He listened to the player group's scattered chatter about various topics while continuing his meal for a while longer. Then, he left the place and wandered through the bustling streets of the town for a while longer, gradually making his way south.
His steps slowed as he came upon a grand inn—its main structure split into two wings, connected by a high archway beneath which travelers could pass. Beside the entrance stood a half-open stable housing a dozen horses, their soft whinnies and shifting hooves blending with the ambient noise of the town.
There's no better place to gather information than an inn. Livinius smirked as he stepped inside.
"Welcome, sir! We have empty seats toward the back—please, take a seat and I'll be with you shortly!"
A waitress with curly red hair greeted him the moment he stepped through the doorway, balancing trays in both hands.
As laughter, chatter, and shouting rose in unison from dozens of tables, making his ears ring, Livinius walked past the wooden staircase leading to the second floor and caught a table near the crackling stone fireplace.
Ah, I just hope they don't bring the upper floor down. He let out a sigh, noticing how much the wooden beams were straining under the weight of the people drinking and dancing on the balcony above.
As Livinius sipped on a few mugs of ale, he casually glanced around, taking in the crowd. As the evening deepened, he wandered from table to table—joining the drunker groups here and there, slipping into their conversations as if by chance, all while playing the part of a tipsy wanderer.
By the time he staggered out of the inn near dawn, all he had to show for it were a few scattered rumors. Still, one of them had managed to catch his attention.
From several tables, he'd heard that the number of merchants entering the town had dropped by half over the past week. A few people speculated—between slurred words and half-finished thoughts—that it might be because bandits had taken over one of the three trade routes connected to the northeastern ruins.
Livinius didn't quite believe that was the case. If it were really a problem, word would've spread, and it would've been resolved by everyone within a week at most.
He sat on the inn's steps and began planning his path until the sun revealed itself.
At sunrise, he started wandering the quiet streets of the town, looking for a shop where he could sell the items in his ring and buy himself a sword.
It wasn't long before he found himself staring at swords of various lengths and sizes displayed in the window of a shop called Emberheart Armaments. The moment he stepped inside, he grimaced at the sharp scent of burnt iron and dried leather—he could even taste the metal on his tongue.
A well-built man with long black hair tied at the back turned at the sound of Livinius' footsteps and greeted him automatically with a practiced, 'Welcome!'
Livinius gave him a polite nod and asked, "I've got a few items to sell. Would you be interested?"
"Of course, let me take a look!" the shopkeeper replied.
Excluding the [Nightstalker's Wrap] and [Lafetth's Earrings], which he planned to equip later, Livinius earned 150 silver coins from the rest of his items. The axe, dropped from Dragonheart, made up the largest share of the total.
"Do you have a decent sword for me?" Livinius asked.
"I think I might," Tam replied, eyeing him for a moment before disappearing among the neatly arranged mannequins in the back, each clad in leather armor. A few minutes later, he returned with a saber in hand.
Damage: 37-40
Grade: Common
Attributes: —
Effects: —
Durability: 100/100
Weight: 7.5 kg
Requirement: STR 7+ or WIL 7+ for [Telekinetic Bond]
Description: A well-crafted saber forged from Ulrian steel.
Livinius smiled with satisfaction as he examined the saber.
In truth, he wanted a sword for each hand, but for that, he needed to be promoted to [Competent Swordsman]. If he were a Berserker, being a [Novice Swordsman] would have been enough—as long as he met the required Attributes, he could have wielded two swords.
In the future, Livinius would undoubtedly draw closer to earning the title of [Competent Swordsman] through the deadly battles that awaited him—but for now, a much bigger issue stood in his way.
As a Telekinist, the Attribute he needed to rule the swords wasn't STR, but WIL. Yet the sword in his hand slot didn't fall under that category. For weapons in his main and off-hand slots, STR was still required.
He couldn't afford to prioritize both STR and WIL—not without crippling his growth speed and combat efficiency. At some point, he would have to figure out a way to balance his Attribute distribution without sacrificing progress.
Livinius pushed the clutter of problems from his mind and asked:
"How much do you want for this saber?"
"Fifty silver coins," Tam replied.
That's pretty steep for a Level 1 weapon... Livinius scratched his chin.
"Would you like to see something of lower quality?" Tam asked, noticing his hesitation.
Livinius nodded.
A few minutes later, Tam returned with another sword in hand.
<
Damage: 32-33
Grade: Common
Attributes: —
Effects: —
Durability: 92/100
Weight: 8.5 kg
Requirement: STR 7+ or WIL 9+ for [Telekinetic Bond]
Description: The signature sword of the Thepar pirates.
Livinius' eyes traced the contours of the pale, curved blade that resembled a machete.
"Not bad. How much are you asking for it?"
"25 silvers will be enough," Tam shrugged.
"Deal."
After purchasing the sword, Livinius left the area and looked for an alchemy shop. After exploring the streets, he finally discovered a small shop near the town center called Mercury.
He had barely stepped inside when a sudden clatter startled him.
"Ah! Don't mind Schyte, he's getting more unstable every day due to his old age."
A stout, elderly man wearing a black embroidered robe placed the beaker in his hand on the counter and hurried toward the door.
"No problem! I just... got caught off guard," Livinius said, casting a bewildered glance at the green-and-yellow parrot in a cage hanging just above the door before turning to the old man.
The old man gave the parrot a half-angry, half-sarcastic look before awkwardly smiling.
"Come inside, young man. Let me treat you a coffee as an apology!"
Livinius casually approached the counter in the middle of the shop.
Distillers, storage jars, beakers, tubes... it seems this old man enjoys working in a cramped space. Oh, there's even a Kalvstone!
'Flasks aglow… caw… with liquid moonlight's sheen,
Cauldrons blow… caw… where every mist turns green.
Herbs laid low… caw… in jars of amber glass,
Whisper so… caw… or watch your ass.'
"Scythe!" The old shopkeeper swung the spoon in his hand threateningly at the parrot. "Don't start again, or I'll pluck every feather off your head, one by one!"
Livinius rolled his eyes and glanced over at the glass cabinets covering the entire left wall of the shop. Each one was filled with various potion bottles. When the scent of coffee, mixed with the faint smell of burning spices that lingered in the shop, reached his nose, he scratched it and walked over to the old man.
"Here's your coffee!"
"Thank you, sir!"
Livinius took the coffee cup from the old man's hand and smiled politely.
"So, what brings you here, young man?" asked Palastor.
"I'm after a vile vulture lurking on the outlands. Without help, I can't defeat it. So, I'm looking for a few potions that might help. The darkness surrounding it is quite obvious. If I can break through that darkness, I might have a chance at fighting it." Livinius explained.
"Darkness, huh?" The old shopkeeper stroked his wiry goat beard. "Seven-Gilded Dream Elixir might help you—but it'll cost you dearly."
"How much?" asked Livinius, bracing himself for a heavy blow.
"The lowest price I can offer you is two gold coins," said Palastor.
That's a total of 500 silver coins! Livinius' expression darkened.
He still didn't think the price was out of reach.
"I can offer you a few more potions, but they'll cost even more," Palastor added.
"For now, I'll stick with simpler potions that I might need," Livinius replied.
"Healing, resistance, or damage-related ones."
"What kind of resistance are you looking for?" the old shopkeeper asked.
"Poison, perhaps," Livinius shrugged.
Palastor paused in front of the glass cabinets, where dozens of potions were neatly arranged, and after a moment of thought, he pulled a few bottles from the shelves.
Livinius carefully read the descriptions of the potions in front of him:
[Redwillow Potion(Lv.2)]: Increases your resistance to poison by 15%. Ineffective against infectious diseases.
[Moonthorn Essence(Lv.1)]: Allows you to breathe in acidic environments for two minutes.
[Tears of Vrummha(Lv.1)]: Restores 15 Stamina and prevents Stamina depletion for one minute.
[Devastating Thornflower(Lv.4)]: It creates thorny vines that spread in a 10-meter diameter, attacking anything in their path.
Since Redwillow Potion, Tears of Vrummha, and Moonthorn Essence are directly consumed potions, I need to meet their level requirements to use them. On the other hand, Devastating Thornflower is an externally applied potion, so its level directly represents its damage potential.
Livinius thought and then asked:
"How much do you want for these?"