Tier 3+ - Accidental Champion (Book 2) - Chapter 71 - Loot (Patreon)

Xavier felt a definite sense of déjà vu inside the Staging Room. He tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck satisfyingly. The loot boxes sat at the centre of the room, just like they always did. He felt a thrill of excitement, staring at his.

He hadn’t expected to be this excited about the loot boxes, not when he had plenty of Minor Spirit Coins in his Storage Ring, but it seemed as though the System was handing him the very things he might need in the future.

I wonder if what I’m receiving is available in the System Shop.

He hadn’t been able to find a Sector Travel Key in the System Shop, after all. Apparently, they were quite rarely sold, and when they were found in the shop, they were quickly snatched up by those from more prominent sectors with far more coin than Xavier—which meant, even if he had found one in the System Shop, it would have been far outside of his price range.

Besides, he didn’t know what to look for within the System Shop. He would have had to search for hours to come up with the items he’d received.

The others stepped toward their own loot boxes. They didn’t look all that excited—they’d been getting the same old things, Mastery Points, spirit coins, so he supposed it wasn’t making a great deal of difference for them. But they did glance at him expectantly, waiting to discover what his next unique item was.

He knelt by the box, undid the latch, and threw open the lid. A smile swept onto his face as the notification popped up once again, hitting him with a rush of dopamine no doubt.

You have gained 4 Mastery Points (E Grade).

You have gained 250,000 Lesser Spirit Coins.

You have received a Seed Garden.

Four more Mastery Points. One more than last time… at least I only have ninety left now.

He skipped past the Lesser Spirit Coins and moved onto the final item. The Seed Garden appeared in his hand. It looked remarkably similar to the Sanctuary Seed, except this was about half the size and bright green—almost like an actual seed. Except, of course, for the glowing runes etched into it. These glowed a pure white.

Xavier turned it around in his hand and used Identify on it.

{Seed Garden – ungraded}

The Seed Garden gives one the ability to grow a garden within the Seed Sanctuary. Only Seed Sanctuaries at Level 10 or higher, regardless of grade, can have a Seed Garden attached to them.

The Seed Garden provides the perfect soil in which to grow alchemical ingredients and crafting materials. It also provides some basic starter plants when first grown.

Identify has reached Rank 26!

Xavier frowned. A… garden? He supposed he could have guessed what it did from the name alone. He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. A garden wasn’t near as exciting as the other items he’d received.

Maybe the System knows something I don’t…

He supposed, in the future, being able to grow alchemical ingredients and crafting materials might be useful. It wasn’t as though he could utilise those things himself, however—he didn’t have the ability to make potions or craft weapons or armour, nor did he want that ability.

At least my Identify skill gained another rank.

Though that did beg the question. Could he gain such an ability, even though he wasn’t a support class? His lifespan was significantly longer now he was E Grade, and he planned to be around for a very, very long time… what kind of things would he pick up along the way?

The others looked over at him expectantly, staring at the seed in his hand.

“So, what did you get this time?” Siobhan asked. “That’s not another Sanctuary Seed, is it?”

“It’s called a Seed Garden.” Xavier showed them the item, and told them what he knew about it, struggling to hold the disappointment out of his voice.

“Nice,” Siobhan said, and actually sounded as though she meant it.

“Is it?” Howard looked doubtful. Justin hadn’t said a word.

Siobhan gestured toward the Seed Garden. “May I?”

Xavier shrugged and handed it over.

The Divine Beacon started pacing, holding up the seed. “I read about gardens in tower library back at the castle. Apparently, before the castle was evacuated, there was a Royal Alchemist and a Royal Crafter. They created items for only the most prominent and powerful in the area. The items sold in the System Shop are far more expensive than ones sold by individuals, as well. The way they mark it up has been said to be criminal, but also convenient.”

“Queen Alastea didn’t even have a System Shop in her Queendom,” Xavier said.

“No, she didn’t. So where do you think her people got their weapons and armour? Their potions? From people who made them. There was a garden near the castle. One we never saw—must have been burned before we arrived.” Siobhan waved a hand. “What I read, was that settlements who have access to gardens like these are able to attract the best alchemists and crafters. And, when you have those at hand, it becomes easier to outfit your people. Not to mention, an alchemist can brew far more than just health and mana potions.”

“What else can they brew?” Xavier still wasn’t sold on this. Wouldn’t it be easier just to buy things from the shop? That was, he supposed, assuming they would even have access to the System Shop back on Earth…

I’ve definitely been spoiled here at the Tower of Champions.

“There are potions that can increase people’s attributes for certain periods of time, not to mention ones that can increase the number of Mastery Points gained.”

Xavier’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead. “Really? They can do that?”

Siobhan shrugged. “That’s what I read, at least.” She handed the Seed Garden back to him.

He looked at the item with new eyes, beginning to see how useful it might be. “Will I need… a gardener?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure. Probably.”

Xavier turned the seed around in his hand for a moment. Previously, when he’d been contemplating what his return to Earth might be like, he’d only ever really thought about the fighting off of invaders. Portals would have sprouted up all over the place. People needed his help. He couldn’t imagine how many people might have died already.

But now, other things were entering his mind. Creating a fortress. Finding people to guard the place. Starting a garden, finding crafters and alchemists to utilise what it grew.

There was still the looming threat of Silver River sector being purged. He was worried about that, but he had no idea how far away it was.

Empress Larona plays the long game.

That’s what Sam had said about the woman that he worked for. The C Grade Denizen that was the most powerful person in this sector. A woman who was over a thousand years old.

What was the long game to her? How far away was this threat, really? Decades? Hundreds of years? More than that?

When I used Otherworldly Communion, I learnt that this sector was just shy of ten thousand years old, and it has been purged twice in that time. Twice in ten thousand years.

Who knew how far away this purge threat was, and all the things he would need to do in that time? He kept telling himself he didn’t want to rule Earth, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t protect it. And he knew for a fact that he wouldn’t always be on Earth.

It’s not only the Tower of Champions that will keep pulling me away until I clear all of its floors. There might not be much for me on Earth in terms of gaining more power. I’m going to have to move around the sector—that’s why I got given a Sector Travel Key.

He wasn’t going to leave Earth defenceless. He would need to leave something behind.

“All right.” Xaiver deposited the Seed Garden into his Storage Ring. “Maybe this will come in handy.” He was beginning to grow more and more excited for his return to Earth. For what he might do there, other than just fight. He glanced over at the door to the next floor. “Ready to go in again?”

Howard, Siobhan, and Justin each nodded their readiness.

“Hopefully this next floor will be as fast as the last,” Howard said.

“I do wonder how everyone is doing,” Siobhan replied. “Back on Earth.”

Justin rubbed the back of his head. “I wanna know how long we’ll get to be there.”

“We’ll find out. Really soon.” Xavier stepped up to the door first.

They materialised in the middle of a stone chamber.

Floor number nine. No Safe Zone.

The chamber had high ceilings and braziers burning at short intervals along the wall. Behind them lay the door to the Staging Room. Ahead, there was only one exit.

Something roared in the distance.