𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒𝟔
‘First……’
Thinking that I had to grab their attention so that Sina or Layla wouldn’t be attacked, I decided to use Provoke first.
“Provoking Shout.”
Bang!━
At the same time, a red aura spread from my body, and the Ice Spirits, touched by the aura, all looked at me at once. But with their bluish faces staring at me all at once, they felt scarier than any monster I had faced so far.
“Hehe, Hehehe!”
‘They seem crazy, not corrupted.’
Anyway, the Ice Spirits, who I thought would rush in immediately, distanced themselves again and shot something like white steam at me. I easily dodged it and quickly approached to attempt an attack.
Crackle!━
[Hit Damage! 3,664.]
“Kyaaaak!”
‘3,600?’
Indeed, the words that they were stronger than Snow Trolls weren’t a lie, as the damage wasn’t satisfactory. Even with the damage doubled, it was only this much? Also, after being hit by me, the Ice Spirits started to scatter and fly upwards.
‘Annoying.’
Thinking about it now, I hate flying monsters the most. But fortunately, the terrain here was a forest, so I thought I could somehow deal with them.
“Elsyke’s Phantom Shift.”
Fwoosh━
After moving to a nearby tree branch using Phantom Shift, I quickly jumped down and struck the Ice Spirit below. And again, the Ice Spirit, hit by my attack, screamed as if it was being torn apart and then disappeared.
[Hit Damage! 3,672.]
[Acquired 1,620 Combat Experience!]
[Ding!~ Party member Rudin-nim has acquired ‘ Ice Crystal ‘.]
‘Ice Crystal?’
Before I could figure out what it was, I dealt with the next spirit that was attacking my clone, and as expected, fighting based on Elsyke’s Phantom Shift, it wasn’t difficult to win.
[Acquired 1,620 Combat Experience!]
“Wow, you won really easily.”
“What are you doing instead of gathering herbs?”
“Well…… I was going to run away if you made a mistake, Rune-nim.”
It was a ridiculous statement for a hesitant one. Simply put, she was saying she would run away if she judged that I couldn’t win. It was absurd, but thanks to her, I was able to come to the forest, so I decided to let it slide.
‘On the other hand, Sina is diligently gathering.’
It seems she didn’t even consider the possibility of me losing. Maybe it was possible because she knew my skills well. Thinking so, I spoke to Layla.
“I can catch as many of these monsters as you want, so gather the herbs first.”
“Uh, yes.”
With a short reply, Layla picked nearby herbs, and I looked around, preparing for any approaching enemies, while recalling the previous battle.
‘I need a ranged skill after all.’
Coincidentally, I had a Random Skillbook I got from Beksha, so I could acquire one more skill. But what were the chances of getting a ranged skill from it? I could only rely on luck after using Intuition to draw an S-rank skill.
‘And the ranged skill that suits my current level is……’
Of course, magic skills were out of the question. I needed a ranged skill that could deal damage based on physical attack power. In that sense, Yua’s Javelin skill was good, but I didn’t like the fact that I had to switch weapons for it.
‘Then…… Weapon Throw?’
What about a skill that throws the weapon itself, not a skill that throws a javelin or a dagger? I thought it might be good because I could throw the Roar of the Thunder Dragon while fighting if necessary.
“Ugh, it’s cold! Ru…… no, Rune-nim! Make a bonfire!”
“Ah, I’ll make it.”
It seemed that Sina wanted a fire because she hated the cold more than the stamina consumption, and Layla immediately responded by taking out firewood.
I didn’t know until now because I was in the Harpe Empire, but the weather was quite annoying.
Whoosh!━
[The warm air drives away the cold.]
[Stamina decrease due to cold disappears.]
“Ah~ It’s warm. But Layla-nim, do you acquire potions through self-sufficiency?”
“Self-sufficiency? Yes, that’s part of it, but I’m trying to make money by selling them.”
“Do potions sell well?”
“They sell better than cloth crafting or cooking. I originally learned cloth crafting to make money with that. But it didn’t sell as well as I thought, so I switched to potion making.”
‘Cloth crafting?’
I was quietly listening to their conversation while taking a break by the warmth of the bonfire, and I reacted to the word ‘cloth’.
“What rank is your Cloth Crafting?”
“Cloth? It’s C-rank.”
‘C-rank?’
I was hoping it would be at least C-rank, and it turned out to be exactly C-rank.
The reason I asked about Cloth Crafting was because I was thinking of making a coat with Beksha’s leather. It was a bit of a waste to use Rare grade leather for a coat, but there would be no bigger loss if I died. So, to reduce that probability even a little, it was better to make a coat.
“If you don’t mind, could you make me a coat?”
“A coat? I don’t mind, but…… Should I make it for you now?”
“Yes. And are there any other materials you need?”
“No. Anyway, only players in the Anis Kingdom wear coats. If I needed various materials, it wouldn’t be financially viable, so coats can be made with just one piece of leather.”
‘Oh? Then……’
Suddenly, I remembered the player who sold me the Bear Leather Coat for 1 gold. If Layla’s words were true, it was no different than buying a piece of leather for 1 gold.
‘Tsk, there are scammers everywhere.’
While I was grinding my teeth thinking about that scammer, Layla seemed to be slowly crafting with the Beksha’s leather I gave her, and soon Sina’s voice could be heard.
“You’re already wearing a coat. Why are you making another one?”
“This is Beksha’s leather.”
Besides, Beksha was also a bear, so it might be better than the Snow Bear Leather Coat I was currently wearing.
“Beksha? If it’s Beksha……”
“It’s Rare grade, right?”
Moreover, since the crafting only required one coat, there was a possibility that it would come out as Rare grade if I was lucky. To put it a bit exaggeratedly, wasn’t the entire material Rare grade?
“That’s really amazing. Ah, by the way, you got an Ice Crystal a while ago, right? What kind of item is it?”
“Ice Crystal? Ah.”
The item I acquired after catching the Corrupted Ice Spirit. Remembering that, I opened the Item Window and took out the Ice Crystal. The Ice Crystal emitted such a cold chill that I could feel it even through my gloved hand.
[Ice Crystal] (Magic)
Description: An ice crystal formed by the gathering of special energy. It has the property of melting into any material. If you use this material to craft an item, there is a high probability that it will be imbued with stats related to the ice attribute.
*Material Value 11.
“It’s a material item.”
“Material? Wait a minute.”
Sina got up and approached me to check the Ice Crystal. Then, with an expression that suggested a good idea had come to mind, she said,
“Shall we try making a potion with this?”
“A potion?”
“Maybe a better potion will come out.”
Even if a good potion came out as Sina said, it would be a problem. I only had one Ice Crystal. If a better potion came out after adding the Ice Crystal, I would have to keep collecting them.
“Complete.”
Flash!━
At that moment, the words “Complete” came from Layla, who had finished making the coat. Along with it, a light appeared, and I could see Beksha’s leather transforming into a coat.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“No, a strange name is attached to the coat. Anyway, it’s finished.”
I looked at the reddish-brown coat made from Beksha’s leather, a Rare grade material. Since the leather was a Rare grade material, I thought this coat would definitely be Rare grade too, and I could see that my thought wasn’t wrong.
[Thick and Tough Coat of Fear] (Rare)
Description: A coat made from the leather of Beksha, the symbol of fear. Made to protect against the cold, this coat has a high resistance to cold due to the inherent power of the leather itself and its thickness. Therefore, wearing this coat will allow you to resist the cold to some extent, but due to the thickness of the leather, it may affect your movement.
Durability: 125/125
*Cold Resistance increased by 47%.
*Damage taken from Ice Attribute reduced by 15%.
‘Oh.’
As expected, a Rare grade coat came out, and the effects were satisfactory. 5% Ice Attribute Resistance and 15% damage reduction? Plus, 47% Cold Resistance. It seemed like I could get a high price even if I sold it.
‘Except for the 50 Agility decrease, it’s good.’
Anyway, as I nodded in satisfaction, the two, curious about what kind of coat had been made, asked me.
“Can we see it?”
“It’s not like you can’t.”
It wasn’t difficult to show Sina since she already knew what material the coat was made of. But I was concerned about Layla, who wanted to see it together. Still, I allowed Layla too, thinking that I wouldn’t see her again once I caught Arnela.
“Wow, the coat is amazing because of the good materials.”
“Except for the Agility decrease.”
“Coats usually decrease Agility…… Huh? Beksha?”
“Now that we’ve had some rest, let’s get going.”
Layla, who checked the coat with Sina, tilted her head as if she remembered something at the word ‘Beksha’. But I moved on as if nothing had happened, and Sina also started moving to where she saw herbs without saying anything.
“By the way, was it possible to catch Beksha alone?”
“It would be possible if you had a way to recover Stamina, right?”
The reason why solo hunting was difficult in Twilight was all because of Stamina. Since the number of skill uses was limited by Stamina, it was inevitably difficult to hunt alone.
So, if you had a way to recover Stamina, you could continue hunting, and you could hunt alone.
“A way to recover Stamina…… Indeed, if you could recover Stamina during battle, it might be possible.”
It became possible for me thanks to the shield effect I made by chance, but it was clear that it would be difficult for others. And although it wasn’t certain yet, I thought I could try the Real-Time Auction House if an item with Stamina recovery appeared.
“Ah, now that you have the coat, wouldn’t you need potions anymore?”
“It’s a pity. If the coat had 100% Cold Resistance, I wouldn’t need them.”
We were chatting about this and that, but Sina didn’t stop gathering herbs, and I also dealt with the occasional Ice Spirits and spiders, collecting Ice Crystals one by one. And after handing over all the Ice Crystals I gathered to Sina, I was able to finish this task.
“I think I’ve gathered all the herbs nearby.”
“Should we go further in?”
“No, the herbs we have now are enough. I’ll make potions as soon as we leave the forest.”
“What about Layla-nim?”
“I’m fine too. I’ve gathered enough.”
After hearing that, I nodded and left the forest, and Sina immediately started making potions on the spot. On the other hand, Layla, who didn’t seem to be planning to make potions here, asked me and Sina with a puzzled expression.
“Are you two going to make potions here?”
“Yes, we’re going to make potions and go back right away.”
Sina said that, as if she didn’t want to stay in this area for even a moment. And Layla, smiling awkwardly at the answer, nodded as if she understood and said goodbye.
“Then I’ll be going now. Thank you for today.”
“Oh? Are you leaving already?”
“You said you were going to make potions and go back, right? I’m going back to town too.”
“Ah, right. Be careful going back.”
“You too.”
Even after Layla left, Sina continued making potions and soon handed me about 10 potions with 14-19% Cold Resistance, which I gratefully received.
“Phew, I’m done making them.”
“Yes. You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s funny to say this now, but wouldn’t it be a bit difficult to catch Arnela?”
“That’s why we made these potions.”
At my answer, Sina nodded as if she understood and took out a Return Scroll from her Item Window. It was probably a scroll that would take her to my mansion in the Harpe Empire.
“Or should I help you until the end?”
“No, I’ve already received enough help.”
“Hmm, that’s true. Anyway, good luck.”
Then, Sina used the Return Scroll and disappeared in an instant, and I, left alone, decided to start the quest to go to the Ice Palace where Arnela was after finishing the final preparations in town.
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