While everyone else was busy with something productive, Cain decided to sit down with a nice hot cup of coffee and the [Spell Crafting] book and see if he could learn something new today.
There was a great spot in the library on the second floor from the top of the pagoda tower of the Manor, where it was open to the outside, but protected from the elements with a magical barrier, so the wind and rain couldn't damage the books and furniture inside.
It was a favorite of Vala when she wanted to be alone and read, so that is where Cain headed when he wanted to learn something new. He was slowly making progress on the second half of the enchanting section. The first had covered enchantments to put on items, and he was getting quite good at them, but the second half covered turning a regular item into a magical item or upgrading a magical item's quality.
First up, was upgrading quality, which was supposed to be easier, due to the fact that there was already a base level of enchantment on the items. What he needed to learn to do was to strengthen the existing enchantment and reinforce it, then add additional layers to it. Not of a new spell, like a regular added enchantment, but an extension of the existing abilities.
Done correctly this would bring the existing enchantment to a whole new level, and possibly add a secondary effect to the existing abilities, which would be directly related instead of adding something random like you got when you reforged an item using blacksmithing skills.
The two techniques were somewhat related, only with a reforging attempt, you wiped the enchantment clean, and started over. What Cain wanted to do was keep what was there, but make it better. If an item had the skills you wanted, but it was a low-level item, or they rolled near their minimum values, this was exactly what you wanted, and didn't introduce any element of randomness into the equation.
Cain was sure that was somewhat vexing for the Laughing God, but [Spell Crafting] was supposed to be related to the God of Magic, so it only made sense that the others' thoughts on the matter were only minimally considered.
Cain brought out a level 105 magician's staff from the Guild Bank to practice with. It was almost the perfect item to work on, having Spell Damage, Ice Elemental Damage, and a bonus to the [Hailstorm] spell.
This was his first attempt though, so Cain set that one aside and grabbed another item. He would upgrade that one once he knew what he was doing. The second item he randomly picked was a single-handed ax with a bleed effect and added physical damage. Not bad, but nothing rare or difficult to replicate.
It was a bit better than the first item, at level 195, so it wouldn't be as extreme of an upgrade, but Cain started on the process anyhow.
Upgrading an enchantment was both incredibly simple, and incredibly frustrating at the same time. You had to upgrade the lattice of the spell in the same order that the veins activated when the weapon was enchanted, which was easy enough to follow, Cain could see what they were just by holding the weapon and letting it activate. The problem was, that there were hundreds of them and you needed to keep them all at precisely the same level as you increased them.
If you got them unbalanced, it would either fail and reset to where you started, or you would blow the item up with an abundance of mana in one area that the material wasn't strong enough to endure.
The book recommended doing this in small steps until you were better at it, letting the enchantment stabilize and then starting again to slowly build the item up. Increasing the base level was the easy part, and went quite smoothly, bringing the item up to an even level 400, which increased the stats enough to make it a formidable item for most of the Guild Members. But it was only a Blue quality Magic item, and clearly a practice piece for a training blacksmith, so it could be much better.
Cain was just about to work on increasing the quality when he got a mental notification.
[The girls killed a Magical Boar at the lake and want to have a hog roast. Where do they do that in this city?] Tasha asked him.
[Town square, there is a large smoker by the edge of the park. Once they start roasting the pig, people will come out to say hello and see what the occasion is.] Cain answered, amused at their plan for the day.
The monsters in the area were appearing anywhere from level 170 to 280 these days, with those over 200 being all Epic quality and as tough as a dungeon boss, though most of them lacked any magic of their own and were simply ferocious beasts for some reason. It was almost like the region was granting them a steady supply of food, as long as they could eat it before it ate them.
Cain started in on the process of increasing the item's quality for a second time, and again he was interrupted by a messenger, this time in person.
"Guild Master Cain, there is a guest here for you. He calls himself Warlord Munez and he wishes to challenge you to a duel for control of the Darklight Host. Courtesy dictates that we allow you to deal with it in person." The Guild Messenger informed him nervously, his wolf ears twitching in fear of being reprimanded.
"Fine, I will deal with that right away." Cain sighed, following the wolf kin downstairs.
Warlord Munez was the man's actual name, not a title, he had called himself that when he transferred in. Cain could also feel that his Mythic Grade aura was unstable as if he had just advanced to a stronger point than he was previously, possibly becoming Mythic Quality and not just Mythic Awakened.
"Guild Master Cain, I have heard a lot about you. Do you dare accept my challenge, or will you do the right thing and turn over the Darklight Host without a fight?" Warlord Munez challenged when he saw Cain step out.
"Why would I give an idiot like you control of the Guild? And even if I did, what makes you think they would follow you and not simply kill you for trying to take the spot?" Cain asked.
"I consulted the oracle, and she told me the secret behind your power. You can control the masses, and you are using it to have your Guild dominate the Central Continent. Once they are free of your tyranny, they will see the truth of my benevolence." Warlord Munez declared proudly, and Cain had to use [Crushing Tentacles] to restrain some of the guild members from murdering him right where he stood.
"He shouldn't have used that word. That word is precious to the Guild, and has a lot of significance." Cyrene sighed softly, slithering up beside Cain, having woken up too late today to wrap herself around him before he left the bedroom.
"Fine, I will duel you, Warlord Munez, would you like to stop at a concession, or would you prefer that I kill and resurrect you?" Cain asked, and the man shivered in fear.
Everyone had heard the story by now of Cain resurrecting people into his puppets to ask them questions and then releasing them at level one to start their lives over and reflect on their mistakes.
"To the forfeit. Though you are a tyrant, I am too benevolent of a man to kill you outright." The challenger declared, placing his black metal helmet on his head.
He was a Crusader by class, so he knew Cain hadn't lied to him, but still, he wanted to fight this duel. There wasn't a good reason to decline at this point, so Cain transformed into his natural Ancient form, in all twenty meters of its leathery tentacled glory, and enhanced his tentacles with [Weight of the Earth] a simple enchantment he had learned from [Spell Crafting] that let you adjust the effective weight of an item. Cain increased his tentacles' weight a hundredfold, since he had more than enough strength, and whipped them all at the prideful young human in front of him.
One hit his shield, the same time one hit his right side, and the two together crushed his torso into a meaty pulp inside his now crumpled armor. Warlord Munez spat blood as he collapsed on the ground, his internal organs crushed beyond recognition, and then promptly passed out.
Cain signaled to Evangeline to go rescue the idiot, and the Seraphim strolled over, pulling his chest plate off before healing the dying Crusader back to one-quarter of his health. It was enough that his ribcage now looked like it should, though it was still covered in deep purple bruises, and he was no longer in imminent danger of death.
"The gentle Lady Evangeline was kind enough to heal you, please thank her properly before you make your way back out of my manor," Cain informed the horrified man with what he hoped looked like a friendly smile on his tentacle-bearded face.
"Yes, Guild Master. I apologize for my rudeness. Thank you, Lady Evangeline, I owe you my life. I swear now that if you ever call on me, I will do anything in my power to help you, even if it is to escape this monster at the cost of my life.
Evangeline just shook her head at his idiocy before patting him kindly on the head. "I accept your oath, young Crusader, now go, and help those who are in need."
