As he headed down the side of the mountain, he sped up a little bit, spotting a returning expedition coming in from the outer ash. It was led by Eva and Edgar, who had both been quite involved in the cementing of their relationship. Jonathan was happy for his companion, but he hoped that this would not prevent him from coming with him to the later hells. If all things went well however, Eva would gain enough power to come with them.
This journey would always be something greater than just one man, and perhaps Jonathan would pick up a host of allies as he went. However, Edgar would always be the first. Eva had gained a powerful class upon reaching Tier 2, an Epic one in fact, and she was gaining strength at a decent rate, enough to make her valuable to the city. Most people only ever got Common or Uncommon classes, with a small hope for Rare. For her to get an Epic one meant that she was quite talented indeed. Perhaps it would allow her to keep up with Jonathan and Edgar.
She was about as strong as Jonathan had been fifty or sixty levels ago, at least in terms of destructive potential. He had likely had more stat points than her as a result of his multipliers. However, her skill was quite high, and that evened the gap.
As Jonathan jogged through the bustling streets, the gates creaked open, letting the returning party in. Jonathan waited for Edgar and Eva to spot him, and the two fighters quickly picked up the pace, heading towards him.
"We managed to defeat one of those golems,” Edgar said. “The smiths will be happy with this.”
Jonathan had discovered that powerful monster parts were sometimes better than metal or other materials for crafters. When a creature could have skin as hard as diamond, would it not be better to use that than a hunk of iron?
The other soldiers carried a large sledge filled with chunks of obsidian, as well as parts of the golem’s core. A few other monster pieces were there as well, such as the hide of a few of the Ash Prowler Patriarchs that roamed the wastes. If a monster was Tier 2, then the resources that they provided were Tier 2 as well, which imbued them with an entirely new level of toughness as compared to more mundane, Tier 1 materials. If a Tier 1 piece of metal was like a rod of iron from Earth, then a Tier 2 one was like a diamond. Past that, it was barely comparable.
A bunker could be made out of Tier 5 steel that would withstand a nuclear strike without even a scratch. The bodies of mortals lagged behind, understandably, as it was all relative, so steel was just as tough compared to people at the base of its Tier that it would be at any Tier. Then again, if one focused all of their attention on their durability, it was possible to create a body so tough that it could withstand almost anything. Of course, you would then be left with something akin to a barely mobile hunk of stone that could not actually do anything other than take hits, but some people liked that idea. It was certainly useful if one had a team of allies that could fill all the gaps.
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However, Jonathan would not let himself get sidetracked by the pursuit of easy power. He was his own weapon. He could easily fight without his gauntlets, and in that there was strength. While most people only had one or two weapons, he had his entire body to fight with. With his boons, his skin was harder than it should have been, making it like rock. That strength would only increase the more powerful he got.
He helped the soldiers gather up the materials, taking them to the burgeoning crafting district. There were a few dozen dedicated crafters in the city now, of which a good portion were smiths. Blacksmithing was one of the most popular crafts for a reason, as it was very useful in a world where strength was everything. A good sword or suit of armor could be the difference between life and death in a battle. The most smiths that a faction had, and the better they were at their job, the more likely it was to survive.
As they walked into the district, Jonathan took in the various shops that lined the street. The sounds of hammering could be heard coming from the many open front smithies, and other, quieter, crafters worked in their own shops. Tailors and enchanters worked in their establishments on various commissions, and a gentle hum of industry suffused the area. None of the crafters were powerful enough to work on Jonathan or Edgar’s goods, but eventually they would get there. It took a certain degree of strength to work tougher materials, and one had to be at least level 50, with a build orientated towards strength, to be able to work Tier 2 metals.
Heating them made it easier to work with, but it was still akin to how hammering a solid chunk of steel would be like for a normal human. They made their way towards a materials depot and dropped off the sledge, which was quickly picked up by an assistant that tugged it off into the darkness of the warehouse. With that settled, Jonathan rubbed off his hands and watched as the guards trooped off, leaving him with Edgar.
“How goes it with Eva?” He asked curiously, spotting the way that Edgar’s gaze lingered on the woman as she walked away.
“Well enough,” Edgar replied, turning back towards Jonathan. “She is certainly a boon in these dark times. Some companionship of the opposite sex is always welcome. Not to say that you are not diverting enough though. My foremost loyalty is to our mission. Eva sees that, I think.”
“That sounds good. Both for you and for the faction. You are our second strongest fighter after all. It would not serve for you to be overly distracted,” Jonathan replied.
He winced a moment later. That had sounded quite harsh. Edgar didn't seem to mind however, and he simply smiled. They walked back to the cave in companionable silence, ready to delve into the realm of Tartarus once more. The city was in good hands now, and they could devote more time to raising their level.
Jonathan wanted to reach level 150 by the end of the next month, but he wasn't sure how realistic that was, given that the amount of essence that he would gain would be diminished the closer that he got to the level of the monsters that he was fighting. If he was actually at level 150, it would take dozens, or even hundreds, of kills at that level to even gain a single level. However, the only thing to do was to try. Granath would not wait for them to reach a sufficient level, so it was in their interest to progress as fast as they could.