Chapter 98 (2/2)
Everyone just looked at her. The Ghosthound’s fingers tightened on the spear. Lyra just sighed. Sam was torn. Her eyes were different… but the confrontational and rambling way she talked…
“I have a secret, and I also have a truth. Nul might not have been such a bad guy after all. You really are… stuck, in some ways as village spirit, but I should be able to persevere, by… well it’s complicated. Anyway, Classes are important, but not just for skills and level up gains. It’s the true reason why staying an NCC forever isn’t feasible. That is…”
Lyra face seized, her violet eyes burning even brighter, and she had to spit out the final words. “It’s… due to Aether.”
Her body began to shake, and Sam noticed all the Classer blinked, and their eyes unfocused, in the way they did when they got a notification, but Lyra began speaking rapidly, drawing their attention back.
“That… should buy me some time. Aether is what the system is based on. Stats and skills are only possible due to increasing exposure to Aether. A class… gives you a direct line to the Aether Spring of the Village. The higher tiered the Village… the more people it can support, due to a larger Aether spring. But the return from increasing your village tier has diminishing returns. If a person continues to grow stronger without it… they are soon afflicted with weakness… and eventually die.
“You will notice too, when a village is overstrained. The crops will die, the land will be barren…. And then the weak will fall ill. You must not let that happen to Donnyton. To avoid that, their are three methods. The first is clearing “Bosses” which will provide a rather substantial pool to draw from. It’s only a temporary fix, but an effective one. Bosses either from Dungeons, or the Tier III Raid Bosses, which will spawn in Danger Zones…
“The 2nd method is, as I said, upgrading the village tier. That will increase the size of the Aether spring, giving the village a higher population cap. This is a more permanent solution. The final way…. Is to invade other villages, and raze for their Aether Spring. This is another permanent solution. You effectively steal their source of Aether...”
Lyra coughed, mouthfuls of black blood tumbling out. She tsk’d almost in annoyance. “A tribulations life is only worth that much time, huh… well, anyway, it’s not an immediate concern for most. Just be careful, especially you Sam. Crafting provides its own… complications that… make Aether consumption more serious. And know that when you meet the village, from other worlds… they might not have the best intentions. Earth… was a low seed, in terms of its expected outcomes with the system. But others.”
Violet eyes bulging, Lyra continued to speak, her chest heaving. “...others were warned of the systems coming long before…. They have been preparing for decades…. They hit the ground running… Be very… careful…..”
And with that, Lyra collapsed, dissolving into a puddle of grey goop.
*****
They had gathered goo Lyra up into a pitcher and returned to the village, everyone quiet. Randidly carried the… human body delicately, although Lyra was very clearly dead. Then Donny spoke. “Well, I suppose there is nothing else to do but keep doing the same thing. Ghosthound, have you felt this… weakness?”
Randidly’s face was clouded, but then he glanced meaningfully at Sam. “...I believe it varies from individual to individual. Also, you received a notification?”
Donny nodded slowly. “Yes.. but basically just that the tribulation for Donnyton was vanquished. We all gained 2 levels. And that there would be more buildings available for purchase from the Village Spirit, but…”
Everyone looked at the pitcher, and the grey goop that may or may not be Lyra.
The rest of the walk was silent. When they reached the village, Randidly pulled Sam to the side.
“I… might have a solution. To your weakness.” He said, his words halting. “But… you must promise there will be no hard feelings, and that you will do me a favor.”
Sam frowned deeply. “Well… let’s hear it out first. What are you acting so serious for?”
To Sam’s surprise, Randidly simply put his hand on Sam, and a notification appeared in front of him.
Warning, Randidly Ghosthound has initiated the skill “Blessing of the East(U)” on you. This will create a permanent bond between you two. Should Randidly Ghosthound perish, all benefits gained from this bond will be retained, but the growth of the bond will cease. Do you still wish to accept his blessing? Y/N
Shrugging, Sam selected Yes. Then, his frown once more appearing, he selected Yes two more times, clicking through the warnings.
Congratulations! You have received the Blessing of the East. Calculating Blessing…
From Randidly Ghosthound, you have received the Soul Skill “Blessing of the Auspicious Dawn”. You have gained access to the class. “Dawn Smith”. As you do not possess a class, speak with a Town Spirit to obtain this class.
Congratulations! You have gained the skill Lumomancy Lvl 1. You have gained the skill Mana Engraving Lvl 1. You have gained the skill Blessing of the Dawn Lvl 1.
Lumomancy: Create and shape light. Mediums may affect the brightness and longevity of the crafted light. Brightness, Longevity, and possibilities increase with skill level.
Mana Engraving: Carve powerful runes onto weapons and armor, increasing their effectiveness. Requires mana and knowledge of the Runic language. Success Rate and effect increase with skill level.
Blessing of the Dawn: Passive skill. Finishing a crafting product under the light of dawn will have a chance of increasing the stats of an item. Chance and effect increases with skill level.
Sam blinked slowly. “This…”
“A Soulskill, which you can only have one of.” Randidly remarked, his face haggard. “That should… also provide some relief for you, for the weakness. I hope it's satisfactory.”
Sam only frowned in response. “Well let’s not rush to judgment. Oh, what was that favor?”
Randidly paled, and then dumped something on the ground. “Ah, please repair this whenever you have the chance.”
In a flash, he disappeared. Sam chuckled, almost awestruck by his speed. But why was he in such a rush…?
Curious, Sam crouched down, relishing the return of his strength. He clenched his hand into a fist, then examined what Randidly had dropped. He froze. His eyes began to bulge, rage filling up every inch of him.
The spear which he considered his greatest work, the pinnacle of craftsmanship and dedications….
...lay in the dirt, covered in scratches and cracks, snapped completely in half. Most insultingly, there was dried blood splashed all over it, as if Randidly hadn’t even had the time to stop and clean it. Eyes burning, Sam glared after Randidly, swearing that he would have his revenge.
But then he remember the deal, and forcefully suppressed that feeling. But when Sam picked up the heavy spear, he did not place it into a spatial ring, but physically carried it, cradling it the entire while.