“Ah, Banning, if you dislike it, you can tell us outright. We understand.”
“Indeed, we don’t mind a bit of criticism, just don’t make it too harsh.”
The craftsmen were utterly bewildered as to why Banning wasn’t upset.
A third-tier magic core could be sold by itself for a high price of a gold coin.
However, these boots that had been made now might not fetch even 5 silver coins, an absolute loss if there ever was one.
[Note: 1 gold coin = 10,000 copper coins, 5 silver coins = 500 copper coins]
“Masters, why do you deem these boots a failure?” Banning asked, confused.
The leading master craftsman sighed, not ridiculing Banning’s lack of knowledge, but instead patiently explaining the intricacies of crafting equipment with magic cores.
He explained that two key factors determine the quality of a piece of equipment made with a magic core.
First, the equipment itself must be of high quality, such as its defensive capabilities, resistance to poison, corrosion, and fire, etc.
By this metric, these boots scored zero, indistinguishable from ordinary boots and hardly qualified as equipment.
The second key factor was whether the magic core’s skill had successfully transferred onto the equipment.
Experience showed that if the skill transfer was successful, magical runes would appear somewhere on the equipment’s surface, and there would likely be a response when magic was infused into the equipment.
However, the craftsmen had thoroughly examined the boots and found no magical runes, nor was there any reaction when they tried infusing magic.
This meant… the skill transfer had failed.
“Banning, we’ve failed your trust. Here, we’ll refund you one gold coin. Please accept it.”
The leading craftsman took out a gold coin, with all the others watching intently, clearly reluctant to part with it.
Banning laughed and pushed his hand back.
“Masters, you’ve toiled day and night for two days. This is your due. Moreover, I’m very satisfied with these boots. They are exactly what I wanted. So, you have no reason to feel guilty.”
Then, to the astonishment of all the craftsmen, Banning took the boots and left jubilantly.
Everyone had the same thought: the young man was either a saint or a fool.
.
Tyler’s joy was genuine. 𝔬𝗏𝓵𝒩𝐞xt.𝔠𝓞𝑀
He wasn’t so considerate as to feign happiness just to spare the craftsmen’s feelings.
Tyler was thrilled because these boots met his needs perfectly, especially the attached skill, which was like winning a lottery jackpot!
To prevent the real effect of the boots from being revealed, Tyler purposely didn’t explain to the craftsmen.
Moreover, in the days to come, Tyler would keep the boots’ effects as top secret, not letting anyone know.
If the secret of the boots were known, the power of their skill would be significantly reduced.
Back at the inn, Tyler placed the boots on the table and used his identification ability to confirm their effects again.
No one would have guessed that such an ordinary-looking pair of boots hid a powerful skill.
━━━━━━━━━
Equipment Name: Ebony Boots – Shadow Step
Equipment Effect:
1 Equipment Requirements: Dexterity 100, Wisdom 180
2 If equipment user’s attributes do not meet the requirements, it cannot be used;
[Note: Tyler’s current attributes, Strength 30, Dexterity 115, Wisdom 230]
3 If the equipment user’s attributes meet the requirements: Dexterity +10, Wisdom +10;
4 When equipped, the skill “Shadow Step” can be used;
━━━━━━━━━
Skill Name: Shadow Step
Skill Effect:
1 Each use consumes 200 magic points, with a 30-second cooldown after use;
2 Upon activation, the user can instantly teleport to a specified shadow within a 10-meter radius of themselves;
3 If the specified shadow disappears during activation, the skill fails to activate, but still consumes magic points and enters cooldown.
The evasion ability Tyler had always wanted was unexpectedly realized through these “Ebony Boots – Shadow Step”.
Depending on the usage, not only could “Shadow Step” be used for evasion, but also for surprise attacks. It’s a highly versatile skill.
As for why the craftsmen couldn’t find the magical runes, Tyler speculated that it was because the runes were black, the same color as the boots, making them hard to see.
If he didn’t have the identification ability, Tyler would have definitely missed these ” Ebony Boots – Shadow Step”.
This made Tyler once again marvel at his Divine Eye of Transcendence.
Thank you, my “eye”!
.
Having acquired his new equipment, Tyler ventured out into the night to practice.
The enduring poisoning potency of the “Venomous Blade – Poison Claw” combined with Tyler’s ability to identify life energy eased the judgment of whether a target had been poisoned.
Once the poison took hold, any target without detoxification capabilities would quickly succumb.
The “Shadow Step” proved to be incredibly useful, its activation was instantaneous, truly a form of instant teleportation. The only issue was that Tyler needed to acclimatize to the sensation of instant movement, allowing his evasions or surprise attacks to flow seamlessly.
(It reminds him of the “Rogue Shadow Demon – Swarerock” whose skill was to hide in shadows, although once it hid, it couldn’t move.)
(What skills a magic core equipment possesses indeed has a strong correlation with its original host.)
·
Throughout the night, Tyler expended a great deal of magic energy to familiarize himself with “Shadow Step”.
With his current magic pool of 2400 points, using the “Blue Blaze Steed” of the Shadow Sword Blaze Steed would consume 444 points, and each use of “Shadow Step” would take away 200 points.
The usage of these magic-consuming skills was limited, requiring careful calculation each time.
However, compared to the time when he escaped from the Sandrift Gorge, Tyler had grown substantially, no longer the easy target he used to be.
This night, Tyler practiced until dawn, then returned to the inn to rest.
·
·
The following morning, Tyler was roused by the alarm service of the stupid loli.
As he was honing his skill proficiency per usual, a knock came at the door.
“Good morning, Lord Banning… it’s me, Emilia.”
Recognizing the voice, Tyler instantly perked up.
However, at such a moment, he found himself “alert” in a way that he shouldn’t be, which was a bit problematic.
“Just a moment,” he replied, quickly changing into his clothes, then casually picked up a potion book to read a few sections, successfully diverting his attention.
[Note: It’s perfectly okayl for good kids not to understand the above few sentences.]
“Good morning, Emilia. What brings you here this early morning?”
Tyler opened the door and welcomed Emilia into his room.
As they brushed past each other, the pleasant fragrance of osmanthus from Emilia quickened Tyler’s heartbeat uncontrollably.
“Haha, because our agreement hasn’t been fulfilled yet?”
Emilia handed a book to Tyler as she spoke.
Unbeknownst to them, Emila’s tone towards Tyler had become much more lively.
Tyler received the book, the cover of which read “Production Methods and Formulas for Basic Illusion Treatment Potions”.
As he casually flipped it open, Emilia placed her hand on the page, her cheeks flushed as she gazed at Tyler.
“Lord Banning… we haven’t seen each other for so many days, won’t you look at me first?”