Chapter 14: Gold-Tier Equipment Crafting Manual, Complete Collection of Rare Materials.
To craft Gold-Tier (Mythic) equipment, one needed an Orange-Tier (Epic) item as a base, combined with an array of rare materials. These materials each had unique properties: some boosted the four primary stats, some infused elemental energy, and others granted powerful passive effects.
The system allowed for incredible freedom—players could essentially design their own gear. However, the risk was equally high; a failed forge could result in the base item being downgraded below Orange quality.
Gold-tier gear is a nightmare to make, Seito thought, rubbing his chin.
He calculated his needs: full plate armor, a ring, a necklace, and a weapon. That was four Gold-Tier items. If he wanted to dual-wield, he'd need a second weapon. The grind ahead was monumental.
"What do you think we should prioritize?" Sora asked from beside him.
"Rare materials with unique effects," Seito replied after a moment's thought. "Things like spatial storage, buff enhancers, or situational passives. Those are the hardest to get. While we're hunting for the rare stuff, we'll probably end up with plenty of standard stat-boosters anyway."
Sora nodded, then looked at Seito with a sudden spark of curiosity. "By the way, what class are you playing?"
"Assassin."
"Assassin? You aren't playing a Warrior?" Sora looked shocked. In every game they'd played growing up, Seito had always been a front-line bruiser.
"Of course I'm an Assassin. My talent is Space Mastery, and my Agility is already pushing 3,000," Seito stated matter-of-factly.
Sora: "..."
Shiro: "..."
Sally: "..."
Nearly 3,000 Agility?!
The trio was floored. Most high-level players were barely in their mid-teens, and stats like that were unheard of. Seeing their expressions, Seito just shrugged.
"That's nothing compared to her. Maple, what's your Defense?"
"Three thousand eight hundred... almost four thousand! Hehe," Maple chirped, scratching her head sheepishly.
The Trio: "(゜ロ゜)"
Holy... absolute... monsters!
"Seito-nii... why are your stats so high?" Shiro asked in her soft, monotone voice, her curiosity piqued.
"It's simple," Seito explained. "I dumped every single initial and free attribute point into Agility. Maple dumped hers into Defense. Then we focused on specialized playstyles, which triggered a chain reaction of hidden achievement rewards."
All in on one stat? The three pros were speechless. Even Sally, who knew about Maple's defense-only build, couldn't wrap her head around the numbers.
"I get Maple," Sally mused, "she's the ultimate tank. But Seito-kun, if you're all speed and no strength, can you actually deal damage? Or do you just run away really fast?"
It was a fair question. A tank with zero attack is a wall; a speedster with zero attack is just a spectator.
"Hehe." Seito grinned, pulling out his Chokuto and sharing the weapon's stats with the party.
One look was all it took for their eyes to nearly pop out of their heads. The weapon was a cheat code. As long as Seito used it, his damage was double his Agility value. In the current stage of the game, there wasn't a player alive who could survive a single hit from him.
"My skills are all unique spatial abilities," Seito added. "One passive increases my spatial attack power based on my movement speed. Basically, if I touch you, it's 'One-Tap' City."
The group felt a collective sense of despair. Who designs skills this broken?
"I have a passive like that too!" Maple chimed in happily. "The higher my defense, the stronger my attacks!"
The Trio: "..."
Fine. We're the side characters. We get it.
"Don't let it get to you," Seito said, patting Shiro's head. "You guys started with balanced stats. Your playstyle will be more traditional and versatile, unlike the 'Extreme Builds' Maple and I are running."
"True," Sora sighed. Since God's Domain used DNA-bound accounts, there were no "alts." They were stuck with their current builds. "So, what are your classes?"
"I'm an Assassin too," Sally said. "Shiro and I are Gunners," Sora added. "Long-range physical DPS."
"Wow! So our team just needs a front-line Warrior and a Mage!" Maple's eyes sparkled.
Seito smiled. He knew their paths—Sora and Shiro were the ultimate tacticians, Sally was a high-tier mechanical player, and Maple was the Goddess of Luck. This wasn't just a party; it was a Dream Team.
"Alright, let's go hunt."
Seito stood up, Shiro still clinging to him. The five of them left the inn and headed toward the wilderness.
...
The Wilds of Floor 2: The Dark Moon Forest.
Unlike the ethereal, fairy-tale forests of Floor 1, the Second Floor was draped in shadows. The trees were twisted, and a sense of unease permeated the air.
Maple, Sally, and Sora walked side-by-side on the forest floor, their heads tilted back in envy as they watched Seito. He was gliding through the air with Shiro on his back.
"Flight... that's so cool," Sora muttered. As a pro-gamer, the ability to ignore terrain was the ultimate dream.
On Seito's back, Shiro looked around with wide, excited eyes.
"Chu~"
She leaned forward and kissed Seito on the cheek, squinting like a contented kitten.
"I love Seito-nii the most~"
Maple's face flushed bright red at the sight. Sally remained stoic, and Sora didn't even blink. He'd known about his sister's "Seito-nii complex" for years. In his mind, if Shiro married Seito, it just meant he'd have a permanent gaming partner for life.
Gaming, Sora thought, is truly the greatest reward in existence.
[T/N: Yoooo?]
Thank you for reading.