Return of the Tower Conqueror

  Honing the Craft (IV)

Nine hours -- nine hours: that's how long it took Emma to fish out half a foot long, transparent creature with strangely shimmering whiskers and fins, it's scales silvery in hue, like the moon. What others in Cain's previous life spent days, and sometimes even months farming... she'd fished out in just nine hours. Nine hours, in fact, that they spent relaxing, their feet dipped in the cool waters, lips pressed together as they whistled.

Cain stared gingerly at the flapping fish, eventually sighing and relenting to the reality. Cutting it up swiftly and with experience, he dug out a pearl that acted similarly to a heart -- it was quite small, barely peanut-sized, draped in rainbow-like sheen with a swirling mist coiling inside. Sighing once again, he inspected it as Emma tossed the bait back into the water, appearing quite addicted to the feeling.

//Everluminiscent Pearl(A+) Accessory

Level: 0

Requirements: Elementalist

Passive--Stream of Eternity-- every cast of a 'Created Skill' has a 33% chance to refund 15/23/32/36/42% of the Skill's Mana Cost, stacking with each missed trigger. For channeled Skills, there's a chance to trigger it every second of the channel; for DoT Skills, there's a chance to trigger it every second of the DoT, but 'Stream of Eternity' can trigger only up to 5 times per a single cast of the Skill.//

Cain stared at the description and felt strangely shook; it was quite more powerful than what he remembered, as was it's usual 'B+' grade that had been upgraded to 'A+'. From what Cain recalled, the pearl shouldn't have any of the extra effects, specifically for channeled and damage-over-time Skills. Sucking in a cold breath, he suddenly got an idea -- If there's an 'A+', there also might be 'S' version. It won't hurt to at least give it a shot...

"That what you were looking for?" Emma asked as she pulled back the line but seeing that she didn't catch anything, tossed it back inside.

"Yup," Cain nodded. "It's magnitudes better than what I remember, though. Keep fishing. Maybe we get even a better version."

"Tsk, greed killed a man, C'."

"No, no, it's curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"It's a metaphor," Cain said. "In which we are the cats."

"Oh? Really? REALLY?! Because, holy shit, all my life I believed it meant actual cats--"

"--okay, okay, what I said was stupid, you're just making it even worse somehow. Get back to fishing."

"..." Emma merely rolled her eyes at him and resumed fishing.

The two went silent, the world around them adrift; ever so often, gentle breeze would sweep through, or a distant howl of the beast would echo, or the chirping of the birds from the nearby forest would break the silence, but for the most part, it was just the two of them, their humming, and the rapid river lashing against its banks.

It was the sweet sound of resounding silence; it was strange, Cain mused, how difference the silence can be depending on the context. Recalling the last year of their marriage, they spent most of it in silence -- yet, one that was nothing like the one of today. It was heavy, desolate, bone-breaking; every time they'd sit in the same room, it was like there was an extra weight of the world boring against them. At some point, one of them would always get up and leave, just to ease the feeling a bit. Now, however, it was calm, quiet, and serene; Cain was less focused on fishing and more on the way plethora of wild light bounced off Emma's face, lighting up her expression brilliantly.

The two continued to fish for another three hours before Emma, once again, scored the one they were looking for. Cain couldn't help but curse considering his bad luck; unfortunately, the pearl he fished out was 'only' of 'B' grade, so her luck wasn't that good.

Following a whole day of fishing, resting, and eating, Emma had managed to fish out 6 pearls on total -- and, as luck would have it, one of them actually turned out to be of 'S-' grade. As Cain suspected, different grades entailed different options.

//Everluminiscent Pearl(S-) Accessory

Level: 0

Requirements: Elementalist, Awoken

Passive--Stream of Eternity-- every cast of a 'Created Skill' has a 33% chance to refund 20/26/35/42/50% of the Skill's Mana Cost, stacking with each missed trigger. For channeled Skills, there's a chance to trigger it every second of the channel; for DoT Skills, there's a chance to trigger it every second of the DoT, but 'Stream of Eternity' can trigger only up to 5 times per a single cast of the Skill. If the effect isn't triggered, 13% of Skill's Mana Cost is automatically refunded regardless, while the effect continues to stack.//

Cain sucked in a cold breath -- effectively, in the worst-case-scenario, he'd manage to lower his overall Mana usage by 13% at a minimum. While it didn't sound great, it stacked up -- and considering even his luck, it was unlikely that the other effects would simply never trigger.

He had no intention of destroying the item and turning it into an affix just yet as it would just make the overall prowess weaker; he could use it as an accessory until he eventually ran into better ones, and could then turn 'Everluminiscent Pearl' into a passive skill since it wouldn't cost him anything.

Their journey yielded a lot this time around, Cain sighed; not only did he steamroll through the Levels like he was a veteran leveling an alt character, he'd also gotten himself a perfect item for his Class.

"Eh, time to go back already?" Emma finally stood up and stretched lazily, somewhat sad to leave her newly-discovered passion. "What level are you again?"

"34." Cain replied.

"Show me your stats." she asked excitedly, prompting Cain to share his status window with her.

//Name: Cain Gregory Age: 32 Race: Human

Class: Spellweaving Elementalist

Level: 34

Strength: 49 Vitality: 113 Agility: 56 Stamina: 85

Intelligence: 413 Wisdom: 240 Health: 1225 Mana: 6456

Traits: Labourer(C), Quick-witted(A+), Tenacious(B+), Leadership(SSS-), Analysis(A), Awareness(B), Keen(B-), Charismatic(S+), Decisive(B+)

Skills: Spell Creation(?)

Passive: Creation(SSS), Fire(B), Body(B), Mind(B), Space(B), Starlight(B)

Created Skills: Coiling Storm(B), Infernal Starlight(B+), Void Annihilation(C), Searing Mind(D+), Ascendance(C-), Mindbend(C+), Flamewoven(B)

Talents: Perception(Mythic), Hero(quasi-Divine)

Items: Feathered Belt(C-), Everluminiscent Pearl(S-)

Titles: The First Elementalist, Bandit Slayer, Direwolf Slayer, Monster Slayer, Maverick, Spell Creator, The Herald, The One Who Survived Death, Reborn Elementalist, Void Slayer, Slayer of the Nightmares, Blade Mountain Conqueror, The One Who Impressed Spirits, The Master, Usher of the Kingdom, Grandmaster Elementalist, Throne Chaser, Herald of Divinity, Will Divine, Elemental Child, Mankind's Beacon, The One, Slayer of the Kings, Spellweaver, Beset for Ascension, Master of Elemental Sundering, The One Who Forged a Path, Ahead of the Pack

Achievements: 29 (+1 to Main Stats for each achievement)//

"Sheesh, your stats aren't all that different from when you were level 50; that intelligence... what the hell? When did you get so smart?" she teased with a grin as Cain explained how he'd gotten his hands on extra, free '150' intelligence. "Oh, fuck you in the ear," was her response.

"Every Path, as far as I'm aware, will be the same," Cain shrugged. "It's just that I get the extra few point since others won't be starting from Level 1."

"What path should I go, by the way?" Emma asked curiously.

"I dunno; you've likely also unlocked at least a couple of extra ones, so see for yourself. You're a barbarian, so as long as you avoid shield-related ones, you gucci."

"... oh? I'm a barbarian now?"

"With a surprising love for fishing, I must say," he grinned.

"... meh. Can't be bothered," she shrugged it off. "We goin' back?"

"Yup," Cain nodded. "Don't want others to get suspicious. Though I got stamina, I ain't got that much."

She audibly groaned, though Cain noted a glint of a smile in her eyes as she swiftly spun around, packing everything up -- it wasn't some intricate process, however, merely tossing everything into their inventories, likely the most convenient part of the Tower. Cain recalled that there were even specific groups that offered options of helping ordinary folk classify for the exact purpose of obtaining the inventory as it was simply too good to pass up on.

Having packed everything up, the two took one last look at the breathtaking set of waterfalls before turning around and setting off back toward the exit. The journey back shouldn't be as long since Cain didn't have any long-term stops in mind. As luck would have it, or, rather, lack thereof, 'stops' had him in mind; they nary made a progress of a few miles before they were forced to stop, a group of twenty or so people blocking the road, among them the pair of boys they'd saved, looking ashamedly at the two.

"Man, this is kinda nostalgic," Cain sighed. "Haven't been tolled in a while."

"Now that you mention it," Emma echoed the sentiment. "I place 10$ on their opening line being 'We want to thank you for saving the kids so please join us for a quick round of drinks that definitely aren't laced with anything."

"Hmm," Cain rubbed his chin for a moment. "I'm doubling down on 'Humph, give us all your stuff or else.'"

"You think they're that basic?"

"They sent two kids to steal an egg from a mega-boss," Cain shrugged. "And somehow expected it to work."

"O--"

"Humph!!" the leading man of the massive group stepped forward and scoffed, birthing a bad feeling inside Emma. "Give us all your stuff!! --or else!"

"..."

"..."

"OH GODDAMMIT!"

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