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Chapter 37: Brandon’s Preparations Part 2
Brandon lined up eleven daggers, each crafted with the precision of a master artisan. With a silver hammer, he crushed and dissolved tree crystal harvested from the Withered Beast into an alchemical solution. Turning to Tama, who stood silently behind him, he offered:
"Tama, why don’t you give it a try?"
"Me?" The middle-aged man hesitated, but his eyes sparkled with eagerness. Though usually reserved, Tama could talk endlessly about alchemy when prompted. However, no amount of discussion compared to hands-on experience. Despite holding the title of alchemist in the noble council hall, his duties rarely extended beyond purifying trivial materials—higher-ranking nobles typically employed private alchemists to safeguard their secrets.
Thus, crafting magical items was uncharted territory for Tama. Staring at the eleven daggers laid out before him, he swallowed nervously.
Brandon smiled and nodded. Tama’s alchemical skill had grown rapidly; when they first met, Brandon estimated it at Level 3 based on his experience. Now, it likely neared Level 5. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Tama surpassed him and entered the ranks of professional alchemists. Brandon couldn’t help but marvel at the power of raw talent.
This progress was thanks to relentless practice over the past month—purifying Moon Lilies, Glow Moss, and Dark Mage. Bound by his commoner status, Brandon’s own alchemical skill was capped at Level 5, so he handed all practical opportunities to Tama. The result was astonishing growth.
Yet, Tama remained oblivious to his own potential. When Brandon hinted at recruitment, the grateful alchemist eagerly agreed, reducing his fee significantly out of gratitude. Brandon initially offered thirty thousand gold pieces, but Tama insisted on accepting only one-sixth of that as a token gesture.
Five thousand gold pieces to hire an Alchemist Master—even as a retainer—was a bargain. But Brandon wasn’t worried. A noble’s personal alchemist rarely broke contract, and he was confident he could afford to keep Tama in the future. No one understood better than Brandon just how far this Alchemist Master could go.
"Alright, I’ll give it a shot," Tama said after a brief pause.
Brandon smiled, appreciating the man’s confidence in his craft.
As silence settled over the lab, Brandon casually pulled a book on noble history from a nearby shelf. His knowledge of nobility and heraldry had reached Level 6, bringing his Scholar rank to Level 11. The extra skill points allowed him to raise Military Swordsmanship to (6+1), First Aid to 4, White Crow Swordsmanship to 2, and acquire Weapon Expertise (Mercenary), Crossbow Specialization (Mercenary), Stealth, and Tree Resilience.
Weapon Expertise was exclusive to mercenaries and warriors, serving as the former’s core skill. It granted proficiency with all military and simple weapons without prior training, saving vast amounts of skill points—an invaluable asset for mercenaries, who prided themselves on versatility. Calculations once showed that mastering every weapon individually would cost between twelve and thirteen thousand skill points, a staggering investment even late in the game.
Thus, many players multiclassed into mercenary or warrior solely for this skill. For others, the breadth of weaponry was unnecessary.
Crossbow Specialization deepened expertise with crossbows, complementing the mercenary’s arsenal. While different classes specialized in specific weapons, mercenaries excelled with nearly everything except wands, staves, and scepters. In some ways, they surpassed warriors. Yet, their jack-of-all-trades nature meant mastery eluded them—a trade-off inherent to the class.
Stealth came from professions like Nightingales, while Tree Resilience originated with druids. This active defensive ability temporarily transformed the user’s skin into bark-like armor, increasing innate protection by 50% per level. Paired with amulets boosting innate protection, it became one of Brandon’s most reliable tactics.
Both skills were openly priced at Braggs’ Royal Geographical Society, and Brandon seized the opportunity. Learning cross-class skills was rare enough; doing so without quests made it irresistible.
With these additions, the hard-earned skill points from his Scholar class were quickly depleted. Brandon knew skill points were meant as compensation—the game encouraged players to practice and use skills naturally. But time was a luxury he lacked.
Even after his battle in Thornstone Valley, his swordsmanship had barely risen to (6+2).
Before Brandon turned more than a few pages, Tama completed the alchemical process. Beaming with excitement, the future Alchemist Master presented a dagger, like a child showing off a prized toy.
"Sir Brandon, it’s done."
"This quickly?" Brandon glanced at the hourglass; only a third of the sand had fallen. "No failures?"
"None." Tama shook his head confidently.
Brandon marveled. Completing magical items on the first attempt without failure was extraordinary. In the game, his failure rate before a hundred attempts had been 46%, which was considered decent for a beginner.
Taking the dagger, he examined its properties. What were once plain weapons with 1-2 damage now bore the suffix (1-1 poison). The name changed to ‘Dryad Poisoned Dagger,’ tagged as iron grade.
Each dagger might fetch two thousand torr—a modest sum, given his clientele would likely consist of lower nobles or bandits. Wealthier nobles employed private alchemists and disdained such trinkets.
Twenty thousand torr—still far from the figure promised to young Roma.
But Brandon remained calm. He retrieved high-quality tree crystal from the Golden Magic Tree and a dwarven short sword purchased from Barthom.
"The next task is trickier, Tama. Let’s work together," he said.
"Together?" Tama blinked. Alchemists usually worked alone or collaborated with wizards. Two alchemists working simultaneously risked magic energy interference.
Brandon, however, had no such concerns. Drawing a circular ritual array with chalk, he began inscribing numbers and runes around it. Recognizing the constellational coordinates used by wizards, Tama watched in awe.
Pointing to a spot within the array, Brandon instructed, "Stand here."
Tama stared at the completed array, stunned. "Sir, is this... the Ring Ritual?"
"Ring Ritual?"
"I’ve heard Buga’s wizards mastered this art. The grandmaster at the central star can channel multiple participants’ power for spells or alchemy. Sir, is this—"
"Close enough. This is a simplified sixteen-person version. Someday, I’ll show you full thirty-two and sixty-four person arrays," Brandon replied. What seemed miraculous to Tama was basic knowledge for any player in Brandon’s world.
Tama’s eyes gleamed with fervor. Eagerly taking his position, he appeared more impatient than Brandon to witness the array’s power.
Brandon chuckled, lifting the short sword. Forged in the aesthetic of mountain folk, its elongated trapezoidal blade shimmered with infused rock magic energy. After testing it briefly, Brandon identified it as a Rock Blade enchantment. Fortunately, earth and nature energies were compatible, posing no conflict for his work.
Picking up an adamant chisel, he tapped a hole into the blade.
"Ow!" Barthom exclaimed from the doorway.
"What are you yelping about, Barthom?" Brandon snapped, nearly ruining the fifteen-hundred-torrv sword. He couldn’t afford another.
Realizing his near blunder, the red-bearded mercenary fell silent. Still, he winced internally. Any craftsman watching Brandon treat a dwarf-forged masterpiece so carelessly would have been appalled. But Brandon, oblivious, resumed his work.
Each strike felt like a dagger to Barthom’s heart.
Ignoring him, Brandon inserted the Golden Magic Tree’s crystal into the hole and nodded to Tama. Together, they inscribed runes on both sides of the blade. Half an hour later, a new magical weapon emerged.
Brandon held the trapezoidal sword aloft. Golden earth runes intertwined with fresh green nature runes. More importantly, its stats read: 3-4 attack (3-3 poison).
While not as sharp as Lustrous Stinger nor imbued with additional magic properties, the sword rivaled it in lethality. Marked brass grade, it could easily fetch a hundred thousand in the black market. Nobles, adventurers, and mercenaries alike coveted such blades—and even rogue knights weren’t immune.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Brandon reflected on his first successful creation of a magical item exceeding 15 oz in this world. Fourteen layers of runes had nearly exhausted him, but the rewards were immense. Not only did the sword surpass expectations, but his alchemical skill also hinted at imminent breakthrough.
Brandon was certain that upon attaining noble-knight status, his alchemy would immediately advance to (5+1).
Glancing at Tama, he saw the future Alchemist Master still brimming with enthusiasm. Eyes shining, Tama declared, "Sir, I think I’ve grasped something profound. Mastering higher-level runes and arrays should only be a matter of time—"
Brandon felt a surge of satisfaction. It seemed like another skilled practitioner would be under his wing soon. For non-players, Level 5 was a bottleneck; breaking through meant reaching Level 10 was within reach. At Level 10, dragon-slaying arrows (40 oz) could be crafted.
Good news indeed.
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