HC:Pacifist | Ch. 97 - Sun and Moon of the Mountain (Patreon)

At his level, the system offered him five options that gave him a bonus of 20+ wisdom. Roth studied the three best ones. One was a mismatched combination of different items of different colors, giving him 21 extra wisdom for the cost of 3 gold.

Blue Linen Cap (Common)

Item description: A lightweight headgear that helps medics keep their head cool and their mind sharp.

Item effects:

+5% healing;

+3 wisdom;

+2 intelligence.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 17.

Stuffed Owl-Feather Vest (Uncommon)

Item description: A simple vest that has been stuffed with owl feathers to add some protection and to provide you with a pillow if you have to camp at night.

Item effects:

+5% damage reduction;

+5 wisdom;

+10hp.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 19.

Red Alpaca Wool Pants (Common)

Item description: The warm wool will help you keep your tushy warm on cold nights, and the comfort is such that your mind is free to think.

Item effects:

+10 energy;

+3 wisdom;

+1 intelligence.

Restrictions: Lvl. 20.

Padded Wool Mittens (Common)

Item description: Comfortable mittens that offer some protection, especially if you have to pull something out of the oven.

Item effects:

+1% critical healing chance;

+3 wisdom;

+2 agility.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 15.

Snakeskin Boots (Uncommon)

Item description: Boots made from snake skin that look fancy while offering some protection.

Item effects:

+2% running speed;

+3 wisdom;

+1 intelligence.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 15.

2xRing of the Wanderer (Uncommon)

Item description: A simple metal ring worn by a well-traveled man. He imparts some of his experience to you.

Item effects:

+2 wisdom;

+5 energy

Restriction: Lvl. 20

The second one was a set. It was called the basic toxicologist set. It cost 21,5 gold and gave him 23 wisdom.

Black Toxicologist Hood (Uncommon)

Item description: A sleek black hood with a faded design that grants a poisonous edge to your thoughts. This is part of a set.

Item effects:

+2% poison potency;

+3 wisdom;

+3 intelligence.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 20.

Dark Toxicologist Jacket (Uncommon)

Item description: A jacket imbued with venomous properties, capable of releasing subtle toxins when needed but never compromising the wearer's healing abilities. This is part of a set.

Item effects:

+1% poison duration;

+3% damage reduction;

+5 wisdom;

10 ep.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 20.

Poisonous Toxicologist Gloves (Uncommon)

Item description: Special gloves designed for handling and crafting potent medicinal toxins. This is part of a set.

Item effects:

+2% poison potency;

+4 wisdom;

+1 dexterity.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 20.

Black Toxicologist Leggings (Uncommon)

Item description: Leggings made from the skin of poisonous, dangerous creatures. This is part of a set.

Item effects:

+5% poison duration;

+4 wisdom;

+1 intelligence.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 20.

Sturdy Toxicologist Boots (Uncommon)

Item description: Boots adorned with intricate serpentine patterns, allowing the medic to move swiftly through the battlefield. This is part of a set.

Item effects:

+2% running speed;

+3 wisdom;

+1 intelligence.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 20.

[Basic Toxicologist Set] effects:

If three pieces of the set are equipped: +1% cooldown reduction.

If five pieces of the set are equipped: +10% poison potency.

At the end of the set, there was one more time a pair of [Rings of Wanderer]. Finally, a combination of different pieces of white medical equipment that didn't form a set but still gave 25 bonus wisdom for 9 gold.

Woolen Medic Cap (Common)

Item description: A cozy woolen cap that keeps the medic warm during their long shifts, allowing them to focus on their duties with clarity.

Item effects:

+6% healing efficiency;

+4 wisdom;

+2 intelligence.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 20.

Linen Medic Scrubs (Common)

Item description: A breathable linen coat, providing the wearer with comfort and flexibility while attending to patients.

Item effects:

+6% damage reduction;

+6 wisdom;

+10hp.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 21.

Old Chirurgical Gloves (Common)

Item description: Smooth rubber gloves that offer a delicate touch while maintaining a hygienic environment during medical procedures. It's time to get new ones, though.

Item effects:

+6% critical healing chance;

+5 wisdom;

+2 agility.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 22.

Vitality-Boost Pants (Common)

Item description: Pants infused with advanced vitality-boosting technology.

Item effects:

+8% energy regeneration;

+3 wisdom;

+1 intelligence.

Restrictions: Lvl. 20.

White Comfort Shoes (Common)

Item description: Sturdy shoes with enhanced resilience, allowing the medic to move swiftly and comfortably even in challenging environments.

Item effects:

+3% running speed;

+3 wisdom;

+1% critical healing chance.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 21.

Here too, the same rings were suggested, which gave +4 wisdom to the set.

The first thing that Roth did was to buy two [Ring of the Wanderer]. He bought the rings for two gold each and equipped them. They were made of dark metal and looked way better than the [Tin Ring] he had previously worn. They seemed to be the best accessory to give him bonus wisdom at his current level. As for necklaces and earrings, his options still seemed good enough for the moment. It was time to decide on the rest of the equipment.

There were different advantages for each of the three possible options. The combination of mismatched items was the cheapest, although it looked the worst. Another advantage of not having a set was the flexibility.

Since Roth was planning on continuing his exploration of the sewers, he could buy the pieces of equipment from the given options that gave him the most wisdom and leave the slot for the shoes free so that he could get the plumber's set effect and negate the sewers' stench. After all, he could keep the [Plumber's Torch] and the [Plumber's Utility Belt] equipped at all times.

As for the basic toxicologist medic set, it looked the coolest but was also the most expensive. Often that was the case for sets of items.  The set bonus for having the full set equipped was a boost in poison damage. It made sense that since medics could use medicine to make people feel well, they could also do the opposite and use toxic chemicals to give debuffs to enemies.

Although Roth had the [Rat Poison] and [Sewer Sludge] skill cards in his inventory, he had no interest in going down that path. He was a pacifist! He didn't have the slightest interest in becoming a poison master.

However, the set effect for having three pieces equipped was an exciting property: it gave a 1% cooldown reduction. Cooldown reduction was a saving grace during his time in Hilsford. The 10% of CDR he received from his [Discoverer of Species] title had been vital and allowed him to finish his quests more quickly. Having a 1% extra cooldown reduction might be good. It could cut an extra 15 minutes off on the cooldown of his racial skills.

Roth tried doing a new search looking for items that gave cooldown reduction. There was a pair of costly earrings priced at 10,000 gold.

Moon of the Mountain (Epic)

Item description: An exquisite ring crafted by the mountain folk of the Rock Canyon. It reveals its majesty with the [Sun of the Mountain] equipped.

Item effects: None.

No restrictions.

Sun of the Mountain (Epic)

Item description: An exquisite ring crafted by the mountain folk of the Rock Canyon. It reveals its majesty with the [Moon of the Mountain] equipped.

Item effects: None.

No restrictions

[Sun and Moon of the Mountain] effect:

+7% cooldown reduction; +20 intelligence.

It was a god-like piece of equipment. It offered a 7% cooldown reduction without class or level restrictions. No wonder it was so expensive. Roth looked at the last option for equipment. He checked the information on the items and saw that most of the bonuses concerned healing others. He had just removed [Brilliant Healing Ray] from his skills after all.

The number of skills he could learn was limited. Although he had a light affinity that would work wonders with healing, it wasn't what he needed the most right now. He still was trying to make sense of what direction his character would take, but one thing was sure, he wasn't going down a traditional medical path. That didn't go in line with his pacifist skill set. Besides, healing could be replaced with consumables if push came to shove.

Roth decided to go for the basic toxicologist set. He tried to tell himself that it was for the cooldown reduction, but deep in his heart, all he could think about was how cool he would look. After equipping it, Roth felt like he had graduated from looking like a noob to looking like a player that seemed to know what he was doing.

Roth studied the material composing his garments. It was cloth. Medics, as a rule, didn't use heavy armor. From what he had seen in passersby, all Medics' equipment was made of cloth or leather. Roth had now joined their fashionable ranks. He stood up and spun, trying to see how he looked.

His attire had an elegant yet practical design. His boots were sleek and sturdy. His trousers didn't restrict his movements, and the jacket was made from a lightweight dark brown fabric. Even though he looked cool, he could still see that this was basic equipment for medics. The leather of his boots and gloves was worn, and the fabric of his jacket, trousers, and jacket was spent.

Even so, it was an improvement. The only problem was that to get the bonus from the set he had to take off his plumber boots and gloves. He looked for an option that he had often used in previous games. He found it.

Would you like to save the current equipment as 'Equipment 1'?

Roth changed the name from 'Equipment 1' to 'Looking Cool.' Then he found the best combination that would allow him to enjoy the basic bonuses of the plumber and black basic medic sets and saved it in the second slot for equipment. He named it 'Sewer Exploration.' On second thought, he deleted that and wrote 'Smelly Exploration.' That was more like it.

Now, whenever Roth was outside or needed more stats, he would use his basic toxicologist set. Whenever he went to a place like the sewers, he would change his ensemble to suit his environment better. With time, Roth could have different combinations programmed for different situations. This was common practice for veteran gamers.

Roth checked his funds. After buying the basic toxicologist set, the basic skills, and the two rings of the wanderer, he still had 150 gold left to spend. Maybe he could look into another set of armor?

In New Earth, he had several sets of armor, or sometimes, different gems to put into his armor for different situations. For example, if he went to a dungeon where mobs dealt fire damage, he would take gems that increased his fire resistance.

That made him think of a player Roth had seen on merchant street. She had changed from a warrior outfit to a merchant's, presumably to increase the bonuses she would gain when turning in the quest.

He decided to look for equipment for merchants and see if he could create a 3rd combination of equipment to help him with his broker profession. Sure enough, there were many options. Unlike classic equipment, what dictated if one could wear a profession-specific outfit was not the character's level but the level of the profession.

The equipment for merchants was separated into greenie, novice, experienced, and veteran. Roth checked the prices for novice-level equipment. He let out an appreciative whistle. Everything was priced at, at least 100 gold. He examined some of the cheapest ones to see what kind of bonuses they gave.

Wealthy Man's Jacket (Uncommon)

Item description: the fine material and beautiful embroidery in the jacket fills you with confidence and makes you more trustworthy in the eyes of your customers.

Item effects:

+2 charisma;

+4 intelligence;

Improves your [Discount].

Restrictions: Merchant, lvl. 13.

Ornamented Cane (Common)

Item description: the cane is crafted from a fantastic exotic piece of wood and gives you an air of mystery and wealth.

Item effects:

+5kg carry capacity;

+1 charisma.

Restrictions: Merchant, lvl. 10.

The boosts to carrying capacity, negotiation, and even discounts were all very enticing. Roth realized that even though he had so much money, the auction house was a bottomless pit. There would always be things outside of his reach.

That begged the question: would he invest all his money into profession-specific equipment? Would he do the same for the other professions he did not have yet? Having five profession slots, if he were to buy a set of equipment specific to each of them, just at novice level, he was talking here about at least 5,000 gold. That was a lot of money.

No matter how much Roth hated it, he would leave the auction house without buying everything he had come for. In his hands, there was a flashlight and no flag. Even the cheapest flag was outside of the range of his pockets. And as the game progressed, they were only bound to become more and more expensive. What could Roth do?

At least he had secured a cool set of equipment. Too bad that he couldn't afford a specialized set suited to his merchant profession. That would surely come with time. As he kept amassing wealth and filling his profession slots, he was confident that he would eventually have a different set for each needed situation.

Roth looked at the different profession slots and saw the icon for the broker profession sitting alone. It had a dog and a human facing one another with a bag of money in the middle. He still had three professional slots to fill if he became a tailor. If he became a tailor….

Roth reached out for his newly bought clothes and felt their fabric. He then thought back to the merchant jacket he'd seen. It was also made of cloth. He hurriedly left the auction house and looked at the many buildings sporting flags fluttering in the wind with the city's emblem.

Roth had an idea. He went to the rescue library and quickly searched, hoping to confirm his theory. There was hardly any information on it, but there was a hint that gave him hope that he might be right. He hurriedly ran down the stairs of the auction house and headed toward the commercial district. There might be another way to get his hands on everything he needed.

Ch. 96 - Busted

INDEX

Ch. 98 - Bat Cave