Livinius slowly rose to his feet in the bushes.
The dim light from the swinging lantern didn't fully illuminate the cart's owner.
Livinius took a deep breath and emerged from the bushes, staggering toward the traveling merchant.
The cart stopped, and soon after, a hunched old woman emerged from behind. "Half-Elf? How surprising to see one of your kind in these lands. I thought you despised the Kingdom of Nylian."
W-What? Am I in the Nylian Kingdom? Livinius almost fainted from what he heard, but quickly composed himself. He looked at the glowing orange name tag above the traveling merchant's head, indicating that she was neutral.
"Well, I just came out of a nasty conflict," Livinius coughed lightly. "Do you have any healing potions?"
"Ah! You don't look well." Black Rose wiped her black-oiled hand on her pink polka-dotted dress, eyeing him up and down.
Livinius averted his gaze from the old woman's half-burned face and focused on the items in the traveling cart. Various-sized pans, jars filled with animal organs, slightly glowing tubes, dried meats wrapped in long leaves, and eccentric products he had never seen were neatly arranged.
"I have a few tubes of Low-grade Healing Potions," Black Rose moved her gray bangs to the side and gave him a piercing stare with her green eyes. "How do you plan to pay for them?"
Does she think I'm going to attack her?
Livinius shivered slightly and asked, "Do you accept trades?"
"Of course! Let me see what you have." Black Rose grinned, revealing her jagged and missing teeth.
Let's see if it's the same as in the game, Livinius raised his hand and whispered. 'Themis' All-Seeing Eye, come forth and bear witness to my trade!' in his mind.
Three vacant violet eyes appeared from the void above them.
With a silver flash, a slightly damaged short sword materialized in his hand.
Damage: 15-17
Grade: Common
Attributes: —
Effects:—
Requirement: STR 6+ or WIL 5+ for [Telekinetic Bond]
Durability: 72/100
Weight: 5.2 kg
Description: A rusty short sword, most likely forged in an orc camp.
"Is that all?" Black Rose asked, giving the sword a disinterested glance.
Livinius shook his head and presented all fifteen items in his Storage Ring: swords, bows, leggings, vests, tunics, boots, helmets, and gauntlets.
"Two Low-grade Healing Potions in exchange for all of these," Black Rose announced after inspecting the equipment momentarily.
"Deal."
[Themis' All-Seeing Eye has witnessed your trade.]
[Two Low-grade Healing Potions have been added to your Storage Ring.]
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, long ears," said Black Rose as she pushed her cart.
"Is she really an NPC?" Livinius muttered after the strange vendor had walked away.
Without wasting more time, he took out a small vial filled with a yellowish, cloudy liquid from his Storage Ring, uncorked it, and drank the potion in one go.
"Damn it! This stuff is awful!" Livinius gagged.
A soft wave of warmth enveloped his body as he felt his organs tingle.
I still can't believe I can feel these sensations. Nether... what are you?
Livinius observed his body's healing with a fragile distraction. The HP bar was full within seconds—this was normal since the pool was so small.
Healing potions were essential in the harsh world of Rings of Alkhen. However, with repeated use, the body developed a resistance to these potions, leading to a reduction in their effectiveness. To address this issue, potion masters were working on special antidote formulas to counteract or eliminate this resistance.
With the pain in his ribs—and all over his body—vanishing, he took a deep breath. Feeling a little better, he pulled one of the three [Iron Longswords] he hadn't sold to Black Rose from his Storage Ring.
Damage: 32-35
Grade: Common
Attributes: —
Effects: —
Durability: 65/100
Weight: 10.5 kg
Requirement: STR 9+ or WIL 8+ for [Telekinetic Bond]
Description: A crudely forged iron sword.
Alright, let's see how this works.
As Livinius summoned the sword, he sensed invisible threads springing from his hand, wrapping around it.
[Do you approve of forming a telekinetic bond with the Iron Longsword?]
Yes!
A familiar sensation enveloped him as his gaze sharpened.
In Rings of Alkhen, whenever characters acquire an Ability or Profession, it becomes instinctual. This one feels the same way. Also, I don't have to meet the STR requirement to form a bond with a sword—only WIL is enough.
The longsword hung in the air and then moved around him according to his will. Reflecting the pale moonlight off its surface, it shot forward, slicing through the nearby long bushes before falling to the ground.
If he were wielding the sword physically, the damage multiplier would have to be based on Strength. However, in his case, the damage multiplier would likely be based on Willpower.
"As the distance between us grew, my control over it weakened," Livinius muttered. "It seems that my ability to control the swords efficiently is directly tied to my willpower."
He immediately pulled out the other two longswords from his ring and formed telepathic bonds with them as well, reaching the limit of his telepathic charge.
With a single thought, the swords began to whirl around him like a propeller. In the next moment, the three of them came together to form a shield in front of him. They then flew in different directions, slicing through the air.
Livinius frowned as he checked his equipment slots. In the Weapon Slot section, there were the three longswords he had formed telepathic bonds with, plus two empty slots.
Every sword I've formed a telepathic bond with is indeed counted as a Primary Hand Weapon!
His hands were still free to wield weapons. This meant he could use a total of four weapons simultaneously, and this number would increase every five levels.
That was terrifying!
I wonder how things will work with Relics.
After the swords, Livinius selected the [Iron Chain Vest] from his Storage Ring.
Grade: Common
Armor: 10
Magic Resistance: 4
Attributes: —
Effects: —
Durability: 58/100
Requirement: END 4+, STR 3+, VIT +3
Weight: 6.8 kg
Description: A standard chain vest with average craftsmanship.
Equip it!
[Iron Chain Vest] materialized on him.
After Livinius spent some time inspecting himself, he opened the Quest Window.
[Destiny Quest: Prevent the conquest of Alkhen Castle. Reward: Immortality across the multiverse.]
[Main Quest: Take back Trid Mound from the Dwarves! Hint: Find Dusk and speak with him about Trid Mound. Reward: [Khaleddjah] + 10,000 Exp.]
After reading the Quests, Livinius uneasily scanned the vast land. He regretted not asking the old merchant for a local map.
He lumbered off toward the tower.
As he approached, he could see what the tower looked like. The stone exterior, with holes and debris scattered across different sections, was easily noticeable.
At the very top, there was a massive copper bell.
When he reached the large, arched door of the tower, he froze and listened. The ominous silence of the night was broken only by the soft hum of the wind and distant rumblings coming from deep within the vast land.
There is no sound coming from inside the tower.
Livinius glanced at the damaged corner of the arched door. Three floating long swords appeared above him and stabbed into the damaged part of the door one by one.
With the third sword strike, the damaged area completely shattered, revealing darkness.
Nothing? Livinius blinked.
From within the darkness came a weary groan and the sound of chains shifting.
Livinius flinched and took a few steps back. Since there was no light inside, he had no idea what the moving thing was.
Is it a trapped beast, monster, or mutant?
"Liv—Livinius," hissed a faint voice. "Come in... come..."