HC: Pacifist | Ch. 300 - Plan B? (Patreon)

The stats of the set in Robornir’s manual were among the best that Roth had ever seen. Even if they were individual items, their base stats were nothing to scoff at.

Dwarven Vanguard Helm (Rare)

Description: A sturdy helm crafted from the finest metal, etched with beautiful engravings. Issued to the bravest dwarven soldiers.

Effects:

+3% physical resistance;

+20 strength;

+50 hp;

+5% hp regeneration.

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

Dwarven Vanguard Chestplate (Rare)

Description: This chestplate is a masterpiece, forged in the hottest forges of the dwarves and designed to withstand even the fiercest blows.

Effects:

+4% physical resistance;

+25 strength;

+75 hp;

+4% hp regeneration.

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

Dwarven Vanguard Bottoms (Rare)

Description: Pants made from durable materials reinforced with awnium plates ensure mobility and protection.

Effects:

+3% physical resistance;

+20 strength;

+50 hp;

+9% movement speed;

+5% hp regeneration.

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

Dwarven Vanguard Boots (Rare)

Description: Boots crafted for the long marches of the dwarven army, providing both comfort and protection.

Effects:

+2% physical resistance;

+10 strength;

+20 hp;

+10% movement speed;

+5% hp regeneration.

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

Dwarven Vanguard Gauntlets (Rare)

Description: Gauntlets that provide excellent grip and protection, enhancing the wearer's combat abilities.

Effects:

+2% physical resistance

+6% status resistance

+15 strength

+30 hp

+1% hp regeneration

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

Dwarven Vanguard Shield (Rare)

Description: A shield forged from dwarven metal, imbued with the strength of the mountain, able to withstand powerful attacks.

Effects:

+5% physical resistance

+20 resilience

+50 hp

+13% block chance

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

“Impressive. Warriors are going to line up for these.”

Jack laughed. “You haven’t even seen the best part. Turn the page over.”

Roth obeyed, and his eyes widened. No wonder that Jack was so confident in their plan.

Roth’s eyes widened as he turned the page of the ancient dwarven crafting manual. He returned to the previous diagram to confirm he hadn’t misread the information and looked up.

“It can’t be.”

"But it is," Jack assured him with a confident smile.

“I’ve never seen any set with more than six pieces,” Roth exclaimed.

“It’s what makes it so special, and its set effects so powerful.”

Roth studied the diagram on page 9. It showed a pair of earrings, a necklace, and two rings bearing the same symbol as the suit of armor, two mountains with a sun shining between them. 

According to the instructions, the earrings would be cast from magnitidium laced with crevice gold. The accompanying notes listed stones of varying rarity that could be used as centerpieces, everything from lava amber to ice diamonds

The necklace was a sturdy chain of interlocking magnitidium links, each engraved with crevice gold. It supported a bronze medallion with the dwarven crest. The rings were bands of polished awnium with intricate carvings that mirrored the chest plate's geometric patterns. One ring featured a small, raised mountain emblem, while the other displayed the sun.

Roth went through the items’ stats.

Dwarven Vanguard Earring (Rare)

Description: An earring crafted from precious metals, worn by the elite dwarven warriors, enhancing their resilience.

Effects:

+1% physical resistance;

+10 strength;

+20 hp;

+1% hp regeneration.

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

Dwarven Vanguard Necklace (Rare)

Description: A necklace imbued with the power of the earth, granting the wearer enhanced strength and resilience.

Effects:

+2% physical resistance;

+15 strength;

+30 hp;

+2% hp regeneration.

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

Dwarven Vanguard Ring (Rare)

Description: A ring that enhances the wearer's strength and fortitude, essential for any dwarven warrior.

Effects:

+1% physical resistance;

+10 strength;

+20 hp;

+1% hp regeneration.

Restrictions: Warrior, lvl. 40.

“Good items!” Roth praised. He would have worn this set in New Earth in a heartbeat. The accumulation of strength and hp regeneration would make any warrior who wore this set almost immortal.

“Go ahead. Turn to the next page. Check out the set effects.”

Overall, there were 11 pieces to this set: Head, chestpiece, bottom, boots, gloves, shield, one necklace, two earrings, and two rings. If sets with half of the number of pieces were so much better than loose pieces of equipment of the same level, what kind of cumulative effect could this set generate?

Gulping, Roth turned the page and almost dropped the manual.

Dwarven Vanguard Set Effects:

3 Pieces:

+5% physical resistance;

+10% hp regeneration.

8 Pieces:

+15% physical resistance;

+20% hp regeneration;

+50 strength;

+500 hp.

11 Pieces:

+40% physical resistance;

+30% hp regeneration;

+150 strength;

+500 hp.

[Mountain Endurance]: When your hp drops below 20%, gain a shield equal to 20% of your maximum hp for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.

[Rockslide Impact]: Your blows have a 10% chance of causing a 1-second stun on targets.

[Stony Strength]: Blocking probability doubles.

The main tank was the lifeline of hunting parties, especially those fighting bosses. As long as the main tank remained, there was hope to finish a problematic boss. That’s why tanks were among the best-paid professional players in the game, and their equipment sold for the most gold. The duo from the Griffins made up of MountainTop and their guild leader, were part of the reason why Griffins were the kings of PVE and at a higher ranking than the Ogres.

The first clear on bosses granted better equipment, skills, and quest generators, which allowed them to hunt the next demanding boss. It was all a snowball effect that started with the main tank. 

The skill [Mountain Endurance] was a life-saving skill that even Mountain Top would like to have. The two other skills weren’t too far behind. [Rockslide Impact] increased the probability of a devastating channeled boss skill being interrupted, while [Stony Strength] increased survivability and synergized well with other tank skills.

“Woah! How much do you think we can sell a set for?” Roth asked.

“Depends on the crafting grade, especially the shield. Let’s say 200k for a C-grade.”

“We’ll need at least 1 billion to buy 50 floors, Roth said, almost choking on the unbelievably high numbers. That means we’ll need to make and sell 5,000 armor sets. This is without considering the production costs and paying you back for all the materials.” Suddenly, the gigantic stockpiles of materials seemed insufficient.

“You sound worried,” Jack said with an easy smile.

“Of course I’m worried. Our plan hinges on saturating the market with an armor that is far too expensive for the average player. How many guilds can afford to fork out 200,000 gold, Jack?!”

“Let’s run the numbers. Who are our customers? Who is going to want to buy this set?”

Roth tapped his foot. “Top guilds won’t be interested. Their top teams are above level 50. Some are almost 60.”

“Right! But those are only the top 10 guilds in the game. We often make the mistake of assuming those are the only force that matters in the game, but the truth is that this game has over a billion players and dozens of thousands of other guilds. So, who?”

“Smaller guilds?” Roth asked.

Jack snapped his fingers and pointed at Roth. “Precisely! Most are 3rd rate guilds or 4th rate guilds. Do you know what the average level of most guilds in the game is?” Jack said, smirking.

Roth became lost in thought. “Most players are still in the mid-grade cities. High 30s?”

“Well done! Most people who play the game are normal guys! They have daytime jobs and only play the game during sleeping hours. Their guilds are a group of friends from school or work. Those are our customers, Roth. I’ve taken the liberty of shipping a couple of these sets to random guilds in all regions of AstroTerra, specifically those with some mediatic presence. 

“I can assure you. If we play our cards right, all these smaller guilds will invest their gold reserves in buying this cheat set for their main tanks. If we can get this set to a third of those guilds, we’ll have more than enough to buy all the floors in Sapphira.”

“If we make five thousand suits of armor first,” Roth insisted.

“I was thinking of making ten thousand, but yeah!”

Roth was still unsatisfied with Jack’s plan. It was one thing to inflate miniaturizing potions or power truffles and trick the top guilds into buying them. It was quite another craft to craft in bulk and get many customers to purchase them. “I don’t like this, Jack. I’m worried that this won’t be enough. You might be overestimating the purchasing ability of these guilds. You said it yourself. They are casual gamers. Why would they want to spend that much gold?”

“You’ll be surprised with how much money these guilds have.”

“Still… I think we should have a plan B.” 

“You’re making me second-guess myself. Am I being too optimistic?” Jack asked aloud, trying to see this problem through Roth’s eyes. 

Roth paced back and forth. Jack knew what he was doing, and he was a very respectable gamer. However, he didn’t feel confident selling these many sets to 3rd rate guilds. 200k gold was a lot of money. What if it didn’t work? Who would they sell it to?

Animals didn’t have use for human armor, did they? He could hardly use his broker’s channels to sell these sets. Roth slapped his forehead. “The military! Aren’t many of the soldiers in mid-grade cities’ level 40?”

“Yes.”

“You know about the Union quest in Hilsford, right? It was all about renovating the city’s defenses. I think there were some quests to upgrade the military’s equipment. Doesn’t that raise the possibility of other cities needing the same service?” The more Roth thought about it, the better the idea sounded. “I’ve also been given a quest here in Sapphira that hints at this. A tailor asked me to add light traps to sets of level 40 leather armor. He was trying to push them to the military here.”

“Interesting… So you suggest we target the NPCs in the game, specifically the military bases. I didn’t even think that was possible. I don’t know of any merchant in our guild who has a rapport with them. Do you know how to get items to them?”

“I might be able to help.”

“Haha. Do you see?! One way or another, we’ll make this happen. What we have to do is to pour our hearts into crafting these. If it’s good enough, sellers will appear,” Jack preached, unworried as if he had thought of this possibility all along.

“I’m curious. If you have so much faith in selling these, why haven’t you made money with this set?”

“Lately, I've been focusing on making 50-plus level equipment and experimenting with materials more suited to make level 60 armor. My work in the guild is to equip our teams' frontlines, including the boss. We don't care for level 40 equipment at this point. Plenty of others in the guild can make such items. Unfortunately, this manual is bound to me. Only I, or a team of dwarves led by me, can make the vanguard set.”

Roth nodded. He could see why the guild would favor having their best blacksmith crafting state-of-the-art armor instead of grinding these sets for level 40 players. 

"Anyway, this would be a good opportunity to grind some gold. I've already got green lights from the guild, and they're very interested in our project here. So, let's see how it goes."

"How long will it take until Godsfried comes back online?" Jack asked, looking at the clock.

"Well, I did tell him at 12:46 that he had 24 hours. So, I expect him to be here at 12:47," Roth said, chuckling. We still have about 90 minutes before we get started."

"Alright. In that case, I'm just going to check in on something and be right back."

"Suit yourself. I'll be here making the rest of the arrangements."

The dwarves continued stockpiling materials, cleaning tools, and feeding forges, getting ready for the crafting session. In the meantime, Roth checked how the Leafies were doing.

*

Roth entered his room in the 82nd floor. Everything was he left it, however he didn’t feel like he was returning home. How he wished he could log out of the game, and go to his actual home. Sighing, he headed toward the hole in the wall. “Lin, wait here. I’ll go check on the Leafies.”

Lin didn’t even find Roth’s remark worthy of a response. Instead, he stretched and lay down on his bed.

Miniaturize!

Roth used his miniaturized form to enter the tunnel he’d previously dug in [Mole Form] and followed it up to the 83rd floor. As he approached the greenhouses, Roth noticed some husks of seeds and other trash. He clicked his tongue. The Leafies were using his tunnel as a landfill!

Shaking his head, he walked all the way to the corridor that ran along the rock behind the gardens. At measured intervals, golden acorns as big as tennis balls signaled the entrance to the treasured herbs and fruits of the slavers. 

Roth was surprised to see that every single gate had been replaced with a golden acorn in the few days he had been gone. He wondered if the renovation had merely aesthetic purposes or real applications. From what he knew about the workaholic ants, there had to be a practical reason.

He was practically squatting to fit into the tunnel, and the treeants still looked tiny to his miniaturized form. Therefore, he stuffed a [Miniaturizing Honeydew] in his mouth, making himself even smaller. 

Now, he was half as tall as an acorn. With his smaller size, Roth could see the faint lines of bioenergy on the surface of the hard fruit. It paled compared to the light given out by the circuit-like patterns in the bark of the trees in Antioch, but it showed the Leafies’ progress in bioengineering. 

This was Roth's first time seeing his pets from a microsized vantage point. The treeants in Antioch had seemed like large dogs, but his ants were no bigger than cats—no doubt due to his choice of adding the acorn ant genome to the Leafies’ DNA. The Leafies, with their copper-green bodies, walked to and fro, all carrying something or on their way to carry something. 

None of them stopped to greet him, but he felt their minds brushing past his.

Benefactor.

Benefactor.

Benefactor.

The Leafis acknowledged his presence with a mental whisper and the telepathic equivalent of a bow. Roth closed his eyes and stretched his mind. Compared to the first time he visited Antioch, it was much easier this time. For one, these were his pets with whom he had a special affinity. Furthermore, his intelligence stat couldn’t be compared to old Roth’s.

In his mind’s eye, the rock walls disappeared, and thousands upon thousands of tiny minds formed a constellation of burning dotts of light. Leafies, Roth called, summoning the presence of the hive mind of the colony.

A wind blew in the tunnel. The Lord of the Oak had heard his summons.

Ch. 299 - Dwarven Vanguard Set

INDEX

Ch. 301 - Inspection