Chapter 39. Ten, nine, eight…
Sharkskin Tribal Buckler
Item Class: Set Armor
Item Quality: Medium
Armor: 10% Damage reduction
+5 Constitution
+2 Wisdom
+2 Intelligence
+5% Shadow Resistance
Set Bonuses:
3 piece bonus: +5% critical strike chance with all skills
Soulbound
“All part of my plan, Warren.”
“Does that apply to my Mystic spells?”
“ Just wait ‘til you see the four-piece bonus. And yes, it applies to everything except for physical hits. Ticks of Rejuvenate, Lightning. Even your Tempo skill has a chance to crit.”
“That’s awesome. What’s the bonus for critical strikes in this game?”
“The base value is double,” she said. “Which means when Tempo crits, I’ll get a 20% bonus to my Haste.” She smiled a mischievous smile.
“Oh now I see,” I said. “You’re building me up to be a perfect support for yourself.”
She laughed. “Exactly!”
“If I’m understanding her whole plan,” Dread said, “you’ll be much more than that.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Janica said. “You’re my pocket support. Get used to it. Now go make yourself the next pieces. Just wait until you see the four-piece bonus.”
The discovery of the Tribal Buckler turned out to be really lucky. Not only was I able to get the three-set bonus, but now I could make another piece. I hustled over to the pattern book and copied the next recipe.
Congratulations, you learned how to make Tribal Leather Helmet.
The Helmet pattern was the most complicated that I had seen, though there were no straps or frills. It had seven pieces to it, in total. And unlike bracers and shoulders, it didn’t have pieces layered on top of other pieces for extra protection. Every piece needed to be attached and fitted to my skull.
Dread measured the circumference of my head. She had five wooden heads, all of different sizes. She found the one that matched the size of mine, and handed it to me. “Here. Use this for your shaping.”
I got to work, cutting, punching the dozens of holes, hardening, then shaping. After I completed the piece, I checked my prompt. My Leatherworking Expertise was up to 143. Not quite high enough to add another piece of armor. That would have to wait until I had time to get my Expertise level above 145.
I slipped the helmet on. It fit snugly over my temples. It came to a point in the center of my forehead, almost like I had a widow’s peak. Guards protected the sides of my face. In the back, the helmet went down below my neckline.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Sharkskin Tribal Helmet
Item Class: Set Armor
Item Quality: Medium
Armor: 2% Damage reduction
+5 Constitution
+4 Wisdom
+4 Intelligence
+5% Shadow Resistance
Set Bonuses:
3 piece bonus: +5% critical strike chance with all skills
4 piece bonus: Critical Strikes with Skills return 50% of the stamina and mana used.
Soulbound
The stats were amazing, but the most impressive element was the four-piece set bonus. If I could consistently deliver critical strikes, I would have a lot more mana to use. And stamina.
I looked at Janica. “So this is fully a crit build,” I said.
“Yep,” she said. “The more you crit, the more mana and stamina you get back. Which is important because it costs two stamina per second to maintain our connection. And we’re going to find you a passive that costs mana regeneration per second as well. It won’t fully come online until you are able to enchant all your pieces with crit chance.”
I looked at my overall stats with all my gear. My base stats had improved, significantly, with the level-ups from the Instructor Job. The gear I had just equipped added a total of eighteen Constitution, eight Dexterity, ten Intelligence and ten Wisdom. Maybe more importantly, my health was up to 104. I had seventy-three mana and three mana regeneration per second out of combat. My crit chance, after the set bonus, was only at 7.2%.
I logged off early, giving Sofia a chance to do her thing.
She only spent two hours in-game, so that I could dive back in and be ready to go into the dungeon with Janica as soon as possible. In that brief period of time, Sofia managed to hire three NPCs to run the inn and construction team. When I asked her how she could afford that, she told me her business plan.
Most gamers didn’t have to pay for a room at an inn. They could, like I usually did, log out wherever they wanted. But one of the advantages of inns, she had learned, was that people who logged out in a bed for four hours or more got a buff that gave a 10% experience boost for eight hours. A ten percent boost to experience was a big deal, especially for hardcore gamers and guilds looking to push for world-first clears. With a little advertising, she would sell out. My favorite part of the plan was that even though she only had fourteen rooms in the inn, she was going to make bunk beds. She would put six beds in every room. It wasn’t like gamers needed privacy or a place to watch television. She would rent beds out to gamers for 15 Silver per night. And with eight rooms at the inn, if the place was fully booked, Sofia could be making seven-hundred and twenty Silver per night. That was the equivalent of $720 dollars. Every. Night. My sister was a genius. And that’s how she afforded to hire a construction crew to make bunk beds and fix up the place.
As for expenses, she’d pay the NPCs, provide a free meal for guests which would grant them a well-fed buff, and give me a bed to sleep in so I could benefit from the same buffs as everyone else.
Factoring in all of this, she was still looking at around $400 a day in profit.
Janica and I stood at the entrance to the University, along with dozens of other gamers. People showed off their armor, discussed Jobs, compared speculations about the new dungeon. They talked excitedly. They made inappropriate jokes and got into political arguments. Any time you got this many gamers in a confined space, it was a breeding ground for nonsense, hot takes, and hilarity.
The University itself was locked to all of us. We could see the white stone gates that said “Edredu University” in large iron lettering, but beyond that all we could see was a dense fog. The gates were locked.
Arthur was there. So were Rowan and Cassandra.
I caught Rowan’s eyes, briefly. She seemed surprised to see me and eyed me up and down in my new armor. But Arthur pulled her back into a guild strategy session.
When Cassandra noticed us, she jumped up and down, waving. She pointed at her new shoulders.
The timer ticked down on my interface.
The gates of Edreru University will open in 10… 9… 8…
People started calling out the numbers along with the timer and soon all fifty or so gamers in the area were counting down like it was new years. Everyone cheered when the clock struck zero.
The fog dissipated, and the University came into view beyond the gates. The white stone outbuildings and main building were still there, but the ambiance had changed. Sun no longer shined into the zone. A mist had settled into the space, restricting visibility. Ivy covered the buildings. Brambles intruded into paths that used to run unencumbered through the grounds.
The gates creaked open, making a sound like metal scraping against metal.