With a nod and a grunt, Harald maneuvered himself next to the golden chest. All eyes gravitated towards him, each gaze filled with intense anticipation for his announcement.
"The standings for this unique contest are as follows," the Alpha Direwolf began. "I am in the top position with 126 points, adhering to the guidelines that Thorian set at the beginning. Ten of these points come from the Lightning Elemental elite monster, and the rest were earned from slaying the monsters we encountered along the way."
Whispers and murmurs rippled through the crowd following Harald's proclamation of his victory. There were a few disgruntled grumbles too, but Harald remained impervious to them. His focus rested solely on the Moon Kobold.
"Forlune, you are in second place. You've amassed 98 points, all from monster kills."
Upon hearing this declaration, Forlune's formerly disgruntled expression blossomed into a broad smile.
"Great job, boss. You've done exceptionally well!" Bellafor congratulated, delivering a friendly pat on Forlune's back, which elicited a modest cough to conceal his delight.
"Well, it's only to be expected," Forlune retorted, his chest puffed out in pride, almost bursting from his chestplate. “It’s a shame I did not get to finish off neither the elite monster nor the guardian. I would have been first if things turned out differently.”
As Forlune enumerated his reasons, Harald turned his attention to the recipient of the third-place honor. "Aqua, considering you dealt the final blow to the Lightning Prince, an additional 20 points have been added to your score. Thus, you take third place with a total of 83 points."
“Ah, shit! You’re so lucky!” Ventus exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the nonchalant Aqua. “You stole my spot! If I had waited just a second more to use my spells, I would have gotten that kill!”
"Oh well, too bad for you," Aqua shrugged. "Unlike you, I knew exactly where and when to strike. Take it as a valuable life lesson."
No sooner had Aqua's words landed, the wind around the group began to intensify, and sparks of electricity ignited within Ventus' palm.
"Have you lost your mind, Ventus?!" Saxum swiftly grabbed Ventus' arms, effectively preventing him from casting his lightning arrow spell. The sand magus then turned a reproachful gaze to Aqua. "And you too, Aqua. Quit stirring him up like that."
But Aqua was not easily intimidated. "I didn't provoke anyone. He's the one being immature, throwing a tantrum because he lost his precious little spot."
"Alright, let's all take a breath," Thorian intervened, stepping between the two while letting out a resigned sigh. "There's no reason for conflict. The types of items you both need are vastly different. This entire argument is pointless."
Once he saw the tension between the two quarrelling kobolds begin to dissipate, Thorian's gaze turned towards the treasure chest. More accurately, he was eyeing the king of the direwolves standing beside it.
"Harald, as the highest-scoring individual, you hold the right to choose any item from that chest first. However, I believe I have a proposal that might serve you better," Thorian announced, a knowing grin spreading across his face.
Intrigued by these words, Harald quirked an eyebrow. "And what might that proposal be?"
"Well, that chest undoubtedly contains a wealth of valuable items. The issue, however, is that many will be class-locked," Thorian explained. "Given that you don't possess a class, such items are off-limits. The items without class requirements are sparse, and they typically aren't as beneficial."
As Thorian's explanation unfolded, Harald's brow furrowed. The realization that his hard work might result in no reward was clearly distasteful to him.
"That's why I have a better proposal," Thorian interjected, cutting through the Alpha Direwolf's discomfort with an encouraging smile. He then retrieved one of the skill crystals from his robe pocket and handed it to Harald. "This is a skill crystal for mana manipulation. It isn't bound by any class requirement, allowing you to use it right away. If you dedicate proper time to mastering this skill, it may even pave the way to superior evolutions."
Harald was dumbstruck as he stared at the skill crystal in Thorian's hand. He was so engrossed in reading the information on the skill crystal, which hovered before him, that he didn't respond to Thorian's words.
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"Lucky him," Forlune grumbled, approaching Thorian and eyeing the skill crystal with undisguised avarice. "I'd give anything for a skill like that."
Upon hearing Forlune's candid admission, Thorian raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you yearning to be a spell-slinging warrior?"
"Why not?" Forlune shrugged nonchalantly. "Perhaps it might give me a unique class advancement - a warrior magician!"
"You're a bit late for that," Thorian chuckled. "You'd be better off learning the weapon mastery skill and dedicating your time to perfect it. If you do so, some truly powerful classes could become available to you."
While Thorian was engaged in conversation with Forlune, Harald had finished reading the skill crystal's description and made up his mind. "Alright, I'll follow your advice. This skill sounds fascinating. I trust it won't let me down once I've acquired it."
With that, Harald took the skill crystal in his mouth and bit down on it. The item shattered into countless blue fragments, each radiating an intense light. When the light subsided, neither the crystal nor its myriad pieces remained.
"You can experiment with it later," Thorian directed. "For now, let's proceed with the item distribution. Forlune, your turn."
"I've been waiting for you to say that," the moon kobold responded, rapping his golden chestplate with his fist before striding towards the treasure chest. After rifling through its contents, he drew out a pair of boots, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I do like these little things."
Upon examining the boots, Thorian immediately identified them as Lightning Boots. Quite a fortunate drop. If my memory serves right, it comes with an attached movement skill.
Having watched Forlune make his choice, Thorian turned to Aqua. The blue kobold nodded, approaching the treasure chest to select a suitable item. Shortly, he emerged holding a yellow robe.
"I'll take this robe," Aqua declared. "It enhances my mana and wind spells."
Thorian's gaze instantly shifted to Ventus at those words. Predictably, the yellow kobold was seething. He was evidently mustering every ounce of his self-control to prevent himself from ranting about life's injustices.
Well, at least he's learned to keep a lid on his tantrums.
Once all three had made their selections, the competition had officially concluded. Thorian ambled over to the treasure chest to examine the remaining items: some ore, a skill scroll, and an alchemical recipe. Opting to inspect the skill scroll first, Thorian plucked it from the chest for a closer look. Thunderclap Skill Scroll Class Requirements Magus Advancement Requirement First Advancement Level Requirement 1 Use Bestows the active skill "Thunderclap". This skill creates a loud, thunderous sound that disorients your enemies, leaving them momentarily stunned.
Oh, it’s just Thunderclap…
Sighing at the underwhelming find, Thorian glanced back at the lightning magus. "Ventus, come here."
Hearing those words, Ventus's demeanor rapidly shifted from disgruntlement to anticipation. "What is it, King? Do you have something for me?"
"Take this," Thorian extended the skill scroll to the yellow kobold. "You're the only one in this group who can make use of it anyway."
Without wasting a moment, Ventus snatched the scroll from Thorian's hand, hopping around like an ecstatic child on the eve of his birthday. Fearful someone might try to swipe it, Ventus immediately ripped open the parchment to assimilate the skill.
Unfazed by Ventus's display, Thorian extracted the next item that piqued his interest: the alchemical recipe. Thunder’s Boon Elixir Recipe Skill Requirements Alchemy II Material Two Pulse Poppies, One Heartroot Description This transformative drink could greatly boost one's cultivation. It can be used either to accelerate Qi accumulation while meditating or help with the breakthrough to the Foundational realm. However, due to its potent nature, it should be used sparingly or risk severe side effects like intense vertigo, vomiting, and Qi disruption.
Upon reading the description, Thorian's eyebrows shot up in surprise. I didn't expect to find this so soon. This would certainly help us speed through the first cultivation realm much faster than we could otherwise.
This unexpected find slightly altered Thorian's plans. We need to invest more effort into alchemy. I have to find a truly gifted alchemist capable of advancing his skill to the second level as quickly as possible. His success rate should ideally exceed 40%, or we might end up exhausting more materials than we can afford.
Despite foreseeing potential challenges, Thorian still wore a wide grin. These were the kinds of problems he relished - problems stemming from extraordinary success.