Chapter 91: Goals and Armor


    "So what made you swap to Sorcerer?" Lisa asked, sipping at her tea.


    "I wanted to see what magic skills I might miss out on. I had Tabitha drill into me about the theme of my ss and how it would potentially limit me." I responded.


    "And? Get anything good?" Lisa asked eagerly. I responded with a mischievous grin and cast [Icicle] floating above my palm.


    "[Ice Magic]... Very impressive." With a pleased grin, Lisa said, "And I''m assuming you didn''t spend an ascension on that?"


    "Nope. I got it as soon as I swapped to Sorcerer. If not for running into the orcs, I would have practiced it a bit more."


    "Honestly, I wish I could promote you to Gold already." Lisa said with a sigh, "You''re punching far above your weight ss. Hell, you''re one level from another ascension. I can only imagine you''ll pick another element."


    "I was actually thinking of picking Lightning if it''s avable."


    "Ha! Trying to butter me up?"


    "Only if it gets you to show me [Lightning Magic]."Lisa paused momentarily before nodding, "Sure, I don''t mind. But why not wait for your revtion?"


    "I want to swap back to Shadowcaster, which means I won''t get the revtion until thirty. Also, it would be a sneak peek to see if I don''t have it already."


    Lisa nodded and showed me the skill, but I got the same missing affinity prompt when I tried to buy it. But now I didn''t have to stay locked to the Sorcerer ss and had the flexibility to return to Shadowcaster, which I hoped would lead to more exciting traits like [Subtle Afflictions].


    "Nope. Missing affinity." I said, shaking my head.


    "That''s a shame. Well, hopefully, it''ll be amongst your selections at forty. Otherwise, you can try again at fifty. I''m d you aren''t abandoning your hybrid ss; I''m eager to see what you unlock once you get an advanced ss."


    "Speaking of sses, howe I''ve not seen any humans with the Tamer ss?"


    "That''s a pretty sour spot," Lisa chuckled, "The main reason is that the time investment isn''t worth it, especially if your bonded monster dies; you''re immediately set back massively. It''s also hard to unlock unless you''re willing to pay money to buy a raised wolf or something to meet the requirement."


    "Why would you buy a wolf? There''s plenty in the forest."


    Lisaughed out of nowhere, almost spilling her drink. "Convincing a wild monster to assist you without the bonding skill is not easy. I have no idea how you elves do it."


    "Oh, I can actually answer that," I replied, showing the [Nature Commune] trait.


    <strong>As the guardians of nature and to represent their heritage, all elves canmunicate with nts and non-magical animals.</strong>


    <strong>The level of understanding and the willingness to offer aid is based on trait level.></strong>


    "Shit. That''s not fair." Lisa immediately replied, obviously reading the trait, "I guess this is why you''re still dumping so much experience into racial levels rather than focusing on your ss."


    "Some are more practical than others. While this one can be useful, you didn''t have a field of corn thanking you for fighting a nt Horror."


    "Oh Gods, the <em>corn </em>spoke to you?" Lisa replied,ughing hysterically.


    "I guess that exins how you can easily unlock Monster Tamer. You just go find a wolf or something and overpower it with your trait to help you." Lisa stated after recovering from herughter, "Wait. Is that why you''re asking Luke to look for flying monsters? And Thern, about the floating ind? Are you trying to hitch a ride on a tamed monster?"


    "I guess the cat is out of the bag," I said with a shrug.


    "If you''re sessful and you get up there, make sure to bring proof of kills. While I don''t think we can give you an official quest, none that would be tracked sessfully anyway, it would go a long way to speeding up your promotion."


    "And earn a lot of money, I suppose."


    "Oh yes. Although after that smander, you could retire for life."


    "Retire? Sounds horribly boring."


    "Yeah, it''s hard to give up the adventurer life." Lisa nodded along.


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    "What <em>do</em> I need to do to qualify for Gold-rank?" I asked between snacks.


    After a pregnant pause, Lisa answered, "Well. If you are sessful on your ind escapade, the only outstanding requirement would be to prove you can work in a team and follow orders. I know you''re mostly a solo adventurer, but unfortunately, it''s a requirement for Gold and up."


    "I don''t mind doing some teamwork. Would I just join a group doing quests or what?"


    "You could, although you''d need to do quite a few. The quickest way would be to join a group andplete a dungeon—a <em>real</em> one that groups recruit for."


    "I figured the one in Stantondale wouldn''t count."


    "Nope. No beginner dungeons; it has to be the real thing. You even benefit from being recruited as a mage or rogue—assuming you can pick locks and disable traps."


    "I have the skill up to two, but I could probably get it to three if I do some shopping."


    "Good. Do that. The nearest real dungeon is a week''s travel away, but assuming you can hitch a ride with your flying monster n, you could probably get there in two days. It doesn''t have a city, but there is an outpost and a small guild branch. If you''re up for it, I''ll write you a letter exining the situation and vouching for you."


    "Thanks, Lisa, I''d appreciate it."


    "No problem. It is my job, and I must one-up Harris and Roderick somehow. If I can say I got you your Gold rank, then they can''t im all the credit for recruiting you."


    When our small talk ended and I was getting ready to leave, Lisa turned to me with a rather serious expression.


    "Keep doing good work, Syl. You''ve helped and saved lives."


    I wasn''t prepared for that and awkwardly stammered my farewell before leaving. I ran into Luke on my way downstairs; he must have been waiting for me to finish speaking with Lisa.


    "Miss Syl, your armor is finished beingmissioned. Would you like to go get it?"


    "Yes, please. I feel like I need to buy a bunch of backup clothes."


    Luke nodded, and we headed toward the crafting section of the guild. Luke was very upfront with his praise of me saving the woman and children from the orcs, and he seemed to be enthralled with the idea of heroic adventurers saving the day.


    "Luke, have you ever heard of the Dragon Knight?" I asked.


    "Of course!" Luke looked at me with such joy I could swear his eyes startled to sparkle. He must have soon realized his reaction as he seemed to choke on nothing and blushed wildly. "I mean... Yes, I have. I''m surprised you''ve heard of him, Miss Syl."


    "The child I saved mentioned him. His mother said it was his favorite story."


    "It''s not just a story." Luke interrupted, "The Dragon Knight was a true hero from before the Adventurers Guild was a worldwide organization. The records prove it, and he practically saved an entire kingdom."


    "Sounds like you''re a fan. Did he really have the power of a dragon?"


    "He had draconic ancestry. Dragon blood is powerful and can have longsting impacts on an entire lineage." Luke exined, "Although not everyone rted awakens to the draconic bloodline, those who do gain scales, sometimes wings, and me breath."


    "Sounds like a guarantee for sess and fame."


    "Yes and no. Ever since the Dragon Knight, anyone with the bloodline has been viciously hunted by dragons—they refuse to allow a lesser race to steal their power. Or so they im."


    "Steal their power? Really?" I questioned; it sounded absurd.


    "Yes. The kingdom used to have two dragon rulers, but the Dragon Knight grew mighty enough to y them both and free everyone. This caused a scare amongst the other dragons, and they started ughtering anyone holding their blood." Luke said, looking rather sad, "It''s why the children''s story tells people to keep it a secret; it''s a warning to stem a ughter. You never know when someone will awaken it, and if they do and the dragons find out, then an entire vige could be torched from the sky."


    "That''s terrifying..."


    "Yes. It''s why the general consensus is never to get involved with dragons. Even some of the Diamond-ranks still avoid them."


    <em> ''Well. At least this gives me some more reassurance the kid will keep my secret.'' </em>I thought happily.


    Surprisingly, we didn''t head to the armor crafter but to a small locked room filled with boxes. When we reached our destination, Luke pulled out arge locked box.


    "Yourpleted product is sealed in this box; you just need to ce your guild tag on it toplete the purchase and im it," he said.


    I nodded and ced the ne against the box. Both objects shone briefly, and the chest unlocked with a clicking noise.


    "Impressive."


    "Another innovation from the Merchants Guild that we''re copying," Luke exined.


    I opened the chest, and inside was the ckened leather armor crafted from the smander''s hide and scales. I lifted it and couldn''t help but be beyond impressed, and despite being lightweight, I could tell it was far sturdier than its appearance suggested. When I used [Mana Conception], I could only gasp as I saw the intricate runes and sigils housed within the armor. It was like a tapestry of epic proportion, far beyond my knowledge, and I couldn''t even dream of how Thern hadyered this into the armor.


    <strong></strong>


    <strong>Protection, Magic Resist, Silent, Self-Repairing, Size-Modification.></strong>


    "I think Thern went a little overboard," I murmured, beyond impressed.


    "I sat in on some of his work. He said he was brimming with energy, so he kept going." Lukemented, then walked towards the door, "I''ll give you some privacy to change. I''m sure you''re dying to wear it."


    I ced the full set of equipment in my storage and started allocating it to a new equipment profile, then swapped to it. Upon equipping it, I could immediately feel its enchantments magically reinforcing me. I moved around in it and noted that the armor didn''t make any noise, which exined the Silent enchantment, and even my bodily sounds were minorly subdued. I erged one of my arms and noticed the armor effortlessly adapted, always fitting perfectly.


    <em> ''If I ever run into Simon again, I must thank him for rmending that enchantment. This armor is amazing; the only downside I can see is that it''s limiting easy ess to slime; I''m now limited to my hands and head.'' </em>I thought while admiring it, <em>''Perhaps I should forgo boots or create fake boots from slime.''</em>


    I removed the boots and noted that they didn''t affect the enchantment at all. The primary source of the enchantment seemed to be incorporated within the torso portion of the armor. Seeing that the boots weren''t required, I decided to devour them on the spot. [Dissection] seemed to be screaming at my decision to destroy such precious resources, and it took far longer than I thought it would—showing the strength of the scales, craftsmanship, and enchantments. Then, I perfectly replicated the boots and smiled in satisfaction.