Chereads / The Tower of Swords / Chapter 2 - Floor 1, Part 2

Chapter 2 - Floor 1, Part 2

After arriving in town, Alexis and Leon head to a blacksmith NPC who buys materials and sells all sorts of weapons. After they enter the shop, they look left and right admiring some of the weapons, but after noticing their price they lose their spirits.

- Welcome. Are you here to sell materials, or are you interested in a specific weapon? (NPC)

- You could say both. First, let's see how much you can offer me on these materials. (Alexis)

- Hm. I see you've collected a lot of Fanged Wolf fangs and a lot of Black Bear claws. Those are some pretty good materials mixed with Iron to create some very sharp-edged weapons. Considering how much you've brought me; I can offer you 15 silver per claw and 20 silver per fang. (NPC)

- It doesn't sound bad. I have to get rid of them somehow anyway and every penny is welcome. I also have some wolf fur if you're interested. (Alexis)

- Wolf and bear fur are quite good as armour lining. I can give you 10 silver a piece. (NPC)

- I have a better idea, I'll give you the bear fur for free if you can make me a piece of armour using wolf fur to increase agility. (Alexis)

- Materials wouldn't be a problem, but you'd have to pay extra for the workmanship of the armour pieces. Blacksmithing isn't as easy as you think. (NPC)

- Just do your job and we'll negotiate the price after I see the finished product. (Alexis)

- Sir, don't you have any good spears for me up to level 25? One that's not in the display case. (Leon)

After hearing Leon, the NPC brings two spears from behind.

~Normal Spear, level 20, D-grade, +33 Attack Power, +3 Critical~

~Super Spear, level 25, C-grade, +49 Attack Power, +6 Strength, + 9 Agility~

- I like that. How much? Ah yes, I have materials to sell as well. (Leon)

- It's a pretty good piece. If we subtract the money from your materials, it would still be 600 silvers. (NPC)

- Uh, kind of expensive. Either way, I like it a lot and I feel like it's going to help me for a while. (Leon)

Leon hands the blacksmith the coins and materials and takes his new acquisition. Meanwhile, Alexis talks to the blacksmith some more about the armour, after which the two leave the shop. After a couple of days, Alexis returns to the blacksmith to see his armour.

- Sir, I'm here. (Alexis)

- Great, right on time. I just finished what you asked for. Maybe I overdid it a little, but I came up with something pretty good. I hope you still want to buy it after you see it. Here's a 3-piece set of armour. Gauntlet, Leggings, Boots. I had to use Tin and Iron in addition to the fur, but it turned out a pretty good set.

- Looks good. Let me check their status first. (Alexis)

~Fanged Wolf Gauntlet, level 30, C-grade, +21 Defence, +13 Agility~

~Fanged Wolf Leggins, level 30, C-grade, +35 Defence, +10 Stamina, +3 Resilience~

~Fanged Wolf Boots, level 30, C-grade, +13 Defence, +6 Stamina, +18 Agility~

~Set effect, when equipped with all 3 pieces, +10 Agility, +5% Movement Speed~

- Level is not a problem. The statuses look pretty good too, not to mention it's a C-grade set. So, what's the final price? (Alexis)

- I think the fairest price would be 1 gold and 800 silver. 600 silver per piece. (NPC)

- You can't be serious. Now you're trying to rip me off. But if you show me a weapon that matches this set, I'll make you a deal. (Alexis)

- Considering you got some of the money from me 2 days ago from fangs and claws, it doesn't seem like a great price. I'd have a sword I made while working on the armour, but I don't think it's to your liking. It's a Katana. (NPC)

~Pure Iron Katana, Level 35, B-grade, +76 Attack Power, +8 Strength, +3% Attack Speed. Has a chance to inflict critical damage on vital points of the enemy.~

- I like it. Here are 4 gold coins and thanks for all your hard work. (Alexis)

Alexis leaves him 4 gold on the counter, places the armour and new weapon in his inventory, and leaves the shop while the blacksmith looks on somewhat stunned and smug at the same time.

"He had just said I was ripping him off at 1 gold and 800 silver, but after seeing the weapon I had prepared, he left me 4 gold coins without a second thought. What a strange young man." (NPC)

More than 2 weeks after the game's release, a forum announcement appears in which someone has finally managed to find the Boss Floor Dungeon and asks for players' help. Among these players who gathered at the location of the dungeon were Alexis, Leon, and Apollo. After the three reunite, they decide to form a group as one of the requirements for entry into the dungeon.

~1st Floor Boss Dungeon, Hobgoblin Camp(C)~

~Requirements to enter the dungeon: Level 30, be part of a party.~

- Eventually, we move to the next floor. Who'd have thought the dungeon would be so hard to find? Do you think the next ones will be as hard to find? (Leon)

- If they could be found so easily, you can be sure the game would be charmless. (Alexis)

As the three of them discuss what they've been up to the past few days, a voice is heard in the crowd:

- As you know, a member of our group managed to find the Boss Floor Dungeon. Finally, we can move on to the next level. From the name of the dungeon, it appears to be a Camp of Goblins with a Hobgoblin as their leader. For those who haven't formed a group yet, look for already-made groups to enter. (Raid Leader)

- Looks like it will start soon. (Apollo)

- I hope we won't have to accept any more people into the group. The more there are, the harder it is to coordinate them to do an effective job. (Alexis)

After all the groups are formed, the players start to enter the dungeon. Once inside, each group is given a task to take out the weaker Goblins and Boss Elites first, so that the Boss is left alone and is easier to surround. The battle is a tough one, a lot of players die in the meantime and are sent out of the dungeon, but in the end, most of the goblins are defeated, leaving only the Boss Elites and the Boss. The Group of 3 attacks and manages to eliminate one of the Elites which is C-grade, while the other groups defeat other Elites, in turn, the Boss being the only one left.

~Hobgoblin Chieftain(B), Level 38~

After seeing the Boss level and HP, players are starting to think about whether they have a chance of beating him, not having many top players with them, and most of them being level 31-32. A long and hard battle takes place, and more players are killed, the number of raid participants is halved, while the Boss still has 2 of his 3 life bars. After more players are dying and the Boss has only 1 life bar remaining, Alexis and his group begin to move along with another party, trying to put an end to this battle. At last, the Boss is slain, but with a big cost. Only 20 players are still alive from more than 100 that took part in this raid. After the Boss dies, a big message pops up not just to players from the dungeon, but globally.

~Congratulations. Thanks to a brave group of players, Hobgoblin Chieftain, the Boss of the 1st Floor has been killed.

Their achievement will be recorded in the Hall of Fame.

From now on, players can advance to the 2nd Floor through the staircase of the 1st Floor Boss Dungeon.~

Once people see the message, people start making a big fuss, some happy to be able to climb to the next floor, others curious about those who managed to beat the 1st Boss Floor. In the meantime, the remaining players in the dungeon get another reward message.

~Congratulations on beating 1st Floor Boss. Your reward is: 1 gold coin, Exp..., 10 pieces of Silver Ore(C), a box of random item(D-A).~

Most players are very happy after seeing the rewards, but the first thing on the Raid Leader's mind is to approach the group of 3.

- You fought well. May I know your names? (Raid Leader)

Before Alexis had the chance to open his mouth, Leon began to talk:

- I am Leon, and they are Alexis and Apollo. What's yours? (Leon)

- My name is Zekker and they are my party members, Zeros, William, Chris, Coper, and Diane. I can tell you are quite talented and have potential. In the future, we plan to form a formidable guild of talented players like you. Would you like to join us? (Zekker)

- Sorry, but I don't want to take part in your dream. Count me out. (Alexis)

- What about you two? (Zekker)

- I am not a huge fan of crowded groups. It's easier to fight alone. Well, I made some exceptions with these two. (Leon)

- I've never thought about being part of a guild. I don't have that thought at the moment, but you can count on me if you need help on future raids. (Apollo)

- What a shame. I enjoyed fighting with you anyway. (Zekker)

After sending a friend request to the three, Zekker and his group head to the next floor. Immediately after them, the three also set off advancing to the next floor, after which they say goodbye to each other and go their separate ways. We still don't know too much about Gilgamesh and Dante, but maybe we will learn more about them on the next floors.

Information about the level of the 5 protagonists:

Alexis - Level 31, Leon - Level 32, Apollo - Level 31, Gilgamesh - Level 34, Dante - Level 29.