[ you have gained the skill engraving lvl 1 ]

> Scribe runes directly onto items, increasing the efficiency of the rune. However, the rune cannot be removed and a failed engraving will ruin the item.

[ you have gained the skill rune crafting lvl 1]

> Create runes to socket into items. Increasing the level results in more versatile rune designs and higher quality runes.

[ you have gained the skill mana circulation lvl 1]

> Magic resistance +5%

> mana regeneration +2.

[ you have gained the skill appraisal lvl 1]

> Look at the details of an item. Higher levels give more details and less chance of faliure.

[ you have gained the skill refinement lvl 1]

> Refine materials to increase their grade.

[ you have gained the skill inner flame lvl 1 ]

> The temperature of fire is easier to control.

> +5% fire resistance.

Dorian looked through his skills, playing around with them for a while to get used to them. The really interesting ones were the rune crafting and engraving. Depending on what it took to craft a rune, then he could very quickly outfit himself in an entire set of runed gear- something that nobody else had at this moment.

Opening the rune tree, he got to work, activating the crafting menu. A holographic table appeared in front of him, with complex formulas taking up the majority of the space. 

[ Please design a rune ] 

' Hmm...What sort of rune do I even want? '

Looking at his sword, it already had fire damage, so adding more would just be a waste of a rune slot. Thinking about it, he could probably add some sort of special effect like health steal, but as well as those taking a lot more skill and resources than something simpler, the effect would probably be almost useless at lower levels. And honestly, Dorian needed the stats at the moment, since he was still a good 6 or 7 levels behind everyone else.

Dragging a blank rune design onto the table, Dorian thought about what sort of rune he could make without wasting one of his rune slots.

' What sort of rune won't devalue as I level? ' With a frown, Dorian disgarded the flat value runes, like " +50 hp". Although they would be good in the short term, using something like that later would add almost nothing to his total HP. With some reluctance, he also discarded the percentage based runes, because although they would be good, he needed combat power, not just stats. Looking at the 0/3 slots, Dorian felt both pressure and excitement. Only 3 chances to make a unique rune. 

There was one idea that stood out to Dorian, and that was to make a skill based rune. The extra stats could always be gained from forging the base armour well anyway. Skills or passives would end up helping more in the long run, especially since they were the only thing that runes seemed to be able to do that blacksmithing couldn't. 

Thinking up to this point, Dorian grinned. Near the Village of Beginnings, there was a raid boss that respawned once a day, called the Forest Guardian. As the name suggests, it's a guardian of the forest near the Village of Beginnings, taking the shape of a bear to fight off intruders. Multiple Teams of 8 were needed to kill it, and the raid usually took a few hours. Its base stats were amazing, and if someone was attacked by one of its paws, unless they were a high level tank, they were instantly dead. 

" Create a Rune of Summon Bear Familiar "

[ creating a rune of summon bear Familiar ]

[ Rune of Summon Bear Familiar ]

Summon a bear while wearing the item this rune is socketed into. The bear is proportional to your level and acts as an NPC follower.

[ Do you want to create this rune? ]

" Create Rune "

Ting! 

[ Rune has been created ]

Going to the rune menu, heart pumping, Dorian looked at his new rune. 

[ Rune of Summon Bear Familiar ]

Summon a bear while wearing the item this rune is socketed into. The bear is proportional to your level and acts as an NPC follower.

Unlock Requirements: N/A.

Crafting Requirements: 

1 metal ingot or valuable stone. The item used will affect the rune.

1 bear pelt. The bear pelt used will affect the rune.

......

Often, at the beginning of the day, the village square would crowd full of people trying to form raid teams against the boss. Each team was shouting out their requirements, trying to get enough members together to have a realistic chance of beating the boss. Right now, Dorian was here, trying to find a team to fit into so he could get the pelt of the Forest Guardian.

" Looking for a warrior! One spot left! " 

" Looking for a priest! One spot left! "

.....

'With a rare class, I'll probably have an easier time than others trying to join a team...I think.' For a moment, he frowned, thinking of something bad. ' But it seems like they all want a specific class....'

...

" Hi! I'm trying to raid the boss, do you have space in your team?"

" Sure, what class are you? "

" I'm an apprentice engraver...it's a rare class...."

"Oh, cool. But it doesn't sound like a combat class....what sort of skills do you have? "

" none at the moment, but I've got a good sword..."

" Oh, maybe next time. Also, where's all your gear?"

Dorian had forgotten that the only equipment he had was a worn tunic and sword. For a person who was a glorified blacksmith, his equipment state was awful. He probably looked like a homeless vigilante. Although, now it made a bit more sense why nobody wanted him in their team. 

After asking almost every team and being kicked out by them all, he was forced to start thinking about ways to get stronger without a team. Now, the summonable follower seemed like an even better idea. They were reliable, scaled with his own strength, and maybe most importantly, they wouldn't steal loot or xp. The only problem would be trying to get the materials to summon a good enough minion in the first place.

After trying for over an hour, he turned away, giving up on the raid and trying to think of another strategy. As he walked out of the village square, he couldn't help lowering his head in embarrassment. ' Is my class really that bad? I know I don't have a lot of skills, but still, it feels a bit unfair....'

After walking out the gate, he saw a man and woman walking past, talking about the raid boss.

" So, do you think we'll get into a team this time? "

" I hope so. We've been levelling a bit more recently, so somebody should take us. "

The man drew his sword from his sheath and swung it around. It was similair to a katana, although longer by a few inches. His other hand was empty, so combined with the katana, it was safe to say that he was a pure damage build. The woman, on the other hand, seemed to be a magician. She carried a staff on her back, and wore gaudy robes instead of armour. 

Grabbing onto the last hope he could see, Dorian called out. " Hey! If you're looking for people, can I join you? " 

Most teams for this raid boss were 7 or 8, so having a team of 3 would make it a bit difficult to find a team with enough spaces, but they let him in without complaint. Chatting as they walked back to the village center, he learned that the swordsman was called Nova, and the mage called herself Wild Muffin. They had been playing since the game came out, and were a good 8 levels ahead of Dorian, with the skills to back it up. 

Since most of the teams had been taken, they found themselves waiting until the square was almost empty, eventually merging together with another half team, to make a group of 7. The additional squad consisted of two archers and two priests. Not a very good lineup, but since there was no warrior available, they would have to try make do.

Setting off for the Raid Boss, the squad members chatted on the way. One of the archers, a teen called Swift, had been playing the game since release and had already reached level 19, the highest level in the whole squad. They were also true to their name, being the fastest member on the team, both when they spoke and moved. 

The time passed quickly, until they reached the edge of the forest, where the Raid Boss spawned. Archers, mages and other long range fighters would find it increasingly difficult to keep up the damage, as the thick and numerous trees got in the way. 

[ you have discovered the Guardians' Forest! ]

[ The Guardian senses your presence. Trespassing will result in retaliation! ]

The squad stepped forward.