Wild Era 2: A LitRPG Progression Epic, page 13
“I’ve been in one dungeon after another,” Kelin agreed. “I’ll be heading back to them soon too, and looking at the First Evolution. I’m only here to do some ability training first.”
“What’s your view of this Baron Verasun?” Galin asked in a rumble. “He’s even more angry with you than us, apparently. That scum...if I were stronger, I would chuck him off a cliff without a levitation spell.”
“He’s a problem,” Kelin agreed. “I’ll talk about some options with Captain Sandren when she’s back. The guild should be able to shelter you in name, since you’re guild adventurers, but the guild’s forces are scattered.
“If there were a Gold or Platinum-Ranked adventurer here,” he added, “someone at the Third or Fourth Evolution, the nobles would stay in line better. Without that, the nobles have forgotten the true strength of the guild. They wouldn’t be playing games with fake control of the dungeons.”
“The guild hasn’t had a Knight or Commander in Celadon for at least a hundred years,” Maro said with a nod. “I hear there’s one or two in other countries, but those are the top rankers in all of Lareth. They’re probably busy with dungeon breakouts that are closer to their level.”
He shook his head.
“We’ve considered finding a backer who’s opposed to Verasun,” he added, “one of the other nobles, but there’s the issue of what they would want. We’ve seen the terms they offer, and they’re not good.”
“We don’t want to end up as a noble’s dungeon team and nothing else,” Galin grumbled. “There’s no freedom in that. Those fellows are just workers running the same boring dungeons over and over and giving away all their earnings to their boss.”
“Galin’s right,” Serai said with a sigh, “but without that, it might be difficult to leave here. Verasun is known for holding a grudge, and more than one adventurer who has opposed him has disappeared. His mercenaries already tried to kill us once.
“We’re stuck here for now, unless we can find a way to get out of Celadon, or at least far enough that Verasun can’t cause trouble. But I don’t know where we’d go, and we still have some connections in Cerith that we don’t want to leave behind.”
“We have some funds,” Galin said, “enough to stay here for a few months easily, perhaps even longer. We can focus on ability training, but there’s not much progress in it. We need to get back out there to new dungeons, get experience like you, and then Verasun won’t be able to cause us as much trouble.”
“That’s our best plan so far,” Serai agreed. “Even if we have to risk it, we’re thinking of making a run toward the First Evolution, even if it’s in some of the riskier dungeons. If we can reach that, it’ll put us on a decent level and we can protect ourselves, I think.”
“As long as we can get out of the city and into a dungeon without him noticing,” Maro said, “it could be worth it. We’re not going to live our lives in fear of some noble. That’s giving him too much credit.”
Maro glanced at the other two, and then back at Kelin.
“Do you want to come with us?” he asked. His gaze was clear and determined. “You’re a higher level now, but we’ll catch up.”
The three of them fell silent as they waited for Kelin’s answer. Their words had tumbled over one another, but their worry and desire to improve shone through.
“When were you planning to leave?” Kelin asked thoughtfully.
“We thought we might give this a week or two to die down,” Serai said, “and then we’ll sneak out as quietly as possible.”
Kelin tapped his fingers on the table as he considered the plan.
If they timed it right, he might be able to finish most of his crafting by then, or at least not too much longer than that, but he was planning on taking on much stronger dungeons than they were.
With the way the Path was treating his Effective Level, even if he went into a lower one with them, the challenges would be higher.
If they came with him, he would have to carry them through a few dungeons until they were able to help, but despite that, the level gap between them wasn’t excessive, so it was something he was willing to consider.
It was hard to find good allies, so when you did, it was worth investing in them.
A little bit of time now could lead to greater things.
“Do you have any anti-scrying artifacts?” he asked as he looked around. “Verasun or someone else has been trying to check in on me repeatedly today.”
“No, they’re too expensive,” Galin shook his head. “We’d like to get some, but even if that fine on Verasun does come through, I’m not sure we’d be able to afford any. We were just going to try to move faster than anyone else, the old fashioned way.
“If you want to make the most of the First Evolution,” Kelin suggested, “you’ll need to maximize your abilities first. You’ll need most of them at Elite, and ideally some at Epic, if you want to get high-tier classes.”
Silence fell on the room as the three of them stared at Kelin.
“We...hadn’t planned on that,” Serai said finally. “Rare classes would be good enough, don’t you think? There’s not many people who try for Epic classes, at least not seriously. The requirements are deadly.”
“This is the best time to do it,” Kelin said. “If you don’t aim high now, the later Evolutions will be more limited. You might not see it yet, but the advantages will accumulate over time. It’s worth it.”
“Your teachers must have been something else,” Galin said with a chuckle. “That’s advice I’ve only heard from some truly ancient dwarves, but I can’t say you’re wrong. I’d be willing to try it, but how? I don’t think we have the opportunities here, even if we did get all of our abilities up.
“As far as I know, abilities aren’t always enough. The best chance of getting an Epic class is to complete a really over-leveled dungeon...something like 40 or 50 levels higher.”
“I think we can manage that,” Kelin offered seriously. “I’m planning to run a Level 110 dungeon next, or perhaps even Level 115, for a similar reason. I doubt Verasun has the people to throw away on one of them, and given the situation we can probably ask for a couple of guild guards to watch the entrance. Once we get inside, it should be safe enough until we’re done.”
Maro, Galin, and Serai were Level 64, 62, and 61 respectively.
If he took them into a dungeon at his Effective Level, the Path shouldn’t cause any issues and the experience would be incredible for them.
He’d been planning to do a dungeon like that after he finished his current crafting spree, since it was the best chance of getting Epic-tier ability rewards, and he was willing to take them along.
The three of them were staring at him again, but eventually Maro spoke up.
“Now I see why your level flew up so quickly,” he said with a chuckle. “You’re crazy.”
Despite his words, he was smiling and there was a flame blazing around his hands as he spoke, showing his eagerness.
“But somehow you’re not dead yet,” Galin added with a laugh. “You’ve made this dwarf feel more optimistic at least. I thought our plan was dangerous, but you’ve gone and topped it.”
The dwarf looked at the other two and shrugged.
“It’s not as crazy as it sounds. You saw what he could do against that poison drake and against Verasun’s people. Orest and Kolburn were Level 121 and 192. It’s a gamble, but I’ll take it. Life’s meant to be lived, not lived in fear. What about you?”
“If it works, that might be enough for us all to reach the First Evolution,” Serai said quietly. “And facing monsters at that level would definitely push our current abilities higher. It’s risky, and we’d be placing our lives in Kelin’s hands...but my ancestors always told me that the brightest winter follows the darkest fall.”
She looked down at her hands, which were an alabaster white like fresh snow. She was a Winter Sylph, and that element was at the core of her people’s world view.
To her, a bright and cold Winter was the best type.
“I’m in,” she agreed. “I have no doubt that if Kelin is offering this, he believes it is possible. I see no need to second guess him. We will simply owe him a great favor, and if we die, we cannot blame him. We know the risks.”
“You already know I’m in,” Maro said with a grin. “I’ve never liked holding back, so why start now. We missed out on the last high-level dungeon, so we may as well seize this one.”
He turned to Kelin as his grin got bigger.
“I was feeling trapped here, but now I’m looking forward to tomorrow. When do we leave?”
“Three to four weeks,” Kelin said. “I need some time to finish my current training plan. Then I’ll be ready.”
“Alright,” Maro said with a nod. “I wasn’t looking forward to staying here, but if we’re really doing this, that gives us enough time to prepare too. We should be able to get a few more levels and some ability improvements out of the training halls.”
“Not just that,” Kelin said as he reached into his storage space and brought out some items that he set in front of them. “Take these and use them to train, and to reequip yourselves.”
The team’s eyes grew wide as they stared at everything in front of them.
There were about thirty Level 80 monster cores, a handful of Level 105 and higher cores, and a dozen mid-grade mana crystals, as well as a pile of 1,000 gold coins.
He also set out the Coral Sea Fire Pearl, which could improve a Fire physique, and the Burning Sea Grimoire and Burning Sea Elixir, which were useful for a combined Water and Fire physique.
“The pearl can be yours, Maro, if it fits you,” he said. “If not, you can trade it into the guild for something that does. As for Galin and Serai, I don’t have anything specific for Earth and Winter affinities, so you can trade that grimoire and elixir in for something else.”
He still had the elemental orbs for the kids, so he didn’t need these items any longer. He’d been considering trading them into the guild for Rare-grade materials or better clothes, but it could wait.
It should be enough for the team to advance a bit, whether it was with their abilities or their gear.
The cores and the mana crystals could be used for the training halls, to get them used to facing higher-level monsters, and the rest could be directed toward gear or improving their elemental abilities.
In total, everything he’d set out was probably worth about five to seven thousand gold, or perhaps more depending on how much the rare items went for, but keeping these three alive was worth a little sacrifice.
Money was meant to be spent, and if they used it well, it might be enough to change them from regular adventurers into something special.
“Kelin, we can’t take this.” Maro’s words were stunned as he stared at the items in front of him. “How do you even have this much?”
“Dungeons give and dungeons take,” Kelin said calmly. “Let’s make sure they don’t take your lives. Don’t refuse. If I’m dragging you into a First Evolution dungeon, you’ll need it to survive.”
His words were true, and they knew it, so they didn’t push the items back.
“Don’t spend the gold on anti-scrying items yet,” he said, “unless there’s nothing else you need. I have another plan for that.”
One of the soulfire enchantments he had was for obscuration, and he needed the practice anyway.
He was already planning to make several thousand talismans.
One or two wouldn’t be enough to block a Second Evolution seer’s ability, but he was confident that a few dozen would.
Quantity was a quality all its own.
At Kelin’s insistence, the three of them stored all of the items away, and then the rest of the evening was spent on planning.
Time was short and there was a lot to do.
Chapter 10
Progress
After his mana practice the next morning, Kelin headed back to the crafting hall.
He’d stopped by last night and booked out the room for a month, so it was his until then.
He had some plans to meet with the team now and then to refine group tactics in the combat halls, but for the most part they would be working on their own and he would be doing the same.
The sunlight falling through the crystal roof was pleasant as he sat down at the workbench and checked on his cloak.
It was about three-quarters repaired and the slices from Kolburn’s air blades had noticeably shrunk. The 10% bonus to all magical potency and its other effects were partially restored, including the once a day use of Shadow Speed, but it wouldn’t be good to rely on it yet.
Another day of passive mana regeneration would finish it off.
He set the cloak on the workbench and pushed the mana connection to the back of his mind as he turned his attention to talismans and crafting.
He was planning to get all of the abilities that he could to Elite before he evolved, and at least one or two to Epic if the dungeon went well, but with only six levels to go until his Evolution, time was short.
There were only two abilities that had a decent chance of reaching Heroic: Endless Flame and Spell Disruption.
Both of them had the kernel of a Law embedded in their structure, which was the main requirement, but Endless Flame was at Elite, so it would likely get there first.
It still needed a significant amount of effort before it could reach Epic, much less Heroic, but with enough time, it would ignite.
Perhaps 3,000 talismans would be enough.
His old Persistent Spell ability had only applied to his spells, but Endless Flame was more comprehensive. Even the kernel of a Law had a powerful effect.
He picked up one of the scales and began to refine it, focusing his attention on the effect of Endless Flame.
His mana flowed into the structure and burned away impurities, widened the mana pathways, and mingled with the fire essence that was innate to the scale.
That fire energy grew brighter as he worked on it, spreading through more of the scale, but after a little while it seemed to reach a limit.
He studied the result.
The scale’s color had brightened into a ruby red and there was a shimmer of internal flames running through it that hadn’t been there before.
They were mostly pure Fire, but there was a touch of endlessness that gave them a sense of depth, as if they would flare up again whenever they failed.
He nodded in approval.
The effect was innate to him, similar to how First Evolution mana was denser, so it applied to all of his mana and soul energy, whether it was in a spell or a talisman.
As long as he was the one to engrave the spell, the talisman would benefit from the same effect: a 40% bonus to its duration and cohesion, and 15% to its power.
His enchantments should benefit in the future too. He just had to make sure to do all the steps himself.
Without a unique fusion concept like the Temple of Mists had held, it would be difficult for him to combine the effect with Water or other contrasting elements, but that wasn’t important.
There were elements that merged well with Fire, like Wind and Earth.
He just had to specialize.
He set the scale to the side and pulled out a stack of new ones. Then he got to work refining them.
He had over a thousand combined Sandfire Eel and Coralfire Scales from the dungeon, and around four hundred Royal Sandfire ones, so he had a lot of material to practice with.
He’d also picked up two thousand Fire-aligned drake scales from the guild, two hundred First Evolution ones, and ten Second Evolution ones.
It all cost about five hundred gold, but it would be worth it.
He was planning to alternate between stacks of the easier ones and harder ones at a ten to one ratio, refining them in cycles to push the ability forward.
Endless Flame would advance at the same time.
The rest of that day passed as he dedicated himself to his work, and by the end of it his cloak was fully repaired.
He swung it back around his shoulders and took out the Staff of Soulfire, which was broken in half. He transferred his passive mana regeneration to it as he started on the repair.
About halfway through, he would need to embed the new enchantment structures he was planning, but the first part of the repair was necessary to pave the way.
Glowing lines of golden fire connected the two pieces, creating a web of energy that swiftly turned into a complex network. The effect of Endless Flame was present too.
He took a moment to place Ignite and Blaze runes at the center of the web, where they floated in the enchantment. Their influence spread outward to infuse the wood.
Until now, the staff had been a powerful soul and fire-affinity item, but it was a blank slate, not much different from a polished branch that could change shape and repair itself.
By the time he was done with it, it would be a proper artifact with innate abilities.
As he returned to refining the scales, his speed was picking up, but only by a tiny amount.
Refining was time-consuming but basic work, and some things couldn’t be forced.
He was able to do one scale every two minutes, at a cost of roughly twelve mana.
Assuming he focused on it for eighteen hours a day and without anything but the most minimal breaks, he could produce around five hundred refined scales a day, at a cost of about 80% of his passive mana regeneration.
He had over four thousand scales on hand, so it would take a week to get through everything.
That would leave him with two to three weeks to actually make the talismans.
If he were mass-producing things, that timeline would be fine, but ability training was an art that required different types of effort to push the boundaries of what was possible.
So instead he threw speed out the window, slowed down his refining, and focused on the kernel of Law inherent to Endless Flame and the nature of Arcane Refinement.
Sometimes, you have to go slow to go fast.
He studied how the abilities changed the nature of the scales, the principles they relied on, and the subtle shifts in energy that were used to open mana pathways and remove impurities without damaging the inherent essence.
