by Tao Wong
At the least, Daniel thought, he could take care of his leveling. Focusing, Daniel called up the notification that sat in the corner of his vision, pulling forth the pronouncement from Erlis.
Level Up!
Adventurer Level 13
You have gained 5 attribute points.
Daniel sighed, staring at the meager gains. It was so true that gaining levels after one achieved the first ten was so much more difficult. It did not help that Daniel also had his secondary Miner class, forcing him to require even more experience than a single-class Adventurer. Not that there were many individuals who took Adventurer as their first class. Few people had the opportunity, never mind the desire.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Daniel turned to his character sheet. Perhaps Daniel’s greatest frustration was the way his points had to be distributed. Unlike Omrak or Asin whose roles in the party were clear-cut, his was somewhat more nebulous. He was, of course, their Healer, but he also acted as a secondary front-line fighter. As a Healer, his Intelligence and Willpower ratings meant he could learn spells faster and cast more spells while regenerating at a higher rate. Though, with Mana pools filling once every six hours or so, that regeneration level was quite low.
That could be dealt with significant investments in Wisdom. Daniel knew of one Healer in the city who focused the vast majority of his attribute increases on Willpower. That meant he could cast a much larger number of healing spells than his brethren, allowing him to level up faster. Or so he claimed. The issue with that strategy was that at a certain point, Healer’s needed to face and cure more and more difficult diseases to progress. Without investing in Intelligence, the ability to comprehend and cast the Mana-intensive medium and high-tier healing spells were significantly compromised. Then again, Daniel knew that Healer personally. Like many, he was content to spend his days working the basic spells and cures, again and again—after all, the vast majority of illnesses and injuries were repeats. Adventurers got cut, stabbed, crushed and impaled. It was rare that you saw high-level diseases or plagues. So, staying to low and mid-level spells made sense.
Of course, for Daniel, the issue was that he also needed to increase his three physical attributes as well. Initially, Daniel had a significant advantage in Strength due to his background as a Miner. Increasing his Agility made sense then to ensure he could hit his opponents. But now, splitting his level points meant that Daniel was fast becoming understrength for a front-line fighter. As an example, Daniel knew that Omrak had forty points in Strength and even more in Constitution. Only his Agility was lower, and that was not much lower than Daniel’s. Asin on the other hand had—at last discussion—fifty in Agility alone, making the Catkin an extremely difficult opponent to pin down, speeding up the volume of her attacks. In contrast, Daniel’s highest physical attribute was a thirty-two in Constitution—and that was his highest attribute.
In time, Daniel knew, if this kept going on with him splitting his attributes so widely, he would not be able to support on the front-line or as a Healer. It was time for Daniel to start seriously considering how he wanted to position himself in the team. While he could still hold his own in battle, the fourth level in both Dungeons were beginning to be Daniel’s limit in one-on-one combat. To fix that, Daniel would need to spend more time on his hammer and shield techniques as well as gain another combat Skill.
Or… Daniel touched his coin purse. Perhaps there was another way around this. One of the side effects of being one of the few Healers in town was the high demand for his Skills. Even though he had not vigorously negotiated his salary from the hospital, he still earned a significant salary. Opening his purse, Daniel stared at the amount he owned.
In the pouch was just over sixty gold coins with scattered silver and copper. It was a veritable fortune. Enough for a family to live for five or so years. And he was still owed another dozen gold for the last week of work. With so many funds, there was no reason that Daniel could not upgrade his armor and equipment.
Clarity found, Daniel turned his attention to his attributes. As much as he was reluctant to embrace his role as a healer, it was, Daniel realised, a good cover as well for his Gift. The greater his expertise in ‘normal’ healing, the fewer questions there would be when he pulled off a miraculous healing. So long as he was able to hide his Gift in the shadow of his ‘normal’ healing, no one would likely drag him away from Adventuring. After all, while Healers were rare, Expert level teams all had at least one Healing-specialised member. It just was not viable otherwise.
Resolved, with only a slight qualm in his chest, one that Daniel pushed aside with the memory of a dying Tula, Daniel focused on his sheet once again and allocated his points. He split the points equally between Intelligence and Willpower, leaving the leftover point for Constitution. A dead Healer was a useless healer.
Once he had confirmed his attributes, Daniel next turned to the numerous notifications about skill gains he had been ignoring. Since the skill development occurred whether or not Daniel read the notifications, the Adventurer often took his time reading over the information before planning out his training strategies to optimise his development. Right now, there were a few notifications that were particularly interesting.
Skill Level Up
Club Skill has increased to Novice 8 level. +9% damage for all club-based weapons.
Skill Level Up
Shield Skill has increased to Novice 7 level. +8.5% damage mitigation for all shield blocks. +4.25% for damage done using the shield.
Skill Level Up
Combat Sense has increased to Novice 5 level. Increased awareness of enemies and allies gained. Increased perception of damage dealt and received. Increased combat flow.
New Skill Proficiency Available.
Skill Level Up
Healing Skill has increased to Novice 5 level. +7.5% increase in damage healed via magical and non-magical means. +3.75% increase in non-magical healing speed of those treated.
New Skill Proficiency Available. New Spell available.
The healing skill increase was particularly interesting. While Daniel had received new spell options before, this was the first time he had achieved the option of a skill proficiency. For a moment, Daniel daydreamed of the type available before he pushed the thought aside. There was nothing to be done about it until he gained his next level. Rather, Daniel pulled up his new status to admire the changes in his body since the last time he viewed his sheet.
Name: Daniel Chai (Advanced Rank Adventurer)
Race: Human (Male)
Class: Level 13 Adventurer (0.9%)
Sub-classes: Level 7 (Miner) (2.4%)
Life: 343
Stamina: 343
Mana: 257
Attributes
Strength: 29
Agility: 25
Constitution: 33
Intelligence: 29
Willpower: 23
Luck: 17
Skills
Unarmed Combat: Level 8 (94/100)
Clubs (Novice): Level 8 (32/100)
Archery: Level 3 (24/100)
Shield (Novice): Level 7 (14/100)
Dodge (Novice): Level 3 (21/100)
Combat Sense (Novice): Level 5 (14/100)
Perception (Novice): Level 3 (77/100)
Mining: Level 7 (58/100)
Healing (Novice): Level 5 (13/100)
Herb Lore: Level 3 (98/100)
Stealth: Level 2 (42/100)
Cooking: Level 4 (18/100)
Singing: Level 2 (14/100)
Tactics: Level 4 (12/100)
Skill Proficiencies
Double Strike
Shield Bash
Perin’s Blow
Find Weakness
Mapping (II)
Inventory (Adventurer Special)
Spells
Minor Healing (II)
Healer’s Mark (I)
Gifts
Martyr’s Touch—The caster may heal oneself or others by touch and concentration, sacrificing a portion of his life to do so. Cost varies depending on the extent of the injuries healed.
Invigorated by the changes, Daniel swung his feet off the bed and quickly washed up. Downstairs, he found that his team had already split off except for Tula. A quick healing ensured that his teammate was back to top form.
“Got to report in,” Tula informed Daniel as she waved goodbye and skipped out of the inn.
Daniel, alone, sat down to enjoy a slow breakfast. Better to do that now and then go shopping as per his newly resolved resolution. Since all his weapons and equipment were stored in his Inventory, Daniel was certain he could visit the various merchants and, if necessary, get his equipment directly enchanted. Though…
“I wonder if Rob could do it?” Daniel said, tapping his lips. Definitely something to consider. After all, the Enchanter might be low-levelled, but Daniel might be able to gain a cheaper enchantment that way. Of course, Daniel would pay. But it was interesting that Rob had yet to offer. Perhaps the Selkie thought that it would intrude on the team? Or that his ability was not sufficient?
It was true that Rob was still relatively low-level like the rest of the team. Still, it was worth looking into when he next met up with the man. Humming to himself absently, Daniel quickly finished his breakfast, thanking the smiling innkeeper before he left.
Another advantage of being a healer was the ability to acquire reliable knowledge quickly and easily. While the majority of the work that Daniel did at the hospital was more serious, most ailments that were treated at the large building were less than life-threatening. In fact, most of the work Daniel did was less than life-threatening. As such, gossip and news travelled through the hospital at a decent clip. Which meant that it took only one brief stop before Daniel was on his way with three names under his belt.
Daniel’s first stop was to a well-known armourer who dabbled in enchantment. Unfortunately, the armourer flatly refused to work on Daniel’s existing iron plate armor, nearly spitting in fury at being asked to sully his work on ‘slipshod, orc-manufactured trash’. Feeling somewhat insulted, like his armor, Daniel left to visit the next on the list. This blacksmith specialised in weaponry, but after taking a look at Daniel’s enchanted warhammer, he explained that he could offer little additional help. He did then try to sell Daniel on a host of other weapons, one of which Daniel was secretly desiring.
Ifrit Dagger of the Third Flame
Effect: The Dagger of the Third Flame is enchanted to wrap the dagger in flame. This weapon will cause fire and burn damage (20-30 points) when in contact with targets.
Durability: 50/50
Item Class: Enchanted
Quality: Excellent (+5 to Enchantment Damage)
Rather than purchase the item on impulse, Daniel put the decision aside until he had visited the last shop. The weapon itself was significantly more powerful than the bracers that Daniel had once worn, but the bracers had been made for a Beginner Adventurer after all. They also had the advantage of enchanting Daniel’s aura which meant that all his strikes had been enchanted. This weapon on the other hand was the only item enchanted.
As Daniel walked down the street, the Adventurer paid careful attention to passersby. Even now, months after arriving, Daniel still found the sheer size of the city intimidating. Since Daniel had spent the vast majority of his life moving from mine-to-mine as each played out, he had rarely visited the cities that abutted the mountains he had worked at. Only occasional trips with his grandfather had provided Daniel the context he needed to not be completely overwhelmed. It did not help that the shops that held enchanted goods were all based in the richer, more prosperous quarters of the city. So, it was with some relief that Daniel finally found himself at the entrance to the last shop. The store itself even had glass windows, the mostly clear glass a testament to how prosperous the Enchanter who stayed within was. Showcased in the shop window were numerous accessories, ranging from necklaces and earrings to the ever-popular rings.
Inside the shop, a smiling female attendant with dimples and auburn hair greeted Daniel cheerfully. Yet, for all her smiles, Daniel noted the way she gave the Adventurer a quick once over, her gaze lingering on his belted warhammer.
“How may I help you, Adventurer?”
“Daniel,” he said, introducing himself as he walked forwards. “I’m looking for, well, enchanted accessories.” Realising how inane that sounded considering where he was, Daniel rushed on. “I have a problem. I need to start doing more damage, but I can’t put many points into my physical attributes.”
“Kaylee,” the attendant said, touching her chest. “And that’s an interesting problem. I have a few thoughts, but if you could explain a little more?”
“Of course,” Daniel said and then paused. “Umm, I don’t want to be rude, but are you the Enchanter? Just that you’re a little uhh…”
“Young?” Kaylee’s smile didn’t move an inch.
“Pretty,” Daniel said, trying to recover from his gaffe. Then, realising what he said, he blushed even further and coughed.
Kaylee said nothing to his rude response, though her eyes grew a little colder as she spoke. “I am a seventeenth level Enchanter. The work here is both mine, my fellow apprentices, and my Master’s. Today is my turn to watch the shop.”
“Right. Sorry,” Daniel said, scratching his head and offering the woman a half-smile. Kaylee just gestured, and Daniel took a breath, exhaling slowly as he thought of what to say. “I’m a healer. I used to fight on the frontlines. Well, I still do. But I need to hit harder. And be a little better defended. Not much. I’m a plate and shield user.”
“I see,” Kaylee said, glancing over Daniel once more. “Is there a reason why you haven’t purchased enchanted defenses?”
“Well, not really,” Daniel said. “I just thought of this now. Or well, had the funds for it now. And I’m in a bit of a rush for an upgrade. And a full suit is both expensive and time-consuming.”
Kaylee could only nod at that. They both knew that enchanting a full suit of plate mail would be extremely expensive. Instead, Kaylee tapped her lips with one finger, beginning to chew on a fingernail in thought before she pulled it out of her mouth with a jerk. The saleswoman eyed Daniel and seeing that he saw her entire action flushed slightly.
“Sounds like our accessories are the best option then. Your hammer will be sufficient for now, though it’ll need to be upgraded in a few levels,” Kaylee said. “But we can put that off with the right accessory. Now, do you know much about enchantments?”
Daniel shook his head, and Kaylee smiled slightly. “That’s good actually. Most Adventurers think they know, and then they end up making mistakes later. Better to get a proper education.”
“Okay.”
“Now, let’s start with the basics. The first type of enchantment is a material enchantment. It magnifies and reinforces the properties of a material. A lot of enchantments are of that kind because they’re the easiest to make. Not necessarily cheapest—because the material can be expensive—but the easiest. That’s where you get weapons like fire-toothed daggers or ice claw sabers.” Daniel nodded, recalling seeing such weapons at the other shop. “But they’re uncommon to make and have lousy durability.”
“The second kind of enchantment are spell-driven enchantments. Your warhammer is one. In such cases, a spell is enchanted into the weapon itself. Those are more complicated to make because you can only enchant a spell that you know—or that you can have a mage cast at the time of enchantment. That’s why they’re often either very common—like a flame or ice-based weapon—or extremely rare. Not much in-between.”
“Oh,” Daniel said, touching his warhammer. “Are spells like the imprisonment one I have that common?” Or did he have something super-r
are.
“No. Cage spells are common enough, but to keep one inside a weapon for an unknown period of time…” Kaylee’s lips quirked slightly. “No. Not at all. It’s a Dungeon drop, no?” At Daniel’s nod, Kaylee smiled slightly as her voice firmed. “Dungeon weapons are different from those we create. Spells that are stored for use and re-use have three components. First, the recharge portion. Complicated, difficult to make, and often dependent on the materials. Second, the spell itself. The more powerful the spell, the more powerful the third component needs to be. The container for it.
“All three of these must be balanced by the enchanter—and finding and developing the balance is what makes higher level Enchanters better. But, Dungeon weapons alter the equation slightly by altering what is considered a ‘powerful’ spell. While I can—and do—replicate the first and third components easily, the spell itself is a divine spell. A low-level divine spell. But a divine spell nonetheless.”
“Oh…” Daniel said softly, touching the weapon unconsciously. He had never realised his weapon had been that powerful. It seemed strange that such a powerful spell would be on such a—relatively speaking—poor weapon. But then again, as Kaylee mentioned, its ultimate maker was Panqua. What a god viewed as powerful or not was unlikely to be the same as Adventurers like themselves.
“Good. Now, we were talking about types of enchantments. The first material, the second spell. The third are glyphed spells. Rather than enchanting and storing a spell, the enchanted effects come directly from the glyphs themselves. Of course, I say glyphs, but there are a variety of different cultural practices that use everything from runes to glyphs to hieroglyphics. The effects in the end are the same. The glyphs draw from the ambient Mana, charging up the enchantment, which, in turn, exhibit the effect. The major difference is that in a glyphed enchantment, nothing is actually stored—the Mana is converted immediately.”