"So out of the nine hags that you killed, of which you were supposed to get six hag tongues, you only managed to salvage three undamaged tongues?" Esmerelda said flatly, her tone caught somewhere between disbelief and exasperation.
Sam stood across from her, hands up in a half-surrender, looking between her, Jass, and Bonehead –each of them wearing some flavor of tired irritation. The five of them were gathered just outside the western gate of Frontier Town, the air still damp with morning fog.
The sun was cresting the horizon now, spilling orange light across the plains and making it painfully obvious just how late Deacon and Sam were, especially with how most of the cadets had already cleared Floor Nine and traveled to Floor Ten.
Meanwhile, Deacon and Sam were seven hours late, covered in dried swamp mud and smelling like wet moss.
"Hence why we went and found another coven," Sam started, trying to sound calm and reasonable. "And got three more hag tongues, so technically, we're fine now—"
"I would honestly blame Deacon," he added quickly, turning to gesture at the person beside him. "He gave me bad targets to shoot, put them on their heads."
Before Deacon could even open his mouth, a small pouch hit Sam squarely on the side of the head with a soft thunk. Sam froze, blinking twice, while Deacon burst out laughing beside him.
"Ha! Snitch!" Deacon snorted, pointing at Sam and doubling over with a grin, only to take a bag straight to the face from Jass a second later.
"Dumbasses," Bonehead muttered before letting out a sigh and turning toward the main road. "Come on. We've wasted enough time. Pope Pug and his pack of Master Crafters will be setting up shop again."
Jass and Esmerelda followed after him, both still clearly annoyed at having wasted seven hours loitering around — time they could have spent on Floor Ten, exploring the famous Kingdom of Knights and learning what they would need to do to clear it.
Sam rubbed his jaw where the bag hit, smirking as he leaned down to pick it up. "Why couldn't Esmerelda hit us instead of Jass and her gorilla-like strength," he said, tossing it lightly in one hand before slinging it into his satchel.
Deacon rubbed his jaw where the bag hit, smirking as he leaned down to pick it up. "Don't let her hear that, she might aim lower next time," he said, tossing it lightly in one hand before slinging it into his Spatial Sling Bag as the two of them caught up with the rest of the party.
When they got to the Town Square, the market was already bustling, and the air of Frontier Town had regained its light scent of charcoal mixed with morning dew and roasting lamb. Dozens of Master Crafters employed telekinesis to arrange shops, re-label signs, and neatly showcase their top picks, which showcased what was best among their wares.
Deacon opened his Spatial Sling Bag and began distributing the materials he and Sam had gathered for Jass, Esmerelda, and Bonehead. After handing over each other's marks, Deacon opened the bag Jass had tossed out of his face and pulled out a dense, stone- and dirt-like sphere that was warm to the touch.
He turned it over in his hand and inspected it, watching as faint traces of mana shimmered across its surface like sand shifting beneath glass.
Item Name: Elite Earth Elemental Core
Type: Material – Elemental Core
Rarity: Common
Description:
A dense, stone-like core harvested from a slain Tier 1 Elite Earth Elemental. It retains fragmented records and residual elemental memory from its former body, echoing the creature's connection to earth. Often sought by alchemists, smiths, enchanters, and various other Production Classes.
Effect: Can be used as a catalyst, enhancement material, or crafting component for Earth-aligned items, spells, and constructs if properly studied or refined.
"Perfect," Deacon said under his breath, slipping it into the pile with the other marks he'd collected from the list of items Bonehead had suggested for him for the item he had in mind.
Looking up, Deacon caught sight of a golden-furred pug wearing a pristine pope's hat, perched behind his booth labeled "Gearwright", tail wagging happily as his tiny paws adjusted an oversized pair of bronze goggles. The smell of fresh forge smoke and polished metal drifted from the stall, mixing with the tang of roasted meat and the scent of mud and grass still clinging to their robes and armor despite them having used Cleanse on themselves.
"If the items they give us are good, how crowded do you think this Floor's gonna get?" Esmerelda asked, pocketing two Nixie Cores from Sam and tucking a lock of silver hair behind her ear.
"Very," Bonehead said immediately, his tone flat as they stepped into the square. Around them, every passing pug, corgi, and shepherd artisan waved or barked a cheery "Welcome, customers!"
"It'd make sense to set up a base here," Deacon said, glancing around at the line of food stations putting out various pastries and baked goods. "For cadets without backing, this place is a goldmine. The forest's loaded with resources, there are plenty of decent spots to build hidden bases, and if the Master Crafters keep offering services – then yeah, it's a primo spot."
"That's assuming the Master Crafters keep their current trade rate," Jass sighed. "Prices might skyrocket once this Floor gets swarmed — either when more of our Generation comes back, or when people from previous Generations start accessing it. Or maybe the prices scale per order. First order's five marks, second is seven, third ten, fourth fifteen, and so on."
"A thousand percent," Deacon agreed. "But even if that was the case, this whole town'll still be packed shoulder to shoulder with cadets trying to game the system. Because let's be real –where else are you gonna get custom gear this cheap? Who cares if you gotta kill 50 Elites if you can get custom-made gear?"
"But the effects are randomized," Sam added, half-grumbling as they passed a corgi enchanter carving runes into floating brass discs. "Even if you try to manipulate the outcome using specific materials for mental or physical boosts, it's still RNG. You could get dogsh– uh…" He trailed off mid-sentence, eyes catching on a rottweiler chef scrubbing his paws in a hovering orb of conjured water. "…you could get a really bad result."
"People love gacha. People love buying scratchers, chance-based rewards, and the like – especially because of how low the barrier to entry is." Bonehead muttered, snagging the back of Esmerelda's hood before she could wander toward a herd of puppies being guided into what looked like a tiny playground.
"You can drop five credits and convince yourself you'll hit a ten-million prize. You roll a gacha banner for ten credits and think you'll pull an S-tier. Doesn't matter how terrible the odds are — people don't know statistics, and instead they think they're special and they'll win back their losses." He shrugged.
Deacon tilted his head as they neared the Artificer's stand, where Pope Pug waited for them beside it. "What about materials from elites?" Deacon asked. "Anyone who turned in better cores or rarer hides – did their gear come out stronger? Or did it not have an effect?"
The pug's floppy ears perked. "Those who use their brains, yes."
"Those who brought me materials aligned with what they wanted saw results that matched. If you bring marks tied to mental attributes, you'll get mental boons. Same if you bring marks tied to physical attributes. And the quality of your item is determined entirely by what you feed into the forge. Turn in normal marks, you get Common or Uncommon items, and turn in elite marks, you get Uncommon or Rare items."
Sam frowned, both at Pope Pug's words and his sudden change in attitude. "We weren't told that. No one mentioned that to any of the cadets."
"You weren't told because it's common sense," the Pope Pug said curtly, puffing out his chest and adjusting his pope hat. "What kind of fool brings troll blood and goblin hide and expects to be given an earring that amplifies their magic?"
"Why? Did you not do this?" Pope Pug asked, seeing the furrowed looks of the Ravenlight Party.
Bonehead's skull face tilted slightly. "We brought the right materials," he said coolly. "All elite marks, and they all fit in the attributes we want them to fit."
The pug grunted, satisfied. "Then stop wasting my oxygen and hand them over. You want your gear or not?"
As he spoke, he hopped up onto his stool, goggles snapping down over his eyes with a metallic click. He extended a small, fur-covered paw toward them impatiently, tail wagging in sharp, irritated flicks.
Deacon stared for a second, then glanced sideways at the others.
What a bitch, they all thought simultaneously.
"You two wanna go first?" Deacon asked Esmerelda and Jass, since they were the ones who had been waiting around the longest, while Bonehead was still planning to hold off so he could compare the mental attributed potion he would receive from the Master Alchemist with what he could make himself.
Esmerelda and Jass just looked at each other for a second before playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would go first. After a quick two out of three match, Esmerelda stepped forward and handed over her marks.
Pope Pug didn't say a word and instead gave a sharp nod before turning, muttering something about "humans with no manners" under his breath as he disappeared behind his workstation.
A couple of minutes later, he held up a thin beaded necklace.
Item Name: Emberleaf Channeling Pendant
Type: Accessory – Necklace
Rarity: Uncommon
Description:
A small pendant carved from ember-hued leafstone, threaded on a simple cord with various Elite Elemental Cores. Used by elemental casters to stabilize and amplify their spellwork. When invoked, the pendant releases a focused surge of mana through the wearer's mana channels, briefly accelerating their regenerative capacity.
Effect:
▸ Passive: Increases the potency of all elemental spells.
▸ Active: Temporarily increases Mana Regeneration by 30% for a short duration.
Requirement: Lv 15+ & Humanoid Race.
After Esmerelda placed on her necklace, Jass went next, and while Pope Pug started taking apart her materials, Deacon and Sam played their own game of rock-paper-scissors off to the side.
After winning four out of the seven games that ended in Deacon's win, Jass received her own pendant.
Item Name: Bulwark's Heartloop
Type: Accessory – Bracelet
Rarity: Rare
Description:
A thin ent core pendant that has been imbued with the blood of an elite Bulwark Badger, an orc, and a troll. It subtly strengthens the wearer's body at all times, bolstering toughness and stamina. When activated, the Heartloop briefly accelerates the wearer's ability to recover from wounds and physical strain.
Effect:
▸ Passive: Gain +20 Vitality & +20 Endurance.
▸ Active: Temporarily increases the wearer's natural recovery rate by 10% for a short duration.
Requirement: Lv 15+ & Humanoid Race.
After Jass was handed her necklace, Deacon stepped up and placed his pouch of marks on the counter and similarly asked for a necklace.
The pug looked up at him with his eyes flashing blue for a second before clicking his tongue. "You already have one."
Deacon's brows furrowed. "No, I don't."
"Yes, you do," Pope Pug sighed. "Do you still want a necklace or do you want something else?"
Deacon frowned and pulled the serpent pendant out from under his armor, and stared at it in confusion. But this is just a normal necklace?
Item Name: Serpent Pendant
Type: Accessory – Necklace
Rarity: Common
Description:
A necklace made in the image of a powerful serpent that was given from father to son.
Requirement: Deacon Surtr Hayes.
"…Are you willing to sell that necklace there?" the pug said, voice dropping in a way that was noticeably more serious than before as he leaned closer to Deacon when he saw the pendant in his hands. "Hell, can I loan it off of you for a few days. I will make you whatever you want. No charge."
"No," Deacon said immediately, subconsciously gripping the pendant tighter as he stared back at the pug defiantly. "It's from my father. It stays with me."
As the back and forth erupted between Pope Pug and Deacon, the rest of the Ravenlight Party began to back off and went towards the Master Alchemist stands to get Bonehead the potion item he wanted.
After ten minutes of back-and-forth, the pug finally gave up. He huffed, grabbed the pouch of materials on his counter, and began crafting — grumpily having accepted that Deacon wasn't going to loan or purchase off of him the pendant.
Deacon thumbed the pendant while he waited, and while doing so, he noticed there were hairline cracks all across the serpent. What the hell?
Before he could look closer, the Pope Pug shoved the finished item into Deacon's hand.
Item Name: Talisman of the Inner Mind
Type: Accessory – Bracelet
Rarity: Rare
Description:
A dark, talisman-like Tier 1 bracelet crafted from two Elite Dryad Eye Seeds, an Elite Satyr Skull, an Elite Hag Tongue, and an Elite Earth Elemental Core, bound together by a Master Artificer. The bracelet grants its wearer sharpened mental attributes, keen insight, and enhanced spell potency against marked foes.
Effect:
▸ Passive: +10% Mana Regeneration & grants the Heightened Senses skill.
▸ Active: Marks all targets within the wearer's field of sight, causing them to take slightly increased damage from the wearer's spells for a short period.
Heightened Senses – Your senses sharpen to an unnatural degree, allowing you to detect subtle changes in your environment and easily discern illusory falsehoods.
Requirement: Lv 15+ & Humanoid Race.