Chapter 88: Chapter 84: Attribute Surge
The street at dusk looked as if it were dusted with gold, and the fiery red setting sun was still a bit harsh on the eyes.
Lin Mo stepped onto the golden-red street and followed a familiar path into Edgar’s forge.
Even for a young and energetic Dwarf, a full day of work was tiring.
There were only a few scattered customers left in the shop, and the last of them were about to leave. It was almost time to close for the day.
Edgar set down his hammer and was about to shout for his clerk to close up when he saw a familiar figure walk in.
He was carrying a flagon of wine, which he set on the counter.
"You brat. Finally decided to show up?"
Edgar tugged at his beard. "I’ve been waiting for three days!"
"Haha, sorry, I’ve been busy the last couple of days... But look, I brought you a gift. It’s from your favorite tavern—the good stuff. This flagon cost 15 Silver Coins."
Edgar picked up the flagon and sniffed it. It was indeed a familiar aroma.
But he didn’t look happy. Instead, his gaze grew even more suspicious. "You brat, are you trying to rip me off again?"
It was a strange thing to hear from a forge owner. Usually, it was the businessman who ripped people off, not the other way around. But this wasn’t the first time Edgar had gotten the short end of the stick with this particular customer.
"Relax. I was just broke before. I can’t let you keep taking a loss."
Lin Mo smiled. "Don’t hold out on me. Go on, bring them out."
Edgar beckoned him over, leading him to the forging station in the back.
Hanging above the forging station were two daggers, glinting coldly.
"I saw you carrying daggers before... Hmm, looks like you’re missing one now."
Edgar glanced at his waist.
’The missing one’s still stuck in an Earth Bear’s ass,’ Lin Mo thought. He had no intention of retrieving it for recycling. It wasn’t a valuable weapon to begin with.
"I’ll skip the small talk. Do you want these two daggers or not?"
"Yes, of course I do! How much?"
"A flat 30 gold."
Edgar held up three fingers.
Lin Mo said nothing, just rolled his eyes at him.
"Do you take me for an idiot? I sold you the raw materials for just 12 gold, and you’re trying to make this much profit off me?"
"I added my own materials, and isn’t my craftsmanship worth anything? ...Fine, 25 gold. Take them."
Edgar seemed to realize he was pushing it and was the first to concede.
"20 gold is my final offer. And I brought you that flagon of wine."
"I knew you were up to no good! You think this wine is worth 5 gold?!"
Edgar huffed and glared. Including the other materials he’d added, his own cost was over 18 gold. If he sold them for only 20 gold, he’d barely be getting paid for his labor.
"No way. Absolutely not. You’re really trying to fleece me for all I’m worth!"
"Let’s meet in the middle, then. How about 23 gold?"
Hearing this, Edgar fell into deep thought.
gold. It was still a friendly price, but his profit wouldn’t be too small. It was an acceptable bottom line.
"Alright, fine. It’s a deal..."
The Dwarf Boss grumbled, climbing onto a stool to take down the two daggers and hand them to Lin Mo. "Just remember to bring me more materials!"
"If I find anything good, you’ll be the first to know."
The best materials from his last quest had come from a job Edgar himself had posted. The only other thing was the bones from that Bloodthirsty Wolf. But first of all, Lin Mo hadn’t killed the Demon alone, so he couldn’t make the call himself. And second, Edgar probably wouldn’t be interested in the bones of a half-grown Bloodthirsty Wolf anyway.
Lin Mo took out 23 Gold Coins, handed them over, and waved goodbye to Edgar.
Tomorrow morning’s unlucky... sparring partner was already arranged. Alton had been a huge help with that. If it weren’t for his connections, Lin Mo would have had no idea where to find so many Professionals to practice his skills with.
...
Everything was proceeding smoothly. On the morning of the fifth day after his return to Roland Town, the last unlucky soul to spar with Lin Mo was Alton, who had been ganged up on and dragged over by his friends.
After roping so many people into it one after another, they ran out of victims. Then they turned around and realized the instigator himself hadn’t "enjoyed" the experience yet. How could they let that stand?
And so, with a long face, Alton became Lin Mo’s sparring partner.
Incidentally, after the first day, the pay Lin Mo offered had increased from 1 Gold Coin to 2 Gold Coins. Since they were all Professionals, the expense wasn’t unreasonable.
With a final clash of blades, Alton’s sword flew from his grasp. He waved his hands frantically. "I’m done... I’m really done..."
At the same time, a message appeared before Lin Mo’s eyes.
[Tenacity] Skill Level +1
’That’s it!’
Lin Mo happily pulled out two Gold Coins and pressed them into his hand. "Thanks for your hard work, Captain. Get some rest. I’ll see you at the Association this afternoon."
Alton’s friends gathered around, laughing and teasing him, before the whole group headed off toward the tavern.
They were only looking at quests this afternoon; the real adventuring would begin tomorrow, so having a few drinks was no big deal.
Lin Mo shook his head, found a relatively quiet restaurant, and ordered lunch. While he waited, he reviewed the messages he had just skimmed past.
"Skill [Tenacity] Level 5 (180/180) has been upgraded!"
"Current Skill: [Tenacity] Level 6 (Max)"
Just as Lin Mo had expected, the maximum level for a Green Excellent Level skill was indeed Level 6.
’So, as my first maxed-out Excellent Level skill, how many attribute points will it give me?’
Lin Mo eagerly read on.
"Gained Attribute Points: Constitution +3!"
"Automatically evolved into a New Skill—Resilience!"
’Three points. Higher than an Ordinary Level Skill, just as I thought.’
’And...’
"Learned Excellence Level Skill—Resilience. Gained Attribute Points: Constitution +3!"
’Another three points! My attributes are still increasing!’
The sudden surge of 6 points to his Constitution made Lin Mo feel as if he had been completely reborn. The fatigue from his training vanished in an instant.
’But that’s not all, there’s more!’
Another line of translucent text quickly appeared before Lin Mo’s eyes.
"Promotion conditions met. Acquired Profession—Knight (Level 1)."
"Gained Professional Attribute Amplification: Strength +1, Constitution +4, Agility +1!"
"Gained Class Skill—Knight’s Heart!"
The stream of information dazzled Lin Mo; for a moment, he was so overjoyed he didn’t know what to celebrate first.
Just as he had anticipated, he had now acquired a second Profession, Knight, in addition to his Warrior Profession.
With the Attribute Amplification from the Knight Profession, his stats had reached a terrifying level.
[Name]: Lin Mo
[Profession]: Warrior Level 1, Knight Level 1
[Attributes]: (Base Attributes are outside the parentheses; attributes after Professional Amplification are inside)
Strength: 12 (15)
Agility: 8 (11)
Constitution: 15 (21)
Spirit: 5
Magic Power: 0
’A whopping 21 points in Constitution!’
For a moment, Lin Mo even felt the urge to stab himself just to test his durability.
’But before that, I should check out my new skill...’
