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Adrenaline Junkie
Ch 15 - A Bear's Gratitude

Ch 15 - A Bear's Gratitude

Archie, still on the floor next to the corpse of the goblin shaman, took out his Effigy of Healing (Common) and channeled mana through it. As the Effigy of Healing (Common) activated, the Effigy of Wrath (Uncommon) turned to dust in the pouch behind his back.

“Well, it did its job,” Archie said, witnessing his wounds start to viably heal itself.

With his wounds healing, Archie got up and saw a blue panel appear in front of him and felt something enter into his spatial ring.

Profession Challenge Dungeon

Objective 3: Kill all the goblins 30/30 and the goblin Shaman that live within the goblin village 1/1✔

Reward: Soul Crystal (Epic)

Dungeon will automatically close in 0:10:59:40

Taking a look inside his spatial ring, Archie saw a small blue crystal. Taking the crystal out of his ring, he Identified it.

Soul Crystal (Epic) – Empty:

A crystal made out of solidified mana and attuned for housing a spirit. When channeling the spirit of a recently slain foe into the crystal, the soul stores their Soul. When filled, the Soul Crystal can be used for a large variety of rituals. Effects: Soul-Holding. Requirements: 50+.

“Ok, so rituals are also a thing in Shamanism...I wonder if I can use it to make a pet of some kind? Something that can hunt with me,” Archie wondered as he placed the soul crystal back in his spatial ring.

Looking at the shaman’s tiki tent, Archie decided to enter it, interested in seeing what possible loot the shaman held within his home. Pushing aside the fur tiki tent flap, Archie entered the Shaman’s home.

Looking around the tent Archie saw a leaf pile on the floor, ’Probably a bed’ Archie thought, a large bear fur rug with a stone knife and some miniatures on top and a weird-looking staff.

Identifying the items in the room, Archie read:

Fur Rug (Initiate):

A roughly made rug created from the fur of an F-Grade black bear and tufted by an F-Grade goblin.

Stone Carving Knife (Common):

A sharp piece of stone embedded into the tip of a stick and tied together with vines. A knife made with the only purpose of being used for carving soft oak logs into miniatures. Effect: Soul-Bound. Currently bound to Dungeon Goblin Shaman. Requirement: Humanoid Race.

Effigy of Mana Regeneration (Initiate):

An oak wood effigy made in the design of Moonglow, imbued with the feeling of Mana Regeneration belonging to an F-Grade goblin, and empowered with lesser elemental spirits. Increases Mana Regeneration for 5 minutes for the one who activates the effigy. Effects: Minor Mana Regeneration.

Effigy of Magic Power (Common):

An oak wood effigy made in the design of a Staff of Nature, imbued with the feeling of Magic Power belonging to an F-Grade goblin, and empowered with lesser elemental spirits. Increases Magic Power for all attacks within 10 minutes for the one who activates the effigy. Effects: Lesser Increase in Magic Power.

Voodoo Doll of Harm (Uncommon) – Filled:

Oak Wood twigs formed together, depicting an outline of a bear, imbued with the feeling of hatred and pain belonging to an F-Grade goblin, and filled with the fur of a black bear and empowered with lesser malevolent spirits. Damage inflicted upon the voodoo doll will affect the entity whose essence is trapped within. Effect: Low Harm Infliction. Requirement: Lv 30+.

Staff of Nature (Epic):

A staff made from a two-hundred-year-old mana mahogany tree and a peak E-Grade Tree Ent core. Due to the nature-attuned material, the staff is filled with the essence of nature, granting the ability to enhance nature-based abilities. Effects: Soul-Bound, Enhanced Nature-Attuned Skills & Abilities. Requirement: Lv 50+, Nature Affinity, Humanoid Race.

Archie read the descriptions of all the items and was taken aback at what he found. Archie found two new effigies that he could use as models for his own, a voodoo doll that he could use as a model for creating one, and a staff that he could use when he reached level 50 and gained a nature affinity.

The Staff of Nature itself looked like a piece of art. It stood at four feet, made of dark, smooth spiral mahogany wood, with faint green-gold veins running beneath the surface. Towards the top, the mahogany wood tip curled inwardly. Inside the curled tip of the staff laid a vibrant green orb, producing a faint aura.

Archie placed the Effigies, voodoo doll, and the Staff of Nature in his spatial ring. Archie then tried to place the Stone Carving Knife in his spatial ring, as an experiment of placing a soul-bound item of someone else in his storage. But as he held it, he felt as though it didn’t belong to him. But at the same time, he knew that it didn’t belong to the goblin shaman either. Why was it even here then?

Tossing the knife on the ground, Archie exited the goblin shaman’s tent and saw the corpses of the six goblins with yellow blood staining the previously green grass before Archie’s sneak attack. Walking around to where he threw his hatchet, Archie pulled out his hatchet from the skull of a goblin and started to channel mana through the hatchet as he noticed some cracks and chips on the blade.

After repairing the hatchet with his mana, Archie placed it in his back pouch, he then walked over to where he placed his shield and equipped it. Archie then gained an idea; he walked back inside the goblin shaman’s tiki tent and rolled up the bear rug.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Archie then grabbed the goblin shaman’s arm and started to drag him out of the village and into the forest.

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Archie currently stood in the same area where he saw the group of goblins kill a bear cub in the forest. The dead goblin shaman lay beside where he stood, but instead of the shaman having just a large hole inside him, scrapes and dirt covered the dead body as it was dragged from the village to where he currently stood.

Clearing his throat, Archie then activated his Effigy of Wrath, feeling anger encroaching on his mind, he released a guttural roar.

ROOOOOAAAARRR!

The ambient noise of the forest vanished the instant Archie released a guttural roar, and after it finished not a single noise was heard within the forest.

But not long after Archie’s roar, another roar filled the forest.

ROOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!

Stomps shook the forest, and loud stomping sounds filled the forest, each step sounding louder than the other.

A few seconds later, a familiar large black bear standing easily at a height of 4 meters with countless scars covering its muscles and fur stood in front of Archie huffing.

Identifying the bear, Archie saw:

[Hulking Black Bear Lv 49]

With only a few meters between both the bear and him, Archie tossed the dead goblin shaman, which still wore the skull of a bear atop its head, towards the giant bear.

The Bear’s eyes narrowed at the corpse of the goblin shaman, Archie then tossed over the bear rug, causing the bear to close its eyes. Standing on its two feet, the bear started to wail loudly within the forest.

Archie looked towards the ground, a somber mood filling him, overtaking the feeling of anger that the Effigy of Wrath created.

After the bear stopped wailing, it grabbed the bear fur rug with its mouth and started to walk back to where it came from, but before walking more than a meter it looked at Archie. The bear motioned with its head for Archie to follow her, Archie curious, followed the bear.

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Archie currently stood at the entrance of a cave, while the bear placed the bear fur rug onto the floor of its cave. The bear went deeper into the cave and reappeared in front of Archie carrying a large green gold colored tree branch with its mouth, Material Insight signaling him of the importance of the tree branch.

Archie noticed the bear looked skinnier, like its previously muscle-filled body now looked a bit anorexic. Dropping the tree branch at the feet of where Archie stood, it looked at him once more before disappearing back into the cave.

Archie, taking the hint, picked up the branch and headed back towards the doorway of the cave that led to the forest.

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Identifying the green gold tree branch, Archie read:

Sapling of Nature (Rare):

This sapling pulsates with an aura of nature and spirit. Imbued with the blessing and spirit of a mourning mother bear, for her anger had been quelled with your act of returning the corpse of her child. The Sapling of Nature grants Lesser Affinity of Nature and a permanent increase in Endurance. Effect: +10 Endurance & Lesser Nature Affinity. Requirements: Lv 30+.

Upon reaching the entrance of the doorway into the crystal cavern, Archie sat down at the entrance of the forest and started to channel mana through the Sapling of Nature and activated Deep Meditation.

Within Deep Meditation, Archie felt the green gold energy slowly transfer from the sapling and flow through his mana and into him. Greenish gold energy entered through the tips of his fingers, flowing through his veins, looping throughout his body.

Attuning to nature mana felt like...home, which was weird seeing how Deep Meditation should have stopped all of his senses. The crisp flow of forest air rushing through the trees, clearing Archie’s mind from all worries. Beneath his feet, he felt the ground, the dense immovable strength beneath it. All around hi,m he felt the forest come alive, every spirit within jumping around him with joy.

Opening his eyes, Archie’s previously brown eyes took on a brown-green color, and they were greeted with system prompts.

Greater Nature Affinity (Epic):

You have gained a Greater Nature Affinity. The Lesser Nature Affinity unlocked your slumbering Nature Affinity, allowing you to create and manipulate nature mana with ease. Empowers all Nature skills at the cost of permanently transforming a large majority of your mana reserves into nature mana. Enhances all records.

Skill Evolved: [Deep Meditation (Rare) → Nature’s Meditation (Epic)]

Nature’s Meditation (Epic):

By clearing your mind and connecting with the nature-attuned mana within you or your surroundings, you become one with nature. While in meditation, Health and Stamina regeneration are enhanced, while Mana regeneration is enhanced greatly. While in Nature’s Meditation, connection with the spirits and nature deepens.

Opening his status page, Archie saw:

Archie Gracefield

Race: Human F-Grade Lv 36

Class: Warrior Lv 39

Profession: Shaman Lv 27

Health: 1386/1386

Mana: 550/550

Stamina: 800/800

Stats:

Vitality: 132(138)

Strength: 142(149)

Endurance: 92

Agility: 125

Intelligence: 123

Wisdom: 55

Willpower: 55(57)

Perception: 106

Free Points: 33

Skills:

Basic One-Handed Weapon Mastery (Common)

Basic Light-Shield Mastery (Common)

Identify (Initiate)

Savage Charge (Rare)

Adrenaline Rush (Epic)

Warrior's Resilience (Rare)

Nature’s Meditation (Epic)

Mana Manipulation (Common)

Spirit Link (Epic)

Effigy-Carving (Common)

Material Insight (Uncommon)

Retaliation (Uncommon)

Hex of Enfeeblement (Uncommon)

Unstable Power Strike (Uncommon)

Bloodline:

Adrenaline Junkie (Unique) [+5% to Strength and +5% to Willpower]

Affinity:

Greater Nature Affinity (Epic)

Titles Collected:

Bloodline Progenitor [+10 Vitality and +5% Vitality]

Tutorial Points:

5,194

Smiling at his Epic rarity on Adrenaline Rush and better stats, Archie got up from where he meditated and headed into the cave.

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Entering the dark oak cabin, Archie proceeded to dump the bed, chair, table, and books into his spatial ring. Walking towards the Empty Essence Crystal, Archie squatted and tried to pull it out, confident in his 149 Strength.

To no avail, Archie was unable to pull the crystal from the ground. Huffing in exhaustion, Archie took out an Effigy of Stealth and activated it while placing it in his back pouch in preparation for stealthing around the Frostiron Tortoise.

Looking at the golden glowing door in front of him, he stepped forward.

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Upon exiting the Profession Challenge Dungeon, Archie was greeted by the sight of the Hoarfrost Highlands once again. Snow-filled ground, large Hoarfrost Pine Tree forests surrounding him, and large mountains and hills covering the skyline.

Hearing the Dungeon implode on itself, Archie took notice of only one thing that was out of place, the Frostiron Tortoise was missing.