Free Web NovelChapter 19: Finally..Some Firepower!
--Chapter 19--
Title>> Finally...Some Firepower!
In no more than a hundred steps, Xavier finally arrived at the destination that had really brought him to Stockholm Village.
The Merchant Hall.
This little convention of swindlers, hagglers and thieves hiding behind polished counters was the only one available for miles... till you moved further into the realm.
The hall itself was a low stone-plated building near the center of the village.
But as much as it was a low-tier hall compared to the caravans surrounding the well-established cities he had yet to explore...
This one, at least, had offensive skills.
Unlike yours truly...
Because right now, he was a dragon/demon hybrid that could punch the heads off creatures.
Had the reflexes of a fly.
But somehow couldn’t use anything other than healing magic.
Yeah...
Xavier shook his head at the thought.
Quickly entering the hall while still maintaining his camouflage through the Dread Cloak...
Xavier moved within the Merchant Hall without alerting any squeaky floorboards or players.
The interior was cooler than expected, almost like an air conditioner was hidden somewhere inside.
Moving past the stalls lining both sides of the hall, Xavier’s nose caught the awful scent of old paper and something faintly herbal hanging in the air.
Their stalls displayed weapons, armor, consumables and skill stones.
To his left, an older woman with the cursor displaying [Madame Uracil] argued with a player over the price of a bow.
While another player just kept staring at his coin pouch as if his heart was hidden somewhere inside it.
The plain brown floor and surrounding stall walls made it much easier for the Dread Cloak to maintain its camouflage.
Xavier navigated around the chaos, this was made even easier by the fact that the hall was practically empty except for a handful of players and NPC traders.
But this wasn’t necessarily surprising to Xavier. After all, he was the one who arrived late.
The other players had definitely spawned in the starting zone only a stone’s throw away from here.
The smart ones would’ve gathered here expecting the Fallen Prince’s Echo and the free Bloodline attached to it.
But that turned out to be a bust thanks to yours truly...
So the next best thing was to unlock a class, grind to Level 5 and embark on a Bloodline appraisal quest.
That was the normal path.
Not for an Irregular like him who had more Bloodline slots than everyone else.
And yet...
The only skill he got after unlocking two powerful Bloodlines was a low-budget healing skill.
Restore...
Xavier sighed.
It wasn’t that Restore was useless. Bloodline skills could evolve, and this one definitely had room to grow.
But right now...it was still just a healing skill.
"Minor injuries," Xavier murmured, remembering the description.
It actually made a lot more sense why the original owner of this Bloodline was regarded as Fallen.
A Healing Dragon definitely was it...
***
Looking around, Xavier finally found his not-so-favorite skill vendor at the corner, closer to the edge of the hall.
The man behind the counter was built like a barrel.
He was round in more ways than one. His shoulders and chest were more solid than fat, but he was definitely not your typical athletic type.
Though he looked like he might have done actual physical work at one point in his life before he became a salesman.
His plump jaws betrayed that assumption pretty damn fast.
Over his bald head, a cursor hovered, displaying the nameplate: [Skill Master - Felice]
"Welcome, welcome." Felice spread both his grease-stained hands across the counter, fingers already gesturing even before Xavier reached it. His camouflage momentarily dropped.
"Please, no haggling. I don’t haggle."
Xavier smiled... That was always how this bloody haggling machine started.
Closing his eyes slightly, Xavier stopped, expecting the interactive prompt to manifest.
But to his surprise, nothing actually happened.
"Huh?" Xavier let out.
"...Yes, my prices are already the best you will find in Stockholm, and I find the whole process undignified," Felice preached.
Momentarily surprised, Xavier placed a hand on his chin.
"So they updated this before the lock-in?"
"What?" Felice asked, tilting his head. He looked at Xavier with an eyebrow raised.
Xavier looked at the NPC and smiled before speaking.
"I know you are good at haggling, and I will lose," Xavier playfully finished the interaction stream.
"Wonderful. A man of culture." Felice beamed. "Now then. What are you looking for?"
A grid immediately appeared before Xavier’s eyes as he went through the shelves behind the counter.
The interface displayed neatly arranged categories.
General skills were in blue. Class-oriented skills appeared in gold, while Bloodline skills appeared in red.
Amongst the categories, he could only access General skills.
Which he didn’t mind at all. With the amount of money he had, he definitely could only afford General skills at this point.
Scanning through the list, he avoided the obvious ones for now. Appraisal, Mana Blade, Alchemy and, apparently, something called Cooking that someone had rated four stars.
But just below the obvious purchases, in the ranged subcategory, was his main target.
Mana Bullet.
"Nice.." Xavier smiled, it was still here.
Tapping on it, the skill expanded.
[Mana Bullet — General Skill]
[Rank: D]
[Description: It allows the user to fire a compressed bolt of raw mana at a target.]
[Effects: +3 spirit. No cast lag. Damage and amount of bullets scales with base Spirit.]
[Mana Cost: 5 per shot]
[Requirement: Spirit must be 10 or above to learn.]
[Range: 40 meters max]
[Price: 1,050 × Copper Coins]
Xavier stared at the price...
...And he almost had a stroke.
’Was this inflation?’ he thought. ’Or was this bloody system playing with his feelings?’
He immediately looked at Felice, who was still looking at him attentively with a smug expression.
"Damn.." Xavier couldn’t help but curse. If he remembered his currency balance well, then he was definitely going broke after this purchase.
He had 1,090 Copper Coins. Buying this left him with only 40.
And a new status: Broke Dragon.
What sort of irony was that?
He looked at Mana Bullet again. The Spirit requirement was ten. His base Spirit sat at seventeen now, twenty with the amulet’s passive.
He met the requirement quite comfortably. And honestly the skill would do exactly what he needed.
It provided cheap ranged damage, no class requirement, and reliable aerial coverage for anything that thought staying out of his dagger range meant safety.
But the true gem was the lack of cast lag. It was the kind of skill that didn’t require preparation or magic circles.
Just cast and boom!
It was perfect for the early game. And even with that hefty price tag, he couldn’t deny it.
Xavier didn’t think any longer and simply bought it, clicking on the [Buy] option beside the skill.
Immediately after he bought it, the skill stone appeared in his open palm.
Xavier crushed it immediately and a rush of information blitzed into his mind.
The sensation was quite unsettling but oddly familiar.
And just like that, his brain unpacked how the skill worked and his mana pathways adjusted accordingly.
Ding!
[Skill Learned: Mana Bullet]
Xavier flexed his fingers at the feeling. The skill was within his reach. He could almost taste it at this point.
Just point and cast...
...The thought actually made him feel better about the price now.
He was no longer a sitting duck with a dagger and Superman punch.
"Excellent choice," Felice finally spoke, nodding in satisfaction.
"Mana Bullet is one of my hidden gems," he continued. "Though I have to say, most players your level come in here looking for other things like blades."
"I’m not most players," Xavier said, clearing the grid and turning to leave.
"No,--" Felice agreed. His eyes moved briefly to something above Xavier’s head.
They settled there for exactly one second longer than a standard NPC interaction usually allowed.
"No... You are definitely not. Hunter X..."
"X?" Xavier half-turned, his eyes widening.
How was this NPC calling him Hunter X and not Traveller like everybody else?
--End of Chapter--
A/N: Even after 19 Chapters... A shameless Author can still only ask for your support with powerstones, Golden tickets and gifts.
T for Thanks!
