Chương 18

Port Nereus was absolutely massive. Standing just outside the main gates, Rudra had to crane his neck to see the top of the stone walls. Compared to Seabreak Town, this place was a whole different world. There were more people bustling around the entrance than in Seabreak's entire population.

"Wow," Rudra muttered. The coastal trip was only supposed to take half a day. It took him two. To be fair, he got distracted. The beaches were packed with monsters, and his inventory was almost full of drops. But mostly, he just couldn't stop cooking. Along the way, he had cooked over thirty portions of monster meat to grind his [Basic Cooking] skill. Only two dishes came out as Rare-rated. The permanent stat boosts were nice, but honestly, he was just happy to have a full stomach.

Before stepping into the chaotic crowd, he swiped open his status window. [Name]: Rudra [Level]: 21 [Class]: Apprentice Staffman [Title]: Unyielding Staff Initiate [Health]: 361 / 361 | [Mana]: 198 / 198 [Strength]: 97 | [Agility]: 96 [Stamina]: 81 | [Intelligence]: 66 [Persistence]: 79 [Stat Points]: 110 [Passive Skills] [Basic Staff Mastery (Lv. 5): When equipped with a staff, attack power and attack speed will increase by 12%. The probability of a critical hit will increase in proportion to the user's Agility.] [Basic Cooking (Lv. 3): You can prepare edible meals from raw ingredients. There is a very rare probability of creating rare rated dishes. When rare rated dishes are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. - Reputation throughout the continent will rise by +3] [Active Skills] [Minor Tidal Push (Lv. 2): A foundational spell created by the Temple of Asterion. It channels a sudden, highly pressurized burst of water from the tip of the user's weapon. - It deals water magic damage equivalent to Intelligence x 0. 6. - It applies a [Stagger] effect to the target, forcefully pushing them backward by 1. 5 meters. Resource Consumption: 15 Mana. Skill Cooldown Time: 4 seconds.] [Crushing Strike (Lv. 2): Channels heavy momentum to the tip of your staff for a devastating overhead or horizontal swing. - Deals 160% of your physical attack power. Resource Consumption: 30 Stamina. Skill Cooldown: 12 seconds.] [Iron Guard (Lv. 2): Brace your staff with both hands to absorb a heavy impact. - Reduces incoming physical damage by 65% for a single strike. Resource Consumption: 20 Stamina. Skill Cooldown: 8 seconds.]"Looking good," he smiled, dismissing the glowing panels. He stepped through the massive city gates. The noise hit him like a physical wall. Players were screaming for party members, and merchants were yelling over each other. Rudra's social battery instantly drained.

He kept his head down, dodged the loud player groups, and walked straight up to an armored NPC guard by the wall.

"Excuse me, sir," Rudra said politely. The tired-looking guard softened at the respectful tone.

"What do you need, kid?"

"Could you point me to the Craftsman's Guild? And the Asterion Temple, if you know it?"

"Craftsman's Guild is just east of the center," the guard pointed.

"The Temple district is over to the west."

"Thanks. I appreciate it," Rudra nodded. His first stop was the Craftsman's Guild. He needed to empty his inventory. He dumped a massive pile of monster fangs, scales, and broken weapons onto the counter. The guild merchant weighed the trash and handed him 7 gold and 23 silver. With heavy pockets, Rudra went shopping. He completely bypassed the weapon stalls and found a spice merchant. He happily dropped a good chunk of silver on rich spices, rock salt, and savory rubs.

The system's Rare-rated jerky was okay, but normal campfire roasts were still bland. He loved food way too much to suffer through unseasoned meals. Next, he visited a blacksmith to repair his staff. Then he looked at the heavy iron plates, but shook his head. Metal armor was too stiff. It would ruin his weird, flexible fighting style. Instead, he handed over 5 gold for a sturdy set of boiled leather. It fit perfectly across his chest and moved naturally with his shoulders.

[Sturdy Boiled Leather Armor] [Rating: Normal Durability: 45/45 | Defense: 30] [A standard but remarkably well-fitted leather vest crafted by the artisans of Port Nereus. It offers reasonable protection without hindering mobility. Condition of Use: Level 10 or higher. Weight: 15] His stomach rumbled loudly, demanding a freshly spiced meal.

"Food or temple?" Rudra sighed.

"Temple first. Then a massive dinner." Fully geared up, he turned west.