After dedicating a couple of hours to studying at the Skills console, Jeff had narrowed down his options considerably.
The [Mana Burst] Skill, which he had noticed earlier, still seemed a good fit, and was relatively cheap at 500 coins.
Jeff decided to devote the remainder of his funds to a non-combat related Skill. Ever since he had seen the array of resources available to him in the adjacent Forge room, Jeff had been itching to try his hand at crafting.
Scrolling through the list, Jeff immediately eliminated a whole bunch of the available crafting Skills that were unsuited to his Class and his Spellsword Path. The intricacies of Musical Composition Level One, and the subtleties of Cantrip Creation were clearly tailored for those with a Bard Class.
Similarly, he discounted a large number of Skills which seemed more artistic in purpose than anything else, such as Textile Arts and Writing Composition. In his searches through the database, he even came across a Simple Basket Weaving Skill!
Jeff, curious about these seemingly useless Skills, quizzed Misty on the subject.
"Misty, why would anyone focus on skills like Basket Weaving in the Tournament? Aren't we here to fight?”
“Jeff, the Tournament is not just a violent battlefield. It is a crucible of competition that transcends mere physical combat. At the higher stages of the Tournament, it is possible to progress and further your race’s cause through non-combatant paths. Many Tournament Contestants have risen high in the rankings with their artistic creations.”
She continued to explain, whilst sneakily pressing herself against Jeff’s shoulder as he sat.
“Take for instance, The famous Celestial Poet, Arturul IV. He soared to the heights of the third division of the Community of Equals—not through martial prowess, but with the power of his words. His masterpiece, the ‘Ode to Tourney Tilter Mistanza’ was a seven-week long madrigal, an epic love poem dedicated to his fellow artist and lover Mistanza Heckopet, who was killed while taking part in a sculpting duel.”
“Sculpting duel…Okay…” Jeff said slowly, leaning back in his chair and submitting to Misty’s shoulder rub.
Misty continued, listing other, non-combatant System-dwellers who had risen to Grade D and beyond.
“Who could forget the infamous Grey Grouter, master architect to the nobility of the Sempiternal Empire. The Grouter excelled in the [Interior Design] Skill, and was the architect of many fine tombs and mausoleums across the capital planet of the Undead, Ankh-Dûm. Woe betide any grave robber or tomb raider foolhardy enough to sneak into one of the Grey Grouter’s creations—his traps and pitfalls are legendary. It’s said he attained Potentate status and ascended, purely from following his own self-created Mason’s Path.”
Jeff nodded, silently digesting the info. Undead? A chill went down his spine on hearing Misty’s casual chatter, unlocking a whole new level of weirdness.
Carefully maintaining a neutral expression, he shelved any further questions he had on the subject and returned to the matter at hand.
In the vast catalog, there were various Skills that specialized in the working of particular materials. Jeff immediately discounted those that specialized in wood and leather, which narrowed it down some more.
He ended up with a shortlist of three Skills.
The [Alchemy Basic] Skill was a tempting choice. Jeff browsed through the marketing material for the Skill, intrigued by the variety of arcane concoctions and volatile mixtures he could create. Mastery of poisons and an innate understanding of alchemical processes could be extremely useful in the production of deadly weaponry.
As well as dealing with magical sorcery and alchemy, the Skill also granted proficiency in regular chemistry. Jeff thought for a moment about the enticing possibility of bomb making—IEDs, WMDs and even battlefield nukes, with the requisite materiel.
The [Metalworking Basic] Skill was the next option. Unlike the Alchemy Skill, it somehow seemed a more tangible asset to Jeff—the ability to forge and enhance his own weaponry and armor could be invaluable going forward.
Runic etching, or Rune-Smithing, especially, piqued his interest; engraving his gear with runes of power could provide a crucial advantage in combat. To Jeff, the runes were like the System’s underlying machine code. Greater fluency in this arcane language would give him a valuable edge in the Tournament.
Once again, he was reminded of the complex symbol emblazoned on the head of the Steel Mage. If he could but tap into a fraction of that power, he knew he would be a force to be reckoned with on any battlefield.
The final choice, [Tool Proficiency] (Basic), was more generalized, and offered versatility. The Skill gave the user the ability to allocate points between various sub-skills, such as elixirs, smithing, and something called earth-power.
Jeff’s decision began to crystallize in his mind.
He naturally gravitated towards Metalworking—Something about the strength and durability of metal, and the ability to create bladed weapons from it, called out to him. Additionally, he was keen to make use of the rare Rivan Darksteel ingot in his inventory. He had several ideas about what he could fashion using the adamantine substance.
Jeff felt a twinge of buyer’s remorse as he paid seven hundred coins for the Metalworking skill and an additional five hundred for the Mana Burst skill, wincing as he watched his balance of coins plummet.
The System flashed a confirmation:
Skills Acquired
Metalworking Basic
Mana Burst (1)
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
As soon as the System confirmed the purchase, Jeff felt the familiar rush of knowledge—a steady transmission of information, all the techniques and abilities of a skilled blacksmith—flowing into his mind.
The smell of molten iron and the clang of hammer on steel, a strange memory of a memory, becoming a part of his identity. He closed his eyes, savoring the experience.
Jeff now instantly possessed an intimate understanding of alloys, the tempering of metal and the art of forging blades. And as he meditated on swords, axes and knives, all honed to a razor finish, another image intruded into his consciousness—that mysterious rune emblazoned on the forehead of the Steel Mage.
As soon as the [Metalworking] skill had settled firmly into his mind, the [Mana Burst] Skill began its own integration, stitching new pathways of power through his body.
Emanating from his Core Space, freshly forged conduits began to open up.
Mentally, Jeff looked inwards, to the cavernous space in his spiritual center. The roiling pool of densely concentrated, unaspected mana was now undergoing a radical transformation. Twin rivulets curved off from the main pool, pouring through gaps in the cavernous walls. Jeff felt a ludicrously painful sensation down his spine, up through his shoulders and along both of his arms, causing him to shout out in agony.
From his hands, he saw a glow of pure energy starting to shine through, small silver filaments appearing on his palms and along the length of his fingers.
The pain instantly subsided and Jeff, wonderingly, looked down at his hands and fingers, which glowed faintly with a brilliant blue light. Concentrating, he pushed more mana through the twin channels branching from his Core Space, and the glow brightened. The more he pushed, the brighter the glow, until he felt a limit had been reached.
He directed the flow, concentrating, until above the palm of each of his hands, glowing blue orbs of mana hung suspended in the air.
He noted with interest that the mana had been transformed at some point, no longer the pure, unaspected type that circulated in his Core Space. Now it was an active, destructive type of mana he had not seen before. The energy seemed to have been imbued with an explosive characteristic.
Jeff instinctively knew that he could hurl the bolts of energy some distance, with devastating results. Experimenting, he sucked the energy back into the newly created channels, returning it into his Core Space. This caused the glowing blue balls of energy to dissipate, and his MP was replenished, clicking back up.
“Think of it like voltage and wattage. 10 MP is about the maximum your meridians and pathways can channel right now, but continue to evolve the Skill and your Grade, and you’ll be able to push out more mana from a bigger pool each time,” Misty commented, excitedly leaning over the back of his chair and peering down at his glowing hands on the desk.
“What type of mana is it?” Jeff inquired, staring in fascination down at his hands as the blue energy pulsed and flickered between his fingers.
“The skill automatically converts the stream of raw mana from your Core Space into an aggressive form, primed for offense. With Cultivation practice and study of runic knowledge, you should eventually be able to create mana of almost any aspect. Why not give it a try?”
Jeff experimented, and once again conjuring the image of the Fire rune in his mind’s eye, willed the mana flickering around his fingers to transform.
As if in response, a pulse of something coursed through his channels from the pool in his central Core Space.
The energy coating his hands slowly turned from blue to a deep, intense red. Jeff could feel heat beginning to emanate from his fingers, the air quivering with the intensity—so much so that he actually experienced physical pain, and the cuffs of his shirt sleeves began to smoke.
Hurriedly, he switched off the Skill, the flickers of flame around his fingertips winking out. He did not want a repeat of his experience on the mountain top.
“Some types of mana are easier to create than others, like the Fire mana you just created. Converting from unaspected mana to basic elemental types is just the beginning. After you have mastered Fire, Earth, Water and Air mana, you can move on to more complex attunements.”
Moving on with his to-do list, Jeff was just about to proceed over to the forge to practice with the [Metalworking] Skill, when he suddenly recalled the loot box he had won after vanquishing Mistress Vasuka.
Calling up his ring inventory, Jeff was unable to find any mention of the prize.
Misty chose this moment to pipe up.
“Jeff, check the Awards and Loot Boxes Tab in your inventory to access any unopened boxes. A word of warning though, always read the box’s description before opening or using the contents. Some of the rewards can have…unexpected…side effects.”
Jeff navigated back to his inventory once again, and sure enough, a new tab had appeared, labelled ‘Awards and Loot Boxes’. He mentally selected the Boss Box inside.
Once again, the riveted bronze chest appeared, materializing in midair in the library.
ITEM: [Boss Box—Common Tier]
ITEM TYPE: Loot Box
REQUIREMENTS: None
EXPANDABLE: (Not Expandable)
DESCRIPTION: As a reward for successfully clearing a training level, you are awarded a Boss Box—Common Tier. Contents: A pair of bladed metal gauntlets, riveted and lined internally for comfort.
Jeff reached out tentatively.
The instant his fingers brushed its surface, the chest disappeared, popping out of existence like a soap bubble. Sure enough, a pair of beautiful metal gauntlets appeared on the desk in front of him. Jeff let out an involuntary whistle, impressed by the craftsmanship of the items.
They were excellently wrought from a shining steel compound, the metal shimmering with a lustrous blue hue, and were large enough to provide complete coverage to his hands, wrists and forearms.
The articulation at each finger joint was meticulously engineered—each joint allowing dexterity for weapons use without sacrificing protection.The bladed cusps protruding from each fingertip shone with lethality, rendering the gauntlets weapons in their own right.
Jeff thought of the potential of the gauntlets in battle, and imagined multiple ways to adjust his fighting style to make the utmost use of them.
He added them to his inventory and took a moment to peruse his stats.
NAME: Jeff Nostro
RACE: Human
HIT POINTS (HP): 80/180 (+10*)
MANA POINTS (MP): 70/170
Path: Spellsword [Hidden]
* Path Rewrite: Awarded if 7 tribulations are completed.
* Tribulations passed: 2/7
GRADE: I, Level 2
CLASS: Arcane Duelist 2
SKILLS:
* Physical Fitness (Level 2)
* Identify (Level 1)
* High Pain Threshold (Level 4)
* Combat Proficiency (Level 3)
* Sub-Skill: [Unarmed Blade] Level 1
* First Aid (Level 1)
* Dodge (Level 2)
* Jump (Level 1)
* Poison Resistance (Level 1)
* Mana Essence (Level 4)
* Cooking (Level 1)
* Metalworking Basic (Level 1)
* Mana Burst (Level 1)
CLASS SKILLS:
* Infinite Sword (Level 1)
* Cutting Edge (Level 2)
ATTRIBUTES:
* Strength: 30
* Speed: 29 (+2*)
* Vitality: 34 (+2*)
* Endurance: 20 (+2*)
* Cognition: 23
* Offense: 40
* Defense: 25 (+7*)
* Stealth: 11 (+5*)
* Total Attribute Points: 212
* Unallocated Attribute Points: 0
He took a quick look at his inventory.
ITEM: [Short Sword] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +2 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [Janissary Long Sword, ‘Leech’], Infantryman of the Crepuscular Marshes Standard-Issue, Rare, Level 2, (Expandable), +4 Offense (Stackable)
ITEM: [Goblin Bone Dagger] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +2 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [VogelCorp Aether Powered Chainsaw] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable) +2 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [Netherworm Corruption Poison, small bladder]
ITEM: [Periapt of The Erstwhile Tree Gods] Uncommon, Level 2 (Not Expandable) +2 Vitality, +2 Endurance, +10 HP (Stackable) - Equipped
ITEM: [Ningish Orb of Mana Replenishment] Rare, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +50% Mana Boost (temporary), x 12
ITEM: [Chain Mail] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +2 Defense, (Not Stackable) - Equipped
ITEM: [Helm of Enchantment] Common, Level 1 (Expandable), +5 Defense (Not Stackable) - Equipped
ITEM: [Orcish Battle Boots] - +2 Speed (Not Stackable) - Equipped
ITEM: [Oaken Iron Bound Barrel], Contents: Pure Mana 500/500
ITEM: [Shuriken - Shadar’s Tooth] + 5 Offense (Not Stackable), Level 1 (Expandable). 10 MP per use.
ITEM: [Ingot of Rivan Darksteel] Very Rare, Level 5
ITEM: [Rapier] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +2 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [Long Sword] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +2 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [Cutlass] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +1 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [Dagger] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +2 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [Battle Axe] Common, Level 1 (Not Expandable), +2 Offense (Not Stackable)
ITEM: [Cave Roc Egg], cooked, x 4
ITEM: [Cave Roc Egg], uncooked, x 6
ITEM: [Cloak of Distraction] Uncommon, Level 2 (Not Expandable) +2 Defense, +5 Stealth (Stackable)
ITEM: [RemoteTalk Bangle] - One, Equipped, Paired
ITEM: [Steel Bladed Gauntlets, Pair] - Uncommon, Level 2 (Expandable) +5 Offense (Stackable)
COINS: 189
Pushing himself upright, Jeff stepped away from the Skills Console, keen to dive into the Forge to test out his his newly acquired crafting Skill.