Chương 83: Chapter 54

The Best Quest Reward Ever Quest Complete: The Draeven Type: Dungeon Okay, I've got to give credit where it's due… that wasn't half bad. Good job. Reward: Armour Enhancement - Superior Wow… the quest completion message was bordering on polite. Maybe I'd been too quick to judge the person writing them. If they kept it up, I'd owe them an apology for the middle finger dance Rel and I had done back on Floor Eight. I didn't dwell on it for long, though – the reward was far too interesting.

I really hoped it was going to do what I thought it was going to do. Armour Enhancement – Superior Grants a powerful enhancement to all currently equipped armour. The effects are permanent and cannot be transferred. Enhancements include: + Self-cleaning (superior) + Self-repair (superior) + Damage mitigation – physical (effective against attacks up to 60 strength) + Damage mitigation – arcane (effective against spells up to 60 intelligence) + 5 to all stats Oh, fuck yes. It was even better than I'd hoped.

Not only would the self-repair and self-clean functions be far more effective, it sounded like the damage mitigation would make my peasant garb significantly more durable than the plate armour dropped by Pyroth. No more getting blasted by a spell and having the whole front of my shirt being vaporised. I had no doubt many of the Trialists we'd come across probably thought I was a moron for not wearing armour.

After all, I was missing out on a lot of benefits thanks to my stubborn refusal to wear anything other than peasant garb. But now? Now I had the best of both worlds. Practical and fashionable. I couldn't wait to see an enemy's face when they tried to hack me with an axe or blast me with a fireball, only for it to bounce harmlessly off my shirt. Before I used the item, I had a few important things to consider.

If I was wearing my sunglasses and new straw hat, would they be considered to be part of my 'currently-equipped' armour? It'd be a real shame if they couldn't benefit from the enhancements. Perhaps I just needed to use logic to convince the system. I knew just the guy to help me.

"Rel," I called across the cavern.

"I need some advice." He was back on his feet now, staring at what I assume was his interface, no doubt checking out his own quest reward. The effects of the draeven's Aura had knocked him about a little bit, but he seemed like himself again. He perked up at my words, turning to face me with one eyebrow raised. Have you ever had one of those friends who's an absolute know-it-all? When you ask them a question, they can't just give you a straight answer. No – they have to turn it into a theatrical performance.

You know what I mean. They take their glasses off to give them a little polish while going 'hmm…', or sit back and start scratching their chin as they stare off into the distance with a thoughtful expression on their face. Wait for it.

"What do you need advice about?" he asked, strolling over to stand beside me. I explained my armour enhancement dilemma.

"Hmm…" His gaze drifted to the ground, and he raised a paw to tap a claw against his forehead.

"Let me think…" He cleared his throat, then drew himself up, tail flicking majestically as he fell into his Professor Rel persona.

"Let's think about this rationally," he began. Unsure where to direct his words, he turned as if standing in the centre of a stadium.

"The first question we need to ask ourselves is: what is armour? What purpose does it serve? In my humble opinion, it is defined by its capacity to protect the wearer and prevent or reduce damage. If you agree with that definition, then I am sure you will also agree with the fact that Pete's glasses qualify. After all, what are sunglasses for, if not to reduce glare, protect against UV exposure, and prevent long-term degradation of vision?" If it weren't for the fact he was in the zone, I'd have started cheering.

"And his hat?" He turned again, as though addressing a different section of the invisible crowd.

"It is equally indisputable that it should qualify as armour. It provides protection for the head, the wearer's most vital region. Any reduction in risk to the head – be it from falling objects, attacks from above, or even environmental hazards – constitutes meaningful damage mitigation. The conclusion, I believe, is self-evident." I stared at him open-mouthed for a few moments.

"That was fucking awesome," I said. Rel just shrugged, waving a paw dismissively. I had to give him credit – he was getting better at faking humility. If it weren't for the smirk he was desperately trying to keep in check, I might almost have been convinced he meant it. We stood in silence for a few moments, glancing around the cavern as if the system might give us some sign of its decision. It did not.

"I guess it's just a case of going for it and hoping for the best," I said. I used the item. A gentle blue glow formed over the surface of my entire outfit… including my sunglasses and hat. My eyes widened when the thick layer of blood and gore coating my shirt and trousers vanished instantly. The light faded, and I was relieved to see my peasant garb looked exactly as it had before I'd used the item. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A bolt of lightning slammed into my chest, the sudden and unexpected impact sending me stumbling back several steps.

"What the fuck was that for?" I snapped, glaring at Rel who was now no longer attempting to hide the smirk.

"I was just testing how effective the enhancements are." I glanced down. It turned out they were pretty damn effective. If he had hit me with that spell before, I'd have been left with a hole in my shirt the size of a dinner plate. Now? It may have singed my shirt, leaving the material blackened with smoke trailing from it, but it hadn't done any real damage. Even better, the new self-repair and self-clean function were ridiculously effective.

As I watched, the scorch marks faded away, the fabric returning to pristine condition in less than a minute. With my enhanced armour and two swords, my stats were entering the realm of absurd: Current strength: 53 (62) Current durability: 46 (54) Current agility: 34 (43) Current intelligence: 22 (33) Life was good. * It turned out that Rel had received the same item for his quest reward. However, he chose not to use it, saying it'd be a waste while the only 'armour' he wore was his wizard hat.

No, it would have to wait until he'd found some equally majestic robes. Fortunately, his disappointment was short-lived – the item dropped by the boss cheered him right up. Briefly. Amulet of the Draeven Prince A powerful magical item imbued with a corrupting essence. Equipping the amulet grants the following bonuses: + 5 intelligence + 4 durability + Grants the effect: Corruption of the Draeven Corruption of the Draeven Successful attacks or spells corrupt the target, causing them to suffer damage over time.

The corruption seeps through flesh and bone, withering the body from within. The effect grows stronger with each application. Effect can stack up to five times. The amulet appeared in Rel's paw. It was hideous. It was a miniature sculpture of the draeven boss made from polished black glass. It hung from a silver chain, and the details were impressively accurate.

The sculptor must have been incredibly skilled – not only were the malformed snout and beady eyes disturbingly lifelike, they'd even managed to capture the grotesqueness of the creature's mangy, patchy fur. Rel stared at it a few moments, his expression telling me everything I needed to know about his thoughts on the item's appearance. It disappeared into his inventory pouch.

"I think that one can stay in storage until it's needed," he said. * After leaving the dungeon, we decided that we'd had enough excitement for the day and found a small clearing to set up camp. Our routine looked much the same as it had the evening before, except this time we started with a team debrief. We discussed the events in the draeven cave, sharing our thoughts on what we could learn from the experience. The main takeaway was that we should be more careful confronting enemies we knew nothing about.

Kaelis went a little red at that one. Once the debrief had finished, Rel summoned Osian so I could have my daily sword lesson. I regaled the skeletal knight with tales of my victories over the draeven.

"And then I lunged forward, sinking both blades into its chest. I gave them a good ol' twist, then ripped them free," I said, demonstrating the move by impaling the air.

"You should have seen how much blood sprayed out!" He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was impressed. His face might have been entirely expressionless, what with him being a skeleton, but I had a sixth sense for these things. After he'd run me through some drills and shown me a few new combinations, we sparred.

"I have to say, Pete," he said after we'd finished.

"Your progress is remarkable. The improvements you've made in just two days would likely take the average trainee six months to achieve. At this rate, you'll be a competent swordsman in a matter of weeks." Competent? Unacceptable. * Once the others had gone to bed, Rel disappeared into the trees to continue working on his 'project'. Despite me asking several times, he refused to share what he was up to. All he would tell me was that it was going to be 'legendary'.

I decided to use the time to reflect on how much the events of the day had impacted my Aura development. I knew just the person to discuss it with. I closed my eyes and focused on a single thought. Elirion, the Weaver. I looked up to find Sensei looming over me. He had all the gravitas of an ancient sage, his posture ramrod straight and his hands clasped behind his back. The image was undermined somewhat by what he was wearing.

From the neck up, he looked much the same as he had the first time – tanned, slicked-back silver hair, with a scar running across his face. His outfit, though, was entirely different. Gone were the cargo shorts, biker jacket, tie-dyed t-shirt, open-toed sandals and socks. Instead, he wore a garishly awful Hawaiian shirt, jean shorts and boat shoes.

"Sensei," I said, rising to my feet. I put a fist to my palm and bowed deeply. He sighed, then raised an eyebrow as he studied my face.

"Boy, if you wanted to look more like me, there were easier ways than permanent facial disfigurement." He gestured to his new outfit.

"You only had to ask, and I'd have given you some advice on how to dress a little more stylishly. You know – throughout my lifetime, I've visited thousands of planets, but I have to give credit where it's due: the fashion on Earth is quite something." I stared at his Hawaiian shirt for a moment. I was about to make some smart-arse comment about him looking like a middle-aged dad fresh out of a messy divorce… but, as much as it pained me to admit, he made it work.

"So, what happened to your face?" he asked. I told him the tale of our encounters with the draeven. He was thoroughly unimpressed by my description of the swordfighting, but his interest piqued a little when I moved onto the topic of Aura. I explained how I'd been able to detect the draeven, had ranked up to journeyman, and clashed with the dungeon boss in a contest of Aura.

"Aura Sense as your second-tier ability… interesting."

"Why's that interesting?" I asked.

"You designed the thing – surely you knew what ability I was going to receive?" He shook his head.

"The path of progression provided by the Essence isn't fixed. I designed it to be fluid and evolve alongside the user. If you make it out of here alive and encounter other Aura practitioners, you'll quickly learn that it's an incredibly broad discipline. Aura can be manifested in many ways, and people tend to focus their efforts on mastering specific forms of projection. It's also common for practitioners to have a natural affinity for a particular aspect of Aura manipulation.

The fact you were able to sense the draeven's presence before unlocking the ability suggests that you have a sensitivity to reading the Aura of others."

"So, some people have an affinity for crushing people with their Aura," I said flatly.

"And I have an affinity for being… sensitive? What next? Are you going to ask me to talk about my feelings?"

"Do you know what, boy? That's not a bad idea. Learning to manifest Aura can be overwhelming enough on its own – never mind trying to do it at the same time as taking part in an absolute shitshow like Galaxy Showdown. How are you feeling?"

"Hungry."

"Don't be a wise ass, boy."

"Fine, Sensei. Honestly? I feel amazing. This whole thing is fucking awesome. Don't get me wrong – I miss my family and friends, but my life on Earth was entirely… underwhelming. This? It's like being dropped into one of my favourite video games, putting in a cheat code, then just ploughing through level after level and having a great time doing it. Besides, once this is all over, I plan to go back home and see my family."

"That's a relief," said Eli.

"Just be careful; there are strict rules in place for those intending to visit Infant Planets. But, returning to a topic I'm more comfortable with, you should not view your affinity as a negative. In fact, it has the potential to be incredibly useful. Even at your current level, you were able to use it to judge the relative power levels of your friends and the draeven. As you continue to progress, you will be able to discern even more information."

"Do you mean like the flavour of people's Aura?" I asked.

"The flavour? What do you mean by that?"

"When I first sensed the draeven, its Aura – although I didn't know that's what it was at the time – felt tainted… it carried a sense of malice and cruelty. When I felt yours back in the Guild Hall, it was powerful, sure, but it had felt… clean?" Sensei stared at me for a few moments, his expression thoughtful.

"Remarkable… the fact you can already sense such details is most unusual," he said, then paused briefly to consider his words.

"A person's Aura is a part of them. It reflects their nature and character. As one's skill in Aura Sense develops, it becomes possible to discern more than simple strength. You begin to perceive aspects of the individual themselves – think of it as being like a window into their soul. Let's use the draeven you encountered as an example. Now, I'm not familiar with the species, but it sounds like they were cruel and violent creatures.

The 'flavour' you mentioned would be a reflection of how those traits had influenced their Aura." Okay, now that was pretty cool. Maybe being sensitive wasn't so bad, after all.

"At more advanced levels, that sensitivity sharpens further. In some cases, it can be used to reveal intent. It is not my area of expertise, but there are other masters who can interpret the subtlest of ripples in a person's Aura to infer their intent – to the extent that it can act as a sort of precognitive danger detection." I was pretty sure that was just a fancy way of saying spidey sense. Fuck yes.

"Sensei, what's your affinity?"

"Mine?" he asked.

"Crushing people."