'Explain Money.'
[The amount of money you have. You got 1000 gold from the Guild-leader. 31 bronze is the total of both Spikehog mission and bounty of bandit extermination.]
'I need to upgrade my Bow mastery to Absolute grade. Open Mastery and search for Bow Mastery.'
===
Higher Bow Mastery: Improves your proficiency, accuracy and harmony with Bows.
Cost: 19,258 Essence.
===
'Why so expensive?!'
[Since you have Medium Bow Mastery with progress of 371/10000, you need to spend 19,258 Essence to complete the progress and reach the next level. Do you want to proceed?!]
'NO. I'll adjust somehow...….umm, Do you think I lack some skills in any area?!'
[Our ultimate aim is to reach Dimension Sovereign. The hindrance we now face is lack of elemental affinity. You either need to consume an elemental beast core or expose yourself to a Law fragment.]
'Are beast cores available in Consumables?!'
[Finally….you used your brain! Yes, it is available!]
'You could have told me!!'
[First pay and let's get out of here!!]
Lee noticed that the weregirl was standing near his table and looking at him.
"The food was really delicious. I got lost in its taste."
Lee gave an explanation as to why he sat there silently. She was happy to know that the dish was really liked by the customer.
"It'll be 10 gold coins, sir."
Lee nodded and gave 11 coins and said that the extra is for the unexpected deliciousness of the food. She was very happy as she bowed to him and went away. Lee got up and walked out of the hotel.
'D, anywhere secluded near us?!'
[Go straight for about 12 steps and turn right. There's an alley completely empty and out of reach of starlights.]
Lee followed D's navigation and saw the alley. He slipped into the alley and walked to the shadow.
'Show the elemental beast cores and its cost.'
===
• Fire element beast core - Beast core of a Fire Salamander. Cost: 700 Essence.
• Water element beast core - Beast core of a Deep Sea Clam. Cost: 1540 Essence.
• Ice element beast core - Beast core of a Frost Wyrm. Cost: 9000 Essence.
• Rock element beast core - Beast core of a Tovvic Golem. Cost: 1390 Essence.
• Metal element beast core - Beast core of a Steel-scaled Armadillo. Cost: 4090 Essence.
• Sand element beast core - Beast core of a Desert Golem. Cost: 1200 Essence.
• Nature element beast core - Beast core of a King Dryad. Cost: 1900 Essence.
• Air element beast core - Beast core of a Phantom Falcon. Cost: 1870 Essence.
• Dark element beast core - Beast pearl of a Lone-hunt Panther. Cost: 1330 Essence.
• Light element beast core - Beast pearl of a Typhoon Serpent. Cost: 34060 Essence.
• Gravity element beast core - Beast crystal of Netherworld Leviathan. Cost: 62000 Essence.
• Sound element beast core - Beast core of an Impulse Eel. Cost: 600 Essence.
• Life element beast core - Beast crystal of a 200-Millennium Disaster Dragon. Cost: 197000 Essence.
• Death element beast core - Beast crystal of an Evil Phoenix. Cost: 38700 Essence.
• Space element beast core - Beast crystal of a 17-headed Hydra. Cost: 80000 Essence.
• Time element beast core - Beast crystal of a Deadly Invisible Jellyfish. Cost: 488000 Essence.
===
Lee was baffled. His jaw fell on the ground, as he screamed inside. His eyelids failed to close. If anyone is to see him now, he'll look exactly like a statue of a person.
D raised his voice and told him that he should have expected this.
[The cost is different as the Beast Core changes to Beast Pearl and then to a Beast Crystal.
An accurate classification has not been found till date on the power levels of Core, Pearls and Crystals. But we do know that Core is the initial state of power condensation, Pearl is the state of power purification and Crystal is when the purified power and energy amplifies the beast's abilities by at least 9 times.
For comparison, a being with a Beast crystal can single-handedly pull a whole continent into chaos!]
Lee felt fear running along his body upon hearing this. To put a whole continent to chaos, is the biggest achievement a villian can ever have! Lee admires those thing's strength and size in his heart.
=====
1 P.M.
450 Essence harvested.
=====
'How much Essence do I have?'
[30,030 Essence.]
'Buy all the beast cores.'
[Bought 9 beast cores for 22,290 Essence. You have 7740 Essence left. Beast cores are stored in the Inventory.]
'Absorb them all.'
=====
'9 Elemental Beast Cores' detected. Absorb?
=====
'Yes'
The beast cores disappeared from the Inventory. Lee summoned the Affinity panel and saw the current progress.
=====
Affinity:-
• Lesser Poison Affinity (11/100)
• Medium Lightning Affinity (781/10000)
• Lesser Fire Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Water Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Ice Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Rock Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Metal Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Sand Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Nature Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Air Affinity (0/100)
• Lesser Sound Affinity (0/100)
=====
Lee stared at the list of affinities for a few minutes. He was happy to see them all ready for progress, but was confused as to how they can progress. The combat applicability of a few affinities was almost none.
[I can feel your confusion. But those that look like they're useless in an active combat can make up with creating a passive offense or defense.]
'How?!'
[Fire can burn an enemy. Water can make one sloppy in speed and vulnerable to lightning. Ice can freeze or numb partially. You can apply these respective elements onto your blade to achieve the effect.
The Rock element has a special effect called Petrify. It's a skill you can buy from Shop but it costs a lot. Even though you cannot utilise Petrify to the maximum, the petrification effect can weaken the enemy's weapon by a very slight margin by each attack, until it breaks.
The Metal element is a double offense element. It can help you to empower your weapon's metal blade with a layer of metal, and weaken the molecular bonds in your opponent's metal weapon. The result will take a lot of time due to lesser affinity.
The Sand element is more like an AOE skill. When surrounded 360 by enemy attacks, activate this element to produce sand particles from your swing. It will not create a change in the combat, but the charging sand particles released at your swing strength will hit the enemies like needles. It can also affect the opponent's eyesight.
The Nature element will look serene and natural, but has an unusual effect. Nature is all about vitality. So this affinity can slowly suck away the vitality of your opponent and stack it with yours. This effect will be minimal at lesser affinity.
You have already seen how the Air element works. You can create wind blades with your current affinity, that too, weak and short. A powerful Air blade is equal to having an extra blade with you.
The Sound element will look completely helpless in a fight, but it's not. Sound occurs when two surfaces make contact, like clapping. But sound is also made when sword blades make contact. This element will help you to amplify the faint 'clang' noise into a more deafening thunder with progress. It's stunning capability is off the chart. There is a possibility for the opposite party to go deaf if your progress is high enough.
And one more thing, if you don't have immunity to the affinities you have, they can also affect you.]
The lecture gave Lee many insights. He has somehow acquired a great arsenal of passive combat skills!!!