Broken and Ivana walked through the bustling streets of the capital city, heading out for a hunting trip that might last a day or two. For Broken, this would be a refreshing break from the intense focus he had placed on his crafting. Plus, it offered a chance to test his newly updated stats and some items he hadn’t yet used in real battle.
During a previous raid with the Ass Guild, Broken had received three drop items: a weapon and two pieces of armor. The weapon was the Sword Thorned Vindicator, and the two pieces of armor were for an Archer class. Since all three items required level 200 to use, he had kept them aside until he was able to meet that requirement. freёwebnoѵel.com
He eagerly took out the first item from his inventory. The blade was a deep emerald green, with veins of glowing green energy running through it. When swung, it left a faint trail of green light, highlighting its magical nature.
“The sword is beautiful, Broken,” Ivana said enthusiastically.
“Really?” he said softly. “I’ve just now reached the level to use this sword. Let me check the description.”
[Thorned Vindicator Sword]
[Grade: Epic]
[Attack Power: 500~550
Strength +120
Agility +120]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Weight: 480]
[A sword forged from the heartwood of the Vine Horror Treant, laced with potent magic that enhances agility and delivers devastating strikes.]
[Skills:]
[Vine Strike: Unleashes a powerful strike that deals 450% physical attack damage and roots the target for 2 seconds.
Cooldown: 30 Seconds]
[Thorned Aura: Creates an aura of thorns around the user, dealing 50% of physical attack as damage per second to nearby enemies.
Cooldown: 60 Seconds
Duration: 10 Seconds]
[User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.
Swordsman class or a similar one.]
The sword was indeed an Epic-grade item. While its Attack Power wasn’t exceptionally high for a level 200 sword, it did add 120 points each to Strength and Agility—a total of 24 levels’ worth of stats. That was extraordinary. No wonder, it was a drop from a Raid Boss that required a high-level party to defeat. Despite its Epic grade, the stats alone were exceptional. Additionally, the sword only had two skills, but both did not require any Mana to use. The first skill dealt damage and applied a rooting effect to the target, while the second skill emitted an aura dealing damage over time to the surrounding area. The duration wasn’t very long, but still decent.
The skills were impressive, although they paled compared to his Moonvine Knuckles. Still, it was a decent sword.
Do I really need this sword? He wondered to himself.
“You can use all sorts of weapons, Broken… I’m so jealous,” Ivana said with a giggle.
“Someone like you doesn’t deserve to say they’re jealous of anyone, Ivana,” Broken responded with a smile. “If anyone knew about your various talents, I’m sure many would compete to have you in their party.”
“Huh?” Ivana looked puzzled by his words. “Why?”
Broken just giggled at her innocence. “But don’t worry, I won’t let others find out about your talents, so you’ll always stay with me,” he said, then resumed inspecting the sword.
However, Broken’s words made Ivana think for a moment. “You want me to stay with you, always, Broken?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
Broken turned to her and nodded. “Yes, stay with me always, okay? I promised Mr. Fokil,” he said, gently patting Ivana’s head.
Ivana lowered her gaze and smiled at his gesture.
“What if…” Ivana began but then trailed off, causing Broken to turn to her.
“Yes?”
“What if one day I… leave?”
Broken furrowed his brow, thinking. “Leave of your own will?”
Ivana nodded slowly.
“I’d come to find you,” he said without any hesitation in his voice.
They continued walking through the city streets, heading toward the exit gate.
“What should I do to make sure you don’t regret taking on this responsibility, Broken…” she said softly. “I’ll cook for you every day. I’ll be at the front in every battle, and I’ll protect you. I have a protection skill to protect others, and I’ll cast it on you. I will…” she paused again as Broken took her hand.
“For now, you’re very powerful, Ivana. So strong… you won’t need protection from anyone. But, one day, I will become stronger and protect you, okay?” Broken replied. “I promised Mr. Fokil… And I’m also grateful to Gia,” he added softly.
They continued walking while Broken still held and admired the sword he was holding.
“I don’t need this sword that much; maybe you need it, Ivana,” he then turned to her. “What is the grade of the sword Mr. Fokil gave to you?”
“Uhm… it’s Unique-grade. The shield is Unique-grade too,” Ivana answered softly.
Broken swallowed hard at her response. “Okay, I’m sure you don’t need this sword then.” “But, the armor…” Ivana continued, “The shoes and the helmet are Epic-grade.”
“What about the others?”
“They are Unique-grade, too,” she replied softly.
Broken nodded thoughtfully as he listened to her explanation. “It seems Mr. Fokil really cares about you, giving you such valuable items while selling lower-grade ones at high prices.”
Ivana nodded slowly in response to his words. “Should I return these items to Mr. Fokil, Broken? He could sell them for a high price, right?”
Broken took a deep breath before answering. “Would you be happy if, starting tomorrow, I
refused the meals you brought me?”
Ivana looked shocked at the suggestion. “Why?!”
“The answer is, would you want me to do that?”
“No… don’t do it… please…”
“Okay, then you don’t need to think about returning those items to Mr. Fokil,” he concluded.
Ivana nodded in understanding at his explanation.
Broken continued to inspect the other items he had obtained from the Raid Boss.
[Verdant Whisperplate (Chest)]
[Grade: Epic]
[Agility +120
Health +500
Defense +100]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Weight: 370]
[Crafted from the resilient bark and leaves of the Vine Horror Treant, this armor offers
unmatched agility and stealth.]
[Skills:]
[Forest Camouflage: Grants 50% increased evasion and invisibility.
Cooldown: 30 Seconds
Duration: 5 Seconds]
[User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.
Archer class or a similar one.]
“Five seconds of invisibility?” he murmured, examining the skill on the item. He concluded
that this would indeed be perfect to use during the charge time for his Explosive Arrow skill, which also took five seconds. He felt the skill from the item would be extremely useful for
him.
[Verdant Swiftstride (Pants)]
[Grade: Epic]
[Agility +70
Movement Speed +20%
Health +300
Stamina +50]
[Durability: 100/100]
[Weight: 320]
[Imbued with the speed of the forest creatures, enhancing the wearer’s agility and speed.]
[Skills:]
[Swift Escape: Increases movement speed by 50%.
Cooldown: 30 Seconds
Duration: 10 Seconds]
[User Restriction: Level 200 or higher.
Archer class or a similar one.]
The final item he inspected had the skill Swift Escape, which could be used in battle for better
positioning or to avoid danger. These two items were perfect for an archer relying on stealth, movement speed, and agility. The boost to Agility was incredibly high, making the items even
more appealing.
He realized he hadn’t upgraded any of the items he had recently acquired. Upgrading equipment was like enhancing the items, adding a “+” and a number to the item name, which
boosted the values of the stats attached to them. These upgrades would not only strengthen
their stats but also add visual effects to the equipment, like aura effects that would make
them look even cooler.
But since Broken felt he didn’t have enough time for that just now, he decided to test the
items in battle first.
“Let’s go, Ivana. It’s been a while since I last saw Polly,” he said.