After trading one of the corpses in his inventory for an empty slot, Michael also took out the four golden boxes.
"I'm hoping I'll get something decent."
[Don't get your hopes up. They are called 'consolation prizes' for a reason.](Helen)
Seeing as the two girls were laughing at his foolishness, the Necromancer shrugged and opened the first item box.
[ Storm Resolve
Rare Shield
199 Item Power
--------------------
* 45% Blocked Damage Reduction
* 20% Block Chance
* +80% Main Hand Weapon Damage
* +12 Thorns
--------------------
* +3.0% Crowd Control duration
* + 9 Intelligence
* +11 Thorns ]
Compared with his Magic Targe, there was a noticeable difference.
[ Determined Targe
Magic Shield
133 Item Power
--------------------
* 40% Blocked Damage Reduction
* 20% Block Chance
* +80% Main Hand Weapon Damage
* +2 Thorns
--------------------
* +8 Willpower ]
"I don't plan to fight much in close range, but if the enemy closes in, I can swap my focus item for this shield."
[Mhm! It's a decent find. The Thorns are more useful than you think.](Helen)
Thinking back to the 'Attack on the Ghoul' when he lost consciousness and his minions committed suicide by attacking the pretty tigress, Michael couldn't help but agree.
After all, if his defense were high enough, it would become a 'why are you hitting yourself?' situation.
"Well, onto the next one."
[ Bloody Necklace
Rare Amulet
179 Item Power
--------------------
* 4.4% Resistance to All Elements
--------------------
* 1.5% Cooldown Reduction
* +4.0% Healing Received
* +3.5% Shadow Damage Over Time ]
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Michael checked the choker he received from the crazed Monk back in Nevesk.
[ Choker of Penance
Amulet
40 Item Power
--------------------
* 4.0% Resistance to All Elements ]
Without hesitation, he equipped the new item.
[Well, aren't you lucky!? That's a great find!](Helen)
"Mhm! Consider me consoled."
[Leaving aside the Cooldown Reduction, if I remember correctly, you mentioned that your Corpse Explosion deals Shadow Damage Over Time, right?](Mina)
"Yup! Finally, I can increase my damage output! Right! That reminds me that I wanted to ask you how damage is calculated. Strangely, my Attack Power is 276, but I barely deal 40-50 damage with my best skills."
[Eh... this...](Helen)
"Hmm? Is there a secret or something?"
[Not really. She doesn't know.](Mina)
[Hey! You don't know either!](Helen)
[That's true... Damage is usually calculated depending on its type—physical, Magical, Thorns, etc. Other effects and conditions must be included, such as statuses of affliction, buffs, critical strikes, etc. Put simply, in most cases, the magic damage you deal depends on your skill damage and buffs from your items. Physical damage depends on how good your weapon is and how well your passive skills stack.](Mina)
Hearing the explanation was almost as good as not hearing it at all. It sounded very convoluted, but it resonated with some of his insights—especially the physical/magical damage separation.
He decided to further investigate this in the future to get a better idea of how his damage actually scaled. There's no way a proper gamer doesn't understand the game mechanics - even more so when he lives in the game world.
[Don't think about it too much. All that matters is if you can kill your enemies or not. Does it make a difference if you deal 100,000 damage or 1,000 to an enemy with only 1,000 Life points?](Helen)
"I guess that makes sense."
[Mhm, mhm! Go on and open the other two boxes.](Helen)
Seeing Helen's excitement, Michael decided to find the time to take this girl out on a proper date. The problem was that he wasn't aware of many scenic spots near Kyovashad, nor was he aware of his girlfriend's 'many' hobbies and preferences.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Further investigation was required!
[ Scout Talent
Rare Pants
228 Item Power
--------------------
228 Armor
* While Injured, your Potions also restore 10% of Resources
--------------------
* +11 Dexterity
* + 1 Rank of Blood Mist (Necromancer Only)
* + 1 Rank of Corpse Explosion(Necromancer Only) ]
Looking twice at the incredible stats to make sure he wasn't seeing things, Michael turned around and saw Helen's mouth also opened in surprise.
Comparing this beautiful 'consolation prize' with his current rare pants... would be sinful!
[ Undead Horde's Strider's Leggings
Magic Pants
158 Item Power
--------------------
158 Armor
* +8.0% Maximum Minion Life ]
His minions could be revived continuously since he had plenty of ways to create Corpses. So an extra 8% to their Maximum Life wasn't impressive compared to two free levels of his main skills!
[I feel like something is wrong....](Mina)
[Yeah. This is not how it's supposed to work! When I cleared a Dungeon twice at Level 20, all I got in exchange was a trash item!](Helen)
"Now, now! Don't kick up a fuss over a measly Rare item when you're probably decked in Legendary ones. Hehe! Let's open the final one, then."
[ Stomp Rival
Rare Boots
200 Item Power
--------------------
100 Armor
* Attacks Reduce Evade's Cooldown by 0.6 Seconds
--------------------
* +1.2% Dodge Chance
* + 11 Intelligence
* + 1 Rank of Corpse Tendrils (Necromancer Only) ]
Scratching his head, Michael checked his currently equipped boots and sighed.
[ Efficient Outsider's Boots
Magic Boots
132 Item Power
--------------------
66 Armor
* +1.2% Essence Cost Reduction ]
[Another great item, and you're sighing?](Helen)
"Well... There's a saying in my hometown: everything has a way of returning to the middle."
[What does that mean?](Mina)
"You can look at it this way: what comes after climbing a very tall mountain and you get to the peak?"
[Admiring the view?](Helen)
"...not quite what I had in mind, but I can't argue with that logic. What goes up must also come down. So, after climbing a tall mountain follows a steep valley, you must make your way through."
[Your meaning is that after all this good luck, you'll meet a streak of bad luck, making everything return to the 'middle?'](Mina)
"Mhm... It was a similar situation when I got in trouble with the Ghouls last time."
[Given your Preferential Treatment, it's very possible.](Helen)
[What!? He's getting Preferential Treatment from the Sanctuary!?](Mina)
[Oh, right... I forgot to mention it with everything that has been going on lately. In my defense, I only found out yesterday also.](Helen)
Leaving the girls to continue their chat about how fucked he was, Michael opened his renewed Attributes Page and checked the changes after equipping the new pieces.
[ Class: Necromancer
Attack Power: 276
Armor: 839
Life: 240
--------------
Strength: 74
Intelligence: 70
Willpower: 76
Dexterity: 93 ]
The more he looked at his attributes, the more annoyed he got. Seeing him silent, Helen asked what he was doing and requested that he share his interface.
Their reactions took Michael by surprise.
"What now!?"
[You... you're only Level 16, right?](Helen)
"Yes..."
[Your attributes are ridiculous! How are they so high!? Your items don't add that much!](Mina)
"Huh? What do you mean? Leaving aside my starting situation, I gained 2 points per level for each main attribute, and on top of that are my current items. What's strange about it?"
[...](Helen)
[...](Mina)
Seeing their blank faces, the Necromancer realized something was wrong but couldn't piece things together.
He could only wait until they recovered enough to explain. Sure enough, Helen exploded only a few seconds later.
[What do you mean 2 points per level!? Normally, you only get a single point!](Helen)
"Huh? Then..."
[I think I know what happened. He did meet with Aylin and her party.](Mina)
[And?](Helen)
[Sir Hoduin has access to Heart of the Forest pills. If I remember correctly, he gained some after clearing a Druid-restricted Dungeon.](Mina)
"Let me guess. Those pills are extremely rare..."
[I wouldn't go as far as to say 'extremely,' but they are quite expensive and hard to find. There aren't many Alchemists who know how to create them, mainly because only a Druid Alchemist can mix it up.](Helen)
"In that case, I probably owe Martel as well."
Seeing their inquisitive faces, Michael explained his training sessions with the dummies, and both girls looked pensive.
[You said that you gained 100 Attack Power after finishing your training with them?](Helen)
"Mhm. Do you know what that was?"
[I think so. We have a similar but more inefficient array of training dummies for the recruits. But it only gives an extra 15 Attack Power after completing the training course.](Helen)
[Weren't the ones you used replicas?](Mina)
[Mhm. Replicas were made after the training arrays used by the Rogue Encampment in the past.](Helen)
"Rogue Encampment?"
Certain memories were awakened in Michael's brain, mainly from Diablo 2. He saw some gameplay on the internet, and there was a mention of the Rogue Encampment and the mercenaries you could get there.
But that's as far as his knowledge of it went.
[It is, or rather, an ancient faction where many powerful Archers, Rogues, and Assassins arose. They are known for fighting against the Lord of Terror, Diablo. However, after the Worldstone was shattered and the Lords of Terror vanquished, the faction vanished into thin air.](Helen)
[I think there were mentions of it disbanding after their purpose was met. Other theories say their casualties were so high that only a few were left.](Mina)
[Nevertheless, anything related to the Rogue Encampment is priceless, as there aren't enough objects to study about them. The training array is just one of the small playthings Cain, Kashya, and Akara invented. You can imagine their competence.](Helen)
Thinking about how he should ask Martel for more details of where he found his training array, Michael added another mystery to the list of things to explore in the Sanctuary.
After a couple more minutes of chatting with the girls, they separated, with Michael headed for Zivek, and the two girls left to help him sort out the trouble he got into.
He did promise to return here before dinner and cook a feast for them.
'I should also improve further the entertainment of this world. That would make for the best gift I can return for their help. As for what... further planning is required.'
Something like a TV, computers, or the internet was obviously impossible. Some prerequisites must be met before reaching such a goal.
As for a more basic form of entertainment that could serve multiple purposes, he already had a general idea.
'A news station wouldn't be too hard to create. The more ancient one, of course, but I could even help create a newspaper. With how starved for entertainment people are, they would eat up every bit of news they can get their hands on. As for the literacy level, having such a form of entertainment could help push for an increase.'
Seeing as the Sanctuary wasn't reacting like before, the Necromancer took it as getting approval, so he was already planning ahead.
'Gathering intel shouldn't be too hard, but what's important is verifying the source of information and confirming its authenticity. Introducing the concept of fake news to manipulate the masses in an otherworld setting feels too wrong. Still, it could become a powerful tool in my hands.'
As for the information gatherers, there was no better working force than the Wanderers. With their capability of traveling between cities through the Waypoints, it would take them hours at most to gather vital intel from all across the continent.
Michael concluded that a small experiment was needed to test out both the people's reaction to a newspaper and the response of the surrounding powers.
'I could designate Kyovashad as testing grounds and release the newspapers only here for a while. If successful, we can expand further. I'll talk with the girls tonight.'
While lost in his thoughts, Michael reached his destination.
The forge's heat blasted away the cold, wintry air, creating a large area on the ground around the Blacksmith where snow couldn't remain for long.
The middle-aged man was pounding a piece of equipment on the anvil, dressed as if preparing for summer's sweltering heat.
Noticing a new customer, he turned around and saw Michael.
[It's you again, brat? What is it this time?](Zivek)
"Hello, Sir! I was forced to visit you this time around. I managed to fill out my Equipment Inventory and decided to salvage all that I can from them."
[Hoh? Let me see what you have.](Zivek)
Michael shared his inventory interface with the Blacksmith, who nodded occasionally after browsing the wares.
[The equipment isn't bad, but it's not top quality, either. You're lucky that Boza is looking to buy similar stuff, so I can buy the rest from you except for some common garbage items.](Zivek)
"Buy them? Uh... can I get materials instead?"
[Oh, right! Are you planning to stock up for future upgrades?](Zivek)
"Yes, Sir!"
The Blacksmith didn't seem to be against the idea either, so an agreement was reached immediately.