Max focused on the leftmost of the crafting spheres. The text above it read:
Enchanted Embroidery
Items can be stitched together with unlimited magical thread
Cost: 1 Crafting Orb
That was pretty cool. It seemed like the kind of ability others might overlook, but Max could see its potential as something that could regularly make his life a lot easier.
He shifted his gaze to the centre sphere:
Scribe’s Influence
Runes inscribed into crafted items can alter its properties
Cost: 1 Crafting Orb
Runes? This was incredibly interesting, although Max didn’t know any runes that existed in this world, and he didn’t know where he’d find them. He decided to leave that sphere alone until he learned more about runes.
The rightmost sphere read:
Craftsman’s Codex
Creates a book in which all crafted items are chronicled. Does not take up any inventory space
Cost: 1 Crafting Orb
As soon as Max read this description, he knew it was the ability he was going to choose. Having a reference book logging all of his creations and the parts he used to create them would undoubtedly be valuable. Something told him he’d be crafting a lot of different things during his time in this world, and trying to remember everything without writing it down would be a fool’s game. On top of that, he didn’t know if the book would begin chronicling his creations from the point of activating the ability, or if it would be automatically filled with all the things he had crafted before that point. If the answer was the former, then the sooner this book existed, the better.
Without hesitation, he placed his hand on the Craftman’s Codex sphere.
Craftman’s Codex Activated!
Max watched the yellow lines grow out of the activated sphere, eager to discover what new abilities would become available.
The first of the new spheres that were created was:
Craftsman’s Efficiency
Once an item has been crafted and logged in the Craftsman’s Codex, it can be crafted again in an instant without the manual labour, providing all resources are available
Cost: 5 Crafting Orbs
An expensive but very useful ability, Max thought. He imagined it would come in handy during a fight if he ever needed to make something in the midst of battle without the luxury of time to be able to manually do it.
The other new crafting sphere was:
Restorer’s Touch
Basic damaged weapons can be restored instantly without needing a blacksmith
Cost: 3 Crafting Orbs
That seemed like a pretty good deal. He remembered his crude spear snapping in half during his fight against the hornback. Being able to repair something like that mid-battle could potentially get him out of some sticky situations in the future.
Regardless, Max had only had 1 crafting orb to begin with, so he left the spheres as they were, and thought, Assign alchemy orbs.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The yellow spheres vanished, and were replaced by 3 purple ones.
The first of them was:
Alchemist’s Efficiency
Reduces potion brewing time by 10%
Cost: 3 Alchemy Orbs
It was a nice and straightforward ability that Max could see the value of immediately. A reduction in brewing time could be the difference between life and death if he were to ever again be in a situation like he had been with the stringworm infection.
The second was:
Regenerative Potency
Increases the amount of HP restored by healing potions by 5
Cost: 3 Alchemy Orbs
5 HP wasn’t a huge addition to a healing potion’s restorative power, but Max imagined unlocking this ability would open up more powerful versions of it, which could be very useful if the HP boosts were to become significant.
The third was:
Frugal Forager
Reduces the required number of each ingredient in a potion by 1
Cost: 4 Alchemy Orbs
Interesting, Max thought. Given that most of the ingredients he had already foraged grew in clusters or bunches, his initial reaction was to dismiss this ability. But then he thought about a situation in which there was a potion that required a single quantity of one or more rare and difficult-to-obtain ingredients. It would then reduce the required quantity of those to zero.
It was beginning to look more and more attractive as an option.
However, he had 6 Alchemy Orbs to spend, and he thought it might be better to activate multiple abilities that cost 3, instead of spending 4 on this one and hoping for a new ability to appear that only cost 2.
Max decided to go for the Alchemist’s Efficiency ability first.
Alchemist’s Efficiency Activated!
This opened up two new spheres, those being:
Alchemist’s Efficiency 2
Reduces potion brewing time by 15%
Cost: 4 Alchemy Orbs
And:
Alchemist’s Formulary
Creates a book in which all brewed potions are chronicled. Does not take up any inventory space
Cost: 3 Alchemy Orbs
The latter seemed to be similar to the Craftsman’s Codex he had already unlocked, and it looked just as appealing for the same reasons; being able to keep track of everything he had brewed, so that his life would be a lot easier if he needed to brew something again and wasn’t in possession of the original recipe.
He decided to spend his remaining 3 alchemy orbs on it.
Alchemist’s Formulary Activated!
This spawned 2 new spheres, those being:
Instant Alchemist
Once a potion has been brewed and logged in the Alchemist’s Formulary, it can be brewed again instantly without the need of an alembic or heat source, providing all ingredients are available
Cost: 5 Alchemy Orbs
And:
Synergic Alchemist
Potions no longer become invalid when combined, instead creating new, fusion potions
Cost: 4 Alchemy Orbs
The Instant Alchemist ability would be insanely valuable, but since Max had no more alchemy orbs to spend at present, he thought, Assign exploration orbs, to open up the fifth and final category.
The purple spheres disappeared and were replaced by green ones.
The first of the exploration spheres was:
Treasure Hunter
Creates an awareness when valuable items are nearby
Cost: 3 Exploration Orbs
Another one that was a little vague. Max wondered what form that awareness would take. Maybe a tingling, or a high-pitched sound of some sort.
The second was:
Adventurer’s Map
Adds a basic mini-map to the HUD
Cost: 2 Exploration Orbs
Now that would be useful, thought Max. He would at least then be able to tell in which direction he was travelling.
The third was:
Night Vision
Increases vision in the dark by 5%
Cost: 3 Exploration Orbs
Being able to see better in the dark certainly seemed like it could be useful in the future, though Max wondered if the 5% boost would be that noticeable.
Glancing over his options again, he concluded that the mini-map would be the most useful in the short term, while also costing the least amount of exploration orbs.
Adventurer’s Map Activated!
Two green lines birthed additional spheres:
Adventurer’s Map 2
Adds a full town map for any discovered town. Does not take up any inventory space
Cost: 4 Exploration Orbs
And:
Scavenger’s Satchel
Increases inventory slots by 5
Cost: 4 Exploration Orbs
There it was. Max had known there had to be a way of increasing his inventory space, and it seemed exploration orbs were the way to do it.
As exciting as it was, though, Max only had 2 exploration orbs left to spend, and there were no remaining exploration spheres that cost that little.
That was it.
Max had used all his available orbs in all 5 categories.
He knew it was now time to leave the Inner Sanctum and head back to his room in the Brass Lantern, but he felt a pang of sadness. Unlocking the abilities was addictive. He couldn’t wait to return and unlock more when he had collected new orbs.
He stared into the vast space before him.
He had no idea how many abilities there were in total in each category, waiting to be unlocked, but the seemingly infinite area gave him goosebumps at the possibilities. If the interconnected spheres kept spawning far into the endless space, over time he could become more powerful than anyone in this world could ever imagine.
Maybe more powerful than Vortax.
Now, how do I get out of here? Max thought.
He glanced around him for any sign of a door or a magical portal or something, but the space seemed infinite in all directions.
Max had gotten to this place simply by thinking the words Assign Orbs. Maybe he just had to think something else.
I’m finished, he thought, but nothing seemed to happen.
I have no more orbs to assign, he tried, but again nothing.
Leave the Inner Sanctum, he attempted, and this time he felt the sleepy fuzziness he had experienced on his way there overcome him again.
The next thing he knew, he was coming to in his bed at the Brass Lantern.
A slightly different sleepiness began to overcome him then; a more familiar one to him - one of pure exhaustion from an unbelievably crazy day.
When Max woke several hours later, there were raised voices coming from downstairs. What was going on?