ways to get the skills from the trainer, half an hour passed. Thus leaving less than 4 hours remaining. ¡°The next thing we will do is as follows. I will do individual training for each one of you every 30 minutes. The other 3 will fight each other in a 2-vs-1 formation, 2 will attack and one will defend, rotating every 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, you will take a 15 minute break and then resume with the next swap. Remember for the attacking side, it is important to not only win, but also win efficiently minimizing the use of Stamina.Stolen novel; please report. We will start in the order we fought in the beginning. I will train Josh first, and Eric will act as the defender, then after 30 minutes, I will train Eric and so on.¡± Zack declared. Heeding his words, Josh went up to Zack as me and Alexander faced off against Eric. Of course my focus was more on Zack and Josh to see if Zack will use any other new skills. Either way, there is no way I would team up with Alexander anyways, I¡¯d be more likely to get back stabbed! As we were wary of each other, our attacks against Eric were rather casual. After 5 minutes, we switched and Alexander became the defender. While it was tempting to give him a second beating, my priority was keeping an eye on Zack. So while Eric attacked relentlessly, my attacks were more casual from time to time. Lastly, the final switch happened. And somehow I got a really bad feeling as 2 humans stared at me with hostility. Yikes! This time around, I had no leeway at looking at Zack, as I desperately defended for my life. My only saving grace was that I had superior speed, and Eric who has now taken up a spear lacked proficiency. So with Alexander lacking long range attacks, and Eric¡¯s poor spearsmanship, I was somehow able to avoid taking any serious damage for 5 minutes. Finally making it out alive, I took a look at Zack yet again paying attention for the remaining 15 minutes. Frankly put, I got nothing as far as skills go. It seemed that Josh was less interested at training at this point, and more interested in ¡°getting a hit in¡±. So he spent the entire 30 minutes continuing the fight from before. Aka, it was a big exercise in futility. The best I managed to get out of all this was paying attention to Zack¡¯s style to see if I can gain any insight. And like that, the next swap happened as Eric went for training with Zack. Me and Alexander were again put up together to fight against Josh and like before we kept the exchange at rather casual pace due to our hostilities, thus I also used the opportunity to continue watching Zack. The big issue happened when it came to my turn. Unlike before, Josh had decent spearsmanship and covered long range without issue, while Alexander had a lock down on short range. I was eventually unable to escape as I was beat down to the floor mercilessly. Luckily they were not allowed to attack me while I was on the floor at the very least. After finally my 5 minutes passed, I turned back to looking at Zack while dwelling in pain. It seems that Eric¡¯s focus during his training was mostly getting tips on spearsmanship, so again I came out with virtually nothing. Then came the one I was looking for the most, with exception of my own, as Alexander went up to Zack for training. To my dismay, most of the training seem to dwell in theory rather than actual fighting. They spent 25 minutes chatting, and only 5 minutes in actual combat, what a disappointment! Luckily the combination of Josh and Eric was rather simple to deal with, despite their overall higher stats. By taking advantage of my [Close-Combat Mastery], I kept close distance dodging their attacks, and most of the time Eric got in the way of Josh due to his own inexperience. Finally, after all this time it was my turn! When this 30 minutes private training ends, there will only be 2 hours left and I am not sure I will get another chance like this one! ¡°Shiro, based on what I saw earlier, you seem to have improved tremendously. Honestly speaking, I am not sure if I can believe my eyes really. I hate to say it but considering your age and skill, you¡¯ll probably surpass me with ease. That said, you shouldn¡¯t let it get to your head. You still have a long way to go. Now then, what would you like to train? Personally, I recommend taking up a style. Since I am a rogue, I can teach you a variety of styles using daggers¡± Zack informed as I came up. Frankly speaking, learning a style would be great. But there are some downsides to that approach. First of all, I don¡¯t think I can pick up an entire style in 30 minutes, even with my [Dagger Mastery] at 3. The other issue is that I still have not decided on what my primary weapon will be, or how I plan to fight. So there are plenty of demerits in spending my 30 minutes learning a style. Which is why I came up with the most efficient method to gaining what I need most. ¡°Uhm...while a style would be nice, there are other things I think I need, which are more important at the moment. My defense is terrible, as seen by the beating I got back there. Is there any sort of defensive skills I can learn?¡± I inquire. ¡°Hmm...defensive skill ha? I guess your defense does need quite a bit of work. Out of all the defensive skills, the two that work best for a dual wielding dagger user would be [Deflect] and [Parry]. Though [Deflect] may be a bit too difficult for you...so let me show you [Parry]. Try attacking me with all you got, though don¡¯t try anything fancy like last time¡± Zack insisted. I want to retort saying that any skill is easy, as long as you are willing to show it. But I know better than that, since frankly put, I lack time to learn everything, as mortifying as it is. I get into position, and [Charge] at him with my to daggers pointing at him. Only to have my daggers and [Charge] easily stopped in place.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Parry] Level 1
Excellent! My first defensive skill! I know I got [Evasion] prior but I consider that more of an avoidance skill. There was also [Shield Mastery], but that is only considering if I use a shield. Of course I am not done just yet! As I continue my barrage of attacks non-stop. And Zack easily blocks them all using [Parry]. Even though my skill acquisition is on cooldown, I still pay attention to Zack¡¯s style and his use of [Parry] to try to gain more insight. After another 5 minutes, I got another dialog.
Your skill [NA][Parry] has become Level 2
Though I don¡¯t stop and continue on attacking, only after 15 minutes pass do I become convinced that I reached the limit. Of course there is a possibility that he is holding back, but somehow I find that unlikely and I am running out of time anyways. ¡°I think I got the gist of it, now can you try attacking me and I¡¯ll try to use the skill? Though... I also have a special request for when you attack. I would like to see if there is a skill that improves power slightly but uses little stamina.¡± I query. ¡°Hmm¡­ alright, I¡¯ll see how well you do in learning the skill. As for a low stamina skill that increases power...How about [Slice]? It is similar to [Slash] but focuses more on accuracy and penetration over power, and takes up significantly less stamina. Does that sound good to you?¡± Zack questioned. ¡°Sure, that would be great!¡± I concur. With that, Zack switches from defensive to offensive as he activates [Slice] straight at me! To which I counter with [Parry] without much issue.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Slice] Level 1
¡°Oh? You really are fairly talented¡± Zack complimented while staring in wonderment. ¡°Again please! I want to get both skills down the best I can!¡± I request. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be too greedy, just getting one of these skills down would be a huge boon for you¡± Zack reprimanded. He continued to use [Slice] at me for another 5 minutes,
Your skill [NA][Slice] has become Level 2
at which point I asked him. ¡°I was wondering, is your [Slice] at level 2?¡± I inquire. ¡°I am surprised you noticed. Yes, my [Slice] skill is at level 2. It is a great skill early on due to stamina limitations, but as you gain more and more stats, other skills become far more efficient in the long run¡± Zack explained. Now that it has come to this, it is time to conclude my plan. While there are still skills I¡¯d like to learn, as he said I can¡¯t get too greedy. I have a main priority at this point and I need to focus on that first, the rest can be gained later during the remaining 2 hours. ¡°I have a rather odd request...¡± I hesitantly ask. ¡°What is it? If its related to training and within my ability, I will do my best to fulfill it. It is your private training time after all¡± he assured. ¡°You said that [Slice] has great precision right? Would it be possible for you to use all your strength and attack me with [Slice] without killing me? Considering my overall small frame, it is often that I am likely to receive attacks that overwhelm me. And I want to get experience dealing with them the best I can in training rather than meeting up with them in real life¡­ Is that possible?¡± I plead. At first Zack seems to be completely taken aback by my request, but then puts his hand on his chin and starts contemplating for a bit. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I understand where you are coming from... But are you sure about this? While I can guarantee your life, you will most definitely get injured. This isn¡¯t a maybe or an if, you being injured is virtually guaranteed. In worst case it might even be a serious injury. So unless you are 100% resolved, I would really suggest against it. I will also note, neither I nor the guild will be held responsible for it. So think carefully before you answer¡± Zack urged. * gulp * While feeling a bit taken back and somewhat scared. I still pull together my resolve as this is still the safest route I can take to get stronger. ¡°I am fully resolved!¡± I insist while taking up a defensive stance. ¡° * sigh * If you insist...¡± muttered Zack while taking up an offensive stance. Though it could clearly be seen that hesitation was all over his eyes. ¡°I will confirm this one last time, are you ready?¡± Zack questioned seemingly wanting me to change my mind through pressure. ¡°I am ready!¡± I respond with confidence as I activate my [All-Observing-Eyes]. ¡°...Here goes!¡± exclaimed Zack as he seemingly gives in to my resolve, and releases his [Slice] at devastating speed. Even with my rather high speed, I was only barely able to make it in time to block his attack with [Parry]. And even then I have a feeling he made it easier to block on purpose. ¡°Eh?!?!¡± Suddenly, I feel a sharp pain from my left shoulder, while a dull pain from my hands as my weapons flew out... But upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t that my daggers flew out in reality, more precisely, they were split in half! The next thing I notice, Blood began to burst out from my shoulder.
You have taken 342 damage. You are critically injured and severely bleeding
ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! ARE YOU FREAKIN¡¯ SERIOUS?!?!? This is utterly ridiculous! The training weapons are made of sturdy but soft wood, but they are not sharp at all! Not to mention, the edges of the weapons are coated with an extra layer of rubber like substance limiting their cutting ability even more! Factor in that [Slice] pays an extra penalty the duller the weapon, add to it that I used [Parry] to mitigate some of the damage and have [Toughness] at level 3! And lastly consider he did not hit at me directly but at only my shoulder! Did I say this is freakin¡¯ ridiculous?!?!? I mean sure, Zack is a Rank C adventurer. But the difference is far larger than I could ever dream! I fell to my knees in utter shock. I was ¡°this¡± close to death! ¡°Are you okay?!?! Sorry about that, I may have attacked a bit too hard. They don¡¯t make these training weapons as sturdy as they used to...¡± Zack franticly apologized. Sturdy my ass! If I did not [Parry] it or did not have [Toughness], I would have most definitely been killed here and now! While I was fuming with rage and helplessness, at same time I felt a little bit relieved. Not only from surviving a near death experience, but also due to the new strength that now filled my body.
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Trainer: Strengthen] Level N/A Due to a special action, a new special [POW] stat has been unlocked
Due to all the strain, I fell to the floor and little by little began to lose consciousness. ¡°Shit! Due to your skills I totally forgot about your overall low level...Shit! Hang in there! I¡¯ll get some help!¡± yelled Zack as he picked me up and rushed upstairs. During this time I fell in and out of consciousness overhearing words here and there. ¡°I am sorry, we do not have any potions in stock at this time. The Alchemists Guild selection is coming up and they emptied out all the herb reserves in preparation¡± said some lady¡¯s voice in the background. Soon after I lost consciousness again as I felt being moved yet again. ... When I barely came to again, I heard yet another voice in the background as I slightly opened my eyes to see Zack and an old man standing there conversing. ¡°This is the one right? Fear not child, everything will be okay... [Light Magic: Holy Light]!¡± murmured the old man.
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Light Magic: Holy Light] Level 1 WARNING: [Light Magic: Holy Light] is a Level 4 Light Magic. Efficiency shall be reduced! Due to a special action, you have acquired a new skill [NP][Light Magic] Level 1 Due to a special action, a new special [???? ???? ????????] stat has been unlocked
For a moment... I felt like the entire world lit up in some strange color lights all around. But soon after they disappeared and a sense of warmth overtook my body as I fainted. Volume 02: Hammering in my new reality (4) I woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling¡­ uwah! I can¡¯t believe I actually used that line¡­ I took a look around and could not recognize the place at all. Regardless, one thing I could tell was the furnishings were definitely of higher quality than I have ever seen in this world. Not long after, a human lady walked in the room. ¡°You are awake?¡± she asked. Suddenly dread fills up to the bottom of my soul, and my face goes pale as I quickly check the equipment menu. Relief only fell after I confirmed that the [Slavery Collar] was still inactive. Once I calmed down, I took a glance at the lady. ¡°Yes...Where am I?¡± I asked. ¡°Ah, sorry for not giving you a proper introduction. I am Nun Kimberly and you are in the Church. You were brought here by Zack after sustaining heavy injury¡± Nun Kimberly responded. ¡°I see¡­ How long was I out?¡± I inquired. ¡°You were out for almost an entire day, it is about 2 o¡¯clock now¡± Nun Kimberly answered. A whole day?!?! I need to hurry back or I won¡¯t reach my weekly quota! As I was about to get up and run back to the Blacksmithing Guild, I suddenly remember something. ¡°Uhm¡­ is there anything I have to pay for treatment?¡± I hesitantly inquire. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that, Zach and the priest here go a long way back. So you are free to go whenever. Of course, in the future if luck is on your side, then feel free to donate to the Church¡± Nun Kimberly informed. I awkwardly nod as I make my way out of the Church. To be honest, I don¡¯t even know which god this church worships, but It would be really awkward and embarrassing to ask. After being seen off, I quickly ran back to the Blacksmithing Guild. On the way back to the guild, I review where I stand. Lets see, I completed 19 [Copper Ingots], this means I have 1 more [Copper Ingot] remaining. Then I have to move on to finishing 10 [Bronze Ingots]. Only then will I get my share of 3 [Copper Ingots] to use for my own devices. This is where my new [POW] stat and increased [PER] will really shine! I pull up my status window and review my stats. ¡°Ha?¡± What in the world is [Pure Mana Affinity]? And again that weird messed up look... I also got [Light Magic] as well! Does that mean that Magical Girl Shiro is finally born?!?!
???? ???? ???????? ¨C 99.9% You are one with all that is mana. You live and breathe mana, it is your arms and it is your legs.
Odd...my [Smell Sense] is not picking up anything related to mana¡­ Have I been scammed? That said, my only spell is [Holy Light] and according to the note even that is limited! Talk about useless¡­ I mean sure, healing yourself is pretty useful and all. But at this stage almost anything can kill me with 1 shot! So something like [Holy Light] would at best be a support spell as I am running away half dead! I mean I am not greedy or anything, but couldn¡¯t they give me a bit more of a simple and reasonable spell...like you know [Meteor] or [Armageddon]¡­ That isn¡¯t asking for much right? * sigh * I guess beggars can¡¯t be choosers ha? I¡¯ll worry about those implications later, for now I have other things to focus on which take precedence. I make my way into the guild, and withdraw my last [Copper Ore]. Now is the time of truth! The hammer in my hand now feels a lot lighter than before as I observe the [Copper Ore] with my improved [PER] and begin the process of [Smelting]. But that is not all, I activate [All-Observing-Eyes]! Which is not limited to finding flaws in just living creatures, but flaws in all things that I have observed. This includes the [Copper Ore] and [Copper Ingot]. Unfortunately, a huge headache ensues as large amount of information floods my head. Unlike simply looking for points of weakness in a monster, now I am looking at the entire integrity of the object as a whole. The amount of information is simply too enormous for me to process as-is! Regardless, it still serves as a helping hand in my [Smelting] as I gain new insight. Due to the limitations of [All-Observing-Eyes], I kept usage down to 10 seconds every 10 minutes or so. After about an hour, my last [Copper Ingot] is complete!
Copper Ingot An average quality copper ingot. Used in the production of metallic goods Quality 5.023/10.000
Yey! I finally managed to make a [Copper Ingot] without much loss in quality! So now that I am done with Copper, next would be Bronze. Though I really don¡¯t that have much time as tomorrow is the last day of the week. But before that, I need to first observe how others handle [Smelting] of bronze. And like that, I spend a few hours paying keen attention to how others are [Smelting] bronze, only after about 2 hours of watching, with sometime use of [All-Observing-Eyes] do I finally feel comfortable giving it a shot. I pick up another [Copper Ore] and a small chunk of [Tin Ore] and begin smelting them together. The process is far more difficult and takes me 2 hours to complete. The final result is less than thrilling.
Bronze Ingot A poor quality bronze ingot. Used in the production of metallic goods Quality 1.442/10.000
But you know what? I am not discouraged one bit. I knew this would happen on my first attempt as I get the hang of it, frankly speaking, I did better than my first attempt at a [Copper Ingot] despite the higher difficulty. While I would like to continue and attempt at least one more [Bronze Ingot], that is out of the question. At issue is that I am completely famished! I missed yesterday¡¯s dinner plus today¡¯s breakfast. Not to mention I had to deal with all that training! And on top of that, smelting these 2 ingots. A bit more and my stats will drop from hunger! So instead I head for the Cafeteria and wait for dinner. After enjoying the rather poor dinner, which somehow due to hunger tasted better than it normally does, I drag my tired self to sleep. ... The next day, my final challenge for the week has started. The goal is to finish the 9 remaining [Bronze Ingots] and claim my just reward! My first attempt of the day with the help of my [All-Observing-Eyes] netted me a quality score of 2.537. Which continued to increase at a steady pace. I would first use my Unique Skill for making 1 ingot, then make 2 more without it. This way I can solidify my knowledge without relying on my limited use Unique Skill. I barely managed to finish the 9 ingots prior to dinner, with my best record being 4.892. Finally finished with my work and totally exhausted, I have dinner and retire for the day. With this my first week as a Junior Disciple at the Blacksmithing Guild ends, with all quotas barely met. I did remember to pick up my complementary 2 [Copper Ingots] and 1 [Bronze Ingot] out of the batch I made and stored them into my [Item Box]. With the start of the new week, I started out as usual. In the morning, I made 2 [Copper Ingots], which by the way I was super pleased that I was able to make them around the quality score of 5 even without [All-Observing-Eyes]. After the less than spectacular breakfast, I head out of the guild. My destination? Obviously the Alchemist Guild! Today is the Alchemists Guild monthly selections, and while I can¡¯t exactly be a member of both, I can still get some production skills which I may not have access to normally. The Builders Guild already demonstrated for me that access for outsiders is limited. So this is my only chance in the short term to get some significant skill improvements.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. When I arrive at the Alchemists Guild which is located a pretty decent distance away towards the south western area, I see the place jam packed! There is easily over 100 people here, maybe even 200! The variety of people is also much larger, while the Blacksmithing Guild was loaded with mostly dwarves. The Alchemists Guild has a lot of elves and yes unfortunately humans. But there were also a few beastkin there as well. After a while, an elf in a long robe came out and addressed the crowd. ¡°Welcome everyone! To the monthly selections for the Alchemists Guild! As you may know, the Alchemists Guild is divided into multiple tests that check your standing, and depending on it, you will be assigned within the guild. The first test will test your [Herb Processing] skill. As there seems to be over 200 of you here, we will divide you up into groups and test your groups one by one¡± announced the elf. We were separated into groups of around 50, and I was put in the 3rd group. It took not more than 40 minutes for them to get to our group and we were show inside. ¡°Everyone, please sit down at a table. There are herbs in front of you that you must process. You are required to process 3 different herbs within 15 minutes. Please begin as soon as you are seated¡± announced the elf. I and the other 50 or so people took our seats and began the processing of herbs. My first order of business was as usual, to enjoy stealing all the delicious skills that I can! Of course this time, unlike with [Blacksmithing], I paid far more attention to the details and from time to time activated my [All-Observing-Eyes]. It didn¡¯t take long for the skills to start rolling in!
Your skill [NP][Herb Processing] has become Level 2 Your skill [NP][Herb Processing] has become Level 3 Your skill [NP][Herb Processing] has become Level 4 Your skill [NP][Herb Processing] has become Level 5
Unfortunately I spent so much time staring that I was left with only 7 minutes to process the 3 herbs! But can you blame me? I diligently began processing the herbs to the best of my ability. Which was rather high considering my skill level and my improved [PER]. I don¡¯t know about other production classes, but if they have similar quests as mine, it definitely wouldn¡¯t be easy to get. After I finished processing my first herb, as expected a blue box appeared.
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
[Creationist] Herbs processed Process at least 20 herbs with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/20 Reward: 1 [PER]
Of course I had no time to slack as I had 2 more herbs to process, and I was running low on time! Only at the last second, I barely managed to process the 3rd herb, and even then I feel like quality suffered quite a bit due to my haste. Barely able to finish in time, I sigh in relief as the examiners walk around evaluating the herb processing. Unlike the talkative dwarves, all they did was say ¡°pass¡± or ¡°fail¡± and move on. Interestingly enough, a whopping 37 people have passed. Me of course being one of them. Which seems like the overall standards here are quite low? ¡°May I have your attention everyone? For those who have passed, you have two options. The first option is to go join the guild as someone designated to collect and process herbs. The second option is to move on to the second exam. Those who wish to participate in the second exam, please come to me¡± announced the elf. Out of the 37 people, only a measly 7 people went to the elf. I then walked up as well being the 8th, which seemed to have confused the elf a little. ¡°You are aware that the second exam requires the knowledge of alchemy correct?¡± the elf questioned. ¡°I know...¡± I replied. ¡°I see...then all of you come this way¡± said the elf. It did not take long till we arrived at a room full of equipment. While it looked similar to a chemistry room, all the equipment seemed pretty foreign to me. Frankly speaking, I had 0 confidence in passing the test or probably even doing alchemy. But I am not exactly here for that am I? I expect to fail really. Though I am not just going to give up either, I will at least make an attempt, as making my own potions would help quite a bit. ¡°This is the lab we will be using for this test. Your assignment is to create two potions, a [Lesser Health Potion] and a [Lesser Mana Potion]. All the materials are provided here. There are also reference books and other things that are accessible. We are not testing your knowledge of alchemy here, that will be for those planning on taking the third test. During the second test we are looking for those capable of mass producing potions. You have 3 hours to complete this assignment¡± declared the elf. Like that, everyone went their own direction and started preparing the processed herbs. In my case, I went towards the reference books and started skimming them a bit. Not surprisingly, it was all Greek to me¡­ So while pretending to read the book, I took glances at the other 7 participants and studied what they did. At first, it made very little sense until a helping hand was thrown from my good old friend blue box.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Alchemy] Level 1 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills], has been reset.
Suddenly... thing started to make a whole lot more sense! I continued to watch as they mixed herbs, brewed them and etc. With it my skill levels continued to rise.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Alchemy] Level 2 You have acquired a new skill [NP][Alchemy] Level 3 You have acquired a new skill [NP][Alchemy] Level 4
To be honest, I never actually expected to hit level 4 in [Alchemy]. But one of the participants seemed to be very talented, he was pretty much done with the [Lesser Health Potion] in half an hour! I watched the others as they completed their [Lesser Health Potions] at varying times, but all of them were done within an hour and a half. Once that happened, I turned back to the reference book and continued reading. I did hear some gossips going around like ¡°Why is this beastkin even here?¡± and the like, but I ignored it. I spent half an hour on reading the reference book learning as much as I could about [Alchemy]. After that, I finally attempted making the [Lesser Health Potion]. To be frank, I saw health potions as top priority. I lack spells and enough mana to make mana potions any use for me in the short term. That is not to say that I didn¡¯t memorize the details the best I could, but as far as attempting goes, my priority was the health potion. So I started the process of making the [Lesser Health Potion] and it was fairly challenging. It looks simple when looking from the side, but the process is like a timed video game. You have to mix materials at a certain interval, have heat at certain amount at certain time, then divide them up quickly enough before they overreact. The process was really really difficult! Even with my rather high [Alchemy] skill and my really high [PER], if not for [All-Observing-Eyes] slowing down time at critical junctures. I would have been totally screwed! I am just glad this isn¡¯t one of those recipes that can explode in your face... After an hour though I finally managed to make my first potion.
Lesser Health Potion A horrible quality lesser health potion. Used to restore health. +5 HP +5 HP/min for 5 min [Made by Shiro] Quality 0.931/10.000
Talk about pathetic! Considering according to the reference book an average [Lesser Health Potion] should give +30 HP +30 HP/min for 5 min. Obviously I did not have enough time to make a mana potion due to the test coming to an end. The elf examiner went one by one, evaluating the potions. Unlike last time, he gave some basic comments here and there. Overall, out of the 7, 5 passed and 2 failed. Then he came to me, picking up my potion he frowned for a second. Looking around, the other¡¯s reactions were either of sneering or of pity. ¡°Hmm...to be honest I am somewhat surprised. While you failed to make the [Lesser Mana Potion], and your [Lesser Health Potion] is of unacceptable quality. The fact that you managed to even make a potion goes beyond my original expectations... From the looks of things, this was probably the first potion you have ever made isn¡¯t it? The very fact that you got this far is extremely astonishing! There is no need to be discouraged, personally I think you may have a great talent for [Alchemy], especially considering your young age. Unfortunately, it does not change the fact that you failed this examination, and the rules of this guild is strict. I would highly suggest trying again in the upcoming selections. In the meantime, I suggest taking up a role in [Herb Processing] and becoming more familiar with the herbs. Here, you can take the potion you made as a gift. It is too low level for us to use for anything, but it might prove useful to you in the future¡± evaluated the elf examiner. ¡°I understand¡± I replied, taking the potion and making my way out of the guild. Contrary to what the elf examiner may have thought, I was rather pleased with my result then and there. Not that the extra complements and gift hurt by any means. Resisting the urge to go peekaboo to the tailoring shop a few times to see if I can get another skill level in [Thread Weaving], thus fulfilling my last requirement for the quest. I for the time being head back to the Blacksmithing Guild. It is vexing to be so close to a quest completion and letting it go just like that, but there are other priorities I need to take into account. When I reach the smithing area for the Junior Disciples, I take a look around and do my best to learn everything I can about [Blacksmithing] in same way I learned about [Smelting], [Herb Processing] and [Alchemy]. At this point I already have quite some experience learning from others. After about 3 hours of learning what I could, I take out both of the [Copper Ingots] and start smithing. It took me about 4 hours to finish smithing the item I was looking for. What was it that couldn¡¯t wait another day?
Copper Blacksmithing Hammer A semi-poor blacksmithing hammer made out of copper +1 STR -3 AGI +1 ATK +1% improvement for Blacksmithing [Made by Shiro] Durability: 128/128 Quality 2.567/10.000
It came out better than I thought, because the free hammers they provide us are below the quality score of 1. Thus giving no improvements whatsoever. But that is not the most important thing! The most important thing is that to gain levels, I need my equipment to be used by someone. And at this point, I am wasting XP on every ingot I forged! Now that I have my own hammer, despite it being inferior to average, it is still better than what I am using now. And every use should net me some XP, towards my [Creationist] class. That said, I kind of overused my [All-Observing-Eyes] today and all the mental stress has been stacking up. So I decided to retire a bit early for today. Only the next day did I start putting my new [Copper Blacksmithing Hammer] to good use! And as expected, the flow of XP increased tremendously. While there is no such thing as an XP bar unfortunately, I can somehow feel the flow of XP as I gain it. The feeling is akin to warmth and joy filling your heart. And the feeling I am getting from using my own hammer vs one provided for me feels to the tune of getting triple the XP! It almost makes me regret making those 32 ingots using someone else¡¯s hammer, regardless how silly and unreasonable that sounded. I was in such a good mood, I managed to make 18 [Copper Ingots] all in one day! This feeling of gaining XP is so addictive, that I wonder if there is such a thing as ¡°Gaining XP Anonymous¡±...Cause really its just too addictive! I was filled with so much happiness and joy, I almost accidentally fried my tail in the forge from it swinging back and forth in excitement! Talk about dangerous! Unfortunately, with the coming of dinner, all that happy time came to an end. Despite my inner self screaming ¡°Just one more ingot, you know you want to!¡±. Of course it was not up to me, as the forge closes down after dinner, so there is nothing I could do even if I wanted to¡­ Either way, I managed to complete the 20 [Copper Ingot] quota and all of them were around the quality score of 5. Not to mention, since I managed to make 50 ingots, I managed to complete a quest as well, with a new one appearing.
Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Ingot creation] +1 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Ingot creation], has been reset.
[Creationist] Ingot creation Produce 50 tier 1 ingots with at least a quality score of 2 and/or 50 tier 2+ ingots with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 2/10 Status: 0/50 Reward: 1 [PER]
Left with no other choice, I went to eat dinner and retired for the day. Volume 02: Hammering in my new reality (5) The next day, I kind of was thinking about going around and seeing if I can complete more of the quest by attaining more production skills. But as soon as I started the morning [Smelting], the voices in my head kept saying ¡°Just one more! Come on, one more!¡±, I almost ended up missing breakfast...I am not addicted, okay? I am perfectly in control here, I am not in anyways being manipulated by this warm and joyful feeling, got it? I can step out at any time I feel like it, I just chose to continue [Smelting] out of my own will, understand? Just one more and I¡¯ll go¡­ Then I came to a rather shocking realization! I already made all 10 of my [Bronze Ingots]! I am totally out! Suddenly I felt totally helpless, which I assure is NOT withdrawal symptoms, okay? I¡¯ll be totally fine if I can just smelt one more ingot...just one more¡­ Wait, I can get this feeling back if I start smithing! I still have that [Bronze Ingot] and I can claim a new quota of 2 [Copper Ingots] and 1 [Bronze Ingot]! No! No! Stop! Guuuh! What the hell is wrong with me!?!?! I had a plan and I can¡¯t break it now! Well maybe a little...NO! I take a few deep breaths and try to calm myself down the best I could. I need to first review where I stand...It seems that during my reckless obsession with smelting, I was finally able to break through the quality score of 5 without the use of my Unique Skill. Since I have completed all of my assigned quota, made my own hammer, hit a bottleneck of smelting and gotten a hold of 2 [Bronze Ingots]. It is time to move to the next part of my plan. Smelting one more...NO! I walk up to the distribution counter and hand over my quota, at same time receiving my [Bronze Ingot] and 2 [Copper Ingots]. ¡°¡­One more thing. I would like to sign up for a private lesson from an Intermediate Disciple for tomorrow?¡± I request. ¡°Hmmm¡­ ya definitely still have ya¡¯r privilege for receiving a private lesson for this month. Do ya have any special requests?¡± asks the dwarf by the counter. ¡°Well...it probably goes without saying the higher [Blacksmithing] level the better...but if it is possible...preferably not a human?¡± I plead in a timid voice. He takes a look at me for a short while¡­ ¡°* sigh * I¡¯ll see what I can do for ya missy...¡± relents the dwarf. With that, I waited for dinner resisting the non-addictive urges and went to sleep for the day. ... After waking up, I somehow managed to wait till after breakfast and headed for the counter. There I received permission to enter the Intermediate Discipline area and I was then guided to one of the dwarves who seems to have been waiting for me. ¡°Hello there missy, My name is Doran. I will be your instructor for today¡± the dwarf informed. ¡°Hello, my name is Shiro. Thank you for accepting my request¡± I respond politely. ¡°So where can I assist you missy?¡± asked Doran. ¡°Uhmm...well¡­ see I made this [Copper Blacksmithing Hammer] the other day, but the quality is rather lacking and I want to attempt at making a [Bronze Blacksmithing Hammer]. So I would like to practice on the [Copper Ingots] I got, then try making one out of bronze¡± I reply. Doran takes a moment and looks at my [Copper Blacksmithing Hammer], then after pondering for a bit. ¡°Let me first show ya how to make one and explain all the details. From then on ya can try to make one ya¡¯rself¡± said Doran as he took out some [Bronze Ingots] and began forging a hammer, while explaining to me all the intricacies. It took him no more than an hour to finish smithing the hammer. From his explanation and demonstration, I gained a completely new insight into [Blacksmithing], for more reasons than one...
Your skill [NP][Blacksmithing] has become Level 4 Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. You have acquired a new skill [CP][Blacksmith: Enhanced Smithing] Level N/A
[CP][Blacksmith: Enhanced Smithing] Level N/A Improve the speed of your smithing related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER] Improve the quality of your smithing related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER]
I was literally smiling ear to ear! Even left as-is, this was well worth it! After being told all the details, shown how to do it step by step and the huge increase in my skill¡¯s ability. It was now time for me to try. I first started by making a [Copper Blacksmithing Hammer], unlike before where it took me 4 hours. Now my speed easily doubled due to my high [PER] stat! So I was done within only 2 hours. The results were also pretty good if I don¡¯t say so myself.
Copper Blacksmithing Hammer An average blacksmithing hammer made out of copper +3 STR -3 AGI +1 ATK +1% improvement for Blacksmithing [Made by Shiro] Durability: 250/250 Quality 5.2105/10.0000
Doran was pretty darn impressed with my progress. Now that I have made that, next order of business was attempting the [Bronze Blacksmithing Hammer]! This time it took me about 3 hours to get it done, far from the 1 hour it took Doran. Though part of it taking Doran an hour was also in him explaining stuff to me as he went along. The results overall though were better than I originally expected.
Bronze Blacksmithing Hammer An average blacksmithing hammer made out of bronze +13 STR +2 DEX -15 AGI +2 ATK +3% improvement for Blacksmithing [Made by Shiro] Durability: 500/500 Quality 5.1012/10.0000
Thus my brand new hammer was born! I still had 6 hours left on my private tutoring, so I wanted to take the most advantage of it. ¡°Uhm...Doran, I was thinking. Since I am doing well with the process of smelting and smithing Bronze, can you show me how to smelt Iron? I want to see if I can request myself to move on to Iron...¡± I inquire. ¡°Sure, no problem missy...at this rate though it somehow feels like ya¡¯r gonna surpass me fairly soon¡± Doran smilingly joked. Doran went out and brought back some [Iron Ore], then began to smelt it as he explained tips and tricks to look out for. While those things were surly helpful, what I was really looking out for only appeared after about 3 minutes.
Your skill [NP][Smelting] has become Level 5 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist:Improve your production skills], has been reset.
After he was done making the [Iron Ingot], while explaining all the details, about an hour has passed. He then took out another [Iron Ore]. ¡°I can only let ya attempt this once, if ya succeed with a quality score of at least 3.5, I can request for ya to be moved to making Iron. If not, ya will have to wait for next month to try again¡± Doran warned.. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give this a shot!¡± I exclaim excitedly. This time around, I really give things my all! Even using my [All-Observing-Eyes] almost to the full limit. There is no way I am missing out on the opportunity to get access to Iron after all! After spending a whopping 4 hours on trying to get it just right, the result came out rather positive.
Iron Ingot An okay quality iron ingot. Used in the production of metallic goods Quality 3.9281/10.0000
¡°...¡± Doran remained rather speechless for a good 5 minutes. Before finally coming to. ¡°Ya know... I was at first jokin¡¯ about surpassin¡¯ me soon, but ya know what? It just might happen missy...I feel like I am at a complete loss. I¡¯ll file a request for ya to get promoted to Iron as promised¡± Doran relented. After a short chat about things here and there, the private lesson soon came to an end. I took my two [Copper Blacksmithing Hammers] and deposited them at the counter. Since I can¡¯t exactly sell them, my hope is that someone in the future who doesn¡¯t have their own hammer will use them. Thus filling me up with that joyful happy feeling, which I repeat I am not addicted to! I then headed for dinner as I contemplated on what to do next. From what Doran has said, since I already completed my quota for the week, I can¡¯t exactly get a completely new quota. But I can get a partial quota which will consist of 10 [Iron Ingots]. And after completion, one will become mine. Considering the circumstances, it should take me no more than 2 days to smelt the [Iron Ingots]. Then the day after that, I¡¯ll have pretty much free. So I¡¯ll go hunting for some herbs, which I can use both to make money and at same time save up for making potions with my [Alchemy]. Then, the day after will be a new week, but first order of business would be to visit the monthly selections of the Builders Guild. Only after that will I be able to truly able to start fulfilling my new quota. I will then spend the 2 [Iron Ingots] into making an [Iron Blacksmithing Hammer], and as far as the [Bronze Ingots] go, I will finally start to make some combat gear for myself. I should also consider signing up for the last perk, which can only be used once a year. That perk being getting private guidance from an Advance Disciple. From what I heard those tend to have longer wait times. I really need to get that done before the competition, as I really want to get promoted to Intermediate Disciple so I can start making money and also get access to better ores, and the competition is the fastest way to achieve that goal. With my plans made up, I head off to sleep. Volume 02: The things I must prepare (1) By next morning, I got permission to take advantage of the temporary quota adjustment. And as predicted, it took me the entire 2 days to smelt the [Iron Ingots]. Due to the detail instructions from Doran that I got, it did not take long for me to hit the quality score of around 5. Thus, I managed to net myself my first [Iron Ingot]. What¡¯s that, you want me to smith you ASAP Mr. Iron Ingot? Guh! Stop tempting me! Today marks the 14th day since I came to this town of Hallion. And my plan for today is to finally revisit the Adventurers Guild and earn some money. When I came to the guild, I was notified that someone left a letter addressed to me. Which I found rather shocking¡­ I took a look at the letter and it seems to be from the trainer Zack.
Dear Shiro, It is me Zack. You probably don¡¯t exactly want to hear from me and all, but I wanted to apologize to you for what happened. Despite my warnings earlier and all, I still feel like I have failed you as a trainer. I seriously think you have tremendous talents, so much so that I almost got a level up in my trainer class just from you alone. Thus I did something stupid by trying to push you beyond your limits. This short sightedness has blinded me, and I have failed as an instructor. I sincerely apologize and have decided to go on a journey to reevaluate myself. I originally wanted to speak to you in person prior to leaving, but you have not shown up in the guild since, and I did not know where you lived. Attached with the letter is a 1 silver refund since I was not able to fulfill the entire lesson. With deepest regrets, Zack
¡°...¡± ...Okay...lets pretend I didn¡¯t see any of it¡­ I mean why exactly would I hold a grudge against someone who gave me so much delicious skills? Sure being almost killed kind of stings just a little... But somehow, it is sad to say that I have been through worse¡­ Is it pathetic that I already think being almost killed is part of every day life these days? * sigh * If you are going to apologize for something, how about giving me more of those awesome skills? [Stealth] would be nice¡­ * sigh * Yup, lets pretend it never happened! I put the silver coin in my [Item Box] and destroy the note, throwing it away as I head out of town to collect herbs. I did double check just in case if there would be any replacement trainers or the like, but unfortunately got a negative for the time being... The day went by rather quickly, and I managed to collect a total of 15 herbs, which was quite productive. Out of the herbs, 4 of them were [Dire Milkweed] which I stored in my [Item Box] for future potion making. I also kept a [Sleepy Jasmine] while cashing in the remaining herbs. Overall I managed to earn 45 iron coins with the reward, bringing my total savings up to 1 silver, 51 iron and 50 copper coins. After dinner I retired for the day, and then went on to sleep. ... Thus started yet another new week. I started my morning with my new usual routine of smelting 2 [Bronze Ingots]. After barely pulling myself away from smelting, I head to eat breakfast and headed out. My target? The Builders Guild monthly selections!The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Frankly, I think I managed to nab most of the skills back then. But you never know what shows up, so might as well make the best of it. The crowd this time around was again larger than the Blacksmithing Guild, but it was not as large as the Alchemy Guild. I¡¯d say maybe 100 ¨C 150 people? This time around, the composition was made up of mostly dwarves and beastkin. Though I barely noticed a small batch of a new race. To note, the small descriptor was literal! The new race I just noticed were a few gnomes. The area the Builders Guild had was pretty large, so all of us were quickly taken to the courtyard. ¡°Welcome everyone! My name is Rob, and I will be overseein¡¯ the examination. This exam is fairly liberal overall, ya all are free to build whatever ya want in a designated area, showing off ya¡¯r talents. The resources are all shared, so not only will we evaluate ya¡¯r performance as an individual, but also as a group. Building things, unlike many other production oriented jobs is a team effort! Which often times involves dealing with people ya get along with and ones ya don¡¯t. All these factors shall be evaluated! Ya have 10 hours and are free to start whenever!¡± announced the dwarf. Hmmm...what should I build? It probably should be something I plan on using in the future, like maybe some traps? But first order of business... I should observe people and see if I can pick up some new skills. I am a bit concerned about running out of limited supplies by the time I actually start building something. That said, skills take precedence. I decide to look around using [Identify] to find the top 5% in terms of level, or anyone who seems to have a non-combat job related to a production skill. From then on, my glare-athon began!
Your skill [NP][Carpentry] has become Level 3 You have acquired a new skill [NP][Sculpting] Level 1 Your skill [NP][Sculpting] has become Level 2 You have acquired a new skill [CP][Body Builder: Physical Endurance] Level N/A Due to a special action, a new special [END] stat has been unlocked
[CP][Body Builder: Physical Endurance] Level N/A Decrease the base stamina consumption of skills by 5% + 0.1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.05% for every point of [END] Stamina consumption can not be reduced below 5%
That last one was pretty darn useful! But the most interesting thing as far as production skills go came from the gnomes.
Your skill [NP][Mechanical Engineering] has become Level 1 Your skill [NP][Mechanical Engineering] has become Level 2 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills], has been reset.
I spent about 3 hours looking around and it seemed like that was the end as far as skill gains were concerned. So I decided to start up on my project at hand. Maybe I should take advantage of both my blacksmithing and my new mechanical engineering skill and make something like a bear trap? Looking around, there is a furnace I can use to blacksmith... There are no ores though, but there are copper metal scraps here and there. The quality is going to be abysmal, but its worth a shot for trial sake. I start collecting the small pieces of copper lying around here and there, and then melt them down. With them, I managed to make about 5 [Copper Ingots]. Unfortunately, due to their quality being around 1.0314 ¨C 1.1278, it wasn¡¯t good enough for my class quest. Regardless, the fact that they were above the quality score of 1 in itself was a miracle. Truth of the matter is, I don¡¯t really know how to make a bear trap...but I should be able to reason it out with the help of my stats and skills to an extent. How about something like this, I¡¯ll make a spring and coil it around both ends of the trap. Then I will put a metal rod in the middle that will hold both sides from snapping together. Afterwards I will make a center platform with another spring. Which when stepped on would push the rod out of place, thus snapping the trap. It isn¡¯t much, but worth a try¡­ After 5 hours on working on the trap, with many trial and error, I finally managed to complete ¡°something¡±.
Pathetic Excuse for a Copper Bear Trap An abysmal attempt at making a bear trap out of copper. The chances of catching something is almost as good as injuring yourself setting it up. Assuming it even functions properly in the first place as there is a high chance of failure. +12 ATK on activation Mobility is reduced by 10% 60% chance of working 40% chance of activating when setting it up Durability: 20/20 Quality 0.3412/10.000
¡°...¡± Is it just me or does it feel like the system is going out of its way to insult me? Maybe I should try something a little bit more simple¡­ Lets see¡­ what trap can I make in 2 hours? Maybe something simple like a giant mouse trap? Though it would probably still take me more than 2 hours to make¡­ In the end, I could not think of anything that would be so quick to make without any guidance. So I just spent the time comprehending what others were doing, especially the gnomes who were building some odd contraptions. I didn¡¯t even bother waiting for my entry to be evaluated since it was too embarrassing¡­ Of course I remembered to disarm it prior to leaving lest some poor soul accidentally losses a finger...wait...I did disarm it right? I think I did...Oh well...what¡¯s the worst that can happen? When I returned to the Blacksmithing Guild, there was still 2 hours left so I used that time to smelt 3 [Bronze Ingots], my speed is definitely improving! I actually could have made more but I was pretty tired from building that trap. The top priority for this week is to improve my speed without hurting quality and start making new gear. Maybe if lucky, see what I can do about tailoring as well. On that note, I went to sleep. Volume 02: The things I must prepare (2) The 18th day in this town has turned out a very very happy day, as I got to spend the entire day smelting! To be clear, it isn¡¯t because I am addicted to this warm and fuzzy feeling okay? Due to my improvements in both skill and ability, I managed to make 15 [Bronze Ingots] and 6 [Iron Ingots] in just 1 day! Talk about bliss! The saddest part was calling it quits at dinner time! Why does something like dinner exist?!?! I even got a bigger shock the day after when I realized I was out of things to smelt after only making 4 [Iron Ingots]! Conspiracy?!?! Of course by completing 50 extra ingots, I again managed to complete a class quest and got another +1 PER. So now the moment of truth, I claimed my 1 [Iron Ingot] and 2 [Bronze Ingots] and began my attempt at an [Iron Blacksmithing Hammer]! It took me the entire day to smith the hammer, as it was the most difficult thing I have ever made so far. That said, I already had insight into Iron and making hammers from Doran. On top of that my skills and [PER] also improved. Interestingly enough even [END] helped keep me steady in making precise motions in my smithing.
Iron Blacksmithing Hammer An average blacksmithing hammer made out of iron +25 STR +5 DEX -30 AGI +4 ATK +10% improvement for Blacksmithing [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1000/1000 Quality 5.0003/10.0000
Eureka! Thus I retired Johnny, which by the way is what I named my [Bronze Blacksmithing Hammer], and put the freshly made Tommy in service! Too bad it was the end of the day, so I could not take Tommy for a spin¡­ Only the next day did I finally put him to good use. My first aim was construction of a helmet. The biggest weakness of all humanoids is the head, and any attack on the head from a blind spot means instant death! Normally making a full helmet would require 3 [Bronze Ingots]. But my requirements are much simpler since not only am I smaller than a typical full grown adult, I also don¡¯t need a full helmet. The helmet I need has to not get in the way of my agility and I only needs to cover the most vital parts. Which is the top of the head, back of the head and the neck. Though I have to also account for is my ears. I don¡¯t want to press them down, neither do I want to leave them vulnerable... So what I am thinking is something along the lines of one of those city guard helmets you see in shows where the top of their heads are covered in plate, with chainmail on the sides going around the neck. Except mine will have room for my cat ears which will be plate on the back side, and chainmail on the front. The issue is that normally I would still slightly lack the materials to pull it off...But this is where my [All-Observing-Eyes] come in, and in more ways than one. First of all, using it I can tell where the weak points are on a beastkin¡¯s head are. I can then fortify those areas with more fortifications, while skimping on materials in other areas. The only remaining factor is to insure structural integrity of the item, which is again where my Unique Skill along with my high [PER] shines.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Different from making a Blacksmithing Hammer like before, it is important to think about what attributes I wish to imbue it with. The probability of getting more of those attributes increase if I also use materials that reflect those attributes. Otherwise, the attributes will either be spread out or random. There is also a way to make the item stronger by setting restrictions on it. Similar to how the hammers have higher stats than normal, but in retrospect give negative of other stats. In my case, what I am aiming for is an item which is focused more on agility since my number one importance is survival, aka running away. The restrictions I am thinking of is the stat bonus would mostly be limited by the creator and requires a minimum level of 10. I would set it to 13, but the requirements are only possible in denominations of 5. Overall though, setting these kind of restrictions is rather rare. Mostly because not only are the benefits minor, usually you would want to have the equipment sold to someone else later, especially if you are a blacksmith who gets XP from it. But in my case, where in the world would I find a 12 year old catkin who needs a helmet for combat? Even if I gave it away for free to a stray catkin I find somewhere, they¡¯ll most likely sell it for scrap metal... After spending an entire day on it, I was finally able to make it.
Catkin¡¯s Specialized Bronze Plated-Chainmail Coif of Minor Agility An average helmet made out of bronze that has been specialized by its creator to fit a young catkin while focusing on protecting vital areas. +2 AGI +1 STR +1 DEX +1 VIT +25 DEF Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 10 ¨C Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats Owner Restriction: Shiro Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 100/100 Quality 5.0007/10.0000
The results are a bit disappointing as I was hoping for Greater Agility. But in reality it came out better than expected. I was literally customizing a helmet with my own design, which speaks a lot since this is my first helmet, not to mention wanting stats. I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if quality fell below average and I got completely random stats. So considering the results, it was pretty good. I am literally being hard carried by my skills and stats, then backfilled by my vague knowledge. Of course when I finished it, the expected blue quest box appeared as well.
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
[Creationist] Armor creation Produce 10 armors with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/10 Reward: 1 [PER]
With this I am done with pretty much everything except making combat gear out of Iron. The next quarterly competition is within only 15 days. To win that competition and become an Intermediate Disciple, I need to steal the skills of an Advanced Disciple. If I fail to win this competition, I will need to wait another 3 months for another attempt, or 6 months until the yearly test which is more guaranteed. But personally I prefer to move up by winning via the competition, not only is it faster, there is another awesome perk attached! I walk up to the dwarf sitting at the counter. ¡°Uhm¡­ Hello, I would like to sign up for my yearly lesson with an Advanced Disciple please¡± I request. ¡°Didn¡¯t ya just have a lesson with a Intermediate Disciple just a few days ago missy?¡± questioned the dwarf in confusion. ¡°Yes, I am done with mastering Iron, and am ready to go further for the competition¡± I reply while also showing off Tommy, my [Iron Blacksmithing Hammer]. ¡°Ya gotta be kiddin¡¯ me right missy?¡± exclaimed the dwarf while carefully examining every inch of Tommy. ¡°Nope! I am ready to take things up a notch!¡± I assure in a confident matter-of-fact tone. ¡°...I don¡¯t know what to say missy, it is really hard to believe...But...the evidence is right here ha?...I will make a request with ya¡¯r assigned Advance Disciple and see if he is open. Be warned though, as it gets closer to the competition, things can get rather booked.¡± advised the dwarf. ¡°I understand, thanks a bunch mister!¡± I reply and leave the counter. Now then...until I get my confirmation, I should move on to the next step. That being making money! With my helmet finally made, and my combat skills overall improved, I should now attempt to face some monsters. And I probably will need a decent amount of money...the reason is pretty simple. While the competition may seem fair at first, it is far from it. Not only are we separated by skill level, we are also separated by attainment level. An Intermediate Disciple can get access to steel. While at best, I would have to compete with iron. It is said that your skills are what is taken into account, not the material. But even that is BS to an extent. Steel is more difficult than Iron, so the hurdle in itself is higher. So even if I make the best Iron item I can manage, I would still lose out to a quality steel based item. There is of course some respite in all this, steel fundamentally is made out of [Iron Ore] and [Coal]. So technically speaking, all I need to do is buy coal and combine it with my iron. But if I really want to show a good performance, I may need to actually buy higher quality [Iron Ore] and [Coal Ore] to attempt to make a higher quality steel item. This is why from tomorrow on, I need to start making money via herbs and killing monsters! Of course it was already too late for today, so I head out to have my poor excuse for dinner and get some shut eye for the long tomorrow. Volume 02: The things I must prepare (3) I woke up early in the morning as always, and go do my usual thing...ha? Fudge! I am all out of things to smelt! Correction, I go through 2 excruciating hours of withdrawal! I then get some breakfast and head back to the smithy towards the counter. ¡°Hi, has there been any reply to my request?¡± I inquire. ¡°Ah, yes missy! We got a response from Advanced Disciple Gregon, he will be available only in 5 days. Is that alright with ya?¡± asked the dwarf. ¡°That would be great!¡± I excitedly exclaim. ¡°Alright, I will notify Gregon of ya¡¯r acceptance¡± confirmed the dwarf. ¡°Thank you very much! I¡¯ll be on my way now¡± I reply After bidding farewell, I head off to the Adventurers Guild. Once I get there, my first order of business is to see what Rank G or F quests are available. Looking at Rank G, it seems to lack combat quests altogether. Which I guess is not a surprise, considering that most Rank G do not even have a non-combat class. Most of the quests are just doing miscellaneous things. Only at Rank F do I see quests that start to touch upon combat. In particularly, the two quests I see are [Collection: Horned Rabbit Pelt] and [Collection: Dire Fox Pelt]. If I collect 5 pelts, I will be rewarded 1 silver coin + market price. The market price of course depends on the condition of the pelt. Well... [Horned Rabbit] is probably a no-go. It isn¡¯t hard in general as they are pretty weak, even for monsters of their level. That said, according to the information from the library I read. These critters seem to have some of the highest fatality rate among new adventurers. Why? Simply because due to them being pretty weak, people let their guard down and before they know it, they quickly plunge at you with their horn! In sense, they are similar to the [Hell Boar] where if you can dodge or block the first attack, they are generally simple prey. But otherwise they can kill you pretty quickly, that is assuming you have poor armor though which most early adventurers do. While I do have confidence in my speed, I am not stupid enough to take needless risks if I don¡¯t have to. I will wait on hunting them until I get myself a chest-piece at least. So I guess [Dire Foxes] it is. Like the herb quest, this one seems to also be repeatable. So I don¡¯t need to head to the counter and instead make my way out of the guild, and out of the city towards the nearby forest. I then put my [Sense Smell] and [Sense Presence] to use. Since I have been avoiding monsters at all cost, I am not exactly familiar with all their scents. But it isn¡¯t much of a problem really. This forest has 3 main monsters, [Forest Goblins], [Dire Wolves] and [Dire Foxes]. Generally speaking, more than often, [Dire Wolves] and [Forest Goblins] travel in groups. While [Dire Foxes] do not. So all I need to look for is a scent of an individual mammal with fur, and wa-lah! It did not take me long to locate a [Dire Fox] using this method, and with the help of [Eagle Eyes] I managed to get a visual. Thus letting me [Identify] it. It seems to be Level 8. It would be nice if I had a true stealth ability... since it also has [Sense Smell], sneaking up on it normally is not going to work. So I guess I¡¯ll have to shorten my distance the old fashion way. I activate [Sprint] and rush at it with my dagger! It did not take long for it to notice me, and it tried to run away using its own [Sprint]. Probably to flank me from a different angle. Of course I would not let it do so. I activate both of my [Throw] skills focusing on speed and accuracy, I throw a rock right at the direction the [Dire Fox] plans on retreating. This causes it to momentarily stumper and change directions. This was exactly what I was waiting for, as I already activated [Charge] aiming right at that spot! I then activate [All-Observing-Eyes] and loading my dagger with [Penetrate] and [Impale], as it gets off the ground mid-jump I [Thrust] the dagger right in its neck!This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. My dagger shreds through the fox¡¯s neck and we travel like that almost a meter, and eventually the fox flings off and flies away due to the momentum smashing into a tree.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 363 damage to the [Dire Fox]!
The [Dire Fox] then tried to get up, and it did barely only to collapse right after. It did not take long for it to die due to excessive bleeding. ¡°...¡± Was a level 8 monster always this easy? No, this is probably due to all the recent improvements that I mustered. My level has almost doubled, increasing my ability across the board, my skills have improved and not only in levels but in understanding and quality. With my super high [PER], I was able to judge minuscule details. With my improvements from [SPD] and my [Runner: Accelerate] ability I was able to quickly pick up speed and shrink the distance. And lastly with my [POW] and [Trainer: Strengthen] I was able to pull out a more powerful blow¡­does this mean¡­ I have become awesome?!?! No! Lets not get to conceit here..I already know full well letting my guard down is the quickest path to self destruction! This monster was what? 5 levels below me! Not only that, if I think about it logically, there was plenty that could have went wrong. My high [PER] skill may help with making predictions and all, but that is about it. If I made a mistake and it went the other way, I could have opened myself up for an attack from behind! If anything, this strategy was pretty reckless! So lets not get too ahead with myself¡­ But it is true that I became a lot stronger than before...so maybe I can compromise and say I become a tad awesome? Hehe. Now then I put my [Disassembly] skill to use, after removing the blood I start cutting up the fox separating what is worth its salt. Unfortunately, due to the limited size of my [Item Box], I can¡¯t carry much with me. I really need to find a way to increase this skill¡­ Then an idea comes into my head and an evil grin appears on my mouth...yup, that should definitely work! Now that I know that skill level is not the only thing that matters, I pay close attention to my [Disassembly] skill in action. Trying to find ways to make it more efficient. It took me an entire hour just to disassemble it, of course part of it was due to me being extra careful on my first real disassembly since getting the skill. I continue to seek out [Dire Foxes] while at same time collecting herbs. After about half an hour, I locate yet another [Dire Fox], though this one was only at level 5. This time around, I am going to try a bit of a different strategy. I won¡¯t exactly say this one is the safest one either, but due to this [Dire Fox] being more than 2X below me in level, it was a perfect opportunity to learn more about the [Dire Fox] attack methods. And at same time build combat experience. I just walk out normally and wait for the [Dire Fox] to notice me. When it does, it runs away into the bushes. Of course it can¡¯t fool my [Sense Presence] with my high [PER] as I notice the [Dire Fox] circling around me. When it gets behind me, it rushes straight at me! I quickly turn around and [Charge] straight at it while activating [All-Observing-Eyes]! The fox momentarily opens its eyes wide from shock, but that only lasts a fraction of a second as my usual 3 skill combo stabs it straight in the eye, thus killing it instantly.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 330 damage to the [Dire Fox]!
Yup, awesomeness confirmed! What¡¯s that? I am just picking on the weak? A Catgirl gotta do what a catgirl gotta do! Plus, it attacked me first so it is righteous self defense * snicker * I again disassemble the fox, but this time around I cut the time down to only 15 minutes! The problem is that at this point my [Item Box] is running low on space...So there is no room to fit any more [Dire Foxes]. Thus I instead focus the rest of the day on just collecting herbs. Once it gets closer to dinner time, I make my way back to the Adventurers Guild. Prior to reaching the guild, I made sure to take out the [Dire Foxes] out of my [Item Box], then enter the guild. Time to begin my new ¡°Operation: Cat Wants a Larger Box¡±! I walk towards the material deposit counter line, and in about 10 minutes it is my turn. ¡°Hi, I¡¯d like to cash in 3 [Violet River Grass], 2 [Sleepy Jasmine], 1 [Dire Milkweed] and 4 [Lavender Ginger Roots] for the quest, I also would like to put down 2 [Dire Fox Pelts] towards my quest completion, and also sell some [Dire Fox Meat]¡± I say as I put down the materials on the counter. ¡°Lets see, that would be 30 iron coins for the herbs, plus 10 iron coins for the quest reward for a total of 40 iron coins. The [Dire Fox Meat] would equal a total of 12 iron coins, and the [Dire Fox Pelts] based on their condition, I can give you a total of 40 iron coins. So your total is 92 iron coins. I will note that for continuous quests, the holding period is 7 days. If you fail to deliver the other 3 [Dire Fox Pelts] within that holding period, your quest progress will reset. Please place your hand on the orb¡± notified the dogkin at the counter. After placing my hand on the orb and taking my iron coins, I then proceed to my next order of business. ¡°Uhm...I heard that the guild supply officer and guild master have this awesome skill called [Item Box], is that true?¡± I inquire with the most innocent expression and voice I can muster. I even used the [Voice Manipulation] skill for the extra effect. ¡°Yes...¡± replied the dogkin. ¡°Then would it be possible to see it? Just once would do!¡± I plea with desperation, It is once said that no one can resist a pleading cat...the ultimate killer move! ¡°...Why are you making those stupid faces? The guild master and supply officer are busy, they have no time for the likes of you. If you have nothing else you need, there are others waiting¡± rebuked the dogkin. Guh! Thats it! I officially hate dogkin! They are all freakin¡¯ jerks! And it isn¡¯t me being biased cause I am a catkin or anything, I just haven¡¯t met one decent dogkin! Its like they exist for the sole purpose of aggravating me! I storm out of the guild completely pissed! I bet you if I was one of those literature heroes, he¡¯d be like ¡°What¡¯s that, you just came to town and you want to meet them? Sure I¡¯ll cancel both their schedules for the entire month to make time to see you. Just see them at your own convenience as our guild only exists to serve you and only you. We are completely incompetent and can¡¯t do anything without you after all! I don¡¯t even know how our town lasted hundreds of years without you!¡± ¡°Stupid dogkin!¡± I mutter fuming on my way back to the Blacksmithing Guild. I ate dinner which tasted worse than usual today and grouchily went to bed. Volume 02: The things I must prepare (4) I woke up in the morning especially grouchy. Not only from remembering the things from yesterday, but also from the fact that I had nothing to smelt! So I spent my time in bed grumbling about how unfair life is and how everyone is out to get me and such! ¡°psst¡­ Steal some ore to smelt...no one will know...¡± muttered a small Shiro with horns on my shoulder. Wah? ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her!¡± muttered a Shiro with a halo and angelic wings on my other shoulder. ¡°...stealing is wrong! Commit genocide of the humans and dogkin instead!¡± she added. ¡°Ha? Aren¡¯t you my angelic half? How can you say such cruel things?¡± I question. ¡°That is right, I am your angelic half. Good and Evil is decided by each individual, in history genocide has been done plenty of times for the greater good!¡± explained my angelic self. ¡°GUH! All this stress is driving me crazy!¡± I scream in the room that was luckily empty. Since I woke up a bit late, it did not take long for breakfast to come. So I put my daydreaming delusions aside, and went to get some chow. Hoping to get my mind off things such a distraction, only to suffer some more with a reminder of how bad the food was! And from there, I headed out of the city. Since there was no need to stop by the Adventurers Guild for a repeatable quest after all. I usually do stop by to see if there is any new quests and such, but I wasn¡¯t in the mood for going there in the morning... Personally... I wanted to vent some stress killing things, and part of me wanted to go hunt a [Dire Wolf] due to their ¡°similarity¡± with a certain someone. But good thing the voice of reason stopped me, cause I¡¯d probably end up getting myself killed. * sigh * I calm myself down and proceed with the task at hand, which is looking for [Dire Foxes] and herbs. It takes me about an hour to locate a [Dire Fox] this time around, it was level 9. I decide to use the same strategy I used last time of letting it notice me, then wait for it to attack me. It seems to have the least risk of messing up. As before the [Dire Fox] runs away, only to sneak up behind me and attempt to attack from behind. Of course that is what I was waiting for, as I repeat my maneuver of [Charge], then with [All-Observing-Eyes] stab it in the eye with my combination of my 3 skills! The [Dire Fox] smashed into the floor from the impact.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 248 damage to the [Dire Fox]!
Darn! In my rage my attack was shallow! The [Dire Fox] slowly gets up and begins glaring at me¡­ * grrrrrrrr * I calm myself down and grab a rock, hurling it at the [Dire Fox] with my [Throw] skill. Which it quickly dodges to the side. I use this opportunity to approach it from its newly created blind side and stab it in the neck, finishing it off.
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 162 damage to the [Dire Fox]!
This is really unacceptable¡­ I can¡¯t let my emotions cloud my judgment during battle... It was good that the enemy was weak and my mess up was minor. But in a situation where I am fighting something of equal strength or stronger, I am just asking for a death wish... I disassemble the [Dire Fox] and spend the next 3 hours just looking for herbs and cooling myself off. After I feel like I have cooled off, I again begin to look for [Dire Foxes]. And it takes me only 5 minutes to find one this time around since I was already keeping track of monsters. This [DireFox] was level 7. I used my usual strategy of letting it run away, then when it attacked me from behind, I finish it off with one precise attack!
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 370 damage to the [Dire Fox]!
Dead in one strike, as it should be! I finish disassembling it in only 10 minutes and move on. Now that I am convinced I got my groove back in, I resume searching for the last [Dire Fox]. Even though I don¡¯t have enough space in my [Item Box] for the whole thing. If I forgo some of the meat, I can fit it in. In about half an hour, I spot my last prey! This [Dire Fox] was level 10! Like last time, I let the [Dire Fox] notice me, and run into the bushes. Then as it sneaks up on me and attacks, I turn around and¡­
You have taken 36 damage. Your skill [RA][Sprint] has become Level 3
¡°Wha?!¡± The [Dire Fox] was apparently faster than I initially thought¡­ for reasons I found quickly apparent. It tackled me to the ground and began sinking its teeth into my neck!
You have taken 62 damage.
I tightly grip my dagger and start desperately stabbing the [Dire Fox]! While I can¡¯t use [Thrust] or [Impale] like this, [Penetrate] is still going strong. I even activate [Berserk] in desperation. Though I do resist the urge to use [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload].
You have dealt 92 damage to the [Dire Fox]! You have dealt 103 damage to the [Dire Fox]! You have taken 83 damage. You have dealt 117 damage to the [Dire Fox]!If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. You have dealt 115 damage to the [Dire Fox]!
Only then did it finally stop moving... ¡°Wheh...that was close...¡± I exclaim. If it wasn¡¯t for my helmet providing protection to my neck...I¡¯d probably be dead¡­ Today has been one of the crappiest days in a long time...I really need something to make my day... cause things are just looking too grim¡­ ¡­
Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEX
Mr. Level up-san! How I missed you! You always know how to brighten my day! Speaking of brightening my day...Isn¡¯t this the perfect opportunity to try ¡°that¡±? I think of the incantation as words flow through my mind, which takes quite a while. But when it finishes I then shout out! ¡°[Light Magic: Holy Light]!¡± A warm light envelops me, recovering my health.
You have recovered 19 damage.
Though at same time a headache assaults me taking a toll on my [Mental]. It wasn¡¯t to the point where I would faint, but it would definitely be a demerit during actual combat. Luckily after about 5 minutes though the headache was quickly gone. Overall, I put about 10 MP into it. I could have probably put in all 15 MP, but I don¡¯t know if this would has something like when your MP hits 0, you fall unconscious or something like that. Which would be pretty much guaranteed death in this forest. I should probably test that in a safer environment... I should also probably visit that church again and see if I can get any more spells or levels...err...I mean give my thanks¡­ I proceed to disassemble the last fox, and leave out the less expensive parts of the [Dire Fox Meat]. Once done, I proceed to collect herbs again while avoiding monsters. In total, by end of the day I managed to collect 11 herbs. So I keep 1 [Dire Milkweed] for my [Alchemy] and head to the guild to do my cash in. Personally, I don¡¯t want to meet that dogkin again, but since I¡¯m gonna get paid, I¡¯ll tolerate it to some extent. I arrive at the counter and after waiting in a short line place the materials there. ¡°Lets see, that would be 35 iron coins for the herbs, plus 10 iron coins from the quest for a total of 45 iron coins. For the [Dire Fox Meat] that would be 15 iron coins. And lastly for the [Dire Fox Pelts], I can give you 40 iron coins for the two of the pelts, but the last one is a bit damaged, so it will be 17 iron coins. Lastly it will be 1 silver coin for the quest reward. The total sum ends up 2 silver and 17 iron coins¡± the dogkin announces. Despicable dogkin trying to cheat me out of my just rewards! Though instead of making a futile argument, I place my hand on the orb and claim my coins obediently. Now my total savings is almost at 5 silver coins! It isn¡¯t much, but I am getting there step by step. This time around, I am going to do a slight change to my schedule. I walk to the request board to look for the quest I was looking for. Specifically the Rank G quest [Help: Clean the Church]. The payout is only a measly 1 iron coin. From what I¡¯ve seen, this quest has been mostly taken by beastkin who recently escaped to help pay for their food till they get something more permanent. This quest is also a continuous quest. But unlike other continuous quests, there is a limit of how many people can accept the quest. So I mark myself down for tomorrow morning. My motives? As pure as a white cat! Once that is done, I head back to the Blacksmithing Guild. Before going to sleep, I played around a bit with lowering my mana pool to see the result. I did not attempt to try 0 MP since you never know, that could be instant death for all I know¡­ But I tried getting it down to around 1 MP and the result seems to be similar to be a larger strain on my [Mental] and that is about it. With the knowledge, I go off to nap. ... The next day, the first thing I do when waking up is head for the Church. From my understanding, I need to help for a minimum 3 hours to receive my commission. I arrive at the back entrance of the church where we were told to gather in the request. Standing there is a boy dogkin and a girl bunnykin, both are slightly older than me by about a year or 2. ¡°Hey, I am Rex, you must be new around...a retard?¡± the dogkin exclaimed after he gets closer. !?!??!?!?! GUH!! Did I ever mention I hate dogkin? ¡°Let me make this clear right here and now! I am not a retard! If you say that one more time, I will freakin¡¯ [Slice] off your tongue!¡± I bellow while glaring daggers at him. I might or might not be pointing a real dagger at him as well, but who worries about such minor unrelated details... ¡°Hii!?!?¡± exclaimed Rex in surprise. I am higher level than them and I will probably never meet them again, I have no reason to tolerate their BS! Maybe the fastest way to get what I want is to cut him up a bit, then wait for the priest to come and heal him * evil grin * Ugh! What the hell is wrong with me...it feels like this world is making me into a psychopath day by day. I calm myself down and wait for whoever issued the request a distance away from the other two beastkin. Shortly after, a Nun came by, though unlike Kesha, she was far older. ¡°You are all here I see. For those that don¡¯t know, I am Nun Lina. I will be in charge of overseeing your work. Rex, you will be in charge of cleaning this back yard. Alexa, you will help with the laundry. And what is your name little one?¡± asked Nun Lina. ¡°My name is Shiro¡± I reply. ¡°Shiro then, you will help with washing the hallways. The water is available at the well, and the towels you need are located over by the shed to the right¡± said Nun Lina pointing at the shed. ¡°Okay! No problem¡± I exclaim and head to get the stuff I need in the shed. I take a towel, then a basket and go to the well. After I pull up some water, I began cleaning the hallways as instructed. Of course I have another agenda, the first one is scouting! As I wash the hallways, I use [Smell Sense] and [Presence Sense] in hopes of locating the priest. I go from room to room where I sense something to see if I can locate him. But so far no luck¡­ ¡°So you must be new here¡± exclaimed a childish voice from behind. I turn around and see a well dressed boy same age as me. ¡°Uhm¡­ yes, I picked up a Rank G quest at the Adventurers Guild and today is my first day...¡± I reply, then thinking it as an opportunity ¡°By the way, do you happen to know where the priest is?¡± I add. ¡°The priest is away for today and will not be back till end of the day. By the way, for your information I am Anderson, the great disciple of the priest!¡± announced the boy in a proud matter-of-fact tone. Darn! Just my luck! Wait...hmm...maybe I can use this¡­ ¡°By disciple of the priest, do you mean that you can use magic?¡± I inquire in curiosity. ¡°Of course I can! ... [Light Magic: Light]! Aren¡¯t I awesome?¡± exclaimed Anderson excitedly as a ball of light appeared and hovered over his head.
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Light Magic: Light] Level 1
More than you know it sucker! Though why didn¡¯t I get level 2? Is it because he lacks the proper level? Lets see if I can extract some more information¡­ ¡°That is amazing! What level is your [Light Magic]?¡± I question pretending to be thrilled. Well, actually I am thrilled, but for a different reason then he thinks. ¡°Uhm...for now my [Light Magic] is still at Level 1, but it shouldn¡¯t take long to reach level 2. I am already half way there!¡± bragged Anderson. ¡°What do you mean half way there?¡± I ask by reflex. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t know ha? I am a genius so I already have 5 spells levels right now, I just need to learn or gain 5 more spell levels to unlock level 2. Though for someone great like me, that is a piece of cake! Hahahaha¡± laughed Anderson. So far so good! ¡°That is really amazing! What spells do you know and what level are they at?¡± I probe. ¡°I know right! My [Light] spell is at Level 2, I also have [Healing Touch] at level 1 and [Cure] at level 1. On top of that I even have [Blessing of the Sun] at level 1! One day, you can brag that you talked to someone as great as me!¡± gloated Anderson. Hmmm...[Cure] is a bit difficult due to no valid target, [Healing Touch] probably overlaps a bit with [Holy Light]. But I should definitely get this [Blessing of the Sun]. ¡°Super duper amazing! By the way, what does [Blessing of the Sun] do?¡± I inquire. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that [Blessing of the Sun] is one of the hardest level 1 spells to learn! It raises your stats as long as are in direct contact with sunlight¡± explained Anderson. Interesting¡­ I need to buy some time so lets change the topic for a while. ¡°By the way, I am new to this town, can you tell me what deity this Church worships?¡± I ask. ¡°You don¡¯t know even that? This is the great Church that worships the [Divine Dungeon]! Initially my family belonged to Dragon God religion, but after it was found out I had talent in [Holy Magic], I was taken in as a disciple here! When I was 3 years old ...¡± Anderson rambled on. Wow...he is like one of those NPCs...you ask one question and he brings out the whole life story...Not that I am complaining despite what he says goes out one ear and out the other¡­I mean seriously¡­ he makes it sound like him walking down the street is the 2nd coming of god or something¡­ ¡°¡­ are you listening?¡± Anderson questioned. ¡°...Uhm...Yes! It sounds super awesome! By the way, can you demonstrate the amazingly difficult to learn [Blessing of the Sun]? I¡¯ve never seen anyone good enough to cast it before!¡± I insist. ¡°Sure! No problem! Let me demonstrate my great skills! Just stand by the window over there¡± points Anderson. I do as instructed and stand in the sun by the window. ¡°[Light Magic: Blessing of the Sun]!¡± he exclaimed.
You have received the [Light Magic: Blessing of the Sun]! +1 to all unlocked attributes while under direct sunlight for 1 hour
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Light Magic: Blessing of the Sun] Level 1
Way too easy! He is like a spell pinata! The more you tug at him, the more spells come out! Too bad he is only at level 1 though... Regardless, I should steal as many spells as I can. I was hoping for an offensive spell though¡­ ¡°Anderson! Are you disrupting the temporary workers again? You have your own duties to attend to as well, are you finished?!?!¡± bellowed a voice from behind. ¡°Hii?!?!¡± squealed Anderson and ran. Turning around I saw Nun Lina heading down the hallway. ¡°Tche! It was going so well...¡± I mutter silently. Lina then came over and faced me. ¡°Sorry about that, that boy likes to brag about himself way too much. Due to being brought here, he has doesn¡¯t really have many people to talk to his age. If he bothers you again, just tell me and I¡¯ll set him straight¡± Nun Lina said. ¡°It was no trouble at all, I¡¯ll get back to my duties now if you excuse me¡± I reply as I head down the hallway. Since it does not seem like the priest is going to be here today, lets speed things up a notch! Using my extra stats from [SPD] and [END], then pick up the pace cleaning the hallways. It took me only an hour and a half to clean all the hallways. After I finish, I head back to see Nun Lina. ¡°I finished!¡± I exclaim. ¡°Already?¡± asked Nun Lina in astonishment. ¡°Yup! Feel free to check¡± I confirm. She walks around the hallways inspecting here and there, then returns. ¡°I am surprised you finished so quickly... Normally, the minimum required time is 3 hours, but I don¡¯t really have much else for you to do. So I guess I¡¯ll count it as a complete for today. Here is your 1 iron coin and a slip to claim completion from the guild¡± said Nun Lina while handing over the reward. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± I exclaim, and head out of the Church, after spending that 1 iron coin I got on some meat skewers for breakfast. I again leave the city towards the forest. Volume 02: The things I must prepare (5) This time around, my plan was a tad different. First difference was that I focused on hunting [Dire Foxes], my goal was to get all 5 [Dire Fox Pelts] and 10 herbs all in 1 day. Since my [Item Box] can¡¯t hold everything, I decided to instead forgo most of the [Dire Fox Meat], only taking the most expensive portion of the meat. This way I should be fine. And since at this point I had little use for my MP, I used [Light Magic: Blessing of the Sun] to give myself a slight boost in stats here and there. I also avoided any more level 10 [Dire Foxes]. I could beat them probably with ease as well, but no need to take any unnecessary risk if I don¡¯t have to. I got the timing down perfectly for those using level 2 [Sprint], so killing them has been a piece of cake. By the time I headed back to the guild, I had 5 [Dire Fox Pelts] and 10 herbs in-tow. Unfortunately Mr. Level Up-san did not visit this time around. Of course it is not all bad news¡­ after handing in all the stuff, I managed to earn an astounding 2 silver, 57 iron and 50 copper coins! So now my total balance is 7 silver and 18 iron coins! So my daily earnings have increased by quite a lot! The sad part to all this though is despite all that effort, even a belt made of bronze costs over 3X more than my entire savings! I don¡¯t know if I should feel happy about my potential future, or upset at how much effort I put into it to get so little... And like last time, I again sign up for the Church¡¯s repeatable quest. This will be my last chance in a while to grab as many magics as I can! Starting after tomorrow, I will once again receive my smelting quotas. And then, the following day, is my private lesson with an Advance Disciple. From then on, I probably won¡¯t have much free time since I have to prepare for the competition which is right around the corner. After the usual dinner and a good nap, the next day came and I again headed for the Church. This time around, I came about 15 minutes earlier to see if I could manage something prior. Surprisingly, Anderson was standing in the back yard, chatting with the dogkin Rex. Not surprising was the content of the chat. Though Rex seems to be actually revering Anderson looking at it from the side¡­ Anyways, time to tug my spell pinata! ¡°Hey there Anderson! Can you show me that awesome light spell again? But this time make it as bright as you can?¡± I interject in their pointless conversation. Glad to show off, an enthusiastic smile appeared on his face at my request. ¡°No Problem! Something like that is easy for someone of my calibur ... [Light Magic: Light]!¡± he shouted as a ball of bright light appeared.
Your sub-skill [NA][Light Magic: Light] has become Level 2
Everyone should be like NPC Anderson! He then continued his monologue bragging about himself over and over. Since Rex was there and eating up his words, I little by little slip out and watch something more exciting, like grass growing?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I wonder if he will fall for ¡°that¡±. After waiting 5 minutes for my cooldown to wear off. I proceed with the plan.
You have taken 5 damage.
¡°Ouch! I injured myself¡­ If only there was someone capable of casting a healing spell!¡± I exclaim with assist of [Voice Manipulation]. ¡°Hmph! Have no fear, something like that is nothing for someone with my great abilities!¡± Anderson announced. Must¡­ resist¡­ urge... to... start... laughing¡­ ¡°¡­ [Light Magic: Healing Touch]!¡± Anderson yelled as he touched near the wound on my hand.
You have recovered 1 damage. You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Light Magic: Healing Touch] Level 1
¡°...¡± How¡­ disappointing? ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad someone like me was present?¡± Anderson gloated. ¡°...Yeah¡­ Uhm...¡± I stumper in total confusion on how to respond. Spells are nice, I am thankful NPC Anderson aka spell pinata. But wasn¡¯t that a bit too pathetic? I mean seriously¡­. ¡°You are definitely the greatest I have ever seen!¡± Rex complemented while wagging his tail. ¡°Of course I am! That was nothing! Hahaha¡± Anderson laughed. ¡­ Yeah ¡­ I am just gonna make myself scarce¡­ a bit more permanently this time around¡­ It is a good thing I did not think of doing something stupid like slightly poisoning myself to see him use [Cure]¡­ That would have definitely ended in total disaster! In a few minutes, finally some salvation came. ¡°I see that everyone is here early today. The assignments today will be same as yesterday, Rex will handle the backyard. Alexa the laundry and Shiro will wash the hallways¡± announced Nun Lina. We all then split up and took up our roles as Nun Lina dragged away Anderson so he would not interrupt. I quickly wash the hallways as I began searching for new scents or presences to help locate the priest. Unfortunately there was no such luck¡­I could not find any scent that stood out from the day prior... This time around it took only 1 hour to finish due to no distractions and my familiarity with the building. After which I went off to find Nun Lina again. ¡°I am done!¡± I exclaim. ¡°Already? Since your done so early, can you help Alexa with the laundry? There is more than usual this time around¡± Nun Lina proposes. ¡°Uhm¡­ I can try¡­ but I don¡¯t really have any confidence in doing it...¡± I respond. It isn¡¯t like I haven¡¯t done laundry before, but how I did laundry is using a washing machine. Even if I am a bit familiar with doing laundry without a washing machine due to my studying on adventuring, that still assumes that the laundry had labels explaining how to wash something properly. Last thing I want to do is damage the laundry and get blamed¡­ ¡°That is no problem, Alexa will show you what to do¡± Nun Lina assured. ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll give it a shot...though...uhm...mind if I ask if the Priest is in? I kinda wanted to thank him for the other day...¡± I question. ¡°The Priest? He was suppose to be in yesterday night... But there was some delays. If there is something you want me to pass along to him, I can do that for you if you wish¡± Nun Lina informed. ¡°No, thats okay¡­ never mind..¡± I respond and walk to the well where Alexa is doing the laundry. That is quite a disappointment¡­ I was so hoping to stock up on some more spells...or at the very least increase the level of my [Light Magic], not sure if I have to follow the same 10 spell levels policy or if I can just get it straight forward like everything else¡­but regardless, this was my last opportunity in quite a while * sigh * After spending an extra hour doing the laundry with Alexa, I was finally let go with my completion slip and 1 iron coin. From there, after buying and eating meat skewers, I hurried as fast as possible out of the city to hunt [Dire Foxes] and gathering herbs. By end of the day I managed to get the 5 [Dire Fox Pelts], though still no level up. On top of that, due to bad luck I was short on 1 herb so I had to take out a [Dire Milkweed] out of my reserve. My earnings this time around was 2 silver and 55 iron coins. Thus my total savings was almost at 10 silver coins! I hurriedly went to get dinner at the guild and went to sleep in a good mood. Because tomorrow I get my new quota! It was hard to fall asleep due to the excitement, but I eventually let sleep overtake me. ... When I got up, right after breakfast I rushed to the counter to pick up my ores! And I managed to be one of the first to pick up my 10 [Iron Ores], 20 [Copper Ores] and 20 [Tin Ores] for my quota. From there, I started smelting them with bliss. My abilities have improved quite a lot yet again, so much so that I was actually able to finish everything in just 1 day! It was a really blissful day! My only dread is the days of withdrawal to come after! But even I knew I¡¯d probably have little time to worry about it then since I¡¯d be busy preparing for the competition. I picked up my reward of 1 [Iron Ingot] and 2 [Bronze Ingots]. But I did not have the time to make anything out of them as it was already time for dinner. Tomorrow will be the big day! So after dinner I hurry off to sleep. ¡­ Volume 02: Contending for my brighter future (1) Finally the day I get my private lesson from the Advanced Disciple came! Since I had nothing to do in the morning, I contemplated what I should do with my 2 [Bronze Ingots]. Eventually I concluded next time, I should make a visit to the leather goods shop and buy some boots, then plate them in Bronze. I do not have the [Leatherworking] skill, but the majority of it will be done using [Blacksmithing]. I only plan on using the leather as inner padding for the boots after all. Which should probably not be too hard... My feet end up hurting like hell some times when walking, and especially after using [Charge]. Then after breakfast, I stop by the counter and pick up my permission slip. From there I head to the Advanced Disciple ward. ¡°Ya must be the new impressive Junior Disciple I¡¯ve been hearin¡¯ about?¡± said Advanced Disciple Gregon. ¡°I don¡¯t know about impressive, but I do my best!¡± I reply with modesty. ¡°So what exactly are ya interested in little missy?¡± Gregon questions. ¡°I want to learn to smelt steel!¡± I exclaim with excitement. ¡°Smelt steel ya say...Alright little missy, but I must advise ya. A private lesson with an Advanced Disciple is nothin¡¯ like one with an Intermediate Disciple. To be taught somethin¡¯, ya must first pass a test!¡± Gregon warned. ¡°Okay...what is the test?¡± I inquire. ¡°It is really simple little missy, smelt this without losing over 0.7 quality score¡± Gregon notified while handing me an ore.
Iron Ore An above average quality iron ore. Used in the smelting of ingots. Quality 6.7013/10.0000
* gulp * The ores I smelted before had the quality score of only 5.0 - 5.9...this is the highest quality ore I have ever seen...It¡¯s literally begging me to smelt it * drool * I take out Tommy, my [Iron Blacksmithing Hammer] and begin to smelt the [Iron Ore]. Of course I also use the help of my [All-Observing-Eyes] here and there to insure perfection to the best of my ability. After an hour, I finish and hand over the [Iron Ingot] for evaluation. ¡°Lets see¡­ 6.5¡­ Impressive little missy! Ya really are quite talented! Okay then as promised, I shall teach ya to smelt a [Steel Ingot]¡± Gregon announced. He took some high quality [Iron Ore] and some high quality [Coal] and began smelting them together. After about 6 minutes.
Your skill [NP][Smelting] has become Level 6
Exactly what I came here for! Other than being taught of course¡­ He explained the entire process to me step by step, so it took him about half an hour to smelt it. During that half an hour I got another surprise.
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Blacksmith: Smithing Perfection] Level N/A
[CP][Blacksmith: Smithing Perfection] Level N/A You now have a chance of improving an item beyond its initial quality score when using smithing skills. Improve your chance of improving an item when using smithing skills by 5% + 0.5% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.25% for every point of [PER]
I almost threw up in shock! They ain¡¯t advanced disciples for nothing! ¡°Now it is ya¡¯r turn to try smelt it! If ya can¡¯t get a quality score of at least 3, then consider this the end of ya¡¯r lessons!¡± Gregon cautioned. ¡°No problemo~¡± I reply nonchalantly. Frankly put, my experience, skills and stats have gone up by quite a bit. As long as the knowledge is provided and demonstrated, adding in [All-Observing-Eyes], getting a score above 3 isn¡¯t too difficult. I begin producing my [Steel Ingot], spending on it an hour and a half for good measure, it was finally complete! And I hand it over to Gregon. ¡°4.2¡­ How?... little missy, are ya sure this is ya¡¯r first time smelting steel?¡± Gregon inquired dumbfounded. ¡°Yup~! Next, can ya teach me to smith using steel?¡± I insist. ¡°* sigh * Alright then little missy, ya gonna have to pass a new test then. Take the [Iron Ingot] that ya made, and make it into a dagger. But make sure ya¡¯r quality score does not drop below 6!¡± Gregon demanded. This might actually prove to be a bit difficult¡­ I was shown how to make a hammer, but not daggers¡­ Of course I have seen plenty of daggers being made by others over the time since it is the most common thing made. Reason for that being because it only requires 1 ingot to make, so it is quite a popular item. On top of that, Doran did give me some pointers here and there. ..but still...You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. I begin making the dagger, the process was extremely difficult. My senses told me the final result will end up at around 5.9999, I was pretty much there but the barrier was too large to cross no matter how hard I tried. But I still did not give up, if this was just a few hours ago, I would agree that it was hopeless. But things are bit different now! After spending 4 hours on making the dagger, I was finally done.
Iron Dagger An above average dagger made out of iron +3 STR +3 DEX +3 AGI +3 VIT +60 ATK [Made by Shiro] Durability: 480/480 Quality 6.0000/10.0000
That was too close for comfort...If it wasn¡¯t for [Blacksmithing: Smithing Perfection] and my high [LUK] stat, I would have failed 100%¡­ Of course, I was also well rewarded for my hard effort¡­
Level up! Creationist: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER
Yey! About time! Now then... ¡°Here ya go~!¡± I excitedly exclaim showing the dagger. ¡°¡­ little missy¡­ Are ya sure ya aren¡¯t an Intermediate Disciple from some other guild?¡± Gregon questions in a perplexed tone after seeing the dagger. ¡°Uhm...pretty sure...So will you show me how to make a hammer out of steel?¡± I inquire. ¡°Fine! Ya win little missy! A promise is a promise!¡± Gregon relents. He takes the two [Steel Ingots] that we made and begins to forge a hammer out of steel while explaining the differences between making things out of steel and iron. It took him 2 hours to smith the [Steel Blacksmithing Hammer] due to explaining all the stuff to me. And of course I was well rewarded in more ways than one!
Your skill [NP][Blacksmithing] has become Level 5 You have acquired a new skill [CP][Blacksmith: Imbued Smithing] Level N/A
[CP][Blacksmith: Imbued Smithing] Level N/A You now have a chance of giving bonus stats to an item when using smithing skills. Improve the probability of your smithing skills to give bonus stats by 5% + 0.5% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.25% for every point of [PER] Improve the probability of your smithing skills imbuing the stats you desire by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER]
The rewards were much sweeter than I thought! ¡°Now then, it is ya¡¯r turn! Unfortunately though, this private lesson only allocates a set amount of resources, so we only have 1 [Steel Ingot] to work with, so ya¡¯r gonna have to settle for making a [Steel Dagger] instead. Ya need to get a minimum quality score of 3 to continue the lessons¡± Gregon explained. ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll give it a shot!¡± I respond. I take the provided [Steel Ingot] and begin smithing it into a dagger to the best of my ability. I spent about 4 hours on making the dagger just right...
Steel Dagger A slightly below average dagger made out of steel +5 STR +4 DEX +5 AGI +4 VIT +88 ATK Bonus: +1 AGI [Made by Shiro] Durability: 887/887 Quality 4.4361/10.0000
¡°...¡± ¡°...This is madness! How in the world am I suppose to believe this?¡± Gregon bellowed in confusion. ¡°I mean just gettin¡¯ 4.4 in itself is already astonishing! But to get a bonus option as well?!?! How is anyone suppose... to believe... this?...* smirk *¡± Suddenly in the middle of his raging he suddenly let out a greedy smile. ¡°Hey, ya¡¯r name is Shiro if I remember it correctly? How about doin¡¯ Uncle Gregon a little favor? As ya know, the quarterly competition is commin¡¯ up soon, all Uncle Gregon wants ya to do is win. And in exchange, Uncle Gregon will give ya some extra free lessons and the materials ya need. How does that sound?¡± Gregon asked in a soft familiar tone as he hands me some ore. Why are you calling yourself my uncle? You¡¯re not my uncle...
Iron Ore A semi-superior quality iron ore. Used in the smelting of ingots. Quality 7.1002/10.0000
Coal Ore A semi-superior quality coal ore. Often used in the production of smelting steel. Quality 7.2518/10.0000
* gulp * ¡°Yes Uncle Gregon! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± I agree in excitement, clearly not being bribed! ¡°Good then! Make sure to come by after tomorrow. While I can¡¯t exactly provide ya with the same private training as today, ya can watch me work and I¡¯ll explain my work to ya, Okay?¡± Gregon confirms. ¡°Sure...Though since there is still some time today, mind if I ask a few more questions?¡± I inquire. ¡°Of course! Ask away!¡± Gregon affirms. ¡°I was wondering about how enchanted, demon and holy steel is made and is there anything special required to make it?¡± I ask. I always wondered how it differed from regular steel ever since I first heard about it... ¡°Well¡­ there are multiple ways to make magical steel. The most common is Enchanted-steel, it is made when [Coal Ore] or [Steel Ingots] are infused with mana over a long period of time. Of course, it is possible for already made steel items to also become Enchanted-steel, but that is far rarer and takes far more time. The majority of Enchanted-steel and mana infused coal comes from dungeons, as dungeons tend to have a lot of condensed mana afterall. This is also why many magical items come from dungeons as well. Demon-steel and Holy-steel is more complex though. In essence, it is the same as Enchanted-steel, but in reality it is much more difficult. Demon-steel comes from being exposed to a specific type of dark attribute mana called miasma. Which can be found in some dungeons or areas of corruption. While Holy-steel in same principle is only made when exposed to a type of light attribute called holy. Most of it comes from churches where lots of holy mana is released consecutively over a long period of time. The other places it comes from is being exposed for a long time to holy areas, such as the World Tree for example. These magical items come in 2 tiers. Magic items which store mana and need to be refilled from time to time. And magic items that have permanently embedded themselves with mana and can absorb the mana around themselves to refill themselves. As far as smithing them goes, the process is in theory not too much more complex than normal steel. But the difficulty lies elsewhere...Since the ore and ingots contain magical power, the trick is to prevent it from leaking out during the smelting and smithing process. The more mana you can retain, the more powerful the magical item is. This is why if a smith plans to make a powerful magical item, he will be sure to smith it in a place with lots of mana, to minimize the leaking and also infuse extra mana from the surroundings. As far as Demon and Holy steel goes, it is the same as enchanted steel for smithing. Except the smith themselves has to be able to control that attribute, making them even more rarer. When ya come after tomorrow, one of the items I¡¯ll be smithing is a low end magical item. So ya can see it then.¡± Gregon informs. From then on due to limited time, I just continued to ask questions and get tips on things I found difficulties with until it was time for dinner. After dinner, I went straight to bed, and as I was trying to fall asleep, I contemplated on what to do for tomorrow. While it is tempting to smith my [Bronze Ingots] into gear, I decided against it. Since I was going to watch Gregon work after tomorrow, he may provide me with more insight into smithing. So if I wait a bit, that would help me overall. On top of that, if I make a [Steel Blacksmithing Hammer] first, I will get even more improvements. So the best thing I can do for tomorrow is see if I can raise my [PER] even more while at same time buy the base leather item for my boots. Since now I do not have to worry about raising money for materials, things have become a lot easier. As I was about to fall asleep, an idea came to me. So I gave it a try and what do you know... * evil grin * Like that I fell asleep satisfied. Volume 02: Contending for my brighter future (2) When I woke up the next day, I wallowed in bed a bit till it was breakfast since I had nothing to do really. And after breakfast, I headed out. My first order of business is the leather goods shop. When I visited at first, I got discouraged due to all kinds of circumstances, but this time around I have a bit of an idea now that I thought about it better. Of course there will be a price to pay, but it should be worth it in the end. It does not take me long to reach the leather goods shop due to its close proximity and I enter through the door. ¡°Hello there missy, we meet again. How may I help ya?¡± asked the dwarf at the counter. ¡°Hi, I am interested in a pair of leather boots that preferably increase [AGI] and fit my size¡± I request. ¡°Hmm¡­ We do not have anythin¡¯ that fits ya¡¯r size in stock, but dependin¡¯ on the material, I can modify it to fit ya. The cheapest leather boots we offer that give stats like [AGI] costs 3 silver coins. There would be a 2 silver coins cost to modify them to ya¡¯r size though¡± informed the dwarf. WHA?!?! Talk about highway robbery! That is like half my savings! Lets see if I can bargain it down at least a bit¡­ ¡°Would it be possible to make it a tad cheaper?¡± I plead. ¡°* sigh * The prices are already pretty low missy. At best, I can lower the price by 50 iron coins, and that would come out of my share at fixin¡¯ up ya¡¯r boots¡± replied the dwarf. I guess I have no choice¡­ it still feels kind of frustrating working so hard to make that money only for it to be taken like that¡­ ¡°...I¡¯ll take it then...¡± I relent. I hand over the 4 silver and 50 iron coins with hesitation. ¡°Follow me to the back so we can do sizin¡¯ ¡± said the dwarf after taking the money. He picks up a pair of leather boots and leads me to the back. He then measures my feet and begins modifying the boots.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Leatherworking] Level 1
Finally! Now lets see if I can find out what the limits are¡­ ¡°You seem to be really skilled mister¡­ Just out of curiosity, what is your [Leatherworking] level if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡± I inquire. ¡°Thanks for the complement missy, but I am not really that good. My [Leatherworking] is only at level 2¡­ I used to be a disciple at the Hunter¡¯s Guild making leather, but due to lack of talent, I never managed to make it past Junior Disciple. Since I was not able to succeed in my trade, by contract I was instead assigned to work as a store clerk here in this branch office. Initially it was goin¡¯ to be only for a year, but I ended up stayin¡¯ here and making a livin¡¯. I am already past the age of chasin¡¯ other dreams after all¡± explained the dwarf. ¡°I see...¡± I respond awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.
Your skill [NP][Leatherworking] has become Level 2
Soon after he was done with my boots and fitted them on my feet. ¡°That should do it missy¡± said the dwarf. ¡°Thanks a bunch mister!¡± I exclaim as I try walking around in the boots to check for comfort.
Dire Fox Leather Boot of Agility An average boot made out of dire fox leather modified to fit for children +1 AGI +2 DEF Durability: 25/25 Quality 5.2311/10.0000
To be honest, hardly impressive...but in comparison to walking with my ragged shoes, it was the difference between heaven and earth! Later on, I will plate them with bronze and give it some real stats! Overall, I am pretty satisfied¡­ well other than paying half my savings that is! I say goodbye to the dwarf in the leather goods store and head out. Next order of business¡­ darn these boots are comfy¡­ err¡­ anyways, next I am going to try heading to the second hand clothing store. While unlikely, maybe there is someone who knows tailoring and can do modifications as well¡­Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. I walk into the second hand clothing store and notice it is run by a human¡­ grrr¡­ ¡°How may I help you?¡± asked the lady at the store. ¡°I-I¡¯m interested if t-there is any shirts m-my size that g-give [STR] stat¡± I inquired. ¡°Hmm¡­ we have things that fit your size¡­ but nothing that gives stats¡­ If it is a really low level item though we may be able to do something...¡± the lady informed. ¡°L-like what?¡± I probed. ¡°Well¡­ give me a second¡­ Tanya! Come down here!¡± yelled the lady. Soon after, I hear noises running from the top floor, and a catkin girl who is about 1 year older than me with brownish orange hair runs in. ¡°What is it?!?!¡± the catgirl asked, then looked at me ¡°...A retard?¡± she adds. ¡°?!¡± * smack * The shop owner lady smacked the catkin girl right in the head quicker than I could even react. ¡°You¡¯re in front of a customer! I¡¯ll have you behave!¡± screamed the lady. ¡°But she.. Ugh! Fine what should I do?¡± relents the catkin after being glared at by the shop owner. ¡°The customer here wants an item that gives [STR] stat that fits her size, can you do it?¡± the lady questioned. ¡°...uhm¡­ if it is something like this, I may be able to pull it off but it will probably lose some quality and durability in the process, since my [Tailoring] skill is only at level 1¡± the catkin responded while picking up a used black shirt. ¡°How much would that be?¡± I inquired. ¡°That shirt would cost about 75 iron coins, as for the cost to resize it¡­ Tanya?¡± the lady asked. ¡°For something like that, I guess about 25 iron coins would do?¡± Tanya answered. Hmm¡­ to be honest I don¡¯t really need a shirt too much as far as necessities go¡­ but it would be nice to have some spare clothes while at same time getting that [Tailoring] skill¡­ ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll take it¡± I replied as I take out 1 silver coin and hand it to the lady. ¡°Yey~! A customer! Come with me~!¡± exclaimed the catkin in excitement. We went upstairs into the upper room which was loaded with supplies, and she began taking my measurements. Then with that done, she started making adjustments to the shirt I just bought. When she notices I am paying careful attention she turns toward me. ¡°If you are trying to learn some tailoring while watching, I would give up~ ...It took me years just to get where I am today~¡± she warns in a merry mood.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Tailoring] Level 1 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills], has been reset.
It does not seem like there is a huge boost for passing 200 PER¡­ Oh well, my skills still improved quite a bit due to the bonuses of class based skills. ¡°You don¡¯t say¡­ Though I was wondering, why did you even pick up tailoring in the first place? I don¡¯t often see beastkin doing production based jobs after all¡± I inquired. ¡°Oh~, that simple~! I just love playing with yarn~!¡± she proudly declared with a wide smile. ¡°...¡± Being left speechless, I didn¡¯t say anything after that and waited patiently till it was done¡­ The final result was less than spectacular but within expectations¡­
Black Linen Shirt of Strength A slightly below average shirt made out of linen, dyed blacked and modified to fit for children +1 STR Durability: 9/12 Quality 4.4278/10.0000
The reason I went for [STR] this time around instead of [AGI] is that I don¡¯t expect to use this in combat much, as I plan to eventually make actual body armor for combat. But making body armor requires quite a bunch of ingots, so it may have to wait. The +1 STR may not be much, negligible even, but every bit helps smithing steel which is far harder than iron. After thanking Tanya who went to play with the yarn after finishing and thanking the shop owner. I left the the second hand clothing shop. I would have liked to get a full change of clothes really, but I can¡¯t waste money just yet. I just have to hold on for a little bit longer... Regardless, having a change of a shirt in itself is already a plus. Not too thrilled about it being second hand, but beggars can¡¯t be choosers. Now then¡­ I have two more methods to get more production skills as far as I am aware. There is the tailor shop which is a bit tricky, and the other one is to see if the Builders Guild has anything to offer that I may have missed during the selections. Maybe something like [Sculpting] or etc¡­ I am a bit worried about trying my luck at the tailor shop so lets see if I can get anything at the Builders Guild. I walk to the Builders Guild and walk up to the elf receptionist. ¡°Hello, I was interested in the Builders Guild and was wondering. What skills does the Builders Guild encompass?¡± I inquired. ¡°The Builders Guild main focus is [Carpentry] and [Stonemasonry], though we do have people who do [Blacksmithing], [Mechanical Engineering] and [Sculpting] to some extent. Of course, if you are interested just in joining, we have positions that do not require any skills. Though it might be somewhat difficult for someone of your build¡± the elf receptionist informed. Hmmm¡­ I guess no new production skills, but I should learn a bit more about [Sculpting] and [Mechanical Engineering] ¡°So what level [Sculpting] and [Mechanical Engineering] are there in the Builders Guild¡± I question. ¡°Well¡­ We are not exactly specialized in those skills in particular. Probably at best level 1 or 2. Anyone with higher [Sculpting] would probably open up their own art shop like the one in the west district. As far as [Mechanical Engineering] goes, it¡¯s kind of a niche profession around these parts, as most mechanical engineers are located within a few key locations, this town though isn¡¯t one of them. The mechanical engineers we get tend to be ones lacking in talent and looking for other things to do¡± responded the receptionist. I see¡­ an art shop in the west district ha¡­ ¡°Can I get directions to the art shop?¡± I asked. ¡°If you plan on going, I would advise against it. The shops in the western district are pretty strict and don¡¯t allow anyone poorly dressed to enter their shops¡± warned the receptionist. ¡°I see¡­ thanks for the tip, I¡¯ll keep that in mind¡± I said and made my way out of the guild. Next, I go again to the west wall to double check to see if I missed anyone with a higher level skill. But unfortunately even after an hour of waiting, no such luck. Which leaves me with last plan for the day, that personally I wanted to avoid but have no choice. I walk towards the tailor shop. Though this time around, I do not actually go into the shop but linger a distance away waiting. Only after about 2 hours of patience did what I was waiting for happen. A man wearing fancy clothing walked into the tailor shop. I quickly sneaked up behind him and once in the shop, I quickly activated [Blend Stealth]! ¡°Good day madam, I am looking to buy a birthday dress for my daughter¡± said the man. ¡°Why if it isn¡¯t mister Raymon, I would be glad to help you with your selection. I¡¯ll bring out some dresses for you to see in a moment¡± said the woman at the counter as she walked to the back. Talk about unfair treatment¡­ Of course I was spending this time looking at the other woman at the corner who was spinning the thread.
Your skill [NP][Thread Weaving] has become Level 3
In a few minutes, she then came out with multiple beautiful dresses in hand. Grr¡­ I am not jealous at all... ¡°Here we have a fine selection of dresses which are of the finest quality. They should match your daughter in both fit and color I assure. Personally I suggest this one, which is a new style from the capital¡± said the woman at the counter while showing off the dresses. okay, maybe a little...
Your skill [NP][Thread Weaving] has become Level 4
They continued to chat about the dresses here and there and time continued to pass. It seemed that level 4 was the limit here. My guess is the one spinning the thread is probably an apprentice or something? And I can¡¯t exactly get the shop owner to spin some thread or do some tailoring as I am now. There is only one problem¡­ how do I leave¡­ I really want to just quickly open the door and [Charge] out, but I don¡¯t want people to assume I shoplifted or something¡­ After waiting another few minutes, the man decided on a dress and the shop owner went inside to put the others away. Using the opportunity, I quickly opened the door and walked out. The man was caught somewhat off guard, but it should be fine. I was a bit worried back there¡­ Either way, my goal has been accomplished, so I head back to the Blacksmithing Guild to retire for the day¡­ Did I mention how comfy these boots are? Volume 02: Contending for my brighter future (3) After breakfast, I went to the counter and picked up my pass. Then headed towards the Advanced Disciple section to meet Gregon. ¡°Hey there missy, so ya ready? First, I¡¯ll show ya how to smith a high quality [Steel Dagger]¡± said Gregon as I entered in. From then on he proceeded to smith the dagger, while explaining things that I should know and take note of. After he was done with that, he began work on an Enchanted-steel sword. The difficulty in smithing the enchanted sword came from balancing the mana while smithing. From what Gergon said, the mana practically leaks while smelting the ingots and smithing the item, and the smith¡¯s job is to contain the mana to the best of their ability. Even for Gregon himself that proved quite a challenge.
Your skill [NP][Smelting] has become Level 7
Apparently, making that [Steel Ingot] back then did not push him enough to make use of his true skill... Smithing that Enchanted-steel sword took up the majority of the day, but there was still some time left. So afterwards I requested him to smith all kinds of other things starting with boots, which thankfully he had no issue with complying since he said he needed to smith those things anyways, due to different requests he had backlogged. When there was only 3 hours left till dinner, Gregon stopped smithing and turned to me. ¡°One last thing missy, did ya already use up that [Iron Ingot] ya got from ya¡¯r last quota?¡± Gregon inquired. ¡°Uhm¡­ no¡­ not yet why?¡± I questioned. ¡°Take this [Coal Ore] and attempt to make a [Steel Dagger]. I want to see how well ya improved from my teaching¡± said Gregon. ¡°Uhm¡­ but I was kind of saving it to make a [Steel Blacksmithing Hammer] to help me with the competition...¡± I helplessly retort. ¡°Hmm¡­ Tell ya what missy, if ya can manage to make a [Steel Dagger] with a quality score of 5 or more. I¡¯ll personally provide ya with enough materials to make ya¡¯r [Steel Blacksmithing Hammer]. But if ya fail, ya will have to pay for the [Coal Ore]. How does that sound missy?¡± offered Gregon. ¡°Okay!¡± I instantly agreed. I then began smelting the [Iron Ingot] and [Coal Ore] to make a [Steel Ingot]. My abilities have improved quite a bit since my last attempt, in both understanding my skills and in stats. The result of the smelted [Steel Ingot] was an astounding quality score of 5.8341! I then began smithing the [Steel Dagger] for the second time. This time around I did not luck out like last time with the bonus.
Steel Dagger An average dagger made out of steel +5 STR +5 DEX +5 AGI +5 VIT +100 ATK [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1000/1000 Quality 5.5186/10.0000
Regardless, the results were rather satisfying! ¡°Ya know missy, I have a hard time believing it every time I see it... Are ya sure ya not some illegitimate half-dwarf child of a legendary blacksmith or somethin¡¯? The rate ya are improving is terrifying to say the least...¡± Gregon murmured. The best part is, since this is made out of my materials, I actually get to keep it! Though I would have liked a bonus¡­ ¡°So... I get materials for my hammer right?¡± I gleefully questioned. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Here ya go...¡± said Gregon handing over 2 [Iron Ingots] and 2 [Coal Ore] for my hammer. We went over a few other things, but soon ran out of time. After agreeing for another lesson prior to the day of the competition, I asked if I could borrow a [Coal Ore] to practice making steel with which I would return after I get my quota. In response Gregon just gave me the [Coal Ore] and said that if I win the competition, there is no need to return it. Obviously I wasn¡¯t going to reject the goodwill... After that, I went to eat dinner and did my usual thing. ...This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The next day, I began working on smithing my new steel hammer! During the morning prior to breakfast, I smithed the ores into [Steel Ingots]. And after breakfast I began smithing the hammer. I put a lot of effort into it, opting to spend 9 hours to make sure it comes out the best it can. And the results did not disappoint!
Steel Blacksmithing Hammer An average blacksmithing hammer made out of steel +50 STR +10 DEX -50 AGI +8 ATK +25% improvement for Blacksmithing Bonus: 1% improvement for Blacksmithing [Made by Shiro] Durability: 2500/2500 Quality 5.9125/10.0000
Thus Caroline was born! I took an hour break due to the overwhelming fatigue and stress of the process and then began working on upgrading my leather boots by plating them with the [Bronze Ingots]. With the help of both my [Blacksmithing] and [Leatherworking] skills the process was not too difficult. I spent 3 hours making the boots to make sure everything comes out well, and my results were pretty good.
Bronze-Plated Leather Boot of Greater Agility An average boot made out of dire fox leather modified to fit for children and plated with bronze +4 AGI +24 DEF Bonus: +1 AGI Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 ¨C Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats Owner Restriction: Shiro Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 100/100 Quality 5.9826/10.0000
Bronze-Plated Leather Boot of Agility An average boot made out of dire fox leather modified to fit for children and plated with bronze +3 AGI +2 VIT +29 DEF Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 ¨C Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats Owner Restriction: Shiro Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 122/122 Quality 6.1023/10.0000
I lost out on some stats due to the leather being of lower tier than the metal. But the bonus and quality increase overall made up for it. Smithing bronze when you already made steel is pretty much a piece of cake. Now normally you can sync the two pieces to increase probability of similar stats when making pairing items. But in the case where my skills improve more and more the better I understand them, I chose to make them separate. Fully satisfied with my work, I head off to that poor excuse for a dinner¡­ I am really getting sick of eating broth! And end the day as per usual... ¡­ When I wake up in the morning, since I have nothing to do. I decide to make plans for now. Today and tomorrow, I have pretty much free, the day after tomorrow I have my quota to fulfill and the day after that will be the last private lesson before the competition. I doubt I can find 2 more skill levels to raise my [PER] that easily unfortunately. There is the art shop, but from what I have seen there are guards there and I don¡¯t want to get into trouble¡­ So maybe I should go hunt [Dire Foxes] and gather herbs in hopes of getting a level up? That is probably the best option, and I want to also try out my new equipment as well! Like that, after breakfast, I head out of town. Now that I was dual wielding daggers and had a boost in speed from my new equipment, things went a lot simpler and I easily stocked up on 5 [Dire Fox Pelts]. I even had pretty good luck with herbs, getting a total of 15! Of course like before, I stored the [Dire Milkweed] in my [Item Box] and brought the rest to the guild. I hand in the 10 herbs, getting a total of 50 iron coins with the reward. Then I hand in the [Dire Fox Meat] and [Dire Fox Pelts], getting 2 silver and 11 irons coins. Bringing my total savings to 7 silver and 84 iron coins! I then place my hand on the orb to get completion credit. ¡°Ha?¡± I exclaim. Suddenly the orb begins to glow in different colors¡­ I hope I didn¡¯t break anything¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ It seems you qualify to move up a guild rank. I suggest heading to the counter to update your guild information¡± informed the dogkin at the materials exchange booth. So I already got 20 points ha? I didn¡¯t even keep track¡­ Well I guess it won¡¯t hurt¡­ Thus I head to the elf receptionist at the counter. ¡°Hello, how may I help you?¡± said the receptionist. ¡°Uhm¡­ I was told at the material counter that I qualify for a rank up, and was told to come here...¡± I responded. ¡°I see¡­ please put your hand on the orb there and I will begin processing your information, then I will update your tattoo¡± said the receptionist. ¡°Okay...¡± I replied and placed my hand on the orb. The receptionist then placed their hand on a similar orb and both began to glow.
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Receptionist: Information Processor] Level N/A Due to a special action, a new special [IPR] stat has been unlocked
[CP][Receptionist: Information Processor] Level N/A Increase information processing of all skills by 20% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [IPR]
What in the world is that¡­ ¡°Congratulations, you have now become a Rank F adventurer. All information has been inputted in your guild tattoo, and your points have been reset to 0. Please remember that from now on, you will not receive any more points for Rank G requests.¡± announces the receptionist, ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you?¡± she then added. ¡°Uhm¡­ yeah.. I mean No, that would be all for today...¡± I respond and quickly head out of the Adventurers Guild. As I head back to the Blacksmithing Guild, I ponder to myself if I have any skill that would make use of information processing... Logically speaking, my [Creationist: Analyze Everything] does process information to an extent no? Maybe my [All-Observing-Eye] too? Especially when I am smithing, there is generally too much stuff my [All-Observing-Eyes] picks up. Maybe it will help with that¡­ I guess I¡¯ll test it the day after tomorrow. I completed the day as usual and went to sleep. ¡­ When I woke up in the morning, I kind of regretted not signing up for the Church to see if I could find the priest. I was so distracted by the new [IPR] stat and skill, I totally forgot¡­ Wish it could have helped organize my thoughts better! So now what should I do? I could maybe attempt to see the priest normally, but remembering how crowded it tends to get in the front of the Church, that is probably not an option without some sort of appointment. I could go hunting again for [Dire Fox Pelts], but based on the feeling I get I doubt I¡¯ll get any levels. The XP from hunting monsters far lower level then me is kind of small. And I need to get better gear so I can hunt stronger things¡­ Maybe today I should just relax? I¡¯ve been struggling over a month without a day of breaks and it is taking a toll on me¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be good if I collapsed during the competition due to fatigue after all¡­ Yup lets do just that! And like that, I waddled in my bed the entire day like a lazy cat¡­ this is the life¡­ ¡­ Volume 02: Contending for my brighter future (4) The next day was my favorite day of the week! Why was this day of the week my all time favorite? Because it is the day when I get to use my hammer! Thus that warm and fuzzy feeling comes back! Again, I am not addicted to it okay? I end up smithing all the [Bronze Ingots] and [Iron Ingots] in one day with time to spare! This was also enough for me to finish one more [Creationist: Ingot Creation] quest! Thus getting me an extra +1 PER. On the downside, that Unfortunately left me with not much to do for the rest of the day once I was finished... So I had to endure till the end of the day¡­ * sigh * ... The following day, I got up after a good rest and after breakfast headed again to the counter. Today was finally my last private lesson. So I went to the Advanced Disciple ward and met up with Gregon, and from then on he began to teach me things as he worked. While he was making something, I came up with a question to ask. ¡°I was wondering¡­ is it possible to get to watch a Senior Disciple make something?¡± I inquired. ¡°What¡¯s that missy?!?! I ain¡¯t good enough for ya anymore?!?!¡± Gregon questioned. ¡°Hi?!?! That¡¯s not it!¡± I respond frightened by reflex due to the sudden change in tone. Getting my courage back together I tried to explain myself. ¡°I just thought that it might provide some insight and inspiration if I saw highest form of [Blacksmithing]...¡± I explained. He stood there for a good minute pondering and not saying anything while holding his beard looking down, then after coming to some sort of conclusion he turns back to me. ¡°I may be able to manage something, but don¡¯t get ya¡¯r hopes up. Stay here¡± Gregon said then walked out the door. After about 15 minutes, he came back. ¡°Here is the deal missy. I spoke to one of the Senior Disciples who I am friends with. He was an Advanced Disciple until he recently got promoted. In about an hour, at best he can spare about 10 minutes showing ya how to make a dagger with his skill. But that is about it.¡± Gregon says while somewhat grumbling. ¡°Alright! Deal!¡± I insisted feigning ignorance to his grumbles. ¡°* sigh * Ya better win the competition missy!¡± Gregon persisted. After about an hour, we walked into the Senior Disciple area and met up with the Senior Disciple. ¡°So this is the talented student ya have been telling me about?¡± said the Senior Disciple. ¡°Yeah, yeah, lets get this over with Flam¡± Gregon retorted. ¡°Okay, then I shall show ya how I smith a dagger. I will only do it once so pay attention carefully¡± Flam warned. ¡°Thank you very much, I¡¯ll make sure to watch as carefully as I can¡± I replied. He then began smithing the dagger, and I activate [All-Observing-Eyes]. The smithing technique he used in both speed and quality was definitely the best I have ever seen. But equally impressive was what I was processing with my [All-Observing-Eyes]. Prior, I had to let go of many things because I did not have enough time to process them, but this time around the information that I could process increased dramatically. I obviously could not catch everything, but I still managed to catch a lot of things I missed before. There was unfortunately a limit to how much I could use [All-Observing-Eyes], so I used it mostly during the most important junctures. The most worrying thing though was that 5 minutes passed, 6¡­ 7¡­ 8 but still no skill increase! And Fam was already almost done with the dagger¡­ 9 minutes passed and no luck¡­ Only just as he finished in the 10th minute did I finally get something.
Your skill [NP][Blacksmithing] has become Level 6
¡°So how was it missy, manage to get any inspiration?¡± Fam asked. ¡°Yes! Quite a lot actually!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°So if ya¡¯r done we can go now?¡± Gregon grumbled. ¡°Yes, thank you very much!¡± I remarked as we made our way back out of the Senior Disciple area. From then on, Gregon continued to teach me, though in a more sour mood than before. I feel sorry for Gregon as he has done quite a lot for me, but never the less I really needed that extra skill level to break through my limits. When there was but a few hours left in the day, I began attempting a prototype of what I will make for the competition. This one will of course be far inferior due to lack of time and lower quality of the ores, but regardless it will net me some practice. So I spent the rest of my day smithing it. After showing the prototype to Gregon, I said my goodbyes and finished my day as usual. ... Come morning, the whole place was in an uproar as things heated up for the competition. There was a lot of chatting and everyone was super excited! After breakfast, all the Junior Disciples and Intermediate Disciples gathered around and waited. Shortly after, 3 Senior Disciples came by and one of them went up front. ¡°Today, we will finally start the quarterly competition! The winner of the competition will get a personal commissioned item and 3 hours of private training from the Grandmaster himself!¡± announced the Senior Disciple.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. With that, loud cheers spread through out the whole complex. ¡°I will also remind the Junior Disciples that this acts as an examination for ya as well, if ya don¡¯t perform well, ya will be expelled as a Disciple of the guild! And if one of ya manages to win the competition, ya will get promoted to an Intermediate Disciple! Now follow me!¡± he added. The door behind him then opened and the crowd rushed in. The area the competition took place is the same area that they held the monthly selections, aka the Junior Disciple area due to it being more wider than the others. So I was fairly familiar with it. There were also Advanced Disciples standing everywhere keeping an eye out to prevent any sort of cheating. Though technically speaking, there is only so many ways one can cheat when the system tells you who made the item. Not to mention, a skilled blacksmith can tell quite a lot just by looking at the complete item. Though there are shortcuts you can take such as bringing in a [Steel Ingot] instead of starting from scratch. There might also be other ways but I haven¡¯t really put too much thought into it... Unfortunately when everyone rushed in, I wasn¡¯t able to keep up and ended up in the last spot. It doesn¡¯t matter too much, but it means I have to travel further than others to get to the forge, thus losing some time here and there. ¡°Now then, ya have until 19 o¡¯clock! Let the competition begin!¡± announced the senior disciple. I took out my high quality [Iron Ore] and [Coal Ore] and began smelting! Due to the high difficulty, I spent almost 4 hours smelting them into an ingot. I knew working with materials of this level was not going to be easy¡­ After barely finishing it, I began to finally smith the dagger. The process was even more difficult and frankly put far beyond my abilities. Regardless, I still did my best to give it my all! It took me the entire 8 hours to finally finish it, and overall¡­ I was a bit disappointed in the result due to all the quality that I have lost¡­
Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Weapon creation] +1 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Weapon creation], has been reset.
[Creationist] Weapon creation Produce 10 tier 1 weapons with at least a quality score of 2 and/or 10 tier 2+ weapons with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 2/10 Status: 0/10 Reward: 1 [PER]
With that, the competition came to a close, everyone put their item under the provided cover for suspense and the rankings began. ¡°Well then, lets get the show on the road! I, Senior Disciple Tagon will act as the judge for this competition. The first entry is from Junior Disciple Maron, we have here a [Bronze Dagger] with a quality score of 5.1! Congratulations Maron, ya are currently our top contender!¡± proclaimed Tagon. The audience laughed and cheered at the obvious joke, but soon they were quited down and the grading continued. After going through a few Junior Disciples, it did not take long for an Intermediate Disciple¡¯s turn. From then on, no Junior Disciple could compete as Intermediate Disciples showed off their Iron and Steel creations. ¡°Now then, next will be our last quarter champion! Let us see how the specialist class [Steelsmith] Algon has improved!¡± Tagon reported.
Steel Dagger of Greater Strength An exquisite dagger made out of steel +32 STR +160 ATK Bonus: +3 STR [Made by Algon] Durability: 1602/1602 Quality 8.0114/10.0000
¡°...¡± * gulp * The entire room gulped down in awe and were completely speechless¡­ I was no exception¡­ frankly put, I don¡¯t think I currently have the ability to make steel with such high quality score, even if I was given materials with a quality score of 9 to work with. Not to mention in terms of combat stats, his weapon surpasses mine¡­ I droop down my shoulders in disappointment. ¡°As expected of Algon the [Steelsmith]! Ya¡¯r skills have pretty much doubled since last competition! I don¡¯t think there is a disciple who grew even half as fast as ya did during these past 3 months! Or have ya been holding back on us all this time? Ya should definitely take an exam to become an Advanced Disciple already! At this point ya are just pickin¡¯ on everyone else¡­ I mean seriously¡­ I just might have a chat with the Grandmaster about this!¡± Tagon declared. From then on, he continued rating the disciples until he came to the last contestant¡­ me. I tensed up due to all the pressure¡­ ¡°Oh! The little catkin missy¡­ I was waitin¡¯ for ya¡¯r turn. Old Gregon has gone senile and bet 25 platinum coins on ya winnin¡¯. So I was wonderin¡¯ what ya will have in store for us! I hope ya gave it a ¡®good whack¡¯...har-har-har¡± Tagon divulged with a laugh, followed by everyone suddenly staring at me... WHA?!?! He is joking¡­ right? Not waiting for me to pull myself together, He then reached under the cover and looked at my dagger¡­ soon after he frowned, but said nothing... ¡°S-So how is it?¡± I asked, quite nervous of the result. With my beckoning, he pulls himself together and turns around towards the dwarf Advanced Disciple standing near by. ¡°Joran, Did the little missy really make this herself?¡± questioned Tagon. ¡°Uhm¡­ I did not see anythin¡¯ that could constitute cheatin¡¯¡­ So as long as the missy¡¯s name is on it¡­ it should be the case...¡± said Joran. He then turns back to me staring intently. ¡°Did ya really make this?¡± Tagon asked. ¡°Uhm¡­ Y-Yes¡­ i-is there something wrong with it?¡± I replied shrinking back from the intense glare. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± asked another Senior Disciple as he comes in and looks at the dagger. ¡°...¡±
Holy-Steel Healing Dagger An okay quality dagger made out of holy-steel +7 STR +7 DEX +7 AGI +7 VIT +2 INT +2 WIS +159 ATK [Healing Stream] +5 HP every minute (5 holy power is consumed per minute) Bonus: +1 STR Holy Power: 60/100 [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1274/1274 Quality 3.1854/10.0000
¡°This is...¡± murmured the Senior Disciple. Not getting a proper answer of where I stand leaves me even more nervous. I understand my dagger is pretty good for a Junior Disciple¡­ but it falls behind on combat stats. On top of that, they consider what materials you started with and the difficulty of said result¡­ In the process of making this dagger, I lost over 4 quality score which is pretty major. In comparison, Algon¡¯s result was beyond perfect as the result surpassed the materials and he managed to make it focus on 1 attribute, and even more, he managed an extra large bonus. While my [Holy-steel Healing Dagger] is something that even I may have a 1/10 chance of repeating again. The dagger he made in terms of difficulty, my chance of replication at this point is 0... Not being able to take it anymore with the silence and staring going on, I plead once again.. ¡°S-So how well did I do? Was it not good enough?¡± ¡°How well did ya do? Are ya seriously askin¡¯ this question missy? Do ya even know what ya did?!?!¡± queried Tagon. Did I maybe do something wrong? ¡°Uhm¡­ No...¡± I replied with hesitation. ¡°Missy, do ya even know what Holy-steel is or how it is normally made? In terms of difficulty it is harder to make than Enchanted-steel! The process of making holy-steel requires a pure environment to work in, that is because holy elemental mana is prone to corruption from other mana. So making Holy-steel is at least twice as difficult as makin¡¯ Enchanted-steel if not more. But to make Holy-steel in this environment is¡­ unheard of¡­ Maybe the [Sacred Blacksmith] or a few others may be able to pull it off, but it has never been tried due to the ridiculous difficulty needed to do that, which borders on the line of impossible!¡± Tagon explained. ¡°Oh...¡± I mutter not fully being able to comprehend what just happened. I mean it was extremely difficult and all¡­ I spent every morning and night using [Light Magic: Holy Light] on the [Coal Ore] filling it with Holy Power. The process was pretty darn hard to do. Luckily my penalty only constituted for healing purposes, but using it to push the Holy Power seemed to work with little loss in efficiency. Then when I got here, I started smelting the ingot and it got even harder as the holy power threatened to escape. And I began to lose quality trying to keep the holy power in check. While I couldn¡¯t exactly see mana, I used my [All-Observing-Eyes] and my senses to predict its flow and whack it back into place. This process got even more harder when it came to actually making the dagger as the mana felt like it wanted to explode and go wild! I barely managed to contain it in by paying a large price in quality. But to say it is border line impossible is a bit overstating things¡­ I don¡¯t think what I did was that difficult, and someone who has a skill to see mana should have been able to replicate it or better with ease¡­ It was more like a really hard game of whack-a-mole if you ask me... Or could it be that [Pure Mana Affinity] somehow simplified the process without me knowing? I really need to learn more about magic once my financial situation improves¡­ ¡°Well I guess it is time to wrap things up! Congratulations Junior Disciple Shiro! You are the winner of this competition!¡± yelled Tagon. Eh? Seriously?!?! I actually won?!?! Cheers and applaud spread through the room and it was a bit embarrassing, but at same time felt pretty good... ¡°YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!! DRINKS ARE ON ME!!¡± came a loud shout overshadowing all other noise, looking at the source Gregon is jumping around and dancing with a large smile on his face. From then on, everyone began to party like crazy drinking alcohol and dancing. During this chaos, Tagon came up to me. ¡°Tomorrow, after breakfast, come by the Senior Disciple ward. I will arrange for ya¡¯r promotion to Intermediate Disciple and set ya up with the Grandmaster¡± Tagon informed. ¡°Yes! Thank you very much!¡± I replied with a beaming smile. Finally! I will be able to sell my stuff and gain levels much faster! Not to mention, stealing the skills of the Grandmaster is the icing on the cake! After Tagon, many others came to congratulate me for my victory, including Gregon who was already somewhat drunk. Since I can¡¯t exactly drink alcohol, after everyone was done giving their blessings, I head to eat dinner, then off to bed in excitement for the days to come. Volume 02: You are the only one who truly understands me (1) Today marks the first day of my new life! After the long bitter wait, and the less than pleasing breakfast. I went towards the counter to get permission to enter the Senior Disciple area, ignoring the loud commotion from the monthly selections that are going on. Once I got my approval, I headed there as quickly as I could. I soon met up with Tagon who greeted me. ¡°Hey there missy! From today on ya are now an Intermediate Disciple. I will now explain to ya everything ya need to know...¡± He then explained a bunch of things about being an Intermediate Disiple, to summarize the 7 major points: 1) I will be moved to a new room which has an occupancy of 2 people instead of my current 4. 2) The times for food are the same, but the cafeteria is a better one in the Intermediate Disciple area. There will be small snacks available at 12. 3) Quota for the Intermediate Disciples requires that I smelt 50 [Iron Ingots], if I reach that quota, 10 [Iron Ingots] and 3 [Coal Ores] are mine. I now also have a monthly quota, but not for smithing but selling of items. The requirement is that all Intermediate Disciples must sell at least 5 items per month. 4) There are many new privileges which I now have access to. As long as I have a prior order, I can make use of the Blacksmithing Guild¡¯s materials. If I plan to smelt my own ore, I can get access to [Iron Ore] which has a quality score of 5 and [Copper Ore] and [Tin Ore] with quality score of up 7. I can also get access to [Coal Ore] up to quality score of 5. If I chose not to smelt my own ore, I can get [Copper Ingots] and [Bronze Ingots] with quality score of up to 7, or [Iron Ingots] and [Steel Ingots] with quality scores of up to 5. That said, there are limits. I can only withdraw 100 iron or copper ingots/ores per month. I can also get the accompanying tin and coal along side it. Anything beyond that is my own responsibility. 5) At 18 o¡¯clock, the exhibition hall opens up for 2 hours. During those times, the public has access to the exhibition hall. Only during those 2 hours are we allowed to sell our wares. Any item we make using the guild¡¯s resources, after subtracting material costs, we are allowed 15% of the profit. Any item made using our own resources, we are allowed to take 30% of the total cost. The rest must be paid to the guild. We are also allowed to take order contracts during this time. Though it is warned that contracts carry the reputation of the guild and if one fails to complete a contract in an orderly fashion, there are strict punishments that are as severe as being suspended. There is also a restriction that the displayed items must have at least a quality score of 5 or more, the exception being for order contracts, where guarantees would be based on the contract. 6) Like before, we can receive guidance from an Advanced Disciple. But now we can get it once per quarter. We can also get guidance from a Senior Disciple once per year. That said, we are not allowed to take guidance less than a month and a half apart from each other. So getting access to a Senior Disciple will unfortunately have to wait a few weeks. 7) Promotion to Advanced Disciple happens during a test once a year. 8) I am also required to offer guidance to Junior Disciples. Though I can decline for one month, the following month would be mandatory. Lastly, I was told about the privilege for winning the competition. To get a commission and tutoring from the Grandmaster himself! This will happen tomorrow at 12 o¡¯clock, and I am responsible for bringing my own materials. Accepting materials from others is forbidden. The commissioned item will be made within the 3 hours, and will be soul bound to me. Thus preventing backhanded sale of the item. I already have an idea for what I want, and coincidently I have the materials so it is not a problem. Lastly, as far as quotas go. Since I fulfilled the quota as a Junior Disciple, I am not required to fulfill the Intermediate Disciple quota for this week¡­ but the option exists if I want to. And it goes without saying that I most definitely want to! After explaining all that, Tagon brought me to my new room and left.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The urge within me was screaming to go smelting as fast as possible! But before that, I have something else that is pretty important. Prior to the main course that is the Grandmaster, there is still the appetizer which I have not forgotten about! I make my way down the hallways. My interest lies in Algon, the [Steelsmith]¡­ maybe, just maybe he¡¯ll have some delicious class only skills to share. On that note, I head down to the Intermediate Disciple''s forge. ¡°Did ya hear? The town¡¯s hero is finally comin¡¯ back to town¡± said a dwarf in the hallway to another dwarf standing next to him. Ha? ¡°Yeah, I heard. They are suppose to come sometime this week or next week based on the rumor¡± replied the other dwarf. NO! NO! NO! Anything but that! After I finally found a comfortable place for myself, last thing I need is some darn hero messing things up!!! Wait¡­ calm down¡­ I am over-thinking things... So what there is a hero coming? It has absolutely nothing to do with me, and I¡¯ll stay away as far as possible to be extra sure¡­ There is no reason to fret¡­ Yup, it¡¯s all good! Lets go get me some skills and then smelt some ingots to cheer myself up! I find my way into the forge and search for Algon, the [Steelsmith]. Luckily, he was fast at work already. Once I got into a good position where I could spy on him without being seen, with help of [Eagle Eyes] I monitor him carefully.
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Steelsmith: Enhanced Steel Smithing] Level N/A
[CP][Steelsmith: Enhanced Steel Smithing] Level N/A Improve the speed of your smithing related skills by 30% + 2% for every level in your non-combat class + 1% for every point of [PER] when making steel based items Improve the quality of your smithing related skills by 30% + 2% for every level in your non-combat class + 1% for every point of [PER] when making steel based items
So that was his secret! He is pretty much 2X better at making steel items than anyone else! Lets see what else he has! I continue watching and as expected another one appeared.
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Steelsmith: Steel Smithing Perfection] Level N/A
[CP][Steelsmith: Steel Smithing Perfection] Level N/A You now have a chance of improving an item beyond its initial quality score when using smithing skills on steel. Improve your chance of improving an item when using smithing skills by 20% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER] when making steel based items You now have a chance of giving bonus stats to an item when using smithing skills on steel. Improve the probability of your smithing skills to give bonus stats by 20% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER] when making steel based items
Wow¡­ talk about a cheat! ¡­Though technically speaking, I don¡¯t have a right to say anything in that regard¡­ I continued to watch after that for quite a bit, and that seemed like it was the end of it. So I went about my own business. Personally, I really want to put all this to the test, but thinking about it a bit more... it will have to wait for another day. Since tomorrow is my tutoring with the Grandmaster, I will definitely get some skills then. So I should wait. Instead I should smith the 2 [Bronze Ingots] I got. As for what to make, there is no point in making body armor since I don¡¯t have enough. Well, unless I make chainmail. But considering I could make steel, there is simply no point. Instead I¡¯ll make a lesser piece like Bracers. So like that, I began making of the Bracers. Since I had a lot of free time, I worked on them until 17 o¡¯clock trying to get them as best as possible. The results?
Bronze Bracer of Greater Agility An above average bracer made out of bronze that has been specialized by its creator to fit a young child. +7 AGI +34 DEF Bonus: +1 AGI Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 ¨C Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats Owner Restriction: Shiro Benefit: +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 139/139 Quality 6.9937/10.0000
Both Bracers came out the same as far as stats go. And I surpassed the original material quality so it was all good. Though considering the time I spent on it, the results were not too surprising, even if it was my first time making Bracers. From there, I went to take a look at the exhibit hall. While I don¡¯t plan on selling anything today, I still wanted to get a feel for it. When I came there, what I saw looked like a sort of equipment bazaar. The smiths sat on the floor by the walls, and people went around looking at all sort of equipment. There was a lot of yelling from the noise of the customers to others trying to advertise their wares. I also took a look around the wares and came up with one conclusion. I totally got this! My wares will most definitely be better, so if I sell at the same price, I will rule the entire market! muwahahaha! After that, I went to have dinner in the new cafeteria, and surprisingly or not surprisingly. They also served broth! That said, this time around shockingly enough it actually had some flavor! It seems that some spices were added which was definitely a welcome addition. It was nothing to write home about, but still better than anything I ate so far. I then went to my room and went to sleep. Even the beds were slightly better. So far things are looking pretty good! I smile brightly at the days to come. Volume 02: You are the only one who truly understands me (2) Mornings like always without ingots to smelt were nothing to write home about. The only saving grace was that the new breakfast like dinner was also better. I patiently waited till 12 o¡¯clock, and then headed to the Senior Disciple area. From there, I was guided by Tagon downstairs into a large basement. Standing there was... Santa? ¡°This is Grandmaster Clauson. He is the leader of this Blacksmithing Guild so make sure to show ya¡¯r respect!¡± warned Tagon. I knew it! Santa! The Grandmaster was literally an old chubby man with a long white beard and looked exactly of what one would think of Santa Claus... except shorter. ¡°Yes sir!¡± I responded. Now I wonder what kind of presents Santa will have for me¡­ I promise I behaved very well¡­ though I technically did murder someone¡­ but he was a bad guy! Definitely! Shortly after, we came over to the Grandmaster. ¡°So this little missy is the winner of the competition now is it?¡± Grandmaster Clauson inquired. ¡°Yes, Grandmaster¡± replied Tagon. He then took a hard look at me causing me to tense up due to the pressure. Remembering the warning I get my act together. ¡°My name is Shiro, I greet Grandmaster Claus! It is an honor!¡± I said while slightly bowing down to show respect. When I see Tagon frown, I suddenly remembered I was in another world, and for all I know bowing down is not a sign of respect but a form on insult so I begin to inwardly panic. Only then did it hit me... Oops! I said Claus instead of Clauson! Luckily it did not seem like the Grandmaster cared one way or the other. ¡°Shiro ha? It is always nice to see new young talent. So what would ya like to be made for ya¡¯r commission?¡± asked Grandmaster Clauson. I thought about this for quite some time, and came up with one conclusion. That I will get my dagger fixed and remade into a Arm-Blade Katar. Why an Arm-Blade Katar? Simple, an Arm-Blade Katar still counts as a Dagger so my [Dagger Mastery] still works, but now I can free up my hands. This means that I can use a spear at the same time, or use attacks like [Claw Swipe] as well. Throwing things also becomes more convenient. I can even use potions without having to put away my weapon. There are not too many people who specialize at virtually everything, so this kind of combat style only works for me. ¡°I would like to remake this into an Arm-Blade Katar focused on agility, while still having some other stats¡± I replied while taking out my [Ancient Mithril Dagger] ¡°This is?!?!¡± Tagon interjected in shock, then got himself together and continued ¡°The rules were pretty clear that you are only allowed to use your own materials!¡± I quickly try to refute his claim. ¡°B-But this is-¡± ¡°No excuses! The rules are set in place for a reason! No exceptions!¡± Tagon interrupted. Tagon did not seem like he would relent or even listen to me at all! ¡°It¡¯s ok¡± said Grandmaster Clauson. ¡°Are ya sure Grandmaster? We should not bend the rules as it would set a bad precident¡± Tagon cautioned. ¡°The dagger in question rightfully belongs to the little missy. According to my intuition, the little missy had it even before coming here¡± Grandmaster Clauson explained. Intuition? Is that some sort of skill? Though I didn¡¯t get any notification of getting any skill¡­ hmmm... ¡°If¡­ the Grandmaster say so...¡± Tagon relented and then left the premises. Grandmaster Clauson then took the dagger off my hands and began inspecting it. ¡°By the looks of things... this dagger came from a Dungeon... Though... this dagger in question seems to be quite old¡­ Us smiths have always been dreaming about replicatin¡¯ the abilities of a dungeon in our smithing. Sadly to say, we are still far far away¡­ hmmm¡­ strange¡­ my intuition is telling me that I have seen a person smith a dagger in the past in similar style¡­ But... I don¡¯t remember anyone producing a dagger of this quality¡­ not to mention, the notion in itself would be quite ridiculous as no mortal could smith something like this to begin with¡­ I must be getting old...¡± Grandmaster Clauson murmured to seemingly himself. While I would love to hear some more philosophy¡­ can we get down to smithing cause my time is kind of ticking! And I¡¯m sure you have plenty of presents for me! Of course I can¡¯t actually say that¡­ ¡°I look forward to the Grandmaster¡¯s teaching!¡± I interjected hoping to kick start the lessons. ¡°Ah! Yes, sorry about that little missy, lets get started¡± Grandmaster Clauson replied. The Grandmaster went towards the forge, and began to smelt down the dagger and reforge it. After about 15 minutes, I got my first blue box!
Your skill [NP][Smelting] has become Level 8A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist:Improve your production skills], has been reset.
When he was done smelting and reforging the dagger into an ingot, he then began smithing it. I looked for about half an hour but the process was way over my head...
Your skill [NP][Blacksmithing] has become Level 7
Only then did some insight begin to seep in¡­ But still it seemed like a pretty complex process regardless¡­ to get more information I activated [All-Observing-Eyes]. ¡°Those eyes..¡± murmured Grandmaster Clauson. ¡°Eyes?¡± I reflexively responded. ¡°Your eyes¡­ it is as if they have seen all things in this world...¡± Grandmaster Clauson followed up. ¡°Hii?!?!¡± I quickly deactivate my skill¡­ ¡±I-I don¡¯t know what ya mean..¡± I add, playing ignorant while sweating profusely. ¡°Don¡¯t worry little missy, I won¡¯t tell anyone that ya have a Unique Skill. I happen to have one myself actually, so ya¡¯r secret is safe with me¡­ My [Discerning-Eyes-Of-Inuition] let me see things no one else can see. They are very convenient, as they let me know things I normally would not know. But at same time, to get these eyes I had to pay a terrible price. It is sad to know one young as ya¡¯rself had to go through similar circumstances to attain something like that...¡± From then on he told a story about his past as he continued smithing. I paid careful attention to his work, but at same time listened in on the story, interested how others could have attained Unique Skills. 20 years ago, he was a smith for his party of 10. They ventured into a dungeon and ended up being trapped in an endless maze. Out of the 10, 6 of them died from the endless onslaught of monsters. When they were at wits end and trapped in a dead end, his Unique Skill awakened, and they managed to find a secret passage outside the maze. It was a pretty sad story and a harsh reminder how strength is the only way one can live in this world¡­ another hour has passed and only then did another blue box appear.
Your skill [NP][Blacksmithing] has become Level 8
From that point on, my insight into mithril expanded tremendously. While there were still many parts I did not understand just from looking, Grandmaster Clauson luckily helped fill in a lot of it. Finally, 3 hours have passed and for whatever reason, I did not get any skills¡­ Somehow I get the feeling that this was the limit of his [Blacksmithing], but I should still have gotten some class skills right? Though no luck at all¡­ Was there not enough time maybe? As I was pondering, Grandmaster Clauson finished the arm-blade katar and brought it before me. ¡°I did my best to insure the weapon is usable to ya, but even then using such a powerful blade has limits. Now then let me add some finishing touches¡­ I am not a specialist in this, but it should bring no harm. ¡± said Grandmaster Clauson.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Rune Crafting] Level 1
I took a look at the final product.
Wind-Tempered Mithril Arm-Blade Katar of Minor Agility An average quality katar made out of mithril, reforged from an Ancient Mithril Dagger while minimizing the loss to quality. It is tempered with the power of the wind. +50 AGI +25 STR +25 VIT +20 DEX +15 INT +15 WIS +700 ATK [Wind Blade] Surround the blade with wind magical energy doing magical damage to those cut by it ( 50 Magic Power per minute ) [Passive] Absorb magic power around your surroundings ( 1 Magic Power per minute ) Bonus: +10 AGI Magic Power: 100/1000 Rune Crafting: Mana Storage: 0/25 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 - Penalty: 50% reduction in stats Level 30 - Penalty: 10% reduction in stats Level 35 - Bonus: +5 AGI Level 40 - Bonus: +10 AGI Level 50 - Bonus: +20 AGI Owner Restriction: Shiro Benefit: +10 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Clauson Angersmith] Durability: 12500/12500 Quality 5.7310/10.0000
¡°...¡± HOLY SHIT! Someone pinch me... I am not dreaming right? It is hard to imagine that the dagger I had all along had that much potential¡­ Though thinking about it logically, considering Mithril is above Holy-Steel, that should have been a given to an extent¡­ What is even more terrifying is that technically speaking, it should have been better as a dagger, so one can only imagine what kind of abilities it truly had prior to being damaged. Though I wonder¡­ How long does it take for mithril to be damaged in the first place? Anyways, lets get to that later. ¡°Thank you very much Grandmaster Clauson!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°I hope it will serves ya well, and that ya have learned a lot from all this. Though somehow, my intuition tells me ya learned more than I can imagine. Ho ho ho¡± laughed Santa¡­ err¡­ I mean Grandmaster Clauson. ¡°Yes! I learned quite a lot, thank you very much!¡± I replied with sincere gratitude. I really did... not only did I get 2 level increases in [Blacksmithing] and a level increase in [Smelting], I also learned a lot about Mithril. I also learned that there are limits set to how powerful items can be. The total item stats can not exceed 3X your base stats. Also, a single item can not give more stats than your current level * 5 + 10. If you go above those numbers, unless the item for special reason exceeds the limit or is a special item such as a blacksmithing hammer, you will have a huge strain on your [Mental]. Lastly, I learned that powerful items can be limited through multiple minimum level restriction options to give more flexibility. I really wish I got some of his class skills though, but even so, I got quite a lot from all this. ¡°Ya¡¯r time is up, lets go!¡± yelled Tagon as he came from upstairs. ¡°Yes sir!¡± I replied. I take one last bow towards Grandmaster Clauson, aka Santa Claus and make my way out back to the Intermediate Disciple area. Since there is still 3 hours left till the exhibition market, lets get some smelting going! In that 3 hours, I somehow managed to smelt out 30 [Iron Ingots]! I am not sure how, but I think the skill that helps with the making of steel has an indirect effect on smelting iron, since it is a component of steel. Though I don¡¯t get the feeling that it helps with the actual smithing of iron. After I wrapped up, I headed for the market. My goal this time around is to see if I can sell that [Steel Dagger]. While it is nothing special, since it is made using my personal materials, I can set my own price and sell it at a discount. Then sell my better ones at competitive prices. I arrive at the market and sit down on the floor. With my mantle covering my head and special usage of [Blend Stealth] to cover only parts of my body, I do my best to cover up that I am a beastkin. Since discrimination still exists here in this country, it is best to limit all possibilities of losing customers. I then activate [Voice Manipulation] to make my voice louder and at same time more manly. Who knows how many people here might discriminate based on gender as well¡­ ¡°COME NOW COME ALL! STEEL DAGGER SELLING FOR 25% DISCOUNT! ONLY 3 GOLD!¡± I yell to the best of my ability. I then wait patiently with excitement¡­ I mean 3 gold¡­ Even if I have to part with 70% of it to the guild, that is still 90 silver coins in my pocket! It almost makes all my efforts up to now seem meaningless¡­ ¡­ Half an hour passed but no one stopped by¡­ strange¡­ are they maybe underestimating me because I am young or something? Lets try this again. ¡°STEEL DAGGER ONLY 3 GOLD! QUALITY GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK!¡± I yelled. People walked by and took peeks now and then, but no one bothering picking up the dagger at all¡­ strange¡­ I tried for the entire 2 hours and not one person even bothered to look my way¡­ Can they see through my disguise? No I don¡¯t think that is the case¡­ Is it maybe because I only have 1 dagger and it looks odd? Add in my disguise and maybe it just looks a bit shady? I pondered through dinner and into bed but could not think of anything¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll try smithing some above average stuff tomorrow and see how things go. Volume 02: You are the only one who truly understands me (3) Next day, I managed to smelt 10 of the ingots prior to breakfast, which got me +1 PER for completing the [Creationist: Ingot Creation] quest. The remaining 10 ingots I put in extra effort to insure maximum quality, as these are the ones that will be mine to use. Thus putting 4 hours into their production. Overall the result was rather satisfying, after fulfilling my quota, I received my 10 [Iron Ingots] and 3 [Coal Ores] and began to produce 3 [Steel Ingots], taking about half an hour on each ingot. From then I began to produce 1 [Steel Sword] and 1 [Steel Dagger] taking up 5 hours, both came up with a quality score that surpassed 6! The next 3 hours I decided to make the remaining [Iron Ingots] into weapons to introduce lower cost items for those who can not afford steel. While I do think it is a waste as I could have used it for my equipment and all, at this point I just want some money! I want normal clothes! some good tasting food! A freaking warm bath! So while it may seem like a poor long term decision at first glance, for the sake of my sanity it is a good investment¡­ With that decided, the 7 [Iron Ingots] were made into 1 [Iron Sword], 1 [Iron Spear], and 2 [Iron Daggers]. Once I was done, I went to the exhibit hall and put out my wares. Setting up my disguise I began my pitch. ¡°SELLING ABOVE AVERAGE [STEEL SWORD] AND [STEEL DAGGER]! IRON BASED WEAPONS AS WELL AT 25% DISCOUNT!¡± I yelled. It seems this time around I am getting more looks¡­ come on someone please buy something! Pretty please! Half an hour passed¡­ An hour passed¡­ no luck¡­ I lost myself due to the frustration¡­ ¡°LIMITED TIME OFFER! 50% DISCOUNT ON ALL GOODS!¡± I screamed. From then on I got a lot more interest as people took notice and looked¡­ but that was it¡­ they all looked and no one bought a freaking thing! What in the world is wrong?!?!? The exhibit came to an end just like that and I drooped my ears and shoulders in utter disappointment¡­ then I felt the presence of someone walking towards me so I looked up to see a human man in his mid 30s, who by the look of his attire was a fellow Disciple. ¡°Having a hard time selling ha?¡± asked a human. I felt a bit uncomfortable... but steeling myself to get over the trauma I responded back. ¡°O-Only a l-little, I-I¡¯ll do better t-tomorrow!¡± I insisted, seemingly trying to convince myself. ¡°Good luck with that, your not going to do any better tomorrow or after tomorrow or any day¡± replied the human. Darn human making fun of me! ¡°A-Are you looking down on me?!?!¡± I exclaimed. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Ha ha ha, It¡¯s not that, we all know you are skilled in blacksmithing. It is hard to ignore the results of the competition after all. In my opinion, you are probably more talented than all of us¡­ but at same time that is your downfall¡± explained the human. ¡°I-I don¡¯t understand...¡± I replied, somewhat perplexed. ¡°I am sure you don¡¯t. See... the items bought by adventurers have a deep profound meaning to them. Unlike many other products, the entrust their lives to their weapons and armors. I mean last thing any adventurer wants is their weapon to snap on them at a critical juncture after all. So adventurers tend to be cautious when buying their equipment. And there is one stereotype every adventurer knows. That dwarves make the best equipment! Which is why equipment that is not made by dwarves is looked down upon. Now I know what you are thinking, can¡¯t they just check the quality score and see that they are good equipment? That is a common mistake made by smiths or other non-production professions. Long story short, they can¡¯t! We take our abilities for granted, but very few adventurers have the ability to discern goods they buy. So instead, they go to trusted sources to get the best equipment. Dwarves who have a reputation for being honest and making the best equipment is a prime choice for adventurers. So the only way to sell our goods when we are not a dwarf is to hit up a dwarf and have them sell our equipment while sharing commission. Once our reputation builds up, those adventurers who purchased our stuff will be more open for a second purchase, especially if we offer a discount from time to time. But this is where things get complicated for you. Not only are dwarves know for honesty and making good equipment. They are also known for their pride! And even more so the pride in their equipment! To put it simple, no dwarf is going to sell your equipment on your behalf. Don¡¯t get me wrong, they don¡¯t have anything against you. They just can¡¯t let go off their pride that is all. But I¡¯ll do you a favor! I¡¯ll help sell your above average equipment, and you give me 100% of your profit. Then when adventurers get used to your gear, you can sell to them directly¡± offered the human. Grrr¡­ I have some pride too you know! That is pretty much extortion! And to be honest, I for some strange reason don¡¯t feel very comfortable about selling the equipment I worked so hard to make unless I personally hand it over¡­ ¡°No way!¡± I replied. ¡°Suite yourself, you¡¯ll come back begging¡± said the human and walked away towards the cafeteria. Ugh! Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Just when things were finally starting to look up for me, god comes up with new ways to screw me over! I went and had dinner and fell asleep in a terrible mood. Even when I woke up in the morning I felt horrible. I contemplated going out and doing some quests or something to get my mind off things, but no luck¡­ I could not muster the will to go anywhere¡­ I just wanted to roll in my bed all day and pretend reality did not exist. My mood got even worse after the exhibit market, as again nobody bothered to buy anything even at 50% discount. I almost screamed out that I was going to just give them away for free just to shut up that cheeky human¡­ But luckily I resisted. If I give it away for free, it does not count towards my quota and chances are the adventurers will just use it as a throwing weapon or something. Who is going to trust a weapon given away for free after all? Only the following day did my mood finally improve with the start of a new week, and a new quota. I smelted all 50 [Iron Ingots] on that day which made me really blissful! Oh smelting, you will never betray me! You are my only friend in the whole wide world! The +1 PER for completing yet another [Creationist: Ingot Creation] quest added to the thrill as well! I didn¡¯t even bother going into the market that day, not wanting to sully my good mood. Unfortunately, you can only be in denial of reality for so long¡­ So the next day I was forced to finally cope. Despite the futility, I still made 1 [Steel Sword] and 1 [Steel Dagger] out of my [Steel Ingots] and 1 [Iron Sword], 1 [Iron Axe], and 3 [Iron Daggers] from my remaining [Iron ingots], I even made use of my [Sculpting] Level 2 to improve the looks a tad bit making them stand out more. Since my [Sculpting] was somewhat lacking for iron and steel, I did end up losing some quality. Though not too much since my ridiculously high [Blacksmithing] level and high [PER] stat helped make up for some of the deficit. So I was still able to barely retain a quality score of 6 on my wares. Now normally this would be a stupid thing to do, because once your quality score goes to 6 and above, every fraction of a point is worth stats. So effectively I am throwing stats out into the garbage. But if they can¡¯t see the quality score anyways, does it matter? Might as well make it more visually appealing, thus increasing the probability it catches someone¡¯s eyes. I don¡¯t want to give up just yet¡­ Just imagining that human¡¯s smug face saying ¡°I told you so¡± pisses me off!
Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Weapon creation] +1 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Weapon creation], has been reset.
I¡¯ll give it at least this week, if I fail to sell anything this week, then I¡¯ll look for other options. Maybe I¡¯ll get lucky and someone who can see quality will notice my wares, who knows¡­ but giving up is not the solution. I¡¯ve come way too far to just give up now! With that mindset, I again headed for the exhibition market. Volume 02: You are the only one who truly understands me (4) When I arrived at the market, strangely enough there were not too many people there¡­ The few people who were there were mostly drinking alcohol and partying¡­ strange¡­ I also did not see any buyers either¡­ Is the exhibit market closed today? Though by the looks of things they don¡¯t seem to be closed, I still see the entrance to the public still open and everything¡­ Maybe some sort of dwarven holiday or something? I walked up to the guards by the door and confirmed if the exhibit market was open today or not, and was told that the exhibit market was in fact open and I am free to sell my wares¡­ okay¡­ I don¡¯t know what to make of it but I¡¯ll take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself¡­ with no one else selling, I just might finally have my lucky break and get my first customer! I set up my weapons on display, took up my disguise and waited¡­ 30 minutes passed... no one came¡­ 1 hour passed¡­ no one came¡­ 1 hour and a half passed¡­ still no one... Grrr¡­ someone¡­ anyone¡­ please come through that door! As though listening to my plea, finally a middle aged man walked through the door. FINALLY! YES! Even though he is human, the crime of being born human I¡¯ll forgive if he buys something! Okay¡­ lets not mess this up¡­ be professional¡­ looking at him through [Identify] his level is about a Rank B adventurer¡­ so any sales to him would have an awesome return in both XP and money! He walks in and takes a look around, I use this opportunity to grab his attention. ¡°SELLING QUALITY STEEL AND IRON STUFF AT 25% DISCOUNT OF AVERAGE PRICE!¡± I yelled. Personally, I want to sell at no discount due to the monopoly. But I really want to avoid a situation where he just leaves and comes back another day¡­ With my announcement, he finally takes a notice of me and heads right for me...YES! Despite my fright, I steel myself and pronounce slowly not to stutter¡­ ¡°Please have a look at my wares¡± I urged. The man takes a look and reaches his hand down grabbing a [Steel Sword], then swings it a few times to test. YES! ¡°Hmm...¡± muttered the man. ¡°I¡¯ll take all your [Steel Swords], [Steel Daggers], [Iron Swords] and [Iron Daggers]¡± the man suddenly announced. REALLY?!?! Not only is he my first customer he is now one of my favorite customers! Yup, crime of being human forgiven just this once! ¡°Would you also like the [Iron Axe] or [Iron Spear]?¡± I slowly questioned not to stutter. ¡°No need, only the swords and daggers...¡± the man replied. I see¡­ well even without that, it is still an awesome sale! I should treat myself to something super delicious to celebrate! ¡°...but if it possible... could you make 100 [Steel Swords] or [Iron Swords] within 7 days?¡± the man adds. Ha? 100? 100 of what? He didn¡¯t say 100 swords did he? Have I misheard? ...Has my desperation finally driven me delusional? ¡°...can you repeat that?¡± I muttered.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°I said, can you make 100 [Steel Swords] or [Iron Swords]?¡± the man repeated. Congratulations Shiro! You¡¯ve officially gone insane! Now you are making imaginary friends that are buying your stuff¡­ Isn¡¯t that swell¡­ I activate [All-Observing-Eyes] just in case¡­ he is real¡­ There is no way my delusions can come up with that much detail¡­ so does this mean¡­. I ACTUALLY GOT AN ORDER FOR 100 SWORDS?!?!? OMG! God¡­ all those bad things I said about you the other night¡­ I take them back¡­ I didn¡¯t mean it¡­ My first bulk customer! I am Queen of the world! Muwhahahaha! No! lets not get ahead of myself and mess this opportunity up like I always do¡­ First lets think this through¡­ 100 swords in 7 days¡­ That means I need to make about 14 swords per day¡­ that should be doable with my skills as long as I only focus on making them average¡­ The problem is getting the materials in place¡­ I only get 100 ingots or ores per month for use¡­ But to make 100 swords I need 200. I can get 10 more ingots next week from my quota¡­ but I¡¯ll still be short 90. Which means I would need to purchase them¡­ Which effectively means I would be making 45 swords for free¡­ But then again, that is still better than nothing¡­ ¡°I-I can do 100 swords, but I can¡¯t offer a discount since it won¡¯t be my materials. I would also require a 15% downpayment...¡± I replied slowly not to stutter. I hope my requirement for market price and downpayment doesn¡¯t scare him off¡­ Of course downpayment is standard practice, but I can¡¯t help but be anxious that he will change his mind at any minute for some reason... ¡°No problem, lets sign the contract¡± the man replied. AWESOME! SUPER AWESOME! Things are finally looking up again! I wonder if he is some sort of mercenary leader and trying to stock up on weapons¡­ though why only swords? Oh well¡­ who cares¡­ as long as I get paid I am happy! We signed a contract for the order and he payed me 9 gold coins for the 3 [Steel Daggers], 9 gold coins for the 2 [Steel Swords], 1 gold and 80 silver coins for both [Iron Swords] and 3 gold for the five [Iron Daggers]. Netting me a total of 22 gold and 80 silver coins! I was literally almost shaking holding that much money! And the worst part is knowing I¡¯d have to part with 70% of it, leaving me only with 6 gold and 84 silver coins. Really¡­ No fair! But that was just the appetizer! Based on market price of 6 gold per [Steel Sword], I was given 90 gold coins for downpayment! My eyes almost jumped out of their sockets! After that, the middle aged man said his goodbyes and walked away. With him finally gone, I break into a dance and start humming in pure bliss! When I finish this order, I am going to go get myself some new clothes, and treat myself to the tastiest food I can find and then get a good bath as well! I can¡¯t wait! But first of all I need to finish this order¡­ lets not count my chickens before they hatch¡­ Sucks to be all of you celebrating and partying¡­ you all missed out on this super large awesome order! I bet ya are all jealous and regretting you didn¡¯t set up shop! Being a bit naughty, I activate [Hearing Sense] to gauge at their awing reactions¡­ ¡°poor thing...¡± ¡°I feel sorry for her...¡± ¡°I know the missy was desperate for an order but that was just too much...¡± ¡­ Ha? rather then awe or regret¡­ all the people are murmuring in¡­ pity? Why are they pitying me? Hmm¡­ could it be¡­ I see¡­ that is probably why¡­ thinking about it logically¡­ making 100 [Steel Swords] in 1 week is pretty unrealistic¡­ especially for an Intermediate Disciple¡­ and in our guild, breaking a contract has severe punishment. But little do they know that in terms of [Blacksmithing] level, I equal the Grandmaster! Add to it the class skills I got from the Advanced Disciple Gregon and Argon the Steelsmith, plus my super high [PER], something like 100 [Steel Swords] is a piece of cake! I can only imagine the reactions they¡¯ll have when I finish it! I unconsciously let out an evil grin as I make my way towards the cafeteria. ... The next day, I withdrew 100 [Iron Ore] and 100 [Coal Ore] as part of my monthly privileges. I also bought another 90 [Iron Ore] and 97 [Coal Ore] at the counter which cost me a total of 85 gold and 20 silver coins. It was painful parting with that much money¡­ but the joy of smelting helped melt that feeling away somewhat. After making the 190 [Steel Ingots], I began making the swords. Initially, most of my swords were pretty much average due to my fast pace. But surely enough, as I became more familiar even with the improved pace, I started seeing some swords get quality scores of 6 or gain bonuses more often. Once the customer tries these, he will never want to go back to inferior dwarf goods! Hehe.., Like that, a week passed by and on the last day, I finished my commission of 50 [Iron Ingots] rather quickly and proceeded to make the last 10 [Steel Swords]. From making 450 ingots, I completed 9 [Creationist: Ingot Creation] quests and got +17 PER and from making the 100 swords, I completed 10 [Creationist: Weapon Creation] quests and got +14 PER. The reason why so much more than usual? That is because I finally managed to complete the 10 quests for both ingots and weapons opening up quests with higher rewards:
[Creationist] Ingot Creation II Produce 50 tier 1 ingots with at least a quality score of 8 and/or 50 tier 2 ingots with at least a quality score of 7 and/or 50 tier 3 ingots with at least a quality score of 6 and/or 50 tier 4 ingots with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 5/10 Status: 17/50 Reward: 3 [PER]
[Creationist] Weapon Creation II Produce 10 tier 1 weapons with at least a quality score of 7 and/or 10 tier 2 weapons with at least a quality score of 6 and/or 10 tier 3 weapons with at least a quality score of 4 and/or 10 tier 4 weapons with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 3/10 Status: 1/10 Reward: 3 [PER]
Pretty awesome I would say! Of course that was not all that I have gained, you don¡¯t just make 100 [Steel Swords] without any benefit...
Level up! Creationist: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER
Once 18 o¡¯clock came, I went to the armory where the swords were temporary stored, and waited for the middle aged man while in my disguise. Volume 02: You are the only one who truly understands me (5) After about an hour of waiting in the armory, the middle aged man finally showed up. After a short inspection of the swords, he then signed off on the contract and handed me the remaining 510 gold coins. From then on he packaged all the swords together and before I knew it... they disappeared. ,
Your skill [NA][Item Box] has become Level 2
What do you know! Things get better and better! My small 1 cubic meter item box suddenly expanded to 3 cubic meters! I wish I could delay him for 5 more minutes and see if I could get him to do it again so I can get more levels, but I would not dare even try ticking off my best customer¡­ I thank him many times over and after he leaves, I head back to the counter and reluctantly part with 494 gold 46 silver coins¡­ ouch¡­ Still¡­ I was now left with 43 gold and 14 silver coins! I AM FREAKING RICH!!! IT¡¯S PARTY TIME!!! Of course it was already getting kind of late¡­ so I had to postpone it for the next day¡­ Well, that does not stop me from dreaming on how to spend the money though¡­ Thinking about for a bit, I decided to spend up to 13 gold and 21 silver coins on luxuries such as change of clothes, fancy dinner, and a nice warm bath! The remaining 30 gold coins, I will save for a later date. So while daydreaming about my promising future, I ate dinner and retired to bed. ... The next day, I woke up as always at 5 o¡¯clock, but instead of like before where I would wait till breakfast, I left the Blacksmith Guild early. My first order of business is getting some decent clothing! While I personally would like to go to the tailor shop, things are complicated because they won¡¯t let me in looking like I do now. So instead, I head towards the leather goods shop. My goal is to buy a full set of leather gear. While I technically can make a full set of steel gear for myself. There is only one problem¡­ wearing metal is pretty uncomfortable despite the high protection. This I found out the hard way after using my bronze helmet for quite a while. In comparison, my leather boots which are plated with bronze are very comfy! Of course there is downside here¡­ if I use lower quality leather, the overall item becomes worse. So this time around, I plan to just buy a full leather set of comfortable clothing, that will act as both my casual wear and also as padding underneath my combat gear. It did not take me long to arrive at the leather goods store due to its close proximity. Once there I walk through the door. ¡°Hello there missy, I¡¯ve been seein¡¯ ya here pretty often these days. So what can I do for ya?¡± asked the dwarf. ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like a leather shirt, pants, boots and helmet. Preferably, ones that have the best comfort and most presentable. Of course by presentable I mean in casual terms, nothing that would make me stand out too much please...¡± I requested. ¡°Hmm¡­ lets me see what I can do for ya missy¡± said the dwarf and walked into the back. A few minutes he came back with a bunch of things in hand and showed them to me. After sorting through the stuff, I ended picking a set of light brown matte leather which had a clean modern look. It also had a hood just in case I needed to leave behind my mantle. The total cost of the items was pretty high at 1 gold and 15 silver coins, it had no stats but the comfort and design was pretty good giving it an extra premium feel. It was also light enough to wear under my gear while being durable. Since it was near my size overall, it only took half an hour to refit it to my fit. After putting on my new clothes, since I looked somewhat more presentable, I headed for the tailor shop. Personally I am not too fond of the place but its the only place I can get the things I need. I arrive to the shop and open the door. ¡°Welcome!¡­ You again?¡± said the shop owner lady while glaring at me. Somehow I don¡¯t feel all that welcome¡­ but I have to endure!Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°I-I would like to order s-some clothes, I have t-the money if need b-be¡± I replied and took out some gold coins to show. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you stole that money, but we don¡¯t serve beastkin in our shop¡­ now get out before you get your fur on our wares!¡± declared the shop owner lady. Seriously?!?! I guess it is hard to forget THESE people still exist ha¡­ But even so, I have to swallow my pride just this once¡­ ¡°P-Please¡­ I-I did not steal the m-money, I am a r-respectable Intermediate Disciple at the B-Blacksmithing Guild... I¡¯ll b-be willing to p-pay a premium if n-need be¡± I pleaded. She took a short glance at the gold coins with a greedy glint in her eyes, then after pondering it for a bit... ¡°What exactly do you need made?¡± reluctantly inquired the shop owner lady. ¡°A f-few pairs of comfortable u-underwear...¡± I respond slightly embarrassed. Yes, the thing I am looking for to the point of swallowing up my pride is some comfortable underwear¡­ Wearing the same ragged underwear for about 2 months is really getting on my nerves... They had some underwear in the second hand shop, but something about that doesn¡¯t sit well with me. I could have maybe asked Tanya to tailor it, though based on my skill level 1 and my high [PER] it tells me that it would be too difficult for her to work with any quality material. ¡°Hmm¡­ alright, if you are willing to pay 4 gold coins each. Though the one making them will be my apprentice, I ain¡¯t touching no filthy beastkin¡± the shop owner lady sneered. TALK ABOUT A RIPOFF! It is like I am being overcharged 10X! ¡°U-Under the c-condition I get to see the p-process¡± I declared. If I am going to be overcharged, might as well make something out of it! Preferably so that I don¡¯t ever have to come to this place ever again! ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t care¡± declared the shop owner lady. After some consideration, I put down 8 gold on the counter to get 2 pairs made. ¡°Mary, go take care of it in the back, and make sure she leaves through the back and never comes through the front door ever again. Last thing I want is my shop¡¯s reputation to be tarnished¡± said the shop owner lady. ¡°Yes mistress, as you command¡± replied Mary after stopping her thread weaving by the corner. I was then led to the back of the shop and had my measurements taken, she then began making my underwear.
Your skill [NP][Tailoring] has become Level 2
Only after seeing that box did my mood slightly improve. Of course I was pretty cautious and paid detailed attention to what she was doing. Not only was it to learn how to make the stuff myself, but also to insure I don¡¯t get jibbed by them secretly putting in lower quality materials.
Your skill [NP][Tailoring] has become Level 3
After a total of 3 hours, she finished both pairs. Level 3 seemed to have been her limit, and she unfortunately did not have enough non-combat class levels to net me any sort of class skill¡­ Once I received my 2 pairs of underwear, I quietly left through the back vowing to never return. From there, I went to the main street and off to the side I visited a bathing house. The cost of entry was 1 silver coin, though I was told I could not use the main bath and had to use the smaller side bath. The reason I was that beastkin were separated out due to their fur¡­ It¡¯s like everyone is on purpose trying to ruin my day?!?! Regardless, once I washed up and got in the warm bath I was in paradise¡­ its been so long since I had one¡­ I made sure to wash up properly, including brushing my white furry tail to its pristine, smooth condition. You''d never know when I¡¯ll get another chance after all. After spending an hour enjoying the bath, I reluctantly get out, dry myself and put on my new comfortable underwear. Finally for the first time since coming to this world I feel squeaky clean! Afterwards, I asked around the area for a good place to have lunch, and found just the spot. It was an expensive place where it costs 3 gold to rent out a private room, where a chef makes the food right in front of you kind of like teppanyaki I would say. And it was extremely delicious!
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Cooking] Level 1 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist:Improve your production skills], has been reset.
In more ways than one * grin * I specifically requested a dwarf chef of course since I couldn¡¯t exactly eat in comfort in front of a human one¡­ He was pretty surprised to see a Beastkin rent out a room in such an expensive place, especially one as young as myself. He cooked for about 30 minutes getting my Cooking skill to Level 4. Though unfortunately it was not enough time to get any class based skills. But its okay, if I keep selling my wares at this rate, I¡¯d be able to treat myself to this place at least once a month, if not sooner! I also noticed something else. When someone with [Cooking] skill makes food, there seems to be some benefits via temporary stat buffs. From then on, I decided to walk around town and see the sights. I was contemplating visiting the art store to see if I could get [Sculpting] but decided against it for the time being, not wanting another repeat of the tailoring shop and thus ruining my day. On top of that, the improvements I get from [PER] increases has started to decrease in efficiency. As I learned when I got the [IPR] stat, it is more complicated than it originally seems. Unlike stats like [STR], [AGI] and etc which are more complete. Unlocked stats are often times incomplete, so you need other stats to balance them. So effectively, there was a bunch of things I was missing that was too much for me to process with my [PER]. Only with increases to my [INT], [WIS] or [IPR] will I be able to comprehend all the information my [PER] picks up. In that sense, it was also good that I picked up [END] which helped balance the [POW] stat that I got. After walking around and exploring the town, visiting the park and relaxing here and there. I then went to the best steak house that allowed beastkin for dinner. The cost was an astonishing 1 gold coin just for 1 steak! But the steak was the best buttered steak I have ever eaten! * drool * It also seems like ever since I became a Catkin, my desire for meat has taken a sharp increase as well¡­ Now that my holiday was out of the way, time to get serious. My next order of business is 2 things. The first one is obviously to get more customers and sell more stuff. The second order of business is to attempt to make a [Holy-steel Blacksmithing Hammer]! Unlike my previous hammers which lasted me a few days to maybe a week or so at most, this one will be quite different. Considering the almost impossibility of getting my hands on mithril and the difficulty in making something out of it. The [Holy-steel Blacksmithing Hammer] will most likely be my limit for quite a long time. So I need to put in extra effort to insure it comes out well. When I came to the blacksmithing guild, I put down 14 gold and 40 silver to get 2X [Iron Ore] and 2X [Coal Ore] with quality score of 8. Which is the best quality score available in this town. I then cast [Light Magic: Holy Light] on the [Coal Ore] using almost all of my mana and then went to sleep for the day. With that my first holiday officially ended. Volume 02: You are the only one who truly understands me (6) The next morning, I filled up my [Coal Ore] with more holy power. Then instead of having breakfast, I decided to leave early again and headed for the Alchemist Guild. I figured since I am waiting on mana anyways, might as well practice making potions. I also reevaluated the necessity of mana potions now that I know I can use mana to enhance my gear. But first I¡¯ll start with the health potion. Unfortunately, I missed the second round of selections for the Alchemist Guild this time around due to the huge order, not that I am regretting it or anything. I paid 50 iron coins and rented out a mini-lab at the Alchemist Guild for 5 hours. It was more expensive than I initially thought, but still within my affordable range. I began processing a [Dire Milkweed] which took me about half an hour to ensure highest quality while also paying attention to the details. From then on, I spent 2 hours making a potion. Since my first attempt, my [PER] stat has increased by quite a bit. Not only that, I also got things like [IPR] and some level ups to help me! Add in my prior experience and the results weren¡¯t too bad for a second attempt.
Lesser Health Potion A semi-poor quality lesser health potion. Used to restore health. +18 HP +17 HP/min for 5 min [Made by Shiro] Quality 2.8764/10.000
At the very least the potion was over 3X better than my first attempt to say the least. Of course I also received a new quest due to breaking through the quality score of 1:
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
[Creationist] Potion Making Make at least 10 potions with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/10 Reward: 1 [PER]
Since I had another 2 and a half hours, I made another attempt at making yet another potion, and the results were even better.
Lesser Health Potion An okay quality lesser health potion. Used to restore health. +22 HP +20 HP/min for 5 min [Made by Shiro] Quality 3.3982/10.0000
This concluded my 5 hours at the lab, based on what I feel from my [PER] and my experience, I can tell that as-is, reaching a quality score of 4 would be impossible without more insight. So there was no point of continuing on making [Lesser Health Potions] for the time being. I get 2 meat skewers by the stalls since I am low on time today and head out of the city towards the forest. My goal this time is similar to before, [Dire Foxes] and herbs. Except this time around I have no plan on cashing in any of the herbs. Frankly put, it isn¡¯t worth it at this point. I did it before because I needed every coin I could muster but now the situation has changed. Looking at the costs at the alchemist guild, an average [Lesser Health Potion] sells for 1 silver coin! But when I cash in that [Dire Milkweed] via quest, I would only get 3 iron and 50 copper coins, and that is including the cash-in reward. Talk about a ripoff! Of course I can¡¯t exactly sell my potions anyways, since selling potions requires certification from the Alchemist Guild. But regardless, now that I have some money, I¡¯d rather store the herbs and practice with them when I have the opportunity. As for the [Dire Foxes], I have 2 reasons for hunting them. The first reason is that I plan to take the meat and try the [Cooking] skill out a bit. And the second reason is that I want to test out that mithril katar! Especially the magic option¡­ I always wanted to try magic, but got cheated out with only healing magic! Also, since my [Item Box] increased in size, I can now store all 5 [Dire Foxes]. So collecting them will be a lot more convenient than before. It did not take me long to spot a [Dire Fox] and I employed the same strategy I did before, I let it notice me. Have it sneak up and [Sprint] at me as I quickly turn around and [Charge] straight at it aiming for its eyes with [Wind Blade]! ¡°Eh?¡± I reflexively mutter. That was kind of unexpected¡­ hmm¡­ I look around and see the [Dire Fox] right behind me¡­ cleanly split into 2¡­ I probably should be extra careful about using that magic option¡­ It seems to be quite... overkill... especially when I actually need the pelts. Not to mention, one wrong step and I feel I may accidentally injure myself¡­ From then on I focused on killing [Dire Foxes] while collecting herbs on the side. I managed to finally kill 5 [Dire Foxes], but still had 3 hours to spare till the exhibition. So after finding a safe spot near the town, I made a fire and attempted cooking the fox meat. After half an hour of making the [Dire Fox Meat Skewers], the results were okay I guess?
Dire Fox Meat Skewers A semi-poor quality dire fox meat skewers. Used to sedate hunger and temporarily raise stats +5 Stamina for 24 hours [Made by Shiro] Quality 2.5193/10.0000
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Of course I also got the accompanying quest along side it.
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
[Creationist] Food creation Produce 100 food servings with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/100 Reward: 1 [PER]
From each [Dire Fox], I get about 10 servings of meat and each serving is about 2 meat skewers. I managed to cook 10 meat skewers or about 5 servings. I ate 2 of the [Dire Fox Meat Skewers] and stored the rest for a later time. I only managed to collect 5 herbs this time around since I got distracted pwning with the mithril katar. Either way, I decided to head back and cash in the [Dire Fox Pelts] and some of the remaining [Dire Fox Meat]. After doing so I returned to the exhibit market, and tried selling my remaining [Iron Axe] and [Iron Spear], even going as far as offering 50% discount, but unfortunately no luck... * sigh * After dinner, I again proceeded to load holy power into the [Coal Ore] and went to bed. ... The next 3 days passed pretty similar, the only difference was that I spent only 3 hours in the Alchemists Guild and attempted [Lesser Mana Potions] instead. Unfortunately luck was not on my side as not only did I fail to get above quality score of 1. The results in themselves failed to restore any mana, or even if they did, it was noted to have some negative side effects. After I finished making the potions, I would proceed to gathering herbs and hunt [Dire Foxes]. From then on, I would proceed to cook the [Dire Foxes] into skewers. Unlike my other production skills, Cooking quickly got to quality score of 5. The reason being is that I have some prior experience cooking in the previous world, not to mention [PER] also helps me with my sense of taste, thus allowing me another way to judge the flaws in the food. I can¡¯t exactly chew on my swords and no way am I gonna attempt drinking an alchemical made potion with unknown negative side effects. When I was done cooking the foxes, I would cash in the quest in the guild and then head for the exhibition hall in my futile attempts to sell my axe and spear. Effectively, same old same old. Then finally came my quota day! And I happily smelted the 50 [Iron Ingots] in 1 day! Thus receiving my reward of 10 [Iron Ingots] and 3 [Coal Ores]. This of course meant that I finished my [Creationist: Ingot Creation II] quest. But the shocking thing came right after.
Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Ingot Creation II] +3 PER has been attained
Your [PER] stat has exceeded 300. The quality of the [PER] stat has improved.
Again my eyes began to change as things became more and more clear, the details I could not notice before became so apparent like they were always there. After that, instead of smithing something out of my reward, I instead took a rest and got used to my new and improved eye-sight. I then repeated the hunting regime for 3 more days until I felt that I saved up enough Holy Power to begin the next phase to my plan. The following day, I began my hardest struggle yet! I began the work day smelting the first [Holy-steel Ingot], the ingot smelting process took up the entire day as I was extremely careful! I also noticed something interesting with production jobs. That the most intensive and critical part of the entire process is the finalization. It is the point between the item taking form and being registered into the system. I took advantage of that knowledge and made sure to activate [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload] for a few seconds at the end! This not only improved what I saw, it also helped me raise my supporting stats such as [IPR], [INT] and [WIS] to fill in some of the gaps in my unusually high [PER]. Of course the increase in [PER] also helped as well raising my skills a bit. To improve the outcome, I even made sure to go out and eat the best food that increased my [INT] and [WIS] at the cost of 1 gold coin per serving! Any little thing I could think of to help me, I took advantage off. That includes spending my 1 remaining Free Point into INT. Taking full advantage of stats is also one of the reasons why I chose to make a Arm-Blade Katar. the fact that I could use it without my hands is not just limited to combat and works just fine during smithing as well! I wish I could have made other items to increase [INT] and [WIS], but unfortunately it could only be done with items that have high compatibility with mana. Finally, after spending an entire day on it, my first [Holy-steel Ingot] was complete!
Holy-steel Ingot A semi-superior quality ingot. Used in the production of metallic goods Quality 7.8583/10.0000
Unfortunately I ended up dropping from a quality score of 8¡­ but regardless the results could be said to be extremely good! Beyond excellent even! The next day I repeated the same process yet again, taking up yet another day, but with a tad more experience at the finalization process.
Holy-steel Ingot A semi-superior quality ingot. Used in the production of metallic goods Quality 7.9212/10.0000
I was still not able to keep the 8 quality score but regardless, it was a decent improvement considering the difficulty. With my 2 ingots done, the next day I began to smith the hammer! I poured everything I had and more into the completion of this hammer! I could not afford to slack or lose focus for even a moment! I spent the entire day working on it since 5 o¡¯clock. When I felt I was almost done, I activated [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload] and began the finalization process! But unlike before a few seconds were not enough as I raced against time to finish my hammer! Time was ticking but the finalization process was not done¡­ 10 seconds passed¡­ 20 seconds passed¡­ 30 seconds passed¡­ I was half way into my [Overload] but it was still not finalized¡­ 40 seconds passed¡­ 50 seconds passed¡­ I was getting desperate at this point but I did not lose focus! 55 seconds passed¡­ 56¡­ 57¡­. 58¡­ 59... I barely managed the final hit right at the end of the final second of the minute¡­ * collapse * ¡­ ¡­ ... ¡°Ar ¨C - y ¨C ¨C - ka- - - m - - sy¡± I heard a voice. I barely open up my eyes and see the dwarf that is always at the counter looking over me and saying something¡­ ouch! My head hurts like hell! After a bit I was finally able to make out what he was saying. ¡°Are ya okay missy?¡± repeated the dwarf. ¡°Where am I...¡± I muttered still a bit confused. ¡°We are at the forge, I was about to close up the place when I saw ya collapsed on the floor¡± the dwarf explained. Why was I here... and why was I on the floor¡­ pondering for a bit, a sudden realization hit me! ¡°THE HAMMER!¡± I yelled out. ¡°Hammer?¡± asked the dwarf somewhat confused. I took a look around and set my eyes on my beautiful new hammer! It was pure white, which is why I will call it Angelica!
You have surpassed your limits of Blacksmithing and created an item down from the bottom of your soul! Due to the workmanship, effort and bond that you share, the item has been granted a name! [¡°Angelica¡± the Holy-steel Blacksmithing Hammer] has been born! Level up! Creationist: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER
¡°¡­¡± What does that mean?
¡°Angelica¡± the Holy-steel Blacksmithing Hammer A Holy-steel blacksmithing hammer created by a catkin who put her very heart and soul into making a hammer to help make her dreams possible. Her close bond with the creation process and her will to push the item beyond her abilities has granted it a name. +61 STR +49 DEX +37 INT + 36 WIS -150 AGI +19 ATK +61% improvement for Blacksmithing +24% improvement for Blacksmithing magical items +31% improvement for Blacksmithing holy magical items +93% penalty for Blacksmithing demonic magical items [Grant Holy Power] Imbue an item with holy power. Items which are magical but not demonic will gain holy power. None magical items may gain a 1 time magical use ability (200 holy power is consumed) [Passive] Absorb holy power around your surroundings ( 1 Holy Power per hour ) [Restriction] Holy Power can not be refilled through means other than passive regeneration Bonus: 5% improvement for Blacksmithing Naming: 25% improvement to all stats (exceeds the limit), durability loss is halved Holy Power: 350/400 [Made by Shiro] Durability: 5000/5000 Quality 6.1204/10.0000
I could not believe my eyes¡­ not only that¡­ I felt a close bond with Angelica beyond of what I felt with anything before! It was like literally screaming ¡°hug me¡±¡­ so I did¡­ Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr~ Before I knew it I started puring from how comfortable it felt¡­ Then my eyes met with the dwarf... ¡°Hii!?!?¡± I yelped. He saw me! He saw me! He saw me! Those thoughts filled my mind as I tried to come up with some sort of excuse, then hide somewhere where no one would ever find me! Noticing he had my attention. ¡°If ya are done, I¡¯d like to close up¡± said the dwarf seemingly paying little mind to my embarrassing display. I hurriedly nod in rapid succession and bolt to my room as fast as I could! Then I quickly jumped into bed, trying to hide from the world in my embarrassment! I cuddle up to Angelica as my only bastion of security¡­ Purrrrrrrrrrr~ Like that I fall asleep without even eating dinner, curled up in a ball around Angelica¡­ Volume 02: The gears of fate I could not avoid (1) The next day, I woke up not wanting to let go of Angelica at all¡­ Though since my stats were lowered by 50%, I had a pretty good excuse to do nothing anyways¡­ That said, I did not forget to fill up one of my [Coal Ores] with holy power for later use... I even skipped out on breakfast and instead ate the [Dire Fox Meat Skewers] I saved up. Interestingly enough, it seems that heat was somewhat retained when it was stored in the [Item Box]. Though I am not sure if this is a time freeze kind of thing or time is just slowed down. I''ll have to experiment with it later. Since I had nothing to do during these 2 days, I decided to put together some plans moving forward. Frankly put, as much as I love blacksmithing things, I am kind of at a dead end. There is very little room for improvement anymore outside of level ups. And I can¡¯t level up my Creationist class because no one is buying my stuff. Which means to go forward in the most efficient way possible, I need to create gear for myself and go out there and fight myself. In this way I can raise both Creationist and my racial level at the same time. The safest way to accomplish that is making myself a full Holy-steel set¡­ The question is¡­ how do I go about it? For a steel item to count as holy-steel, it needs to retain at least 100 Holy Power. Any less than that, and the holy power will not be balanced and disappear. If that happens, at best, you will get a steel item with only a one time use ability. That said, I currently lack the mana and materials to make a full Holy-steel set... I will get them both over time¡­ but if I think about it overall, it would take me at least half a month to put together a full protective set, if not more. The other option is to hurry things along by the use of money. Effectively, I would buy the ores I am missing, and get mana potions to make up for the lack of mana. The downside with this approach is that I have no reoccurring income, if I decide to spend my money now, I would be taking a pretty large risk. Of course food and shelter is provided for me, but I do want some luxuries from time to time¡­ Hmmm¡­ lets just calculate exactly how much money I would need. Since I am making equipment sized for a child, I need less ingots than making full sized adult gear. Which is a good thing I guess... Helmet ¨C 2 ingots Chest piece ¨C 4 ingots Pants ¨C 3 ingots Boots ¨C 2 ingots Bracers ¨C 2 ingots That should probably provide me with with full protection... From what I heard, one can wear and get stats from up to 25 items. But there is a catch, without some exceptions like naming that breaks the limit. You can not exceed 3X your base stats with gear. Hence a low level person can¡¯t just equip super powerful gear and one shot everything. Though one could argue becoming 3X stronger in itself will get you quite an advantage. There is also a limitations on how powerful a single item can be, hence my mithril katar had to be specifically level limited to be usable. Though those limitations are somewhat lifted when talking about items that assist in production such as Angelica. This item advantage though is a relative one, as monsters have superior bodies to us humanoids, thus evening each other out. My plan right now is not to get all 25 items though, but to maximize my safety, so the pieces I need to make should offer full body protection. Those alone should be enough to increase my stats close to 3X fold. Though I want to be sure to stay under that amount or the equipment would put a huge [Mental] strain on me. Now then, back on track. I need a total of 13 ingots. I already have most of the iron portion and have 3 [Coal Ores]. Now that I think about it¡­ Today is a new quota day isn¡¯t it? Unfortunately I¡¯ll have to wait till my weakened state from [Overload] wears off, so I can¡¯t try out Angelica until then¡­ no fair... * sigh *Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. So anyways, I can safely say I will have all the [Iron Ores] and 6 [Coal Ores]. That means I am 7 [Coal Ores] short. Since it will take me some time to make the stuff anyways, I can say it is more like 4 [Coal Ores]. If I am fine with quality score of 5, the cost would be about 2 gold and 40 silver coins for the ores. I am not too worried about exceeding the quality score at this point because it makes little sense in terms of cost to performance ratio. I¡¯d rather make an extra piece if need be then to spend double or quadruple to attempt a higher quality score. As for the MP portion, each item needs a minimum of 100 MP per ingot. Which turns out to a minimum of 1300 MP. I can use the special option on Angelica to fill up 2 ingots with 200 holy power each. So the actual total I need is 1100 MP. Assuming my 30 MP and my regeneration rate, if I continue my trend of filling up 2-3 times, I should be able to manage at least 60 MP per day. So it would take 18 days to get that much MP. Of course during that time Angelica will refill 1 more times so the actual amount is 17 days. That said, these numbers are the bare minimum, and I would actually need more to account for loss. A [Lesser Mana Potion] goes for 20 silver coins and recovers 10 MP instantly plus 10 extra MP every minute for 5 minutes. Aka, enough to refill me 2X over. If I take 3 [Lesser Mana Potions] per day, I should be able to use 240 MP per day. Thus lowering the time I need to fill them up with MP to only 5 days. So I think about 12 [Lesser Mana Potions] should be enough¡­ That brings the total I would need to spend for both ores and potions at 4 gold and 80 silver coins. Now that I think about it¡­ that is far less than I originally expected. As far as the time it would take to make the stuff, with the help of Angelica and the experience I gained working with Holy-steel, I should be able to make all 7 items in about a week I would say... The faster I make my gear, the faster I can level up and the faster I can kill stronger monsters and do higher level quests. If I save myself 10 days, I could probably make back at least half the money during those days with ease. Yup, lets go with that strategy then! Since I still had time in the day and nothing to do, I went to the counter and bought 4 [Coal Ores], then I headed out towards the Alchemists Guild. On the way to the Alchemists Guild I also stopped by to buy some more of the best food which gives INT and WIS. The 7 servings cost me an additional 7 gold coins. Now normally you would think that I would be better off buying higher quality ore for that money, but that is not the case. Since even if I bought ores with quality score of 6, I would still end up with a quality score of 5 Holy-steel item. And since anything at quality score of 5 is subject to the law of averages, the benefits are non-existent. The food is more than enough to help insure I don¡¯t drop to a quality score of 4, and since it raises stats that support PER, I actually gain far more insight into smithing. So it offers both short term and long term benefits. This is all a matter of optimizing efficiency, not because I am being biased towards the more delicious option... It just so happens that the better option is more delicious, that¡¯s all¡­ yup! No bias at all~ After buying the food and the 12 [Lesser Mana Potions] at the Alchemists Guild, my savings dropped to a pitiful 1 gold, 26 silver and 15 iron coins. It was just a few days ago that I was so rich¡­ where did it all go? Once my shopping was done, I went back to the Blacksmithing Guild and had some dinner, filled some [Coal Ore] with Holy Power, and went straight to bed. ... The 2 days passed, and my weakened state was now gone, thus I could finally take Angelica for a spin! So like that I went to smelt some ores! The bliss I got when using Angelica was even stronger than when I used Johnny, Tommy or Carol! It was out of this world! It did not take me long to smelt the 50 [Iron Ingots], thus I claimed the 10 [Iron Ingots] and 3 [Coal Ores] as my reward. And like always, I managed to get my +3 PER for completing my [Creationist: Ingot Creation II] quest. After finishing smelting, I had dinner and went to bed. Next week is going to be hectic! Either way I am pretty positive about the future as things are going now! Thinking about that, in due time sleep overtook me. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ... * GASP * I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night as a strange feeling overtook me. I was panting like crazy and had a cold sweat... WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT?!?! I took a quick glance around me but nothing seemed strange¡­ then I noticed a blue box
Level up! Creationist: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER Level up! Creationist: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER
What exactly happened just now¡­ that was no nightmare¡­ what is this... feeling¡­ I understand the feeling of a level up¡­ and this is similar¡­ yet different¡­ If I were to try to somehow describe this ¡°feeling¡± that I am going through to the best of my ability¡­ it¡¯s like finding out you won the lottery, and coming home and finding your pet is dead¡­ This mixed feeling of happiness¡­ and dread¡­ * shiver * Why is this happening?¡­ Is it because I got 2 levels ups at once or something? No, I don¡¯t think so¡­ There is no way that level ups would give you the feeling of loss¡­ it¡¯s not possible¡­ something happened but I just don¡¯t know what¡­ Is it maybe my high PER stat warning me about something? Kind of like predicting the future or something like that¡­ but it somehow doesn¡¯t feel like that¡­ It feels like the loss already happened... I used my hand to wipe away my sweat only to notice for some reason... tears are dripping down my face¡­ why¡­ I shrivel up in bed confused and frightened by this strange sensation that I have never felt before¡­ Slowly but steadily the bliss from the large amount of XP faded and only dread remained¡­ then eventually all that was left was a hollow emptiness... I could not pinpoint the source of this emptiness in my heart, so I huddled Angelica with all my strength and in due time fell asleep. Volume 02: The gears of fate I could not avoid (2) When I woke up the next day, I still felt some of the residue feeling from yesterday. To throw that feeling away, after eating a serving of INT and WIS food, I began smelting the [Holy-steel Ingots]. During the process, I used Angelica¡¯s option to grant it 200 Holy Power. It took me about 3 hours to smelt the [Holy-steel ingot]. So far the quality did not seem to suffer too much, I then did the same and created a second ingot using the Angelica¡¯s remaining Holy Power. Then I began to work on the simplest part of the set, the bracers. This took me about 7 hours of hard excruciating work, if not for Angelica it would have been much harder though. From my experience working with Holy-steel, I noticed that the magical ability that I grant an item is strictly tied down to the properties of holy and light. So as long as it is within the abilities of that magic system, I should be able to transfer it to my item. And that is what I did.
Holy-steel Power Imbued Bracer of Minor Strength An average bracer made out of holy-steel that has been specialized by its creator to fit a young child. +15 STR +10 AGI +10 DEX +5 VIT +5 INT +5 WIS +250 DEF [Imbue Holy Power] Surround your arm in holy power protecting your arm and at same time imbuing your arm attacks with holy damage. Weight is reduced to 0 ( 50 Holy Power per minute ) Bonus: +3 STR Holy Power: 200/200 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 - Bonus: +2 STR Level 20 - Bonus: +3 STR Owner Restriction: Creator (Shiro) Benefit: +1 STR [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1000/1000 Quality 5.0014/10.0000
Luckily both bracers came out the same with minor difference in quality, both surpassing the quality score of 5. I also took advantage of what I learned from the Grandmaster and made some minor room for growth as well. Unfortunately, I lacked the skill to make it fully adapt to level like he did. That said, I¡¯ll worry about it when the time comes. From then on I went to eat dinner, put mana inside some [Coal Ore] and went to sleep. ... The following day, I again repeated the same process of eating INT and WIS food, and putting mana into [Coal Ore]. The difference this time around is I used a [Lesser Mana Potion]. Then I began on working on the next item. This time around I got a little bit of insight on how to approach things more efficiently. The item I decided to work on is the helmet. But unlike my previous items, I decided to focus more on the magical portion of the item. The results overall were pretty good.
Holy-steel Shifting Coif of Knowledge An average coif made out of holy-steel that has been specialized by its creator to adapt to its owner. +5 STR +5 AGI +5 DEX +5 VIT +15 INT +15 WIS +250 DEF [Light Shift] Expand and contract the item to the desired size, weight becomes proportional to size ( 50 Holy Power ¨C activation, 1 Holy Power per hour - maintenance ) [Weightlessness] Reduce weight of the item to 0 (1 Holy Power per minute) Bonus: +3 INT Holy Power: 200/200 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 - Bonus: +2 INT Level 20 - Bonus: +3 INT Owner Restriction: Creator (Shiro) Benefit: +1 INT [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1000/1000 Quality 5.0002/10.0000
Yes, I thought about this very carefully. What I am lacking is [IPR], [INT] and [WIS] to offset my high [PER]. With the creation of my bracers it suddenly came to me, why not just offset it by prioritizing the gear that gives those stats? Even without knowing offensive magics, being able to utilize my [PER] better in itself is worth it to an extent. The second idea I came up with is spending the option into form changing. This might seem like sacrificing fighting prowess for convenience, but far from it! It allows me to turn the helmet into something like a hairpin so that not only does it not stand out, it also creates a false assumption of weakness. Which I may be able to take advantage off in certain situations. The downside to such flexibility though is the maintenance. Whenever I don¡¯t use it as a Coif, after form changing I have to constantly feed it holy power. Considering I plan to use it as a Coif in general combat situations, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. And like that I began to work on my other pieces for the next 5 days, that of course included spending a part of one day working on my quota as well. I focused on dividing up the stats between gear maintaining an overall balance. Another thing I tried to keep consistent is reducing the weight of the armor during activation, this allows me to make full use of my high speed when necessary while still having solid protection. Usually speed types go for leather after all, due to it being light and flexible. In my case, I will have high armor when standing still, while at same time being able to move fast without restraint. Of course I do sacrifice some protection in adding these options. But overall, I think it is well worth it, because my goal is not to fight monsters who are stronger than me with my equipment, but those that are weaker than me. Which means I should be able to end the fight quickly, if not, run away. Hence the point of this configuration. Luckily, things like making it light is a cheap option for the holy attribute.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. I also account for the flexibility by use of chainmail at the joints, while using plate to cover my vitals.
Holy-steel Rejuvenation Imbued Boot of Minor Agility An average boot made out of holy-steel that has been specialized by its creator to fit a young child. +15 AGI +10 STR +10 DEX +5 VIT +5 INT +5 WIS +250 DEF [Imbue Holy Rejuvenation] Surround your leg in holy power protecting your leg and at same time reducing stamina consumption. Weight is reduced to 0 ( 25 Holy Power per minute ) Bonus: +3 AGI Holy Power: 100/100 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 - Bonus: +2 AGI Level 20 - Bonus: +3 AGI Owner Restriction: Creator (Shiro) Benefit: +1 AGI [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1000/1000 Quality 5.2826/10.0000
Holy-steel Protection Imbued Breastplate of Minor Vitality An average breastplate made out of holy-steel that has been specialized by its creator to fit a young child. +15 VIT +10 STR +10 AGI +5 DEX +5 INT +5 WIS +250 DEF [Imbue Holy Protection] Surround your entire body in holy power protecting you. Weight is reduced to 0 ( 50 Holy Power per minute in activated mode, 1 Holy Power per minute in automatic mode ) Bonus: +3 VIT Holy Power: 400/400 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 - Bonus: +2 VIT Level 20 - Bonus: +3 VIT Owner Restriction: Creator (Shiro) Benefit: +1 VIT [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1500/1500 Quality 5.3707/10.0000
Holy-steel Enhancing Legplates An average legplates made out of holy-steel that has been specialized by its creator to fit a young child. +10 STR +10 AGI +10 DEX +10 VIT +5 INT +5 WIS +250 DEF [Holy Enchance] Allows you to transfer Holy Power and/or enhance the Holy Power of other items Bonus: +1 STR +1 AGI +1 DEX Holy Power: 300/300 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 15 - Bonus: +1 STR +1 AGI Level 20 - Bonus: +1 STR +1 AGI +1 DEX Owner Restriction: Creator (Shiro) Benefit: +1 DEX [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1000/1000 Quality 5.5908/10.0000
After those 7 days I was dead tired. Not only did I manage to make myself 7 new pieces of gear, I also managed to smelt 50 [Iron Ingots] during that time. Granting me +3 [PER] from my [Creationist: Ingot Creation II] quest and +1 PER for finishing my [Creationist: Armor Creation] quest. But regardless I was super thrilled! My total bonuses from these 7 pieces plus my mithril arm-blade katar end up as: STR: +101 AGI: +124 VIT: +68 DEX: +72 INT: +58 WIS: +52 With this, I am pretty close to 2-3X my stats. Yup, I have become totally OP! And white¡­ totally white¡­ white gear, white hair¡­ all white¡­ I am just missing some wings and I can pass off as an angel hehe Anyways¡­ Now that I finally got all this awesome gear... it is time to proceed to the next step! But before that¡­ sleep¡­ I am dead tired so I collapse on the bed and retire for the day. ... The next day, I visit the Adventurers Guild to see what quests are available and give my new equipment a field trial. Looking at Rank E quests which I can now take, I see [Collection: Dire Wolf Pelts] which gives 7 silver coins + market price aka 35 iron coins each for 5 pelts, [Subjugation: Ravenous Coyotes] which gives 5 silver coins for 5, [Subjugation: Forest Goblins] which gives 8 silver coins for 1, and [Subjugation: Kobolds] which also gives 8 silver coins for 1. It also seems some of these Subjugations give bonuses if you bring more people, but since I am alone I don¡¯t qualify for any. Now then¡­ which quest should I take? Logically speaking, it is best to be efficient and do multiple quests at once. In that sense the [Subjugation: Kobolds] is out of the question despite me wanting to stock up on some [Red Cave Moss]. It¡¯s not like I am in a hurry or anything, so I can do it later if need be. On the stuff I can double down on is the [Ravenous Coyotes] and [Horned Rabbits] since they are around the same areas in the plains. And also the [Forest Goblins], [Dire Wolves] and [Dire Foxes] at same time since they are all in the forest. The only downside with going for the goblins is that according to what I remember, they are pretty deep into the forest. So unless I happen to find a strangler scout, I would need to spend the night outside the town which I have no plans on doing. To begin with, these quests seem to be aimed at specifically to encourage adventurers to take out the scouts if they meet any. Thinking about it, I decided to go for the [Ravenous Coyotes] and [Horned Rabbits]. My reasoning is that [Dire Wolves] can sometime be in packs, which may be more troublesome. It is probably not an issue since I have my new armor, but again I don¡¯t want to end up dead just cause I got careless and full of myself. So first I¡¯ll see how strong a level 15 monster really is. The other benefit is that [Subjugation: Ravenous Coyotes] has a special marker on it for today, which indicated that this quest has some urgency. Usually due to outbreaks and the like, this meant that the rewards for this quest would be increased by a whopping 50%! On top of that, since both the monsters I¡¯ll be hunting are new monsters, I may be able to get some new skills as well. With my mind made up, I set out towards the plains. Since my [AGI] has increased so much, despite my heavy armor, the rate at which I move has also increased by quite a bit, so it did not take me long to get there. From then on, I used my usual [Smell Sense] and [Presence Sense] to try to locate the monsters I was looking for. Which interestingly enough was much easier than in the forest. Probably because the open field lets smell travel easier. The first thing I found was a level 7 [Horned Rabbit], of course unlike a forest there was pretty much no cover so it spotted me virtually instantly. It then rushed straight at me and quickly accelerated at me with its horn!
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Thrust] Level 1
Of course with my improved stats, it was nothing more than a joke. I used [Evasion] to dodge it to the side like it was nothing. Then wanting to test the sharpness of my mithril katar, I used [Slice] right at the base of its horn cutting it cleanly off. The [Horned Rabbit] didn¡¯t even realize that its lost its horn as it again tried to stab right at me¡­ or would it be more accurate to say it tried to head bash me since it was missing its horn? I quickly spun around and beheaded the [Horn Rabbit] like it was nothing. Hmmm¡­ despite my more than stellar performance, I noticed a caveat¡­ It seems that there are side effects to unnaturally raising my stats so much. My control seems to suffer quite a bit, if it wasn¡¯t for my high [PER] and the accuracy improvement of [Slice] I wouldn¡¯t have been so accurate. While [DEX] does help a bit as well, the issue is more of getting used to it, so it should not be a long term problem as long as I get enough practice. After storing the [Horned Rabbit] and its horn, I continue on traveling through the plains. It takes me only 10 minutes to find yet another level 7 [Horned Rabbit] who attacks me the instant it sees me in the same way the previous one did.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Plunge] Level 1
I smile due to the torrent of new skills that just keep pouring in! Though this time instead of dodging I instead chose to [Parry] the attack with my katar. Then I used my [STR] and [POW] to push the [Horned Rabbit] back and while it was in mid air swung my [Holy-steel Healing Dagger] imbued with [Slice] at the base of its horn. Like with the katar is easily separated. Hmm¡­ it seems these opponents are just too weak to even test the sharpness of my blades¡­ I put away the dagger and activated [Punch], smashing the [Horned Rabbit]¡¯s head, thus killing it instantly. Yup, too easy¡­ lets see if I can find myself a [Ravenous Coyotes], maybe they will prove more of a challenge¡­ Not that I actually want more of a challenge, easy wins are my favorite wins! But I do want to know where exactly I stand. Generally speaking, Enchanted Steel is at a level of a Rank B adventurer. Of course they also have all 25 pieces most likely, but I am pretty confident that I could probably measure up with a low tier Rank D adventurer at the very least. Once I got further out from the town, it did not take long for me to find my first [Ravenous Coyotes]. It was level 12 so about mid-range as far as they get. Once it noticed me I activated [All-Observing-Eyes]. While I am 99% sure that I won¡¯t need it, I plan to pay special attention to its movements and weak spots which I will use as a reference going forward. It tried to lunge at me which I easily dodge with [Evasion]. To which it turns around and quickly tries to attack yet again. I continue to evade but so far no skill came up... Growing a bit irritated at not gaining anything, once it lunged at me again, I decided to finish it off and slice off its neck with my katar. And like that the [Ravenous Coyotes] fell to its death. I continued to farm [Horned Rabbits] and [Ravenous Coyotes] until I got 5 of each. And to be honest, it was a piece of cake. I got [Plunge] to level 2 and even a level 15 [Ravenous Coyote] was pretty helpless against me. Not that it is surprising since they are only Rank G and F monsters respectively. The only reason why Rank F monsters make Rank E quests is because Rank F adventurers don¡¯t have a combat class. Even among Rank E adventurers, many don¡¯t have a combat class. This is partly why Rank D is considered a cut off point. Either way, with that I decided to retire for the day and headed back to the Adventurers Guild. I also managed to find 2 [Blue Hoya] and 2 [Sleepy Jasmine] on the way, despite not exactly actively looking for herbs. These herbs seem to be more common around these parts from my observation. I decided to store the herbs for now since they don¡¯t take up much space anyways. After cashing in the quests and materials, I made a decent 9 silver and 70 iron coins, plus 4 Guild Points. I then head back to the Blacksmithing Guild to eat dinner and get some rest. Volume 02: The gears of fate I could not avoid (3) The next day, I decided to try the other route. Since I gained confidence fighting level 15 monsters, I wanted to see how [Dire Wolves] would stack up and if they have any skills worth taking. I walk out of town, and proceed to hunt [Dire Foxes] as I made it deeper and deeper into the forest. Like the [Ravenous Coyotes], the [Dire Wolves] lived farther away from town. After killing about 3 [Dire Foxes] and traveling 3 hours, I pick up the scent of mammals I did not recognize. Of course when I say I did not recognize it, I mean I have not exactly met up with the owners of this smell before. Considering I have spent some time in the leather goods shop, I can definitely find some smell similarity to the smell of the [Dire Wolf] leather goods. By the smell of things, there seem to be 4 of them¡­ I would have preferred to start out with 2 or 3. But I don¡¯t think 4 should be a problem. Especially if I am cautious. As I get closer, they easily picked up on my scent and begin heading my way while attempting to surround me. Of course I am not exactly just going to let them have their way. As they get closer, I activate [Sprint] and run towards one of them. And when I shrunk the distance, I activate both my [Throw] skills focused on speed, and fling a rock right at the [Dire Wolf] in front of me. The [Dire Wolf] attempts to dodge to the side, but is a tad too late and ends up hit in the shoulder. Personally though, I wasn¡¯t even counting too much on the [Throw] to hit as it was more of a distraction, not that I am complaining or anything... I then quickly [Charge] straight at the [Dire Wolf]. Imbuing my katar with wind and activate [Slash], I shred the [Dire Wolf] in half. Realistically speaking, I didn¡¯t really need the wind blade on my katar to kill this wolf, but as I mentioned before. I am not exactly thrilled about being surrounded by 4 monsters around my level, even with my increased stats. Killing the first one ASAP makes it easier for me to be on defensive. So after I killed it, I quickly turned around and took up a defensive stance. Soon the other 3 [Dire Wolves] closed in and looked awfully pissed about me killing one of their own. As they came closer, they again started to spread out trying to surround me. Though I am not exactly going to just stand there and do nothing now am I? I again use [Throw], this time focusing on strength and aim the rock right at the [Dire Wolf] on the left I then activate [Charge] despite the higher stamina cost due to early activation, and head straight at the [Dire Wolf] on the right. Catching it completely off guard, I use [Slice] and wind blade to promptly behead the [Dire Wolf]. Now that it is down to just two of them, I plan to fight them a bit more normally without relying on the wind blade. This time around the two [Dire Wolves] decided to stick together instead of splitting up after seeing how quickly I dispatched them one by one. It seems like they are thinking that if I [Charge] one of them, the other will attack me from the side. Since that is what they want, I¡¯ll give them just that and activate [Charge] aiming for the one on the right. But half way into my [Charge], I activate [Throw] on my [Holy-steel Healing Dagger] with full speed right into the left [Dire Wolf]¡¯s face. With the left one out of the picture for the time being, I imbue my katar with my old favorite triple combo of [Penetrate], [Impale] and [Thrust], though now with a new flavoring of [Plunge], stabbing the [Dire Wolf] right in the neck.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. The [Dire Wolf] ends up flying back due to the impact and I land right on top of it, then after the short stun wears off, I quickly roll off the wolf and get in defensive position. At this time the last one gets its act together and charges straight at me, I use [Evasion] and wait things out hoping to see if it has any useful skills. After playing around with it for 2 minutes or so, noticing it has no useful abilities left I finish it off. After I disassemble them and store them in my [Item Box] I move on. Too bad there wasn¡¯t 5 of them, or I would already be done¡­ now I have no choice but to either luck out and find a lone [Dire Wolf] or have to take on an entire pack. Not that I can¡¯t do so, but one thing my gear doesn¡¯t help too much vs a similar stat adventurer is my lack of stamina. In about an hour or so, I killed 2 more [Dire Foxes], thus completing that quest. Then after another 15 minutes of walking, I pick up the scent of a lone [Dire Wolf]. Using the opportunity, I head straight for it. As I begin to get closer, I suddenly stop. The reason is because despite my [Smell Sense] telling me there is only a [Dire Wolf] there, as I got closer my [Presence Sense] picked up 3 other presences with the wolf. After locating their presence, I try to focus harder on my [Smell Sense] and realize there is some unknown scent in the air, but it is super weak, to the point that I normally wouldn¡¯t notice it. This confirms that whatever that is, it is somehow hiding it¡¯s scent to an extent. Which points to some sort of intelligence. As curious as I am, I head towards the location¡­ NOT! Do I look that stupid?!?! I am not some literature hero who after hearing a roar of a dragon goes ¡°What¡¯s that noise? Lets go check it out¡±. If I don¡¯t know what it is, or it looks suspicious in any shape or form, it¡¯s not my problem! Someone else can gladly handle it! ¡°Shit!¡± I yelped suddenly realize something and activate my [Sprint] running away as fast as possible! The problem is that if I am in the range of [Presence Sense], there is no way that a [Dire Wolf] would not be able to pick up on my scent¡­ Unfortunately my worst fears have come to pass as one of the presences merged with the [Dire Wolf] and started heading for me! The worst part of it is, even with [Sprint] at level 3, I don¡¯t think I can outrun it... Well if I use the option on my boots and start chaining [Charge] I may be able to outrun it for a short while, but it would eventually catch up to me and I would lack stamina to fight it. Thus guaranteeing my death. It is better off that I find some sort of defensive position, if whatever that is riding it is stronger than me, I can at least use the best of my ability to injure the [Dire Wolf], and then make my escape. Looking around, I find a dense pack of trees and head straight for it. Since I have the convenience of a katar not occupying my hand, I quickly climb the tree with my claws with little pause. I then move around to the neighboring tree and hide in the leaves using [Blend Stealth]. My heart beats rapidly in anxiety as I wait for my unknown foes... Soon afterwards, the [Dire Wolf] and the one riding it comes into my view...
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Wolf Riding] Level 1
Ha? How does that even make sense?!?! I freaking can¡¯t get [Horse Riding] even though I see horses every single day! But [Wolf Riding] which is probably a harder skill to get just pops up like nothing? Where in the world am I gonna get a wolf to ride? Do I have to tame a wolf? Or do I just get a wolfkin to give me a piggy-back ride?!?! Okay, Okay... I need to focus! The one that seems to be riding the [Dire Wolf] is a [Forest Goblin: Wolf Rider]. And its level is 25! Even the [Dire Wolf] he is riding is above its average at level 20! Of course my position should be safe for now at least. From what I remember of the previous [Dire Wolf] pack, their [Sense Smell] is at about level 3. Even if this higher level [Dire Wolf] has it at level 4, it isn¡¯t enough to pinpoint my exact location. It knows around where I am, but not the exact location. And even if it did, relaying anything but the general direction of my location to its rider would be difficult¡­ the issue is¡­ ¡°AHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!¡±
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Howling Call] Level 1
...to an extent... that! So far, only the [Dire Wolf] and its muscular green rider came. But there were two other presences... Which means if I don¡¯t dispatch this [Forest Goblin: Wolf Rider] soon, they will come here and make things difficult. Even worse would be if those two called for reinforcements. Either way, regardless of what I plan to do, I need to do it soon... In a battle of attrition, I am guaranteed to lose! Volume 02: The gears of fate I could not avoid (4) Now that I have made up my mind, I come up with a strategy to handle the situation as quick as possible. First of all, lets see if I can settle this the easy way by just injuring the wolf and make a run for it. I take a rock out and [Throw] it at the [Dire Wolf] while they are sniffing around trying to find me. Unfortunately the rider notices the rock and deflects it with his sword. Though that was not the end of it, as I also used [Throw] on the [Iron Axe] right after with my other hand. Unfortunately the [Dire Wolf] was already aware of the situation and dodged to the side... I guess so much for the easy way¡­ Left with no choice, I use [Plunge] and shoot myself straight at him. Now normally I¡¯d be pretty darn scared about pulling something like this off, but I have full confidence in the equipment that I made as I activate the magical options on all of my equipment. I also activate [All-Observing-Eyes] and time begins to slow down. I can clearly see that the rider is slowly recovering his balance from deflecting my rock, and begins to swing his sword at me horizontally. To which I respond by adjusting my [Holy-steel Healing Dagger] in my left hand and using [Parry] to block his assault. As I continue to close in mid-air, I activate the wind blade on my katar, while imbuing my favorite triple combo plus adding [Punch] as well to the mix! Due to feeling resistance of his blade either intentionally or subconsciously, the goblin rider tilts to my left by pushing against his blade and my dagger. Thus instead of me hitting him straight in the neck, I end up shredding right through his shoulder, completely dissecting off his left arm. Only then did I realize I was too impatient trying to finish him off as quick as possible by chaining skills. If only I waited a bit more before deciding, I may have been able to simply [Slice] his neck instead. But it was unfortunately too late for regrets. ¡°Gauh!!¡± screamed the goblin rider as he fell off his wolf. Though I had no time to worry about that as I also plummeting towards the ground. In a last ditch effort, I decided to [Throw] my Holy-steel dagger at the wolf behind me, but I did not verify the results, as both my hands prepare for impact. As I came right at the ground, I made sure to align my katar at an angle to create a slight air cushion from the wind. Of course overall that was mostly negligible, but it bought me a fraction of a second to better align my body as I crashed into the earth rolling. Luckily my equipment did a good job at absorbing most of the damage, so I quickly get up and assess the situation. To my surprise, the first thing I saw was a face of a [Dire Wolf] jaws heading straight at me! By reflex, I try to jump back in fright and without even thinking I used [Punch] with my right hand smashing my katar and fist right at its upper face! ¡°Hewgh!¡± cried the wolf as my wind blade katar penetrated it¡¯s skull. I successfully manage to avoid being mawed to death, but still get pushed back due to the momentum of the wolf¡¯s large body. As much as I would like to keep lying down, I force myself up as quickly as I can and see the [Dire Wolf] pretty much going crazy biting and clawing everywhere. Since I am too close I strafe to the right and get some distance. At that point I notice the goblin rider has already gotten up and was within 3 meters distance, charging at me with his blade. Normally I probably would have panicked and acted foolishly, but luckily due to my [All-Observing-Eyes] still in effect, I had much more time to think things through as my body reacted slower. With that in mind I activate [Charge] going straight at the goblin. My actions must have surprised him because he took a fraction of a second pause. During that time I close the distance slightly to his left making it hard for him to swing his blade or defend. I then activate [Slice] right at his head. The goblin though seems to be somewhat experienced, as he turned his body and dodged the metal of the blade which passed by just a millimeter above his nose as he swung his blade at my exposed back! ¡°Gauh!!!!!!!¡± yelled the goblin from shrieking pain as his sword fell out of his hand and he grabbed his face. While the goblin definitely had plenty of combat experience as far as fighting with normal weapons go. Magic weapons seemed to be outside his battle expertise, as my wind blade extended slightly beyond my katar slicing right through his eyes! Not giving him a chance to recover, I turn around and [Plunge] straight at him with a [Thrust] of my katar stabbing him straight in the neck, thus finishing him off. I then turn my attention back to the [Dire Wolf], who still seems to be enraged and thrashing a random tree. Using this opportunity, I deactivate my Unique Skill and use [Presence Sense] and [Smell Sense] to figure out the situation. To my relief, with the exception of the two heading this way, it does not seem to be that any more reinforcements are coming for now. Since that is the case, I take a deep breath and go pick up my dagger and axe as I think of the best way to approach things and recover some of my stamina. Since they will be here in about 2 - 3 minutes, I decide for the time being to ignore the [Dire Wolf] who seems to have gone mad, and I climb up a tree closest to the route they are coming from, then activate [Blend Stealth] as I wait while using the healing option on my dagger to recover a few HP. My inner scaredy cat screams to urge me to run away and not take any extra risks, but my logic says I should make the best of the situation. Frankly speaking, my [Smell Sense] is higher level than a [Dire Wolf], as long as I am careful, I should easily notice any reinforcements that may come before they notice me. While the goblins do cover their smell, the [Dire Wolves] do not, so it should pose minimum risk. Looking on with [Eagle Eyes], I notice that the 2 that were approaching was a level 17 [Forest Goblin: Wolf Rider] and a level 11 [Forest Goblin: Scout]. I wait for them to come closer and when they are pretty much right under me distracted by the scene in front of them of a berserk [Dire Wolf] and dead goblin. I reactivate [All-Observing-Eyes] and jump down at them! Aiming my wind katar, I strike right in the back of the [Goblin Scout]''s head, killing him instantly. The reason I aimed for the scout first is because unlike the riders, according to the information I read the scouts tend to run away on contact. To prevent that I get rid of him first. I then look up and see a pretty pissed off goblin, as he grabs his sword and strikes right at me!
Your skill [NA][Slash] has become Level 2
I use [Evasion] to dodge to the side and [Throw] the Holy-steel dagger right at him. This rider who seems to be missing a [Dire Wolf] was clearly lacking experience, or was too enraged to react because he fails to dodge the attack and it ends up stabbing him right in the upper part of his chest. ¡°Huck!¡± tried to scream the goblin but could not make a proper sound due to the dagger jamming his wind pipe. As he looks down to confirm the source of the pain, I [Charge] straight at him and [Slice] off his head with my katar. After taking a short pause to calm down, I walk to the ravaging [Dire Wolf] and using [Jump], landing right on its back and [Thrust] the Holy-steel dagger into the back of its neck. The wolf tries to resist to the best of its ability, but surprisingly or not the [Wolf Riding] skill helps me retain my balance as I continue to stab it to death.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. After I confirm that it has died, I then make sure there is no enemies in the vicinity using my senses. With no enemies detected, I sigh in relief and collapse on the floor from both physical and mental fatigue.
Level up! Creationist: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER
¡°5 more levels...¡± I mutter to myself. After getting about 2 minutes of rest and catching my breath, I went on to collect the loot. For the 3 goblins, I cut off their ears which acts as proof of subjugation, and then proceed to disassemble the wolf. Though I chose to do a more basic disassembly then usual since I don¡¯t exactly feel comfortable staying here for long... When I am done, I quickly head back towards town while at same time conserving my stamina. Once I confirm I am closer to town, I decide to cook some [Dire Wolf Meat Skewers] as a celebration for my victory. Now that I had more experience cooking things, my ability has improved a decent amount.
Dire Wolf Meat Skewers An average quality dire wolf meat skewers. Used to sedate hunger and temporarily raise stats +2 STR +2 AGI +1 DEX +20 Stamina for 24 hours [Made by Shiro] Quality 5.0249/10.0000
To be honest, I kind of regret not bringing more [Dire Wolf Meat] due to the lack of space storing all the stuff. Regardless, I still had enough to fill up my stomach and save a few for the next few days. With my mini-celebration complete, I head back to the Adventurers Guild. When I arrive there, I stand by the material exchange counter and wait for my turn. It took about half an hour but I made it to the material counter. There I cashed in [Collection: Dire Wolf Pelts] and [Collection: Dire Fox Pelts] receiving 10 silver and 75 iron coins for those quests. I also cashed in the 10 [Dire Wolf Fangs] which sold for 1 silver and 25 iron coins. Thus earning a total of 12 silver coins. Not too bad, considering how long it took me to earn that much just a few weeks ago. Though best of all, it ain¡¯t over yet! From the material counter, I then head over to the receptionist counter. Subjugation quests must be turned over there instead. I wait shortly for an elf receptionist, and come over to the counter. ¡°Hello, I would like to cash in the Rank E quest [Subjugation: Forest Goblins] and Rank D quest [Subjugation: Forest Goblin Wolf Riders]¡± I said as I put the 6 ears I collected onto the counter. ¡°Let me see, please place your hand on the orb for processing¡± the receptionist requested. I did as I was told and the orb glowed as the receptionist processed my request. ¡°Just to inform you, for the [Subjugation: Forest Goblin Riders], I can only process one request per day, so I can only credit you 38 silver coins and 6 Guild Points¡± informed the receptionist. ¡°Hmm¡­ so can I cash one in now and cash the second one tomorrow?¡± I inquired. ¡°I am sorry, but that is not possible. We do a scan of the monster material and your guild tattoo and match the signatures. If the monster was killed during a certain day, we match it with that data and confirm your credit. So there isn¡¯t much I can do¡± explained the receptionist. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± I dejectedly responded. ¡°Though... I wonder... did you really kill 2 [Forest Goblin Wolf Riders] all by yourself?¡± questioned the receptionist. ¡°Uhm¡­ yes¡­ why?¡± I asked with slight hesitation. ¡°Well¡­ here is that thing, would you be interested in taking the Rank D exam?¡± offered the receptionist. ¡°Rank D exam? But I am only Rank F...¡± I replied. ¡°Well actually, as of this quest completion, you have a total of 20 Guild Points. So you are now a Rank E adventurer. The moment you became a Rank E adventurer, you are able to take the Rank D exam.¡± responded the receptionist. I see¡­ I am already at Rank E ha? Though... ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit early to take the Rank D exam right after getting Rank E?¡± I queried while being somewhat confused. ¡°I think I know where you might be misunderstanding. To get Rank D you still need to get 20 Guild Points. The only thing is, unlike previous ranks, where you can get more points doing higher rank quests. That is not officially an option at Rank E, because to do Rank D quests, you need to pass the exam. There are of course exceptions like in this case, where you brought in a Rank D monster that pose a threat to the town. Otherwise, even if you kill a Rank D monster on the list, we will not offer credit for it. That said, it goes without saying you need to pass the Rank D exam to actually get Rank D as well.¡± informed the receptionist. ¡°I see¡­ but I still have some time till I get to Rank D, so not sure if I am ready...¡± I timidly replied. ¡°There is no problem on that front, in terms of actual difficulty, the Rank D exam is only at a level of a Rank E quest. For someone who can defeat [Goblin Wolf Riders], it should be little issue. If you are willing to take the exam now, I¡¯ll even wave the 1 gold coin entry fee normally required¡± insisted the receptionist. That sounds quite generous of her¡­ what is the catch? ¡°It sounds tempting¡­ but why is the Rank D exam so simple? And is there a reason for the special treatment?¡± I inquired. ¡°Well¡­ here is the thing. To conduct the exam there are a few things that we need. The first thing we need is the availability of a Rank B or above adventurer. The second thing we need is an even amount of people to take exam that fits its criteria. In this case the amount of people we need is 10. The problem is that currently where we stand, we only have 9 people. So we need one more person to proceed with the exam. We tried to get more people into the exam, but most people prefer to take the exam with their party members. So finding individual adventurers to fill that number is a bit troublesome. Of course if we give it a few days, we will probably get someone, the issue is the Rank B adventurer will not be available then. There can also be changes in the mission parameters if we let things go for too long as well. The current Rank D exam is effectively to take down a group of bandits. Most of these bandits are below level 20. The only ones to watch out for are the core members of the bandit group, and those will be handled by the Rank B adventurer. Though like all quests and exams, I can¡¯t exactly guarantee your safety, that said, the Rank B adventurer will do his best to insure no one gets hurt. The goal of the Rank D exam is not really to measure strength. At Rank D, there are things as escort quests and large group quests. In such quests, you will often be required to kill people or cooperate with strangers. The point of the exam is to insure that when someone hires an escort through the guild, the escort will not chicken out or refuse to cooperate with others. During the exam, you will be required to fulfill a simple assignment in a 2 man team. If you complete that assignment, you pass. Most people who are interested in becoming Rank D take the exam soon after becoming Rank E anyways¡± explained the receptionist. Hmmm¡­ difficulty level of a Rank E¡­ while at same time I can get a bunch of skills from Rank E or soon to be D adventurers and then there is that Rank B adventurer¡­ Oh and I may be able to get some skills from the bandits as well¡­ Personally I don¡¯t exactly have an issue killing bandits. If it were innocent people, that would be one thing. But I know better than to feel sorry for those low life scum who would readily take my life given the chance. From my perspective they are no different than pink skinned goblins! I am also curious about what happened back then when I killed that middle aged man¡­ so it would be an opportunity to test the waters as well¡­ The fact that I did not feel anything at all was a bit too... odd... Either way, I don¡¯t think killing human bandits will be a problem¡­ and as far as coordination go, while I can¡¯t exactly say I am that great is socializing, at same time I have little problem working with others... There is also that 1 gold coin I would be saving... The temptation is strong with this one, but at same time it is like screaming ¡°flag¡±. But then again the skill galore¡­ And I¡¯ll be able to take up Rank D quests, which can pay up to half a gold coin each¡­ that might not sound much since it is about what I get paid to make a steel item in terms of profit. But my luck selling items has been abysmal¡­ I wonder if I could interest some of those adventurers taking the test into buying something... * evil grin * Anyways¡­ lets not get too distracted! From a risk perspective, I am wearing some pretty good Holy-steel gear specialized in defense. Considering my high speed, in worst case I can just run to the Rank B adventurer no? And since the guild scouted this mission in advanced, the probability of something happening should be low right? Or am I just jinxing myself? Ugh! So hard to decide¡­ a part of me is screaming run away and don¡¯t take any unnecessary risks, but at same time isn¡¯t not becoming stronger faster a risk in itself as well? What I need is a balance of safety and risk. Aka, minimum risk with maximum rewards. Isn¡¯t a situation where I can get a bunch of skills, especially from a Rank B adventurer in a controlled environment not an example of such? Lets first ask a bit more information before deciding¡­ ¡°Can you tell me a bit more information about what a typical mission entails, who the Rank B adventurer is and is there a deadline for deciding?.. oh and also what is the typical fatality rate?¡± I inquired. ¡°Sure, no problem. In a typical mission like a bandit subjugation test. You will be divided into groups of 2. These groups can not be with your own party members, and have to be with a stranger. Each of the groups will then be in charge of securing a room or section. If you secure the part you are responsible for, you pass regardless of how the others do. In the end, the mission is guaranteed to be a success due to the presence of the Rank B adventurer. The difference mostly lies in how many bandits might run away or if some treasure would be taken by said bandits during their escape. In this case, the Rank B adventurer is Daron Valse. He is a [Shadow Rogue] and is pretty well known adventurer. As for fatality rates, I don¡¯t exactly have those numbers, but giving a wild guess I would say about 1% if not less? In terms of difficulty it is Rank E after all¡­ and typically taken by Rank E adventurers confident enough to aim for Rank D. Most fatality rates mostly come when people hesitate or fail to cooperate. But even then, once the boss is taken care of, most bandits choose to run away rather than fight. As far as deadlines go, I prefer if I could get an answer today¡­ We still have to give a 24 hour advance notice to all parties involved. So if I can get an okay today, the exam would be set for the day after tomorrow.¡± informed the receptionist. Shadow Rogue?...Does that mean what I think it means?!?! I can actually get real stealth! ¡°Count me in!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°Great! Then please come by the guild after tomorrow at 6¡± said the receptionist. From then on we discussed a few details here and there, got the process for being promoted to Rank E out of the way and with all that done, I left the guild. Since I have some time tomorrow, I should make preparations just in case¡­ With my plans made up, I headed back to the Blacksmithing Guild for a nights rest. Volume 02: The gears of fate I could not avoid (5) The next day, I spent 60 silver coins and bought 1 [Coal Ore]. I then used the Angelica¡¯s recently recharged special option to imbue it with holy power and began to smelt the [Holy-steel Ingot]. Once I finished creating the ingot after a few hours, I began focusing on making myself a Holy-Steel Arm-Blade Katar for my other hand. I spent most of the day on it and the results were in line with expectations.
Holy-steel Condensing Arm-Blade Katar An average quality arm-blade katar made out of holy-steel +10 STR +10 DEX +10 AGI +10 VIT +5 INT +5 WIS +250 ATK [Condensed Holy Blade] Surround the blade with holy power and condense it to do holy damage to those cut by it ( 200 Magic Power per minute ) Bonus: +1 STR +1 AGI +1 DEX Holy Power: 150/200 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 20 - Bonus: +1 STR +1 AGI +1 DEX Level 25 - Bonus: +1 STR +2 AGI +1 DEX Owner Restriction: Creator (Shiro) Benefit: +1 AGI [Made by Shiro] Durability: 5000/5000 Quality 5.8376/10.0000
Since Holy is not very good at doing damage in general, I had to condense the holy power at a large cost to make it more viable. Since my combat style involves aiming for weak points while maximizing damage, it should be a good fit. The next thing I decided to make was an Iron Belt. I want to get as close to 3X my stats as possible to insure my safety to the max. While making one out of Holy-steel would be ideal, I am kind of low on money and time to make that possible. Though to insure that I don¡¯t just waste this belt, I plan to make it adjustable so that I can sell it afterwards. This also means I can¡¯t get the extra stat from binding it to myself, but I am fine with that.
Adjustable Iron Belt of Agile Strength An above average belt made out of iron that can be adjusted to fit most waists +7 STR +7 AGI +70 DEF Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 10 ¨C Benefit: +1 STR | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats Level 20 ¨C Benefit: +1 STR +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 278/278 Quality 6.9999/10.00
I¡¯ll probably leave it at that, since there are not too many pieces I can make that would fit all sizes. Not to mention, adding too much gear that is not Holy-steel is going to slow me down. My only regret is not having any defensive item for my tail¡­ But for one reason or another, I don¡¯t feel very comfortable with weighing it down¡­ So I will just have to rely on the magic defenses of my armor. Overall, at end of the day even bandits are not cruel enough to attack my beautiful tail right? Right? * sigh * I activate status to review my stats.
Status
Name Shiro Race ???????? - ?¨¡? Class Level
Gender Female Status [??????] Beastkin - Cat 13
Age 12 years Free Points 0 Hunger 73/100 Creationist 7
HP 490 / 490 (1.52/m) STR 71 +123 INT 42 +64
MP 31 / 45 (0.106/m) AGI 86 +147 WIS 39 +57
Stamina 204 / 225 (8.65/m) VIT 73 +79 MNT 54
Mental 180 / 180 (0.54/m) DEX 56 +85 LUK 100
SPD 32 PER 322
POW 32 END 32
IPR 32
Not bad, if I do say so myself! I spent the rest of the time making 4 [Iron Daggers] for throwing. Which I plan to try selling after this exam.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Once I was finished, I retired a bit early for the long day ahead. ¡­ The next day when I woke up, I ate some [Dire Wolf Meat Skewers] for breakfast and headed towards the Adventurers Guild. I arrived there at about 6 o¡¯clock and was taken to a different room for briefing. Though when I actually came to the room, no one was there¡­ So I just went and sat in the back corner waiting for someone to come. Only after about 10 minutes did people start walking through the door. The first being a party of 4 people. A male human level 29 [Swordsman][Trainer], female elf level 26 [Archer][Carpenter], male dwarf level 25 [Executioner][Butcher], and female level 24 [Street Rat]. The party took a look around the room, and without saying anything took seats in the front. About 20 minutes later, the next party came which consisted of 5 people. A human female level 35 [Shield Warrior][Body Builder], human male level 32[Barbarian][Body Builder], human male level 27 [Swashbuckler][Leatherworker], human female level 27 [Hunter][Leatherworker], and human male level 25 [Marksman][Runner]. When they entered in, they also took a look around the room like the previous party, though unlike the previous one this one was more talkative. ¡°The instructor is still not here?¡± questioned the Shield Warrior. ¡°Guess we will have to wait¡± responded the Barbarian. ¡°Tch¡± spat the Marksman. They then also went and took seats in the room. From then on they began to chat between themselves about things here and there. We waited another good 20 minutes and still nobody sho¡­ ha? Was that man always there? Sitting by the side at a desk was a man in his older 30s. Looking at [Identify] shows class of [Shadow Rogue][Thief]. So¡­ how long exactly was he here¡­ At first I thought about approaching him and asking if we are ready to go, but giving it some more thought I instead just stared at him. My goal here is after all [Stealth]. Catching him with the skill on unlike [Blend Stealth] is unlikely¡­ So I need to pay careful attention on when he actually uses the skill. Hence I keep quiet and just glare at him from behind. When the clock hits 7, the man abruptly got up from his seat. ¡°I see that everyone is here, took you all long enough. Now then, I am Daron Valse, and I will be your proctor for the Rank D exam. Your assignments are simple, follow my orders. If you disobey, you will fail, no questions asked. Am I clear?¡± queried Daron as he surveyed around the room. At first everyone was taken by surprise due to his sudden actions. But shortly after, they came to and nodded their heads. ¡°Good! Now then, follow me. We will travel part way to our destination by carriage. During that time I will brief you all on the details¡± said Daron as he walked out the door of the briefing room. We all quickly followed right behind him as we walked out of the Adventurers Guild, and eventually outside of town by the southern wall. Standing there was a large carriage pulled by 4 horses. After conversing with the driver, Daren got in the carriage and prompted us to follow, which we did. Once everyone was seated, the carriage began to move. From the looks of things, the horses in this world are faster than the ones in my world, probably due to the use of the [Sprint] skill? Though I am not exactly a specialist on horses to be 100% sure. As the carriage moved, Daren briefed us on the general details of the mission. ¡°Our target is the newly formed group of bandits that are hiding out in a cave to the south west. Their leader is a previous Rank C adventurer who has committed a crime and is wanted by the country. He ended up escaping and forming a bandit group that goes around hitting small villages. Normally the bandit group would change their location every few months, but this time around they holed themselves up in a cave formation in the Timu Plateau. We are going to use this opportunity to attack the bandits and prevent them from escaping. More specifically, I will take care of the leader and the executives, and your job is to take out the flunkies and prevent them from running away. I will divide you into pairs of 2 and give you each assignments.¡± Daren said, then pulled out a map of the cave system which seems to divide into 3 paths. The plan is that first he will break through the entrance using his rogue skills and quickly take out the guards. From then on, we will enter the cave and split up to fulfill our assignments. He pointed towards Shield Warrior, Archer, Barbarian and Executioner, then told them that they will go through the first path. The Barbarian and Executioner will break through the main room and begin the assault. The Shield Warrior will block the exit, while the Archer will provide cover and pick off anyone who tries to run. Afterwards he told the Swordsman and Swashbuckler will head down the second path with him to the executive room. They will take care of the guards and prevent any executive from escaping in the small chance that happens. He then turned to me and the Marksman. ¡°You hairball with the fancy armor, and you with the crossbow, your job will be to go down the last path which leads to the treasure room. It should be guarded by 2 guards. Your assignment is to eliminate the guards and secure the path. It is possible there is an escape path in the treasure room, so make sure you keep your eyes open both ways¡± Daren warned. Seeing that he noticed my armor hidden behind my mantle, and the rude insult, I glared at him. But he was already looking away from me and focusing on the next assignments. Lastly the Thief and the Hunter will guard the entrance of the cave and pick off anyone who happens to escape or any returning patrols. In total, he said there was the boss, 2 executives and 15 flunkies. On top of securing our assignments, we are also required to personally kill at least 1 person to pass. After explaining the plan and some other details, he then let us do whatever we wanted as we headed towards our destination. At this point I was considering offering to sell some discount gear, but unfortunately everyone was talking to their party members making it hard to strike a conversation. In the end I decided to try again after we finish the assignment. You never know if I will need some of the gear during the assignment anyways. In about 8 hours, the carriage stopped and we got off. After eating food that we each packed, we then proceeded into the forest. It took us another 5 hours of walking until we finally reached near the plateau where the cave was located. ¡°Alright guys, you know the plan. Slowly follow me and make sure you keep quiet¡± said Daren as we reached closer and closer to the cave. When we got to the point where we could somewhat make out the cave with our sight, we hid behind the trees. Using my [Eagle Eyes] I could see the cave was guarded by two guards who were on the lookout chatting. The other ranged classes also seemed to have been keeping their eyes out as seen by the blue boxes.
Your skill [NA][Eagle Eyes] has become Level 2 You have acquired a new skill [RP][Sharp Eyes] Level 1 Your skill [NA][Eagle Eyes] has become Level 3
Daren walked off to the side, and as much as I would have loved to follow him and see what skill he used, I had no choice but to wait and hope to get lucky. We waited for a good 5 minutes as I monitored the guards. Then I noticed something strange¡­ I looked closer while activating [All-Observing-Eyes] and with my improved eyesight noticed the shadow behind one of the guards warped. Suddenly a stiletto of Daren appeared out of nowhere and he quickly sliced off both the guards¡¯ voice boxes, killing the guards without them even making a squeak. He then motioned for us to come to the entrance.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Shadow Step] Level 1
¡­ Not stealth but still plenty awesome! Unfortunately, at level 1 I was limited to only 1 meter distance, not to mention a few other restrictions like a cast time¡­ but never the less, it can prove useful in a fight. I can¡¯t wait to try it! We then hurried over to Daren and made it inside the cave while making minimum noise. Daren gave the signal again and we split up into our assigned groups, then headed down our paths. I was again reminded that my partner is a human and regretted I wasn¡¯t paired with the elf or the dwarf¡­ unfortunately it wasn¡¯t up to me and I was in no position to object¡­ We headed down our path for a good 3 minutes or so, and came across 2 people guarding the room. Both the guards were measly level 12, so they posed little risk. The moment they noticed us they were about to shout but not before one of them found an arrow in their forehead.
Your skill [NP][Crossbow Mastery] has become Level 2
Seeing the one next to him die so quickly, the other one seemed to have temporarily lost their voice. Not that it mattered anyways as no one is going to rush here even if they knew. I activated [Charge] and went straight for him! He tried to counter attack with his short sword by reflex, and ended up slicing right through me! But contrary to what he expected, I melted out of existence like black ink. Only to appear to the side of him and [Slice] his neck with my Holy-steel katar. That was pure awesome! Now that is what I am talking about! I then took a look at the blood on my Holy-steel katar, and assessed my feelings on the situation¡­ Looking at the blood splattered on the katar... my heart tightens a bit... As I thought¡­ it isn¡¯t possible to feel nothing when something like this happens¡­ I then took out a piece of cloth and wiped the blood off my katar returning it back to its pretty white color! All good now! Oh yeah, on the topic of killing humans¡­ it seems that it wasn¡¯t a fluke¡­ for some odd reason, I feel absolutely nothing. I don¡¯t know if I was always like this, or did some change happen during reincarnation, or maybe it is the correction from the [MNT] stat, I have no clue. But this is my current reality, for better or for worse... After confirming both of them have died, we walked into the supposed treasure room. Overall though, there did not seem to be much stuff, but there was a rather thick door in the back of the room. ¡°Lets check if there is anything behind the door¡± said the Marksman. I nod, and we both approach the door. I do not sense anything using [Presence Sense], but just in case, I fling the door open and quickly jump to the side to prevent any form of trap. After a few seconds of nothing happening, I approach the door to take a peek. Behind the door seemed to be a long hallway... I tried to use my [Smell Sense] to see if there is anyone hiding somewhere, but that proved rather useless as I got a foul stench that clogged up my nose. Yuck! So instead I used [Sense Presence] which picked up a reading of someone deeper in the hallway. ¡°There is someone there...¡± I muttered to the marksman. The marksman seems to be trying to use [Eagle Eyes] to see if he could find the presence, but it isn¡¯t going to work. The hallway is too dark, and with my [Night Vision] I could make out an angular turn, thus the presence is out of line of sight. ¡°How many?¡± the marksman asked seemingly giving up. ¡°For now, I sense only one. They aren¡¯t moving so far¡± I replied. Since there is a limit to my [Presence Sense] range, there is of course a possibility for there to be more further up the passage. ¡°Alright, lets go quickly take care of it¡± said the marksman. We then slowly made our way through the tunnel, soon after it seems the presence has detected us as well and began moving closer little by little. So I made sure to put up my guard. When we came around the corner, I finally saw what was there...
[Zombie Hound] Level 14
Well¡­ that explains the foul stench¡­ When the [Zombie Hound] saw us, it picked up its pace rushing straight for us. I activated [Charge] and intercepted it, then prepared to use [Slice] to quickly finish it off. * peng * But before I could reach it, a loud sound came from the back, forcing me by reflex to jump to the side. Looking ahead, a crossbow bolt penetrated the [Zombie Hound] killing it¡­ You know¡­ somehow I feel a bit conflicted about a human holding a crossbow behind my back¡­ Keeping a wary eye on the human, I looked down the tunnel and saw a large room ahead. In the center of the room stood a treasure chest?¡­ suspicious¡­ my [Sense Presence] is not picking anything up¡­ but still¡­ suspicious¡­ I slowly walk towards the large room¡­ my goal is not the suspicious treasure chest nor even to enter that room. I just want to take a look around to see if that large room is a dead end or if there are other passages, I don¡¯t even plan on entering the room. Since this place was not on the map that was shown, it is either a new addition, or the escape route. Either way, I don¡¯t plan to go any further then checking if its a dead end or not¡­ I also keep an eye behind me on the human marksman who seems to be checking the corpse for materials¡­ again¡­ the thought of a human carrying a crossbow behind my back is a bit disturbing¡­ I go to the edge of the hallway without leaving it, and took a peak around the corner into the room to see if there are any other passageways, which by the looks of things there was one to the right and one to the left. Visually there does not seem to be anyone there. So far so good¡­ I don¡¯t plan to take any extra risks. It is better off to return and just report what we saw. I then activate [Presence Sense] to see if I could pick something up from here before heading back¡­ ha? My [Presence Sense] seems to have picked something up alright¡­ FROM BEHIND! I quickly turn around and grow ashen pale¡­ what was standing¡­ no correction floating there was the upper half of a skeleton covered in a black cloth, with large claw like hands¡­
[Wraith] Level 40
* gulp * How?!?! Why? ...no this is no time for this! I need to think of how to get out of here ASAP! If the marksman gets it¡¯s attention, I might be able to plow through and make a run for it¡­ I take a look at the marksman and¡­ he is gone?!?! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! I need to somehow hold on¡­ given enough time, he might get Daren who should have no problems with something of this level. I activate the Holy Power in my equipment and prepare myself¡­ the [Wraith] begins to move a little in my direction then stops.
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Screech] Level 1 You have taken 84 damage.
A blast of noise hits me and slightly disorients me¡­ crap it has range attacks! Not only that¡­ looking at my status, it put some sort of [Curse] on me forcing my [Mental] to constantly go down! Crap! At this rate, I won¡¯t make it¡­ I have no choice but to fight¡­ Luckily my Holy Power should be effective against it! But first, I need to try something.. I take out an [Iron Dagger] and [Throw] it at the [Wraith] aiming for accuracy.
You have dealt 24 damage to the [Wraith]!
Good¡­ I was worried that it would be one of those monsters that physical attacks go through¡­ but it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case¡­ I can do this! I activate [All-Observing-Eyes] and quickly [Charge] at the [Wraith] before it could do another attack! But to my surprise, the [Wraith] quickly avoids it by flying upwards and slashes down at me with its claws! I try to [Parry] it with one of my hands but could not completely block it and, resulting in me being knocked down on the floor on all fours...
You have taken 182 damage.
¡°Ouch!¡± Its faster than me! Not to mention it hurt so much despite being protected by holy power¡­. I have no choice! I [Overload] my [All-Observing-Eyes] causing my stats to rise by 20%. Power begins to fill my body and it feels like its going through some metamorphosis...
Your [AGI] skill has temporarily exceeded 100. The quality of the [AGI] stat has improved.
As I thought¡­ despite me getting stats from equipment, even if I go over 100, as long as my base stats remain below the 100 threshold, I see no improvements in quality. Though my Unique Skill seems to be an exception to that as it increases my base. With my improved speed, and other stats. I quickly [Jump] off the floor, then [Plunge] my Holy-steel Katar imbued with holy power with a [Thrust] into the chest of the [Wraith]. Pinning it onto the ceiling. ¡°GHOOOOOOO!!!¡± cried the Wraith as the Holy Power seeped in. I originally wanted to use more skills imbued into my weapon but chose not to just in case I ended up missing. But now that I have it pinned, prior to gravity pulling me down I use my favorite triple skill combo along side with [Punch] and hit the [Wraith] straight in the face with my wind blade imbued mithril katar!
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 184 damage to the [Wraith]! [Critical Hit] You have dealt 273 damage to the [Wraith]!
The wraith was not exactly too thrilled about my assaults as the [Wraith] let out a last second [Screech] aiming down at me.
You have taken 21 damage.
Luckily I kind of saw this coming and quickly used [Jump] to lunge myself forward, thus minimizing the damage as I landed and rolled on the floor. Technically speaking I could probably use this opportunity to run away as I managed to pass the [Wraith]. Looking at the situation, this [Wraith] seems to have pretty poor defensive abilities, as well as pretty low health for a creature of its level. My guess is that it specializes mostly in speed and damage. Not to mention that [Screech], which does [Mental] damage as well. The biggest problem though is that it is faster than me, though I can make up for that difference and more with skills. In terms of damage, I got the advantage due to my holy power in both offensive and defensive. Simply put, my chances of running away are around the same as defeating it¡­ Making up my mind, I prepare myself to continue combat. The wraith seems to have recovered from shock, and floated off from the sealing closer to the ground and turned towards me. Since I can¡¯t let it get another range attack on me, I quickly threw a dagger straight at it. Though this time I used my Holy-steel dagger! The dagger hit it right in the middle, and unlike the iron dagger embedded itself in! Even without Holy Power, Holy-steel seems to be the bane of the undead¡­
You have dealt 86 damage to the [Wraith]!
Not losing the opportunity, I [Charge] straight at it. Like before it attempts to dodge upwards and slash down at me. But this time around I am more than ready as I [Shadow Step] right behind it and hit it with the most powerful attack I could come up with! That being [Plunge]+[Thrust]+[Pierce]+[Impale]+[Punch]! My Stamina drops rapidly from combining all those techniques, but the result was well worth it in my opinion!
[Critical Hit] You have dealt 304 damage to the [Wraith]!
Unfortunately, I was just a few HP short of killing it! The [Wraith] quickly turns around and slashes at me! I try to use [Evasion] but due to the stress from the rapid stamina consumption, there was a slight delay in my movements, forcing me to try to [Parry]. But again, I could not manage to block the entire attack¡­
You have taken 156 damage.
That said, this fight is already over. I take out yet another dagger, and [Throw] it at the [Wraith]...
You have dealt 9 damage to the [Wraith]!
The [Wraith] then collapses on the floor and stops moving¡­ ¡°That was close...¡± I muttered in relief. But I can¡¯t stay here, I need to get out of here. While my [Presence Sense] is not picking up anything, who knows when another monster will appear¡­ I deactivate my [All-Observing-Eyes][Overload] and head towards the body of the [Wraith], which seems to be disintegrate little by little... I only pick up my [Holy-steel Healing Dagger] and activate it¡¯s healing ability as I make my way back. Unfortunately due to the [Curse] still being in effect and my use of [All-Observing-Eyes], my [Mental] is almost at 0 and still dropping! I continue on and barely make it out the door. With my eyes blurry, I somehow make out the appearance of the Marksman. Unfortunately at that point my strength gave out as my [Mental] hit 0. * collapse * Volume 02: The gears of fate I could not avoid (6) When I woke up, I noticed that I was lying in the back of what seemed to be the briefing room? Though the room seemed to be empty with no one there¡­ I headed downstairs to the elf receptionist to find out what happened. ¡°Ah, you are finally awake?¡± said the receptionist. ¡°Uhm¡­ yes¡­ can you brief me in on what exactly happened?¡± I inquired. ¡°You were brought here unconscious early in the morning and placed in the briefing room. I am not exactly privy to all the details, but a note was left for you about your results. I am not allowed to read it due to guild policy, but if you are not able to read, I can offer such services¡± explained the receptionist and handed over an envelope. ¡°No, I can read¡± I replied while taking the envelope. I open it up and look inside.
Rank D Exam Result Examinee: Shiro Proctor: Daren Valse Result: FAILED Reason: During the mission, Shiro and Todd encountered a Zombie Hound. Shiro fled the scene abandoning her comrade but ended up chased and attacked by the hound, eventually fainting. In the end, Todd killed the hound and saved Shiro. Proctor Advice: Stop relying on equipment and work on your individual skills. Personally, I do not think being an adventurer suites you to begin with as you clearly lack bravery and resolve.
¡°WHAT?!?!¡± I surprisingly exclaim. ¡°Is something wrong?¡± questioned the receptionist. ¡°Something wrong?!?! Everything is wrong!¡± I complained showing the nonsensical letter. The receptionist reads it over and slightly frowns. ¡°I am sorry that you failed, but you are free to try again in a month...¡± conveyed the receptionist. ¡°That isn¡¯t the problem! The one who ran away is this Todd person! There was a freaking [Wraith] there and he ran! Forcing me to fight it all on my own! I collapsed fighting the [Wraith]!¡­ now that I think about it¡­ Todd probably was afraid of failing for running away and blamed me instead!¡± I yelled in fury. ¡°I apologize, I am not privy about all the details¡­ but there was no report of any [Wraith] showing up at the scene¡­ not to mention... killing a [Wraith] would be impossible at your level, even with your equipment...¡± informed the receptionist. GUH! WHAT THE HELL WITH ALL THIS BS?!? ¡°Can I at least speak to Daren Valse and clear this up?!?!¡± I demanded. ¡°I am sorry¡­ but Daren Valse left on a quest with his party members to another town¡­ He probably is not going to return any time soon¡­ I suggest you don¡¯t be discouraged and try again next time...¡± said the receptionist. THIS IS FREAKING RIDICULOUS! ¡°Can I file a complaint with the Guild Master or something and have it investigated at the very least?¡± I urged. ¡°You can file a complaint, but the Guild Master is too busy to deal with minor issues like these... And an investigation would be a waste of the guild¡¯s resources. In some exceptions we do offer refunds but since in this case there was already an exception made to offer the exam for free, there isn¡¯t much you or I can do.¡± explained the receptionist. GUH! ¡°Whatever! Screw this I don¡¯t care anymore! Do whatever you want!¡± I retorted and exit out of the Adventurers Guild fuming. Why the hell is everyone trying to freaking back stab me in this world?!?! I hate it! After walking for a while and calming down a bit, I looked back at the blue boxes that I have been putting aside for the time being.
Level up! Sentient Creature: +1 in all unlocked attributes +1 free attribute +20 HP +10 Stamina +10 Mental Beastkin: +2 STR +2 VIT +1 AGI Catkin: +2 AGI +1 DEXUnauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Level up! Creationist: +2 to all unlocked attributes +5 MP +5 Mental +2 PER
Sure, how I was treated was unfair and it sucked¡­ but things are not all bad. I got two level ups! Meaning that I am just three levels away from my combat class! Not to mention that I got a true field trial of my equipment, so I have a much better understanding of my limits, which by the way are pretty good considering I killed a level 40 monster! And last but not least, I got an awesome skill like [Shadow Step]! I still want [Stealth] though¡­ * sigh * Regardless¡­ going forward¡­ no matter what life throws at me, I¡¯ll be ready! I¡¯ll continue to get stronger and stronger in this world, then show everyone who is boss! So do your worst! As I got closer to the Blacksmithing Guild, I noticed the guards standing by the entrance. Which means time wise, the exhibit market has started¡­ Oh yeah! I forgot all about trying to sell my stuff to the adventurers I met! Darn! They were all in a party chatting with each other, making it hard to approach and I was unconscious on our way back¡­ * sigh * Maybe I¡¯ll be lucky and someone will buy something today¡­ even though I know the chance of that happening is slim to none¡­ Though there is hope in all this, even if I don¡¯t sell things now. Since I can confidently make Holy-steel items with a quality score of 5 now, I can use that to advertise my wares! Even if they can¡¯t see quality, if I discount a few Holy-steel items, there is bound to be buyers! Of course before that, I¡¯ll confirm with the counter if there is any issues I should know about¡­ since the church seems to have an almost monopoly on holy-steel, last thing I want to learn is selling it would be like picking a fight with the church, that would be bad¡­ Anyways, lets see if I have any luck selling today... I walk into the exhibit market and¡­ to my surprise¡­ nobody is selling anything! Just like that time, they are all partying or chatting like some sort of holiday¡­ considering a month has passed, I can also take in new bulk orders¡­ isn¡¯t this¡­ CHANCE! I quickly take up a good spot, take up my disguise and excitedly put down my wares! Yup, things are definitely looking brighter already! ** POV Harold Asher ¨C About 2 weeks ago** Right now, I am situated in the middle of Jade Forest. We arrived here yesterday pursuing a Rank A mission from the adventurers guild. The payment for this mission is a pretty solid 36 platinum coins. Which makes this a pretty good paying mission, even by Rank A standards. We decided to camp here for the day and wait for the opportunity to take out the famous bandits situated in this forest. The goal is a complete wipe-out without anyone escaping, which can be quite tricky considering we are dealing with a rather large group of 142 bandits with only a few people. ¡°So then, how long till preparations are ready?¡± I asked my fellow adventurers. ¡°According to my [Smell Sense], all the bandits have returned and are in the base. Saron is also in position blocking the escape route¡± replied Brian, the dogkin [Ranger]. ¡°My preparations are almost ready, maybe about 10 more minutes?¡± said the [Wizard] Tina. Seeing things are almost ready, I prepare to give the order to move to the next step. ¡°Good, now then-¡± ¡°* yawn * I see everyone is already here? Lets take care of this quickly¡± said a voice from behind. We turn around and out of the thick bushes came out a blond haired elf by the name of Ariel. She is 28 years old, and one of the top Rank A adventurers on this continent. Due to her beauty which is considered top class even amongst the elves. She is extremely popular, admired by both men and women alike. Oh Dragon God, if you can grant this humble man one wish, just one wish! Please wipe that smirk off her face and set this psycho straight! Unlike what most people think of her, she is a completely insane battle maniac. The only saving grace is she acts so dignified in public, that most wouldn¡¯t even recognize her as the same person. They delusionally think this poor excuse for an elf is a figure to look up to, though I am not going to go out of my way to correct it either. Ever since she has been exiled from the elven nation of Teris, the only job given to me by her uncle was to keep an eye on her and prevent her from toppling a nation. And I don¡¯t mean with her beauty, I mean that quite literally... At first, when I was given her profile information, I thought that she was just in her rebellious stage, and it was over-exaggerated. Little did I know the reports were actually being humble! It has been 14 years since I first met her at her mother¡¯s villa. From what I heard, her mother who was an elf noble died giving birth to her, and her father was nowhere to be seen. Rumors had it that her mother was secretly a mistress to one of the elf royal princes. Whether that is true or not, I have no clue, though personally... I don¡¯t really care too much since it has nothing to do with me. Part of working as a mercenary is knowing when to mind your own business, and that mentality worked fine so far. My job at the time was to provide security for the mansion as the captain of the guards, while the [Guardian] dwarf Saron acted as vice-captain. Since then, I have seen her cause so much mayhem, I do not know where to start. Eventually, despite the mansion already being hidden at the outskirts of the country, she was completely exiled due to all the trouble she caused. From then on, she became an adventurer and continued like a hurricane decimating anything and everything in her path. Going from battlefield to battlefield virtually without end. That is how this battle junky somehow ended up as Rank A in only 11 years. Of course it has been quite profitable for me as well. When I started this assignment, I was a mercenary who probably would be at about upper D to maybe lower C rank in terms of strength. Due to being tugged along, I somehow managed to make it to upper Ranks of B. If only she did not waste so much money during missions, I¡¯d even tolerate her craziness to an extent. Maybe I am just getting too used to her crazy antics... End of the day, she is a strong asset and a huge liability. This is why for missions like this, the plan was to first prepare to block off all the escape routes, then wake her up and have her help. But some numskull apparently woke her up ahead of schedule! ¡°Who woke Ariel up?¡± I questioned with annoyance in my voice. ¡°...Sorry Boss¡­¡± replied Brian ¡°Why did you do such a thing when I explicitly told you not to?¡± I inquired somewhat pissed. ¡°I am really sorry Boss¡­ but elder sister Ariel..¡± Brian dejectedly tried to explain. Not willing to listen to excuses, I stop him by lifting my hand. ¡°* sigh * whatever¡­ Ariel you remember the plan from the other day right?¡± I confirmed. ¡°Sure, I just have to crush them right?¡± answered Ariel nonchalantly. ¡°Don¡¯t pass this off so lightly! The opponent this time is someone at a level of an upper B to lower A rank adventurer. Add in the others, and it isn¡¯t going to end simply. Even though I know how strong you are, if they focus on escaping, it would be extremely troublesome. So please follow the plan!¡± I insisted. ¡°Yeah, yeah I got you. I¡¯ll be back soon¡± said Ariel and dashed forward. * sigh * She didn¡¯t get it at all¡­ ¡°Everyone, change of plans! We take up positions now!¡± I exclaimed. ¡°But I am not ready with my preparations...¡± complained Tina. ¡°We have no choice! Get in positions now!¡± I yelled and headed out. After running for 5 minutes, I get into my position and wait for anyone who plans to flee. The goal here is Tina using her [Mud magic] to lay a trap in the surroundings as we spread out covering the 4 corners. With Saron blocking off the main escape route. Though due to Ariel rushing in ahead of schedule, Tina was not fully done with her preparations and we are late taking up our positions. Focusing my attention back to my role, I heard the sound of screams and ground shaking in the background as a massacre was occurring. It is times like this I keep being reminded that she is a total monster... After about an hour, the screams and shaking stopped and an eerie silence takes over. There were a few stragglers, but I was able to finish them off without issue. All that was left was flames in the background from what used to be the base of the bandits. I then heard the sound of someone coming and took up my position. Soon I notice Ariel who was heading towards me. Now with her maniac expression gone, she reverted back to acting dignified and proper. ¡°You finished?¡± I questioned. ¡°Yes, it was no problem.¡± Ariel responded, then she held up her shattered steel sword ¡°Oh and about this, next time we are in Hallion, take me to the craftsman who made this¡± she added. ¡°Must you really do this? At this rate we are going to run out of blacksmiths willing to sell to us¡± I pleaded. ¡°It is imperative¡± Ariel insisted then threw away the broken sword and headed to meet up with the others. * sigh * Given no other choice, I followed behind her. It did not take long for us catch up with Saron, Brian and Tina. And from there, after making sure no one escaped, we headed to stock up in the next town. Based on our schedule, we probably should be back in Hallion in around 2 weeks? Short of any surprises that is¡­ and knowing Ariel, surprises are dime in a dozen. Overall though, I kind of feel sorry for the poor lad. Ariel is one tough cookie. One of the reasons no blacksmith is willing to make weapons for her is due to her ridiculous demands of not only having a lot of weapons made in a short amount of time, but also demand they be of higher quality. But if it only ended there, the last Blacksmith that made weapons for her was nearly beaten to death for selling her ¡°junk¡± as she called it. Of course there is the option of having a higher level blacksmith make the weapons, but if we were to go that route, we would all go broke pretty quickly. The reason why we need so many weapons, or specifically so many swords is to take maximum advantage of Ariel¡¯s Unique Combat Class, [Thousand Blade Swordsman]. Which makes her stronger the more swords she uses. Combined with her Unique Skill, she is nearly unstoppable. Either way¡­ good luck lad¡­ you are going to find out the hard way ¡°Hallion¡¯s Hero¡± is far from the idol you most likely imagine her to be... And I am going to have to find yet another blacksmith willing to sell us in bulk * sigh * Volume 02: Epilogue Now that I have finished setting up my wares and taken up my disguise, I wait patiently in hopes to bring in some customers. Having nothing to do, I took a look around at the exhibit area, and for some strange reason... everyone just staring at me not saying a word¡­ strange¡­. Though my focus on their odd behavior did not last long as I heard someone approaching the entrance to the exhibit from the outside¡­ I hope its a customer! It did not take long until 3 people came through the door, a dogkin, an elf and¡­ MY FAVORITE CUSTOMER! In excitement my ears almost plopped up and my tail almost wiggled out of my disguise but luckily I suppressed it¡­ while they have a dogkin in the party, which probably means they are a more open about beastkin, I don¡¯t want to take any chances¡­ either way, I don¡¯t want them to see I am a 12 year old girl either so I maintain my disguise with extra effort! Gathering my courage and my resolve, in my impatience, I wave the the middle aged man. ¡°HEY! You are the one who bought my stuff last time? Did you like it? Would you be interested in making any more orders? I can even guarantee quality better than last time!¡± I boast with excitement. While another 100 sword order would be awesome, even I know things like that are unrealistic. But if I can sell a few more steel stuff to him, it would be awesome! Maybe make him into a repeat customer! Noticing my salutation, the middle age man points my way and the three of them head toward me and stand in front of my display of wares. ¡°I only have Iron stuff for display today, but I can smith you some steel stuff pretty quickly if need be¡± I encourage. I then take a better look at my customers with [Identify] and notice the elf is a Rank A adventurer! The first Rank A I have ever seen¡­ If its a Rank A, I¡¯d gladly make Holy-steel for them! ¡°I¡¯ll also gladly make hol-¡± I say, then stop mid sentence and begin to tremble as the elf glares at me with bloodlust¡­ Hii?!?! I silently bellow. From the fear I feel, I can¡¯t even move or scream as the bloodlust completely freezes me in place¡­ ¡°You sure have guts disguising yourself in front of me...¡± the elf pronounces slowly, with each word filling me with terror. Next thing I know, I hear a high pitched sound and my mantle completely slices into pieces! Whatever happened was so freaking fast, I could not even see it even with my high PER¡­ I didn¡¯t even get any new skill notification, so either it was a skill so fast I couldn¡¯t see it, or she did it with just her stat ability alone¡­ Either way¡­ even more terror fills my heart¡­ I try to say something in my defense, but no words can come out due to overwhelming dread¡­ so I try to barely make eye contact and plead with my eyes, only to see her contract her eyes even more¡­ staring me down like a predator and its prey¡­The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Not being able to maintain eye contact, my eyes began to swim as I try to plead others for help! As I try to listen in to their conversations, hoping for either salvation or at least some clue to what my fate will be¡­ ¡°I feel sorry for the poor missy...¡± IF YOU ARE SORRY, HELP!¡¯ ¡°I hope the same thing doesn¡¯t happen as last time...¡± LAST TIME?! WHAT HAPPENED?! ¡°Oh, ya mean with Drey? That pour soul¡­ after being beaten half to death, he gave up smithing and moved to another town...¡± WHAT?!?! Don¡¯t tell me¡­ SOMEONE SAVE ME! Unfortunately nobody moved, and neither could I due to the immense pressure¡­ ¡°Ya, for being Hallion¡¯s Hero, she can be pretty unreasonable...¡± ... Many other things were said after that, but my mind tuned out at one word, that kept repeating in my head like an endless recording... A primal fright like no other filled up every inch of my body¡­ It was like my entire soul was screaming ¡°RUN!¡± Without even knowing, I somehow overpowered the bloodlust and activated [Charge] towards the exit!
Due to overcoming a large mental hurdle: +1 MNT
But soon after, I felt was a sharp pain I have never felt before! On top of that, I was not moving¡­ I took a look around and ended up seeing a horror I wish I hadn¡¯t... The crazy hero elf was freaking grasped my beautiful tail! And with enough force to stop me mid [Charge]! But the nightmare was far from over, the next thing that monster did was pull back on my tail and grappled me with both hands! Locking me completely in place! I was grasped so tightly that I couldn¡¯t even scream in pain! And in pain I was! ARGHHH!!!!!!!!!! * crack * Due to my Holy Power almost being completely drained from the fight before, I could not even put up the basic defenses! If not for my Holy-steel armor, I¡¯d probably already be dead! I took a peak around to the best of my ability pleading for someone, anyone to rescue me! ¡°Acha..¡± said my favorite customer while face palming, who by the way has now been downgraded to worst traitor in my mind! ¡°A retard?¡± questioned the dogkin. Suddenly the bloodlust seems to have subsided, but I was still being gripped in such a manner where I could only wiggle at best¡­ I couldn¡¯t even scream due to my face being tightly locked into the elf¡¯s chest. ¡°That isn¡¯t nice calling Mayo a retard, she is just a little special...¡± reprimanded the elf in a soft tone that somehow seemed to cause more terror in me than the threatening one earlier¡­ Personally... I see no difference in between the two names, and second of all, who the hell is Mayo? Seemingly reading my mind¡­ ¡°Mayo?¡± questioned the dogkin. ¡°Oh, that... back when Ariel was younger, she had a Catkin with light pink hair who she found in the forest, she dragged it around and gave it a bit¡­ too much affection¡­ which ended up killing it. Ever since then, every time she sees retarded¡­ err¡­ I mean ¡®special¡¯ beastkin, she thinks she has to ¡®protect it¡¯.¡± explained the traitor. ¡°MMMMMMMMMM?!?!??!?¡± I try to struggle and scream with all my power in hopeless futility. ¡°Stop that! You are scaring the poor thing!¡± reprimanded the monster. NO, NO! YOU ARE SCARING ME! She then gave me a tighter hug to reassure me, and leave me with no doubts in my mind¡­ that she will definitely crush me to death! ARGH!!!! * crack * ¡°There, there. Don¡¯t listen to the two meanies Mayo. Sure, I may have had a catkin in the past, but I took care of her really really well. I brought her everywhere I went, hugged her and played with her all day¡­ just¡­ unfortunately one day she ran away straight to the Forest of Death¡­ and I was not able to save her unfortunately¡­ but worry not! I¡¯ll make sure to protect you and never let you go! I assure you Mayo that nobody will ever hurt you again on my watch!¡± comforted the monster. SO SHE FREAKING CHOSE DEATH OVER BEING WITH YOU! HOW IS THAT ASSURING?!?! ¡°MMMMMMMMMM?!?!?¡± I again try to struggle in futility. I stare straight up at her, with my eyes crying in tears begging for forgiveness¡­ or considering the chain of events¡­ even a quick and painless death¡­ ¡°Look Harold and Brian! See how happy Mayo is, she is crying in joy!¡± the monster happily exclaimed. ¡°MMMMMMMMMM?!?!?¡± Her hug tightens yet again as I find myself completely unable to breathe, and my HP quickly approach towards zero! ¡°* sigh * Didn¡¯t we come here for a purpose? Like you know¡­ resupplying weapons?¡± asked the traitor. ¡°Oh yeah¡­ Forgot all about that, so where is that blacksmith you were talking about?¡± questioned the monster. ¡°Ahm¡­ you know¡­ the one you are crushing in your arms...¡± said the traitor while pointing at me. The monster looked back down, seeing me with my crying swollen eyes¡­ ¡°This adorable thing?¡± inquired the monster while blinking in surprise. Seemingly unable to resist, the monster again tightened her grip. At that point... I could not hold my breath any longer¡­ * collapse * Thus, my worst nightmare came ture¡­ I Shiro who have just reincarnated, in only but a few month was ruthlessly killed yet again, in the most horrifying way possible¡­ being mofu~mofu~ed to death... by a hero. Interlude #1 - The apex predator in the shadows So I managed to get into this sweet party with a level 35 [Shield Warrior], level 32 [Barbarian], level 27 [Swashbuckler] and level 27 [Hunter]. Considering I am only level 25 I can count myself quite lucky, but then considering I am a [Marksman], one can say the lucky ones are them. A [Marksman] is a range class, but one that is higher tier than a mere [Hunter]. Not only can I track as well as them, my first skill [Marksman: Presence Mark] lets me put multiple markers on select targets be it friend or foe, letting me get a general idea of their location and their surroundings for a few minutes. Effectively, if you only want to track the prey, a hunter would do, but if you want to track and catch it, a [Marksman] is where it¡¯s at! This advantage makes a [Marksman] a very sought out class among the range classes. Sure, elves have their darn [Presence Sense] and all, which unlike my ability does not need visual confirmation of the target, but it ain¡¯t such a big deal with [Hawk Eyes] and my tracking abilities. And unlike their ability that can¡¯t visualize well other than the general direction, I can pick out someone¡¯s precise location, even if they are behind multiple layers of walls or far in the distance. Not only that, I can get a vague feeling for what said target is doing and what is within their surroundings. Effectively, I am indispensable as one would say. To add to my luck, after being around half a year with my party, we managed to get our hands on an [Expedition Pass] by pulling some connections here and there. Of course usually an [Expedition Pass] can be a hit or a miss depending on its content. For example, an [Expedition Pass] into uncharted monster territory can either be a death sentence or for a lucky few a quick way to get rich. But in this case, this [Expedition Pass] is for reclaiming territory. In particularly, a noble house took over a piece of land that belonged to a fallen noble and now needs to ¡°sweep¡± the place up. Some people call it ¡°legalized banditry¡±, I prefer to call it ¡°opportunity¡±. The only downside is that the minimum requirement for this job is being at least a Rank D adventurer. Despite the high level of the party, the members have been on the cautious side and were late to take the exam. So we needed to get it out of the way to get promoted to Rank D in time. And this is when my luck started to run out. We had a short amount of time to get things done, but we weren¡¯t amateurs. We knew better than to take the exam at the last minute, though due to some fucked up reason, our exam got canceled due to ¡°unforeseen circumstance¡±. From there, they tried to reschedule us for a different exam, but the amount of people allocated for that specific exam was short by one. Even worse, the Rank B adventurer had only a few days till he had to leave. Just when I thought things were not going to work out, we got confirmation that they found the last person and are ready to go. Finally! After we left for the exam by carriage, the Rank B adventurer gave out roles, and I got stuck with some stinking hairball, talk about luck¡­ and if that wasn¡¯t enough, she isn¡¯t even an adult! I mean seriously, who wants to get stuck babysitting a 10 year old hairball?!?! Or is she 8? Whatever, as long as she doesn¡¯t get in my way I could care less! There is no way I can afford to fail this exam! After arriving at the cave and the Rank B adventurer clearing up the entrance, we proceeded with our roles. When we made first contact with the bandits guarding the treasure room, I shot and took care of one and surprisingly enough the hairball did as well. Good thing she didn¡¯t go crying for her mommy at the first sight of blood. Cause that would have been annoying as hell. Once we entered the treasure room, we saw a metal door which is probably the escape path? Deciding to check it out, we carefully opened the door. Then the stupid beastkin decided to ¡°play elf¡± saying how she noticed someone there. I tried to see with [Hawk Eyes] but no luck. Then I remembered, didn¡¯t Catkin have [Smell Sense]? It ain¡¯t at the level of dogkin or wolfkin, but maybe it is good enough as long as its not too far away? Seemingly convinced, I try to confirm the details. ¡°How many?¡± I asked. ¡°For now, I sense only one. They aren¡¯t moving so far¡± She confirmed. ¡°Alright, lets go quickly take care of it¡± I replied wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. We made our way around the corner and noticed a large dog rushing at us! Wait¡­ is that an undead?!? Not taking any chances, I aim and use [Power Shot]! The stupid hairball almost got in the way of my shot, but luckily my shot hit is right on target taking it out. It would be a pain if she got hit and I ended up failing for ¡°not cooperating properly¡±. If she is gonna rush, she should tell me first! sheesh! As she continues down the passage, I just in case put [Presence Mark] on her and began to disassemble the undead hound. Unlike items that are owned by the bandits which will go to the Rank B adventurer, items from monsters we kill are free for the taking. So no reason to miss out on some extra coin. That said, it is really odd for an undead hound to be here¡­ is there a necromancer here or something? Nah, can¡¯t be... If that were the case, it would be too dangerous for a Rank D exam. Maybe it was bound to the place? Suddenly I notice a dark like mist begin to seem out from the walls and form into a ghost-type monster! Fuck! Ghost-type monsters are at least level 30! Not only that, they can resist physical attacks. But worst of all, they can posses people! I quickly place [Presence Mark] on the Ghost-type monster and run for my life! Once I make it out the door, I suddenly remember something. Fucking Shit! If I ran away, doesn¡¯t that mean I would fail the exam? No wait¡­ this is clearly a unique circumstance! I am sure they will understand¡­ but what if they won¡¯t? And even if they do, at best they will just reschedule the exam and I won¡¯t make it to the expedition! On top of that, I may end up losing my party if they opt going without me! Just my fucking luck! But then again... I will only fail if they know I ran away right? If that hairball kicks the can fighting the ghost monster and I say I ran away after she died, it should be just fine... There is no evidence that I abandoned her! I can even claim we were attacked by the ghost and the hound at the same time and I took care of the hound while she faced the ghost! Perfect! I pay careful attention to my [Presence Mark] to grasp the entire situation to the best of my ability. This way I can fabricate the perfect story and no one will ever know! This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. After waiting for no more than a minute which somehow felt like ages, I could not believe what I saw¡­ ¡°She fucking killed it...¡± I unconsciously muttered. I sensed through my [Presence Mark] the ghost trying to posses her, but for some strange reason got repelled¡­ Is she wearing some sort of protection item or something? Once she made it closer to the door, the ghost¡¯s presence stopped following her and just stood there. But this is really bad! Since she is alive, she is definitely going to tattle on me¡­ which means¡­ As she dragged herself closer, after taking a glance at me, she suddenly collapsed on the floor! I stood still like a rock not knowing what to do¡­ but then it hit me¡­ I need to kill her! If she dies, she can¡¯t tell on me¡­ because¡­ the dead don¡¯t talk¡­ I pull out my dagger and approach closer to her. I then place my dagger on her neck and resolve myself¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for this¡­ expandable beastkin like you are dime in a dozen¡­ unlike you I have a bright future and I can¡¯t just stop here¡± I mutter¡­ It isn¡¯t that I care about the life of some filthy beastkin that I am hesitating¡­ It is just that if I kill her, it would be the point of no return,¡­ but all I have to do is just claim that we both fought the ghost monster and after killing it, she got possessed, forcing me to kill her in self defense¡­ So even if they check and see that I killed her, if I present the [Soul Crystal] of the ghost, and make my claim it should be fine right? Finally convinced that my story has no flaws, I tighten the grip on my dagger and swing it towards her neck! My blade pierces through her neck drawing blood but I suddenly stop remembering something¡­ Didn¡¯t she have a protection item of some sort? If they find the protection item, wouldn¡¯t my story fall apart? I frantically search all over trying to find anything that stands out but to no avail¡­ well if we are talking about ¡°standing out¡±, her entire equipment in sense ¡°stands out¡±. I mean who the hell wears full white equipment? Does she think she is some sort of [Paladin] or something? Standing out in combat is like screaming ¡°kill me first¡±. Of course there is no way her entire equipment is the protection item¡­ I mean sure it looks expensive and when I touched it I could feel that it is soul bound. Unless she is some bigwig from the churches or has some connections, there would be no way for her to get a full set of holy equipment¡­ so... the protection item must be the that thing that looks like the [Slavery Collar]? While it looks like a regular slavery collar to me, there would be no reason why a Rank E adventurer would not have it removed by now right? So maybe it is some sort of protection rune that is disguised in the form of a [Slavery Collar]? Damn it! I have no clue where to start, and if I mess this up, forget not passing the exam, I¡¯ll be hunted down all over the continent¡­ is there no other way¡­ I don¡¯t have much time¡­ every second that passes, I risk the Rank B adventurer coming here¡­ I need to find a way to prevent her from telling that I abandoned her¡­ Do I try bribing her? But she is unconscious¡­ and I doubt she will wake up in time¡­ God fucking damn! Why has my luck been so terrible lately?! A way for her not to talk¡­ a way ¡­ Then it suddenly hit me! There is most definitely a way! The one who accuses first has the advantage! And if I play my cards right, I can falsify all the evidence I need! With the ghost presence finally gone, I head back into the passage and retrieve the ghost¡¯s [Soul Crystal]. I make sure to hide it very well within my secret pocket and head back to the undead dog. I finish disassembling its claws, but my goal this time is not some chump change. Once I finish collecting the claws, I take an arrow and shoot another [Power Shot] through the dog from the back, opposite the side I shot it the first time. Making it seem like the attack came from behind. I then head back to the unconscious beastkin, and with the claws, I begin making scratches on her skin. The story will go as follows, when we entered the passage, we got attacked by the undead dog. Out of fear, she ended up running, thus provoked the dog to chase after her. Out of her desperate run, she ended up tripping and the dog assaulted her causing her to faint due to shock. At that point, I shot my [Power Shot] rescuing her. And since she fell unconscious, I brought here here to safety¡­ should be good enough right? Even if she gains consciousness and disputes my story, no one will believe that there was a ghost monster if she can¡¯t show the [Soul Crystal]. And I¡¯ll make sure to hide it well once I get out of here so that they can¡¯t trace it back to me. Effectively, it will be her word against mine. But when looking at the evidence, it clearly tilts in my favor. Especially if I can convince the Rank B adventurer and other party members to take my side while she is unconcious. From what I hear, the Rank B adventurer was pretty short on time and should easily side with the most convenient option. Especially since she is not awake to defend herself at this point in time. Hmm¡­ taking a look at the scene, it seems a bit strange how despite the scratches, her armor seems to be in pristine condition¡­ So I take the claws and start making scratches on her white armor¡­ Ha? It ain¡¯t scratching¡­ After trying for a good 5 minutes, I gave up. If it is durable enough to last that long, then it wouldn¡¯t be weird it didn¡¯t get scratched in the first place... After about 10 minutes passed, the Rank B adventurer showed up with the other party members in tow and I explained details of my side of the story. As he was listening, he placed the things of value in the treasure room into his [Item Box]. ¡°I understand¡± said Daron, ¡°I will go check out the escape passage, everyone else wait outside the cave¡± he then added. After about an hour of endless anxiety, he came out of the cave carrying the beastkin while seemingly pondering something¡­ Was I exposed?!?! Feeling restless I came up to him. ¡°I-Is everything okay?¡± I nervously asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh, yes everything is fine and your story checks out as well¡­ Lets head back to the guild. Though I will warn that from this point on, communication between party members is prohibited to prevent fabrication of any stories. Once we make camp for the night, during your shift, I will confirm each party member¡¯s stories and combine it into my final evaluation. There is no need to worry as this is standard procedure¡± Daren announced. With that, I felt the huge weight lift off my shoulders and I happily headed out along side the others. It was a bit boring since we couldn¡¯t converse, but considering after this I can finally head out on the expedition, it isn¡¯t a big deal. We ended up making camp and each of us were assigned turns taking shifts along side Daren who listened to our stories. I was assigned the third shift, so I went to sleep early. After being awoken for my shift, I went to sit along side Daren. ¡°Hey¡± I exclaimed when I saw him sitting by the fire. ¡°Todd is it?¡± Daren asked with a somewhat inquiring tone. ¡°U-Uhm¡­ yes¡± I replied suddenly get a bit worried. ¡°No need to get nervous, I just want to ask a few questions here and there, that is all¡± Daren explained. ¡°I-Is it about the beastkin running away?¡± I cautiously questioned. ¡°There are some things I¡¯d ask to confirm on in that regard, but I am more interested in another topic¡­ specifically¡­ what did you think about the escape passage?¡± Daren probed. The escape passage? Why does that matter? Hmm¡­ though now that I think back on it, it was rather odd in sense¡­ I mean... the escape passage seemed more well built than the hideout itself¡­ not to mention... those undead monsters¡­ even stranger, when you have multiple undead monsters, from what I heard they would generally be of similar type¡­ the only place where you can get variety of undead is either some sort of crypt or¡­ a¡­ dungeon¡­ Now it all fucking makes sense! Even for a ghost, that kind of appearance was not normal, it felt like it came into existence out of nothing rather than just appeared there. But if it was a [Dungeon Trap] that creates a monster once its triggered, then it all fits! Wait a darn second, but wasn¡¯t this place scouted just last week¡­ then this means that place is a new dungeon?!?! And if I remember correctly, the guild gives a good bonus for finding new dungeons! My luck is finally coming back on track! So that is why he prevented us from talking to each other and called us out individually instead! Unlike the treasures which all go to the Rank B adventurer by default, the reward for finding a new dungeon gets split evenly between those who found it. If we leave out the other guys, we can split the reward between ourselves! ¡°You mean about the dungeon? Don¡¯t worry, I haven¡¯t told anyone about it! So we can split it 50/50 once we make it back into town¡± I replied with excitement. ¡°Not sure what you mean by dungeon, it was clearly a normal escape passage...¡± Daren responded with a bemused smile. Ha? It wasn¡¯t a dungeon? Is he just playing stupid on purpose or taking me for a fool? ¡°What do you mean¡­ it clearly looked like a dungeon to me!¡± I retorted feeling somewhat irritated. ¡°Well... If it really was a dungeon, then I kinda feel sorry for that catkin¡­ abandoning your companions is one of the grounds for disqualification for claiming the reward after all...¡± Daren contemplated seemingly to himself. ¡°That is why I said, we¡¯ll split the reward 50/50!¡± I exclaimed while totally annoyed with his antics¡­ ha? Suddenly I had a really bad feeling about this¡­ ¡°Speaking of that catkin¡­ the guards protecting the treasure seem to have slightly cut her neck with a dagger¡­ she really has some bad luck¡­ though now that I think about it¡­ there was no blood on their swords¡­ truly odd¡­ or maybe my memory is getting worse with age¡­ what do you think?¡± Daren questioned as his smile continued to widen. * gulp * Fuck! He most definitely knows! ¡°That is¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe she cut herself somewhere¡­ I have fucking better things to do then babysit a filthy beastkin¡­ Anyways, if this is all you wanted to ask, I want to excuse myself and take a leak!¡± I declared and started to make my way towards the forest to get away as soon as possible, hopefully buying enough time come up with something. ¡°One last question¡­ completely unrelated¡­¡± Daren voiced out. ¡°What?!?¡± I snapped back. ¡°Well¡­ you see¡­ I found this [Soul Crystal] in the treasury...¡± Daren spoke as he took out a decent sized black crystal from his pocket ¡°¡­ and I was wondering what kind of ghost monster it belong to¡­ do you happen to know? A wild guess would be fine too...¡± he added. My eyes widened in shock and I quickly felt my hidden pocket¡­ FUCKING MOTHER FUCKING BASTARD!!!! ¡°DA FUCK WOULD I KNOW!¡± I yelled and turned around, widening my steps to make some distance. But before I knew it a hand landed on my shoulder and a cold chill ran down my spine! ¡°There is no need to get so antsy¡­ as I said¡­ nothing in this conversation will change the outcome of the results¡­ when you tried to go into the escape tunnel, you got attacked by a zombie hound¡­ the catkin ran, you saved it¡­ all the evidence confirms this¡­ so there is nothing to worry about Todd, or should I say Rank D Adventurer Todd? I heard from your friends you plan to go to an Expedition into Viscount Sharman¡¯s old territory, aren¡¯t you the lucky one?¡± Daren smilingly assured. Despite the friendly attitude, it felt far from friendly¡­ even with no weapon drawn, it felt like a knife was sliding down my throat¡­ ¡°W-What I-is it that y-you want?¡± I mumbled stuttering. ¡°Nothing much¡­ I just want to have a nice and friendly chat with you, thats all...¡± Daren replied with a smile fit for a devil. ¡­ Interlude #2 - Giving it a Good Whack! * ding * * ding * * ding * * ding * * ding * ¡°Another fine work if I do so say so myself¡± I mutter after finishin¡¯ up my latest order. With my morning work out of the way, I head for the door and pick up the mail. Hmmm¡­ seems like it''s a request for private trainin¡¯ from a Junior Disciple. Takin¡¯ a peak at the contents, the disciple''s name is¡­ Shiro. Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t remember such a name, must be a new recruit from the previous selections? I then look at their profile information to get a better understandin¡¯ of who they were... A catkin and only 12 years old? That is definitely a new one... Thinkin¡¯ back, I suddenly remember somethin¡¯. If I remember correctly there was a catkin who came and made some strange dagger which was passed around the guild as the joke of the selection. Could it be the same little missy? I then continue readin¡¯ and see the little missy is level 1 in their non-combat job and has level 3 [Blacksmithing], pretty impressive for such a youn'' age... There is also a note that the little missy also had a recent lesson with Doran, an Intermediate Disciple. * sigh * That is the problem with new disciples, they are too much in a hurry. Instead of soakin¡¯ in the information they get, they try to jump for latest opportunity to go further. Blacksmithing is all about patience, decades and decades worth of patience. With that, I decided to reject the application while reprimandin'' the little missy for bein'' too eager. I still skim through the rest of the information on the profile though to see if I can offer any extra advice. Hmm¡­ little missy is definitely pretty talented, accordin¡¯ to Doran, the little missy can already smith Bronze to perfection, and can even smelt Iron to some extent. That is pretty impressive progress for just 10 days¡­ Doran also seems to have approved the little missy smelting of Iron as well. And while I understand where he is commin¡¯ from, if it were me, I would have delayed it a bit more to prevent the little missy from gettin¡¯ too conceited. After that, I proceed to read through the notes at the bottom which includes things like the quality score of the little missy''s quota submissions and other notes¡­ Boy oh boy, the little missy seems to be pickin'' up the best quality ones, while submittin'' the lower quality stuff to the guild. While that is not exactly against the rules as lon'' as the quality is acceptable, the practice is pretty frowned upon. Well¡­ it is not uncommon amongst new recruits, so I¡¯ll let is slide for a few months. Though¡­ the quality score is sure improvin'' at a pretty odd rate¡­ it seems the little missy has already hit average quality score for smelting iron¡­ and what?!?! The little missy already made an [Iron Blacksmithing Hammer] with an average quality score? I go back to the top of the page to confirm, level 1 non-combat job and level 3 [Blacksmithing]¡­ I read that part correctly¡­ It is not strange that someone with level 3 [Blacksmithing] is able to make average quality Iron items. But that should be the peak of their ability, and that is considerin'' they got some [PER] to assist them and lots of experience. For the little missy to improve at such an astonishin'' rate is really peculiar¡­ Ya know what? I¡¯ll accept the application this time around. Part of the privileges of bein'' an Advanced Disciple is the ability to test the disciple to see if they are worthy of my trainin'', and if they fail, I can end the trainin'' right on the spot. If I set aside a few hours or so, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I want to see how far this little missy can go, and at same time teach the little missy a thin¡¯ or two about rushin¡¯ too fast. Lookin¡¯ at my schedule, I have some free time in 5 days, so on my way to breakfast, I deposit my approval for the private lessons on that day. ¡­ The day of the lesson came and the little missy came over. When I questioned what the little missy wanted to learn, the answer I got was ¡°smelting of steel¡±. * sigh * The little missy is definitely in too much of a hurry, but I got the perfect challenge just for the occasion! I take out an [Iron Ore] and make the little missy smelt it without gettin'' below the quality score of 6. To be honest, this test is a bit harder than a normal test. Usually I would pick out an [Iron Ore] with a quality score of 6.95 or above, givin'' much more head room. This ore though has a quality score of only 6.7, so the little missy has at least 0.25 less headroom than a typical test. Lookin¡¯ at the little missy''s expression, the little missy seems to be quite shaken when confronted with the difficulty of the assignment... Ya need to be able to do at least this much if ya want to handle Steel little missy! ...Hmmm? Drool? A wide smile appears on the little missy¡¯s face as the little missy begins to smelt the ore. After about an hour, the little missy presents me with the result¡­ I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seein'', quality score of 6.5?!?! How? Well that was unexpected, but a dwarf always keeps his promises. So I show the little missy how to properly smelt steel. Once done, I use the opportunity to test the little missy yet again. Only to be shocked even more! The test required the little missy to get a score of at least 3 when smelting steel, but what I got back was an astonishin'' 4.2! How could this possible be? On my first attempt at makin¡¯ steel, I barely hit a quality score of 1! And people said I was fairly talented¡­ But the little missy was not done just yet. The little missy now wanted me to impart the techniques for the smithing steel¡­ Alright then, that is it little missy! Enough of this! For the next assignment, I force the little missy to make a dagger with a quality score of at least 6 out of the 6.5 quality score [Iron Ingot]. Simply put, this test is impossible. Someone who has only level 1 of a non-combat job and [Blacksmithing] of level 3 can never accomplish this task even if a miracle happened! Of course, I am not doin'' this to harm the little missy, as this is the minimum requirement ya need to pass to smith steel. But contrary to my expectations, the result was beyond understanding. Not only did the little missy manage to make an [Iron Dagger] with a quality score of 6, lookin'' at the handiwork left me completely stunned. There was some sloppiness here and there, but no matter how I look at it, the little missy¡¯s [Blacksmithing] is level 4! Was the little missy that close to gettin'' [Blacksmithing] to level 4 at the selections? Givin'' up contemplatin'', I proceed to show the little missy how to smith a steel hammer. Once I finish and explain everythin'', I again challenge the little missy, this time to smith a [Steel Dagger] with a quality score of at least 3. Now that I am aware of the little missy¡¯s smithing abilities, I would say odds of a quality score above 3 is about 50/50? After the little missy finishes and hands me the final result with an innocent smile. I take a look and evaluate the results¡­ BY THE GODS! WHAT KIND OF MADNESS IS THIS?!?!? My eyes open wide and jaw slacks in complete astonishment, this isn¡¯t anymore in the realm of mortals! There is so much wron'' here I don¡¯t even know where to start! The first shocker is obviously the quality score of about 4.4! On ya¡¯r first attempt, gettin'' such a quality score is border line crazy! But if was only that... lookin'' at the craftsmanship, the little missy¡¯s [Blacksmithing] level is 5! When?!? How!?! And if that was the end to the madness, I would die a happy dwarf. The dagger on top of all this has a bonus option! A bonus option is not somethin'' ya can just gain through hard work! This is unbelievable! How am I suppose to believe somethin'' like this?!?! No one will believe this madness! Then suddenly an idea came up and a grin appears on my face¡­ if nobody will believe it, then isn¡¯t this the perfect opportunity? The competition is right around the corner, and it is customary for the advanced and senior disciples to bet on who will be the champion. Of course this is mostly formalities, because generally everyone knows who is goin'' to win. So most of us just bet on the most likely candidate, and those with more guts bet on the underdogs. As-is, the little missy can¡¯t win, but with some guidance it might just be possible¡­ I then go in and take out some high quality [Coal Ore] and [Iron Ore] and hand it over to the little missy. Once the little missy agreed, we made plans for some extra lessons until the competition. After the private lesson, I tested the little missy one more time to see how well the little missy improved. I even required the use of little missy¡¯s own [Iron Ingot], not because I was bein'' cheap or anythin'', but to put more pressure on the little missy! It is easy to waste the materials other give ya, but usin'' ya''r own materials puts ya under far more pressure, thus forcin'' ya give in more effort.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The results? The little missy was able to make an average quality [Steel Dagger] without any issue¡­ of course this improvement was within my calculations, but it still terrifies me at how unreasonable this rate of improvement is. The little missy also borrowed a [Coal Ore] for a prototype, which I was at first a bit confused, but thinkin'' it over it was not an issue if it gets results. Then came the last lesson before the competition, and we started the lesson as per usual. But shortly after, the little missy seemed less than satisfied. Askin'' as far as watchin'' a Senior Disciple make somethin'' over me! THE NERVE! I could not believe the audacity! At first, I was goin'' to explode and throw the little missy out! But thinkin'' about it a bit, the little missy seems to have hit a bottleneck, so it isn¡¯t without reason to want to see variety of smithing techniques from others. So after ponderin¡¯ about it for a while, I relented and went to fetch Fam. After Fam showed the little missy how to smith a dagger, and watchin'' the little missy¡¯s elated response, I was even more ticked off! When we came back to my quarters, I showed a few more stuff here and there. And when there were only few hours left till dinner, the little missy wanted to smith a prototype which I agreed with. Though unfortunately, I did not have the liesure to watch the little missy smith the prototype as I was already far too behind on my work. When the time came to say goodbye, the little missy showed me the prototype in question while beamin'' at me with high expectations to critique the little missy''s work. Interestingly enough, the dagger looked quite odd for it to be made out of steel as it had this whitish tint ya would not find on a normal steel dagger... Though with my experiences with the little missy so far, I was prepared for anythin''... I took the dagger and examined it.
Holy-Steel Healing Dagger A poor quality dagger made out of holy-steel +2 STR +2 DEX +2 AGI +2 VIT +1 INT +1 WIS +50 ATK [Healing Stream] +5 HP every minute (5 holy power is consumed per minute) Holy Power: 12/100 [Made by Shiro] Durability: 400/400 Quality 1.001/10.000
Well... almost anythin''... How the heck did the little missy manage to get [Holy-steel Ingots]?!?! Those things are not somethin'' ya can usually get ya''r hands on... Not to mention the fact that my forge is not capable of smithing Holy-steel to begin with! Thinkin'' up to there, I realized how stupid I was bein'' contemplatin'' these turn of events! This little missy sure is a naughty one! I heard when a master gets disciples, they like to play pranks on ya from time to time. And this must be one of those pranks! It is not uncommon for beastkin to go work at the church when they come to this town. The little missy must have somehow convinced the priest to lend some Holy-steel and smithed it there. Though... I don''t remember the church havin'' a forge... but it isn''t like I know all the details about it... Then afterwards, the little missy must have pretended to smith a dagger, and swapped it once it was complete! With that mystery solved, I began to seriously examine the dagger... While the quality score was barely at the bottom limit, it was still quite the attempt at a magical item. Makin'' a magical item is extremely difficult, and goes beyond just the concept of smithing. Just because ya are a good smith does not guarantee ya will be able to make magical items. Many never pass the wall between makin'' regular items and magic items. The reason for this is the extreme difficulty of makin'' the magic formation bind to the item at hand. To give an example, it is like carvin'' thousands of patterns into a cube, and rotatin'' the cube at the perfect timin'' and angle to prevent any water from spilling. But it does not end there, because that would only make the item magical. To actually give it a form of magic it can actually use, that would be like puttin'' some holes in the lines, and ensurin'' the water only runs through certain lines while ultimately endin'' up in the select holes. And if that doesn''t sound hard enough, ya are not dealin'' with a cube but a unique shaped object like a dagger! On top of that, ya''r balancin'' not with ya''r delicate hands but with a blunt hammer! This is the unsurmountable wall that separates the Intermediate Disciples aka the ''trainees'' from the Advanced Disciples who are recognized as true blacksmiths! Some pride welled up in me knowin'' the one I taught is at the forefront of that unsurmountable wall that many failed to reach... Of course, some of it was also bitter as well rememberin'' how many decades of lon'' and hard sweat it took me just to get to that same wall. I guess geniuses are somethin'' else ha? Though if I may be a bit biased, I think the little missy could probably put even geniuses to shame... The little missy probably got the Healing smithing formula from the church as well, but makin'' Holy-steel for the actual exam would be pretty difficult due to lack of a proper forge... So I should probably provide the little missy with some other formulas to attempt at the competition. But before that, I need to confirm the technique the little missy is usin'' to craft the magical items. Each person''s mana is unique and each person''s disposition is different. So unlike regular smithing, each person has to develop their own technique to smith magical items. While ya can base the principals of other''s techniques, the overall result would still vary from person to person. The little missy most likely used a variation of my technique as a base, but I still need to know the fine details so that I can assist in ripenin'' the little missy''s talent. I would have liked to have gotten a head start in understandin'' the technique used by the little missy through the dagger... but... for some strange reason, I can''t seem to figure out even what blacksmithing level was used to make this... Then a dreaded thought came into my head... No! It can''t be... the little missy couldn''t have already surpassed me and hit Blacksmithing level 6... that wouldn''t be the case... I most likely can''t tell the level it was made due to it bein'' so beat up... Pullin'' myself away from such ridiculous notions, I face the little missy who has been starin'' at me this entire time in expectation... "Ya did really well! If ya improve upon this, the competition is in the bag!" I declared. "Really?!?!" the little missy excitedly exclaimed while rapidly swingin'' the tail left and right. I was goin'' to chasten the little missy for not havin'' the tail under control in the work place, but let it go just this once considerin'' the occasion. "Now then little missy, can ya clarify the technique ya used in the forgin'' of this dagger? Once I know ya''r technique, I can offer ya some tips in improvin'' it to fit ya better" I proposed. "Sure! So I paid attention to how you were working with the magical items and noticed that it had something to do with the flow of magical power. So what I did was kind of felt for the magical power... kinda hard to explain... its this feeling... and then when I felt the magic power going out or the wrong way, I gave it a good whack!" the little missy explained with enthusiasm. "A good whack?" I questioned as I must have misheard... "Yup, a good whack!" the little missy confirmed with a beamin'' smile while imitatin'' a whack "Ha?..." My voice inadvertently leaked out. "Hmm?" the little missy responded with a fadin'' smile, seemingly confused by my bafflement. BY THE GODS! Magical item creation is a delicate process! Ya don''t just ''whack'' magic items into existence! If that were so, all the smiths of generations past would be rollin'' in their graves! What do ya want me to tell the millions of Blacksmiths who failed to cross that audacious wall? ''Did ya give it a good whack?''. If all it took was a good whack to cross that wall, blacksmiths would be more common than herb collectors! This ridiculous atrocity to blacksmithing ends now! I must set this little missy straight before it gets out of hand! "Now see here little missy..." I said then paused for a good minute as I remembered an ancient proverb... ''If it ain''t broken, don''t fix it''. The competition is tomorrow, if I try to correct the way the little missy does things now, who knows what will happen. So lets just leave it as-is and fix it another day! "Make sure to give it a really good whack for the competition!" I encouraged. "Yup! I will!" the little missy beamed in delight. With that, we said our goodbyes and the thought of givin'' the formulas somehow slipped my mind. I didn''t even remember afterwards as a new thought flooded my mind. I walked to the bar while thinkin'' about the question that has been plaguin'' my mind for quite a while... that question bein'' "how much should I bet?" If I choose a small amount, nothin'' will change... but If I bet a significant amount... "Give me some stron'' ale!" I exclaimed as I sat on the chair by counter. I could either make it or break it... hmmmm.... "Here ya go old Gregon!" replied the barmaid. "Thanks!" I responded, and gulped the entire glass of ale which somehow tasted more like water today than an alcoholic beverage. My mind was totally on this one decision that could make or break my entire life... * THUD * "Another!" I yelled. This is not a decision I can make lightly... I am already fairly old and have not progressed very far... Fam who came many years later already surpassed me, and I don''t think I will make it to a Senior Disciple in my lifetime... Should I retire and go back to my grandfather''s old smithy?... "Here ya go!" Damn! This is not a decision I can just make as I am... my entire life depends on this one decision! There is no way I can just make it while bein'' sober! * THUD * "Get me a [Dwarf Destroyer]!" I announced. The bar that was so loud with dwarfs drinkin'' and dancin'' suddenly quited down and everyone stared at me. "Ya sure about this old Gregon?" the barmaid questioned somewhat concerned. "Yes I am sure! I ain''t as weak as ya youngins! Now get me one pronto!" I declared payin'' everyone stares no mind. The barmaid hesitated for a short while, then went to unlock a small vault. Takin'' out the good stuff, the barmaid poured me a glass. I took a sip and a stron'' taste filled my mouth! That''s certainly the good stuff! As I began to gulp it down, the audience began to cheer! * THUD * "Another!" I yelled. And the audience went wild! The barmaid looked at me completely shocked, then shortly got it together and tried to address me. "I don''t think that is such a good..." "I zaid ghet meee anotha! All damn 5 of ya!" I yelled on the top of my lungs! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next mornin'', I woke up with a killer headache... Where the hell am I? ouch! ouch! I got up and took a look around... after a while it finally hit me that I was in the medical ward. Though I have no recollection of why I was here in the first place... Did I maybe get injured durin'' smithing somethin''? Though judgin'' by my somewhat intact body and the killer headache, unless I was hit by a hammer to the head... that would seem unlikely... And this darn headache feels far worse than bein'' hit to the head by a hammer! I slowly get up, and walk to the front of the medical ward. "Hey old Gregon! Glad ya are up, we almost lost ya there! Make sure to take some of this medicine" spoke Krakon, the Blacksmithing Guild''s doctor. "Ha... What happened?" I asked in confusion as I swallow the bitter medicine. "Well... I''ll tell ya what happened old Gregon, ya renewed ya''r respect with the entire guild! that is what happened! I mean downin'' 5 glasses of [Dwarf Destroyer], I can''t even imagine survivin'' past 2!" explained Krakon. Well now I know why I feel like I''ve been run over by a [Hell Boar]... "So what day is it now? My memory is in full of jumbles..." I inquired. "Oh, today is the day of the competition! I wish ya luck on ya''r entry! Or should I maybe say hopefully ya''r pick does a ''Good Whack''? har-har-har" Krakon laughed. "Good whack? What in blazes are ya talkin'' about?" I questioned somewhat perplexed. To be honest, I didn''t even realize the competition is already today! The whole of last week feels like a total blur... "Ya don''t remember? Ya bet 25 platinum coins on the catkin missy! Talk about a vote of confidence for the dark horse!" Krakon exclaimed. 25 PLATINUM COINS?!?! THAT IS MY ENTIRE LIFE SAVINGS!!!! AND NOT ON A DWARF BUT ON A CATKIN?!?! HAVE I GONE MAD?!?!? DID WE EVEN HAVE A CATKIN? OUCH! OUCH! With my head hurtin'' from the headache, and now another headache bein'' added on top of it, my head began to hurt like hell! So not wastin'' any more time, I confirmed the most important detail I need to get out of the way as soon as possible! "W-Where is Tagon, I need to cancel my bet before it''s too late!" I yelled while holdin'' my head from the pain. "Now ya of all people should know that all bets are final old Gregon... Ya''r just gonna have to lay ya''r hopes on that ''Good Whack'' ya''ve been tellin'' us all about!" Krakon informed. I DON''T HAVE A DARN CLUE ON WHAT IN THE HELL YA''R TALKIN'' ABOUT! All I know is my head feels like its gonna explode, and so is my life savings! Not payin'' Krakon any more mind, I head for the venue of the competition which has already begun, actually by the looks of things, it was already commin'' to a close! When I entered in, one by one, the dwarfs came up to congratulate me on my legendary achievement of downin'' 5 [Dwarf Destroyers] and livin'' to tell the tale. But my mind was elsewhere as I surveyed the contestants to figure out who I placed my entire life savings on! And then I saw it... A CATKIN CHILD! I BET MY ENTIRE LIFE SAVINGS... ON A CHILD! I must have gone crazy for sure... I fell on my knees in dismay as all life drained away from me... And if there were any hopes left, Algon truly shattered it to smithereens! Quality score of 8 and a high bonus option, it''s game over! My life is officially over! I wallowed in despair as my headache got stronger and stronger! I was only awoken up by Tagon''s loud outburst ¡°Oh! The little catkin missy¡­ I was waitin¡¯ for ya¡¯r turn. Old Gregon has gone senile and bet 25 platinum coins on ya winnin¡¯. So I was wonderin¡¯ what ya will have in store for us! I hope ya gave it a ¡®good whack¡¯...har-har-har¡± I looked up as Tagon took out the dagger that was made by the little missy... And when I saw that dagger, suddenly some familiarity started to seep in... A dwarf may forget everythin'', but they will never forget a craftsmanship they once saw! And with that, the strongest headache yet had assaulted me as my memories started to flow back in! Now I remember! As I tried to sort through the overflow of my memories, I was again woken up from my stumper by Tagon''s loud voice! ¡°Well I guess it is time to wrap things up! Congratulations Junior Disciple Shiro! Ya are the winner of this competition!¡± WHAT?!?!? THE LITTLE MISSY WON?!?! That means.... ¡°YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!! DRINKS ARE ON ME!!" I yelled, overshadowin'' all the other voices in the room! Time to party till I''m drunk!!! Interlude #3 - For the shadows lies within What a pain...! I stopped by Hallion with my party members on the way to the capital, and here I am being stuck proctoring some silly Rank D exam! Personally, I hate the place. Every time I stop by here, I am reminded of that bitch! Ugh! I really need to get myself a drink after this... Normally, I wouldn''t even bother with such. Rank D exams are mostly conducted by low tiered Rank B adventurers after all. For me who is one step away from Rank A, it is nothing more than chore if I do say so myself. Then why would I waste my time here proctoring this stupid exam? Because the guild leader pulled in a favor for some relative or something. Frankly? I couldn''t care less. Of course life is not that simple, cause everything works on connections. You scratch their back and they scratch yours... And sometimes that back scratching is done with a knife to the back as well, but that is another story. In the case of the guild leader of Hallion, well lets just say we share "common interests" on some issues. So to put it one way, he isn''t a connection I could decline on normal circumstances. That is of course under normal circumstances... In a few days, I have an appointment with Duke Nostrand. Now that is a connection I can''t turn down under almost any circumstances. The simple fact that this request is so close to that date is really getting on my nerves. And just when I thought I could finally scrap this request due to lack of participants. They managed to string along some catkin child... I mean seriously were you that desperate?... and... look what the cat dragged in... Into the room came a whitish haired catkin child. With her guard completely down, she walked in without a care in the world. If I were hostile, she would have easily died at least 5 times within these 10 seconds. Not that I am expecting much from Rank E adventurers or anything, but if I''m gonna be stuck with this annoying job, might as well prospect for any worthwhile talent. Based on what I see so far, definitely a fail in my book... still... getting Rank E at the age of 12 is not too bad... Even so, judging by the looks in her eyes, she clearly lacks experience. I activate [Thief: Observation] skill as she walks towards the back of the room completely unaware. Hmm? She is about level 18 - 23, and based on the formation of her muscles it doesn''t seem like she has done much training or combat. It is also a bit odd that she has a slave collar but even more stranger is the fact that she lacks scars that one would normally develop over the years... Even if you weren''t a slave, a few scars here and there are the norms, but in her case she seems like she was almost born yesterday. Was she a pet of some noble who is into retards? But then why would she be wearing such a cheap low tier slave collar then? Then there is that equipment... If I am not mistaken that is holy-steel... and that holy-steel is bound to her? While my skill does help tell me the quality of items to a general extent, it can only do so with items I am pretty familiar with and holy-steel is not exactly something I''ve come across often despite my long career in this business... Putting all the hints together, I would venture she was probably a slave for some priest with an odd hobby. Leave it up to those priests to spend a ton of money on futile things only to save money on more pressing thing. I mean seriously, once she hits level 25 that cheap slave collar will go kaput. In my opinion, I see no difference between the priests and cultists really, especially from those dungeon worshipers. Who is going to believe there is some all might deity down in a dungeon bringing upon judgment through death upon us? Either way, considering she has a lot of recent bruises here and there, not to mention the mud and blood all over, that lifestyle is probably no more. I don''t know why she continues to wear that collar though... Maybe a memento of her better days or something? Well at end of the day, I can only make conjectures, but one thing I am positive about is that she is one of "those" people. The annoying scum who depend on their gear... I mean just looking at her marveling at her gear without a care in the world sickens me. These are the kind of people who are always the stain of the party, as they often lack the skills and the ability to back up their gear. This world is one that favors those who push themselves to the limits, and those who hide behind fancy gear are the ones always left behind in the end. I''d venture she wouldn''t even break the first minor wall. Of course if they just died by themselves that would be swell, but these are also the ones who tend to always bite more than the can chew and get everyone killed as well. At least I''ll give her one thing, she is the only one who showed up on time... seriously... do they take this as a joke? I should just fail everyone for being late! It was clearly mentioned to show up 1 hour prior to the mission and they couldn''t even do something so basic! I guess that is what to expect from 3rd rate adventurers... Finally, after about 10 minutes, 4 people walked in. And the first person I pay close attention to is the elf girl, or pretty much the sole reason why I am wasting my time here. And the results? She is okay, but nothing too impressive. I''d say she may make it to Rank C, but that would probably be as far as she goes. Her party is also at around her level in terms of actual level and potential. Only after another 20 minutes passed did the last party finally decide to show up. The [Shield Warrior] and the [Barbarian] have some potential... but the rest are a miss. Well not my problem... After they settled down and got comfy, I deactivated my stealth skill and just sat there waiting to see if any of them realize. The catkin due to her position in the room and not being distracted by others noticed pretty quickly. Though instead of saying anything, she just stared at me like a retard... well that helps me... When the time of the mission came, no one else noticed me. Quite disappointing... Either way, lets get this pain in the ass over with. I stood up from my seat and addressed the novices. ¡°I see that everyone is here, took you all long enough. Now then, I am Daron Valse, and I will be your proctor for the Rank D exam. Your assignments are simple, follow my orders. If you disobey, you will fail, no questions asked. Am I clear?¡± I declared. Taking a quick glance around, it seems like they got the message... ¡°Good! Now then, follow me. We will travel part way to our destination by carriage. During that time I will brief you all on the details¡± I said and walked out the door of the briefing room. We made it out of the city and headed towards our destination by carriage. During those hours we went over the strategy and the assignments for each person. Once there, the mission began. We separated down our assigned paths and headed towards our destinations. With me came the Swordsman and Swashbuckler. Though while I say with me, more accurately, I set them up ahead as I activated [Stealth] and followed behind. The Swordsman and Swashbuckler began clashing with the guards and it didn''t take long for an executive to make it through the door to see what was going on. Unfortunately for him, the moment he came out, his eyes were already apart from his body, alongside his head which rolled on the floor. Before the body even collapsed, I already made it through the door and headed straight for the boss and the second executive. While they were stunned by the sudden turn of events, I made quick work of them. Literally child''s play. I leisurely walked out the door and saw that the Swordsman and Swashbuckler were still fighting... "Tsk-Tsk..." I muttered while shaking my head in disapproval. As one would expect, the reactions from both sides was quite drastic. The Swordsman and Swashbuckler got desperate and went on full offensive, while disregarding defense in desperation. Quite an amateur move if I do say so myself. Me killing the boss so quickly is without saying the difference in both power and skill, there is no reason for you to change your tactics just because of some minor verbal comments. I am not even grading you on your fighting ability, just you do your job. If I were to be grading on your actual ability, you both would have definitely failed long ago. Luckily for them, the reactions of the bandits they were fighting were even more amateur as they were quite shaken by not only the executive with a missing head, but also me casually walking out of the boss room. With their concentration falling into disarray, things ended rather quickly.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Once they were finished, I cleaned out the loot that the boss and the executives had into my [Item Box] and we headed for the 1st team. Coming upon them, we noticed that they were still active in battle. Though despite them taking quite a bit of time, their teamwork was above average I would say. They focused mostly on defense as they took down any stragglers with range attacks, and despite being slightly outnumbered, it posed little issue for their group. Even when we came over, it did not seem like they were pressured and continued their work. After a few minutes, the battle came to a close with each one managing to kill a person, so we proceeded back to the entrance. As expected, the patrol had come back and was taken care of as well. Good! If we can get out of this quickly without any annoying issues, that would be ideal. Lastly, we headed towards the third passage to what should be the easiest assignment. And color me not surprised... the first scene I see as I enter the treasure room is the catkin lying on the floor unconscious. That is exactly what happens to those that depend on their gear too much... That said, it is not like I missed the slightly odd behavior of the Marksman either... On top of that, what''s with the metal door? When I was here a week ago for preliminary inspection, there was no such thing. I did notice that the wall was rather hallowed, which I assumed was most likely was the escape passage... but for it to turn into a large door over the course of the week? The problem is of course not the time it took to install the door, but its purpose... Usually you would hide the escape passage, not make it more plainly obvious... unless of course you are dealing with morons that is... While taking in all the items in the treasury, I listened to the Marksman''s story. After which I dismissed everyone outside, and went to investigate what was behind the door. At first, there was a dark passage which then after a corner led to a large room with a huge chest in the middle. Seeing that, I walked towards the chest to see what was in there. Hmm? As I was about to enter the room, I felt like I sensed something... was it my imagination? It clearly felt like a trap, but it is either not operational or has already been triggered... I stopped for a few seconds to take a quick look around. then again proceeded towards the large chest. I did not pick anything up with my [Sense Trap] skill, so I opened up the chest. Inside it was a mace of about Rank C I would say? I put the mace in my [Item Box], and took one of the 2 passages leading out from the room. After only a few minutes of walking, I heard the sound of growling and moaning. Coming to the crossroad which splits up in 3 directions, I noticed monsters coming at me from all sides. From left and right there were 2 [Zombie Hounds] in each path, and from the front there were 3 [Humanoid Zombies]. A smirk appeared on my face as I ignored them and casually walked forward towards the [Humanoid Zombies]. The hounds already made it to the crossroad and started to charge at me from behind as the zombies sped up to assault me from the front. I subtly pulled out my legendary [Twin Zerian Daggers], and darkness began to seep out of the blades forming whips of shadow! With a slight flick of my wrists, all the monsters from both front and back were shred into smithereens. These daggers are not things even a Rank A adventurer can get their hands on, let alone a Rank B one. This is why having connections makes all the difference. And even then, procuring these was no walk in the park. After traveling a few more minutes and killing off a bunch of zombies and hounds, my [Sense Trap] picked something up. It was similar to the entrance, but this one was clearly loaded... and as I thought... a [Summon Monster] trap. This eliminates all other possibilities and leaves only one... a new dungeon! But not just any dungeon... no... this dungeon is tuned towards the darkness and earth attribute. Which means this dungeon is like a gold mine! While dungeons can have multiple attributes, they tend to favor one attribute or another based on the terrain they are in. Thus, they both absorb and release mana of that attribute, while at same time create monsters of similar attribute. Once the guild or country gets their hands on a dungeon, they will store materials in that dungeon to absorb magic power and eventually become the foundation for making magical items. What makes this dungeon special though is that it is of the darkness attribute. Which means that things like Demon-steel can be produced here! And while those who can make things like Demon-steel are somewhat rare, it still does not change the high value of this dungeon. The reason for that is even in a wind attribute dungeon, the magical items gain neutral affinity to magic. Simply because the 4 basic elements despite some contrast can share. The light attribute and darkness attribute are the exception. So items of those affinities can only be produced in their independent dungeons. This makes this dungeon far more valuable than most dungeons. I can easily get 100 platinum coins for the discovery of this dungeon, if not far more. And if I play my cards right, I may even be able to negotiate a percent commission. Of course getting such a favorable condition would require pulling quite a few strings... but it should be well worth it... However, there are some issues I need to deal with... specifically... the 2 pests... I already have quite a few ideas, but first I should gather information to be sure. As I leave the dungeon, I walk back to the catkin lying on the floor and begin examining her with my [Thief: Observation] skill. "* Hmpf * What an amateur..." I mutter in amusement. The scratch marks'' angles are off, and there is a discrepancy in width between the claws. Hmm... what do we have here? There is a mark on her neck which clearly came from a blade... considering the angle... either a knife or a dagger? And unless zombie dogs learned to wield weapons that could only mean one thing... I already got the general idea of the situation. It seems like they got attacked by a monster via that trap... Considering it is too early for the dungeon to eat up the remains, and the fact that this dungeon harbors undead, more than likely it was of the ghost type. The catkin must have somehow dealt with the ghost with her holy-steel armor''s assistance, but not before the ghost deteriorated her [Mental]. Since the [Marksman] chose to run away, he most likely decided to kill her and claim it was due to possession. He then changed his mind at the last minute, which was the only good choice he made... well... for me it is more like a bad choice... but regardless, even if we ignore the Holy-steel armor which would have offered protection. If you kill a ghost type at such a close range, that is like asking to be possessed. Effectively, he would have a hard time explaining why he wasn''t possessed right after. Now that I got all the information on this end, lets see what I can do on the other end... I took the catkin and headed out of the cave. ¡°I-Is everything okay?¡± the Marksman asked nervously as I exited the cave. ¡°Hmm¡­ Oh, yes everything is fine and your story checks out as well¡­ Let''s head back to the guild. Though I will warn that from this point on, communication between party members is prohibited to prevent fabrication of any stories. Once we make camp for the night, during your shift, I will confirm each party member¡¯s stories and combine it into my final evaluation. There is no need to worry as this is standard procedure¡± I announced. As we turned and headed back towards the carriage, I activated [Thief: Observation] and took a look at the Marksman''s body carefully. After noticing some sort of expensive item hidden, I came closer and activated [Steal]. With my high proficiency, no one even noticed a thing! When we stopped by for camp, I assigned an order for the shifts. Choosing to first gather information, I first talked to the companions of the Marksman. Particularly the ones who seemed like they have a loose mouth. Once I learned everything I needed to know about our Marksman Todd, I had a nice and friendly chat with him... which turned out rather pleasing I would say. It was good that we could "understand" each other. Based on the description he gave of the ghost, it was mostly likely a Wraith. Unfortunately my [Thief: Observation] skill could only infer that it was a ghost type monster between the level of 30 - 40 which is a pretty wide range. If I were to guess, it was most likely a [Lesser Wraith] in the low 30s. Considering that the base level of a [Wraith] is level 40, Its [AGI] stat would surpass 300. Even with the [Wraith]''s flight sealed by the narrow passage, at such high speeds there is no way the catkin would even be able to lend a hand on it, let alone kill it. At best maybe a quick attack when it spawns but that''s about it... That said, such things don''t really matter too much as I have all the information I need to put together a plan. Now all I have to do is tell the duke something came up... or so I would like to say... but you can''t exactly stand up a duke now can you... Such a pain... I guess I have no choice but to leave this matter to others. The plan is quite simple really, while Todd seems to know a bit about there being a bounty for new dungeons, he did not seem to know all the details nor understand the true value of that dungeon. And with a bit of convincing, I got him to yield for the time being. That said, I am pretty sure he is going to attempt to report the dungeon once he gets out of Hallion. There is no way someone like him wouldn''t try to make a quick buck when they can. Unfortunately for him, he doesn''t truly understand the game he is playing. At the moment, there are two things that are protecting his life. The first one being that I am on a mission and if I lay a hand on anyone of the group, I would be held responsible and hunted down by the guild. The second thing that is protecting him is that until you report to the guild, things like killing others who discovered the dungeon with you disqualifies you from the qualification for obvious reasons. Of course considering Todd abandoned someone who was with him also disqualifies him from the qualification, but my goal is to kill two birds with one stone. The moment Todd steps into that guild and fails to report about discovering the dungeon, his protection pretty much vanishes. The reason is the protection only lasts until you make your first report to the guild. So effectively, the moment Todd and the catkin report to the guild without reporting on the dungeon, they are fair game as far as the guild is concerned. There are of course the laws of the country, but getting rid of a few Rank E or D adventurers is nothing more than an everyday occurrence. That is not to say I plan on leaving a trail either... Judging by my experience, that catkin is definitely the type to hold a grudge. When she finds out she fails she is most definitely going to explode in anger and start blaming Todd. And since she likes that slavery collar so much, it wouldn''t be noticed if we swap it for a working one. Then when Todd leaves for his little adventure, have the catkin ambush him and kill him, only to be then slain by his companions. With that, both of them will be out of the way while leaving no trail. And even if by some slim chance it is discovered, it would have no impact on my claim to the dungeon since they would be outside their protection period. Good... I smile as we arrive back at Hallion. ... A few days later in the capital, I finally get a report of the progress, and looking at the Ron''s and Shawn''s faces I can tell they managed to fuck it up somehow... * sigh * "Get to the point, I don''t want to hear any excuses!" I declared. "T-That is... uhm... well when we followed the catkin to where she lived, it ended up being in the Blacksmithing Guild..." Ron explained hesitantly. "The Blacksmithing Guild? That''s rather strange, but that shouldn''t be enough to derail the plan now is it?" I inquired while putting pressure on Ron to get to it. "W-Well no its just that after she went out of the guild... she ended up being taken..." Rod added. "Being taken? By whom?" I questioned. "T-That is..." Ron said only to shut his mouth mid sentence and stared down at the floor. "I asked you who took her... I don''t have the patience for your antics!" I stressed, seeing no response I looked towards the man on the right "Shawn?" I questioned. "W-Well... that is... it was Ariel sir..." Shawn muttered while shaking. "..." * BOOM * The desk shattered all over the room... "THAT FUCKING BITCH!" I yelled. I clenched the large scar on my face just remembering the humiliating memories... one of these days I''ll shred that bitch and serve her as pig food! No... that is too good for her... I''ll kill that bitch in the slowest and painfullest way possible until she begs me for death! After cursing and destroying the room for about an hour to get my stress in order, I finally calmed down and sat down... Looking at the door it seems Ron and Shawn have already made themselves scarce... Damn it! Useless! No matter... it shouldn''t be too much of a concern... the time period is only 3 months and based on the guild''s history reports I got on her, it doesn''t seem like she is the type to even know about these things. In any case, being around that bitch is probably the safest place she could be, and at same time the most dangerous place... If she survives for a month I''d be surprised... Now as for our friend Todd... well... Volume 03: Prologue - New Adventure I find myself sitting by the table in the middle of my dinning room at home. Looking down, I notice... MY FAVORITE CAKE!!! Feeling in the mood for something sweet, I quickly grab the fork lying there and plunge it towards the deliciousness in front of me! * ding * "Ha?" I inadvertently let out a yelp as my fork hit the glass table. That''s strange... did the cake move or something or am I going senile? I try yet again! * ding * * ding * * ding * * ding * "Damn it! Come back here cake!" I yell, while giving chase to the cake that flew off the table and into the living room. Suddenly, the world begins to shift and fade as the cake disappears out of sight... NOOOO!!! DON''T GO!!!! ... "Mmmmm..." I let out a moan as I slowly begin to regain consciousness. But due to the feeling weakness all over my body, I try to resist waking up, wanting to go back into my dreams. I mean I have to... have to... Have to what? What was I dreaming about again? ... last I remember... my favorite customer came in... and betrayed me... then sicked his hero on me! Ugh! Good thing that was a dream... because that would really suck... though... why did I want to go back to such a terrible dream? Out of habit, I reach for the [Slave Collar] on my neck, as I have been doing so for the past few months whenever I woke up. It serves to me as a painful reminder that I am in a harsh world where everything is out to get me if I am not careful. Of course, it''s not like I actually want this reminder! If it were up to me, I would have gotten rid of this shameful blemish on my life as soon as I got to this town! But as always, reality proved to be far crueler than I could imagine. When I was on the way to Hallion with the patrol, it goes without saying that I inquired on how to remove the [Slave Collar]. To which I got a simple answer, go to the slave dealer. While Avian Kingdom does not allow the outright slavery of Beastkin, they do have slavery for criminals. Keeping people locked up costs too much money and effort, and killing them outright is wasteful. So instead, they are forced to work as crime slaves. Since slavery exists to a lesser scale here compared to neighboring countries, the removal of [Slave Collars] can only be done at large cities, and Hallion is luckily one of such cities. The actual removal of the collar though depends strictly on your situation. If your paired slavery rune is still active, aka your owner is still alive, the procedure is pretty expensive and can cost quite a few gold coins depending on the quality of the slavery collar. The whole process is like a complicated decryption process from what I understand, and that may require better tools or someone who is well experienced in that manner. In the case the paired rune is inactive, which usually means the owner is dead, the cost is pretty cheap. Especially for the lowest tier of slavery collars that I have, which costs only a few iron coins to remove. And the procedure in itself is pretty simple, all you have to do is let them take their special tool that is used for programming the slavery collars, and let them reprogram it for a few minutes. And just like that, you are free to go, easy peasy! THE HELL IT IS!!! Sure, the procedure in itself may sound simple in theory... that is of course as long as you are willing to let a human touch your [Slavery Collar] using the same tool that they used to enslave you with in the first place! Just the mere thought of ANYONE touching the collar, let alone a human fills me with utter dread! Every time I tried to muster up my courage, I found myself uncontrollably shaking unable to even move... I mean seriously, do they not understand mental health in this world?!? What next, are they going to put a doctor to cure the fear of fire on the other side of a hoop of fire?!?! And unfortunately, humans are the ones predominant in the slave trade. So finding another major town that happens to have a non-human to remove the collar is pretty much as hard as finding a needle in a haystack. And even if I do find them, I don''t even know if I would be comfortable with anyone touching it.... I even thought about the possibility of trying to replicate the tool, but even that idea was like grasping at straws. Only those who are authorized are allowed to come in contact with the tool in this country, since well, their primary use here is enslaving criminals. So as one can imagine, they don''t want anyone tinkering with their tools. On top of that, you can''t even remove your own collar even if you wanted to due to the safety restrictions. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Despite all this devastating news, there is a bright side to all this. Since my [Slave Collar] is of the lowest class, the moment I reach level 25, the collar itself would disarm. In same way items have restrictions on minimum level, this collar has a restriction on maximum level. So I just need 3 more levels... and I''ll finally be home free! Due to the sluggishness in my body, it took a while, but I finally managed to reach for my sla- "HA?!?!??!" I screamed in utter shock as I quickly felt up my neck over and over not feeling my collar... "What? how ha? was it all a dream?" I questioned, but to quickly deny such notions, a sharp pain assaulted my body! "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!'' I complained as my sore body now started to regain its sensitivity. But despite all that, I still managed to open up the [Equipment Menu] and confirm two crucial things. First of all, for some reason the [Slavery Collar] has been removed, and second of all... Me being reincarnated was not a dream... No... make that three things... I realized as soon I took a look around the unfamiliar room... that nightmare was also not a dream... "I see you are finally up" said the traitor as he opened the door into the room. Yup... definitely not a dream... I glare at the traitor with hostility, without uttering a single reply... "Let me reintroduce myself, my name is Harold Asher" said the traitor seemingly not getting the hint. I know who you are! You are a treacherous lying... well now that I think about it, you didn''t actually lie per se, but that''s besides the point! All I need to know is you''re the bad guy! Seemingly convinced of my superb logic, I double down on the glaring! "I have some good news for you! Starting today, you are officially part of the party of the one and only Hero of Hallion! Aren''t you thrilled?" the traitor enthusiastically remarked. ... Yup, DEFINITELY the bad guy! "No! I hate you go away!" I declared, not willing to let any more of this go on. Suddenly the enthusiasm on his face disappeared as though it was all a lie... " * sigh *, I guess it won''t work out so simple ha... Well anyways, I''ll inform you of this. We have officially bought out your contract from the [Blacksmithing Guild] for 5 platinum coins, so one way or another, you are now officially part of this party... so hopefully we can get along" the traitor informed. WHA?!?! 5 platinum coins! that is like 25,000X my previous value! I am so happy that my worth is increased by so much.... NOT! STOP TRYING TO BUY ME! I AM NOT FOR SALE! "So I''ve been sold into slavery?!?!" I exclaimed, fully displeased with this turn of events. "I''d prefer you didn''t see it that way..." the traitor responded with hesitation. "You''d like that wouldn''t you?..." I retorted in disdain. "Look here, it''s nothing at the least like slavery. We have your contract for 2 years, that involves all the benefits you get from the guild plus we''ll even pay you on top of that" the traitor assured. "So what you are saying is... I am a corporate slave now?" I questioned. "Cor-parat?... Anyways, you are by no means a slave. More accurately, you are a party contracted blacksmith. And considering the high level of this party, you should benefit quite a lot from this opportunity in my opinion. Normally, you would have to wait till you become an Advance Disciple before you can start hiring yourself out to parties, so we had quite some resistance from the guild. Luckily though, the Guildmaster stepped in, saying his intuition told him that the guild was not where you truely belonged, thus an exception was made. You may not get another chance like this for decades. If you want, we are even willing to sweeten the deal and renegotiate the contract for more benefits. What do you say?" the traitor inquired. My eyes open wide in shock! SANTA SOLD ME OUT?!?! Damn you Santa! I should have known! I mean think about it, Santa suddenly starts sending out presents to everyone on Christmas, and for free at that... isn''t that a bit too good to be true? Not to mention, it isn''t like he is the one making the presents himself... no... in reality he runs a slavery ring of elves all year round! And then during Christmas, he sends out free presents as a PR campaign to hide his sinister ploy! It all makes sense now! Putting my silly conspiracy theory aside, I was about to respond when... "Hmm? Mayo is awake~?" said a voice from behind, as the owner of the voice walked into the room. "Hii?!?!?" I shrilled, and started pushing myself back to get as far distance as I could from the incoming nightmare! * BAM * Only to inadvertently topple off the bed... ouch... darn you hero! You''ll pay for this! "I missed you Mayo~! Come over here and give me a hug~!" yelled the hero as she made her way toward me! In sudden fright of the incoming doom, I ignored the excruciating pain in my body and ducked under the bed as though my life depended on it! "Keep that THING away from me!" I screamed! "Hmm... Mayo?" the hero questioned in confusion. "Now, now Ariel, leave this to me and let''s not complicate things any more than they need to be" the traitor intervened. "But..." the hero insisted. "No buts!" the traitor retorted, as he pushed the hero out of the room. "... Who is going to protect Mayo..." the hero pleaded as she was pushed out of the door. My name is not Mayo! and the only one I need protection from is you! "She will be safe here, and in the worst case, I am here so there is nothing to worry about" the traitor assured and closed the door. "Now then... what do you say?" asked the traitor while looking at me, who has already stuck their head out of the bed to make sure the coast was clear. Well I do have my senses, but can''t be too careful... they have already failed me twice... As for what do I say? I say you as a hero''s party member, you have a solemn duty to the world to fulfill! and that duty is murdering the hero in their sleep! But you can''t even do that one simple job! Everyone knows that wherever a hero goes, it is bound to cause destruction and strife. Events that normally happen once a millennium are triggered at every town they go! Heroes are the enemy of mankind! By eliminating the hero, it would do the entire world a huge favor! Maybe... just maybe... I need to step up! You know the saying, if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself!... I can already imagine it... * evil grin * ~~~~~~ The hero falls asleep, and I tiptoe into the room, coming to the bed I slowly grab a pillow and suffocate the wretched hero! Nyahahahaha! Suddenly 2 arms extend upwards! "Ha?" I let out in surprise. "Mayo~!" the hero mutters in her sleep. The 2 jaws of death grab me and begin to hug me tight as she turns and compresses me with all her might! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!"
You have died due to being constricted.
~~~~~ A cold shiver went down my spine... On second thought, it is definitely the job of the oldest party member, yup! for sure! "Well?" questioned the traitor bringing me out of my stupor. Looking at him straight on... "Time..." I muttered. "Hmmm?" questioned the traitor. "Give me some time... you know... to think things through..." I requested. "Alright I understand... I can give you a day to think about it, but we don''t have long. I need you to make another 50 swords within the next 4 days if possible..." informed the traitor. "Think about it very carefully. Personally, I think it would benefit us both tremendously if we cooperate..." the traitor added as he made his way out of the room. ... Volume 03: Living my dreams through my nightmares (1) After he left, I contemplated in thought about my options. Ideally, I wish to run away while no one is paying attention, but unfortunately that is not an option. Guild contracts are pretty strictly enforced from what I heard, and if I intentionally break it, I risk becoming a crime slave. And as far as I know, other than this country, the neighboring countries all have slavery... well except for Teris. But from what I heard that place is pretty hard to settle into for non-elves. And even if I do go there, there is no guarantee the guild''s influence does not reach there. I should probably first look at the pros and cons of all this. The first pro is obviously getting a salary and a portion of the commission from requests. The con is THAT! The second pro is that I can also sell my stuff in affiliated guilds during our travels, specifically ones that have fewer dwarfs. The con though is THAT! I will also get a lot of experience from making and maintaining gear of a high level party. But the con is THAT! There is also all the high level skills I can get from both the party and the monsters they face. And as expected the con is THAT! I can also maybe get access to production skills that are not in this town, such as maybe Leatherworking. But unfortunately there is THAT! I''ll also probably get access to better food and if this room is any indicator, a fluffy bed. On the downside there is THAT! I will also get to go on an adventure, a bit earlier than I originally planned but with a protection of a high level party it should be no problem. If... not for THAT! I can also make my name well-known and get lots of people to buy my stuff. Not only will that improve my business, if my stuff become famous enough, my equipment can go beyond [Named] to [Famous], or maybe even to [Legendary]! Wouldn''t that be awesome?!?! Except, there is THAT! No matter how I look at it, it is pretty clear the cons have an upper hand... guh! In normal circumstances this would be an opportunity of a lifetime by all means... if that THING was not in this party! Leave it to a hero to ruin everything!... I wonder if as a benefit they will grant me one simple small wish... You know... the heroes head on a platter! Nyahahahaha! "Ouch! Ouch!" I screamed from the remaining pain in my body. I should probably heal myself... "... [Light Magic: Holy Light]!" After casting the spell a few times, I felt quite better, well physically at least... * sigh * They''ll never grant that now will they... which leaves me no choice but to think of enough benefits to at least remotely make this worth it... Now that I think about it... there are some positives ... don''t heroes have all the luck in the world? You know, how they get all the epic and impossible to get items? That means I can get all the benefits and once I am strong enough... * evil grin * With my resolve somewhat made up, I thought throughout the night about the benefits I would ask for and eventually fell asleep. ... And finally the next day, the moment of reckoning has come. I was brought by the traitor to the upper level of the Inn into what seems to be an executive suite taking up the entire floor. I entered into the room and sat down where there was empty space. Facing me was the traitor, the monster, a dogkin a dwarf and a human... ha? [Wizard]? ... does that mean I can finally steal some offensive magic?!?! No, no, focus! "So have you made up your mind?" asked the traitor. "I have... to an extent... but first let me clarify some questions. Normally as part of the contract, you would pay a salary and materials right? But that assumes I were an Advanced Disciple. But considering I am not, how would the whole salary and material distribution thing work?" I questioned. "Let''s see, how about this. We will pay you half of an Advanced Disciple benefits as part of your normal wage. But if you can meet our quantity requirements while maintaining quality, we don''t mind matching even an Advanced Disciple''s benefits fully" He replied. That doesn''t sound too bad... if I remember correctly when I looked it up in the past, an Advanced Disciple gets 10 [Iron Ores] and 5 [Coal Ores] with options for claiming higher quality ores as well, and the salary is 2 gold coins per week! Considering my income prior was about 12 silver coins per day when I hunted, minus of course the time I took down the goblins. That would be like getting over 16 days of hunting while only doing smithing! But that is not the best part... "A-And about t-the commission?" I nervously asked prepared for some kind of catch while at same time remaining hopeful. "Same as normal, 15% of all those who wish to utilize your services" he confirmed. "Which is how many?" I inquired. "Well there is Ariel for sure, and I guess you can count me in for maintenance. As for the rest, that would be up to them..." he responded as he took a look around at his party members. Due to that action, I inadvertently took a look at that wretched hero. Who for some reason seems to be far more quiet than I had expected... though she does seem to be trembling for some reason... paying her no mind, I took a look at the others. "Well I don''t really have metal gear to maintain..." replied the [Wizard]. "Considering I take most of the brunt, I''ll take you up on your offer missy" replied the Dwarf. "Hmph! I don''t know if I could trust that ret-pipsquick with my equipment" replied the hateful dogkin.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. I make sure to give him a short glare before I ponder things over... so that would be about 9% assuming I don''t participate in combat... I''ve seen a Rank A quest in the Adventurers Guild, and it was as high as 50 platinum coins! If they end up taking such a lucrative quest... I''d earn 450 gold coins! There is so much I could do... * Thud * * Thud * * Thud * I was woken up out of my stupor by multiple thuds from behind, looking back I noticed my tail in full swing... realizing my folly, I tried to calm down and bring out a poker face. If they realize I am being tempted, that means my negotiations for extra benefits will fall through! I clear my throat and activate [Voice Manipulation] to sound as authoritative as possible. "That seems... barely passable in my opinion... but I am going to require a bit more than that. At first, I want a show of sincerity... something like you know, a sign-on bonus." I requested. "Alright... what kind of sign on bonus are you looking for? A down payment or something?" the middle-aged man inquired. "Nothing too extravagant, I just want high quality clothes. I only have one set of leather ones which aren''t the most comfortable when its hot, so I want a set of clothing made of cloth, by set I mean shirt, pants, socks and hat! Oh and I also want a sewing and knitting kit along with 20 yarns split equally between tier 1 and 2" I demanded. "That shouldn''t be too difficult..." he assented. Maybe he was expecting a more grand request? It''s not like I am done asking for things yet, but want to start with the simplest things first. "But! These clothes have to be made right in front of me! I won''t trust any piece of clothing that I don''t see made!" I added. While new clothes are definitely nice, I also want more skill levels! "Uhm... okay?" he replied somewhat perplexed. "So is that a yes?" I confirmed wanting to be sure. My request is not without basis. From what I have noticed looking out the window of my room, this Inn is most definitely the best Inn in town. And as expected, it is one that does not allow beastkin. I don''t know if it''s due to the whole hero thing or just being Rank A in strength, but by me and that dogkin being here makes it pretty clear that such rules don''t apply to them. So if they can get around these rules, it goes without saying I''m going to take full advantage of them. "I don''t think that will be a problem, is there anything else?" he queried. Now this one might be a tad difficult... "I also want a small sculpture..." I asked with slight hesitation. "Uhm... might I ask why?" he probed. I kind of saw that one coming... asking for a sculpture sounds a bit odd doesn''t it? But I came up with an idea to rectify this... probably... "As I said, the sign on bonus is to test your sincerity!" I explained, trying to justify my strange request. "Do you also want to see it produced?" inquired the middle-aged man in tired voice as though he gave up. "Yup!" I verified. "Boss, she is clearly messing with us!" interjected the dogkin. "Brian, we agreed that all negotiation will be left to me didn''t we?" replied the middle-aged man. "Ghh... fine boss, but don''t blame me when you end up looking like a fool" grumbled the dogkin Brian. "Is there anything else you request for your ''sign on'' bonus?" the middle-aged man continued. Is there anything else? It''s kind of hard to think of what you need when you don''t even know what exactly you need... as far as my immediate needs, that is all I can think of. There is [Alchemy], but looking at that [Wizard], her non-combat class is [Alchemist]. So there is no reason for me to waste my favors when I can just innocently tag along and ask questions here and there... So for the time being that should meet my initial requirements... Personally, I never expected him to even take me seriously when I asked for that sculpture thing. Of course, just because I haven''t thought of things I need at the moment doesn''t mean I haven''t planned for ahead. "That should be fine for the sign on bonus, but I have other benefits I''d like..." I requested. "Such as?" inquired the middle-aged man. "Well... I''d like to have one request granted to me every week..." I proposed. That''s right... if I don''t know what I need now, then I just need to ask when I know of it! "Boss!" Brian cried out. "Hush, what kind of requests are we talking about here?" asked the middle-aged man after stopping Brian with his hand. "Nothing big... similar in nature to the two requests for the sign on bonus maybe?" I appealed. "I see... if that is the case, that should be doable but only once a month, and it can''t get in the way of the party" the middle-aged man countered. "Twice?" I pleaded. "I am sorry, but even if we wanted to honor that, I don''t think we could... once is the limit" rejected the middle-aged man in a stern voice. "I see..." I reluctantly accepted. Well technically speaking, there should be many things I could get myself even without using up the request, as long as I have the money that is. And even then, I may be able to get some favors in without actually using up an actual request. So it isn''t a total loss if I can make use of it from time to time when I truly need it... "Is there anything else?" pressed the middle-aged man. "That should be all... I think... but I do have some conditions..." I replied. "Conditions? I am not sure if you know, but conditions are not part of a contract. Simply because one party can make use of unfair conditions to find loopholes and take advantage of it. This is why conditions tend to be standardized with the exceptions of special requests through the guild. That said, if it is reasonable, we can hear it out" explained the middle-aged man. "My condition is pretty simple... keep that THING at least 50 meters away from me at ALL times!" I announce while pointing at the elf who is staring at me in cluelessness. "Uhm... aren''t you being a bit... too unreasonable with that distance?" appealed the middle-aged man. He has a point... that distance is fairly unreasonable... "I understand..." I relented after hearing his advice. "Alright, good th-" "Keep that THING 1 km away from me!" I announced. I mean thinking about it, being 50 meters away from someone of A rank should be no different from being right next to them... 1 km is probably the bare minimum I could feel safe and even then I am a bit worried... I''d ask for more but... "Oy! Oy! Didn''t that number go up instead of down?" he retorted. Hmm? Isn''t that a given? "Look, the best I can offer is the best efforts to keep her under control. But unfortunately, she is not something we can handle... Is there any more conditions?" he asked. *sigh* I droop down my ears and shoulders in disappointment after being reminded of the futility. "I guess not..." I hesitantly respond under the pressure. I mean if the most simple condition was not accepted, how are they going to accept my other reasonable requests of keeping the hero tied up with mithril chains at all times. Then if possible, put in an air tight container and lowered to the bottom of the ocean... I mean I don''t think I''m asking for too much am I?... * sigh * "Well then, I guess now you are officially part of the party. Again, I am Harold, this dwarf here is Saron, the dogkin over there is Brian and the one with the pointy hat is Tina. And as you know that over there is Ariel" Harold introduced. Suddenly I felt like a volcano just exploded! "Mayo~!" While I was caught by surprise due to the sudden outburst, this time around I was prepared! Not only did I think about things like benefits and the like, I also thought of possible ways to deal with this menace right here! "KYAAAA!!!!!!!" I yelled! But that was no ordinary yell, as the windows and vases started shattering! That''s right, I used [Screech] with combination of [Voice Manipulation] and [Howling Call] to create an ear deafening noise, which should be pretty effective against elves who also have better hearing than normal humans. Of course, I wasn''t naive enough to believe something of this level would be good enough to stop a Rank A adventurer. But it was good enough to have her stall just enough time for me to [Charge] and duck behind Harold''s back who seems to have at least some restraint on that monster! "kh- t-- m---" I tried to pronounce only to notice my throat in pain and my voice totally gone... Did I maybe over do it? I wanted to cast a [Holy Light] spell, but I couldn''t afford to take my eyes off that monster. Not to mention, casting spells takes concentration. So instead I took a [Lesser Healing Potion] out of my [Item Box] and drank it. Everyone looked a bit dumbfounded at the scene, but soon after got back their bearings. "What the hell was that?!?!" complained the dogkin while covering his ears, seemingly taking the most damage out of the group. "Okay...." said Harold, "I guess that''s another expense we''ll have to consider * sigh *" he then added. Hey, it ain''t my fault! Maybe now you''ll take my conditions more seriously! That said, it''s quite surprising that the party was pretty much unfazed... does that mean I''ll have to come with some sort of alternative? Maybe some kind of equipment that electrocutes her if she tries to hug me or something? * evil grin * "That was [Item Box] wasn''t it?" asked Tina. I hesitated on how to respond, but suddenly another loud noise filled the room. * growl * Looking down, the source was embarrassingly enough my stomach... Now that I think about it, I haven''t eaten since quite a while... I was so occupied with coming up with benefits and counter measures it totally slipped my mind until I eventually fell asleep... "I know! How about we go to Zaveriya to celebrate?" proposed the monster. Hmm? My ears perked up with interest. Zaveriya from what I heard is the best and most expensive restaurant in the entire city! And it goes without saying it is one of those places that doesn''t serve beastkin. While the proposal was fairly tempting, especially if I am not paying, I wasn''t foolish enough to let down my guard either.... "Look here Ariel, we are quite short on time and more importantly short on money. While the last few days have been good, with the new added expenses things might turn difficult..." Harold interjected. "Hmm? Who said you were coming?" Tina interrupted. "What is that suppose to mean?" asked Harold. "You said it yourself, we need to save money, so this will be a ''girls only'' celebration. Either way, you are busy and need to prepare right?" Tina provoked. "* sigh*, do whatever you want. Just make sure to keep spending on the low side. And after you are done, stop by the places to get her requests out of the way" Harold relented. "Ha?! What about me?!" bellowed the outraged dogkin. "Isn''t that obvious? Unless you became a girl since last I checked you aren''t invited!" Tina declared. "Grrr" Brian grouched while glaring at me. Why are you glaring at me? It''s not like I''m the one who made this decision... I am being forced against my will here! * drool * ... Against my will I say! And like that, us three went out of the inn, but not before one last particular exchange by the door. "Tina, as the only adult in this party, I trust you to keep the two out of trouble okay?" Harold pleaded. "Mmmm... so now you see me as an adult?" asked with a bemused smile. "... relatively... yes" Herold responded with hesitation. How come I have a really bad feeling about this... Volume 03: Living my dreams through my nightmares (2) We left the Inn and headed out deeper into the western district. Since heroes tend to care about their public appearance, I wasn''t too worried about the monster''s antics. That said, despite their initial dense impressions, deep down they are ruthless calculating machines that will stop at nothing to get what they want! So I had to be prepared for anything and not let my guard down! The last time, the monster made an accusation and quickly grabbed me preventing me from retorting or doing anything, but this time things won''t go that way. Unlike before, my stats have been restored, my [All-Observing-Eyes] is off cooldown, and I was able to refill some Holy Power into my gear. Escape might be impossible, but with my sound attack, I''m confident I could cause enough damage that the guards would have no choice but to get involved. She won''t silence me that easily! But I need to be very careful because that is not what is most dangerous about a hero... No, the most sinister weapon a hero has is their ''motivational speech''! No matter how strong the opponent or how much of a disadvantage the hero is in, once they release their speech, the opponent instantly gets brainwashed and looses! So no matter what, I need to keep interaction between that monster to a bare minimum if I don''t want to be brainwashed! As expected, the monster didn''t make any sudden moves... she did try to get closer and closer, which I obviously avoided by treading to the other side of Tina. But other than that, she was well-behaved. Thus, we made it to Zaveriya Restaurant with little fanfare... The restaurant itself was located deep in the western area, I have personally not seen it, but I did learn about it when I was looking for the best places to eat in this city for my holiday. When we got there, I saw a 3 story building located in the middle of a fancy garden. It was protected by an impressive looking gate with well armored guards standing by the gate and entrance. It definitely screamed "expensive". I was at first a bit nervous when we passed by the gate, as this place most definitely does not allow beastkin. But that worry went away when the guards paid no more than a glance at me. Even on the way here the reactions have oddly been pretty similar. Normally, I would get looks of disdain as I passed by the west district, but interestingly enough, not one person even secretly looked at me like that. If anything, most even avoided making eye contact with me. It was to the point where I couldn''t tell if I were walking with a hero and their party member or the demon king and their executioner... We finally entered the building into a gorgeous reception area, which interestingly enough didn''t seem to have any staff. Is it maybe outside of their operating hours? "Wait here while I go speak with the owner" announced Ariel, and walked up the stairs using the staircase to the right. Having nothing to do, I took a look around the area at the fancy decorations. I don''t know why, but I somehow feel a lot calmer when I am here... suddenly my head stopped as I noticed something I didn''t expect... Standing by the door to the main hall by the left, there was a large statue of a woman spreading out her hands. Of course, it wasn''t the aesthetics that got me tingled up.
Water-Tempered Wolfram Steel statue of the Maiden of Calmness An average statue made out of enchanted wolfram steel made to represent the maiden of calmness in all her grace [Aqua Calming Field] Absorbs mana in the atmosphere and releases water vapor that creates a calming field in its surroundings [Made by Mazen Travis] Durability: 20000/20000 Quality 5.1341/10.00
Without even realizing it, I was pulled in by the statue as I walked closer and closer while using [Creationist: Analyze Everything] to grasp as much as I could about it. And no matter how I look it is, whatever this Wolfram Steel is, it is better than Iron based steel, over twice as good actually! It is still inferior to mithril though... but either way, if I had this material I could definitely make higher stat gear... As I was trying to grasp the profoundness of the material, suddenly the door to the main hall opened and a well-dressed man with a mustache stepped out. He froze up for a second without moving then... "GUARDS!" he yelled to the top of his lunges. Shortly after, I heard footsteps as two guards rushed into the building. Having a really bad feeling about this, I instinctively looked for Tina... only to find her missing! From then on, panic ensued as I couldn''t make up my mind if I should run the hell out of there, run upstairs or wait and hope for the best... But soon after, my options were pretty much sealed off as the two guards and the man with the mustache surrounded me... "How did you manage mess up so badly as to allow a filthy beastkin into the restaurant?!?! Do any of you know how much reputation an incident like this can cost us?!?!" the man with the mustache screamed. "Sir... the truth of the matter is..." one of the guards tried to explain. "I don''t need to hear your excuses! Drag this filthy hairball out of here NOW!" the man with the mustache bellowed. Now knowing the attack will come from the guards, I faced them directly looking for an opening to which I could run... but when I met their eyes, I only saw hesitation and... fear? While being feared by humans would be an awesome occasion, something about all this made me have a really bad feeling... "I don''t have all day!" the man with the mustache screamed as his face became all red. "That is..." tried to respond one of the guards. "SILENCE! If this beastkin is not dragged out on the count of 3, the both of you can consider yourselves fired! 1!" the man with the mustache interjected, then started counting downThis content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "But sir..." the guard persisted. "2!" the man with the mustache loudly interrupted. I took a glance at the guards and found them at a complete loss for words, but I saw no indicator that any of them had any plans to move. Seeing there was no motivation from the guards, the man with the mustache spoke out yet again... "You think I am joking?! When you get fired, I''ll make sure that you will never work in this town ever again! Now get this filthy hair-" "Mayo~! Let''s go we got the private... hmm is there a problem?" Ariel asked as she came downstairs. "I-Is s-she w-with y-you?" the man with the mustache asked as his face went from bright red to blue in an instant. "Yes, is there something you want from her?" Ariel asked. "W-w-well u-uhm..." the man with the mustache tried to come up with something, as his face now turned from blue to white as though all blood drained from his body. I guess he realized whatever nonsense he says won''t hold, as I would just easily deny it. "He was just saying how adorable she was, and offered to pay for the meal to honor her cuteness. Isn''t that right?" said a playful voice from the direction of the stairs. Looking towards the stairs, Tina showed herself. The man with the mustache made a complicated facial expression on his face as though he was made to swallow dirt. Shortly after, he finally resolved himself... "Y-yes t-that''s right..." he affirmed. "T-That''s exactly what happened" one of the guards supported, followed by the other one frantically nodding as well. Uwah... I feel like we are bandits extorting for protection money, not that I feel sorry for him or anything. He deserves every bit of it in my opinion, if not more... no wait... aren''t we the hero party? I wouldn''t be surprised if we started opening up drawers and closets left and right taking any item we saw fit. Though personally, if it were up to me... I turned towards the statue made of a material I haven''t seen before. I''d definitely start with that! I mean I can already imagine smelting it down and all the stuff I could make with it... just the thought of smelting it down... * drool * "Well then lets go" came a voice waking me up from my delusions. "Eh? We aren''t taking the statue?" I questioned in disappointment by reflex. "The statue?" Ariel asked in confusion. "Err... I mean, I was taken by the statue and uhm was wondering what it was made out of..." I replied trying to cover up my folly. "Hmmm..." Ariel pondered while staring at it. "That maiden of calmness? If I am not mistaken, it is made out of Wolfram Steel. It is a type of steel that uses [Wolframite Ore] instead of [Iron Ore] to achieve better quality results. It is not uncommon to find it used on magical statues and the like" explained Tina. "Yeah that!" Ariel confirmed. "I get that, but how come I''ve never seen it in the Blacksmithing Guild?" I inquired while ignoring the useless hero. As we were talking, we began to make our way upstairs towards our private room. "I wouldn''t say that Blacksmithing Guilds don''t have access to things like [Wolframite Ore], its just that it is not that commonly used in blacksmithing. Generally, guilds tend to prioritize local and common to get resources in their business. You see, working with each material takes years of practice and can take even decades to master. This is why many guilds follow a step-up system, which deals with materials that are more common to use. If you already know how to work with iron, working with steel is easier than jumping to work with wolfram. Especially since wolfram is much harder to work with. There is also the utility aspects. Wolfram is heavier and far more expensive. So most of the time, you are better off buying two pieces of high quality enchanted steel rather than opting to get a lower quality enchanted wolfram steel. The exception though is for things like sculptures. Since working with materials is easier for a [Sculptor] than a [Blacksmith]. For sculpturing, people want their things made out of unique materials. Steel is considered too cheap and something like mithril is too expensive. Wolfram Steel offers a good balance between the two" Tina advised as we walked into the private room. I see... that makes sense... though I still kind of want to give it a shot... I have a feeling that it would still get benefits from the skills I got from the [Steelsmith], and with my high [PER], I may be able to manage something... then an idea flashed in my head! "Then can I get a statue made out of Wolfram Steel for my sign-on bonus? It doesn''t have to be enchanted..." I pleaded. "Sure! No problem!" Ariel confirmed eagerly while sitting down at the table. "As long as you are willing to take the blame..." Tina shrugged taking a seat opposite of her. "Over here Mayo!" Ariel beckoned while tapping the seat next to her. "It''s Shiro!" I complained and jumped on the seat next to Tina. "Hmph!" I snorted, turning my head away from the hero showing my displeasure. "Huh?" Ariel let out in confusion. What? You thought just because you helped me back there and bribed me with a Wolfram statue I''d let down my guard? I am well versed in hero''s deceptive tactics 101. Things like "saving in a pinch" and buying things are the oldest hero tricks in the book! From then on you will put me in far worse situations and I''m suppose to just accept it?!?! No way! Soon after, a waiter came in and took our orders. And just like that, the final boss fight began as I struggled on what to get... there is no telling how often such opportunities will come and I want to try a bit of everything... guh! So frustrating to just pick one thing... To my disappointment, things like sample platters don''t exist here so after some long contemplation, I ended up choosing a Venison based dish. I was contemplating to try the fish, but since this isn''t a port town, who knows how fresh it is. Not that I am doubting a top tiered restaurant or anything, just that if you are going to order something, might as well order something that comes more locally. In this case, the Venison comes from [Razor Wind Deer] which are a hard to find Rank B monster found deep within the nearby forest. I know this because I looked up every rare monster that was in this area or nearby areas when I was in the library. Rare monsters showing up out of nowhere is so clich¨¦, there is no way that I wouldn''t prepare for it! I don''t know how much this venison costs since they don''t have prices on the menu. But I can easily assume this thing costs 5 gold coins or more! Considering the best foods that I bought for 1 gold coin were only made from Rank C monsters, this would definitely be far more expensive.... As such, this is a delicacy I must make sure savor greatly! I almost could not stop salivating in anticipation... To distract myself, I turned to Tina. "By the way... I was wondering, whatever happened to my collar?" I asked. "The collar? Oh that, from what I heard when they picked you up, they went to the slavery dealer and had it removed. Elves are not too fond of the whole keeping slaves thing as they think it is beneath them. They don''t even keep criminal slaves and Ariel here..." Tina explained. "Hey! Don''t steal my story!" Ariel interrupted, then continued "So after we found you we noticed you had a slave collar and I asked to have it removed!..." You didn''t ''find me'', you kidnapped me! Get your facts straight! "... While I''m not too fond of many elven customs, which are pretty annoying if I do to say so myself, this one I can easily agree with. I mean enslaving an enlightened race is just so wrong..." Ariel affirmed. ... I won''t thank you, but I might loosen those mithril chains by maybe a tenth of a millimeter... I don''t want to be accused of not returning the favor after all... but no more than that! No wait, wasn''t that a motivation speech! Damn you almost got me! "Hmph!" I retorted. "Is it just me or am I being hated?" Ariel muttered. "Just you" Tina replied. ... After about a half an hour wait, it finally came! Taking a bite, it was literally like heaven on earth! * munch * * munch * * munch * * munch * * munch * And before I knew it, all the heaven disappeared from earth... Not willing to let that delicious heavily flavor disappear.... without even realizing it.... * lick * *lick * * lick * * lick * I started licking the plate... "If you want some more, I can share a piece of my [Mangelian Egglplant] with you" Tina offered. Being noticed, I felt quite a bit embarrassed, but even so the offer was just too tempting! "Really?!?!" I asked enthusiastically. Even though it isn''t a ranked monster, based on my [Cooking] skill and my [Creationist: Analyze Everything], I could tell it wasn''t inferior in any sense. "Sure, say ''Ah''!" said Tina as she took a piece of the eggplant and brought it towards my mouth. Ha? "I''m not a child you know..." I complained with clear dissatisfaction. "So you don''t want any?" Tina backed down. "Wha?!?!" I cried out dejectedly. Only to soon realize a fork was jammed into my open mouth! * munch * * munch * DELICIOUS! But this and that are different things... I was about to complain due to the treatment, only to realize Tina wasn''t even looking at me... ha? I followed her line of sight and saw that Ariel was panicking frantically. She then took her fork, cut a piece of her dish and sticked it out with her fork. "Mayo! Want some of mine too?!?!" Ariel offered. "Hmph!" I rejected facing away from her. "Eh? But you always loved [Ignis Salmon]... it was your favorite..." Ariel sulked. Thinking about it for a bit... the food committed no sin... "Can I really have the [Ignis Salmon]?" I asked with hesitation... "Sure! Ah~" Ariel elatedly replied. I reached forward towards Ariel, and with every centimeter I crossed, she seemed more and more thrilled.... I then quickly grabbed the plate with the salmon! * munch * * munch * * munch * * munch * * munch * * lick * *lick * * lick * * lick * Before you know it, the plate with the salmon was completely gone! And I''ll have to agree with Mayo, it was super duper delicious! But this and that are different things... "Hmph!" I snorted leaving Ariel hanging there dumbfounded. What''s with that look? You said I could have it so don''t blame me... "Am I really not being hated...?" Ariel questioned Tina. "Not at all~" Tina replied with a bewitching smile. After some marvelous deserts, we ended up leaving the restaurant. Oh and by the way, Ariel was too dejected to order anything so I had to suffer the burden of her desert... I hope she appreciates my suffering in her stead~ Volume 03: Living my dreams through my nightmares (3) The first place we went to was the tailoring shop, particularly because I was still undecided on what to do for the sculpture. Obviously I wanted something I wouldn''t get attached to, since my goal would be to smelt it down and make equipment out of it. The dilemma though comes from weighing quality score vs [Sculpting] skill levels. If I ask for something more difficult to make, I am bound to be exposed to more skill levels. But in doing so, the quality score of the material will drop more. So I need to find a good balance between the two. I was contemplating to have a statue made of "The Hero of Hallion" so I could get the pleasure of melting it and smashing it to vent my frustration, but somehow I have a feeling me asking for that would be misinterpreted in a very bad way.... We finally arrived at the tailoring shop and went inside. "Why if it isn''t the esteemed hero of Hallion! What can I do for you?" asked the owner of the shop. "I would like a set of tailor made clothes made for Mayo here, and uhm... what else was there?" Ariel remarked while turning towards me. "A sewing and knitting kit, plus 10 of tier 1 yarns and 10 of tier 2 yarns. Oh and that set should be light and easy to move in, and as before they should be made in my presence!" I demanded while ignoring the useless hero. The owner of the shop gave me a blank look for a few seconds, making me a bit uncomfortable... "As you wish madam, will there be anything else?" the owner inquired with a smile. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE OWNER OF THIS SHOP?!? Did I just end up in some parallel world where beastkin are not hated? or is this the so called hero charisma stat at work? The first one might sound silly at first, but when you reincarnated into a catkin in another world, something like ending up in a parallel world might be a common occurrence for all I know... That said, considering the events of this morning, I somehow doubt that is the case... and looking at the hero, I still feel a sense of disgust... so it is unlikely it''s high charisma at work... Which leads to one obvious conclusion... she is acting... and it is so good, it''s to the point where I''m surprised I didn''t get the [Acting] or [Deception] skills... "Mary, get over here and take measurements while I prepare the materials" the owner announced. ¡°Y-Yes mistress, as you command!¡± Mary hurriedly replied. Just like before, Mary went with me to the back and took my measurements. By the time she was done, the owner brought out [Silk Fabric]. After getting the measurements from Mary, she began making the [Silk Fabric] into clothes, starting with the upper half. It goes without saying that I did not miss this opportunity and paid as close attention as possible!
Your skill [NP][Tailoring] has become Level 4
Just what I wanted! But I did not let it distract me because I wasn''t only looking for skill levels, but also insight into the process. It isn''t like I haven''t seen people tailor things back in my world, but this here is on a completely different level. I mean she was literally working faster than a machine! But with far more accuracy and flexibility... In half an hour, she was done with the upper half. But not before I got this:
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Tailoring] Level 5 Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist:Improve your production skills], has been reset.
Though with that, I noticed on huge flaw with my request... While my tailoring is going up, my [Thread Weaving] is still stuck at 4! I should have asked to have it made from yarn from the get-go! I remembered about asking for the kit and yarn at the last second, but this slipped my mind... But what is done is done, there is always next time... Another weird thing I noticed is that [Tailoring] seems to go up slower than [Blacksmithing]. I got level 6 [Blacksmithing] in 10 minutes and level 5 [Tailoring] took me a whopping 20! And it isn''t like tailoring is harder than blacksmithing, so not sure what exactly is the criteria for my unique skill... While I was pondering such things, she began working on the shorts. After a few minutes, another window popped up:
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Tailor: Enhanced Tailoring] Level N/A
[CP][Tailor: Enhanced Tailoring] Level N/A Improve the speed of your tailoring related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER] Improve the quality of your tailoring related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER]
Oh yeah, there was that! I guess I can make up some of my lack in [Thread Weaving] with the help of that for the time being! By the time my shorts, socks and hat were made, I got two more skills for the road!
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Tailoring] Level 6 You have acquired a new skill [CP][Tailor: Tailoring Perfection] Level N/A
[CP][Tailor: Tailoring Perfection] Level N/A You now have a chance of improving an item beyond its initial quality score when using tailoring skills. Improve your chance of improving an item when using tailoring skills by 5% + 0.5% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.25% for every point of [PER]
The downside was that despite there being ample time, I did not get the last class skill. Is it because this item had no stats that I did not get the bonus stats skill? Either way, it''s definitely something I should consider in the future...This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. I put them on to make sure they fit, and we proceeded to the counter. "I hope you are satisfied with my work. If there is nothing else, the cost of silk shirt, shorts, socks and hat comes out to 12 gold coins. Add in the 10% discount, and it comes out to 10 gold and 80 silver coins. Then there is 10 [Wool Yarns] and 10 [Cotton Yarns], plus a [Sewing Kit] which comes out to an extra 65 silver coins. So the total balance owed is 11 gold and 45 silver coins" The owner announced. Are you freaking kidding me?!?!! I paid 8 gold coins for two pieces of underwear made out of Cotton, which is only a tier 2 material! And a whole set of tier 4 silk costs 12 gold coins?!?! grrrrrr.... Just you wait till I get stronger than even the hero, then I''ll make sure to give you a piece of my mind! That said... "What is the 10% discount?" I whispered to Tina. "Hmm? Oh that... well you see... in this shop, Catkin get a 10% discount." Tina whispered back into my ear. "The hell they do!" I pouted. Seeing I wasn''t taking her blatant lie for an answer... "It''s actually nothing special really. When you get to Rank B, you get a 5% discount from most guilds and their affiliates, and when you reach Rank A, that discount increases to 10%" Tina informed. "How come I never heard of this when I sold stuff in the exhibit hall?" I questioned. "That''s simple really. The discount only counts toward certified blacksmiths. So in your guild, you would have to be an Advanced Disciple before you start worrying about those kinds of things. Items sold at the exhibit hall tend to be sold as-is like a bazaar. That said, many guilds regulate the exhibit hall to up their reputation. So the stuff you get there are usually of higher quality than a typical bazaar" Tina explained. I see... Once everything was paid for, we moved on to the Sculpting Gallery. As before, the guards said nothing and let us pass with no fanfare. "What may I do for you?" asked the receptionist. "We''d like to commission a statue to be made" Ariel requested. "Made of Wolfram Steel!" I reminded. "Yes, made of Wolfram Steel" Ariel confirmed. "Harold is going to be really pissed..." Tina shrugged. "It''s okay, he will understand" Ariel assured. "By when would you like it made?" the receptionist asked. "Preferably right now?" Ariel replied. "If it is now, we have two artists available: Tony Sarkus and Teflon Windstrider. which one would you like to commission?" the receptionist inquired. "Either really..." Ariel responded. "The one with the highest skill level!" I interrupted. "That would be Teflon Windstrider" the receptionist informed. "Yeah, that one" Ariel accepted. "Alright, give me a moment" said the receptionist as she walked to the back. Soon after a male elf walked out the door. "Why if it isn''t the Hero of Hallion, how may I be of service?" Teflon asked. "I would like you to make as detailed as you possibly can, a map of the continent on a thick wolfram steel bar" I requested. That''s right, the idea I came up with is simple. If I want to lessen the damage, all I had to do was limit the amount of work he would do on the entire bar. But to insure I get his skill levels, I''ll make him make it as detailed as possible! "That''s... a very exotic request you have there... are you sure?" Teflon asked turning towards Ariel for confirmation. "I guess?" Ariel responded somewhat confused. "Huhuhu! I think you are the only one who would waste a [Wolfram Steel Ingot] on making a map..." Tina laughed. After getting the final confirmation, he went and retrieved a [Wolfram Steel Ingot] alongside a reference book and began his work. It did not take long for a blue box to show up.
Your skill [RP][Sharp Eyes] has become Level 2
Ha? That wasn''t something I was expecting... not that it hurt or anything, since it''s a skill that improves vision in general... 5 minutes later...
Your skill [RP][Sharp Eyes] has become Level 3
Okay.... Another 5 minutes later...
Your skill [RP][Sharp Eyes] has become Level 4
Seriously? Yet another 5 minutes later...
Your skill [RP][Sharp Eyes] has become Level 5
... Only after another 5 minutes passed did I get another skill!
You have acquired a new skill [RP][Studying] Level 1
Are you messing with me?!?! The next one took more than 5 minutes so I was getting hopeful...
Your skill [RP][Sharp Eyes] has become Level 6
*sigh* I should have known...
Your skill [RP][Studying] has become Level 2
Yeah... I''m not surprised anymore... at this rate you might as well just give me a Staring skill why you''re at it...
Your skill [NP][Sculpting] has become Level 3
What?!?! My ears perked up and eyes widened in shock! Finally, about freaking about time! As I waited anxiously for the next blue screen, one appeared in no time.
Your skill [RP][Studying] has become Level 3
God, are you freaking playing bait and switch with me?!?! I could swear this is on purpose! It took him 4 hours to finish the sculpture and luckily I managed to get what I wanted!
Your skill [RP][Studying] has become Level 4
No! Not that!
Your skill [NP][Sculpting] has become Level 4 Your skill [NP][Sculpting] has become Level 5 You have acquired a new skill [CP][Sculptor: Enhanced Sculpting] Level N/A You have acquired a new skill [CP][Sculptor: Sculpting Perfection] Level N/A
[CP][Sculptor: Enhanced Sculpting] Level N/A Improve the speed of your sculpting related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER] Improve the quality of your sculpting related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER]
[CP][Sculptor: Sculpting Perfection] Level N/A You now have a chance of improving an item beyond its initial quality score when using sculpting skills. Improve your chance of improving an item when using sculpting skills by 5% + 0.5% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.25% for every point of [PER]
Unfortunately, he did not have level 6... though I noticed a few things. First thing I noticed was that the [Sculpting] skills took even longer than the [Tailoring] skill... still not sure what the criteria is, but I hope it isn''t something like: The more production skills I learn, the more difficult it gets... The second thing on my mind is how well would [Sculptor: Sculpting Perfection] and [Blacksmith: Blacksmithing Perfection] stack? While [Steelsmith: Steel Smithing Perfection] did stack, it seemed to have suffered severe diminishing returns. That might be because they are both blacksmithing improvement skills though, and here we are talking about two different skill sets, so I should definitely experiment with it and see how it goes. "That would be 2 platinum coins for the commission, with the 10% discount that comes out to 1 platinum coin and 80 gold coins" announced the receptionist. Seriously?!?! A statue made out of only two [Wolfram Steel Ingots] that isn''t even magical cost 2 platinum coins? If that is the case, how expensive was that one made out of at least 5 ingots and was magical? "I can already imagine Harold''s face when he hears about this~" Tina smiled. Once Ariel paid for the map sculpture, she then turned towards me. "Here is the statue you wanted Mayo, come and get it~" Ariel exclaimed as she held the statue with one hand while opening up the other. At that point my instincts literally screamed TRAP! "Hmph!" I rejected and walked out of the gallery. "Eh!?!" Ariel bellowed in confusion and chased after me. Like that, we made it back to the Inn with me in the front, Ariel chasing from the back and Tina following from behind. To my present surprise, Harold was standing in front of the Inn waiting. "Welcome back, did you get everything you wanted?" Harold inquired. "The statue, give!" I demanded while pointing at the map sculpture in Ariel''s hands. "Ariel, stop playing around and give her the statue" Harold replied. "This wasn''t what you said!" Ariel complained. "We''ll talk about this later, there will be plenty of time for that. Right now, we are on a tight schedule" Harold retorted while taking the statue from Ariel. "This is heavier than I thought..." he muttered as he handed it to me. "Thank you very much!" I exclaimed with a smile, then placed it in my [Item Box]. "If that''s the case, then Mayo will sleep with me tonight!" Ariel declared in protest. Just the thought of that incoming death sentence sent shivers down my spine! "I am sorry, but I plan on taking her back to the guild right now. I need her to start making swords as soon as possible" Harold thankfully denied. Whew! That was close... "No fair!" Ariel exclaimed, "Whatever, I don''t care, I am taking Mayo with me!" she then threatened. "Hii?!?!" I shrieked back and got on my guard. "Tina, take Ariel back to the Inn and make sure she doesn''t cause any more trouble" Harold nonchalantly replied, "Let''s go" he then said to me, as he prompted me to continue walking and give it no heed. While Ariel continued to complain in the background, we continued on to the Blacksmithing Guild. Of course It goes without saying, I remained vigilant against any surprise back attacks from the despicable hero! Volume 03: Living my dreams through my nightmares (4) As we were walking back, Harold turned to me... "Make sure that you don''t leave the guild until I pick you up okay?" Harold beseeched. "Ha? Why is that?" I questioned. "Let''s just say that over the years, Ariel acquired quite a bit of enemies who wouldn''t bat an eye to take hostages if they think they can get some leverage. Now that you have been seen walking with her around town, it isn''t safe without protection..." Harold explained. ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! Damn you hero! Why do you always have to ruin everything?! Now I can''t even show my face around town by myself anymore?!?! grrrr! "And I''ll be safe in the guild?" I inquired. "The guild should be fine. The guards there can handle anyone up to Rank C without much issue, and anyone who is Rank B or above wouldn''t be crazy enough to even try" Harold replied. "Why? Are they afraid of the guilds?" I probed. "Not so much afraid of the guilds themselves, but more so of the guild''s response. As you may have noticed, the guilds have a huge ton of money and they also tend to care about their reputation. While what happens outside the guild can''t be controlled, if something were to happen inside, the response from the guilds wouldn''t be in kind. In the rare few cases where someone was kidnapped or killed inside a guild, the guild''s responses have been to issue a Rank S request. Considering that a Rank S adventurer has enough combat power to fight off an entire nation, that isn''t something anyone wants hunting them down. So as long as you remain in the guild, you should be safe" Harold assured. I see... so a Rank S is that strong ha? Speaking of which... "By the way, while we were waking around town, why was everyone so terrified of us? It isn''t something you''d normally expect from a hero..." I asked. "Ah, that... Ariel is well-loved around this town... just... not so much in the western district. As you noticed, Ariel has a pretty short switch, and those in the western district have a pretty good affinity for setting it off let''s just say... That is not to say that they hate her either, since they owe her their lives. But at the same time, it''s gotten to the point where they are afraid that any minor action will set her off on a rampage" Harold explained. "Does that have something to do with her being called the Hero of Hallion?" I queried. "It''s kind of a long story, let''s see... do you know about the war between Avian and the empire?" Harold asked. "Not really..." I replied. "Well, about a decade ago, the Hyfa Empire and Avian went to war over Triston kingdom. While Hyfa technically won, the result was devastating for both sides, leading to a ceasefire. After that, both sides pulled out most of their troops from the border and left most of the management of monsters and the like to the guilds. A few years back, a horde numbering thousands attacked Hallion and the surrounding villages. Many villages were wiped off the map as a result. Even Hallion was almost at a point where it couldn''t hold out for long. The Adventurers Guild sent an urgent request to call for Rank A or above adventurers, but none of them would have been able to make it in time. And since the army was also too far away, Hallion was pretty much doomed. It got to the point where the lord of Hallion even begged the neighboring country Teris for assistance. The whole crux of the issue was that the guild was caught completely unaware. Normally, you have the army patrol areas and report any strange activity, but since most of the army was pulled out of the area as part of the ceasefire, the patrols were lacking. While the Adventurers Guild does give a sizable reward to adventurers for reporting monster activity, it also has the option to conscribe adventurers above Rank D into service in such incidents. Since no one wanted to face a horde of thousands of monsters, many have chosen to flee instead of making a report. By the time the guild got their hands on the information, and was able to confirm what they were dealing with, it was already too late. Just when everyone thought the city was going to collapse, Ariel who was a Rank B adventurer at the time made a request from the Blacksmithing Guild to offer up their swords. With the cooperation of the Blacksmithing Guild, Ariel deployed her unique skill [Thousand-Blade-Aberth] to its full potential and annihilated the horde almost by herself. Since then, she was hailed as the Hero of Hallion. After that, the patrols on the Avian side have increased, but even so, the Avian Kingdom refuses to station more troops here. So the fact that Ariel choses to come here often is like a godsend to the people of Hallion" Harold informed. I see... a typical hero story. Though in my unbiased opinion, if Ariel wasn''t here, this town wouldn''t have been attacked in the first place! Hmph! It didn''t take long until we finally managed to reach the guild. As we approached the entrance, Harold took something out of his pocket. "Take this badge, you''ll need it" Harold said as he handed it to me. "What is this?" I inquired. "This badge proves that you are a commissioned blacksmith, allowing you to avoid many limits and also charge material expenses directly to our tab" Harold explained. "I see..." I replied.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Do you have any questions?" Harold asked. "I don''t think so..." I responded. "Good. So again, I need you to make 50 [Steel Swords] within 3 days. Make sure to be ready to leave at around this time, I''ll see you then" Harold said and went on his way. "Wait a second! Should I make a few magical swords too?" I queried in a hurry. "Don''t bother, there is no sword in existence that can handle Ariel, and anything above steel is simply a waste of time and money. Just focus on making quality [Steel Swords] by the deadline" Harold insisted and waved the back of his hand as he walked off. "Alright..." I muttered though probably not loud enough for him to hear anymore... After a few second pause, I proceeded into the smithy to start smithing. I only have a few hours, but I should still be able to make a few swords. That said, I could understand that it might take some time for me to make Holy-steel swords, but I am pretty sure I could still make at least two of them alongside 48 normal [Steel Swords]. My abilities have increased quite a bit since I last made those 100 swords after all. I don''t understand one thing though, what did he mean by no sword can handle Ariel? Sure, I wouldn''t be surprised if that monster could smash a steel sword with her bare hands! That said, I wouldn''t say that I couldn''t make a sword that could withstand her strength, especially if I focus on using the holy power to enhance the sword. It''s like he''s challenging my dignity as a blacksmith! Then an ingenious idea hit me! * evil grin * They are clearly underestimating my skills, so let me show them my true ability! They can''t possible imagine that I have the same blacksmithing level as the grandmaster now can they? If I put my all into it, I could make an awesome blade that is worthy of a Rank A adventurer! I can already imagine them all begging on their knees to make them new gear, especially that hateful dogkin who will probably plead for forgiveness! Maybe if he begs with enough sincerity and gives up 20% of his earnings... I might consider it... nyahaha I can''t wait to see their shocked faces! And I''ll of course get a ton of EXP for it as well, getting my combat class in no time! Now then, "Operation: Diamond in a haystack" start! During the next 3 days, I began forging the new swords, it goes without saying that most of them hit a quality score of 6 or above. But the most amazing thing was the surprise I had in store!
¡°Jennifer¡± the Holy-steel Sword of Perseverance A Holy-steel sword created by a catkin who set aside her deepest grudges and put her very heart and soul into making a sword to help make her dreams possible. She has put in all her ability and integrity as a blacksmith to make the sword as durable as possible. Her close bond with the creation process and her will to push the limits has granted it a name. +9 STR +9 DEX +9 AGI +10 VIT +5 INT +5 WIS +237 ATK [Holy Perseverance] When used, the blade will be surrounded by Holy Power which will absorb the damage taken by the blade [Passive] Absorb holy power around your surroundings ( 1 Holy Power per hour ) Bonus: +500 Durability Naming: 25% improvement to all stats (exceeds the limit), durability loss is halved Holy Power: 190/300 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 20 - Bonus: +300 Durability (5852/5852) Level 185 - Bonus: +3700 Durability (9252/9252) [Made by Shiro] Durability: 5052/5052 (5552/5552) Quality 6.3152/10.0000
My pretty Jennifer... Purr~ By sacrificing 25% of its stats, I was able to quadruple the durability. Add in the bonuses, and you get a total of 9252 durability! But that isn''t all, due to naming, the durability loss it suffers is decreased by half! That is like having an item with 18504 durability! That means in terms of durability rating, it is comparable to a mithril item with a quality score 7.4! And that is without considering the self-protection ability that I added. With that, I wouldn''t be surprised if it could outlast a mithril item with a quality score of 10 even! I can''t wait to see their shocked faces when they see how awesome Jennifer is! hehe I''m going to give it my all to maintain Jennifer in her pristine condition, and given time, it might take a step up and become a [Famous] sword! I mean, it is in the hands of a hero after all... expecting that much is a given... or maybe... no way... [Legendary]! "You hear that Jennifer, you''ll become a legend! Just you wait! hehe" I giggled. With this, getting EXP for my [Creationist] job is in the bag! Why I even got a [Creationist] level when I finished making Jennifer! Just 2 more levels until my combat job! And my benefits did not end just there! For making the 50 swords, I got 24 [PER] from my class quests as well as new quests opened up:
[Creationist] Ingot Creation III Produce 50 tier 1 ingots with at least a quality score of 9 and/or 50 tier 2 ingots with at least a quality score of 8 and/or 50 tier 3 ingots with at least a quality score of 7 and/or 50 tier 4 ingots with at least a quality score of 6 and/or 50 tier 5 ingots with at least a quality score of 2 and/or 50 tier 6 ingots with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 4/50 Reward: 6 [PER]
[Creationist] Weapon Creation II Produce 10 tier 1 weapons with at least a quality score of 8 and/or 10 tier 2 weapons with at least a quality score of 7 and/or 10 tier 3 weapons with at least a quality score of 6 and/or 10 tier 4 weapons with at least a quality score of 4 and/or 10 tier 5 weapons with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 8/10 Status: 7/10 Reward: 3 [PER]
There is some bad news though. From now on, unless I get lucky and get an [Iron Ingot] with a quality score of 7, it won''t count anymore towards my class quest. That said, steel should still last me for a good bit at this rate. With my work complete, I make preparations to leave... well I say that, but there isn''t much to do other than saying a few goodbyes... So I am finally leaving this place and starting my new adventure... somehow I feel a bit nervous... ... After saying my farewells, I stood by the entrance and waited for Harold to pick me up. It did not take long for me to see Harold heading towards the guild and I ran towards him to meet him mid way. "Hey, did you get everything done?" Harold asked. "Of course! Something like this is a piece of cake for me!" I boasted. "Alright then, let''s go" Harold replied. Right before I left, I took one last final look at the Blacksmithing Guild that has been harboring me for over 2 months... and a complex feeling filled my heart, but this wasn''t a feeling that I wasn''t already used to... It was the same feeling I got time and time again during my previous life... when we abandoned the houses I grew up in, and ended up moving to a new unknown... After taking in what may be my last memory of this place, I then took my first step forward on my new adventure... Volume 03: Proving my worth (1) As we got some distance away from the Blacksmithing Guild, I turned to Harold. "So... are we heading out tomorrow morning?" I queried. "Hmm? No, we are going to leave the city right now" Harold responded. That''s pretty strange... "Isn''t today a night day though?" I questioned. "Yes, we are leaving during night" Harold replied. "Ok...ay... but is that really alright? Don''t monsters increase when it''s a night day? Not to mention can the horses even run properly at night?" I inquired. "I wouldn''t worry too much about the monsters, and as for horses, they have no problems operating at night. That said, we aren''t using horses" Harold answered. We finally made it out of the city, and standing there were Tina, Brian and Saron by a carriage. Not only that, the carriage was also surrounded by many guards, while a few people were loading a crate into the carriage. After they finished loading the crate, they said their goodbyes and moved out alongside the guards. As I got closer and my view of the carriage cleared up, I noticed something about the carriage which I couldn''t take my eyes off... In front of the carriage, were three large wolves! And they weren''t just any regular wolves either, there were 2 [Swift Grey Wolves] who by their level seem to be Rank C monsters! And leading them in front was the largest wolf with a horn on its head, a Rank B [Lightning Wolf]! "Are those going to be drawing our carriage?" I asked as I admired the wolves. "That''s right" Harold confirmed. "I-Is it... safe to touch them?" I inquired with expectation. "There is no issue, just don''t take too long as we have to get on our way" Harold responded. I came up to the wolves and put my hand on one of them, it felt really warm and fuzzy... that''s right, who needs horses and that darn [Horse Riding] skill when you have awesome wolves! Personally, I never even wanted to ride a horse! And I am not saying this cause I''m feeling sour about the whole thing... no, in my opinion, man kind was never even meant to ride horses! Wolves are definitely where it''s at! As I was petting the wolves and admiring them, I noticed something and inadvertently froze up... [Slavery Collar]... It looked quite different and lot more expensive than the one I had, but I could recognize it instinctively... From seeing that, I felt a big heartache... of course it isn''t like I didn''t understand. These were monsters, and there was no monster tamer or anything of the like... so controlling monsters via something like a [Slavery Collar] is not surprising... without it, the wolves would easily tear me to shreds... that said, I still felt a tinge of empathy towards them being forced against their will... "Hey pipsqueak, first thing you do is ignore your party members and run to mingle with the wolves? You sure you don''t want to go live with monsters instead of people?" Brian mocked as he passed by. "I do not!" I denied while glaring at him. Stupid hateful dogkin! "Brian, you''re a grown up, there is no need to be jealous of a child" Harold reprimanded. "I am not jealous Boss, I just don''t want that brat getting in our way!" Brian scoffed. "Ye, ye, everyone get on board, we are going to leave" Harold announced. Looking around, I again confirmed the presence of Tina, Saron and Brian, but Ariel was nowhere to be found. That said, my [Smell Sense] could pick up traces of her scent around the place... "Where is Ariel by the way?" I asked, not wanting to be caught by surprise. "Oh, she is sleeping in the carriage. She couldn''t get any sleep the past few days, saying ridiculous things like you might just suddenly disappear and the like. On a few occasions, she almost rushed out of the Inn to go after you. Luckily we ended up stopping her just in the nick of time. Then when she finally came here and took a break, she seems to have just fell asleep" Harold explained. Somehow I get the feeling that I dodged a bullet there... I mean in a closed space with her is like begging for a death sentence. Though... last thing I want is her waking up and grabbing me out of nowhere... "C-Can I sit in the front with you?" I pleaded. "Uhmm... sure, but you have to be careful not to fall off as we are going to be traveling pretty fast" Harold warned. "Alright, I''ll be careful!" I replied and got on. This way, I can avoid Ariel, and at same time watch the scenery until it gets fully dark. I do have [Night Vision], but since this world has no lighting, it still gets hard to see some times. "Alright, since everyone is aboard, we are heading out. Head to the next town, this is an [Order]" Harold announced and in response the carriage suddenly sped up. We began to accelerate rapidly as the wolves gained speed. And before I knew it, it felt like we were already moving as fast as a car going down the highway. The horses that I''ve traveled with were fast, but not as fast as these wolves... And as to confirm my suspicion.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Your skill [RA][Sprint] has become Level 4
Interestingly enough, despite the high speeds and us sitting in the front, the winds were rather mild. Looking around, I noticed a few strange looking runes slightly glowing by the front and sides of the carriage. Despite my skills and knowledge quite lacking, its pretty obvious that is what is diverting the winds from pressuring us. I enjoyed the scenery for quite a bit, but as it was getting darker and things were starting to look repetitive, I took out my Sewing and Knitting Kit. I knew these kinds of journeys are going to take a while, and since I can''t exactly smith here, I thought about polishing up on my [Threadweaving] and [Tailoring] skills. While I can''t exactly get skill levels from this, I can become more familiar with it and maybe open up some class quests for all I know... So starting with the tier 1 [Wool Yarns], I began to knit. "What are you making there?" Harold asked shortly after I began. "Hmm? Oh, I was thinking about maybe making a scarf just in case we come to some place cold, from there I plan on trying to make a few spare socks maybe. Nothing too complex" I answered. "Is that so... trying to get your [Tailoring] skill to level 1?" Harold inquired. "Uhm... something like that..." I replied. I am not exactly going to say my [Tailoring] is at level 6, especially since I am kind of new to this... boasting I am at level 6 and messing up on Wool would be pretty darn embarrassing... that said, with my high [PER], I am doing pretty good if I do say so myself... Then suddenly, I noticed something way in the distance, if not for my [Sharp Eyes] I probably wouldn''t have noticed! I activated [Hawk Eyes to get a closer look. "There is a bunch of goblins blocking the road ahead!" I exclaimed while jumping out of my seat and pointing forward. "Sit down, there is nothing to worry about" Harold responded. "Eh? But... what the..." * buzz * * buzz * * buzz * Out of nowhere a bolt of lightning descending from the sky aimed right at the wolf in the front! From there, the lightning flew back up into the sky and descended down upon the goblins!
You have acquired a new skill [RA][Lightning Horn] Level 1
"Wow!" I exclaimed. In a blink of an eye, the group of 12 goblins were completely turned to charcoal. Now that is the kind of skill I wanted to learn! I sat there staring in expectations, hoping for more monsters to show up so I could get more skill levels of that sweet skill! Unfortunately, that seemed to have been the end of it... but as it got darker and darker, another blue box appeared.
Your skill [NP][Night Vision] has become Level 3 Your skill [NP][Night Vision] has become Level 4 Your skill [NP][Night Vision] has become Level 5
Well, it is easier to see now in the dark... so I guess that''s a plus. But no more [Lightning Horn] skill levels.... *sigh* After my enthusiasm died down, I got back into making my scarf. Despite it already being pretty dark, with the help of [Night Vision] at level 5, it was already no different from day. While I was carefully making the scarf, I kept a close eye on the road for monsters. Some did show up here and there, but most of them were small fries like [Dire Foxes] and the like. The wolves didn''t even pay them much heed and just swept away as they got close. While I was on the lookout, I did manage to get a few more skills though.
Your skill [NP][Night Vision] has become Level 6 Your skill [RA][Claw Swipe] has become Level 2 Your skill [RA][Claw Swipe] has become Level 3 Your skill [RA][Claw Swipe] has become Level 4
I also managed to pick up this gem from Harold as he took something out.
Your skill [NA][Item Box] has become Level 3
With this, my [Item Box] has expanded even further from 3 cubic meters to 10 cubic meters! I spent the next few hours working on my scarf. Since it was a no-stats item, it would easily take me less than an hour to make something like this. But my goal here was to learn, so I took it slow, while at same time trying all kinds of fancy patterns I could think of. A lot of it was trial and error, but even then with my high skill level and [PER], I was able to quickly notice any mistakes prior to actually ruining anything. Finally, my first article of clothing was complete!
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
[Creationist] Clothing Creation Produce 250 articles of clothing that have no stats with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/10 Reward: 1 [PER]
Ooh! a class ques... 250?! Are they nuts?! That seems like a total grind... I mean sure, if I pick up the pace, I could probably churn them out by the dozens, but I don''t have enough yarn for that. Maybe I should try making fabric instead... since I got a few level ups, I should be able to accommodate a few extra stats here and there. With my mind made up, I took out another ball of yarn, but before I started on making the fabric, I took a short look to the side. Initially, Harold would talk about things here and there as I was working, and sometimes comment on my work. But in the last hour, he has been awfully quiet... so I took a look to see, only to find him sleeping... Uhmmm... is that okay that the driver is asleep? Well sure, since the wolves are under an [Order] and are handling most of the defense, it isn''t a problem. But what if something unexpected happens? Or is it like in the movies where he would suddenly get up and go ''I sense 5 enemies surrounding us, go wake everyone up!''... well either way, I would think he knows what he is doing... probably...? Only a bit later did I get my answer in the form of a blue box.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Meditation] Level 1
Oh blue box, you are like my answer to everything! Now then, looking at the skill, it seems to allow you to sleep while at same time maintaining some consciousness... it also improves the speed of recovery as well. The downside though is that it can only be used once every few days... Keeping an eye out on Harold, I managed to get the skill up to level 3! Interestingly enough, there is a whole ton of monsters attacking us from time to time... nothing strong so far, but I could never imagine roads would be this dangerous... hmmm... is it the whole "hero effect"? or is it simply because it''s nighttime... hmm... my unbiased opinion thinks it''s the heroes fault, yup! Oh well, I doubt anything will get past that [Lightning Wolf]... if anything, I''m hoping something worthy shows up so it uses its [Lightning Horn] again... While thinking that, I began my work on my [Wool Fabric]. As before, I prioritized quality over speed to get a better understanding of the process, but since I already had some experience, it was a lot easier than before. After more than an hour had passed, my first fabric was completed!
Wool Fabric An average quality wool fabric. Used in the production of clothes Quality 5.0754/10.0000
Not bad for a first attempt I would say, especially since my [Threadweaving] is only at level 4. Of course, I got an accommodating quest as well!
[Creationist] quest unlocked!
[Creationist] Fabric creation Produce 50 fabrics with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 1/10 Status: 1/50 Reward: 1 [PER]
Now then... I guess I''ll use the [Wool Fabric] make some socks with stats maybe? Probably aim for [INT] and [WIS] so that it will help me in production I guess... bu...t ... be...f...ore... tha... t *yawn* ... I thin...k I''ll clo...se... my... eyes... for... just... a sho...rt bit... * zzzzzzz * ... Volume 03: Proving my worth (2) "Mmmm.... I... doubt... steel... tastes better... than silk...." I murmured in my sleep. * blah blah * * blah blah * * blah blah * * blah blah * "Mmm... ha? Where? Wha?" I muttered as I got up from the noises in the background. I took a look around, and noticed Harold was speaking to some soldiers. And taking a glance all around us, there was a bunch of carriages clamoring by what looks to be the entrance to a city wall. "Good luck then, we''ll proceed to the lord''s mansion" Harold said to the soldiers, and with that, our carriage proceeded forward past the entry gate. "Where are we?" I asked while taking a look at the town, which I estimate to be about half the size of Hallion. "Hmm? This is the town of Tiamet, we''ll be staying here for three more days until the next night day. During that time, see if you can make as many [Steel Swords] as you can" Harold instructed. "Sure..." I replied. Personally, I think Jennifer alone is more than enough, but I''m saving that as a surprise. Either way, I get class quest completes the more swords I make, so there is no way I am going to turn it down anyways. Shortly after, we stopped by an Inn. Taking a scrutinizing glance, it was nowhere as fancy as the one in Hallion. If anything, it looked pretty average at best... "Tina, you awake?" Harold called out. "Mmm... yeah?" Tina replied from the back. "What about Ariel and Brian?" Harold asked. "I''m awake Boss, but elder sister is still sleeping" Brian informed. "That''s fine. Tina, go to the Inn and get us 2 rooms. As for Brian, I want you to escort Shiro to the Blacksmithing Guild" Harold announced. "Do I have to?" Brian complained. "I don''t have the time for your whining, get to it!" Harold demanded. "... Yes Boss..." Brian relented and got off the carriage. Hey... I''m not happy about this either! If it wasn''t for that damned hero, I''d walk there myself! "Let''s go twerp" Brian called out. "Hmph!" I snorted, but reluctantly followed as the carriage moved on down the road. When we arrived there, the guild seemed to be about quarter the size of the one in Hallion. "Make sure you don''t cause any trouble" Brian scoffed and walked off. Grrrr... Stupid hateful dogkin! Well whatever, I don''t have time to worry about that jerk. By the end of this three day stay, I will finally get my first salary! So I need to make sure that I perform well and get the full Advanced Disciple salary. At the entrance to the guild, I showed the guards my badge. Initially, they made a confused face, probably not expecting a 12 year old catkin to have a commissioned blacksmith badge that would normally be limited to Advanced Disciples or their equivalents, but in the end they said nothing and let me through with no fanfare. I strode around the area until I came across what seemed to be the smithy. From there, I walked up to the counter to order some ores. "Are ya one of the new disciples missy?" probed the dwarf at the counter. "Nope! I am a full fledged commissioned blacksmith!" I proudly said while handing him the badge. "...Is that so... then how can I be of service missy?" the dwarf replied in surprise, but quickly got his act together. "Yes, I''d like 100 [Iron Ores] and 100 [Coal Ores]" I requested. "Alright then, give me a second" replied the dwarf and headed to the back. It is pretty interesting that no one seems to question me or anything. Is it maybe the runes on the badge somehow act as verification? Kind of like the Adventurers Guild tattoo? I really should learn more about these runes... everything from [Slavery Collars], to guild identification seem to operate on them. And I can even use them to improve my gear to an extent, so I should definitely see if I can get more skill levels in that. Yup, that should probably be the first thing I use my request on if I can''t find a way to learn about it myself.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Here ya go missy! 100 [Iron Ores] and 100 [Coal Ores], please double check" the dwarf announced. "Seems about right, thank you very much" I declared after carefully checking them, and began placing them in my [Item Box]. "No problem missy, since ya ordered so many ores, I''m guessing ya''ll be staying here for quite a while?" asked the dwarf. "Hmm? nope, I''ll be staying here for only three days. Thanks again, I''ll come by again in a day or two when I need more" I replied and walked off. "Any time missy! Wait, more?!" exclaimed the dwarf being left dumbfounded. That day, I managed to make a total of 20 [Steel Swords], and all of them turned out above the quality score of 6! With that, I managed to complete two [Creationist: Weapon Creation] quests giving me an extra 6 [PER]! I could have probably made more, but I was more focused on improving my quality over focusing on quantity. Thinking about it in the short term, it might seem better to produce more rather than worry about quality, as that would get more [PER]. But if you look at it from a long term perspective... Wait... what am I saying? At this rate, it''s not long term at all, but right around the corner! If I am not mistaken, at this pace of making swords... 43 more, and I would need to start make [Steel Swords] with quality score of 7 or above to qualify for the class quests! Well either that or [Holy-steel Swords] with quality score of 6! And as it stands, I can''t exactly churn out equipment of that grade as I please. Believe me, I tried, out of the nine holy-steel items I made, only two ended up reaching that quality. To make something like that requires a huge amount of motivation, resolve and concentration... The worst part of all this is that one of them ended up being for that darn hero! grrrr.... Oh, not that I''m insulting you Jennifer! You are most definitely a beauty, just you''re way too good for that wretched hero! Anyways, if I improve even by 0.1 quality in any part of the process, it would be a great help. Because if the prices of that wolfram steel is any indicator, I wouldn''t be surprised if it took me an entire year just to save up for some [Mithril Ore]. Which means my most important goal as far as crafting is concerned, would be to reliably make magical items with quality scores of 6 if not 7. If I could do that, it should be able to replace the need for mithril in class quests. And as far as equipment goes, if I could pull off named items made out of wolfram steel with a quality score of 6, I think I could come pretty close to the performance of mithril. There is the weight issue to consider, but I can get around that with use of Holy Power. That said, improvement of quality was not the only reason why I only made 20 swords. The other reason was that I wanted to check out the exhibition hall. I still have a few items saved up that I could sell after all... Before going into the exhibit hall, I went to check on the rules to see how they might differ, and by the looks of things, this place sets the minimum quality score at 4 instead of 5. Which doesn''t really help me much, because the only item I would sell that is below the quality score of 5 would be my [Holy-steel Healing Dagger], but unfortunately that has a quality score of 3. So pretty much, I''m out of luck... which is too bad, considering that holy-steel would probably sell really well... Entering the hall, I was a bit surprised that there were only 6 people selling stuff! Though all of them being dwarfs, but never the less... I took a short look at their stuff, and what can I say, I''m far from impressed... I initially wasn''t planning on selling on the first day, but if it''s like this... I might as give this a shot for a bit and see how things go... I set down by a good spot, and took out my wares. Sadly, my disguise was destroyed by that wretched hero, but I have other means. "COMMISSIONED BLACKSMITH, UNLOADING AN [IRON SPEAR], [IRON AXE] AND TWO [IRON DAGGERS] AT 10% DISCOUNT FROM MARKET PRICE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! FIRST COME FIRST SERVE!" I yelled while waving my commissioned blacksmith badge! Yup, It goes without saying the entire room turned their attention to me in an instant! Soon after, the crowd began to swarm towards my goods! hehe Dwarf or no dwarf, a commissioned blacksmith badge generally means that the guild sees me as an official blacksmith! In comparison, Intermediate Disciples are only seen as apprentice blacksmiths at best. Well... in my case it''s an exception, but they don''t know that! * evil grin * I couldn''t exactly do this in my own guild, since there, I am still counted as only an Intermediate Disciple even with the badge. But here in a foreign guild, they don''t know of my status and only see me as a commissioned blacksmith, nothing more, nothing less. And it goes without saying, I''m going to take full advantage of this loophole! "Can we try the weapons?" asked one of the men in the front. "Sure, no problem!" I replied. The man picked up the spear, and began swinging it around. "This is a pretty decent spear" exclaimed the man. Of course it is, who do you think made it! hehe "Alright, I''ll take it!" announced the man. Having my stuff finally acknowledged after all this time feels pretty darn good! "That will be 1 gold and 35 silver coins" I happily pronounced. "Here you go" said the man handing me the money, "Pass my thanks to the smith" he then added as he left. Yey! my first sale! Wait... Ha? What the hell does that suppose to mean?! "I''ll take this [Iron Dagger]" said a woman interrupting my thoughts. "O-Okay, that will be 72 silver coins!" I hurriedly replied. "This is a mighty fine axe missy, might I ask the name of the smith who made this?" asked a dwarf as he closely examined the [Iron Axe]. "Uhm... Shiro..." I answered, a bit perplexed by the phrasing. "Hmm... I made up my mind, I''ll buy it!" declared the dwarf, "It''s a shame I couldn''t meet the smith myself though..." he then muttered in disappointment. Are you serious?!?! I am freaking standing right in front of you! Then it suddenly dawned on me! Could it be... that the badge is not limited to the smith, but also their party members as well? And they are thinking that the smith is just using me as a lackey?!?! Guh! Damn you all for looking down on me! I clench my fists ready to explode! But... if I say something... will they still buy my stuff? commission badge or not? This is so darn infuriating! Nevertheless, for the sake of my future mithril set I need to endure! "...that will be 1 gold and 8 silver coins..." I replied devoid of all enthusiasm. By the end, I easily managed to sell everything, getting 3 gold and 87 silver coins. After I sent 2 gold, 70 silver and 90 iron coins to the Hallion guild by the counter, I was left with 1 gold, 16 silver and 10 iron coins as profit. Maybe I should make something out of the spare [Iron Ingots] I got stocked up, and sell it either tomorrow or the day after. And you know what? On the last day, once I sell all my stuff, I''ll make sure to make it painfully clear who the true smith really is! Since all sales are final, it would be too late for them to return it anyways. On top of that, it would be a good experiment to see if the badge is good enough to cover their prejudices or not. Though somehow, my expectations are quite low on that front... Not that I can blame them or anything, since I wouldn''t normally expect high quality equipment from a 12 year old either... * sigh * With about 10 minutes left till the end of the exhibit hall, Harold walked in. "There you are, pack up whatever you need and let''s head back" Harold announced. "I already got everything, so I''m ready to go!" I responded as I made my way towards Harold. "Is that so... how many were you able to make?" Harold asked as we began walking out. "Only 20..." I replied. "Really? That many in such a short time? I hope you didn''t skimp on the quality..." Harold cautioned. "Nope! All of them are top quality, guaranteed!" I proudly declared. "Well that''s good. How is your [Item Box], you have plenty of space?" Harold asked. "So far I''m good..." I instinctively replied, only to soon realize that maybe I should have said otherwise and see if I could get another skill level... Well either way, I''m in no hurry... there will be plenty of chances to devour all their skills and more! After a few minutes of walking, we finally made it back to the Inn. "Alright then, I''ll be going now since I have some other things to take care of. Make sure to have Brian bring you to the guild tomorrow" Harold said as he began to leave. "W-WAIT!" I exclaimed with all my might! There is a HUGE problem that I can''t just let go no matter what! If I remember correctly... they took only 2 rooms... and looking at this Inn, it does not look like they have large multi-sized suites like the ones in Hallion. So that means that I won''t have my own room, but instead I''ll be sharing a room... which means... "Uhm... about Ariel..." I hesitantly muttered. "Don''t worry about Ariel. Me, Ariel and Saron are going to be staying at the lord''s mansion these three days. So you''ll only be sharing a room with Tina. If there is nothing else you need, I''ll be on my way..." Harold informed. THANK GOD! "Nope! Everything is just perfect!" I beamed with a smile as I enthusiastically went into the Inn. After having some decent dinner at the Inn, I soundly went to sleep. Volume 03: Proving my worth (3) The next day, after waking up and having breakfast, I went to look for Brian. Unfortunately, he was not in his room, and since Tina was nowhere to be found either, I ended up asking the staff. From what I was told, he was last seen at the outdoor stables by the back of the Inn. Since the stablehand was too nervous to get anywhere close to such powerful monsters as the [Lightning Wolf], he was forced to take care of them himself. Knowing that, I went out to find him. "What is it twerp?" asked Brian as he just finished feeding the wolves, and made his way towards the fountain to wash his hands. "Harold said for you to take me to the Blacksmithing Guild" I informed him, as I went over to pet the soft [Lightning Wolf]. "Hmm? I don''t remember hearing anything" Brian teased. "Well, he told me yesterday to tell you!" I insisted. "Sorry, if the Boss doesn''t tell me, I can''t do anything. See ya later twerp~" Brian declared and walked off. "Wait! If you don''t take me there, what am I suppose to do?!" I pressed. "That''s your problem~" Brian shrugged off with a smirk as he left the outdoor stables. Grrr! Stupid hateful dogkin! I need to get to the guild as soon as possible, so that I can prepare stuff to sell on top of making the swords for the party! I can''t afford to waste any time here! Then a brilliant idea hit me! * evil grin * I looked left and right to make sure the coast was clear, and once I was sure no one was looking... I lifted up my hand... * buzz * * buzz * * buzz * * buzz * Electrostatic filled the air and my hairs began to stand up... I was waiting for an opportunity to try out this skill, what better way than to punish a sinner? Of course, I''ll make sure to hold back and adjust the skill to maximize paralysis over damage, but it should be enough to give him his dues! He won''t even know what hit him! Lightning began to form in the air and came straight down at me! With all my concentration in tow, I made sure to targe- "TshaAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" I yelled as I fell over from the electrical shock.
You have taken 83 damage. You have been paralyzed for 30 minutes.
... O-Ouch... Well that could have turned out far better... I tried to move around, but as expected no luck... * sigh * Finding myself lying there unable to do anything, I decided to contemplate where I could have gone wrong... It was obviously not at trying to electrocute that stupid dogkin, nope, that was justified. What I wanted to know was why in the world did my own attack backfire back at me?... and it isn''t like this is the first time something like this happened, so I can''t exactly pretend that this was an accident and go about my day... not that I could do that anyways since I''m kind of stuck here for the time being... The only difference is that during previous backfires, it at least led to some results... but this time around, it was almost a complete failure... So I need to get to the bottom of this, lest I end up getting myself killed due to my negligence... At first when I used [Meteor Rush], I assumed the recoil was due to me lacking the stats or some support skill to use it properly. While that may still be the case, it became even more apparent that something was up with the use of [Screech], which ended up shredding the insides of my throat. In that case, it simply couldn''t have been due to lacking such things as stats or skills, no, at that point the difference was clearly in our anatomies. Looking at a [Wraith] who has no fleshy throat versus me who does, the reason why I got hit by the recoil becomes far more apparent. And if I had anymore doubts left, this incident most definitely confirmed it... that Racial Skills are far more dangerous than I thought... At first, I thought the only difference between Normal Skills and Racial Skills was that Racial Skills allowed me far more flexibility, from limiting stamina usage to overriding cool downs. While Normal Skills tended to offer better overall performance. This was of course information provided to me by the system. But as I used both types of skills more and more, I noticed other differences that were not documented. The most apparent one was that Racial Skills came second hand, while Normal Skills required additional training and understanding to make up for the gaps. There was also one other thing that I noticed, but didn''t think too much of at the time... Particularly in my usage of [Blend Stealth]. I just took it as a given that I would not blend into the environment as well as an Iguana... I mean that''s common sense right? And I moved on not giving it too much thought... since well I had plenty of other stuff to think about... like you know day to day survival! But in reality, that was my first hint that anatomies play a vital role in the usage of Racial Skills. And if that is truly the case, then it goes without saying that a lack of having the proper anatomy can prove fatal... If I say learn a skill that lets me shoot poison or acid out of my mouth, even if I end up shooting it out, lacking the mouth anatomy to properly isolate the poison, that would be equivalent to committing suicide... even in this incident... if I set the [Lightning Horn] to maximum damage output... * shiver * ... I really don''t want to think about it... Now that I know this, I should probably focus on collecting more Normal Skills, while finding ways around the bottlenecks of Racial Skills... such as maybe making a helmet with a horn or the like, and testing it in a safe environment... and any new Racial Skill should be carefully tested prior before I utilize it in combat... But for now... what do I do, I still can''t move... * Lick * * Lick * * Lick * * Lick * "S-S-to-p T-tha-t T-T-ick-les... he-he-he" I tried to complain, as the [Lightning Wolf] began to lick me... ... After about 5 minutes of being licked by the [Lightning Wolf], I was somehow finally able to get back up... By the looks of things, It seems the [Lightning Wolf] absorbed most of the remaining electrostatic, thus lowering the time on my paralysis... Though once he was done absorbing it, he pretty much lost interest and went about his business... * sigh * and here I was hoping he liked me, and that I could later on tame him or something... Oh well... Anyways, since Tina has already left prior, I guess I''ll just have to go there myself. To be honest, I didn''t even need that hateful dogkin in the first place! I only came here to ask cause Harold told me to. Now that I know where the guild is, I have no need for him. It''s not like I walked around this town with the hero, so it''s unlikely for anyone to know about me just yet, and in the worst case, I have my senses and skills to back me up. With my mind made up, I headed out of the Inn towards the Blacksmithing Guild. As I was passing the shopping area on my way there, my ears picked up something that peaked my interest... "Selling sweet bread buns! Only 10 silver coins a piece! Limited time only!" declared a girl standing outside what seems to be a bakery. Hmm... that might seems like a high price at first glance, but sweets seem to be pretty expensive in this world... Not sure why that is the case, maybe because it''s considered a luxury over a necessity? Either way, 10 silver coins a piece is by far the cheapest sweet I have seen so far... Hmm... this is definitely something intriguing... maybe I should grab a few... but if I do that... I''d be depleting the money I need to save up for better equipment... hmm... but cheap sweets are pretty rare to find, and I don''t know if I''ll ever get another opportunity... not to mention, if my plans for today go well, I could earn quite a killing... This is so difficult... weighing practicality versus luxury... After some time contemplating, a stroke of genius hit me! This isn''t a purchase to indulge myself, no, this is for research! Yup, for research! I will analyze these discount sweets in hopes of reproducing them with my [Cooking] skill, thus it isn''t a wasteful spending, but precious research material! With my mind set on munching... err I mean analyzing the sweets, I entered into the bakery and walked up to the counter. "Can I get a taste sample of the sweet buns before buying?" I asked the old man behind the counter. I wasn''t naive enough to buy something sold below market value without hesitation after all. "Hmm..." the old man pondered as he took a scrutinizing glance at me... no... looking at it more carefully, at my clothes? "Alright, here is a piece" the old finally decided as he handed me a tiny sample to try. I took a look at it with [Creationist: Analyze Everything] just in case, and after confirming there was nothing strange in it, I picked it up and... * munch *Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Mmmmm... It''s nowhere close to Zaveriya''s heavenly deserts... but, it''s pretty close to the deserts I ate in my previous life I would say... so I guess I could say they are acceptable?... "I''d like to buy 10 please!" I requested. It still feels a bit expensive, but now that people are buying my stuff and me getting a salary, there is nothing wrong with buying things once in a while... Of course, I don''t plan to eat all 10 in one go... as tempting as that may sounds... I plan on only eating one for now, and save the rest for another day. "That will be 1 gold coin" said the old man. "Here you go..." I replied while hesitantly handing him the money. "Thank you, come again" responded the old man as he handed me the wrapped sweet buns. I put 9 of the deser... I mean research materials inside my [Item Box], and left the shop while happily munching on my sweet bun. Unfortunately, before I knew it... the sweet bun was all gone! Hmm... it won''t hurt to eat one more right? To celebrate me finally selling stuff... just one more... I swear this will be the last! After finally convincing myself, I took out one more sweet bun! "Aah..." I pronounced right about to stuff it in my mouth, only to stop after feeling a presence rushing from the right. Taking a glance, I noticed what seemed to be a 9 year old ratkin child collapse right in front of my feet. Looking at him carefully, he seemed to be wearing rags and fully covered in dirt. He then desperately grabbed onto the hem of my clothes. "P-Please h-help * sniff *... I-I didn''t do anything wrong... *sniff* I was framed!" he pleaded as tears fell down his cheeks. ... I began to inwardly panic not knowing what to do! D-Don''t tel me... Did I trigger a flag?!?! No, no, no! Stop! Don''t you know I''m allergic to flags?! That said, even without my high [PER] or the blue box showing up, I could easily tell that the kid in front of me was lying about something... I mean... the whole crashing into a little kid that is being chased is one of the oldest clich¨¦s in the book!
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Acting] Level 1
And when you see that pop up, it leaves little room for doubt... I took a peek into the alley where the kid came from, preparing for any trouble that might brew... but no matter how far I looked into the alley, I saw nothing... Then suddenly, I felt the sensation of the sweet bun leaving my hand! It''s not like I wasn''t on my guard for the other possible clich¨¦, but to my surprise, the direction the bun was being stolen from was from behind! Barely catching a glimpse, I saw a 13 year old ratkin grabbing my sweet bun and run away!
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Steal] Level 1
"Hey! That''s mine!" I yelled. Feeling something out of place, I looked down and noticed that my pockets were inverted out, and the 9 year old ratkin already ran back into the alley! Damn it! They teamed up and got the drop on me! I''ll make them pay!... is what I would like to say, but I know where this one is going... catching up to them with my skills should be a breeze, the problem is what happens afterwards! Once I catch up to them, I''ll probably learn about how they are only doing it for their sick father... but in reality, that is also a lie and after getting into a bunch of random events, I''ll eventually figure out the truth! After confronting them yet again, I will only then learn about how the one in charge of their orphanage has gone missing, and after investigating I''ll end up to learning that she has been taken hostage by some mafia like organization. Then get embroiled in some sort of mess that puts me in conflict with some noble who is after the land or something... thanks, but no thanks! I guess I''ll just consider the two skills I got as payment, since all my things are in the [Item Box], my losses only amounted to that sweet bun... though... it''s definitely frustrating never the less... anyways... today is an important day, and I have a lot of stuff to do, I can''t be wasting my time here... I took one last regretful glance into the alley, and moved on... Now that I think about it... since that sweet bun was stolen... eating one more should be fine right? right? ... In a short while, I finally reached the local Blacksmithing Guild. Interestingly enough, by the time I got there, I only had 5 sweet buns left... I swear, someone is definitely stealing them from my [Item Box]... and if ever find out who that is, I''ll make sure to make them pay for shamelessly robbing my research materials! The nerve! I lick off the remaining sweetness off my lips and fingers, and got to work... ... Prior to the exhibit hall, I only managed to make 10 [Steel Swords] for the party this time around, as the rest of the time was allocated to making things to sell using my remaining [Iron Ingots]. Taking 10 out of the 15 ingots I had, I made 2 [Iron Daggers], 1 [Iron Sword], 1 [Iron Mace], I also made 1 [Steel Dagger] and 1 [Steel Sword] by borrowing some [Coal Ore] that I plan to take out of my quota payment. The result of my hard work was that all iron items had a quality score of 7, and all steel items had a quality score of 6 with a few hitting 7. With that, I completed 3 class quests and got an extra 15 [PER]!
[Creationist] Ingot Creation III Produce 50 tier 1 ingots with at least a quality score of 9 and/or 50 tier 2 ingots with at least a quality score of 8 and/or 50 tier 3 ingots with at least a quality score of 7 and/or 50 tier 4 ingots with at least a quality score of 6 and/or 50 tier 5 ingots with at least a quality score of 3 and/or 50 tier 6 ingots with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 2/10 Status: 21/50 Reward: 6 [PER]
[Creationist] Weapon Creation III Produce 10 tier 1 weapons with at least a quality score of 9 and/or 10 tier 2 weapons with at least a quality score of 8 and/or 10 tier 3 weapons with at least a quality score of 7 and/or 10 tier 4 weapons with at least a quality score of 6 and/or 10 tier 5 weapons with at least a quality score of 3 and/or 10 tier 6 weapons with at least a quality score of 1. Type: Continuous 2/10 Status: 4/10 Reward: 6 [PER]
It seems that tomorrow will finally be the day I hit my limits for making weapons... well... unless I make iron items with a quality score of 8, or can consistently get my steel items to have a quality score of 7... It also won''t be long till ingots suffer the same fate as well. There is the option of making armor, but that becomes harder to sell since I have to start worrying about fit. If I had more experience with [Leatherworking] or [Tailoring], I may be able to make it a bit more adjustable via padding, but with my current ability, that would be a bit complex. There is the option of making things like belts or shields which would be more flexible... though I don''t know if a shield would even count as an armor or not... Well whatever, I''ll worry about it when the time comes. Right now, it''s time to make some money! I proceed to the exhibit hall and set up shop. Once everything was prepared, I activated my [Voice Manipulation]! "COMMISSIONED BLACKSMITH, UNLOADING SEMI-SUPERIOR QUALITY [IRON SWORD], [IRON MACE] AND TWO [IRON DAGGERS] AT AVERAGE MARKET PRICE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY! I ALSO HAVE ABOVE AVERAGE [STEEL SWORD] and [STEEL DAGGER]! FIRST COME FIRST SERVE!" I announced. And before you know it, they started flooding in like moth to a fire! Once I sold most of the weapons and the crowd reached it''s peak, I then pulled out one last surprise for the day... "NOW THEN, I HAVE A SPECIAL TREAT FOR EVERYONE! FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS!" I declared as I put my new [Acting] skill to use.
Holy-Steel Healing Dagger An average quality dagger made out of holy-steel +10 STR +10 DEX +10 AGI +10 VIT +5 INT +5 WIS +250 ATK [Healing Stream] +10 HP every minute (5 holy power is consumed per minute) Bonus: +1 STR +1 AGI +1 DEX Holy Power: 200/200 Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 20 - Bonus: +1 STR +1 AGI +1 DEX Level 25 - Bonus: +1 STR +2 AGI +1 DEX [Made by Shiro] Durability: 2000/2000 Quality 5.0016/10.0000
I made this using Angelica''s cooldown which just recently came up. Though since I didn''t spend too much time on it, the quality score barely managed to reach 5. Personally, I would''ve been fine with a quality score of 4 as well, since this place does allows it. But since it turned out to be a 5, it just means I could earn even a bigger profit! "Yup, that''s right! This is an average quality [Holy-Steel Dagger]! It has the power to heal you for 10 hp every minute for 40 minutes! Healing a total of 400 HP! That is like 2 free minor healing potions, but without the annoying diminishing returns or cooldowns! This is an opportunity you simply can''t miss! Now for a low price of only 80 gold coins!" I loudly proclaimed. Now pretty much everyone, including the dwarfs rushed up to the front to get a good look! Not surprising, since Holy-steel is pretty darn rare and can easily go for twice the price of regular enchanted items. And since I''m selling it at only the price of a regular enchanted item, it might as well be a steal! If all goes well and I manage to sell this... after paying off the guild fees, I can pocket 24 gold coins! That is like 240 sweet buns worth! "So... who will be the lucky person to own this beauty?" I questioned as I took a look around. "D-Do you take installments?" One person desperately asked. "... No... everything must be paid in full..." I replied. "What about putting a reservation deposit on it, and paying it off in a week?!" another person called out. Only then did a realization dawn on me... no one had the money to buy it! Now that I think about it, that makes sense... Hallion is not too far from here, so anyone who is willing to buy would be better off buying there. The only reason someone would buy here is either they are clueless, too poor to afford something decent, can''t travel, or need a weapon ASAP. And none of those demographics are able to afford something like this! So now what... I could lower the price until someone is able to afford it, but that is like asking to have it sold at bargain bin prices... not to mention... it will make it look like I''m desperate to sell, which might even hurt my future sales here... Maybe I''ll try waiting till tomorrow... hopefully, one of them will be able to get the money somehow or at maybe bring someone they know who can afford it... "I''m sorry, but I''m leaving tomorrow, so you have by then to procure the funds. All payments must be upfront, and coins only. I will not take equipment trades" I declared. The crowd seemed pretty disheartened by my declaration, but it ain''t my problem. I do want the money... but I''m not as desperate as I used to be... At the end of the exhibit, all my other items sold out except the Holy-steel dagger, and after paying the guild its dues, I was left with a total of 4 gold and 20 silver coins! With the exhibit, coming to a close, I waited for Harold by the entrance... but even after another hour passed... he has yet to show up... I got a bit worried, but luckily after about 20 more minutes, he finally showed himself. "Sorry I was late, how did you do today?" Harold inquired. "Uhm... 10..." I hesitently replied. "That''s less than last time, something happen?" Harold asked. "Well... I was focusing more on quality this time around as I wanted to improve..." I answered, not wanting to reveal that I spent a lot of time making things to sell... then, I remembered something * evil grin * "Though the biggest factor was that Brian refused to bring me there, even after I told him what you said! Forcing me to find my way here on my own and arriving late, if it wasn''t for him, I would have been able to make more!" I tattled. "Is that so? I''ll have a talk with him when we get back" Harold assured. Truth be told, the time I lost was maybe 30 minutes max, but he doesn''t have to know that... now you''ll definitely get what''s coming to you, you stupid hateful dogkin! After a few minutes walk, we finally entered the Inn and made it to our rooms. "Brian, what''s this I''m hearing about you refusing to take Shiro to the Blacksmithing Guild?" Harold inquired. "Hmm? Not sure what you mean Boss, I asked her if she should go and she just shrugged me off" Brian explained. My jaw hung open, not able to believe how shameless this dogkin is! "Stop lying! You didn''t want to take me even after I begged!" I yelled in disbelief. "No need to shift the blame on me~" Brian shrugged. If there is one thing to be shocked about, it''s that his nose has yet to reach the ceiling! "You''re a freaking liar and you know it!" I bellowed in outrage! "*sigh*... When did I sign up to babysit a bunch of children?" Harold questioned while pressing his hand against his forehead. "Wasn''t that since the beginning?" Tina interjected. "... *sigh*, anyways, I don''t have time for this nonsense. Brian, make sure to take Shiro to the Blacksmithing Guild tomorrow no matter what! There better not be any more excuses!" Harold emphasized as he left the Inn. "Sure thing Boss, I''ll drag her there even if she refuses" called out the stupid lying dogkin. "But! He.... Guh!" I cried out in frustration, clearly displeased by this turn of events. With Harold now gone, I gave a hateful glare to the smirking liar! Just you wait, I promise that I''ll get you for this one day! Volume 03: Proving my worth (4) Next morning, me and the hateful lying dogkin again went to the Blacksmithing Guild. We didn''t even bother talking to each other along the way, as we clearly did not see eye to eye. Since my primary goal for today is selling the [Holy-steel Healing Dagger], I''ll focus on making [Steel Swords] for the party. Not to mention, since tomorrow is pay day, I don''t want to look like I''m slacking... I think making about 25 swords should be good... this way, it will look like I''m improving... With my plans made up, I began smithing! Overall, things were looking fairly good, but right in the middle of me making the 4th sword of the day, Harold showed up out of nowhere.... "Change of plans, we are leaving now! Get what you need within 5 minutes and head out!" he declared. "Eh?!?! W-What happened?!" I asked, totally confused by sudden turn of events. "I''ll explain later, for now, get ready and let''s go!" Harold insisted. "O-Okay, be right there!" I relented and starting packing my stuff. After I put everything away into my [Item Box], I headed out of the Blacksmithing Guild. Standing outside of the guild was the wolf drawn carriage, with Ariel sitting on top of it and Brian in the front. "Quickly get in!" Harold commanded. "O-Okay..." I nodded and headed into the carriage. "Mayo..." Ariel muttered from the roof. "Hmph!" I snorted, showing my protest to the wicked hero and got inside. When I made my way inside, the carriage began to accelerate rather quickly... and once we left the walls of the city, the wolves went into full throttle! The speed we were going at seemed far faster than before! Sticking my head out front, and glancing at the wolves easily confirmed that notion...
Your skill [RA][Sprint] has become Level 5 Your skill [RA][Sprint] has become Level 6
After staring out for a short bit, I began hearing some clamoring from behind... taking a look at the commotion, I noticed a bunch of soldiers gathering... "So what is going on?" I asked Saron, not wanting to subjugate myself to anymore of Tina''s exaggerations. "An emergency message came from the gem mine settlement, it seems the monsters have overrun the second blockade. If the third blockade falls, the monsters will flood the settlement. So we have no choice but to move up our plans missy" Saron explained. "Gem mine settlement? What''s that?" I inquired. "You haven''t heard missy? About two year ago, there was a gem mine discovered in the Turgese mountains. And just last year, the decision was finalized to build a city there. So the area was cleared out by the Adventurers Guild and a settlement was built to oversee the transition. Since it was only a matter of time until the monsters would return, three blockades were set up to guard the settlement from the monsters" Saron answered. * twang * * twang * * twang * * twang * Our conversation was suddenly interrupted by a rapid sound of a bowstring, looking forward, Brian was quickly firing the bow.
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Bow Mastery] Level 1
I also began hearing the sound of trees falling and branches breaking in the background. "If the settlement is under attack, then what are we fighting right now?" I asked somewhat confused. "That is..." Saron hesitated. The silence filled my heart with anxiety as all kinds of pessimistic possibilities flooded my head... "It''s nothing to worry about..." Tina interjected with assurance, "Just all the monsters in the area are swarming towards us. Around Hallion, there are fewer monsters these days, but as we head away from Tiamet, the amount of monsters increase" she then informed as though it didn''t concern her... HOW IS THAT NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT?!?! I set there for hours restless, as the sounds of countless fighting, screams and shattering permeated the background. As time passed, I tried to get into knitting more fabric, but I simply couldn''t keep up my concentration... I mean, try fitting that needle through that tiny hole when suddenly an earth deafening roar and explosions fill the background causing the carriage to shake violently. It literally felt like I was in the middle of a war zone! The further we went, the more and more monsters attacked from all direction... My [Presence Sense] and [Smell Sense] were overloaded with all kinds of reactions! Why do they put me in such stressful situations?!?! Can''t they see my hair going white from all the stress?!?! Luckily, no monster made it anywhere close to the carriage. But that didn''t stop me from having the horrid feeling like a monster is just going to pop out of nowhere and try to tear me apart... I tried to probe for some information to buy the time and take my mind off things, but unfortunately there wasn''t much I could learn... as they remained somewhat secretive about the details.... The only saving grace to this whole thing is that when I occasionally peaked into the front, I managed to get myself a bunch of juicy skills!
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Bow Mastery] Level 1 ... Your skill [NP][Bow Mastery] has become Level 6 Your skill [NA][Hawk Eyes] has become Level 4 Your skill [NA][Hawk Eyes] has become Level 5 Your skill [NA][Item Box] has become Level 4 Your skill [RA][Lightning Horn] has become Level 2 You have acquired a new skill [NA][Rapid Fire] Level 1 ... Your skill [NA][Rapid Fire] has become Level 4 You have acquired a new skill [NA][Power Shot] Level 1 ... Your skill [NA][Power Shot] has become Level 4 You have acquired a new skill [NA][Sniping Shot] Level 1 Your skill [NA][Sniping Shot] has become Level 2
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. It was literally a skill galore... Well, mostly from just Brian, as Harold was just keeping watch. So the only thing I managed to get from him was an [Item Box] level as he took out more arrows for Brian. And unfortunately, I couldn''t get any skills from Ariel as she was out of sight on top of the carriage... Like that we drove for many hours... At one point when we traversed deep into the forest, the carriage abruptly came to a grinding halt, followed by Ariel''s presence suddenly vanishing from the roof of the carriage... "Everyone off!" Harold exclaimed. "Saron! carry the package into the village, everyone else provide cover!" he then declared. "M-Me too?" I asked, trying to figure out my role. "Just stay in the center and try not to get in the way!" Harold replied. "A-Alright!" I affirmed and got in my position. I could have sworn I saw that stupid dogkin smirk... well whatever, who cares about that jerk! Soon after, I heard the sound of battle ahead, so I activated [Smell Sense] and [Presence Sense] to get a better idea of the situation... Blood... lots of blood... and I am also picking up a bunch of presences ahead as well... "Surround the settlement and make sure no monster gets in, if it''s too strong for you to handle, use [Howling Call] to notify me, this is an [Order]" Harold declared as he unfastened the Wolves from their reigns. Shortly after, the wolves ran into the forest and we proceeded ahead towards the settlement. When we came there, Ariel was standing in the center of a bunch of wooden houses.
Your skill [RA][Presence Sense] has become Level 3
All around her, I saw corpses that have been torn to shreds and body parts all over the place... but those parts did not seem to belong to humans... while their overall shape was similar, they were fully covered in fur and looked kind of like werewolves... Looking at my [Identify] skill, they seem to be called [Mountain Lycanthropes] and their levels seem to be about 50 - 55! So upper Rank D to lower Rank C I would say? Either way, just one of those would make quick work of someone of my level... I tensed up and got closer to Harold just to be safe... "The villagers are in the basement. I''m going to go ahead and check for survivors by the blockades, as well as sweep up the mines while I''m at it, but I''m kind of running low on swords..." Ariel explained. "Shiro, go restock Ariel. Saron, begin the installation, everyone else on guard!" Harold commanded. "Y-Yes" I hurriedly responded and ran towards Ariel. As I approached, Ariel made a whistle with her fingers and out of nowhere the [Lightning Wolf] jumped out of the forest and landed next to her taking me by surprise!
Your skill [RA][Jump] has become Level 3
Once I got over my short stumper, I took out the 80 swords while still maintaining a good distance of a few meters. And after the swords were out of my [Item Box], I took a few steps back just in case... Ariel came up and put the swords into her [Item Box], then spoke to me. "Alright then, let''s go Mayo! I''ll keep you safe!" she exclaimed, and before I knew it she was already holding my arm and dragging me along! "HIIIII?!?!?!" I shrieked, almost getting a heart attack from the sudden turn of events! I tried to forcefully break free of her grip, but all of that turned out in-vain. "No! No! No! Let me go!" I demanded in desperation. Suddenly a hand came from behind and stopped Ariel in her tracks. "That''s enough Ariel, you know full well she is only going to get in the way. Plus, when you get into high gear, you''ll probably even forget about protecting her... as always..." Harold reprimanded. "That''s not true! I''ll be sure to protect Mayo!" Ariel assured with conviction. "Like that time you were supposed to protect that caravan, but got distracted and annihilated half of it yourself? Or that time you were supposed to protect that clerk, but ended up chasing the enemy and nearly getting him killed?" Harold questioned, seemingly unconvinced. "T-That''s different!..." Ariel tried to defend, seemingly not even confident of her own words... "So if she dies, you''ll accept it this time?" Harold emphasized in a stern tone. "Tch, fine! I just have to kill them myself right?" Ariel relented with disappointment, then mounted the [Lightning Wolf] and sprang into the forest. "Don''t you dare collapse the mine!" Harold yelled out to Ariel who was already long gone... ARE YOU SERIOUS?! She was just going to take me to the middle of the monster den, and then just leave me there to my own devices... *shiver* I really need that combat class as soon as possible... with ''friends'' like that... who need enemies?! At this rate I won''t last long... After calming myself down from yet another near death experience, I took a look around my surroundings... The first thing I noticed was this large orb with dense green runes all over it... It looked quite bizarre and gave off this hard to describe... weird vibe... Feeling curious, I used my [Identify] skill on it, which somehow left me with more questions than answers...
City Core [Information Blocked] Operation Mode: Positive [Made by ??????] Durability: ?????/?????? Quality ?????/?????
Uhm... ok..ay... "Carefully lower it into the hole..." Harold cautioned as Saron began to lower the [City Core] into the large socket on the ground. When the ball was fully placed in the ground, Harold took out a key covered with runes and placed it on top of the [City Core]. He then uttered some phrase, and with it, the runes shifted color green to red. Using [Identify] once more, I noticed its Operation Mode seemed to have now been set to Negative... "Saron, remain on guard here just in case. Tina, set up a temporary wall around the area. Brian and Shiro with me" Harold commanded. Aw... I wanted to see the magic being cast... but I guess the situation is a bit serious for me to be suborn ha? Either way, there should be plenty of chances... We then entered what seemed to be the biggest house, and found what looked like a secret passage leading into the basement. Walking into the basement, we proceeded down a short hallway and beyond it lay a metallic door. We could hear voices muttering something behind it. "W-Who goes there?!?!" someone exclaimed with caution. "My name is Harold, and we are commissioned adventurers set to deliver the [City Core]" Harold informed. "Does that mean there is a Rank A adventurer here?!" the man let out an elated voice. "Yes... Ariel is outside cleaning up the Lycanthropes, it won''t be long till they are wiped out" Harold assured, "Can you please open the door?" he then requested. "Y-Yes, give me a second" the man anxiously replied and began unlocking the door. As we entered in, we saw 54 people there, many of them injured. "It is blessing that you are here! Oh sorry, let me introduce myself. I am Cain, the one in charge of this settlement" the man introduced. "So... Cain, what happened here? Last I checked in the mission profile, there should have been two Rank B adventurers stationed in this settlement. I find it hard to believe that mere Lycanthropes would be enough to kill them..." Harold queried. "About that... at first when we started this settlement, things were going according to plan, but last month we saw a sudden increase in monster activity. So we requested some backup, alongside the expedition of the [City Core] deployment. By the time reinforcements were approved and dispatched, the third blockade fell. While that was an issue in itself, it wasn''t too much of a concern since the third blockade was the hardest to defend position-wise, and with the addition of 10 Rank C adventurers as reinforcements, we were able to hold the second blockade quite easily. That was until yesterday..." Cain''s voice suddenly faded off... "What happened yesterday?" Harold probed. "We... don''t know..." Cain relented as his face became grim. "What do you mean you don''t know?" Harold questioned. "I-It all happened too fast... even now, I still can''t wrap my head around the whole ordeal... It all started when the Alpha of the Lycanthropes was spotted during one of their assaults on the second blockade. Since Lycanthrope''s command chain centers around the alpha, Allan and Dawn, the Rank B adventurers decided to take a small group to trap and kill the alpha... at least that was the plan... but before we knew it, the group was carrying Dawn back to camp unconscious. We asked the group what happened, but none of them knew... they said that Allan and Dawn ordered them to surround the Alpha to prevent it from escaping and Allan and Dawn would confront it directly. Following their command, they spread out and surrounded the Alpha''s position, they then slowly closed in their formation to trap it, but to their surprise they found Dawn critically injured on the ground instead, and Allan was nowhere to be found... Judging the situation, they decided to retreat and take Dawn back for medical attention... after that, things only became worse as we began to be overrun by monsters. Before we knew it, we lost the second barricade and were forced to retreat to the first, but even that quickly fell. Since escape was impossible, we holed up in here and hoped that the message we sent to Tiamet would bring reinforcements in time... I really can''t say this enough, thank goodness you are here!..." Cain exhaled. "Are you saying there is at least a lower Rank A threat out there?" Harold asked frowning his brow. "I wish I could tell you more... but that is all we know..." Cain replied. "You say that you brought back Dawn correct? Is he still here?" Harold inquired. "Yes, but he is critically injured and has not woken up since... so I doubt that he will be of much help... If only we didn''t lose the doctor during the collapse of the first blockade, then maybe we could have done something... With our limited ability, the best we could do was offer first aid" Cain sadly informed. "That is fine with me, I want to examine his injuries to see if I can find any clues. Since some time passed and treatment was given, it may not serve much of a reference, but something is better than nothing. So if you can bring me to him, that would help" Harold requested. "Yes, right this way..." Cain responded and brought us to a corner where the most injured people seem to have been placed. Everyone here seemed to be in critical condition... "Hmm... looking at the wounds it is hard to say... I do see marks of Lycanthropes here and there, but nothing that stands out at first glance..." Harold said as he inspected the body carefully. "I wish we could be of more help..." Cain regretted. "No, it''s fine. I doubt it will be too much of a problem... I''m going to go out there and inform Ariel. Brian, I want you to distribute healing potions to the ones who need them the most, and Shiro, cast [Enforce Weapon] on my blades" Harold requested. Hmm? "Uhm... can I ask something...?" I hesitantly asked.... "What is it? Is it something that can wait?" Harold questioned, somewhat annoyed. "... Uhm... what is [Enforce Weapon]?" I timidly queried... "..." "Bahahaha! I told you boss that she was totally useless!" the hateful dogkin jeered. "I''m not useless!" I defended. "Really now? You''re a blacksmith who can''t even do something as basic as [Enforce Weapon]! How is that not useless? Do tell me, what use are you?" the hateful dogkin provoked. "You want to know what use I am?! Sure! I''ll show you!" I declared. "Please do!" the stupid hateful dogkin sneered. "Look guys, this is no time nor place to be fooling around..." Harold reprimanded. "... [Light Magic: Holy Light]!" I chanted as light enveloped Dawn and healed his injuries. "..." "You got to be shitting me?!" the hateful dogkin exclaimed in total shock. It''s as if his jaw was slowly extending downwards to hit the ground! Priceless! Feel stupid now don''t you?! Feeling pride in my achievement, I took on a bossy pose and confronted the dogkin. "Now then, what use are you?!" I shot back. "... I-I don''t have to answer to you!" the hateful dogkin replied not even willing to make eye contact. Yeah, I thought so! "*sigh* Settle down children, we have work to do. Brian, I want you to issue potions and Shiro, once the main effects of the potions wear off, I want you to offer healing to cover what the potions can''t heal" Harold requested. "Uhm... I don''t think I have the mana to heal all this..." I sadly informed. "What''s your total mana pool?" Harold inquired. "It''s only at 55..." I replied. "Then take this and see to their treatment" said Harold while handing me a potion.
Mana Potion An average quality mana potion. Used to restore mana. +25 MP +25 MP/min for 5 min +5 MP/min for 1 hour Quality 5.7421/10.0000
Wow... I''ve seen these go for like 10 gold coins in the Alchemist Guild... is it really okay to use this? Well... it''s not my money so no loss here... "I''ll be back soon" Harold said his goodbye and left the basement. As instructed, we continued issuing treatment to the wounded the best we could... It took us a few hours, but we managed to at least get everyone in stable condition. Casting spells non-stop ended up far more tiring than I would have originally thought... specifically to my [Mental]. By the time we were done, I couldn''t hold my eyes open any longer and fell asleep right on the spot... ... Volume 03: Proving my worth (5) When I woke up the next morning, I noticed that most people who have been in critical condition have recovered. While most of them still could not move, they at the very least regained consciousness including Dawn... Interestingly enough, the group of survivors were split into two. One side was made up of those who were completely unharmed, while the other side had all the people who were injured... and those injured people had their hands tied up behind their backs for some reason... As for the hero party members, only Harold and Tina were present. Harold was sitting in the middle, while Tina was off to the side fast asleep. "You''re awake?" Harold asked. "Yes... What happened while I was asleep?" I inquired trying to grasp the situation. "Nothing much, the Lycanthropes are on the retreat and Ariel is on the lookout for the Unique Species" Harold explained. "Unique Species? What''s that?" I questioned. Well... it''s not like I can''t guess what that is based on all the literature I read, but it''s better not to make any assumptions if I can help it... especially if someone is willing to offer me the information... "Hmm... let''s see... do you know what a monster evolution is?" Harold asked. "Uhm... maybe?" I responded with uncertainty. "To summarize, when monsters reach the peak of their race and gather enough mana, they are able to evolve into a higher species. And a Unique Species is when a monster evolves outside of their normal evolution cycle. This unique evolution can vary tremendously from monster to monster. Sometimes it leads to a monster with higher stats or an enhancement of its traits, while in other times it can even lead to a change in species. That said, it can also turn out complete opposite and weaken the monster instead. It''s effectively a gamble that can go one way or the other... in some sense, it is similar to our Unique Classes" Harold explained. "I see... so what exactly are we dealing with?" I curiously queried. "According to Dawn, we are most likely dealing with a type that has enhanced stats and traits... particularly... their infestation ability...You see, Lycanthropes are known to have the ability that once they kill someone, as long as their corpse is not too damaged, there is a chance the corpse will turn into another Lycanthrope. Apparently this Unique Species called [Infectious Lycanthrope: Alpha] has the ability to turn anyone it injures into a Lycanthrope, corpse or no corpse. In the worst case scenario, if this thing isn''t handled quickly... we may have a Rank S threat on our hands..." Harold explained. "R-Rank S?! You mean like with enough power to equal a country?!" I exclaimed in shock. Just for the record, I should make it clear here and now that this is most definitely all that hero''s fault! "That would only be in the worst case scenario, as it stands, it''s still only Rank A threat at best. The issue lies in the specifics of its infestation ability, which so far we are still not too clear on. From what Allan told Dawn prior to him falling unconscious, the monster has the ability to infect those it injured, but that''s pretty much all we know at this point. We don''t know how much time it takes, whether it''s something that has a chance of happening or is guaranteed to happen. Or if the Lycanthropes created will be the infectious kind or the normal kind. Depending on all those variables, the threat level of the situation would change significantly" Harold informed. "So then... what are we going to do?" I queried. "For now, we are just going to hold our position and let Ariel hunt them down" Harold nonchalantly replied. "That''s it? Aren''t we... you know going help somehow?" I queried. Not that I actually want to go out there or anything... those things are way too strong... but even the weakest member Brian should be able to face them if need be... I mean, are they really just going to let Ariel do all the work? Well thinking about it, I guess that explains why there is such a large level gap among the party members and Ariel... I could have sworn it was due to kill stealing and hero cheats... "Unfortunately, the only one who can barely keep up with Ariel in terms of mobility is me. But right now, I need to keep an eye on the survivors to insure none of them turn into an [Infectious Lycanthrope]. Usually, Saron would handle such things, but since he is busy protecting the [City Core] which is our primary objective, we are out of options for the time being. That is until reinforcements come from Tiamet. Hopefully... by end of today or sometime tomorrow, short of any unwelcome surprises..." Harold explained. "Is there anything I should do?" I asked, wanting to be useful in some way... "Not yet, for the time being, consider it free time. Just make sure not to leave the basement or get too close to the injured" Harold cautioned. "Alright then..." I replied with somewhat mixed emotions... Since there was no place I could smith in this basement, I decided to continue with making [Wool Fabric]. Taking out my Sewing and Knitting Kit, I got to work... As I was working on my seventh [Wool Fabric] of the day, my [Presence Sense] picked up multiple presences entering the village... Since there were clumped together, it kind of made it hard to tell how many there were, but I could safely say it''s at least 20... Question is... did reinforcements arrive or is it another monster attack? Feeling somewhat tense... I turned to Harold... "There are multiple presences coming" I notified. "Yes, I''m aware" Harold responded and after waking up Tina he headed upstairs.
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Presence Sense] Level 1
Ooh, the Non-Racial version.... hmm... seems like compared to the Racial version, this one can only be used in all directions. So if I make my racial one point at one direction, then use this one to point in all directions, I should get far more precise coverage... that is of course assuming I get more skill levels... at level 1 it''s quite lacking... As I was thinking about how to combine the two skills efficiently, five people came down carrying supplies. Then shortly after, two more followed them, an old man and a 14 year old boy. "I''m Doctor Mason sent from Tiamet. All those who have been injured by the Lycanthropes, please make a line. For those who can''t stand on their own, I will come to you right after" the old man announced as he sat down by the corner. As everyone who was injured and could walk formed a line, I put away my fabrics and drew in closer to get a better look, hoping to see if there were any delicious skills on today''s skill menu... Only for my view to be blocked by someone as I approached... "What do you think you are doing?" Asked the boy blocking my way. "Uhm... trying to get a better view..." I responded somewhat annoyed. I then tried to get around him, only to be blocked yet again! Grrr... doesn''t he know it''s rude to get in the way of a cat and her skills? "Do you not see this line? If you need to see the doctor, then get in line!" the boy demanded. "I don''t need to see the doctor, I am not injured. I am only going there to watch..." I replied trying to clear up the misunderstanding. "Watch?... If you are trying to become a healer simply by watching, you''re wasting your time. To become a healer, you need to first become an apprentice under a practitioner. After many years of learning, only then can you start treating the basics under the watchful eye of the practitioner, and only after many more years after that can you start actually treating people. Haphazard medical knowledge and ability often leads to worsening the conditions *sigh*, this is the problem with uneducated people..." the boy grumbled. "I''m not trying to be a healer, I am a healer! I only want to see what he is doing as a reference, now can you please get out of my way?" I retorted, getting more and more agitated. "You a healer? Ha! And what school of disciple do you belong to?" the boy ridiculed. "School of disciple? What''s that?" I questioned, trying to fill in on the basic common sense of this world that I may be missing. "You call yourself a healer and don''t even know that? Well then, let me educate you a bit. There are three types of healing disciples. The first disciple is Alchemy, which makes up the most common disciple and can be found almost anywhere. The second disciple is far rarer, that being the Magic disciple which utilizes elemental magics to achieve healing. While the Magic disciple comes in many forms such as the use of fire magic to close up wounds, or wind magic to help dry blood or help air intake, the most profound form of the disciple is made up of water magic. Which by the way is the disciple me and my master belong to..." bragged the boy proudly. Water magic? Ooh, that would be neat to have... "...And lastly, there is the extremely rare Holy disciple. So now miss healer, which of the three do you supposedly hail from?" the boy asked clearly amused. "Which disciple? All of them!" I replied while brushing him aside to get some of that delicious water magic! Getting a better view, I activate [Hawk Eyes] to examine things in detail... and as expected...
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Water Magic: Cleanse Toxins] Level 1 WARNING: [Water Magic: Cleanse Toxins] is a Level 4 Water Magic. Efficiency shall be reduced! Due to a special action, you have acquired a new skill [NP][Water Magic] Level 1
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Yey! Water magic! I finally got yet another magic! Now all I need to get is some awesome spell like [Tsunami] or [Water Cyclone] and I''d be golden! That said... I wonder what I could smith using water property... "Hey! Didn''t you hear what I said? You can''t skip the line!" the annoying boy yelled as he grabbed my shoulder and reprimanded me, thus gaining the attention of the surrounding crowd. "Is there a problem?" Cain asked while walking up to us. "Yes, this catkin here doesn''t know how to stand in line properly!" the boy accused while giving me a sidelong glance. "For the last freaking time, I''m not injured, I''m only here to watch!" I defended. "Here to watch what? Are you still pretending to be a healer?" the boy sneered. Ugh... so annoying... "It is true that the miss here is a healer, if it wasn''t for her, some here may have even lost their lives" Cain interjected. "Ha? R-Really..." the boy stuttered, being completely caught by surprise... then after collecting his thoughts "W-Wait... are you saying that you let her issue medical treatment without any prior knowledge? Do you not understand how dangerous that is?" he then questioned. "That shouldn''t be a problem, the miss here uses [Holy Magic] after all" Cain assured. "Her? [Holy Magic]? I don''t believe it... prove it" the boy demanded while throwing me a glare. "Guess what?" I replied. "What?" He inquired. "I don''t have to! Hmph!" I snorted. There is no way in hell am I going to go around proving myself to every single person who doesn''t want to believe me, even 9 lives wouldn''t be enough for that... "W-Wha?" the boy responded dumbfounded. "If you are done, stop bugging me and go away... Shoo! Shoo!" I shooed him off with my hand and proceeded to ignore him. Though 5 minutes is sure taking a while... at this rate I''m not going to maximize my skill intake... hmm... then it hit me! *evil grin* "You said you want to see my [Holy Magic] right?" I turned to the boy while activating my [Acting] skill. "Y-Yes..." the boy responded being taken aback by my sudden change in attitude. "I would love to except, you see... ''Haphazard medical knowledge and ability often leads to worsening the conditions *sigh*, this is the problem with uneducated people...'' " I sneered while shrugging my shoulders. "A-Are you ridiculing me?! I''ve been trained as an apprentice to the doctor since I was 7 years old! I know almost everything there is about healing people properly!" the boy insisted. "Really? Then prove it. Let me see you cast a spell, only then will I show you my magic... I''ll even make it easy for you, and let you cast any spell, doesn''t even have to be a healing one... or you can''t even do something that simple?" I provoked. "Fine! Watch this!" the boy bellowed from the insult. Oh, I assure you... I''m watching.... hehe He then went to the side and brought a container putting it in front of me. "... [Water Magic: Form Water]!" the boy cast with a cheeky attitude. Soon after, water came out of his hands filling the container...
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Water Magic: Form Water] Level 1
"..." How... disappointing... I mean sure, if I didn''t have [Item Box], there would definitely be a use for it... but as-is, it is virtually useless... "That''s all?" I questioned, clearly not amused. "W-What do you mean that''s all?" the boy asked wiping the smirk off his face. "Just out of curiosity, how man spells do you know?" I questioned. "Ah... 4..." the boy replied. "..." Could it be that Anderson who only knew 5 holy spells at age of 12 was actually a genius?!.... no way... I refuse to believe that! This guy must be an idiot dumber than Anderson!... Yup, that makes far more sense! Wait a second... 5 minutes should have passed now, right? I turned around and took a good look...
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Doctor: Medical Diagnostics Enhancement] Level N/A
[CP][Doctor: Medical Diagnostics Enhancement] Level N/A Improve your chance of diagnosing medical conditions when using identification skills by 5% + 0.5% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.25% for every point of [PER]
Eh? And I was hoping for a magic skill... I droop my ears in disappointment... wait a second, this uses [PER] as well... maybe it is more useful than I think? With my high [PER], I can probably now figure out the cause of almost any sickness no? "Hey, where are you looking at? Now it''s your turn" the boy tugged at me. "Hmm? You''re still here?" I questioned with clear annoyance in my tone. "... Are you toying with me?!" the boy asked with hostility. * sigh *... I guess I''ll give this another shot... hopefully I can get something useful this time... Though I first need to buy some time for 5 minutes to pass... "Well... I don''t know... you see, can you really classify what you did as [Water Magic]? For all I know, you pulled a sleigh of hand and poured some water from under your wrist... How about something more convincing? But so you won''t accuse me of cheating you, I''ll cast a spell... Though you''ll have to offer up something more convincing in return, is that fine?" I bargained. "Fine! Just cast it already!" The boy relented. "Now let''s see... what should I cast... I wonder..." I pondered, stalling for as much time as possible. "Well..." the boy asked, getting irritated at me for taking so long. "I''m thinking what to cast, don''t rush me!" I retorted. "Just cast what you used to heal everyone here!" The boy demanded. "I don''t know... let me think... " I muttered to stall for just a tad bit longer, "Ok! I got it! ... [Light Magic: Light]!" I cast as a ball of light began hovering over my head. The boy momentarily stared at the light like a deer at headlights, then after getting his bearings together he faced back at me. "T-That doesn''t count! That is just [Light Magic]! You said you''d show me [Holy Magic]!" the boy denied. Trying to play that technicality ha? Not that I mind, I actually kind of expected that... "I showed you a spell like I said did I not? If you want to see [Holy Magic], then you''ll have to offer up some real [Water Magic]" I insisted. "*sigh*... Whatever, just make sure to look carefully this time and don''t you dare accuse me of faking it just cause your eyes aren''t working properly!" the boy insulted. He then picked up some dirt and pebbles on the ground, and dropped it in the water container... "... [Water Magic: Purify Water]!" the boy cast, causing the dirt miraculously disappeared leaving only clean water.
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Water Magic: Purify Water] Level 1
"..." "I hope you saw that properly?" the boy asked with a hint of ridicule. "Yeah... I saw..." I replied in a deadpan manor... Somehow I have a feeling all that effort I put in is going to waste here... Don''t you have anything cooler to show off?!?! "Now show me what you promised!" the boy demanded. "Sure... but so that you don''t claim that I somehow cheated... you''ll have to consent to the preparations" I requested maintaining my deadpan tone. "Uhm... okay?..." the boy hesitantly accepted with confusion clearly written on his face. I lift my hand upwards, and the boy looks at it while paying careful attention... As my hand fully extends, I begin chanting the verse for [Light Magic: Holy Light]... as the chant finished, from the tip of my fingers... sharp claws extended! "Eh?!" * slice * "Argh!" the boy cried out while holding his face from the pain. "[Light Magic: Holy Light]!" I called out, finishing the cast. "What the hell are you doing?!?!" The boy roared out. "What do you mean? You asked me to cast a holy spell, so I did... If I just cast it without any injury, you''d just claim it''s light magic right? So after asking you if you will consent to the preparations, I showed off the spell... and as you can clearly see, I cast holy magic" I declared while shrugging my shoulders. The boy touched his face multiple times to check, and after noticing he was fully healed he again glared at me. "But you didn''t have to fucking slash my face now did you?!?!" he yelled. ... Well that is kind of true... I swear, initially I was only planning to just claw his arm or something... but... but... his face was literally screaming ''claw me!'', and I just couldn''t resist... "I-It just was the closest..." I hurriedly countered with my eyes swimming. Though I will admit, clawing a human''s face after all this time felt oddly satisfying... "Are you fucking kidding me?!?!" he screamed at the top of his lungs! "TREVIS!" came a loud roar. We all turned around to see the doctor now standing up staring at us. No, not just the doctor, everyone was staring at us... Oh crap! I''m in trouble now... I froze up not knowing what to do as my heart beat with nervousness... Thinking back... why did I even do something so stupid?! Especially on payday! Argh! Stupid! Stupid! "This is a place for healing, not for playing around! If you are going to be a nuisance, then get out!" The doctor bellowed. "But master! It wasn''t me! This catkin here she..." Trevis pleaded. "I SAID! GET!... OUT!" the doctor yelled out in a threatening and authoritative tone. Seemingly giving up, Trevis took one last hostile glare at me, and then stormed out of the basement... The doctor then gave me a short look, freezing me in place yet again, but then turned to look back at the line... "I apologize for my apprentice, let us resume the inspections" the doctor lightly bowed then took back his seat and got back to work. "..." Does that mean I''m off the hook? Or is he waiting for Harold to come back to say something?... Or maybe he didn''t even notice cause he was so busy?... Yeah that must be it!... I hope... I took a glance at Tina just in case, but she seemed to be fully absorbed in reading a book of some sort... whew... that was close... For the first few minutes, I was still a bit worried that someone was going to tattle me out... I mean everyone was staring at us... There is no freaking way no one noticed... but since no one seemed to be stepping up, and now that the nuisance was gone, I can finally enjoy my all you can eat healer skill buffet! Shortly after I got back to monitoring the doctor, the appetizer came in!
Your skill [NP][Water Magic] has become Level 2
It seems now that I have opened up [Water Magic], I can actually get levels for it directly without getting the sub-skill like before... Maybe because it''s impossible to get a magic without actually having a spell for it, hence I get the spell first, which then leads to also getting the magic? And then after that I get them like normal? With another 5 minutes passing, I got myself a helping of soup!
Your skill [NP][Water Magic] has become Level 3
After enjoying my soup, a some fish was served!
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Water Magic: Probe Water] Level 1
And for a change of pace, next came the salad!
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Doctor: Improved Treatment] Level N/A
[CP][Doctor: Improved Treatment] Level N/A Improve your chance of treating medical conditions when using healing and cleansing skills by 2.5% + 0.2% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.1% for every point of [PER] Improve the effectiveness of when administering items that treat medical conditions by 2.5% + 0.2% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.1% for every point of [PER]
Now that''s some pretty delicious salad! This should definitely come in helpful! I realized to some extent after getting [Water Magic: Cleanse Toxins] and watching the doctor that water magic is not exactly a healing magic in itself, but more like they are altering the magic to accommodate healing. If I were to express this based on what I learned in biology, you can use the spell to say lower someone''s sugar level in the blood. But if you are not too careful, you can lower the sugar level to below normal or even zero. In comparison, Holy Magic is like easy mode as it restores the body to its original form. That isn''t to say there are no variations in using it, but at the same time it wouldn''t cause harm to the recipient by nature... And based on my limited understanding of Alchemy, it seems that what it does is increase the bodies natural healing rate. This is probably why there is a diminishing returns on use of potions. So based on my guess, if someone for example has a shard of metal stuck in them, Holy magic would remove the shard, water magic would cleanse the shard if done properly and alchemy would heal you up, but leave the shard still in there intact. Of course this is just my hypothesis based on what I''ve comprehended so far... I''ll have to actually test it to be sure, preferably not on myself though... I''m also quite perplexed on the fine details of my conclusions... If Holy Magic is able to restore something to its original state, does that mean Holy Magic is somehow related to Time Magic? And if it can remove a shard, how large would the shard be? Like could it remove an entire spear? What about poison? Will it also remove the food you ate or only things considered harmful? What about if it''s a medical condition someone was born in? So many questions remain unanswered... I guess no use worrying about it now... I''ll figure it out eventually... With 5 more minutes passing, in came the main course!
Your sub-skill [NA][Water Magic: Cleanse Toxins] has become Level 2
At this point, the doctor seemed to have finished treating those standing in line and moved on to treating the few remaining people lying on the ground. And just in time for dessert!
Your sub-skill [NA][Water Magic: Cleanse Toxins] has become Level 3
Hmm... What comes after dessert?... Oh right, how can I forget! second dessert!
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Aqua Healer: Water Magic Control] Level N/A Due to a special action, a new special [WMCT] stat has been unlocked
[CP][Aqua Healer: Water Magic Control] Level N/A Improve your control over water magic by 1% + 0.5% for every level in your combat class + 0.05% for every point of [WMCT]
Oooh! My first combat class skill!... though unfortunately it''s pretty useless at this point, since I don''t really have any spells to go along with it... I mean what am I gonna do, drown somebody in a tub with [Form Water]? Or try to turn someone''s blood to water as I hold onto them for a few minutes? I mean at that point I might as well just stab them... And as far as healing application goes... I still can''t see much advantage to using Water Magic over Holy Magic... As I was thinking these thoughts, Harold made his way back into the basement. "So how is it going? Were there any problems with those inspected so far?" Harold asked the doctor. "So far, I don''t see anything of note... at best, they only suffer from mild infections carried by all Lycanthropes. Other than that, with a bit of rest, they should be good to go" The doctor answered. "I see... what about Dawn over there?" Harold asked while pointing. "In his case, he did seem to suffer from a severe infection, but other than that, I couldn''t find anything of note... " The doctor informed. So does that mean my [Holy Light] does not cleanse bacteria and viruses? Or did I simply not use it enough? Though thinking about it... bacteria should be a living thing as well... so maybe that is why it didn''t work and instead spells like [Cure] exist to handle those? "Is that so? Well I guess that means that the worst case scenario is unlikely at the very least..." Harold replied while giving a short sigh of relief. "Just in case, I''ll still monitor their conditions, but I think that is a safe assumption" the doctor affirmed. After the doctor finished up cleansing all the injured people, he then got up and left the basement. During that time, I managed to get [Water Magic] to Level 4 and [Water Magic: Probe Water] to Level 5. Since I was back to having nothing to do, I once again took out my Sewing and Knitting Kit and resumed my work... Volume 03: Proving my worth (6) When I finished my seventh [Wool Fabric], I started to get a bit hungry, so I took out some meat skewers that I saved up in my [Item Box] and munched on them. I would like to say happily, but considering the meals I had lately, they were clearly lacking... Of course it wasn''t only a matter of skill, since without having things like salt, pepper and other condiments, there was only so much I could do... speaking of condiments... I should probably go buy some next time we''re in town since I now have a stable income to rely on... By the time I finished eating, the doctor came back in with Trevis in tow. Trevis gave me a hateful look as he entered, but said nothing and obediently followed the doctor. Then following the doctor''s instructions, he set up a treatment area next to those who were heavily injured. Not paying him much mind, I began working on my last [Wool Fabric]... and once I was done, I kind of regretted not asking for more [Wool Yarn] as part of my request... Well there is always the [Cotton Yarn], but that pretty much means I have to start learning from scratch... *sigh* Taking out my first [Cotton Yarn], I slowly began work on my first fabric....
Cotton Fabric An average quality cotton fabric. Used in the production of clothes Quality 5.9173/10.0000
And what do you know... that was far easier than I thought... I guess compared to when I just started [Blacksmithing] and knew absolutely nothing about production in this world, versus now with my [PER] stat reaching a whopping 401, I''m playing a completely different yarn game! hehe With my enthusiasm and confidence brimming to the max, I quickly started to increase the pace of my knitting! Before I knew it, all 10 of the [Cotton Yarns] were completed! Thus, I was effectively out of yarn... which again resurfaced my regrets... *sigh* So I guess only thing left to do now is make some basic equipment out of the Wool and Cotton Fabrics... but before that... *yawn* ... I''m getting a bit sleepy... I guess I''ll look into doing that tomorrow... good night... And just like that, I soundly fell asleep... ... Only to be woken up by loud clamoring in the background... "Mmm... What happened?" I muttered as I rubbed my eyes and looked around. From the looks of things, other than those who were heavily injured, most of the people from the basement were now missing... the only new addition was that Saron was now sleeping a short distance away from Tina, who was still seemingly occupied with reading her book and giving all that commotion no mind. "What happened?" I asked Tina as I came over. "Hmm? Probably Ariel did something again... anyways, don''t interrupt me, I''m at the best part" Tina replied without even taking her eyes off the book for a second. Uhm.... okay.... She''s been reading that book with full concentration during all this time... I wonder if it''s some kind of alchemy book or something? Feeling a tinge of curiosity... I took a quick peak from the side at what Tina was reading so intensely, that she was going as far as ignoring everything in her surroundings... ... Uwa-wa-wa!... I saw nothing... yup! Absolutely nothing! Now that I think about it, I wonder what the commotion outside is all about? Yup! let''s go check it out now! Shaking my head to erase what I just saw from my mind, I rushed upstairs as quickly as possible! Making it outside of the house, I saw a crowd surrounding what seemed to be two dead bodies of some rather large Lycanthropes. Surprisingly, one of the corpses belonged to the [Infectious Lycanthrope: Alpha] that we were all so worried about. Further in, I could make out the doctor treating a heavily injured man who was covered in some sort of green liquid mixed with blood...
You have acquired a new skill [NP][Poison Resistance] Level 1
Ooh! That looks fairly delicious! Making my way through the crowd to get a better view, I noticed Harold standing there as well. Taking a quick peak to make sure THAT monster is not around to ambush me, I made my way over to Harold. "What''s going on?" I inquired. "Ah, Shiro, good timing! Are you capable of casting anymore heals?" Harold asked. "Uhm... Sure I guess..." I replied, still mesmerized by the scene. "You know, you don''t have to push yourself if you are not feeling up to it" Harold informed. "Isn''t this like an emergency where his life is at stake?" I questioned, not quite sure where he was getting at... "That may be the case, but that isn''t our problem" Harold nonchalantly responded. "Eh?!" I exclaimed from being caught off guard, then frantically started looking around the crowd trying to gauge their reactions... I mean he might as well have just have said ''you can let him die if you want'' right in the middle of all these people who clearly care about the injured man... As though he seemed to have understood my dilemma... "Since this is probably your first time doing such quests for the Adventurers Guild, let me make something clear. Our mission here is to hand over the [City Core] to safe hands. The only reason why we remained here to guard the [City Core] after its delivery is because there are no safe hands at this point to hand it over to. Any request that is done independent of our assigned mission is completely optional, and you should never consider taking any such request unless you are 100 percent certain that it will not impact the well-being of you nor your party in any shape or form. Keep in mind that a healer that can use Holy Magic is a privilege, not a right. So you are under no obligation to do anything unless you are feeling up for it. Everyone here is a professional and despite their personal feelings on the matter, they full well understand that if you collapse due to over-healing and are not able to heal your party in case of an emergency, that would be like putting the cart before the horse. Think very carefully before you make a decision.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. If you are feeling any headaches or anything of the like due to the healing you did prior, you don''t need to step up" Harold lectured with a stern expression. "Uhm... No, I feel totally fine..." I assured. At least I think I''m fine... I was a bit mentally worn out when I did the healing, but as-is I should be okay... probably? "Is that so? Alright then... Doctor Mason, we are able to provide supplementary healing when needed" Harold called out. "That would be really helpful... just give me about 10 more minutes to neutralize most of the toxins..." The Doctor replied while still keeping all of his focus on his patient. Since there was still some time left till it was my turn, I turned to Harold... "So... what exactly happened here?" I probed. "As it stands, I''m not exactly sure on all the details either. Only thing I know is that a few minutes ago, Ariel came back here carrying Allen and dropped him off and alongside the two corpses. Since they were being chased by monsters on the way here, Ariel then turned back to drive them off" Harold explained. "I see..." I replied while pondering on what could have possibly happened out there... Well regardless... as long as there is no potential Rank S threat out there, I feel safer already...
Your skill [NP][Poison Resistance] has become Level 2
When the 10 minutes passed, the doctor got up and faced towards us. "I did everything I could for the time being, I''ll leave the rest to you" the doctor said and took a step back. I gave him a nod and approached Allen... Now that I have the [Doctor: Medical Diagnostics Enhancement] skill, I have a much better understanding on what exactly is going on with Allen, and can treat him much more efficiently as well. While Holy Magic does not need to be as precise as Water Magic, if I focus on the organs that took the most damage rather than the entire body as a whole, I can heal far more efficiently... "Just in case, take this" Harold interrupted, and handed me another [Mana Potion], "Just remember, if it becomes a burden, you don''t need to push yourself" Harold then reminded and got out of the way. "It''s okay, I''ll be fine" I answered and got to work... Chanting the spell, I released a [Light Magic: Holy Light] upon Allen, and once I started running low on mana, I drank the potion and proceeded to cast yet again... When I was finished, I looked up and noticed the whole crowd was literally staring at me like I''m some rare attraction... Feeling the embarrassment from all the stares, I moved away from Allen and hovered over to Harold by the side. "I-I''m done!" I declared. "Good work" Harold replied and petted my head... "Well then go get some rest, we are leaving first thing tomorrow" he then added and walked away towards the basement... I touched the top of my head as a nostalgic feeling of a sensation I have not felt in a long time took over me... "H-He is waking up!" someone suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone, including Harold to shift their attention back to Allen. "Mmmm... Where... am... I?" Allen muttered as he barely opened his eyes. "You are back at the settlement, everything should be fine now" The doctor assured. "Is... that so? What... about... Dawn?" Allen inquired. "He is fine too, just make sure to get some rest. Bring him downstairs, and be extra careful!" The doctor cautioned. "R-Right away!" the soldiers responded and brought Allen inside. At that moment, a large wolf suddenly jumped out of the forest shocking everyone, and by reflex all the soldiers drew their weapons in preparations to intercept this new threat. But once they saw that it was Ariel who riding on top of it, they sighed in relief and put them away. "So what exactly happened out there?" Harold quickly inquired. "Well... I was hunting down the Lycanthropes left and right, and eventually tracked down their alpha and killed it. At that point, most of the Lycanthropes started to run away so I had to chase them down which was quite a pain... Eventually, I felt a presence of someone and as I headed there, I found a corpse of that other Alpha over there. Putting it in my storage, I proceeded ahead and found that man over there barely holding on for his life while hiding in the middle of a tree... Since he was in such a condition, I had no choice but to rush over here as fast as I could..." Ariel explained. "Alright then, go get some rest, we''ll head out tomorrow" Harold informed. Like that, we retired for the day. Of course, I made sure to keep as far distance from Ariel as possible... ... The next day, when Allan got up, he began telling us the full story. "As you know we left the settlement to try to corner the Alpha and end their coordinated attacks. When we surrounded the Alpha and were about to engage it, we were surprise attacked by another Alpha which had a Unique Class. This Alpha was both stronger and smarter than the first, and unfortunately the Alpha managed to get a good hit onto Dawn, heavily injuring him. Noticing that, I rushed in to save him from being killed, but ended up suffering some light wounds as well... I was initially planning on retreating with Dawn, but it was at that point my [Monster Analyst] skills kicked in... With them, I was able to identify that the monster had the ability to convert anyone who got injured by that bastard into a Lycanthrope. Since I was in no position to do a full analyses, I had no choice but to go all out and kill him quickly before his ability took effect. As you know, my combat class is [Monster Slayer], which means I get stronger against monsters the more I know about them, as well as the more I kill them. Since I''ve been studying and hunting Lycanthropes all year, well let''s just say he messed with the wrong adventurer. Considering I was also throwing away defense to kill him as fast as possible, it didn''t take long for me to land a critical blow. Albeit I took quite some damage myself..." Allan narrated. "Sorry about that... If only I didn''t mess up and paid more attention..." Dawn interrupted while feeling quite dejected. "No worries man, originally you are a support type. It was my fault for letting you get so injured in the first place... If anything, you should be blaming me, man..." Allan apologized. "How come I can''t feel the sincerity in that at all..." Dawn retorted. "Just your imagination, man.... anyways where was I? Oh right, so I critically injured the bastard and then both Alphas ended up fleeing on me. Dawn already collapsed on me at this point, and I couldn''t exactly let the [Infectious Lycanthrope: Alpha] run away. So I had no choice but to leave Dawn to the others, and went to pursue him. By the time I caught up with the bastard and delivered the finishing blow, I found myself tumbling down a cliff... Luckily I had a perfectly good corpse to mitigate most of the impacts, so I didn''t take too much damage from the fall, but it didn''t exactly help with my wounds either. Since I was in no position to move, I did some emergency first aid, covered my scent with herbs and hid in an [Argol Tree], hoping for the best... and well, here I am!" Allen declared. "I really thought you were a goner back there" Dawn sighed. "Hey man, don''t go killing me off that easily! You won''t get rid of me until you pay off that debt you owe me~" Allan shrugged. "Somehow, I''m already regretting that we didn''t lose you back there..." Dawn sighed. "BWHAHAHAHA~" They both laughed. During this whole event where everyone was happily smiling and laughing... the only person who had a frown on their face was me... All those delicious sounding skills.... How could you just tempt me with them and not fork them over?! ... After the short celebration, the negotiations started.... "As per agreement with the Adventurers Guild, we require a proof of completion. But since this mission parameters went outside the normal scope, we would require an additional compensation, are we in agreement?" Harold asked. "Why do you have to be so stingy? It''s not really a big deal!" Ariel interjected. "Tina, can you please drag Ariel out of here?" Harold requested. "Alright, let''s go then Ariel" Tina said as she walked up to Ariel. "No way! I''m staying right here and no one is going to change my mind!" Ariel insisted. "That''s really a shame... Oh well..." Tina said, seemingly giving up... she then walked up to me "Let''s go then, it seems Ariel is not interested." Tina then said as she grabbed my arm and started leading me out of the basement. Ha? What does this have to do with me?... Then taking a glance back at Ariel, her eyes were wide in shock! "W-Wait! I''m coming too!" Ariel suddenly yelled out. I somehow feel like I''m being used here... but since the amount of commission they negotiate would indirectly affect my share, I wasn''t in any position to complain... Plus, It''s not like me being outside or inside made any difference as far as safety from Ariel is concerned... We walked out of the basement with Ariel quickly following behind us. With Ariel so close nearby, I made sure to always keep Tina in between us to prevent any unforeseen life threatening events... "Why do you keep running away Mayo..." Ariel dejectedly complained. "Hmph!" I snorted giving her the cold shoulder. I know how these heroes work, give them an inch, they''ll then take a mile! Then I remembered something... "Oh right... I was wondering... since yesterday was payday, when will I receive my salary?" I asked Tina. "Usually when we are in the middle of a request, you''ll receive the salary when we make it back to town. At same time, you''ll also receive any other commissions you may be owed" Tina explained. "Is that so..." I muttered in response. "If you want, I can have Harold give it to you now! Let me go see him this instant!" Ariel proclaimed. "No thanks! I''ll wait! Hmph!" I bluntly rejected. It''s not like I''m in a need for it until I make it to town anyways, and last thing I want is to give that damn hero any false impressions. I need to keep my guard up at all times! Heroes are masters of deception and mind control after all... We walked back to where we originally left the carriage, and we saw Brian was there putting the reigns back on the wolves and fastening them to the carriage. When he noticed us coming towards him, he quickly picked up the pace and then ran over while wagging his tail. "Elder sister Ariel, I set up the carriage and we are ready to go whenever!" Brian announced, followed by an attempt to make small talk with Ariel. Feeling some breathing room, we made some distance between us. Once we got a bit away, I remembered something I wanted to ask. "By the way... I was wondering... what exactly does Ariel''s unique skill do?" I whispered to Tina, being careful not to be heard. Ever since that whole incident with her guarding the top of the carriage, I was quite curious about the whole ordeal since I never actually felt her leave the carriage... I mean she is a swordsman right? Does she like do a thousand air slashes or something? "You really want to know~?" Tina questioned back with a bewitching smile. "N-Not really!" I quickly backtracked after getting a sudden bad vibe... "Hey Ariel! Mayo here is interested in your Unique Skill!" Tina called out. "R-Really?!?!" Ariel excitedly called out, pushing Brian aside she quickly caught up to us "Well then, let me show you just how awesome my Unique Skill really is!" she then exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Oh no you don''t!" yelled a voice from behind. Turning around, we saw Harold and Saron coming our way. "We can''t afford you to waste any more swords while we are short on supply. Not to mention, due to this whole incident, we are already behind schedule. Everyone inside, we are leaving. Also, Ariel and Tina, this time it''s your turn to be in the front" Harold announced. "No! Mayo will sit in the front with me!" Ariel declared. My face went totally pale from that declaration and I swung my head back and forth hoping Harold will get the message! "No can do, I have something I need to discuss with her" Harold denied. Whew... "What?!?! But I want to be with Mayo!" Ariel complained. "You only have yourself to blame for skipping out the last few times. If you are not going to do it, then I''m going make sure Mayo will always be on the opposite side of the carriage from you going forward" Harold threatened. "Why is everyone keep calling me Mayo?! My name is Shiro!" I grouchily interrupted, though inwardly wished with all my heart that Ariel would be kept away from me forever and ever! "Yes, yes, go on ahead with Tina" Harold ignored me and prompted me to leave. Seeing there was no room for me in this conversation, I gave in and got in the back of the carriage. "Fine! But next time, Mayo will be with me okay?" Ariel demanded. "Sure, that''s fine by me. Now let''s go, we have a schedule to meet" Harold agreed and then also made his way into the carriage. Wha?! Grrrr! I gave a Harold a disapproving glare, but unfortunately I had little choice in the matter... Like that, we set off towards our next destination... Volume 03: The price that is my heart and soul (1) As our carriage drove through the forest, I turned to Harold. "So... What was it you wanted to talk about?" I timidly queried. "Right, I wanted to continue where we left off yesterday. Since I didn''t think such a situation would arise so quickly, I didn''t mention this prior. But now that it has, it''s best that you learn the responsibilities of an adventurer sooner rather than later... You see, the Adventurers Guild does their best to sort through all their requests, but their ability to do so is far from perfect, and there will always be loopholes that people will try to exploit. For example, you might accept an investigation request, and when you arrive on the scene, they will beg you to kill the monster instead, or they would subtly try to expand the criteria of the investigation request, greatly increasing the danger level. They may even casually ask you to use your abilities on something that may seem completely minor or inconsequential at first glance, but it can later on result in devastating consequences. In most of these cases, they do this in an attempt to save money, but it can also be due to more nefarious reasons as well... regardless in both cases you should remain vigilant. Now don''t get me wrong, I''m not saying that those who do this all have ill intentions in mind, some may even do it without thinking... That isn''t what I''m trying to say... Where I am trying to get at is that when you take on any request, be it commissioned by the guild or not, you should always plan ahead and leave behind a wide safety margin. Because when things go wrong, and I guarantee they will, you have a lot of leeway to work with. Not planning ahead and being swept up by their current situation is exactly how many new adventurers end up losing their lives. You should fully understand your limits and only take on a request after you have evaluated the entire situation, then proceed in the way which minimizes the risk to both yourself and your party members. Because I will remind you, the choices you make not only affects you, but your party as a whole! And lastly, no matter how minor it is, make sure the other side is able to pay properly for any action they request, because any action taken outside of the Adventurers Guild is your own responsibility... Is that understood?" Harold confirmed. "So that''s why you wanted Mayo?! Don''t listen to that stingy old man Mayo!" came a voice from the front. "Shut up Ariel!" Harold called out, then turned to me "Is that understood?" He then repeated. "I understand..." I responded. "No, Mayo! If there is anything that should be done, you should do it! Don''t worry about anything, if something goes wrong, I will guarantee to take care of it! And don''t be blinded by money like that money grubber!" Ariel protested. "Ariel, would you fucking shut it?! Whose fault is it that we have money problems to begin with?!" Harold quipped. "I-It''s not my fault! Plus its better than leaving behind those in need!" Ariel objected. "It most definitely is your fault! Anyways, we are not having this conversation again! Pay attention to the road!" Harold declared. "It isn''t... and uhm, don''t listen to him Mayo..." Ariel trailed off... leading to a long silence... Since the conversation seemed to have finished, I took out some [Wool Fabric] and began working on my first items, specifically the socks. As my [Tailoring] skill was higher level than my [Threadweaving], it was somewhat easier to work with... and before I knew it, I two good pairs of socks were made!
Wool Long Sock of Intelligence An average sock made out of wool fit for children +1 INT +1 DEF Durability: 10/10 Quality 5.2013/10.0000
Wool Long Sock of Wisdom An average sock made out of wool fit for children +1 WIS +1 DEF Durability: 10/10 Quality 5.8735/10.0000
I think they came out pretty decent.... but... hmmm... it seems that items made of Cloth tend to give stats like INT and WIS instead of combat stats ha?... I guess that helps a bit with crafting, but it doesn''t really do me much good otherwise until I at very least get an actual attack magic... Well something is still better than nothing... After I put on the socks, I then pondered on what I should make next.... Oh right! How about making a mantle to replace my old one since that wretched hero ended up destroying mine? And now that I think about it... I should definitely ask for reimbursements for destroying it when we get back to town! Otherwise, that hero might get the impression that my stuff are somehow free to destroy whenever she pleases! So anyways... back to business... there are some downsides to using wool to make the mantle, particularly the stats would be far lower than my previous one. On top of that, I estimate it would use about 6 fabrics to make, which is quite a lot... If I look at it from a class quest efficiency standpoint, it''s a pretty poor decision to make... but, if I look at it from an overall perspective, it makes quite a bit of sense. The reason for that is because even the socks I just made would are going to be quickly replaced once I get around to making Cotton. If anything, I''m already regretting taking off my high quality Silk socks for these despite the stat boost... But in the case of the mantle, the stats don''t matter too much since it isn''t that convenient as far as my combat style goes... Its primary purpose is mostly things like dealing with the rain, and hiding my identity, it also helps a bit with [Blend Stealth]. That said, I''m still giving it my all to make sure it comes out just right...
Wool Mantle of Intelligence An above average mantle made out of wool fit for children +1 INT +1 DEF Durability: 15/15 Quality 6.1123/10.0000
And what do you know? I broke through the quality score of 6! It doesn''t do me much good stat wise but at least it''s a bit more durable... Well anyways, since that is done, I only have one [Wool Fabric] left... But before I figure out what to do with it, there is something I need to find out first... "Where are we heading to next?" I asked Harold. It wouldn''t be funny if I make all the fabrics into stuff, and then end up with nothing to do for hours... or worse... days! "Our primary destination is the Capital, but we do have a few stops along the way" Harold replied. "No... I mean, like when are we going to stop by a town with an Adventurers Guild? or at the very least a place where I can get some more Yarn?" I inquired. "Ah that... well our plan for today is to stop by Garton Village, though I''m not exactly sure if they have any yarn you can buy or not... That said, tomorrow we will stop by a larger town called Mephis which should have what you''re looking for" Harold answered. So I guess that means I have to make due with what I have and slow down the pace a bit ha? As I was contemplating these things, the carriage suddenly came to a stop. "What''s the matter?" Harold asked and walked towards the front. "I sense the presence of a Demon Beast" Ariel informed. "How far away is it?" Harold inquired. "I''d say about 5 kilometers to the north-eastern forest" Ariel answered. "Alright then, go make it fast" Harold consented. "Sure, but I''m taking Mayo with me to show her my Unique Skill~!" Ariel enthusiastically replied. "As I said, we don''t have time for this!" Harold rejected. "Well then, make time! I''m not moving one inch unless Mayo comes with me!" Ariel insisted. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. They stood there glaring at each other for a good minute until... "... *sigh* Fine, Tina your coming as well so get ready" Harold finally relented. "Okay, give me a second" Tina replied and started to pack away some stuff. "Since unfastening the wolves will be a pain, Ariel you will carry Tina while I will carry Mayo, let''s make this quick" Harold announced. "Shiro!" I corrected with a sharp glare! "But I want to carry Mayo!" Ariel loudly protested. "Since there is no way in hell I''m carrying Tina, either you carry Tina or you''re going by yourself!" Harold declared. "That''s so mean..." Tina jokingly pouted. "We don''t need Tina then!" Ariel defiantly objected. "Oh yes we do! Who is going to clean up after your mess? Are you going to do it?" Harold reprimanded. Ariel took one last wishful glance at me as though hoping for some sort of support... "Hmph!" I snorted, showing my rejection. "..." Seemingly giving up, she knelt down and let Tina climb on her back... "Just wait till you see how awesome my Unique Skill is..." Ariel mumbled. Following in Tina''s footsteps, I also got on Harold''s back and we sprinted into the forest at an astonishing speed...
You have acquired a new skill [NA][Sprint] Level 1 Your skill [NA][Sprint] has become Level 2
Nice! Having more skills to run away with always helps! That said... I wonder... if there is such a thing as Human Riding skill? hehe... After pondering such silly nonsense, another thought came into my mind... "By the way... I was wondering... What''s a Demon Beast? Is it somehow different from a monster?" I curiously asked Harold. "In all honesty, Demon Beasts are not that much different from monsters overall. Simply put, they are monsters or animals that have been corrupted by miasma... If I were to say how they differ from other monsters, the biggest one would be that while regular monsters are generally hostile towards the enlightened races, they don''t exactly seek them out under normal circumstances... In comparison, Demon Beasts destroy everything in their path, be it people or even other monsters. They just ravage and destroy. This is why the guild guidelines require any adventurer who comes across a Demon Beast to subjugate them as quickly as possible. That is of course assuming it is within their capabilities" Harold explained. Hmm... I never heard anything about this when I joined the guild... Then again maybe they only require it once you reach a certain rank? "Are these Demon Beasts strong?" I queried. "That''s kind of hard to say.... The strength of a Demon Beast can vary significantly depending on which animal or monster got corrupted" Harold vaguely answered. "Then how strong is the most common Demon Beast?" I inquired. "The most common Demon Beast is considered a Rank B monster, and unfortunately it is also one of the most annoying ones as they can even take down a City Wall. It would generally require a Rank B adventurer to take it down, but if you are willing to suffer some casualties, a group of Rank C adventurers can also kill it with little difficulty" Harold replied. "T-That strong?!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Well... it isn''t like the most common Demon Beast is the weakest one. Some Demon Beasts even a Rank D can kill, but when you factor in safety margins, it is more suitable for Rank C adventurers or above" Harold explained. So effectively... even the weakest Demon Beast is stronger than me... "Then how often do these Demon Beasts appear?" I asked out of concern. "That depends... usually most Demon Beasts are killed before they get fully corrupted and turned into a Demon Beast, but around these parts, adventurers and soldiers are pretty lax so they tend to show up more often than say around the capital" Harold informed. "I see... so how exactly does a monster or animal get corrupted in the first place?" I queried. "Hmm... I''m not sure I can accurately answer that since it isn''t exactly my forte, but from what I know, Demon Beasts usually form when they get in contact with something with lots of condensed miasma. To give an example, eating a corpse that has been lying around for an extended period of time or anything else that may have absorbed an abundance of miasma. If the host fails to resist the miasma, the miasma will consume them over time turning them into a Demon Beast. Once that happens, there are two fates for a Demon Beast, either it will absorb the darkness attribute or it will explode. And if that happens, then even more Demon Beasts will be formed as the corruption spreads. The only way to truly end the corruption is by killing the Demon Beast, only then will the miasma fizzle into the atmosphere" Harold explained. "We are getting close!" Ariel suddenly called out and slowed down the pace. "Alright then, you should be able to walk from here" Harold stated as he knelt down to let me off. After getting off his back, I activated [Presence Sense] just in case and also locked onto the target... Oh right, I should probably use [Smell Sense] to commit their scent to my memory just in case... if these Demon Beasts are as strong as Rank B monster, I''d definitely want to stay as far away from them as I can... Activating the skill I... "What''s wrong?" Harold asked as he saw me suddenly stop midway with my eyes wide open... "N-No-th-ing..." I nervously replied and resumed walking while trying to hold my body from trembling... Maybe I''m just imagining things... I mean it''s possible that all Demon Beasts have similar scents... plus my [Smell Sense] was only at level 3 back then... so I could just be mistaken I wishfully thought... "There it is!" Ariel interrupted and pointed out with her finger. Feeling more and more nervous, I activated the [Acting] skill for some support and pressed on... I can''t afford to give up just like that, especially if I can get my hands on some awesome skills! I mean hero skills are supposed to be overpowered right? I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT!... I repeated to myself over and over like a charm as I pushed myself to walk forward... but the more I moved, the more my body trembled viciously... every step I took felt as heavy as though my feet were made of stone... when I barely made it to where Ariel was, I saw the existence that still plagued my nightmares to this very day... "H-Hell B-Boar..." I muttered as dread filled up my very being... I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT! I''M NOT BAIT!... My body froze up completely and refused to listen to me at all as an overwhelming fear overtook me... and despite not being able to even take single step, my body shivered in the face of absolute terror! "Are you really alright?" Harold asked again, seeing there was something obviously wrong with me... This time I couldn''t even answer back as even my voice refused to come out... all I could think of was that IF THAT THING NOTICES ME, IT WILL TEAR ME TO SHREADS! Just like it did to the other bait... and then... I will be abandoned and left for dead... No! No! I''M NOT BAIT! NOT ANYMORE! But.... *tremble* But then out of nowhere, I heard a voice... "Now watch Mayo, this is my awesome Unique Skill, [Thousand-Blade-Aberth]!" Ariel enthusiastically yelled out. Right... Ariel is a Hero and a Rank A adventurer! Compared to her, the [Hell Boar] should be a joke... Despite Ariel being my worst enemy, just a tinge of hope filled my heart... As Ariel lifted her hand, her [Item Box] opened in midair and all the swords that I made came out... but unlike my expectations, they did not just drop down to the ground due to gravity... no... they were floating... and as though they were on strings, they began circling around her like they were dancing in the air... Wait a second... Swords coming out of nowhere, and then obeying your every command... Isn''t that freaking Gate of freaking Babylon!?!?! "Cool..." I inadvertently muttered in excitement! "I know right! Isn''t it awesome?"Ariel proudly declared. I didn''t even have the concentration to retort her or even respond to her for that matter as the awesome display of swords kept me mesmerized... All I could think of was... I WANT THAT SKILL! ¡°SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!¡± came a loud noise, bringing me back to the harsh reality in front of me! Right... There was no way the [Hell Boar] wouldn''t notice such a large display of swords being shown... and as before, smoke began to come out of its body as it prepared to charge...
Your skill [RA][Meteor Rush] has become Level 2
*gulp* "Ariel, what are you doing?! Hurry up and get this over with!" Harold nagged with annoyed tone. "Ye, ye... let me see... I think five swords should be enough? Hmm... what''s this?" Ariel pondered as though she noticed something strange. "Ariel!" Harold shouted, bringing Ariel back out of her thoughts. "Okay, okay! Sheesh..." Ariel complained. With that declaration, all the swords suddenly shifted and took on an attack position... then five swords quickly flew out and impaled the [Hell Boar]! ¡°SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!¡± the [Hell Boar] screamed due to the pain... But unfortunately... it simply wasn''t enough... With the [Meteor Rush] coming anytime now... my body again began to tremble viciously due to overwhelming fear... "Ariel..." I pleaded with tears in my eyes... begging her to make the scary thing go away.... Though as I turned around to look at her... no... the mad woman in front of me... her face was smiling as though she had lost all of her sanity... * BOOM * "Hiii!?!??!" I screamed out in fright after hearing the loud explosion in the background... Collapsing on the floor, I huddled in a circle shivering in terror of my upcoming doom... I didn''t know what to do... all I could think of was DEATH! I AM GOING TO DIE! But for some strange reason... death did not come... "Squeee...." came a pitiful cry... Ha? Activating my [Presence Sense], I noticed the [Hell Boar] was still rooted to his original spot... Mustering up all my remaining courage, I slowly got up while still trembling and looked into the distance... and there... I saw the [Hell Boar]... with half it''s body completely blown into pieces... And all around it was covered in burning flames as it swallowed up the nearby foliage... When some of the smoke cleared up... I could make out a single sword stabbed into the [Hell Boar]... Feeling a tinge of curiosity, I activated [Hawk Eyes] and took a closer look... And there I saw it... my beloved Jennifer! Like a holy angel that slaughters all my nightmares! Purr~ ... Wait a second... something looks weird... I activated [All-Observing-Eyes] and took an even closer look... and what I could make out were some strange red lines all across Jennifer... "Hmm... odd... then how about this..." Ariel muttered in the background. ... * BOOM * ... Out of nowhere, the red lines began to glow and a raging flames spilled out annihilating the [Hell Boar] completely... But despite the hot burning flames... all I could feel was a shivering cold... as a large void replaced that which was once my heart... with it, the world seemed to have lost all color as an endless despair assaulted my very being... It felt as though I had just lost something I could never ever hope to replace... Even the joy of the level up that came along with it seemed completely non-existent... all I felt was a bottomless misery envelope me... My mind tried its best to catch up on the events that had just transpired... but no matter how hard I tried, all my mind kept doing was drawing blanks... there was only one thing I could think of... J-J-Je- "Oooh! That one exploded really well... can you make more of those Mayo?" Ariel announced in delight. "J-JENNIFER!!!!!!!!!!!" I yelled out in utter despair! Endless tears began to flow out as I tried to rush where Jennifer once stood... but my legs simply would not listen... having nothing to stop the momentum, my knees gave out and I collapsed on the floor... I tried to push myself forward using my arms while clawing the ground... but to no avail as all strength completely left me... "J-Jennifer... Jennifer... Jennifer..." I wailed in overwhelming agony, hoping the reality in front of me was nothing but a lie... a cruel joke... I''ll wake up and all this will be gone... this grief... this despair... this emptiness... hehe... this is all a dream right? But contrary to my foolish desires, I could not wake up from this nightmare... In this cruel reality in front of me, I could not feel my heart at all... there was only a void... a void that once used to be my heart and soul... "What''s wrong Mayo?" Ariel asked, as she came over and grabbed me by the shoulders. "J-JENNIFER... S-SHE... SHE EXPLODED! WAH!" I cried out loud, not able to hold back the overwhelming pain of my loss... "*sigh* This is why I told you, there is no smith who is ever going to like such a skill..." Harold sighed. "What do you mean? She said it was cool, didn''t you hear?" Ariel protested as I continued to cry in the background. "Let me handle this" Tina confidently declared. "Be my guest..." Harold relented as he saw no hope of making Ariel understand. "Ariel... Imagine Mayo..." Tina suggested. "Uhm... Okay..." Ariel nodded while taking a confused glance at me. "Now then... imagine Mayo exploding!" Tina proclaimed while lifting both hands into the air, causing Ariel''s sharp eyes to go as wide as the moon! "*gasp* MAYO! DON''T EXPLODE!" Ariel screamed as she hugged me with all her bone crushing strength! * Crack * Faced with such brutal force while at same time feeling an unparalleled amount of agony and shock... my consciousness could no longer hold onto this world... * collapse * ***************** For Reader Reference Only (Shiro did not get this skill) *****************
[Thousand-Blade-Aberth] 1. Passive ¨C You are able to control up to 1000 flying swords 2. Active ¨C As long as the sword is owned by you, you can detonate the sword at your will 3. Sub-skill ¨C You are able to now use [Fire Magic] Level 5 4. Sub-skill ¨C You are able to now use [Air Magic] Level 5 5. Sub-skill ¨C You are able to now use [Explosion Magic] Level 3 6. Sub-skill ¨C You are able to now use [Flying Sword] Level 5 7. Passive ¨C You are not able to get any stats from weapons that are non-swords 8. Passive - After using a sword for a certain amount of time, the sword will detonate by itself
Volume 03: The price that is my heart and soul (2) When I woke up the next morning, I had a killer headache and emptiness still swallowed up my heart... As much as I wanted to deny the reality that had transpired, I was completely helpless as the images of Jennifer''s final moments kept flashing in my head... I tried to brush them aside but to no avail... before I knew it, tears were already plastered all over my face... "Jennifer...*sniff*" I muttered in grief... Taking a short glance forward... I found myself in an unfamiliar place... and yet, I had no motivation to get up from my bed nor the slightest care to even look where the hell I was... there was only one thing on my mind... "Are you alright?" came Harold''s voice from the side. "Do I look alright?" I grouchily replied. "*sigh*, I''m sorry about what happened back there... I know Ariel can go a little overboard sometimes..." Harold apologized. "A little?!" I criticized. "... Well uhm... Anyways, I have something important to ask of you... In our last mission, you didn''t know how to use [Enforce Weapon] right?... Could it also be that you don''t know how to sealing off your heart while smithing?" Harold inquired. Sealing off my heart? "How the hell could I know?! *sniff* Nobody ever wants to tell me anything! You all just call me a retard and say it''s all common sense and don''t freaking tell me anything at all! *sniff* I HATE YOU ALL! GO AWAY AND LEAVE ME ALONE!" I exploded due to my sore spot being provoked. Whether he actually deserves my outburst or not, I don''t even know, neither do I even care... I just want to be left alone...*sniff* "*sigh*... I understand... let me just quickly fill you in on the situation and then I''ll leave..." Harold calmly replied, seeing I wasn''t responding back to him, he continued on "I''m not exactly a smith so I can''t provide you all the details, but to give you a basic summary: When you start learning a profession, the first thing you learn about is how to seal off your heart. This is important because your will is tied down to your class of choice. The more heart you put into something, the more experience you will gain from it, but in retrospect, if something goes wrong you will also feel more recoil from it as well. So the most important thing you should know about is how to seal off your heart. When doing so, the experience you gain will decrease, and the quality of items you produce will most likely drop as well... but at the very least you won''t suffer the recoil. Only when you find someone you consider trustworthy should you even consider putting your heart into it. Because if you are not careful, it can have devastating consequences... So anyways here is the plan going forward... We are currently in located in Garton Village... And after consulting with the party, we have decided to stay at the house of the local blacksmith. Right now, he stepped out with Saron and Brian to go to the local copper mine for some supplies. But when he gets back, we hired him to teach you about [Enforce Weapon] and about how to seal off your heart while smithing. Unfortunately we are short on time, but if we speed up our schedule, we can probably stay here for about a day..." Harold informed. "Are you done?!" I complained, as I simply wasn''t in a mood for anything at the moment... "... I guess that''s all for now... If you end up feeling better, you can go to the smithing workshop via that door in the back. Feel free to practice sealing off your heart over there and don''t worry, we''ll cover all expenses... If there is nothing else, I''ll be off now..." Harold said as he bid his farewell and left the room. Seeing him go, I didn''t say a thing as I lay their motionless... After grieving for who knows how long, I finally decided to get off the bed... *sigh*... as much as it pains me, I need to learn how to seal off my heart ASAP... that monster doesn''t deserve even a fraction of it!... I walked into the back of the room and opened the door... behind it was a small workshop. After taking a moment to familiarize myself with it, I took out the sword I didn''t finish from my [Item Box] and prepared to work... Taking a swing of my hammer, I was stunned as the new class skill I recently got from reaching level 10 activated... I originally thought it would be a skill similar to [Blacksmithing: Enhanced Smithing], but this odd skill was nothing of the sort...
[CP][Creationist: Creation Correction] Level N/A You are now able to partly peak into the path of creation. When using production skills, you have a 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER] chance to see your error and correct it
Weird right? And even more weird is that this skill activated on my first swing! Is this skill saying even my first swing is somehow wrong?! How rude! Well... let''s not jump to any conclusions and see... and after watching the skill in action... I was even more dumbfounded and confused... because the illusion shown to me before rewinding me back in time was utterly ridiculous... I mean seriously... Is this skill some kind of joke? Cause I''m in no mood for jokes! Ignoring the nonsensical error I was shown, I swung my hammer down onto the sword! *ding* "Ha? How could this be possible?" I muttered in confusion... No, no, this simply can''t be... I must have gotten dizzy from the skill totally confusing me! Right! I swing my hammer yet again! *ding* *ding* *ding* "Why can''t I freaking hit the sword!" I screamed out in frustration! No matter how hard I tried, no matter what angle I swung it, I kept on missing! Feeling completely at a loss, I activated [All-Observing-Eyes] and swung down the hammer! Paying close attention to my swing, I made sure it stayed on course... but a centimeter before my hammer landed on the sword, my hand suddenly stopped and began to tremble... I tried to push it forward with all my strength, but it simply wouldn''t budge... and with it, a huge pain filled my heart as tears began to trickle down my face yet again... "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" I yelled as I dropped the hammer and grasped my head! Dropping to my knees, I began to mess up my hair as I felt my entire being in total disarray! "What happened?!?!" Harold inquired as he ran in worried. "I-I can''t smith! I don''t know why, but I can''t! Every time I try to... t-the images of Jennifer being destroyed keeps on replaying in my head... and no matter how hard I try to push that memory away, it just won''t stop!" I wept in total loss... "Wait... don''t tell me... When you say ''Jennifer'', is that a pet name or an actual named weapon?" Harold inquired. "*sniff* Named weapon... and a beautiful one at that...*sniff*... why?" I muttered in tears. "Shit!" Harold yelled out as he slapped his face. "W-What does that mean? What''s wrong with me?" I desperately begged for an answer while pulling on the hem of his clothes. It felt as though my whole meaning was slipping away from me... "I can''t be sure just yet... but what is it that you tried to smith just now?" Harold queried. "A sword?*sniff*" I responded in confusion. "Have you tried to smith something else?" Harold questioned. "N-Not yet..." I replied. "Alright then, try to make a few other things and see how it goes... based on that, we''ll be able to judge better" Harold suggested. Prompted by that slim ray of hope, I decided to try smithing things other than swords... since I was smithing anyways, I decided to start with a better belt to help improve my stats. Since I had 28 [Coal Ores] left, I should be able to make a bunch of things, albeit not holy-steel. And after spending a few hours smithing... I was able to make the following...
Adjustable Steel Belt of Agile Strength An average belt made out of steel that can be adjusted to fit most waists +10 STR +10 AGI +100 DEF Bonus: +1 STR Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 20 ¨C Benefit: +1 STR +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. [Made by Shiro] Durability: 500/500 Quality 5.8021/10.00
Steel Shield of Greater Vitality An average shield made out of steel +20 VIT +200 DEF Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 20 ¨C Benefit: +2 VIT | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 1000/1000 Quality 5.0010/10.00
Steel Mace of Vital Strength A below average mace made out of steel +9 STR +9 VIT +94 ATK Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 20 ¨C Benefit: +1 STR +1 VIT | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 944/944 Quality 4.7182/10.00
Steel Spear of Agile Strength A below average spear made out of steel +8 STR +8 AGI +80 ATK Restrictions: Minimum Level: Level 20 ¨C Benefit: +1 STR +1 AGI | Penalty: 90% reduction in stats [Made by Shiro] Durability: 800/800 Quality 4.0013/10.00
The results were just horrible!... even with the new skill that helped assist me, my ability to smith has pretty much gone down the drain... I also attempted to make a dagger, but it turned out into a complete flop just like the sword... But worst of all... MY JOY WAS GONE! I felt nothing... no warmth... no happiness... if anything, I felt sadness... for the first time... smithing hurt...*sniff* Feeling my hopes and dreams crushed... I again burst out in tears of misery... ... After I finally calmed down to some extent, the party sans Saron and Brian met in the living room... "The situation is really bad, apparently what Ariel destroyed was a named weapon. So as it stands, Shiro is not able to produce any more swords... For the time being, it''s probably better to confiscate the swords Ariel has just in case" Harold announced. "Eh? I don''t want to!" Ariel dejectedly complained. "Look here Ariel, this is serious. If worse comes to worse, Shiro may never be able to smith again!" Harold cautioned. "But I like Mayo''s swords, they explode extremely well!" Ariel adamantly protested. Grrrr... This is why I hate those darn heroes! All they freaking care about is themselves and no one else! They use their comrades as merely convenient stepping stones for their own agenda while only pretending to care! "Give them back!" I declared, not willing to hold it in any longer! "But Mayo... didn''t you say that my unique skill was cool?" Ariel defended. "It isn''t cool at all! It''s the worst skill ever! THE WORST!" I venomously objected! "Mayo... I know that''s not how you feel..." Ariel appealed. That''s it... enough of this bullshit! "You want to know how I really feel?!?! Fine! I think you''d do this whole world a HUGE favor if you go die in a dungeon somewhere and leave us in peace! You heroes are a plague to this world! THAT''S HOW I FEEL! DIE! DIE! DIE!" I screamed in hatred and disgust. Not willing to tolerate her presence any longer, I ran back to the smithing workshop and slammed the door shut! Then leaning back on the door, I slid down to the floor and hugged my knees... DAMN YOU WRETCHED HERO! First you take away my freedom, and now you take away my only joy in this whole wide world!... How much more will you take away from me until you are finally fully satisfied?!? *sniff* DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! I tried really hard... I really did... but no matter where I go, no matter what I do... things just keep on being taken away from me and I''m completely powerless to stop it... I freaking hate this darn world!...*sniff*... mommy... daddy... I want to go back home... I really miss you...*sniff* And just like that... I cried myself back to sleep... ... * knock * * knock * "Mmmmm..." I mumbled as I slowly opened my eyes. "You there?" Harold asked from the other side of the door. "No..." I responded due to my bad mood. "I''m coming in for a second" Harold announced. "Eh?!" I freaked out in surprise as the door behind me opened, forcing me to tumble down backwards due to loss of support. "Don''t do that so suddenly!" I complained. "Sorry about that... I just came to deliver the [Copper Ore] that Saron and Brian brought back... While I am at it, might as well relay a few things..." Harold spoke as he placed a large bundle of [Copper Ore] in the workshop from his [Item Box].
Your skill [NA][Item Box] has become Level 5
"...First of all, since the Blacksmith is back, he is ready to teach you whenever you are ready... just remember, you only have until tomorrow, so I suggest starting as soon as possible. I also had a discussion with the rest of the party and we decided that after we are done with the capital, we''ll head over to Shargon Kingdom aka the homeland of the Dwarves. If there is anyone that can help with your condition, that would be the place to look. Either way, we need to stock up on swords anyways considering Ariel isn''t exactly well like by blacksmiths around these parts..." Harold informed. Geee... I wonder why? "Can''t I just go back to Hallion? Maybe Grandmaster Clauson knows what to do..." I suggested. "*sigh* I wish we could do that... but unfortunately we are already behind schedule... plus, there are some other factors at play..." Harold hesitated. "Such as...?" I pressed on, somewhat not convinced. "Well... it''s kind of hard to explain..." Harold averted. "If you want I can tell you~" Tina interrupted as she made her way into the workshop. Harold gave Tina a reprimanding glare but she completely ignored it and walked up to me.... Bending down, she then whispered into my ear... "You see... let us just say hypothetically that after begging, you finally got on a rare new toy from someone who you haven''t been on good terms with lately..." Tina suggested. "Aha..." I responded, not sure where this was going... "Tina!" Harold called out in annoyance. "...Then after you broke said toy, you show back up the next day, demanding to get it fixed" Tina explained while completely ignoring Harold. My eyes went wide with realization... Instantly, I shot a hostile glare at Harold! Grrrrr! Why are all the adults around me always so freaking irresponsible!?!?! "What did you tell her Tina?!" Harold ordered in a serious tone. "Nothing, only the truth~" Tina playfully shrugged and walked out of the workshop while waving her fingers with a satisfied smile. "Tina! Damn that bitch... Shiro, what did she tell you?" Harold inquired. "She told me you are an irresponsible jerk! Hmph!" I pouted. "Look... I don''t know what she told you, but you can''t take that witch seriously. She-" Harold tried to explain. At that moment, a tall man in his mid 50s walked in... by the looks of his appearance and by the reading show by my [Identify] skill, he was most definitely the local blacksmith. "Uhm... Seems like I came in at a bad time... if you are busy now... I can come back later..." announced the blacksmith. "No, perfect time! This irresponsible jerk here was just leaving!" I replied and gave Harold a harsh side glare! "Now wait a minute here..." Harold protested. "You are the one who said I had limited time here to learn... or are you going to take this away from me too?!" I retorted while doubling down on my glare. "That is..." Harold hesitated. "Well are you?!" I pressed. Feeling cornered, Harold let out a deep sigh... "Alright, have it your way... We''ll talk about this tomorrow..." Harold relented and walked out. After glaring at Harold all the way out the door, I then turned to the smith. "Lets get this over with..." I declared. "Right... okay then... so lets first start with [Enforce Weapon] and [Enforce Armor]... These skills are what we call hidden skills. Though despite that name, they are actually pretty easy to get. All you really need to do is have [Blacksmithing] to at least level 1 and repair 100 weapons and 100 armors..." the man explained. "Show me the skills" I abruptly replied. "As I said, it isn''t a skill you can just learn normally..." the blacksmith rebuked. "Show me" I insisted. "Alright, alright, If that is what it takes for us to continue..." the blacksmith replied, somewhat unsure of my reasoning...
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Enforce Weapon] N/A
[NA][Enforce Weapon] Level N/A Temporarily reduce durability loss of weapons by 25% + 5% for every [Blacksmithing] level and improve ATK by 10% + 2% for every [Blacksmithing] level for 4 hours
I would normally be thrilled about that awesome skill... but somehow... I''m just not in the mood for anything... worst of all, I now have to put on an act for the next 5 minutes to get that other skill as well... *sigh* "Was that good enough? If so let us proceed..." the blacksmith responded and took out a few broken blades for us to work on. I took the first blade and began repairing it... and after 5 minutes passed, I stopped and looked back at the man. "Done, now show me [Enforce Armor]" I declared. "But you only repaired one weapon..." the blacksmith replied with a perplexed expression on his face. "What do you know? I guess I repaired 99 weapons prior... If you don''t believe me here let me show you..." I replied, then demonstrated the skill in question. "Well I guess that makes sense... then let us proceed to armors..." the blacksmith accepted, and took out a damaged armor. "Show me" I repeated. "Again?... *sigh* Alright...." the blacksmith relented.
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Enforce Armor] N/A
[NA][Enforce Armor] Level N/A Temporarily reduce durability loss of armor and shields by 25% + 5% for every [Blacksmithing] level and improve DEF by 10% + 2% for every [Blacksmithing] level for 4 hours
"Hmmm... I guess I already had that one" I announced, not wanting to continue this farce any longer. To make sure there is no doubt, I showed of the skill in question. "..." I know I was being a bit obvious to some extent... but at this point I just didn''t care... not to mention these skills are low level skills anyways and this is only a local village blacksmith... while I don''t exactly want to set of any flags, it should be fine... it''s not like what I showed was impossible by any means... odd sure, impossible? Hardly... "Right then... If that''s all out of the way, the last thing is to learn to isolate your heart. When you smith an item, I know it''s easy to get excited about it and want to give it your all to make it as good as possible. But in doing so, you create a deep connection between yourself and the item you are making. The more the item means to you, the deeper the connection. It is through this connection though that you gain experience. The larger the connection, the more experience you will gain, but in return, if something goes wrong, you will feel a larger feedback as well. In some cases, it can even cause trauma or worse, you may forever lose your ability to smith. Which is why it is imperative that you separate your heart from the making process. Only when you are absolutely positive the person you plan to give said item is worthy to wield it should you place your heart in it. One can say it''s like entrusting your future as a blacksmith to that person. Now then... to separate your heart from the item, you need to look at the item as nothing more than just another tool, nothing more, nothing less. So when smithing, remove all attachment from the item, in this way, your item will have only the bare minimum connection to your existence" the blacksmith explained. I took a side glance at the steel items I recently made and then looked back... "My stuff don''t have any heart... at least not anymore..." I replied while dropping down my ears in sadness... "... Is that so... well I guess that would be all, if you need anything, feel free to call me... Oh right! You can use the [Copper Ore] over there to practice with, it belongs to your party anyways so no need to hesitate" the blacksmith informed with an awkward expression and prepared to leave. Thinking about it for a short bit... something I wanted to ask came to mind... "There is something... are there anymore hidden skills out there?" I queried. If there are more, it''s best to get them all out of the way now rather than finding out I''m missing something else later on. "There are... plenty for that matter... But I''m not exactly privy to all of them since many of them have nothing to do with [Blacksmithing]. In all honesty, I wouldn''t even be surprised if there were some for [Blacksmithing] as well that I don''t know about since well... I''m just a local smith after all" the blacksmith informed. "Then are there any other hidden [Blacksmithing] skills that you do know?" I curiously inquired. "Hmm... well as far as [Blacksmithing] goes, there is [Smithing Adhesion] which allows you to merge multiple production skills into one item. Such as say... making an iron armor with tier 3 leather padding while only having level 1 [Leatherworking]. That is of course assuming you have high enough [PER]. As for the conditions for that skill... you need to get your [Blacksmith] class to atleast level 20, learn one other production skill and combine 50 items" the blacksmith answered. Looking at the blacksmith''s level, it was 29 so he should already have that skill right? "Can you show me the skill?" I questioned. "Uhm... I guess... but I would have to first procure some leather... though... that would require an additional fee..." the blacksmith hesitantly informed while rubbing the back of his head. "The party will pay for it, and if you can, grab as much leather as possible..." I requested. At least they better pay for it!... after what they''ve done to me, something like this should be a given, no? "Alright... I''ll be right back then..." the blacksmith awkwardly smiled and walked out of the shop. As I saw him leave, I began pondering on what I should do next... because from yesterday''s incident, I finally realized how naive I have been... I thought that if I just sit there and let the hero and her party members give me EXP, I''d be golden, but now I realize that''s not enough! I hate being so weak and powerless! It''s really darn frustrating!.... I have to be proactive in doing whatever it takes to get stronger... at the very least, I need to get my combat class and raise my base combat stats above 100. That power I felt when my AGI went over 100 was out of this world!... it was as though I was completely reborn... If I could get my combat stats to level 100, I''m sure I could beat that [Wraith] with ease! Maybe even face off a Lycanthrope... Anyways... the question comes down to this... what do I need to do right now to accomplish my goal as quickly as possible?... thinking about it, that would probably be the [Armor Creation] class quest. Initially, I wasn''t too concerned about it since I was lacking in INT and WIS anyways, so I couldn''t really take full advantage of having such high PER. There were the small improvements I got from class skills, but a few points in PER wouldn''t have been enough to break through to making quality 7 Holy steel anyways, so I was effectively in no hurry... I just figured if I''m going to be doing [Tailoring] and [Leatherworking] anyways, why waste time on it? But now, everything has changed, and I can''t afford to be so laid back anymore... I need to at the very least restore my ability to make Holy-Steel with a quality score of 5... For that, every point counts! I have a few other ideas as well, but first things first... With that in mind, I took out the [Copper Ore] from its wooden crate and began smelting it... Volume 03: The price that is my heart and soul (3) After about two hours, the blacksmith came back carrying some leather. During that time, I managed to smith 12 armors made of copper, thus increasing my PER by 2 from my class quests. Since I didn''t care too much about the resulting quality of the items nor was I particularly interested in studying copper in detail, I just focused on nothing more than speed. "I talked to Harold and he allowed me to buy 10 Tier 1 leather pelts for you to practice with... hmm?" the blacksmith announced as he walked back in, only to stop mid sentence, "... when did you manage to make so many?" he then queried as he looked around in astonishment. You call this many? If I were in top shape, I could have made far more than just this... "Weren''t you going to show me how to combine [Blacksmithing] with [Leatherworking]?" I questioned, trying to change the subject. "Oh, right... well again, to actually get the skill, you need to reach level 20 in your class, but you can for now work on your other requirements. So let''s first start with how to make leather pelts into padding, and then we''ll move on to combining it with your armor" the blacksmith replied. He then took one of the leather pelts and began processing it as he went over all the details with me step by step. Once he was done making the padding, he then took one of my copper armors and started putting them together... Shortly after, a blue box popped up!
You have acquired a new sub-skill [CA][Blacksmith: Smithing Adhesion - Leatherworking] N/A Due to a special action, you have acquired a new skill [CA][Blacksmith: Smithing Adhesion] N/A
[CA][Blacksmith: Smithing Adhesion - Leatherworking] Level N/A Limits the loss of quality when smithing and working with leather by 50% + 10% for every level in your non-combat class + 5% for every point of [PER] +1 [Leatherworking] skill when smithing and working with leather Can only be used once per hour
Interesting... could this be one of the solutions to my current problem? Maybe there is a skill similar to this for [Leatherworkers] where I can put metal armor inside of leather armor and achieve level 9 [Blacksmithing]... In that way, I can probably offset some of my losses in ability... The question comes down to how the system would view it if my [Blacksmithing] far surpasses by [Leatherworking]... "Now then, you give it a try... and don''t be afraid to mess up at first. In the end, it''s all about practice!" the blacksmith assured. From then on, he began to instruct me as I made armor padding from the remaining Tier 1 leather pelts... "You''re really good at this... In some ways, maybe even better than me... Could it be that you already have the [Leatherworking] skill by any chance?" the blacksmith commented. "Something like that..." I vaguely responded as I concentrated on my work. A few hours later, I managed to make all 9 leather pelts into padding and affix them to the copper armors. With that came the end of my lessons. "I guess that will be all for today... but seriously, I''m stunned at how well you are at this... almost makes me question my life choices haha" the blacksmith joked. "Uhm... thanks... One thing though... can you procure some more leather and maybe a Leatherworking Kit? Oh and if possible, can you also get me some yarn? I''ll talk to Harold to be sure he pays for it if need be" I pleaded. "Well... I''ll see what I can do... but leather pelts are also used around the village, so money or not there is a limit to how much we can sell to outsiders... As for the yarn, I''m afraid the only yarn we have around here is what we get from traveling merchants..." the blacksmith informed. "I see... well do what you can please..." I begged. And like that, we said our farewells... but my day was not over yet... far from it... I spent the next two hours making 24 more copper armors, bringing my PER up by another 2 points. With that, phase one of my plan was complete... Next is phase two... as I looked outside, it was extremely dark as today was in fact a night day. It was the perfect time to start my next operation... "Operation: Midnight Hunting Cat commence!" I muttered with resolve as I cast [Enforce Weapon] and [Enforce Armor] on my gear. I also make sure to swap my Holy-steel Katar to my right hand and move my Mithril one to my left to maximize my EXP intake. Yes that''s right, my goal for tonight is to hunt down some monsters so that I can level up. Since the party I am currently in is way too strong, there is no way they are going to be fighting monsters that I have any hopes of winning against. And even if a weak monster I can beat does show up, they''d probably be killed even before they reach my hit range. But around these parts, there should be easy monsters for me to kill right? If the monsters were too strong, there wouldn''t be a village here after all... not that I''m going to let my guard down... If worst comes to worse, I can always run back here and let that wicked hero take care of it... and if the village blames the party for luring monsters in... well all the better.... *evil grin* Using the outdoor entrance to the workshop, I made my way out of the house and headed into the nearby forest as stealthily as I could... despite it being so dark, it was virtually irrelevant as my [Nightvision] made is almost indistinguishable from day. Once I was out of the house I activated [Smell Sense] and [Presence Sense] and began probing for monsters... After about an hour of looking... I stumbled upon my first prey... Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
[Forest Deer] Level 11
As much as I''d like to see if I can get any skills from it, at this point in time my priority is getting my combat class. Either way, I''ll get far better skills from the hero party killing higher level monsters anyways... Now then... let''s try out the new strategy I came up with specifically for night days... Personally, I''d like to just sneak up on it or attack it from range, but currently I lack both the skills to sneak up and the damage output from range to make it happen... This is precisely why I came up with a strategy to minimize risk while at same time maximizing my damage... I sneak up as stealthily as I could towards the deer, once I got within a few meters, the deer finally took notice of me. Thus, I activate [All-Observing-Eyes] and [Charge] straight at the deer at full throttle! Seeing me run straight at it, the [Forest Deer] prepares to fight back with its antlers... In response, I reach out my left hand and faced it towards the deer... but I don''t actually plan to attack it... no... "[Light Magic: Light]!" I cast as a blinding light shines right into the deers eyes! "Mwhooo!" the deer yells in frustration due to being blinded, and begins to rampage towards me even fiercer than before! Seeing that unfold in front of me, a smile appears on my face as I melt into the shadows... circling around, I appear right behind the deer! Then with a quick [Plunge] and [Impale], I stab the deer with my Holy-steel Katar right in the weak spot of it''s neck! The deer squirms for a short bit, but before you know it... the deer collapses on the floor motionlessly... "That went well!" I muttered in delight. With this strategy, I should be able to kill monsters with minimum risk, especially during night days. By using light to blind the monster, I temporarily take away their vision and at same time use the light to control the position of their shadow... Once that happens, I just appear right behind them and attack their weak spot! Of course I''m not exactly sure how well this will work on higher level monsters, but with practice in getting the timing down, it should at least offer me a decent advantage... Now then... as much as I''d love to disassemble it for leather and meat... I''m not sure when I''ll get another opportunity to hunt like this. And thinking about it in terms of efficiency, it should probably be better to focus on hunting down as many monsters as I can, then worry about disassembling them at a later time... With my [Item Box] at level 5, I have whopping 130 cubic meters of storage, so I should be fine for the time being. With that decided, I put the entire [Forest Deer] into my [Item Box] and proceed to track down more prey. Since I''ve already slept for quite a bit, there should be no problem hunting through the night... In the worst case, I''d rather sleep in the carriage where I have fewer options to raise my level. Like that, I hunted throughout the night... Using this new strategy, I managed to kill 5 [Forest Deer], 3 [Giant Rats] and 2 [Dire Wolves]. Unfortunately, it was not enough to net me a level up... and since people in this world get up early as the sun rises, I had no choice but to head back... still... if I can get a few more days like this, I think I could manage a level up soon enough... I made my way back into the cottage, and snuck back into the workshop... shortly after, Harold walked in. "Where did you go tonight?" Harold asked. Eh? How... I could have sworn I snuck out without anyone noticing... "It''s none of your business! Hmph!" I lashed back, still upset about the other day... "Now look here... You are now part of an adventuring party, and while you don''t exactly have to report every single little thing, you at the very least have to tell us if you plan to go out somewhere... especially right before we plan to leave" Harold sternly warned. "Just like you told me how Ariel can explode her swords?!" I stubbornly retorted. "That isn''t the same thing..." Harold denied. "Right, as far as I''m concerned, it''s far worse!" I adamantly insisted. "... Look... I''m really sorry about that... it wasn''t exactly intentional by any means, just that Ariel and her abilities are fairly well-known around Hallion. On top of that, the fact that an Intermediate Disciple does not know how to do these basic things is not something anyone would even fathom..." Harold excused. "You think just a sorry fixes things?! Because of your negligence, I can''t smith properly anymore! How are you going to make this up to me?!" I glared with resentment. "As I told you yesterday... we will visit Shargon Kingdom and find someone to help you" Harold assured. "Not enough! I want compensation!" I demanded! In the end, no amount of compensation can ever pay for what they did to me... but there is no way in hell I''m just going to let this go without them offering something in return! "* sigh * What is it that you want then?" Harold relented. "First of all, you keep that monster away from me! I don''t want to hear any excuses that she is out of your control or the like! At the very least try!" I declared. "That is..." Harold hesitated. "I will NOT take no for an answer!" I interrupted, not even giving him the opportunity to reject, " I thought long and hard about the Blacksmithing Guild contract and came up with one conclusion, this most definitely falls under the negligence clause! You aren''t helping me restore my ability to smith due to being nice, no one in this world was ever nice to me for no reason... Putting two and two together, if I go to the Blacksmithing Guild in the next town and report this, you will most likely get in a lot of trouble right? While it may not be enough to terminate the contract, it most definitely enough to issue some sort of punishment!... and if even that is not enough, then Ariel''s attempt to hug me might as well be considered attempted murder as far as I''m concerned! So don''t give me any more nonsense about not even trying! I''m not even asking this of the party, I''m asking this of YOU personally! Next! From now on, EVERYONE must call me Shiro! Well I don''t care about that monster, but other than her, no one is ever to call me Mayo EVER AGAIN!" I then added. "I guess that could be arranged..." Harold hesitantly accepted. "And last but not least, I want you to sponsor me getting another production skill leveled. Just in case I can''t smith properly ever again" I requested. "...That request may might be somewhat difficult to fulfill... while we may have some money saved up, as you can see, Ariel goes through it fairly quickly due to her Unique Skill... We simply can''t afford to sponsor you getting another production skill leveled" Harold admitted. "You don''t have to sponsor me all the way... all I want is as follows: When we get to town, you will hire someone with at least the skill level of 6 in each production skill plus [Rune Crafting] to provide hands on training for a day. You will also supply production materials for me to use in the form of 100 Tier 1, 2 and 3 materials each, plus 50 Tier 4 and 10 Tier 5 materials for each of those production skills" I demanded. "Wait a minute, first of all as I told you before, we are short on time..." Harold rejected. "Then you will provide me with the tutors once we get to the capital, but the materials have to be provided upfront!" I interjected, cutting off his rebutal. "Even if we get to the capital, there is only so long we can stay there... at best, I can guarantee only two..." Harold compromised. "Well what about after the capital? I am fine with being trained for two once we get to the capital, and the rest once we have some free time in Shargon" I replied, not willing to give up on this. "Hmm... that may be possible... but even then, the material costs would be way too much. What you are asking for would easily surpass 10 platinum coins. Considering the contract cost plus that weird sculpture you made Ariel buy, we are already down 7 platinum coins" Harold objected. "And how is that my problem?" I nonchalantly replied, feeling no pity for their predicament. "Can we at least compromise at half?" Harold counter-offered. "Do you even know what it''s like to have your only joy, your only future taken away from you against your own will?! I''m not settling for any less! If anything, I''m letting you off easy!" I rejected, not willing to take back a step. "... At the very least, can we decrease the materials for [Jewelcrafting] and the upper materials for [Runecrafting]? Those materials can get ridiculously expensive" Harold negotiated. "Jewelcrafting?" I inadvertently asked, perking my ears in curiosity at the mention of a production skill I have yet to see. Though now that I think about it... wasn''t that settlement a gem mine? "Yes, you know, Diamonds, Rubies, the like" Harold explained. I hesitated for a bit due to the subtle desire to swim in hundreds of gems... but eventually came in terms with reality... "Fine, you can do half the materials for [Jewelcrafting] and upper tiers of [Runecrafting], but that''s it!" I unhappily relented. "One fourth?" Harold tried to bargain. "H-A-L-F!" I dictated. "*sigh* I''ll see what I can do... but I can''t get you these materials off the bat, it may take some time..." Harold reluctantly agreed. "As long as you get me the Tier 1 and 2 materials by... uhm... Mephis was it?" I responded. "We are not going to Mephis. Since we stopped here for the day, we have to take a shortcut through the mountains to make up the lost time" Harold informed. "Then what is the next large town?" I questioned. "Medasis City, the second largest city in the country" Harold answered. "Okay... then when we reach there, I''ll get my materials?" I queried. "That should be fine..." Harold replied. "Good! ... wait... there is some leather in this place? Can you buy some here?" I confirmed. "The blacksmith told me that you were looking for more leather and a leatherworking kit... I''ll talk to him and see what we can do... now then... since we have come to some sort of truce... get some rest, we will leave in a few hours" Harold said and walked off. It''s not like I''ve forgiven them... but... when life gives you lemons, I''ll just have to make some lemonade... though... I wonder if lemonade would count towards my cooking class quest?... Anyways, let''s not get too distracted... as much as I''d like to rest, I can do that whenever once I get on the carriage... while I''m here, lets use up all that copper... And like that, I continued to make armors... Volume 03: The price that is my heart and soul (4) When the time of departure finally came, I managed to complete 26 armor pieces made of copper giving me yet another 2 PER. I wish I could have made more, but sadly, I was short on both time and materials. Thus, I reluctantly made my way out of the workshop and towards the carriage... When I saw Harold standing there by the side, I approached him... "So... how much leather were you able to get?" I inquired. "Not too much unfortunately, about 17 tier 1 leather and 8 tier 2 leather. I also procured the leatherworking kit you wanted" Harold answered. Wait one darn second... now that I think about it... "Is there a [Leatherworker] in this village?" I hurriedly asked. "Not exactly a dedicated [Leatherworker], more like a [Hunter] who happens to have the [Leatherworker] class and does [Leatherworking] on the side. So their skill level from what I heard is only at 3" Harold explained. "Really? Can I talk to them?!" I desperately begged. "We have to leave soon..." Harold objected. Damn! If I''m going to be working on leather, I''d prefer to be at a higher skill level! Otherwise, it will be extremely hard, especially since I don''t have any class skills to help me! "Tina and Ariel are still not here right? Can we do it quickly? Like 15 minutes max... Please..." I pleaded with my [Acting] skill in full throttle and my catkin charm set to max! "*sigh*... Alright then... but only 15 minutes, no more..." Harold reluctantly relented, "I''ll be by the [Leatherworker]''s place, call me when Tina and Ariel are ready" he then requested of Brian, and began walking towards the village. Wow... I can''t freaking believe it! That is like the first time that actually worked... Did the [Acting] skill actually help that much? "Well, are you coming or not?" Harold asked, bringing me out of my daze. "Y-Yes!" I hurriedly replied, and ran to catch up to him. After a short stroll through the village, during most of which I was still wondering if this was a dream or not, we stopped by one of the houses and approached the door. * Knock * * Knock * "Anyone still there?" Harold called out. Shortly after, a woman came by the door. "How may I help... Ah if it isn''t the customer from before? Is there maybe a problem with one of the pelts?" The woman questioned. "No problem at all ma''am, I was just wondering if it wouldn''t be too much trouble for you to give a few pointers to this child here... a few minutes is enough, just show her your work and answer any of her questions is all I''m asking" Harold replied, then took out some coins and handed it to her. "Sure... I can do that..." the woman agreed, "Come this way" she then beckoned to me. "I''ll be waiting here if you need me" Harold informed. We walked over to the interior of the workshop, and lying there in the middle of the ground was a pelt which seemed to be half finished. "This is a pelt of a [Forest Deer], I''m currently making it into a pair of leather pants. As you can see-" the woman explained as she resumed her work while breaking down in detail on how she goes about processing the leather... and shortly after...
Your skill [NP][Leatherworking] has become Level 3
Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills] +25 PER has been attained Class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills], has been reset.
Awesome! Now that''s what I''m talking about! This should really come in handy... "- Do you have any questions?" the woman queried. "Ha?" I replied with a confused expression. "I said do you have any questions? So you know, your guardian paid a decent amount of money for this short lesson. Make sure that you pay close attention, and don''t let your mind wander!" the woman sternly reprimanded. I was paying attention! I only lost track for a short bit when the skill popped up that''s all... but questions... hmmm... oh right? "I was wondering... [Blacksmithing] has [Smelting], [Tailoring] has [Threadweaving] and [Alchemy] has [Herb Processing]... does [Leatherworking] have any prerequisite production skills?" I curiously inquired. "The only prerequisite I can think of for [Leatherworking] would be [Disassembling], that is pretty much it. Other than that, all the requirements of the skill are part of [Leatherworking] itself" the woman informed. Hmmm... I see... so it''s like that ha? Well as much as I''d like to get some more [Disassembling] levels, my priority is class skills... "Uhm... I guess that should be all the questions I have for now... Can I continue to see you work and if anything I''ll ask?" I requested. "You sure? From what I heard, you are leaving soon aren''t you? So it would be wise to ask while you still have the chance..." the woman insistingly offered. "No... thank you very much, but that would be more than enough" I assured. "Well if you say so..." the woman relented. With that, I just continued to watch her work for the remainder of the time, albeit using [All-Observing-Eyes] to see some details here and there... but the biggest bounty was of course the class skill that showed up mid way!
You have acquired a new skill [CP][Leatherworker: Enhanced Leatherworking] Level N/A
[CP][Leatherworker: Enhanced Leatherworking] Level N/A Improve the speed of your leatherworking related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER] Improve the quality of your leatherworking related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER]
All in all, this experience turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself... Unfortunately though, since her class level was only at 19, that was pretty much as far as it will go... but relatively speaking, the Enhanced production class skill is probably the most important skill as far as learning goes, so I pretty much got what I needed most for now... Once I was done with the short lessons, I said my goodbyes and we left back towards the carriage. When we arrived there, Ariel and Tina were still nowhere to be found... Seeing that, Harold got pretty pissed and went storming into the house... as for me, I just made my way into the carriage and sat there waiting... and as I did so, little by little I began to get sleepy as the fatigue started to catch up to me... *yawn*... maybe just a short bit until we are all here won''t hurt... *zzzzzzzzzzzz* "These are pretty warm and fuzzy~" came a woman''s voice. "Mmmmmhhhh!" I murmured in frustration as I felt some form of discomfort on my head. "Ooooh! They vibrate too~!" the woman elatedly declared. "You really should stop trying to get on Ariel''s nerves you know..." rebuked a man''s voice. "I''m not sure what you''re talking about~" denied the woman in a playful tone. I wanted to get up and find the source of this discomfort, but the warm pillow was just too tempting to give up... ha? wait... warm pillow? This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Slowly opening my eyes... the visage of Tina entered my sight... slowly taking in my surroundings, I found myself situated on Tina''s lap while she was playing with what seemed to be my ears! "Hey, that tickles, cut it out!" I complained and brushed her off as I got up. Taking a short look around the insides of the carriage, I noticed everyone here except Saron and Ariel, so I''m assuming they are at the front? "Aww..." Tina pouted. "So where are we now?" I queried. "Hmm... I''d say we are about 10 hours or so away from the Icecomb mountains. We''ll be making camp at the foothills for today, then attempt to cross them tomorrow" Harold informed. "I see... Is there any reason why they are called Icecomb mountains? And by that I mean, like does it get really cold there?" I curiously inquired. "It gets quite chilly once you go deeper into the mountain range, but I wouldn''t worry too much about it. Since we''ll be riding the wolves on our way through, they''ll be helping to keep our bodies warm. I also have some spare blankets you can use just in case, so all you have to really do is sit tight and leave it to us" Harold confidently assured. While I''m definitely looking forward to riding the wolves, I can''t exactly say I''m too thrilled about the whole venturing into the freezing cold thing... Even in my old life I''ve never been too fond of the cold, and now that I''m a catkin, I''d imagine that would be even more so... "Okay..." I responded with a tinge of hesitation. Seeing I had nothing more to ask, Brian and Harold began discussing their own things, while Tina went back to reading her... books... Well anyways... I probably shouldn''t be wasting any more time, so let me get back to making more armors out of the cloth and leather that I have. Though the question comes down to what should I actually make?... I have that one [Wool Fabric] left, but I don''t really see much point in making it into gear... If anything, I would be better off making it into regular clothing later on. Which leaves me with either continuing with on with Cotton, or making an attempt at [Leatherworking]... Let''s see... looking at my quest status, it seems like I''m at 6 out of 10 for the 7th armor creation quest, which pretty much means that I need at least a quality score of 6 if I plan to get credit for making Tier 1 gear... so what should I do?... hmmm.... How about this, let''s first see how well I do at [Leatherworking] overall, and if I don''t feel like I can do a quality score of 6 soon, then I''ll focus on making things out of Cotton to raise my INT and WIS instead. As for the remaining Tier 1 leather, I''ll just make it into regular clothing with no stats. Okay sounds like a plan! Though wait... what exactly should I make from it?... I guess maybe some winter cloth just in case? Sure, Harold said he''d offer me a blanket, but I''ve already learned my lesson about blindly relying on others. So I would rather take things into my own hands just to be safe. Plus, since the gear is going to be low level anyways, might as well make it utility based. "Uhm... Harold, can I get some Tier 1 leather that you got this morning?" I asked, interrupting their conversation. "Sure, you can take all of it if you got the room for it in your [Item Box]" Harold replied and took out the leather. "Thanks..." I replied with a rather sad expression due to the apparent lack of a skill up... "Is something the matter?" Harold questioned, noticing my odd behavior. "No... It''s nothing..." I answered back while storing the excess leather into my own [Item Box]. Oh well, it was bound to happen eventually... Though speaking of disappointments, I can''t help but feel a bit disappointed at how many opportunities I''ve apparently been missing out on due to my negligence... If I think about it, I should I have bought a Leatherworking kit back when I was in Hallion. I also should have remade things like the needles in the kits with my [Blacksmithing]. Why didn''t I think of that at the time is beyond me... I mean even if not then, I should have most definitely done it when I was in Tiamet at the very least... I mean sure, I can play it off as being blinded by the money and all, but still... I also can''t help but feel like something about me has changed... I don''t know if it''s part of the whole growing up thing, my experiences so far in this world, or this new body... but somehow, I just feel a tad different... and these differences become more and more prominent as I go along... Just like these strange urges I''ve been getting lately... it''s like this odd desire to sink my claws into things... and out of all things I could possibly want to sink my claws into, I have this itch to sink them into the freaking carriage I''m riding on! Utterly ridiculous! Why the hell would I want to do that?!?! * scraaaatccchhhh * "What''s that noise?" Brian suddenly spoke out as he perked up his ears. Eeek?!?! * hiccup * ... breathe... breathe...
Your skill [RA][Hearing Sense] has become Level 2
After listening for a short while and hearing nothing, he thankfully went back to his conversing with Harold... Whew... that was close... anyways, I can worry about all this later, let''s not get too distracted and get back to work! For my first project, I opted to use a [Giant Rat Pelt] as the base material of a fur hat. Even if I get a blanket from Harold, it wouldn''t really help my ears much... though I''m not exactly sure how sensitive catkin ears are to the cold versus my old human ones, but nevertheless, it''s a good thing to have just in case! While making the fur hat, I also made sure to listen in on Brian''s and Harold''s conversations, just in case they mentioned any useful information, but unfortunately, most of it was useless nonsense... I mean who the hell cares what some darn hero did?! Hmph! After spending about an hour carefully working on it, my first leather item was complete! Well... at least first real item... I''m not counting those paddings I made since well... they weren''t really items per se...
Catkin Specialized Giant Rat''s Fur Hat of Vitality An average hat made out of Giant Rat''s fur and has been custom fit for a young catkin. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold. +1 VIT +2 DEF Durability: 25/25 Quality 5.7175/10.0000
That said, the experience working on those paddings definitely helped quite a bit, otherwise there would be no way that I''d get such a high quality score on my first attempt. Since my [Leatherworking] is only at level 3, and I lack the perfection skill, the difficulty is much higher than my others skills. That said, I noticed something peculiar about [Leatherworking]. It seems to be overall easier than [Blacksmithing] or [Tailoring], but at same time harder than them. It''s easier if you are already familiar with the material you are using, but considering there is virtually an infinite variety of monsters, getting familiar with each material poses its own complications. So effectively, you''ve got to pretty much relearn from scratch with each new material, but once you get that material down, it gets much easier going forward. If anything, it reminds me of[Cooking] quite a bit, which also has similar implications. Now then... with my warm comfy hat complete, I should move on to making the next thing. Let''s see... while we plan on riding the wolves through the mountains, there will still be instances where we are forced to walk right? So just in case, I should probably prepare an extra thick pair of boots to trod through the snow... "That''s a pretty fancy hat you''ve got there. Do you mind making one for me as well?" Harold requested out of the blue. "Sure I guess... but since I''m not a commissioned Leatherworker, that will cost you!" I demanded in return. Well I''m not sure if such a thing even exists, but I don''t plan on working for free if it ain''t part of my job description! "... Uhm..." Harold stuttered, being caught off guard by my sudden declaration. "What about me~? Will you make me one?" Tina joined in. "Hmm..." I pondered. Well Tina did help me figure out their nefarious scheme back there... so I guess I can make an exception for her... "I guess I can make you one" I accepted. "Yey~!" Tina cheered, then made a subtle wink at Harold. "..." "Don''t mind it boss, I bet you that twerp''s leatherworking is just as terrible as her smithing, if not more so!" the hateful dogkin pitched in, earning him a well-deserved glare! How dare he insult my work! Just you wait, I''ll have you pleading on the floor in no time! Or better yet, maybe I should just skin him and make him into dogkin leather? *evil grin* "Stop it Brian, lets not cause any more conflicts" Harold reprimanded him, "How much for a hat?" Harold then asked as he turned back to me. Ha? He actually wants to buy it? I definitely didn''t expect that... hmmm... let me think... If I remember correctly, the [Dire Fox] boots cost me 3 silver coins sans the modifications... so that is 1 silver and 50 copper coins per boot? Then I guess throw in a discount since technically speaking I''m not a ''certified'' leatherworker... "It will cost you 1 silver coin!" I decided. Technically speaking, due to the double layering, I''m using up enough materials to make two hats, but since I''ll be gaining EXP from a Rank B adventurer, I''ll let it go cheaply this time around. "Alright, we have a deal then, here you go" Harold accepted and handed me 1 silver coin. With the commission accepted, I took out two more pelts and got to work. After about 2 hours, both hats were complete!
Giant Rat''s Fur Hat of Vitality An average hat made out of Giant Rat''s fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold. +1 VIT +2 DEF Durability: 25/25 Quality 5.6312/10.0000
Giant Rat''s Fur Hat of Vitality An average hat made out of Giant Rat''s fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold. +1 VIT +2 DEF Durability: 25/25 Quality 5.8217/10.0000
My improvement has been somewhat lacking since well, I was extra careful to seal off any traces of my heart. Because next thing you know, it''ll probably end up on fire after that wicked hero sets of an explosion or something... That said, there were other reasons as well why my progress was so limited... "Here you go!" I announced while handing out the hats, opting to give the slightly better one to Tina. "Thanks..." Harold replied. "Can''t wait to show this to Ariel~" Tina said as she happily took the hat. Now then... time to put my true abilities to the test! I took out two more [Giant Rat Pelts] and began working on my boots. For these boots, I opted to make them full sized instead of child sized, so that I can put them over my Holy-steel boots. And after working on them for another 2 hours, I got exactly what I wanted...
Giant Rat''s Fur Boot of Vitality An exquisite boot made out of Giant Rat''s fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold. +2 VIT +2 DEF Durability: 45/45 Quality 8.9998/10.0000
Giant Rat''s Fur Boot of Vitality An exquisite boot made out of Giant Rat''s fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold. +2 VIT +2 DEF Durability: 45/45 Quality 8.9999/10.0000
Surprising, I know! But actually there is a trick to it. That trick is in my new skill, [Creationist: Creation Correction]! Considering this is merely Tier 1 gear, the skill pretty much goes off almost every single time due to my high [PER]. During all this time that I''ve been making things out of leather, I''ve been experimenting with the skill to see all kinds of possibilities to go about things, while at same time being extra careful not to harm my quality too much... The skill is pretty awesome if I do say so myself, especially for learning. Though for actually making stuff, it can be a double edge sword. The reason for that is simple, sure, it shows me my mistake as I make it, and also gives me an opportunity to correct it, but there are multiple ways to go about making things. So unless the skill goes off 100% of the time, there is a risk of making an error in between. If that happens, I could completely ruin the path I was taking, thus lowering the quality of my item significantly. But as far as learning goes, it is pretty much a god send! It''s like having an instructor right next to you that tells you if you are about to make a mistake, but better since I also have multiple attempts to fix it before I actually mess up. Of course said instructor doesn''t give me an answer, and there also seems to be a sort of diminishing returns the more times the skill goes off, but it''s still a significant improvement for my learning ability. Though the only reason it actually works like that is only because of the low tier, when I was [Blacksmithing] with Steel for example, the skill only went off from time to time at best... and I can imagine it will be even worse if I were to make Holy-Steel or Mithril. I guess it''s just a matter of raising my PER high enough so that the rate of it happening goes up as well, thus class quests now became even more important... Making these boots also brought to me another insight. For the first time since I started production, I have hit an impassable wall. Actually, two impassable walls. The first wall that I hit against is that there seems to be a limit to how much a material can improve. From the looks of things, that limit seems to be 3. Hence, the boot that was made using material with quality score of 5.9998 ended up with a quality score of 8.9998. The other impassible wall I found was that with [Leatherworking] only at level 3, quality score of 9 seems to be impossible. That is because even when I used a material with a quality score of 6.0014, I could not see myself getting a 9. Though when I say impossible, I can''t really say if that is really the case... Actually, I''m completely confused here... The issue stems from the fact that I''m currently lacking the [Leatherworking] equivalent of [Blacksmith: Smithing Perfection]. Does [Leatherworking] not have such a skill? Because otherwise, how can I even begin to explain the fact that I got a higher quality score than the base material? It should in theory be impossible right?... Does [Creationist: Creation Correction] let me bypass one impossibility, or does it do something similar to perfection which lets me improve on the quality score of materials? So effectively, I''m stuck with more questions than answers yet again... On top of all that, I have yet another regret... maybe I shouldn''t have so readily dismissed studying up on Copper?... If I had spent a bit more time studying up on it, maybe I could have achieved a quality score of 10? If I could accomplish that, then getting 7 more Weapon Creation class quests done would become a piece of cake... well that is assuming the quest requirements continued on as before of course... * scraaaatccchhhh * "There is that noise again... I think it came from your direction twerp, did you hear it?" Brian queried.
Your skill [RA][Hearing Sense] has become Level 3
"N-No... I-I didn''t hear anything..." I franticly denied while shaking my head. "Hmm... I could have sworn..." Brian doubted, then got up and took a look around the area I was sitting at. With my hand to covering up the scratches on the floor... "See there is nothing..." I asserted while sweating profusely and avoiding eye contact... "Give it a rest Brain, if there was an issue Ariel would have long sensed it" Harold assured. "I guess you are right boss..." Brian relented and went back over to Harold. Whew... I really need to get that under control... Now then... I guess I should make some gloves next? Followed by a pair of pants and maybe a jacket?... Like that, I began to work on creating a full set of equipment for dealing with the cold. By the time I was done, we arrived at the foothills of Icecomb mountains. Volume 03: The price that is my heart and soul (5) "Alright then, somewhere around here should be fine..." Harold announced, prompting the carriage to pull over to the side, "We''ll be making camp here, while I disassemble the carriage, Ariel, go clear out the vicinity of any high level monsters that may pose a threat. Saron, set up the tents, and Brian put up your traps, and if you happen to have some spare time afterwards, see if you can kill something for dinner as well. Since we managed to make it here earlier than expected, might as well enjoy a fresh meal for once" he then added. "Ooh! I want to hunt and cook!" I blurted out as I raised my hand by reflex. There is no way in hell I''m going to give up an opportunity to gain some EXP to someone else. Not that I''m stupid enough to go out there hunting by myself, but if someone watches my back, I''m pretty confident I can get in a few kills. "Can a twerp like you even cook properly?" Brian ridiculed. "Better than you can even dream off!" I proudly declared. "Look boss, I don''t trust her one bit. Last thing we need is some food poisoning prior to embarking into the mountains" Brian scoffed. "Hmm... can you really cook?" Harold questioned with a hint of doubt. "You don''t trust me? I''ll have you know that I have the [Cooking] skill!" I replied with dissatisfaction due to the lack of confidence. Not that I''m actually going to reveal what my level is, but there is no harm revealing that I have the skill right? "*sigh*, I guess we''ll have to decide this with a quick vote. All those in favor of her cooking, raise your right hand, and all those in favor of Brian cooking raise your left" Harold announced. Taking a look around, Tina and Ariel raised the right hand while Brian was the only one raising his left. Since neither Saron nor Harold raised any of their hands, I''m guessing they abstained from the vote? "Eh? Elder sister too..." Brian called out somewhat pitifully. "Well I guess that settles it, Ma-*ahem* Shiro will handle the preparations for dinner... Tina, you come along with her just in case, and be sure not to go too far, if you don''t happen to find anything within 3 hours, head straight back to camp" Harold warned. "Me too?" Tina asked seemingly caught a bit off guard. "Might as well put you to some use" Herold answered back. So Tina is going to be the one babysitting me? Not that I mind... oh right! "Uhm... would it possible for me to borrow a bow?" I requested, hoping to simplify my hunting while at same time practice my ranged attack skills. "Let''s see... the Longbows we have on hand would be a bit too big for your frame, and the Shortbows would be a tad difficult... can you use a Crossbow?" Harold inquired. "Yeah... I think I can..." I responded after checking that my [Crossbow Mastery] was at level 2. "Alright, here you go" Harold said as he handed me a crossbow from his [Item Box]. "... And Tina, make sure you don''t cause her any trouble" Harold proclaimed as he went on to his task of disassembling the carriage. "So little faith..." Tina said while shrugging her shoulders. Wait?! Who is supposed to be babysitting whom?! *sigh* "I guess let''s not waste any time and go" I called out to Tina and headed into the forest. "Sure thing, right behind you!" Tina replied enthusiastically. After walking for a few minutes, I spotted something in the woods... taking a closer look, it was one of those 3 eared rabbits! They aren''t really considered monsters, but more like typical animals. And while killing animals does give me some EXP, it''s far below that of monsters. On top of that, they are generally pretty annoying to hunt since unlike monsters, they tend to just run away if they feel threatened. Considering the effort it takes to catch them, they aren''t really worth it... nevertheless, it''s a good chance to get some target practice! Through the use of [Shadow Step], I drew in on the rabbit by shifting from the shadow of the closest tree to the next without making a single noise... Once there, I activated [Blend Stealth] to not give myself away as I wait for my cooldown to expire... after repeating this process a few times, soon enough, I was finally in what I would consider acceptable range... aiming the crossbow carefully, I activated [Sniping Shot] and let it loose! "Squee!!" the rabbit squealed, before falling to its death. Excited that I actually managed to catch my first prey so easily, I quickly ran up to it and triumphantly held it up by its ears in midair as I proudly marveled over my achievement! I mean, sure, it''s not that big of a deal considering the difference in level, but getting it on my first try is freaking awesome in itself! As I was happily smiling due to my successful catch, Tina came over to me... "Are you planning on serving that for dinner?" Tina queried with a hint of doubt in her voice. "Uhm... Yes..." I answered, losing some of my ecstasy from prior... "I know you have a thing between you and Ariel and all, but can you be sure not put any of that in our plates? Well at the very least not in mine..." Tina requested. "Ha? Why?" I inadvertently asked out of confusion. "Don''t you know?... Tri-eared rabbits are highly poisonous! While some monsters do eat them, as far as humans and beastkin go, eating them can be quite lethal" Tina informed. Hearing that shocking bit of information, I spontaneously dropped the rabbit out of my hand, as my face turned almost completely pale from the reality of me possibly eating one of those on my first day filled my mind! It could have literally turned out to have been my first meal, and at same time my last... no wait! This is Tina we are talking about, she is probably playing one of her pranks again, right? You can''t fool me! I activated my [Identify] skill, and looked over it carefully with the help of [Creationist: Analyze Everything] and [Cooking] as well... *gulp* A cold sweat drips down the back of my neck... yeah... bad... really, really bad... While my experience with [Cooking] is severely lacking, with my skill level at 4, I can at the very least tell this thing reeks of poison! Well eating it is definitely out of the question now, but maybe I can use its blood to cover my blades for some extra poison damage?... Though if I think about it, that would probably mean I wouldn''t be able to cook the monsters I catch now would I? Damn it! Why couldn''t this be more like those video games where you can literally dip a monster in poison and still safely eat the meat it drops!... *sigh* "Oh and what you did there was pretty interesting... considering how easily you used it during broad daylight, do you by any chance have a decent amount of Shadow or Darkness Affinity?" Tina asked out of the blue. "Eh? Uhm... Something like that..." I vaguely answered, not wanting to delve into it any longer. I quickly stored the rabbit into my [Item Box], and then resumed looking for something more... eatable... "The affinity, the [Item Box] skill, leatherworking, and decent level Blacksmithing... you''re a bundle of surprises aren''t you?" Tina casually commented. As I was hesitating on how to answer that, I noticed a monster in the distance... Talk about good timing! "I think I found something up ahead!" I announced and sprinted forward. Once I got in good enough range, I slowed down my pace and began slowly sneaking up on the monster... in no time, the monster appeared within my sight....
[Brutal Mountain Goat] Level 28
Oooh, now that looks like some good prey! I mean seriously, that''s a pretty darn large goat... well, as the saying goes, all the better to eat you my dear~... or is it my goat? I questioned while tilting my head... Anyways... let''s put the silly puns aside and focus! This time around, I''m facing a far more formidable opponent, so wasting Stamina on using [Shadow Step] multiple times is simply too risky. And since it''s not going to run away from me anyways, might as sneak up on it the old fashion way! And with that in mind, I slowly begin to close in on the goat one step at a time... it did not take long before I was finally in striking distance of my crossbow, activating [All-Observing-Eyes], I closely aim the crossbow at its weak spot... then with the help of [Power Shot] and [Sniping Shot], I blast the bolt straight at the goat! "BAAAH!!" the goat screams out in pain, then turning around in my direction, it charges straight at me!
Your skill [RA][Charge] has become Level 3
Darn, there isn''t ample time to finish the light spell since it''s faster than I thought!... Calculating in its new speed, I quickly activate [Shadow Step]! Melting into the shadows, I circle around and appear right behind the [Brutal Mountain Goat]! Then with no time to spare, I swiftly [Thrust] my Holy-Steel Katar right at its weak spot!If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Eh?" I pronounce in shock, as my katar stabs into dirt instead! What the hell just happened?! I could have sworn I timed it correctly! Even with the [Charge], it feels as though... "BAAAH!" the goat cries out yet again as it turns around and prepares for its second charge! Crap, this is no time for idle thoughts! [Shadow Step] is on cooldown, so I need to come up with an alternative... Should I just dodge with a [Charge] of my own? Or should I try to break through it with my wind cutter? "[Water Magic: Water Bolt]!" came a voice from the side, as a bolt of water flew out and hit the goat straight at the temple of the head!
You have acquired a new sub-skill [NA][Water Magic: Water Bolt] Level 1
My first attack magic! That said, I don''t really appreciate the kill stealing you know?... give me back my delicious EXP! "Why did you do that? I clearly had it!" I complained. "Did you now? All I saw was that you were about to be run over..." Tina replied as she made her way towards me. "Well I most definitely had it! I was about to shred it in half actually!" I pronounced with confidence. "Is that so? Well then, next time I see you being run over by a monster, I''ll be sure to leave it to you~!" Tina replied with a content smile. "Yup! You can leave... it... to me?" I confidently replied, only to trail off at the end after getting this odd feeling that something was definitely off... As much as I wanted to figure out what that odd feeling was, I simply couldn''t due to the other more pressing thoughts that have been flooding my head... I mean... what in the world happened back there? Even now, I''m pretty confident my timing was definitely spot on... so then how was it that I messed up so badly?... It just somehow felt like when I used [Shadow Step], I for some reason ended up quite a bit further than I had originally anticipated... hmmm... Maybe it really was faster than I predicted? But again, it didn''t feel that way... Ugh! This is so freaking annoying! "Is something the matter?" Tina asked, interrupting my thoughts. "No... it''s nothing... I thought my [Shadow Step] felt a bit off somehow but it''s probably just my imagination... anyways, let''s head back" I replied absentmindedly as I put my thoughts behind me and loaded the goat within my [Item Box]. "Well if anything, I''m more surprised you even got it off in the first place... I mean, isn''t that monster higher level than you? And you used it in broad daylight at that..." Tina commented in wonder. "Hmm? Does that matter somehow?" I curiously inquired, hoping to finally get an answer to my troubles. "What, you don''t know?" Tina asked with a bewildered expression. "Eh? Uhm... can you please tell me?" I timidly pleaded. "So you don''t know~?" Tina repeated with amusement written all over her face. "That is why I''m asking!" I burst out in irritation. Grrr... I hate it when people flaunt about knowing something I don''t! Just freaking tell me already! "So you really don''t know! huhuhu-" Tina teased while laughing. "Fine! If you don''t want to tell me, I''ll just go ask Harold!" I pouted in frustration. "-huhu... Sorry about that, but it''s nothing complex really... If I were to explain it simply, every existence be it you or me, or even that tree over there has something called a [Domain]. We are all masters of our own[Domain], and hold dominance within it. Have you ever noticed that when you use [Shadow Step] to attack from behind, you don''t generally go in a straight line in-between their feet, but go around them instead?" Tina questioned. Now that I think about it... something like that does happen... "Yeah..." I confirmed with a nod. "Well, the reason you see that happen is because you''ve entered within their [Domain]. This is also why you can''t just [Shadow Step] with your weapon one centimeter away from their necks either. Because the closer you get into someone''s [Domain], the more resistance you will have" Tina explained. "I see... but I''m pretty sure I got pretty close when I used it before..." I muttered in doubt... "So you know, just because you are the master of your own [Domain] doesn''t exactly mean that your [Domain] is invincible. In the case of [Shadow Step], there could be multiple reasons why you got better results than you did this time around. For example, if your target is lower level than you are, its [Domain] will obviously be weaker and easier to penetrate. Then there is another factor to consider, your environment. If you use it during the night, indoors, or a place with high density of darkness attribute mana, your [Shadow Step] will also perform far better than normal. But this also applies in reverse, if you use it on something that is higher level than you, in broad daylight, or at a place with high amounts of light attribute mana, you''ll find yourself far more constrained. And lastly, there is affinity. The higher you get your Shadow or Darkness affinity, the easier it is to break through someone''s else''s [Domain]" Tina explained. Hmm... Now that I think about it, prior to today, I''ve always used [Shadow Step] either at night or indoors.... and it was always pretty much on targets lower level than me... Though there was that one incident with the [Wraith] who was way higher level, but that place was especially dark, and maybe since there were undead monsters in there, it could have been abundant in darkness attribute mana? *sigh* I really wish I could make a definite assessment of that fight, but unfortunately it''s kind of a blur... Not only was I fully absorbed in the fight at the time, there was also the whole curse thing that was eating away at my [Mental]... So trying to remember something as minuscule as how many centimeters away I was after using [Shadow Step] just leaves me drawing blanks... Well either way, this makes things quite a bit more complicated... "Is there a place I can find out more information about what a [Domain] is and how it works?" I curiously inquired. If it''s considered common knowledge, then there is bound to be a place I can learn about it in detail right? Maybe also a few other things as well... "Hmm... I guess if you attend a prestigious Academy or maybe visit the Royal Library?" Tina casually replied back as she placed a finger on her chin. "Ha?! So it''s not common knowledge at all!" I complained while gritting my teeth. "Well it''s considered common knowledge where I''m from~" Tina shamelessly retorted back. So other than prying the information from the party or going through trial and error, I''m pretty much out of options ha?... Should I maybe reconsider my whole strategy of using [Shadow Step] for combat other than indoors or on night days? But if that''s the case, then what kind of combat method should I adopt? I do have these bow skills I could use... and killing things from a safe distance is to my liking, even though that may not always be an option... and at end of the day that still doesn''t solve my problem of dealing with monsters stronger than me... hmm... Wait a second.... why the hell am I even thinking about fighting monsters higher level than me in the first place? I''m not under some grand quest to save the world or what not... The only thing I truly care about is getting to a high enough level to ensure my safety, and be strong enough that people will think twice about offending me... I reckon maybe Rank A? Either way, the biggest reason why I''m able to safely face monsters far stronger than me is due to my equipment, but as I level up, there is no way my gear is going to keep up with me forever... So fighting higher level monsters than me will become harder and harder as I go. I mean realistically speaking, once I reach Rank A in strength, and forge myself a full set of mithril gear, that would probably be more than enough to fulfill my goal. Even if a Rank S monster does show up, I can just simply run away! Plus, it''s not like Rank S monsters simply just drop out of thin air anyways... Oh crap! I need to be careful not trigger any flags like that! Just in case, I took a quick peek around my surroundings to make sure there were no Rank S monsters nearby... I mean, you never know... "So by the way, what are you planning on cooking?" Tina asked out of the blue as we were heading back. "Uhm... I guess simple things like meat skewers and maybe some soup?" I answered, still somewhat unsure... "How boring..." Tine replied with dejection. Hey, I''d like to cook something fancier too... but unfortunately at this point in time, my abilities are still quite lacking... Not to mention the meat in question is entry level Tier 3! Getting too carried away is pretty much asking to mess up. Of course, I could always cook it as non-stat food, but if I do that, I''d get far less EXP, which would be contrary to my intended goal... On the way back, I tried to ''accidentally stumble upon'' some more monsters, but unfortunately there were none that I could find nearby... Thus, I reluctantly made it back to camp without killing any more monsters... darn it! I guess since it has come to this, let''s work hard on maximizing my cooking EXP! "So how was the hunt?" Harold asked when we got back. "It went well, caught a [Brutal Mountain Goat]!" I bragged, despite it technically not being my achievement. "Is that so, do you need any help?" Harold questioned. Not only my kill EXP, you also want to steal my cooking EXP as well?! Not on my watch! "I''m fine, though I could use some condiments to flavor the meat if you have any..." I requested. "Hmm... I don''t have too many, but I have some salt, a few herbs and spices" Harold informed. Alright! Now I can actually give it some real flavor! "Can I have some?" I pleaded. "Sure... but don''t use too much of it since they aren''t exactly cheap" Harold replied and handed me a few small bags. Now then, before I can actually start cooking it, I have to actually take it apart first. It''s a good thing that the [Disassembling] skill isn''t tied down by tiers like production skills, but rather how hard something is to extract. Which kind of makes sense if you think about it, since there isn''t that much difference between a low level goat or a high level goat other than maybe their overall toughness. But in the face of my mithril katar, even the hardest parts are closer to butter... That said, there is another point I need to consider... would a higher [Disassembling] skill lead to higher quality score? "Uhm... Harold, do you happen to have the [Disassembling] skill?" I inquired. Might as well use this opportunity to get some skills if I can, even if they aren''t combat related. "I''m not as good at [Disassembling] as Brian, but it''s decent enough. Do you need some help?" Harold offered. "Sure, but only with the [Disassembling], I''ll handle the cooking myself" I replied. After spending about 20 minutes, we pretty much fully disassembled the entire goat with ease. All while getting my [Disassembling] skill to level 4! Of course, I also had Harold give me some pointers here and there to help expand on my knowledge, otherwise it probably would have taken half that time. Overall, it was a pretty quick process considering that in my world, I remember seeing a guy spending quite a few hours processing a deer of around similar size. Though I can''t exactly say for sure if that person represented the average or not, so it''s probably a moot point ha? With the disassembling of the goat complete, I stored everything that was not eatable in my [Item Box] and moved over to the fire place. First, let me try preparing a few meat skewers for taste testing... while I do have my grudges, my pride simply won''t allow me to serve inferior goods! Taking some salt, garlic and a few other spices that I sampled prior, I covered the meat cubes the best that I could, and then roasted the meat on the fire for about 10 minutes... Now normally it''s best to marinate them for a few hours or maybe even a day, but well, I don''t exactly have that kind of luxury, at the very least not for the prototypes... Either way, I should be able to make up for some of those deficiencies with my skills...
Brutal Mountain Goat Meat Skewers An average quality brutal mountain goat meat skewers. Used to sedate hunger and temporarily raise stats +2 STR +1 AGI +3 VIT +24 Stamina for 24 hours [Made by Shiro] Quality 5.0002/10.0000
Hmmm... the quality score is pretty decent considering it was my first time dealing with this tier 3 meat... Unfortunately though, the stats don''t seem to be that much better than my [Dire Wolf Meat Skewers]... does this mean that stats vary based on the type or level of the monster in question regardless of its tier? Maybe even a mixture of both? Yet another thing to add to my endless list of stuff to research... *sigh* But more importantly... the moment of truth... *munch* *munch* *munch* ... hmm... it''s not bad... though it could definitely be improved upon it here and there... I guess it really helps that [Cooking] seems to pretty much be the easiest of all the professions. Otherwise, there would be no way in hell that I would be able to make average quality tier 3 stuff so quickly without the help of class skills... Since I can now make water appear whenever I want using magic, there is little reason to store up fresh water within my [Item Box] anymore... so with that in mind, I take the bones, some meat, and the water from my [Item Box] and place them in a pot, then after adding garlic and a few other mild condiments I set the pot to boil. With the soup now set up to boil, I proceed to marinating the Meat Skewers, except more properly this time around. After about 3 hours, I was finally done with both the skewers and the soup.
Brutal Mountain Goat Meat Soup An average quality soup using brutal mountain goat meat as stock. Used to sedate hunger and temporarily raise stats +2 STR +1 AGI +3 VIT +24 Stamina for 24 hours [Made by Shiro] Quality 5.3352/10.0000
Brutal Mountain Goat Meat Skewers An average quality brutal mountain goat meat skewers. Used to sedate hunger and temporarily raise stats +2 STR +1 AGI +3 VIT +24 Stamina for 24 hours [Made by Shiro] Quality 5.8192/10.0000
Unfortunately since I didn''t have the quality correction skills nor the experience, it made it quite difficult for me to get a quality score of 6... nevertheless, I still think I did a pretty good job if I do say so myself... and since I managed to make 32 servings of meat skewers, I got to complete my class quest for cooking as well! The downside though was the results with the soup... I hoped to get credit based on servings as well, but it seems it doesn''t quite work that way. While I cooked what could probably be another 20 servings, the actual credit I got was only 5. I guess it''s there to prevent someone from just making a bunch of diluted soup and making it count... Oh well... "Alright, its ready!" I happily declared! "Let''s see what we got there" Harold responded and made his way over. "I''ll have some as well" Tina joined in. "No thanks! I''ll stick to the rations, if everyone ends up getting sick because of that twerp, at least someone will be there to defend us all" the stupid dogkin bitterly grouched. "I appreciate the meal missy" Saron thanked. From there, we finally begun to eat! The reactions? Overall fairly positive! Now I''m pretty sure they had far better stuff to eat in restaurants which served higher level monsters made by higher level chefs... I mean, just the thought of that heaven defying [Ignis Salmon] makes me drool... *drool*... oops... sorry about that... but I''m sure they haven''t eaten something like this while traveling, especially considering the portion sizes. They can of course load food in their [Item Box], but even if they do that, food still gets cold and loses quality over time. Not to mention, if we are talking about simply from a cost perspective, a whole goat like this may easily go for 2 - 5 gold coins once it''s fully cooked! Though... now that I think about it... that isn''t that much money to this party now is it?... So could it be that they are just being thoughtful? Or probably it''s because I cook better than that stupid hateful dogkin. *snicker* Speaking of storing stuff, just in case I stored about half of the skewers and soup into my [Item Box]. Since it will get colder once we get up the mountains, it''s always good to have some warm food in those kinds of situations. I do have the wolf and fox skewers I saved up from prior, but unfortunately they have already gone cold... Their sacrifice won''t be in vain though, since I now have a better understanding of by how much the [Item Box] slows down time. That is of course if you can actually call it slowing down time in the first place... because for all I know, it could also just be storing it in an ideal environment which emulates a similar effect. Kind of like holding something in the fridge makes it seem like your slowing down time and preventing it from spoiling, but that isn''t what''s really going on... anyways, from my basic testing, I concluded the ratio of storing something for 10 days inside the [Item Box] is around the same as having it out in the real world for 1 hour. Though again, I''ll have to do more experiments to get all the details on that front... I did try the usual methods that I read about like setting a leaf on fire and storing it and other such methods, but the results were all over the place... And before anyone knew it, all the skewers and soup that I made was pretty much gone... well, all but the ones in my [Item Box]... Of course no one thought anything of it until... "Hey! Where is my share?!?!" Ariel unhappily declared as she got back from clearing out the nearby areas. Hmph! Like I''d go out of the way to cook for some wretched hero! Well... unless she wants something made from a Tri-eared rabbit... I''d gladly serve that! *evil grin*