“Gonna use your token?” Tereza asks, eyeing Alex.
“Yes. I need to actually see if Ranking-Up is worth it,” Alex replies. “Rember what the system said? We can expect a 20% improvent, but it varies depending on the item. Anyway, I’ve thought it through. My [Rank Upgrade Token (Gold) R2] lets rank up any unranked item to Rank 2, as long as it’s Gold-quality or lower.”
“So?” Tereza presses.
“Since I only have two Gold-ranked items, and [Drakul’s Vitality] is actually Deep Gold, I don’t really have a choice,” Alex concludes. “There’s only one item I can use it on.”
“While your bow is situational, it’s already unnaturally powerful—especially with your skill set,” nchi adds, nodding. “A further improvent is extrely smart. You might end up using that bow to accomplish impossible tasks. Focusing on a single talent is sotis the best choice, Alex. You’re the kind of wishy-washy guy who’s greedy and hates abandoning any path. You love growing all your skills and weapons equally. But in this case, your instinct to rank up the bow is the correct one. No reason to hesitate.”
“Well… at least my OCD gave a cool innate skill,” Alex mutters, then straightens up. “But yeah. I know it’s the right call. Upgrade [Magoroth’s Legacy]!” he commands, holding up the token.
He watches excitedly as the changes roll in.
[Magoroth’s Legacy] >>> [Magoroth’s Legacy R2]
[Magoroth’s Legacy R2]
World: Harry Potter / Wizarding World
Quality: Gold
Type: Bow (Enchanted Rune-Bow)
Required stats: STR - 15, PHY - 15, SNS - 15, MNA - 15, SPR - 15
Required skills: Bow Proficiency lvl 5, Basic ditation lvl 5
Durability: 220 / 220
Damage: 50-70
Effect: Increases the effect of any type of Imbuent cast on an arrow fired by this bow by 25%
Effect: Increases MNA by 6 (Flat boost, not increased by other skills)
Effect: Spiritual Arrow – Allows you to manually control and sense the world through an arrow fired by this weapon. Can only be used on one arrow at the sa ti and consus 5 MP. While you control the arrow, you can’t move, defend yourself, or even react before cutting the connection to the arrow.
Note: A magical rune bow created by rlin himself and gifted to Magoroth, a legendary Centaur warrior, not only skilled in archery but also known for his unique form of magic.
“20% my ass! The stat requirents jumped by 50%!” Alex complains loudly. “If I had relied on that damn system’s explanation, I would’ve been screwed! Thankfully, my stats are abnormally high, so it doesn’t affect much—but seriously, this could’ve gone horribly wrong!”
“Well, at least the skill requirents only stayed at level 5,” Tereza points out. “If they’d gone up to 6, you might’ve been really screwed.”
“More importantly,” nchi adds, scanning the changes, “the durability, damage, and two of your effects improved by around 20%, just like the system said. I think it went okay.”
“I dunno… I’m still not impressed,” Alex sighs. “If I hadn’t had the token, I’d have needed to break down two Gold-ranked items into shards—or a ton of lower-quality items.”
“I disagree,” nchi counters. “This is an investnt into your future. Eventually, upgrading your gear will be the only way forward.”
“I get that,” Alex concedes. “But for now, I’d rather upgrade all my gear to Gold-ranked before going too deep into ranking stuff up…”
“Heh, but how?” Tereza smirks. “You saw the market, Alex. Even Purple-quality items get imdiately snatched up by the guilds. And the ones we saw were stupidly overpriced. I’d say forget about hoarding FC. Just start turning the items you were planning to sell into shards. Might even be worth upgrading your necklace. You won’t replace that one anyti soon, right? With even more HP regen, you’ll basically be a zombie—incapable of dying. Combine that with your solid defenses, and you’ve got a winning strategy of outlasting your enemies.”
“…I guess you’re right,” Alex admits. “I do need a power boost now. Alright then, I also want to upgrade my [Noble Shirt 1], but I need to clarify sothing. In fact, I think I made a huge mistake already.
“System! What happens if I Rank–Up a Blue–quality item, but then raise the quality to Purple?”
[Answer: In most cases, the item would degrade in Rank, returning a small amount of shards to the player. Raising the quality of an item usually resets its rank.]
“Okay, I guess I didn’t make a mistake after all. Anyway, I want to see if I can further upgrade my [Noble Shirt 1],” Alex states.
[Noble Shirt 1]
World: Hunter x Hunter
Quality:Light Blue
Type: Shirt
Durability: 25/25
Effect:Increases AURA regeneration by 10%
Effect: Increases NEN by 1 (Flat boost, not increased by skills)
Note: A shirt created by a true genius designer. This work was influenced by his incredible passion, talent and drive to succeed and has a permanent Aura surrounding it. Just wearing it increases your Aura regeneration. The design itself, with its unique and simplistic appearance, is ahead of its ti but not yet recognized by the design world, however.
Note: This item had its quality forcefully raised using an [Upgrade Token]
“It was originally a damn Green–quality item, but I desperately need those stats. I could maybe even upgrade it further... Anyway, I won’t make any rash decisions. I’ll talk it through with Kira and then decide.”
“…Did you just call Rishi Kira? That’s kinda embarrassing, isn’t it?” Tereza teases.
“…”
“Whatever, let’s leave!”
[Host has just received a ssage]
[Rishi:
I read your ssage. Let’s et up now. Ground-Floor Player Tower.]
“Well, there’s that, thanks for informing 1337,” Alex mutters. “Let’s go.”
“That guy has a lot to answer for,” Tereza grumbles.
I don’t think he will. He’ll just tell us sothing and then talk about other stuff… not that I care too much, we have other problems than his antics in real life.
— [Scene Break] —
Alex, Tereza, nchi, and Jewel et up with Rishi on the ground floor of the Player Tower—also known as the Player Hub.
They find a quiet room, one that apparently guarantees privacy.
“You look worried. What happened?” Rishi asks.
“Well… aside from that lovely ssage we received, we also had a few interesting encounters,” Alex answers, quickly recapping the day’s events and the Realm information they gathered.
Rishi stays calm and collected throughout, but there's a faint smile tugging at his lips as Alex speaks. “Good job. Trading really is your thing, huh, Alex? You made so solid choices. Looks like you also caught the attention of soone very important. I share your opinion—this goblin seems… special. Why don’t you just submit already? Might be good for you. And for us,” Rishi jokes.
“…Are you kidding ?” Alex deadpans.
“Yes, of course.” Rishi chuckles. “Anyway, I was busy. I had an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. Would’ve preferred to take it slow, but once I started digging, I had to act fast. Still dealing with the fallout, but I’ve left clear instructions for my subordinates, so I’ve got ti. Now—how do you propose we deal with the Coven?”
“Why are you asking us?!” Tereza complains.
“I was the one hesitating, rember? You two abandoned them without a second thought. I assud you’d be the one to decide,” Alex says, raising an eyebrow.
“I have multiple strategies,” Rishi responds smoothly, “and I do have a preference. But I’m curious to hear your thoughts first, my friends.”
“I say fuck ’em. Declare war!” Tereza says without hesitation.
“I see three obvious options,” Alex replies. “First, we grovel like bitches and accept any punishnt—basically becoming their servants. Second, Tereza’s approach: ignore them. Declaring war is idiotic, but ignoring them could work. No use worrying over what already happened, we can deal with the consequences as they co. They seem pretty logical players, and they have nothing to gain from Revenge, especially if we just ignore the situation.”
“And the third option?” nchi asks with a grin. “Are you thinking of asking for help?”
“Exactly. And you’re part of that plan. Your cooking and potioneering are impressive. Plenty of guilds would love to secure cheap, high-quality food. And even if we’re not the strongest players in existence, we were easily top-tier in our tutorial Realm. Hell, we even stomped so higher-level players. and Jewel wrecked two lvl 6s while still being lvl 4. I’d say we’re close to top-tier already.”
“So which of these options do you prefer, Alex?” Rishi asks.
“Three, right?” Tereza nudges him.
“Nah… I’d go with a mix of one and two. Start with a soft approach—feel it out. If it goes badly, cut our losses and ignore them.”
“That’s very you,” Rishi says. “Joining a guild for protection is smart, but if we approach it like we’re desperate, we’ll be in a weak position. Better to join independent-minded guilds, mostly to trade and gather intel. And yeah, I’d ignore the Coven after our first visit. Your interactions last mission were great. Let’s go with your idea—you take the lead.”
“?! You should be the one taking the lead!” Alex protests.
“I disagree,” nchi says. “You should do it.”
“I concur,” Tereza adds with a grin, grabbing his arm, playing with his fingers.
“…I fall into rage too easily. I don’t think things through,” Alex argues.
“Despite that, you created miracles. You need to believe in yourself more,” Tereza says, smiling as she kisses his cheek. “Let’s work on that. Starting tonight.”
“…Fine! If you want to burn it all down, I’ll do it. I’m just gonna go in blind, though! Don’t complain later! Let’s visit them this evening.”
“Good,” Rishi says. “But let’s forget the Coven for now. Let’s focus on the important stuff. Ranking-Up is an interesting chanic. I want to rank up my Death Note. Let’s also trade so crystals, Alex.”
Rishi tosses him 10 Small Soul Crystals, and Alex trades 2 dium Soul Crystals in return.
“Let’s head back to the market. Let’s hunt for items and get more info. After that, we should look for rchant guilds—they’re bound to collect high-rarity items to sell at crazy prices. We’ll definitely find so around.”
[Scene Break]
“…It’s been a busy day. I guess it’s finally ti for this, huh?” Alex says.
“Let’s go,” Tereza replies, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the Guild Area on the ground floor.
They pass by several large mansions with gardens—despite being inside the tower. Others are old, worn down, and shabby-looking. In the distance they see ‘houses’ that resemble huge castles, crowds of players walking in and out.
That is impressive!
Every building has a na displayed by its entrance.
Finally, they reach an ancient, decrepit mansion.
A rotting sign hangs over the door, reading:
“The Coven”
“Uuuh, very scary,” Alex jokes in a sarcastic tone.
“You should be scared!” a voice echoes from behind—as multiple won approach them.
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