Free Web NovelChapter 10: Elemental Stone
Arthur stared at the system notification in silence. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
Although two stat points weren’t a lot, he could increase any stat he wanted. He could boost his strength and start hitting the imps harder, or he could raise his agility and try to match the goblin’s speed directly. Maybe he could even boost his vitality to keep himself from getting shredded so easily.
...At least, he assumed that’s how the stat points worked.
But instead, Arthur hesitated.
He stared at the plus signs that had appeared next to each of his stats and eventually shook his head.
"No. I don’t need to use them just yet. I’ll just save them for a bit," he muttered.
Arthur had to admit, he wasn’t really a fan of hoarding stat points.
In every game he’d played, he always hated doing things like this. It always felt like a waste when you could become stronger right away.
Unfortunately, this time, he didn’t have much of a choice.
Because right now, he had no idea what direction was the best one to take. He had no idea what being a mage meant in this unconventional game.
If he were honest, he wanted to dump his points straight into his agility and strength, just to keep up with the little green bastards, but doing so would mean giving up on his mage path. Maybe he’d come to need these points in the future and would come to regret it.
So for now, he decided to hold off... for a bit.
If he found a way to unlock spells or skills? He’d probably consider boosting his intelligence and wisdom and trying to do things the mage way.
But if not?
Well, then he’d go all in on what he knew best.
...
Arthur closed his status window with a thought and looked up again.
Now that everything was settled, it was time to head back.
He walked carefully through the forest, weaving between the trees and the bushes, trying to retrace the steps he’d taken.
Surprisingly enough, the way back was actually uneventful.
It was as if the forest itself had decided to spare him the moment he decided to leave.
There were no more imps lurking around in the vicinity, and half an hour later, he could see the distant city gates again, before the sound of fighting entered his ears.
The vast open field in front of the city unfolded in front of him again, and just like before, the entire scene was pure chaos.
Arthur observed everything while leaning against a tree. Just like before, the fights weren’t organized in the slightest. If anything, they seemed even worse now.
People were still trying to overwhelm the goblins through sheer numbers, only to get baited into more ambushes by the little imps, while others focused on the slimes instead.
He even saw someone get tackled to the ground and try to log out mid-fall, only for a goblin to smash his head with its club and turn his body into motes of white light.
Arthur walked around the edges of the battlefield, avoiding the mayhem just like before, as he returned to the city.
...
He looked around at the stone streets and the mismatched crowd of players and non-human creatures around him and let out a breath.
He wasn’t going to stay long. He had planned to log out and check up on his grandfather as soon as he returned to the city. There was just one last thing he had to deal with first.
The shopkeeper.
Up until now, Arthur wasn’t really sure if the insectoid shopkeeper was an NPC or some kind of alien race like the four-armed creatures that invaded Earth, but he leaned towards the latter. At the very least, the man didn’t feel like an NPC.
But that didn’t matter. What Arthur was curious about was how much his loot was worth, if it was worth anything at all. If the shopkeeper was willing to buy his loot, it would mean they’re at least worth something, right?
Arthur made his way through the main plaza until he found the merchant street again. He stopped in front of the familiar building, the third door to his right, and glanced up at the carved plaque that looked like a bottle engulfed in a flame. He pushed it open, and a faint chime rang above his head as he stepped inside.
The insectoid shopkeeper was still perched behind its counter, its iridescent carapace reflecting faint green light from the ceiling. Its six eyes blinked independently as it looked up, and immediately clicked its mandibles in surprise.
"You are back already? And still alive, I see."
Arthur nodded but didn’t offer any retort. Indeed, he was still alive, but that last encounter with the three goblins had been a bit too close for comfort.
More than he would like, at least.
He let out a breath and reached into his pocket, pulling out the goblin’s fang first. Then he removed the goblin’s tattered jerkin and placed both items on the counter.
He didn’t even have to say anything else.
The shopkeeper’s top four arms remained folded across its chest, but the lower two reached forward with careful precision and lifted the items, examining them in turn. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
The shopkeeper turned the fang over, tapped it twice along the edge and then held it up against the light. Next, it inspected the jerkin. It pinched the seams and tugged gently at its stitching, as if to test its durability.
Finally, the creature looked back at Arthur.
"Not bad. This [Goblin’s Fang] is quite decent. The tooth is dense and it has a pretty good shape. I’ll give you ten base stones if you are willing to sell it." It then tapped the tunic lightly and continued, "As for this [Threadbare Jerkin], I’ll give you sixteen stones. It’s a shame really. If the quality was a little bit better, you could probably make double that."
Arthur raised an eyebrow in surprise.
This was... way more than he expected.
He didn’t know what the going rate for loot was, but he’d half assumed the jerkin would be dismissed as junk, while the fang would only be useful as a knife. After all, he’d only gotten these things from level 1 goblins.
Still, he didn’t respond right away.
He stared down at the white tooth for a second longer, considering it. This thing had gotten him through more than a few close calls today. It would be a shame to give it up.
Arthur let out a breath and picked it up, putting it back in his pocket.
"I’ll keep this one," he said.
The shopkeeper gave him a simple nod.
"Sixteen stones for the jerkin, then."
The shopkeeper then reached beneath the counter and pulled out a small cloth pouch before placing it in front of Arthur.
Then, it opened it and tilted it slightly, letting Arthur see what was inside. Dozens of faintly glowing stones, most of them no larger than marbles.
Each one was smooth, nearly translucent, and glowed with a pulsing orange light, like a spark frozen in crystal. Tiny flickers of red flames danced inside them, swirling just beneath the surface like trapped embers.
Arthur had never seen this kind of color before.
[Elemental Stone of Fire]
[Rarity: Common]
[Description: A small elemental stone that contains the essence of fire.]
So this was an elemental stone. Even from a distance, Arthur could feel it. The soft warmth these things were exuding.
He reached out and picked one of them up.
The moment his fingers touched the smooth surface, another notification appeared in front of him, this one a bit brighter than before.
[Elemental Stone of Fire detected!]
[Would you like to absorb it?]
[Yes / No]
Arthur couldn’t contain his surprise.
"...Absorb it?" he muttered out loud.
The insectoid shopkeeper looked at him and tilted its head. Its mandibles clicked softly, as if it had just heard something absurd.
"Are you asking if you can absorb elemental stones?" the insect rasped.
"Can I not?" Arthur asked.
The shopkeeper waved a claw dismissively and answered,
"Of course not. These things are refined materials. They are used during potion refinement or weapon smithing. It’s not possible to absorb them outright. This is not how they work. Besides, what would you do with them even if you could absorb them?"
The shopkeeper leaned in slightly, the glow of his compound eyes shifting.
But Arthur didn’t answer.
He just stared at the orange stone that was still glowing between his fingers... and at the floating status window that the human-sized mantis apparently couldn’t see.
[Would you like to absorb it?]
[Yes / No]
The window was still there, waiting for an input.
Arthur slowly placed the rest of the stones back into the pouch and tied it to his belt.
Then, he looked at the shopkeeper and said quietly, "Thank you for the help."
The shopkeeper clicked its mandibles and waved an arm dismissively once more.
"That’s alright. I won’t see you out. Remember, if you find any more items or you are looking for potions, my door is always open."
Arthur nodded and stepped outside.
...
The light had dimmed a little on the streets since he’d entered the shop. A few more players walked by, some excited, others dejected, but no one paid him any attention. They either moved towards the plaza, or they were looking around the rest of the shops, just like him.
Arthur looked around for a bit, but his mind was already elsewhere. He wanted to try and absorb at least one of these elemental stones and see what happened.
He tried to keep his expression even as he observed the moving crowd.
Only after making sure no one was watching him did his eyes settle on the narrow alley beside him.
And he quietly slipped into it.
Arthur untied the pouch on his waist and was greeted by a wave of warmth as he picked one of the flaming red stones.
Then, the notification appeared again.
[Elemental Stone of Fire detected!]
[Would you like to absorb it?]
[Yes / No]
This time, Arthur didn’t ignore it.
He pressed ’Yes’.
