"I'm stuffed... I can't eat another bite."
Exiled Immortal waved his hand and collapsed in a starfish position on his sleeping bag, his eyes vacant, clearly in a state of blissful detachment.
"This is the best meal I've had since the apocalypse began!"
"Rest up and log back in soon, so Helena and the others don't worry. What happened after I logged out?"
"Big Sis was really worried about you, but you know how she is—being from Eirys, she's miles away from us, all she could do was fret.
But she probably didn't expect we'd end up in the same city, haha, it's all fate."
"I'd rather not have this kind of fate. With the way you eat, you'll bankrupt me in no time."
John rolled his eyes, extinguished the fire, made sure it wouldn't reignite, and scanned the surroundings for any wandering monsters. Only after ensuring it was safe did he crawl back into his sleeping bag and find a comfortable position.
"See you in a bit then."
"Alright, John, see you soon!"
...
Logging back into the game, John sat up on the bed, feeling refreshed and sharper than before.
He glanced at the party list—Lily was offline, likely taking a break too. Extended playtime was indeed taxing for her frail body.
"Never mind, I'll go for a walk. Might as well check on that Scale Armor."
With this in mind, John got up and opened the door, only to find Fara struggling with a wooden box. When she noticed John, her eyes lit up instantly.
"Careful there."
John quickly steadied the box, taking it from Fara's hands with a smile. "Restocking?"
"Yes, even though my little shop is a bit out of the way, I must maintain my stock. It's a matter of principle and pride as a merchant."
"I have a feeling your alchemy supply shop is going to keep growing. By the way, where should I put this?"
"Just place it in the storeroom, I'll handle the rest. By the way, mentor, have you been sleeping all this time?"
"'Mentor'? What kind of title is that... never mind, whatever makes you happy. As for why I slept so long, I've been busy with alchemy lately, used up a lot of energy, so I needed the rest. Has anyone come looking for me these past few days?"
Fara tilted her head, thinking.
"Hmm... I don't think so. Most people came to buy poison antidote potions. Mentor, can you teach me how to make them? That way, even if you're busy, I can handle it myself."
"Sure, I'll write down the ingredients and method for you. As a beginner, your success rate won't be great at first, but don't worry about failing. Keep trying, and you'll get the hang of it."
"Got it, mentor! Don't worry, I won't let you down!"
"Don't worry, if your potions accidentally poison someone, I'll run away myself and won't let it implicate you."
"I— I wouldn't do that..."
Fara pouted, stopped chatting with John, and went back to sorting the alchemy materials in the storeroom.
Watching Fara's back, John smiled, feeling quite cheerful himself.
John suddenly realized that having an apprentice like this was actually quite amusing—silly and earnest.
"Hey John, I've been waiting for you for ten minutes. Why are you still in the shop?"
Just then, the wind chime hanging by the door jingled, and John looked towards the sound. Exiled Immortal pushed open the door with a goofy grin, with Helena right behind him.
"You're here."
"Yeah! John, since you were taking so long, we had to come find you, right, Big Sis?"
"Alright, why are you so excited after just one meal?"
"You don't get it. There's an old saying in our hometown: food is the most important thing for the people. You need to eat well to have the energy to work."
Exiled Immortal patted his belly and winked at John, who chose to ignore him and turned his attention to Helena.
"You're back so soon. I guess there's nothing to worry about?"
"Pretty much. I was just being overly cautious earlier, but now I can finally relax."
"That's good. To be honest, John, you really scared me a few days ago. I've never seen you look so worn out. What happened to make you so concerned?"
"I... I can't explain it to you."
John hesitated for a long time but ultimately chose to keep the truth hidden.
On one hand, he couldn't think of a good excuse to explain it away, and on the other hand, even if he did tell them, it wouldn't change anything and would only add to their worries.
"Can't you give me a hint?"
"...Sorry."
"It's okay. I'm just relieved to see you're back to normal. Now, I have some good news to share with you. Actually, it's good news for you."
"Good news for me? What could it be?"
Helena then smiled a knowing smile, her expression full of meaning.
"Remember the piece of armor you gave me before you logged off? I sent it to the auction house, and under the condition of bartering only, I managed to exchange it for two items!"
"Really? Two [epic] quality items?"
"Of course! Would I be this happy if they were just exquisite quality? Ta-da! See for yourself."
Seeing the dialogue box pop up in front of him, John accepted without hesitation. The next moment, two purple [epic] quality items appeared in his inventory.
[Astronomer's Prayer]
Quality: [Epic]
Item Effect: [When activated, the item performs a random check. If successful, it amplifies the next use of any magic, spell, martial art, or similar type of damage by up to 1.5 times.]
Equipping this item increases [Wisdom] by 25 points and [Magic Affinity] by 15 points.
Recommended classes: [Priest] [Mage]
Item Description: [Crafted by a renowned astrologer, who claimed there was nothing in the world he couldn't foresee—until he failed to predict his own death, when a longsword pierced his forehead.
Come on, I can see the smile on your face, don't try to deny it! Please, show some restraint!]
After reading the item description thoroughly, John felt a surge of excitement.
All the previous conditions didn't matter much to John, but the damage amplification of the same type was truly enticing.
At this stage of the game, the damage cap that players could inflict on each other was well-defined. Even with higher multipliers, without a solid base value, it wouldn't make a difference.
According to Helena, even Qing, who had the highest stats in the Pioneer Squad, could barely deal a thousand points of damage to the Basilisk, even with all skills and buffs activated.
But with this equipment, John could theoretically triple that damage cap!
[Hermes Dice] and [Astronomer's Prayer] would multiply their effects, pushing the damage limit of two thousand points to nearly three thousand with the secondary amplification of [Astronomer's Prayer]!
Great items, truly great items!
But when John saw the second piece of equipment, his excitement reached an unprecedented level!
[Epic Golem Remains]
Quality: [Epic]
Item Description: [From its appearance, it's not hard to tell that it was forged for killing. Its body still retains the craftsmanship of a top-tier golemancer, but the passage of time has left the golem in a state of disrepair.
However, looking at it another way, this pile of scrap metal might fetch a good price if sold to a blacksmith, right?
Haha! Just kidding. Wait… you're not really planning to sell it, are you?]
Abandoned Golem Remains!
It's important to know that in the future, Alchemists can choose between Marionette Alchemist and Contract Alchemist for their secondary class change. Getting access to golem craftsmanship this early might allow John to unlock the Marionette Alchemist skill tree ahead of time!
Just imagining the scene of orchestrating battles from a distance while controlling a golem made John's heart race with excitement!