Drake stood in Oakhaven's bustling crafting district, the potential of [Eidetic Execution] applied to Craft Completion Rate still buzzing in his mind. Smithing, Alchemy, Leatherworking – they all held possibilities, but the one Master Artisan Flynn had called a "tough road," Enchanting, seemed the most intriguing. High difficulty often meant high rewards, and the ability to permanently enhance gear felt like a natural fit for his pursuit of perfection. The massive gold reward from the Unbeatable Guardian kill provided the necessary starting capital.
"Okay, 500 Gold. Should be enough to get started, learn the basics, see how this CCR system feels for Enchanting. If it's as difficult as people say, my talent's advantage will be even greater here."
He located the Enchanter's Sanctum, a quieter building slightly removed from the noisy forges, marked by glowing runes carved above the doorway. Inside, shelves lined with strange crystals, bundles of herbs, and arcane paraphernalia filled the dimly lit space. An ethereal-looking NPC, Master Enchanter Elmsworth, stood behind a polished table inscribed with complex patterns.
"Seeking to unravel the mysteries of enchantment, are you?" Elmsworth asked, his voice echoing slightly. "It is a demanding path, requiring focus, precision, and a deep understanding of Mana flow. The initial apprenticeship costs 50 Gold."
"Fifty gold just to learn the basics? Steep." But Drake didn't hesitate. This was an investment. "I wish to learn," he stated. << Gold Deducted: 50 >> << Profession Learned: Enchanting (Level 1) >> << Basic Disenchanting ability acquired! >> << Basic Enchanting interface unlocked! >>
Elmsworth nodded. "Very well, apprentice. Your first step is tools and knowledge. You'll need a Runed Rod for inscribing, Vellum or suitable items to enchant upon, and the fundamental reagents – Magic Dust and Essences, gathered from disenchanting magical items or found in places touched by Mana. Purchase what you need from the supply vendor yonder." He gestured towards a small counter.
Drake approached the vendor, another NPC assistant. He purchased the essentials: << Item Acquired: [Runed Copper Rod] (Common Tool)! Gold Deducted: 10 >> << Item Acquired: [Basic Vellum Roll (20 Sheets)]! Gold Deducted: 5 >> << Item Acquired: [Lesser Magic Dust] x100! Gold Deducted: 50 >> << Item Acquired: [Faint Essence] x50! Gold Deducted: 75 >>
He then browsed the available basic glyph recipes. The simplest seemed to be Minor Health. << Item Acquired: [Recipe: Glyph of Minor Health]! Gold Deducted: 10 >>
"Okay, learned the skill, got the basic tool, mats, and one recipe. Already spent 195 Gold. This is expensive."
He found an unoccupied Enchanting Table – a flat stone surface pulsing with faint blue energy lines. He placed a sheet of [Basic Vellum] on the table, selected the [Recipe: Glyph of Minor Health] from his crafting interface, and took out his [Runed Copper Rod]. The interface shifted, displaying the CCR mini-game for this specific glyph.
It wasn't just a simple timing bar. Intricate, glowing Alvari-like runes appeared hovering above the vellum. Drake needed to trace their complex shapes accurately with his Runed Copper Rod while simultaneously managing a fluctuating Mana flow indicator by channeling his own MP at the correct intensity. The required rune path flashed briefly, then faded, forcing him to rely on short-term memory and precision tracing, all while keeping the Mana flow stable.
"Whoa. This is way more complex than Basic Slash timing."
He took a breath and began, attempting to trace the first rune while carefully channeling Mana. His hand slipped slightly on a curve. The Mana flow indicator spiked erratically.
<< Craft Failed! CCR 38%! Rune Instability Cascade! Materials Lost! >> The vellum sheet and the consumed Dust/Essence dissolved into harmless sparks. "Failed. Okay, need smoother tracing and steady Mana control simultaneously."
He placed another sheet of vellum, focused, and tried again. This time he traced the rune almost perfectly, but his focus on the tracing made him neglect the Mana flow.
<< Craft Failed! CCR 45%! Mana Overload! Materials Lost! >> Sparks again. And another chunk of expensive materials gone.
He tried again. And again. Failure after failure. 42% CCR. 51% CCR. 35% CCR. Each attempt consumed Dust, Essence, and Vellum. He quickly burned through his initial batch of materials and had to return to the vendor, his gold pouch shrinking alarmingly.
<< Item Acquired: [Lesser Magic Dust] x100! Gold Deducted: 50 >> << Item Acquired: [Faint Essence] x50! Gold Deducted: 75 >> << Item Acquired: [Basic Vellum Roll (20 Sheets)]! Gold Deducted: 5 >>
"Another 130 Gold gone... just trying to succeed once on the most basic glyph? This is insane." Frustration began to mount. He understood intellectually how his talent would help once he succeeded, but achieving that first success against this demanding mini-game felt like hitting a wall. His high combat SCR didn't automatically translate to CCR proficiency.
He slowed down, deliberately focusing on just one aspect – tracing the first rune perfectly, ignoring the Mana flow for a moment. [Perfect Recall] helped him analyze the required path after the first few failures. He practiced just that trace motion until it felt ingrained. Then he focused solely on stabilizing the Mana flow for that first rune's duration, ignoring the trace path. Finally, he tried to combine them, his movements more deliberate, less rushed.
He laid out another sheet of vellum, took a deep breath, and began. Trace the first curve smoothly... modulate Mana gently... transition to the straight line... hold Mana steady... complete the final flourish... keep Mana stable until the energy discharge... FZZT! A soft blue light glowed on the vellum.
<< Craft Successful! [Glyph of Minor Health] created! CCR 63%! >>
Drake stared at the notification, then at the simple glowing glyph inscribed on the vellum in his inventory. It was barely over the 60% success threshold, representing only 56% of the glyph's potential stat bonus resulting in a tiny +HP value. But it was success. And instantly:
<< [Peak Performance Replication] active. Best recorded CCR for [Recipe: Glyph of Minor Health] updated: 63%. >>
He immediately placed another sheet of vellum on the table and initiated the craft again. This time, the process felt different. The complex rune paths still appeared, the Mana indicator still fluctuated, but his hands seemed to move with a guided certainty, executing the trace and Mana control at that exact 63% quality level automatically. FZZT! << Craft Successful! [Glyph of Minor Health] created! CCR 63%! >>
He tried again. Same result. Effortless, consistent, guaranteed 63% CCR.
"There it is. Locked. No more failures, no more wasted materials... for this glyph, anyway. But look at the cost..." He checked his gold. He had started with ~500g from the tutorial reward. He'd spent 50g learning, then ~130g on the first batch of mats, then another ~130g on the second. He was down to roughly 190 Gold, having burned through almost two-thirds of his starting capital just to achieve a consistent but poor quality result on the most basic enchant recipe.
Shocked at the sheer expense for such a meager outcome, Drake opened his interface and quickly accessed the LoA forums, searching for "Enchanting difficulty" and "CCR".
The results confirmed his experience tenfold. Thread titles screamed: "ENCHANTING IS A SCAM - DO NOT LEARN!" "Literally wasted 100g failing Minor Strength glyphs over and over." "Is high CCR even possible without max INT/SPR stats???" "My guild's 'Master Enchanter' fails half his crafts lol" "Just buy enchanted gear from drops, crafting is pointless."
The consensus was brutal and unanimous: Enchanting was a notorious gold sink. The CCR mini-games were too difficult, the material costs too high, the failure rates crippling. Only the wealthiest players or those with extreme dedication (and likely high INT/SPR) could even hope to make progress, and even then, achieving consistent high-quality results seemed like a pipe dream for most. Players advised sticking to simpler professions like Smithing or Alchemy.
Drake read the complaints, a slow smile spreading across his face despite his near-empty pockets. "They see a gold sink, an impossible grind best avoided. They quit because they waste everything on failures or low-quality results." He looked at the weak [Glyph of Minor Health (Poor)] in his inventory, executing perfectly at 63% CCR. "But I don't fail anymore. My baseline is locked. It's low, yes. Pushing it higher will be another grind, maybe even harder than the combat SCR grind. But every percentage point I gain will be permanent. Eventually... I can reach 100% CCR. And when I do..."
The potential remained immense. Guaranteed Masterwork quality enchants, every single time. It confirmed the difficulty but also magnified the unique power of his talent. The path was incredibly costly, yes. But for Drake, the grinder aiming for perfection, the potential reward seemed infinite. He knew, however, that pursuing it further right now was impossible. He needed more gold, more levels, maybe better base stats or tools. Enchanting would have to wait, but the long-term goal was firmly set.