Chapter: Raining Experience and treasures

"I know that you might have been told to use your head more, but this is going a bit too far," Erik said as he healed up the cut on Rugrat's head and the brain bruise.

"Damn that fucking hurt," Rugrat said.

Erik settled down, seeing Rugrat was okay he opened up his screens.

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Skill: Stealth

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Level: 21 (Novice)

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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.

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You have learned the skill: Throwables

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Close range and long range weapons combining aim with the weapons at one’s disposal, the throwable increases the range that one can throw at and the accuracy they do so.

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Skill: Throwables

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Level: 7 (Novice)

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No bonuses at this time. You must prove your skills first.

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You have reached Level 11

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When you sleep next, you will be able to increase your attributes by: 20 points.

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67,387/100,000 EXP till you reach level 12

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For killing an opponent 4 levels stronger than you, your experience is increased by 300%

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Erik laughed to himself as Rugrat read his own screen,

"Wait, how much experience did you get?" Rugrat asked.

"Like two hundred thousand, you?"

"Like a hundred and fifty, dammit, that level experience increase is savage!" Rugrat said.

"Well, it's a lot harder to kill things above you in level," Erik said.

"You were using my napalmers!" Rugrat deflated against the rock. "Damn, if I knew it would be that good to earn experience we should've gone for dumbasses long ago," Rugrat said. "What level are you?"

"Eleven, getting towards Twelve," Erik said.

"Hah! Still on top baby!" Rugrat pumped his fist in the air. "Twelve and proud!"

"Mental age?" Erik asked.

"Fuck you, too," Rugrat said.

"Buy me dinner first, jeez!" Erik laughed. "I wonder why there are so many powerful people about, think of the party that were fighting the snake, or that group we just ran into. All of them were a high level and they had good equipment."

Erik looked at the two new storage rings on his hand, he hadn't looked inside them yet.

"When I was working in the smithy I heard a few people talking about how the second realm factions and sects come down and head to Beast Mountain for something. Most people treat this as a forbidden ground, they treat it like a trial for their youngsters to increase in strength.

The Beast Mountain gets all stirred up with it, some of the people from the first realm follow behind, collecting their waste as what's not valuable in the second realm is a priceless treasure here," Rugrat looked over to Erik as if to see what he was thinking.

"Well, I'm all about trying to gather some gold," Erik smiled. "They might be experts in their sects and factions but they're just hot headed kids using their skills. Like damn second lieutenants all squeaky and clean."

"Oh, they're so cute and new!" Rugrat laughed darkly.

"So, what if they're a few levels above us, as long as we keep a low profile, only coming in after them, there shouldn't be an issue, if they want to fight, well, someone shouldn't be judged on just their level," Erik said.

"But first. Let me take a nap," Rugrat leaned back on the log as if to go to sleep.

"Rack monster."

"It is a skill and a talent," Rugrat said, not opening his eyes.

Erik nodded, truly the ability to sleep anywhere was a highly rated skill that Erik wished he was able to learn.

Erik took the time to look through the storage rings that they had acquired, there were different kinds of weapons, most of them were of the novice grade, Erik could only look forward to the riches that they would gain from selling all of them.

There were even a number of monster cores inside the storage rings, they weren’t simple either.

Five of them were Grand Mortal Grade Monster Cores with one being a Fire Variant Mortal Grade Monster Core. Different variant cores could increase the price of the monster cores drastically, doubling or tripling the price that a Grand Mortal grade monster core would cost.

Erik started to organize the loot, weapons were placed into one ring, cores joined them, recovery concoctions were stored in the next, finally the highest quality cores, the beast weapons and the manuals that were useful to Erik and Rugrat were placed into the broach that he had taken from the mage in the cave.

Erik took his time to look through the gear.

He took out a few pieces of armor. They were simple black bracers that were of the apprentice level.

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Cold Steel Arm Bracers

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Defense: 27

Weight: 0.7 kg

Durability: 68/100

Base Value: 2 Gold, 5 Silver

Slot: Takes up forearm slot

Innate Effect: Resist cold damage 5pts

Requirement:

Strength 14

Agility 11

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“Requirements,” Erik hadn’t read anything about weapons or armor needing a requisite level or stat to be used, but now the glowing armor seemed to dim in his eyes. “Well, that’s going to make things harder if we can’t use some of it until we increase our stats.” He even had the thought to use his newly acquired stats so that he would be able to wear this gear. He dismissed the thought, just altering his stats to meet the needs of the weapons and armor would only make him weaker in the future.

“So, probably can’t use half of this and it’ll be hard as hell to sell because it’s high leveled.”

Erik could only sigh as he looked to the armored warrior.

“Well, I don’t think you’ll be needing this anymore, sorry,” Erik pulled out the cuirass from the dead warrior.

The armor was called the Golden Fox armor, the entire thing called the Golden Fox Set.

The stats were incredible when compared to the other gear.

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Golden Fox Cuirass

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Defense: 59

Weight: 45.3 kg

Charge: 23/100

Durability: 47/113

Base Value: 32 Gold, 17 Silver

Slot: Takes up Chest slot

Enchanted Ability: Agility increases 2% per hit, can stack a total of 5 times

Innate Ability: Reduce magical attacks effect by 5%

This is a set item, when 2 or more set items are combined then the abilities of the set items will increase.

Requirement:

Agility 15

Strength 20

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The problem was with how low the charge and health were, Erik didn't know how to charge the armor up more and would need to find out more information about it.

Also when wearing the armor if gave off a dull glow, showing off that it was a Journeyman piece of armor.

An increase of 10% agility would increase Erik's agility from 70 to 77, it might not seem like much, but it would allow him to move on the openings he saw in a fight, allow him to have greater control over his weapons and increase his ability to dodge attacks, it couldn't be dismissed.

Erik put the cuirass away, if they were in a fight for life and death he would pull it out, though right now it was more danger than it was a help.

He took out some simple boots, they were really rough compared to the ones that he was wearing but their stats weren't bad.

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Diemar leather boots

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Defense: 15

Weight: 0.5 kg

Durability: 78/100

Base Value: 17 Silver 4 coppers

Slot: Takes up foot slot

Innate Effect: Move quieter when in stealth

Requirements:

Agility 17

Mana 7

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He had to sigh and put them next to Rugrat, with their abilities they were better suited for him.

Most of the gear that the Wilful institute students had were items that had been given to them by the sect.

They’d found out where they had come from as they all had a manual containing the sect’s rules and the emblem on most of their items and the manual were the same.

Erik might have killed them but he wasn't going to broadcast that to everyone.

He left those to the side, maybe Rugrat would get some inspiration when pulling them apart.

Erik pulled out a pair of pants and a helmet to complete his hodgepodge collection.

The greaves were from the warrior again.

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Golden Fox Greaves

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Defense: 63

Weight: 5.7 kg

Charge: 37/100

Durability: 67/109

Base Value: 36 Gold, 13 Silver

Slot: Takes up Leg slot

Enchantment: strength increases 4% (5% when paired with Golden Fox Cuirass)

Innate Effect: Reduce magical attacks effect by 3% (4% when paired with Golden Fox Cuirass)

This is a set item, when 2 or more set items are combined then the abilities of the set items will increase.

Requirements:

Strength 16

Agility: 21

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The greaves were stronger than the cuirass as they'd taken less damage, when they were combined their immediate strength didn't shoot up. Erik pulled out a helmet, while its stats were high, it obstructed his view and he could only put it away when thinking of what it might be like if he shot his weapons while wearing it.

The boots weren't all that good and they weren't in the least bit comfortable compared to Erik's pair.

He turned to the last pile of items, his heart sped up as he got to the manuals and information books.

The four people had been disciples of the Willful Institute, being students in their own right they had a myriad of different training manuals.

Not only did they have books that went more in depth on the subject of body cultivation and the mana gathering systems, one had a book on the basics of alchemy, another on formations and another on smithing, among these there were various fighting manuals.

Erik opened up one of the manuals, reading the first page.

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Throwing manual

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With this manual, one will be able to exert greater force with their body when throwing items, increasing the damage of the throwable object, the distance traveled and the accuracy at throwing.

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Erik looked though the different manuals, they were mainly on training with swords, these manuals looked to increase the effect that a person would have with one given area.

So if it was with a blade, then increase the speed that they would draw with, the accuracy of their hits, the places that they should hit.

If it was archery, how one could use and work on different muscles, so that they were able to draw more strength out of their body without increasing their level.

"Basically like any good training, the better you train the more lethal you will become without having to make any big changes like get a whole new rifle if you've got the drills down," Erik put down the manual.

"I just never thought of the specifics that might go into fighting with these kinds of weapons."

I just naturally thought that because they were blades and arrows that they weren't worth learning because I had a rifle.

Erik went through the manuals until he found one on hand to hand combat.

“Who the hell named this? Growling tiger elbow?” Erik could only frown at the title. “Damn, A plus for trying, but it just sounds like the writer was trying to make this sound mystical.”

Shaking his head Erik opened the manual.