Chapter 66: CH. 66 | Found a Hidden Gem

Sara didn’t have much choice in the matter. Either way, she couldn’t exactly refuse the mission since she was the one who’d suggested it in the first place.

She brought the mission over to the reception desk and registered it under Theo’s name.

Before long, a guild notification panel appeared in front of Theo, confirming his party had been officially registered for the mission.

[Congratulations! Guild mission successfully registered for the party]

[Party Name: Theo’s Party]

[Leader: Theo (None || Lv. 5)]

[Guild Mission: Collect 15 Claukgard minerals at Yuraja Mine]

[Mission Rank: C-Rank]

[Mission Duration: 04:23:59:57]

[Reward: +500 exp || +25 Contribution Points || +75 Copper]

Theo studied the mission’s reward and it was clear proof that he could level up fast if he actually pulled this off.

He needed to head to Yuraja Mine, complete the mission within five days, then come back and turn in the Claukgard mineral.

Sara handed the mission sheet back to Theo, and he took it and tucked it away.

She also helped him out with some context on Claukgard, telling him to go see a blacksmith named Jonas near the guild area.

"Go see him, he’ll fill you in on the Claukgard material."

"Good luck, Theo. Don’t go dying on me," Sara added.

"Relax," Theo answered. "I’m not going to die that easily."

Theo tucked the mission away and walked out of the guild. Following Sara’s advice, he headed toward the only blacksmith in the area near the city guild.

He arrived and was greeted by a tomboyish girl wearing a tank top, her toned abs clearly on display.

"Yo!"

"Need something?" the girl asked.

"I picked up a mission to collect Claukgard," Theo answered. "Could you tell me what Claukgard actually looks like?"

The girl crossed her arms, her expression clearly doubtful of Theo, then went to the back to grab something.

Before long, she came back carrying a chunk of rock streaked with yellow veins. She explained to Theo that this was Claukgard, its smell a mix of sulfur and iron.

"So? Does it ring a bell now?"

Claukgard... I wonder if the Mystic Appraisal power could also work on items?

Theo reached out and grabbed hold of it, activating his Mystic Eyes skill.

[Mystic Appraisal Skill Activated]

[Loading target information]

[Status:]

[Name: Claukgard]

[Item: Material]

[Rank: Rare]

[Desc: An essential material for forging weapons above uncommon rank.]

Theo broke into a wide smile and handed the item back. He was genuinely impressed, realizing his ability could read item statuses, something that would clearly come in handy later on.

"You look like an idiot, smiling at a rock," the girl said.

"Could I take a look at your other gear?" Theo asked.

The girl set the Claukgard chunk down on the table, then sat back and propped her chin on her hand. "Go ahead."

He walked over to the row of swords and other accessories on display.

Theo checked over his own sword, still uncommon rank. To properly complete this mission, he figured he’d need at least a rare rank sword as an upgrade.

That way, taking down monsters later would be a lot easier for him.

His attention locked onto the row of swords on the rack, studying each one carefully with his Mystic Appraisal Skill still active. Most of the swords there were uncommon, but there was one tucked away in a neglected corner of the shelf.

Theo focused his eyes on it, and a system panel appeared in front of him, displaying the sword’s status.

[Status:]

[Name: Wind Cleaving Blade]

[Item: Sword]

[Rank: Rare]

[Desc: A sword with the power to cleave through wind, strong durability and light weight, sturdy and solid, capable of manipulating wind element power]

He picked up the sword and drew it from its sheath. It was still in good condition, though a few sections of the blade showed some wear.

But overall, the sword still held up well and was more than usable.

"How much for this one?" Theo asked.

"That’s an old sword, blade’s damaged, I’d only price it at forty five copper."

That’s a pretty cheap price for a Rare rank sword, does she not know what it actually is?

Theo decided to buy it. He handed over the money and walked out with the sword. Now he had two swords, one uncommon, one rare.

His preparations were nearly complete. Now it was time to expand his range of attack options. His next destination was Lizzy’s magic shop, to buy a few more skill cards.

From a distance, he spotted Lizzy’s Magic Shop. A few other adventurers had also come by, browsing through magic accessories.

The moment Theo arrived, Lizzy recognized him right away. She waved him over.

"Haven’t seen you in a while, how’s that skill you bought working out?"

"It’s been great," Theo answered. "I’m planning to buy a few more today."

"Go right ahead. I’ve got plenty of knight skill cards here."

"Do you have any versatile skills?" Theo asked.

Lizzy paused for a moment, leaning forward slightly. "You mean skills that aren’t tied to a specific class?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"I’ve got plenty of cards like that," Lizzy answered.

"Give me one attack skill card and one defense skill card."

Hearing that, Lizzy immediately pulled out a set of cards to show him. Most of them were sword based attack skills, along with sword defense techniques. There were three cards for each category.

Lizzy explained that she’d handpicked the best options for Theo, and out of everything in her stock, those were the top choices that suited him.

"So, which one will you take?" Lizzy asked.

Seizing the opportunity, Theo used his ability again to check the status of each skill card, hoping to spot a hidden gem buried among the common skill selection.

[Mystic Appraisal Skill Activated]

[Loading target information]

A system panel appeared one after another as Theo focused his eyes on each skill card. Unlike with items before, the skill status panel showed a range starting from F-Rank all the way up to A-Rank.

Theo didn’t pay much attention to the class skills, since he had no real chance of learning those anyway. His focus now was on finding a solid common skill for himself.

After examining them for a while, Theo pointed to a specific card among the common skill row. Lizzy picked it up and showed it to him, its skill type listed as Attack.

[Status:]

[Skill Name: Crescent Blade Strike]

[Type of Skill: Attack Skill]

[Skill Category: Common]

[Rank: B-Rank]

[Element: Wind]

[Desc: Unleashes a crescent shaped slashing attack forward. Mana control and elemental affinity required to use this skill]

"I’ll take this one," Theo said.

Lizzy looked it over and smiled, praising Theo for having a sharp eye, able to spot a high rank common skill like that.

"Not bad at all. I like your taste."

"Mind if I keep looking at a few more?" Theo asked.

"Not at all. Take your time."

Theo kept his Mystic Appraisal active and managed to find another skill, matching the same rank as before, but this time a defense type.

Its name was Blade Edge Protection.

Lizzy took both cards and asked Theo to confirm his final decision. Theo had no hesitation, he’d already settled on the right skills for himself, both of which would prove incredibly useful going forward.

"All right. Anything else?" Lizzy asked.

"That’s everything."

The woman told Theo the total came to forty copper. He paid immediately, took the skill cards, and said his goodbyes.

Now, his sword had been upgraded, and he had two new skills ready to learn, even if he hadn’t studied them yet.

Theo was finally prepared to take on his first C-Rank mission.

All right... time to head to Yuraja Mine!