Reading through the notifications he had received, Valyr could not help but smile as he picked up the newly modified True Tideblood Spear. Heading to a more open space before starting to wield it like he normally would, he swiftly noticed that the difference the metal spear tip brought to the spear overall was more or less negligible in terms of handling.
On the other hand, attacking with the spear felt smoother, as if the metal tip was guiding the air in the surroundings to go around the spear, feeling as if the spear generally moved faster every thrust and slash he did with it. Eventually, he placed the modified spear back on the anvil, nodding in satisfaction as he went ahead and refined it to +10.
Whoosh!
With his past experience and the boost in speed and success rate brought by his refinement skill, it did not take long for Valyr to increase his spear's refinement level to +10, with the spear emanating a faint red glow around its body because of it. Picking it up, he instantly felt the increase in stats brought about by the refinement, grinning as he identified the spear with [Analysis].
'With each refinement level increasing the equipment's stats by 2%, I've basically improved my spear's stats by a fifth of the original.' With this thought in mind, he went ahead and looked at the status screen of his modified and upgraded spear, eventually letting out a light cackle filled with pride as he finished reading through it.
Ding!
[(+10) True Tideblood Spear] (Level 10)
Rarity: Uncommon
Weapon Bond: Lv. 1 (Valyr)
Attack: 29 - 48 (+10%)
Previously a training weapon… description has been omitted.
<Innate Skill: True Blood Drive - Greatly propels the user forward with a small jet of blood from the end of the spear's shaft, increasing the user's speed temporarily before landing a quick thrust. Deals 80% of the user's Attack stat and 30% of the user's VIT stat as damage. Converts 8% of the damage dealt into HP. Cooldown: 8 seconds. Cost: 30 MP.>
Remarks: Rejoice. You've finally gotten yourself an actual weapon you can be proud of owning.
Aside from the fact that the weapon's stats had substantially increased after its rarity became Uncommon, Valyr was pleasantly surprised to find out that the innate skill on the weapon had upgraded as well, dealing more damage while also converting more damage into HP. Though the amount of MP needed to activate it had slightly gotten higher, the slight decrease in cooldown made up for it, all in all making Valyr satisfied.
Just as he was about to call it a day and leave the smithy to let Tristan do his own things, the thought of the armor set popped up in his mind, deciding to go ahead and enhance all of the pieces to Level 10 before refining them all to +5. Because of this, the sun was already in the middle of setting by the time Valyr was finished.
Placing the enhanced and refined armor pieces on the side for Tristan to store once he left, Valyr then profusely apologized to the latter, feeling sorry that he had occupied his workplace for so long that the latter wasn't able to do his job for the day at all. Surprisingly, Tristan only shrugged it off and chuckled, easing Valyr's worries as he told him that the equipment he was supposed to craft today wasn't on a deadline anyway.
"In any case, I should really craft a new set of tools for you to use. I wouldn't always be free to let you use my workplace, after all." As Tristan said those words, Valyr dragged the former into an embrace, prompting Tristan to have a light smile on his face as he responded in kind. Soon, they let go of each other, with Valyr bidding farewell as he returned back to the barracks.
…
After grabbing a hearty dinner from the cafeteria, feeling a bit of the exhaustion disappear with each bite, Valyr eventually returned to his dormitory room, taking a long hot shower to give his body the relaxation it sorely needed. While wondering if there was a place nearby that offered treatment similar to massages and spas, he changed into a set of clothes more suitable for sleeping, lying down on the bed as he thought about what he was going to do next.
'Well, I've already crafted the armor I'm going to use for the dungeon. But if I find a blueprint for a better armor set, I'll swap to that.' Gazing out at the nighttime landscape that existed past his room's window, thoughts and ideas soon started to swirl within Valyr's mind. 'In any case, modifying my spear was definitely a good idea, though upgrading it to the next rarity would be somewhat difficult. Then again, Uncommon is more than enough for now.'
'Hmm… what else should I do in preparation for the dungeon?' he asked himself, pondering over it for a bit in silence. After a couple minutes, a thought soon surfaced in his mind as he opened up the contribution point shop for the village guards. 'Now that I think about it, I do need to grab a couple skills.'
Heading to the skill tab, he went ahead and bought a couple skills, ignoring the contribution points it cost since he still had a lot left over.
Ding!
[You have gained the active skill 'Inferior Heal'.]
[You have gained the active skill 'Offense Aura'.]
[You have gained the active skill 'Defense Aura'.]
'A rudimentary healing skill, and then an offensive and defensive buffing skill.' Inwardly nodding in satisfaction, he then scrolled through the list of skills as a certain skill popped up in his mind. 'I wonder if that skill is available from the shop. If it is, it would definitely save me a lot of time finding it.'
'After all, it's one of the requirements for the subclass I'm aiming for.' Fortunately, after scrolling for a while, he had found the skill he needed, only for him to notice that he did not meet the prerequisite rank to be able to buy it. Pondering over it, he decided that he would talk to Damian about the skill next morning.
'Well, with equipment and skills more or less settled for now, I guess that only leaves the titles I'm getting before heading into the dungeon.' Unlike the skills, which only took him a while to make a decision, thinking about the titles he could obtain that would his time in the dungeon easier took longer. After all, just like skills, there were a plethora of titles that did the same thing, yet had different requirements in order for one to obtain them.
Thankfully, after rummaging through all of his memories regarding his titles, he eventually set his eyes on two titles around half an hour later, thinking about the uses of the titles he had chosen beyond the dungeon. 'Spear Novice and Combat Novice are definitely good titles to get, though I was initially going to just get the first one. Then again, it's a waste to not get the second one since I could pick up along the way.'
As for his reason behind choosing these two titles, both of the titles were actually part of a series of titles, with each succeeding title needing the previous title as a prerequisite. Aside from that, the Spear Novice was one of the things he needed if he wanted to obtain the subclass he was aiming for.
Making up his mind to grab those two titles, he soon closed his eyes, eventually drifting off into a deep sleep.
'Guess I'm heading to Clossbay City tomorrow.'
