Hazel slowly approached her Uncommon Loot Box, feeling a sense of excitement and joy as she got closer. Standing in front of the crate, the novice mage kneeled in front of it so she could open it up.
Before she could, there was something peculiar about the crate as she got a closer look at it. The Loot box appeared to be a lot more refined and polished compared to her previous one. More specifically, it was the wood that gave off this impression.
With her previous loot box, the wood was rough and old, like it was scraped together using worn-down pieces of lumber from a junkyard. But this loot box was different. The wood looked new as if freshly made from the factory. It even had a polished surface, giving the box a glossy look.
Hazel leaned her head curiously. “How come this box looked different than the other one?” She questioned while placing her finger on her chin.
Could it be the rarity of the loot boxes that distinguished them? It would certainly make sense, and would also help players in recognizing which one was which. Then again, that was what the Identify feature of the system was for. So maybe this was simply for aesthetics?
The novice mage shook her head. “I shouldn't be worried about the quality of the box. I should be more concerned about the quality of the items inside the box.”
Since this was an Uncommon Loot Box, that meant the items within it should be better than that of a Common Loot Box. Or at least, that was what Hazel was praying for. Despite everything going in her favor for now, it couldn’t hurt to obtain better items for her journey.
Putting aside the texture of the box, Hazel hastily opened the lid and took a glimpse inside. Her eyes then widened as she saw more food and drinks stacked in the crate.
“At least I won’t go hungry for a while,” Hazel said with a light chuckle.
Examining the contents further, the novice mage spotted something new. It appeared to be a glass vial like the healing potion from the Common Loot box. However, instead of a crimson liquid contained within the vial, the substance was an electric blue.
Reaching for the vial, she picked it up and took a closer look at the item. As the liquid sloshed around inside, Hazel quickly tried to identify it.
A potion used to restore a being’s mana to a certain extent.
Reading the description, Hazel’s brows rose in shock. Her lips then twisted into a wide grin after realizing what she was currently in possession of.
“Hell yeah!” Hazel cheered with glee. “I got a Mana Potion!”
Much like Healing Potions, Mana Potions were valuable items, especially for Mages. These potions allowed players to replenish their mana so they could cast more spells in battle. They were extremely valuable items, and now Hazel had some at her disposal.
The novice mage fiddled with the glass bottle for a little bit, amazed at what she had in her hands. As she did, her eyes trailed back down to the box and quickly spotted something else that caught her attention.
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Placed between two water bottles was a silver ring. Grabbing the item, Hazel noticed that there was a purple gem embedded in the ring. Because of the stone, she guessed that this was some kind of jewelry. However, after identifying it, Hazel realized she found something even better.
Uncommon Item
A magic ring that boosts a user’s magical capabilities. +8 Intelligence and +3 Wisdom.
Hazel’s grin widened. “Jackpot!”
This Uncommon Loot box was the best reward she ever received after getting dumped into this dungeon. Hazel obtained her first magic item! How awesome was that?
The item not only increased her Intelligence by nearly three levels worth of points but also her wisdom by one. What an incredible find!
With a new sense of urgency, Hazel hastily tried to equip the ring, desperate to increase her magical capabilities as the description suggested.
Putting the ring on her index finger on her right hand, she felt a wave of power wash over her. It was as if she had just downed an entire cup of coffee, and her body was bursting with energy from the caffeine.
“This will do quite nicely,” Hazel said with a grin.
Thanks to her newly acquired magic ring, her potential as a mage increased significantly. Especially since she still had her stat points from her level-up and dungeon challenge.
Speaking of which…
Status Window
Name: Hazel Thatcher
Race: Human
Level: 11
Class: Mage
Free Points: 19
Attributes:
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Endurance: 16
Intelligence: 24 (+8)
Wisdom: 17 (+3)
Willpower: 12
Hazel cocked an eyebrow after pulling up her status window. “Looks like the added effects of the ring are shown separately, rather than just added into my attributes normally.”
Instead of her intelligence stat increasing like when she invested her points in them, there were instead brackets for increased stats from magic items like her magic ring. While it wasn’t a revelation, this kind of information was still interesting to discover in Hazel’s opinion.
Now then, what to do with her thirteen free points? She still hadn’t invested the three points she obtained after reaching level eight, so she had more points to use at her discretion.
Considering that the magic ring assisted in increasing her Intelligence and Wisdom a bit, maybe she could use this opportunity to invest in her other attributes. Hazel still needed to be cautious about wasting her points, though.
Just because she had a chance to increase her other stats, didn’t mean she could be reckless with them. These points were essential for her development. Not just for her potential as a mage, but also to help her survive this dungeon.
“For now…” Hazel mused. “I’ll put my points into these attributes.”
Hazel then distributed her four points into Endurance, six points into Intelligence, four points into Wisdom, and five points into Agility.
“Yeah, that should do for now.” She nodded, feeling satisfied with her results.
Increasing her Endurance stat was very vital since it made her body more durable against attacks and pain. As for Agility, being faster would help her run away from enemies. Especially since not all Fractured monsters shambled toward their prey like zombies.
As for Wisdom and Intelligence, that one was obvious. Having her mana replenish faster would allow her to cast more spells. That and having more mana.
Especially since she was alone at the moment. If she had a partner or party with her, she probably wouldn’t be as focused on her physical stats since she had other players backing her up. Sadly, that wasn’t the case, so this was her best option for the time being.
“Well, now that I completed the quest, I guess it’s time I moved on from here.”
Hazel only planned to stay in this town so she could complete her dungeon challenge and also train herself to further understand her capabilities as a mage. And she essentially accomplished both goals now.
Which meant only one thing; it was time to leave this island.