Leo was walking through the street trying to forget his previous exchange with Tia.
' That vixen! '
He was cursing his new comrade and didn't even see a man before him.
" Watch where you're going! "
The man shouted and Leo lowered his head apologizing to the NPC.
' I should be more aware of my surroundings... '
Putting the matters concerning Tia at the back of his mind Leo started thinking about all the equipment he'll have to buy. His wallet, as if feeling that something is wrong, was aching from the amount of money he'll have to spend.
Going through his memories Leo recalled the least expensive shop within Culg city and started going towards it. Along the way he felt some eyes gazing his way, but ignored them. They were probably only interested in his horn crown.
Entering a modern building with the sign 'Alchemy' above its entrance Leo was immediately greeted by the shopkeeper.
The NPC was lean, tall, had a big mustache and a beard that covered half of its face. The shopkeeper was wearing plain clothes, but had some visible jewelry that spoke about his financial position.
" Welcome, welcome! What can I help you with? "
His polite tone and good manners were quite a surprise for Leo. Usually demons, especially older NPCs, don't even greet other demons.
Leo has only heard about this place from other people and hasn't visited the shop, because he had no need for equipment used by Alchemists. He recalled hearing that the shopkeeper was a gentleman, treating all the races the same, all the people on equal standards.
' I shouldn't make an enemy out of him... '
Looking around the shop Leo thought, seeing the price tags that were really small compared to what he expected to see.
Just waving his hand Leo said that he'll look around the shop and call the shopkeeper if he had any questions.
Walking in between the aisles Leo saw many things ranging from various Alchemical Pots to exotic plants and other things used to concoct potions. He planned to build a huge garden at the backyard of the house where Tia could grow all the herbs needed for the recipes of potions.
Looking through the various herbs and plants Leo's attention was suddenly drawn by the white flower with a layer of frost covering its petals.
Leo's eyes widened as he quickly went into his system and bought the flower instantly, without even looking at the price tag below it.
Purchase completed!
-2450 Gold Coins!
+1 Frost Flower!
Leo wanted to jump in joy, but held himself together. How lucky of him to find such a rare item and at such a low price at that.
Taking the flower out of his inventory Leo slowly put it in his mouth and swallowed it expecting it to be like a mint.
[Analyzing... ]
[ Frost Flowed Consumed... ]
[ New System Tab Unlocked! ]
[+15 Cold Resistance! ]
Leo's smile widened as he read the system messages appearing on his screen. One has to know that a player can also have resistances to specific things like monsters in the wild.
' It has been a long time... '
Opening the system Leo looked over his Status Screen.
STATUS
Name: Leo
Level: 6 1,500/2,000 EXP
Race: Demon ~ Dragon
Class: Mage
Subclass: Shadow Mage
ATTRIBUTES
HP: 152 ll AGL: 33
SE: 135 ll PDEF: 79
STR: 10 ll MDEF: 110
INT: 155 MP: 285
[SP: 40 ]
Active Skills
1 : Shadow Realm Lv.2
-- Absorbs all light in the area creating a perfect domain for a shadow to fight
~~~~
Passive Skills
1:Mana Regen Lv.4
-- Absorb Mana Naturally
2 : Shadow Energy Lv.2
-- A stronger type of Mana; Shadow energy can be absorbed by staying in the Shadows
~~~~
Spells
1 : Shadow Blast Lv.3
-- An Orb full of shadows that'll inflict fear and blindness upon colliding with the enemies
2 :Lightning Bolt Lv. 5
-- A throwable lightning projectile
3 :Demonic Flame Lv.3
-- A Flame that can endlessly grow by eating...
4 : Shadow Protection Lv.1
-- Cast a shield that is able to devour the damage
5 : Shadow Friend Lv. 2
-- Create and control shadow soldiers
~~~~
Equipped
1 : Shadow Robe[ Diamond ]
2 : Salamander Scale Boots [ Bronze ]
3 : Salamander Ring [ Platinum ]
4 : Demon Prince's Crown [ Platinum ]
5 : Eerie Staff[ Gold ]
6 : Shadow Gloves [ Platinum ]
~~~~
STATU S EFFECT S
1 :+2% Magical Damage
2 :Unique Shadow Energy
3 :Natural MP regen
4 : Sealed Dragon
~~~~
RESISTANCES [ NEW! ]
1 :Cold Resistance: [ 15 ]
He recalled the fight in the alleyway, where the assassin managed to greatly wound him, because of Leo's inability to dodge.
Shifting his eyes to the bottom Leo found the new tab system was talking about.
RESISTANCES [ NEW! ]
1 :Cold Resistance: [ 15 ]
In Fragmental there are two types of main resistances: Physical Defense and Magical Defense. These two resistances, however, are not the only ones. There are tons of them and they are exclusive for one specific element or type of attack, for example the cold resistance which Leo gained by ingesting the Frost Flower will help him resist against Ice magic.
These resistances are crucial later on in the game, if one wants to cross into upper realms where the environment is basically inhabitable for normal players.
Recalling these realms Leo momentarily held his breath before slapping both of his cheeks to wake up.
" I came here to buy equipment, not random flowers... "
Reminding himself of his goal Leo approached the shopkeeper asking him for recommendations. He was led in between the aisles of many items and finally stopped near the far corner of the shop.
" I'd recommend buying one of these Alchemy Pots "
Gesturing towards a group of well-decorated cauldrons the shopkeeper disappeared into the shop seeing another visitor entering the building.
Since he was gone Leo could take his time choosing the item...
1 : Cauldron of Wisdom [ Gold ]
-- An Alchemy Cauldron with some hidden properties...
-- While using the cauldron one's understanding of potion making will be boosted by 1.5
-- 5% Chance of a potion having a longer duration
ltem cost →>50oo Gold Coins
~~~~
Reading the description Leo was already amazed by the pot's effects on its user and wanted to buy it immediately, but held himself together.
' I should first inspect other options as well... '
Glancing at the other two pots Leo also took a look at their descriptions.
1 : Speed Cauldron [ Gold ]
-- An Alchemy Cauldron with some speed properties...
-- While using the cauldron one will lose himself in the process, boosting the speed of concocting
-- 1% Chance of a potion having a bonus effects
ltem cost →>3500 Gold Coins
~~~~
2 : The Magical Pot [ Gold ]
-- An Alchemy Cauldron with some magical properties...
-- While using the cauldron one has a chance to concoct two potions instead of 1
-- 1% Chance of a potion having a side effect
ltem cost →>3000 Gold Coins
~~~~
Both Cauldrons were also amazing, but the last Leo wasn't keen on buying the last one. That 1% chance of a potion having side effects made him waver thinking about the pot's purchase.
He recalled that the potions with side effects are hidden and look like normal potions until consumed. It'd be only a matter of time before the clients start complaining about the chance of potion having random side effects and the sales would drop.
Imagine fighting a Boss that is low on health. You consume a strength boosting potion and suddenly your vision starts flickering and you go blind.
[ You've been killed by a [ Boss Name ] ]
The next message you'll see upon regaining your sight will be the message of you dying by the boss's hand.
Leo couldn't have this happening, hence automatically rejected the last option.
The other two cauldrons were very good, one had a 5% chance to make potions last longer, while the other had a 1% chance to make potions have an extra effect. One prioritized speed, while the other understanding of potion making.
Leo's mind was working overtime debating on which cauldron to buy, but finally his choice was influenced by the Cauldron of Wisdom having a huge boost of understanding.
' I can buy the other pot, when Tia is already an adept Alchemist... '
Purchase Completed!
-5000 Gold Coins!
+1 Cauldron of Wisdom!
Paying the price Leo started going through the various herbs, inspecting them one by one, reading through their descriptions.
This was a habit of his past life where he took everything around him as a form of information making sure to notice the minor details and inspect every single thing that was yet unknown to him.
Even the shopkeeper, who was an aspiring botanist, didn't understand why would a man spend so much time inspecting some random herbs.
' What a cultured gentleman... '
Taking off his imaginary fedora the man bowed towards Leo, who was so immersed into analyzing the herbs he didn't even see the respect paid to him.
His mind was constantly working thinking about various plants and other herbs he had to plant into the garden, so the Tia had enough resources for at least a month.
Looking towards the Inventory full of various random herbs he thought that it was time to stop and exited the shop with his wallet considerably lighter than before.
' I'll make her work overtime '
Trying to console himself Leo moved his heavy steps towards the 3-story building he just recently bought.
Entering the house he could smell the aroma of coffee and went straight to the kitchen where Tia was sipping the liquid full of caffeine.
" Come... "
Leo's half dead voice full of pain made Tia almost spill her coffee. Tilting her head she saw Leo's eyes that had lost all the glow they previously had.
" Did you murder someone? "
Her question was unexpected even for herself, but Leo really looked like an undead lost of his soul.
" My wallet... "
Leo's quiet voice left his throat reaching Tia's ears and making her even more surprised. She didn't expect the man to be so broken after spending some money, she understood it was an investment, so why was he so unhappy?
Shrugging her shoulders she followed after Leo and went to the third floor where he was already putting everything into its place.
A massive pot with beautiful decorations was in the middle of the room, visibly being the most expensive item Leo had bought during his shopping trip. There were also some books placed onto the wooden table Leo bought while stumbling back to the house.
After putting everything into its respective places Leo left the house walking behind the building and finding a greenhouse already built behind it.
' At least I don't need to pay for it... '
Entering the greenhouse he gave half of the herbs to Tia, instructing to plant them in the dirt.
Carefully they both spent at least two hours putting the plants and herbs into the dirt when finally Leo gave Tia a bag of various herbs she could use to start experimenting.
" You go ahead and start while I have to go, finish some business "
Leaving the greenhouse Leo faded into the crowds moving towards the house of the mayor.
' Time to collect the reward... '
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