Legendria, Sheko ruun, knife thrower
Finally, Tsuno is off to Kaizo's group... I just realized she doesn't actually know any of their names other than Kaizo's. Well, I guess the damage is done. Live and learn, I guess. She didn't bother asking either. Better for me, I guess; I don't remember their names either.
Sheko chuckled a little before letting out a yawn. His eyes had bags under them, and he could still feel the exhaustion from the all-nighter he pulled yesterday in the game. Sheko took out one of the metal contraptions he worked on late yesterday. The item had no name initially, so Sheko named it "Lethal Spring." He really hoped it would live up to that overly edgy name, or he'd be really embarrassed if anyone got their hands on any of the ten springs he made and they were duds.
The "spring" was an actual spiral spring made from steel he bought yesterday. He had to test several different materials to get one that felt right. If he had been ready to spend more, he definitely could've gotten much better quality material, but he assumed it'd be fine. Connected to the main spring were three wires made of more durable steel, with their other ends connected to a ball weight. All of that was wrapped in a metal housing to allow for a better grip. It was actually amazing considering Sheko was at best a metalworker with only hours of experience, if someone was extremely charitable with what one considered metalworking.
I think my avatar has talent with metalworking and, actually, now that I think about it, definitely at combat as well. Even with stats that are starting to get ludicrous, I'm way more skilled than I could logically be unless I'm much more talented than I realized, and I don't think so. It's sad there's such diminishing returns for crafting from high AGI. I could get the concept work a little faster, but even though I could move and think over ten times faster than a normal person now when I focus, I was exhausted after just a few minutes at most. Worst yet, when I tried working the actual metal, I got damaged from each strike because my body couldn't handle the strain well enough.
Once the prototype for the lethal spring was done, Sheko could finally use the main effect of the smithing skill he acquired from the smith job he took. This skill allowed him to rely on a DEX-based check to convert the materials he already had into the finished product. Originally, the skill only permitted simple options like swords, knives, armor pieces, and even simple gears and springs. However, after making his first lethal spring with traditional, albeit supernaturally assisted metalworking, the lethal spring was added as an option for him to automatically craft. The DEX requirement for it was quite ludicrous in his opinion, requiring 1000 DEX for the spring he made out of cheap steel for 100% success.
If he had started with the smith job, he would've probably only had two products. Despite his other jobs having minuscule DEX growth compared to the smith job, it was still growth. He had maxed his matador job yesterday and was already planning his next job. Since the requirements for the next matador job required him to beat at least five worthy enemies without getting hit to unlock it, Sheko had to take a different job for now. He let out another yawn and stopped for a coffee on the way to the guild building, but before he went in, he remembered that he was completely broke.
I had to insist on buying the steel in bulk, didn't I? I even got it at a discount. Either I make bank today or I'll be starving if I die.
After a short while going through the free job catalogue, Sheko found a job that fit his current plan. The "Knife Thrower" was perfect. The job focused on more DEX growth with a hefty bonus in SP growth as well.
It's a good thing it has SP because, between Odysseus and the knife thrower skills, I'm probably going to need the Knife Thrower high-rank job to cover the SP costs for anything longer then a short skirmish. At least the requirements for it are simpler. Maybe it has to do with the Knife Thrower being in the performer grouping. I get it, but it's still weird for how combat-focused it looks.
Sheko looked at the mark on his hand and summoned his embryo, Odysseus. It had evolved while he was working on his new weapon. At first, he panicked, thinking he might have triggered the evolution by crafting the "Lethal Spring" and inadvertently shifted Odysseus’s evolution path towards a production-based embryo. While he wasn’t opposed to growing his power through crafting, he had read that embryos stretched thin across multiple powers or themes tended to have weaker outputs compared to more specialized embryos.
There were already stories about incredibly focused embryos with extraordinary abilities. For instance, someone in Caldina had an embryo that converted any damage they took into money. This person didn't seek out fights, suggesting that either the embryo had a significant limitation, or they had an incredible combat ability they were choosing not to reveal. Sheko wondered how someone like that ended up with an embryo granting damage immunity. It was a curious reflection on how the game’s embryos fulfilled their masters' wishes, often in unexpected ways.
Contemplating these thoughts, Sheko examined the new design of Odysseus. The leather was now stark black, extending past his wrist. The previous whirlpool design imprinted on the leather had transformed into a gauntlet. The metal followed the whirlpool pattern, allowing full range of movement through minuscule gaps in the design, making it more flexible than a typical gauntlet.
somewhat sleepy and distracted Sheko almost walked in with Odysseus still on his hand. Sheko preferred to hide his embryo if he could. any player's strongest asset was their embryo after all. Mai's build was reliant on her doll so she couldn't hide it.
As he entered the DIN office, Mai immediately charged at him. Sheko’s heightened stats allowed him to dodge her tackle, but Raggedy appeared right behind him and restrained him. He wasn’t sure if he could force his way out, but he decided to let Mai explain herself instead of escalating the situation. Truthfully, being restrained by Raggedy wasn’t even entirely unpleasant. It felt like being wrapped in a giant, thick blanket.
“Hi, Mai. Do you mind explaining the assault?” Sheko asked casually.
“You promised a bunch of people we would help with grinding today while I was offline. What the hell?” Mai was fuming, and Raggedy tightened her grip, causing Sheko some discomfort. He started resisting to ease the pressure.
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry i should've waited for you, even if this is a bit extreme of a reaction. Still, you’re already here, and we have two hours before the raid-” Sheko explained, hoping to calm her down but was interrupted.
“A raid?!” Mai’s voice rose. “Emilia told me you made some plan with the other masters, not a whole raid. I only have four hours to play!”
“Wait, four hours Dendro time or real-world time?” Sheko asked, trying to gauge their available time.
“Real-world, And I’m not even fully equipped!” Mai scratched her head and fidgeted, clearly worried about the promise Sheko made in her name, though she was undoubtedly still furious.
“Calm down,” Sheko tried to calm her. “I kind of got myself broke experimenting for the raid, but I gained some levels in smith. I can also take the alchemist job and help you get ready, alright? We’re the newest members in the raid anyway. Everyone else was already going to be there grinding. I'm sure it’ll be fine.”
Raggedy finally released Sheko, and he fell to the ground from the sudden lack of support. She moved much faster than expected a doll to move, definitely quicker than when I last saw her.
Sheko noticed the changes in Raggedy since they last met. guess she evolved as well, better not to remind her I didn't tell her what my embryo does yet
“Well, we need to make some stuff right now anyway. Can you help with that?” Mai asked urgently
"Alright I'll go grab the alchemist job from the guild, tell the journalist to meet us at the cave" Sheko replied
“Let's get to it then. We should hurry,” Mai continued.
---
The next two hours were a mad dash between stores and the guild building. They worked on Mai's poison cloud potions and some normal poisons for her new Poisonmancer job. With a few levels under her belt, she could now create poisons twice as fast and send her stronger concoctions as clouds or projectiles without needing special potions. It cost MP to activate these skills, but Mai assured Sheko she had a workaround.
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Eventually, they arrived at the cave, thirty minutes late after running most of the way. Emilia and Nue were already there, dressed in completely different gear than before. Emilia wore a thick, opalescent gambeson jacket, while Nue held a three-piece staff and wore a fur coat. She looked much more competent with this new equipment.
“What’s all this? I thought you didn’t know how to fight,” Sheko said, impressed. “Why be a journalist if you can kill monsters and make good money that way?”
Nue quickly responded, proud, “Well, I am my mother’s daughter. And I’m still a journalist, but thanks to yesterday, I unlocked the higher-tier job War Journalist. Now I can fight with the exp buff active, so it’s no problem.”
Emilia added, “I don’t fully approve of sticking with the journalist path. I keep it just for the day job. As adventurers, we should fight at full capacity when we expect a challenge. Yesterday was just training, but I can tell you the depths of this cavern will be trouble.”
Sheko glanced around, noticing the absence of their third journalist. “I take it that’s why your friend isn’t with us today? Also, you mentioned fighting at full capacity, but you said you don’t approve of staying a journalist. Aren’t you losing stats by keeping that job? Why not just take the War Journalist job instead?”
Nue burst into laughter at Sheko’s question, and he was about to respond angrily when Emilia answered calmly, “You Masters really don’t understand how things work. It’s like you think you’ll unlock The Hero and save the world from a horde of land dragons. Listen, we tians have limits. Not all of us can reach the level cap like you Masters. Some of us can’t even achieve high-rank jobs or are limited to what we’re talented at. My level cap is 450. Even if I wanted to be a War Journalist, I wouldn’t be able to level it up to its full potential without losing my Strong Swordswoman job and starting from scratch.
"As for losing stats from removing a job, there’s something you should know: Portable Job Crystals. They’re expensive, but worth it. You can store a job in the crystal and later destroy it to get your job levels back. I used one to regain my Scout levels and stored my Journalist job. And just so you know, today you’re hiring me as a mercenary, not a journalist.”
Sheko groaned for five whole seconds at the mention of more expenses. “Fine, fine, you’ll be paid! I’m going to be in debt at this rate.”
Mai chimed in, “You deserve that, you know.”
Sheko retorted, “No, I don’t. You’re still pouting even though I helped you in the end.”
Emilia cut them off by pushing both of them toward the cave. “Get moving. We’re losing daylight and my patience. The first sign of failure from you two, and I’m out of here.”
Once inside, the same Master who had contacted Sheko earlier met them at the entrance. Sheko hadn't met him in person before and was surprised to find himself face-to-face with a young child, around 14 years old, wearing a fully metallic helmet with one glowing green eye. The child was connected to a chair with six spider-like legs, and in front of him was a panel full of levers and buttons. It looked completely out of place in this fantasy setting, yet still terrifying, even though it was proportioned for a child.
Sheko wasn’t sure how to greet him, but Mai stepped in quickly, offering a friendly hand. “Great to meet you. I just wish I’d known we’d be meeting in a less rushed timeframe,” she said, sending a glare at Sheko.
The kid responded by shaking her hand with one of the chair’s needle-like legs. “Don’t worry about it. Name’s Finn. We’re still waiting on one last party, but we’ll set off in ten minutes if they’re late. They’re one of our stronger members, but we’re mostly noobs here anyway. Me and Mister Prismo are in the level 300 range, but we’re quick evolvers, so Arachne and Bifröst are both rank 4. I’ve been rank 4 for a month now, so I might even evolve today if I’m lucky.”
Sheko was surprised to hear they were much lower level than Emilia. “Has anyone else brought NPCs? We’ve got one at level 450. Is that rare or something?”
Finn paused to consider. “It’s not unheard of, especially since we’re in the capital, but it’s definitely lucky. Do you know what her jobs are? It’s ‘her,’ correct?”
Sheko nodded while Finn turned to talk with Mai and gather the others. _I’d assumed this society might resemble medieval Europe with fantasy elements, but there’s no reason for it to follow historical accuracy. And history often omits things based on who’s in power,_ he thought.
Finn raised himself to head height with the other players using his spider legs and called out, “Listen up, everyone!” Conversations quieted as the room gave Finn their full attention.
It felt strange to Mai and Sheko to see such respect given to a kid, but they remained silent as well.
“We have a lot of first-timers today, so let’s go over raid etiquette, rules, and what to expect,” Finn began. “First, Dendro doesn’t use instances, and there’s no mechanical definition for a raid, although some quests will be classified as such. This means all raids are world raids that can be joined by new players entering the area, which may include hostile players. Keep an eye out—players are often more dangerous than monsters, even bosses.
“Second, most raids are structured like this one, with barriers we need to unlock. So, today’s objective seems clear.
“Third, boss monsters are always empowered to be a significant threat. Their stats are extremely high, and they have strong resistances. If you’re used to overpowering monsters with your embryos, that probably won’t work here. Bosses have forgiving attack patterns, but they can still kill you in one or two hits if you’re not careful.”
He then moved on to player etiquette. “Be generous with potions. Keep track when you share and reimburse others later. Losing a player we could have healed is worse than losing a potion. However, this doesn’t extend to Lifesaving Brooches—those are incredibly expensive. I’d recommend not risking them. If you have one, deposit it in the bank before we start. Don’t trade them around unless you’ve got a broken embryo and can throw them around like candy. Don’t expect anyone to be able to repay for them.”
Sheko leaned over to ask a better-equipped player about the brooches. The player explained, “They’re accessories that prevent lethal damage, no matter what. There’s a small chance they’ll break when used, depending on how much damage you would’ve taken. Now, pay attention.”
The player gave Sheko a quick shush, turning back to listen to Finn.
"I feel like an idiot saying this, but all normal etiquette rules should extend to people here. I know this is the internet, but please humor me and act as if you're face-to-face. Dendro, for me—and I think many others—is a place to experience another life. No point in making it stressful."
"Now, it seems the grace period has ended, so we shall move out. But, Sheko, please wait a moment." The other 20 players moved towards their assigned tunnels to prepare for the delve, leaving Sheko, Mai, Finn, and his three friends behind.
Finn addressed Sheko and Mai, explaining, "Since GesStar and his team are a no-show and your team, with your tians, is the second strongest here, we'll roll to see who has to split two mini-bosses. Sound fair?"
Sheko was actually excited by this, though he kept a straight face. _Now I’ve got a reason to go all out. This is gonna be fun. I wonder if Kaizo isn’t coming because of Tsuno. Yeah, that’s probably the reason._
"Uh, yeah, that’s fine with me, right, Mai?" Sheko answered, turning to her.
"Yeah, sure. We knew our cave would be simple thanks to Raggedy, I think," she responded happily.
Finn took out a pair of dice—one red and one blue—and let Sheko choose. Sheko rolled a 5, and Finn rolled a 3.
"Guess that's that. Lorence, Jake, you’re up," Finn started as two of his party members began to split off. But Sheko interrupted, "No, wait. I won. I want to take the extra cave. The remaining caves are the basilisk or the two-headed golem, right? Let us take the basilisk. You go for the golem. I think I’ve got a solution; it might just take a little longer."
The groups split, and Mai and Sheko returned to regroup with Emilia and Nue, who were inside the main cavern farming low-level monsters to warm up.
Sheko explained the delay and sought a second opinion from Emilia on Finn's explanation. Emilia, after considering it, said, "That kid doesn’t talk like a child. It’s weird. Raids among us tians exist, yes, but we’re not immortal like you. They’re a grand expedition for us. I’ve been on two raids before—one to destroy a juvenile Yggdrasil treant that got corrupted, and the other to stop an Unseelie court from wiping out a village. I fought in the first but not the second. The fey are too much trouble to fight on their terms.
"To the point, though, yes, the treant was incredibly durable. The leader of the raid was a UBM reward holder, and after the fight, he said the UBM was maybe a tenth as durable as the raid boss. But the fight was simple—mostly a matter of good coordination and focus, unlike the complete unpredictability UBMs possess."
With that, the group finally turned to their first cavern to slay a crystal cockatrice.