Chapter 47: Dungeon of the Alchemist |
In conclusion, the kids couldn't master Mana Sense in a single day. Far from the one hour I'd demanded, Yu-jeong collapsed after lasting the longest at 28 minutes. Honestly, for their first attempt, it was a praiseworthy effort, but I intentionally said nothing.
As a pioneer city, Mul only had the buildings that were present when it was first discovered. The only new constructions were essential facilities. Unlike the major cities, there were no dedicated training grounds. So, for the time being, I planned to have them focus solely on Mana Sense training.
While they were training, I left the inn under the pretext of gathering information. No matter how well I remembered the past, there was no guarantee that my information was accurate. Moreover, it was best to confirm the minor details, not just the major events, before making a move. However, there was one thing I needed to take care of first.
Before setting out, I first headed to the warehouse used by players. It's easiest to think of the player-exclusive warehouse as a non-portable inventory. Classified as a 'feature' of the Hall Plain, it was a personal space that others couldn't access, but it had the restriction that only items purchased with GP could be stored there.
Racking my memory, I found the player warehouse and slowly examined the items inside. As they say, hoarding things until they're useless is a waste, so I felt it was best to use everything I could right now. I took out all the elixirs and, without a second thought, downed them all.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
You have used Angel's Tear. 6 additional stat points have been generated. You have used the Elixir of Stamina Enhancement. Your Stamina has increased by 2 points. You have used the Elixir of Secrets. 1 additional ability point has been generated.
A satisfied smile spread across my face as I watched the messages appear in sequence. Eager to check my stats, I immediately loaded my Player Status window.
⚔ PLAYER STATUS ⚔ 1. Name:
Sword Specialist 3. Nation:
- 4. Clan:
- 5. True Name · Nationality:
Master of the Sword · Republic of Korea 6. Gender:
Male (24) 7. Height · Weight:
181.5cm · 75.0kg 8. Alignment:
Lawful · Chaos
〈 Stats (12 stat points remaining) 〉
Strength:
94
Endurance:
92
Agility:
98
Stamina:
72
Magic Power:
96
Luck:
88
〈 Achievements (1) 〉
1. Rite of Passage Boss Monster〈 Unique Abilities (1/1) 〉
1. The Third Eye (Rank: S)〈 Special Abilities (1/1) 〉
1. Sword and Mind as One (Rank: EX)〈 Potential (4/4) (1 ability point remaining) 〉
1. Close Quarters Combat (Rank: A+) 2. Unfaltering (Rank: A+) 3. Mind's Eye (Tranquil) (Rank: A+) 4. Blessing of the Battlefield (Rank: EX)The more I looked at my current stats, abilities, and remaining points, the more proud and, at the same time, unfamiliar it all felt. A strange thrill I'd never experienced in my first life seemed to take hold of my body.
2 points from the boss monster. 6 points from Angel's Tear. 2 points from the Stamina Elixir. 4 points from the player mission reward. Excluding the 2 points from the Stamina Elixir, that left me with a total of 12 available stat points. On top of that, I also had one point left to raise the rank of a Potential.
I still couldn't decide where to invest my stat points. Logically, investing in Stamina was the right choice. Emotionally, however, I couldn't stop my eyes from drifting toward Strength, Magic Power, and Agility. Not that I had any intention of stopping myself. This dilemma was similar when I looked at my ability points. The fact that I couldn't invest in my Unique Ability was a great disappointment.
For stats, there was Strength, Endurance, Agility, Stamina, and Magic Power.
For Potentials, there was Close Quarters Combat, Unfaltering, and Mind's Eye (Tranquil).
Others—no, other players—would probably throw stones at me, calling it a happy problem to have.
In the end, unable to make a decision, I decided to hold off for now. Since I had absorbed everything, I could raise them whenever I needed. I wanted to think it over more, and I also wanted to be prepared for any situations I might not be able to handle.
After a moment of thought, I decided to keep the Formless Sword and the Elixir in the player warehouse for the time being. Both were late-game items, so I had no reason to take them out or use them in the early stages. Besides, even though the Formless Sword looked plain, if a player with a keen eye and an exploration-related class saw it, it could lead to trouble. I could take it out later, once I acquired a subspace, the mark of a high-level player. Taking out 300 gold coins, 30% of my total gold, I finished my business at the warehouse.
When I turned my head, I saw the quiet main street of the city. The information I wanted wasn't about the current state of the Northern Continent, but about what our party needed to achieve our goals. Honestly, if I had more time, I would have wanted to grow steadily by clearing monsters in the yet-to-be-stabilized regions.
But the time we had left was far too short. I wanted us to have an official clan name by the time the First Alliance War broke out and the clans rose up. Except for cases where a major clan establishes a branch, launching an official clan in just three months was an incredibly difficult task.
In the end, the only way was to cherry-pick the best opportunities in Mul and build up our achievements in a short amount of time.
There were three essential locations to conquer in Mul.
The Ruined Laboratory. The Dungeon of the Ancient Alchemist Vivian. The Cave of Screams.
The Cave of Screams was a cavern my caravan happened to discover after my second year. However, I'd only heard rumors about the laboratory and the alchemist's dungeon, so they required some preparation.
Most novice players mistakenly believe that discovering caves or dungeons isn't difficult. But such places don't just pop up easily. Sometimes they were hidden tightly behind barriers, or required a specific item to enter.
Of course, my Third Eye might be able to solve a good portion of these problems, but there were too many uncertainties to be optimistic.
I decided to go to the library first. In the Hall Plain, a library could be defined as a facility that collected all sorts of documents and records and made them available for players to view.
Since the surrounding situation was chaotic and Mul was a newly established pioneer city, the representative clan was prioritizing its stabilization. In this situation, openly declaring that I was going to explore a cave or dungeon would be foolish. I knew going to the library might seem like a slow approach, but I had no other choice.
If all else failed, I could always go to the Cave of Screams first. But I wanted to save that cave for last if possible.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Four days passed. During that time, the kids had shown definite signs of growth. An Sol, in particular, had made great strides. It seemed she'd struggled to control her mana at first because she had so much of it. But after I shared my know-how on efficient mana management and guided her mana a few times, her skills improved dramatically day by day.
As time went on, I started demanding more from them. I required them to maintain their Mana Sense while moving around, not just while standing still. The kids, who had just managed to maintain it for 40 minutes, were sent right back to square one the moment they added movement.
An Hyeon and Yu-jeong complained, but I silenced them with a single question: "So, are you planning to stand still in one spot during a fight?"
I added one more requirement for Sol. Among the basic divine spells that priests learn is a magic called Shackles. Along with Cure, it was one of the most useful divine spells in the early stages.
Clink!
I took out a silver coin and flipped it high into the air. The coin spun through the air before falling back into my hand. Looking at Sol, who was watching with a serious expression, I calmly explained the training method.
"Remember the moment I caught the coin. For mages and priests, casting speed is the most important thing after their Magic Power stat. How quickly, how swiftly can you cast the spell you intend. That's the key. Try to catch the coin in mid-air with Shackles before it hits the ground."
"Okay!"
I smiled gently at Sol, who answered energetically with a beaming grin. Then, Sol suddenly thrust her head forward, catching me off guard. But I quickly understood what she wanted and reached out to pat her head.
After sending the giggling Sol on her way, I was about to focus back on the documents I'd brought from the library. Just then, I heard the door to the next room burst open. And a moment later, the door to my room was thrown open with a rough sound. I looked up, wondering who it was now, and saw Yu-jeong's face peeking inside.