Rimelion: The Exploiter

17. Trapped in a dream

The young soldier shook his head, sidestepping to make way for me but not leaving. The merchant's sharp stare hit my pride as a veteran gamer. I wasn't some clueless village punk, but I kept calm and said, "Sir, I'm here to buy, not beg. I'm—"

"A paying customer?! Why didn't you say so sooner? What does your heart desire?" His abrupt shift to a friendly merchant was almost alarming.

"As a priest, I could use your advice," I said, keeping my voice low as the soldier cast me a strange look. "I have skills that require a melee weapon, ideally something with a long reach. But I'm not sure which type would be best." One day the imperial general taught me, glance at your enemies when they least expect it. Thus, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the soldier checking out my backside. Oh, I see... okay, no problem.

Wait—every problem!

"A long-range melee weapon, you say? Well, for your level, I only have a rare whip, but it's pricey. Most folks stick with swords, lances, the classics. Not whips."

He pulled a whip from an old, dusty chest, and it gleamed in the dim light. The handle was wrapped in black leather, with a blue crystal embedded at the base. Its long body was made from braided strips of deep blue leather. Damn. The whip held me spellbound, and he caught the hungry gleam in my eyes.

[Whip]
Quality: 3-rare
ATK: 5-6
Armor-pierce: 3
Restriction: Level 5
Effects: twice the damage if the target's armor is pierced, otherwise damage is halved
Price: 10g

"That's fine, I'll take it." Without a second thought, I handed him ten gold. He blinked a few times, clearly surprised. Did I overpay? Great. I'm rich for a day, and this is what happens.

Terrific.

Before I could second-guess myself, he quickly scooped up the coins and added, "Young Priestess, the whip is a one-handed weapon. You could pick up something for your other hand." Good point. I almost walked out without maximizing my setup. What is wrong with me today?

"I'd love a shield, but I can't—I'm a priest. Maybe a dagger?" I mused aloud, glancing over at the display cases behind him.

"I've got just the thing for you!" The merchant dashed to the storage room and dragged out another old, nearly broken chest. It creaked as he pulled it across the floor, releasing a cloud of dust as he opened it. After muttering a few choice words about the dirt, he handed me a silver bracelet—large enough to sit comfortably mid-way up my forearm.

[Magic shield]
Quality: 4-exceptional
DEF: 3
Restriction: Level 5, 20 INT
Activation cost: reserve 20 mana while the shield is active
Price: 100g

What?! I'd always thought magic shields were exclusive to magic swordsmen! I bit my lip, holding back my excitement and forcing myself to shake my head. No more overpaying!

"How long have you been holding onto this junk? Someone must've pulled a fast one on you," I said as calmly as I could manage. Hide the excitement, that's the key here.

"I thought a fine priestess like you would find it useful. Clearly, I was mistaken." He started to put the shield back, and my eyes followed it, a little too eagerly.

"Alright, it's better than nothing. I'll give you fifty."

"Fifty? I paid seventy gold for this heirloom! I can't go lower than eighty." He hesitated, his expression somewhere between bargaining and genuine offense.

"Oh, so you got ripped off?" I sighed dramatically, offering him a sweet smile. "Look, I'll cover your loss and even throw in a little extra. Seventy-five, and we're done."

He narrowed his eyes, then muttered, "You cheeky... Fine, it's yours."

I happily strode out of the Armory and headed to my next stop - the Enchantment-Alchemy shop. As a nouveau riche, my thoughts were about how to spent the fortune, so I browsed the most expensive things.

[Ring of mini Alchemy]
Quality: 5-epic
Effect: shrinks normal potion to small size
* use the ring maximum of 10 second after creating the potion
Price: 800g

The ring was stunning, with intricate red runes etched around its band and twinkling ruby stones. The price was high, but that was exactly why I, The Exploiter, could justify it—assuming this exploit worked. Even though the shop was empty, I grabbed the ring before anyone else could "snatch" it and brought it to the lady at the counter.

"Welcome back, dear! You've picked a lovely ring, but you're just beginning your enchanting journey. You should at least be a beginner at enchanting before you delve into alchemy," she cautioned.

"Actually, lady, I'm an Expert Enchantress now," I replied with a broad smile, clutching the ring tightly. My precious.

With a warm laugh, she offered me a quest. "The ring is yours, and I'll even throw in two bags of supplies for free—but only if you're truly an Expert Enchantress."

Ouch. That pricked my pride as an exploiter. "Watch me work my magic," I said confidently, and made my way to the center of the shop, where she had enough open space to enchant freely.

Carefully, I removed my tiara and anointed it with essence, making sure to coat every inch. Then I focused on the rune, tracing each contour slowly and deliberately. Maybe I'm more talented at this than I thought.

As the old pervert had taught me, I took my time, channeling my mana gradually, not rushing. It was tough to keep my focus, but I felt more in control, steadying the flow of mana. The rune began to glow, drawing dust from the tiara. Surprised, I quickly replenished the dust, feeling a spark of satisfaction as the enchantment took shape.

When I presented the tiara to the lady, a soft red light illuminated the crimson hue of the snowflake I'd etched on it.

[You enchanted the Wreath Tiara. Rating: 83%]

[Wreath Tiara]
Effect: +1 INT
Enchanting: +6% fire resistance

Her eyes widened as she carefully handled the item. "I've never seen such talent! To reach Expert level in a single day—amazing! Though your enchanting speed is still slow, even slower than most novices, you'll improve. Speed isn't everything, but you'll need to work on it."

I shrugged. Even exploiting has its drawbacks.

As a reward for the quest, she handed me two bags of supplies, one for each profession. These bags were a lifesaver, able to hold up to eighty different item stacks, making enchanting so much easier.

Finally, some decent gear.

Then, I added a stack of recipes to the counter. She chuckled. "Dear, have you forgotten? You can only learn three recipes per stage. Yes, you're allowed twelve runes as an Enchantress, but just three for Alchemy."

Damn, she was right—I'd forgotten. I'd already had a rough time as a blacksmith for learning recipes for three swords instead of small daggers like I should have. The memories of all that time wasted in mines flooded back, and I let out a heavy sigh as I put most of the recipes aside.

[Rune of Agility]
Effect: Adds Agility to equipment
Ingredients: 1x Enchanting powder
Price: 20c

[Agility Potion Recipe]
Effect: +5 Agility for 10 minutes
Ingredients: 1x Alchemy Reagent, 1x Rodumbine
Price: 10c

[You have learned the secondary job: Alchemy]
[You bought cauldrons x10]
[You lost 825 gold]

The last thing I needed was ten cauldrons. Each cauldron was about the size of a small pot—at least, the iron-black one was—and small enough to handle with one hand. I smiled politely as the lady cautioned me that I'd only need one. Little did she know, my plan required all ten, and no amount of persuasion could sway me. A newly discovered exploit was waiting.