Chapter 431 - 430: Victory Parade
Colin looked down at the boundless sea of trees below.
’Come to think of it, I don’t think that village-saving quest has been settled yet.’ With that thought, he looked at his Task Log.
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[Mission: Save the Village]
[Rating: 11 (City-State Hero)]
[Reward: 500 Skill Level points, Specialty "Mastery of Ranged Magic"]
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[You have completed a feat renowned throughout the kingdom!]
[Bonus Reward: Power +1, Agility +1, Constitution +1]
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Colin was stunned when he first glanced at it.
’It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a long rewards panel.’ He thought, patiently reading on.
[Mastery of Ranged Magic: 1. As long as you can see any part of an enemy’s body, your ranged Magic will ignore their cover. 2. When you cast an attack spell with a range of at least three meters, the spell’s maximum range is increased by twenty meters.]
So far, most of the Specialties from the Task Log had suited his Combat Style. Colin really hadn’t expected to get a Specialty like this, given his habit of charging in and hacking at people with his Great Sword every day.
Then again, an extra twenty meters of Casting range was an incredibly powerful effect.
After all, the maximum Casting range of his [Flaming Arrow] was only forty meters. This increased it to a full sixty meters.
At the same time, spells like [Lightning Bolt], which could be considered ranged attack Magic, should also be enhanced.
Colin resisted the urge to test it out and began to allocate his newly acquired Skill Level points. Five hundred points was the highest amount he’d ever received since he started adventuring; he’d never gotten this many before.
Colin immediately put two hundred of the Skill Level points into [Empowerment Armor] and invested the other three hundred into [Silent Sword Skill].
No matter what, the priority was to improve Skills that would help in actual combat.
As for [Magic Craftsman], Colin felt it was better to wait until he had mastered more Magic before investing more Skill Level points into it.
After all, it only increased his crafting proficiency. If he wanted to craft equipment, he would still need to spend money to learn the necessary Magic, so it was ultimately tied to his magical attainments.
After this round of updates, Colin’s Skill Level Panel was now: Casting (Expert) 2502/4000, Empowerment Armor (Reliable) 2018/2000, Silent Sword Skill (Reliable) 1585/2000, Magic Artisan (Apprentice) 547/1250.
Except for Magic Craftsman, which he hadn’t practiced much recently, the Skill Levels of his other Skills had all increased significantly.
Colin then looked at his newly acquired Specialty.
[Empowerment Armor (Middle Level): Your ability to enchant Armor with Magic has improved further. 1. When activating the Armor’s charge, in addition to increasing your Power by one point, your Constitution also increases by one point. This lasts for ten minutes and can be used once per day.
2. Armor you have enchanted with Magic gains four charges of Spell Stabilization. When a spell that you are maintaining with Concentration is interrupted by an enemy attack, you can use one charge to re-stabilize the spell. The charges are restored to four at dawn each day.]
When Colin first saw this Specialty, he thought he had misread it.
’Stabilize spells that require Concentration?’
This way, when he used [Tasha’s Hideous Laughter], as long as the opponent’s Willpower wasn’t strong enough to break free, he could keep the spell stable to a great extent even while being besieged by other enemies.
This Specialty was quite good; at the very least, it would be extremely useful in situations that required spell stabilization.
Beyond that, there was the ability that enhanced his Attributes.
Now he could also increase his Constitution by a point. Although he didn’t know the principle behind it, this kind of ability that directly strengthened his body was definitely useful.
Additionally, because this was the first time he had completed a mission of this difficulty level, the Panel had awarded him three bonus Attribute points.
With that, Colin’s Power and Constitution both reached fifteen points, while his Agility increased to fourteen.
The increase in his Attributes would quickly manifest physically. In short, the force of his sword swings would be greater, his dodges would be more nimble, and his body would become more durable. It was a comprehensive improvement.
Looking at his Attributes, Colin suddenly felt the urge to find a mirror and see what his body had become.
After Colin finished reviewing the rewards panel, they flew for a few more hours before the giant oak tree in the center of Silver Star Court came into view.
’This magic carpet is pretty fast,’ Colin thought to himself.
The group flew over Silver Star Court, descended slowly, and finally landed on the platform in Pegasus Plaza.
"You should all return to your rooms for now. Someone will come to see you tomorrow." Edwin waved his hand, and the Griffin beside him coalesced into a ball of golden light, which then slowly broke apart into tiny motes that scattered in the wind like dandelion seeds.
After a moment, he spoke again. "About those materials, would you like to keep them with you now, or should I return them to you when you get back to Thousand Masts City?"
"Let’s wait until we’re back in Thousand Masts City. It’s a bit of a hassle to carry so much stuff around," Colin said.
"It’s actually not much trouble. They’re all stored in a [Dimensional Hole], after all." Edwin took out two folded handkerchiefs.
Seeing this, Colin took them and tucked them into his pocket.
He took the opportunity to roll his shoulders.
Just now, any slight movement of his arm would have startled Orelia. He felt like his shoulders had turned to stone.
Once everything was settled, Colin led the others back to the small house where they were staying and they turned in early for the night.
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「The next morning.」
Colin and the others got up and washed. Just as they were about to go buy breakfast, several Elves carrying trays walked over.
The one in the lead was empty-handed, a male dressed in a silver robe. He appeared to be a Moon Elf.
He walked to the door and gave a slight nod. "Everyone, this is your breakfast for today. Mr. Helder and several of the lords will be here shortly to speak with you. Please wait for them."
"Alright, we’ll wait for them."
After speaking, Colin led the others back into the house with their food.
This breakfast was a bit better than what they ate at the tavern, though it was still mostly salad and nuts. Fortunately, the Elves seemed to understand them, as the trays also held a few meat patties and fried eggs on a bed of lettuce, even if the portions weren’t very large.
"Can’t beat a free breakfast," Kase said with a grin, holding his plate.
"Weren’t you getting free food every day while you were recovering from your injuries? And back in Thousand Masts City, too?"
"This has more meat," Kase said.
Colin teased, "You’re a real sharp one, aren’t you?"
Just as they were finishing their breakfast, there was a knock at the door.
Colin got up and opened the door to find, as expected, Edwin standing outside.
This time, he was followed by Asvir, the Master of the Black Tower, and two male Day Elves in pale gold robes.
The robes worn by these two Day Elves were embroidered with identical patterns. One of them wore a gold ring set with an emerald on his hand.
Seeing this Seal Ring and the man’s race, Colin sensed that this Day Elf’s status must be quite high.
"Good morning, Colin!" Edwin’s tone was exceptionally excited. "Let us in, quickly. We have a lot to discuss today, mainly about your victory parade."
"A victory... parade?"
Colin was taken aback for a moment, then stepped aside to welcome the group at the door into the room.