The Devil's Cage

Despite all the curious gazes from the veterans, Kieran kept looking at Lemour without the slightest change in his expression.

Lawless, on the other hand, was getting all anxious. He tried to talk Kieran out of it.

"2567, calm down! I know you can probably afford [Potionology] with your Points right now, but advancing in [Potionology] is not just about one Skill Book! You need to collect all kinds of potion ingredients and materials so you can use the potion platform! And don’t forget the most important thing, the prescriptions!" Lawless emphasized that word as he spoke.

"Each and every one of the potion prescriptions is as expensive as [Potionology] itself, and that’s only the common prescriptions. The rarest ones are priced higher than us lone wolves can even imagine! Every potions master out there has some guild or organization backing them up financially. Some lone wolves have tried advancing in [Potionology] as well, but each and every one of them has failed miserably!" Lawless sighed.

The other veterans exchanged looks as well. Some were gloomy, others helpless, but most of them were self-mocking.

Kieran noticed everyone’s expressions.

There had been a lot of brave players who had been willing to take that risk, but most of them had failed, just like Lawless had said. However, that did not break Kieran’s spirit. Quite the opposite, he became even more interested in learning [Potionology].

Not because one wasn’t supposed to give up before they tried something, but because of the prescriptions he already had.

He had three Magical Rank ones and one Legendary Rank one. Based on what Lawless had said, their price had to exceed even his wildest dreams.

Plus, leveling [Mystical Knowledge] from Master to Pro also required [Potionology].

Kieran did not answer Lawless. Instead, he just looked at Lemour, his serious attitude proving that he was not joking.

"Stubborn fellow, ain’t ya?" Lawless could not help but cover his forehead with his hands helplessly.

The veterans around them praised Kieran’s courage. Some of them were sympathetic, but most of them mocked him in disdain. However, none of them had any intention of stopping him.

After all, they were not as close to Kieran as Lawless was, and they had met too many stubborn players before.

They had been those players once themselves.

"If I had a [Potionology] Skill Book to trade, I would. You wouldn’t even have to reimburse me or anything. However, I’m sorry to say I am mastering [Alchemy], so I have nothing related to [Potionology]. I don’t have any intention of learning it either, so I’m not collecting anything related to the skill!"

Lemour had praised Kieran’s courage at first, but she had eventually shaken her head and said that she could not help him either.

"I see... Then can I ask you to enchant my equipment?" Kieran said with a sigh.

Even though he had bet on a positive answer from Lemour, she had disappointed him in the end.

Kieran had gotten his emotions under control quickly, despite the fact that he had not gotten what he’d been longing for. He knew what he had to do while he still had that famous alchemist before him.

"Of course! But different ranks of equipment have different prices. If you have prepared the materials beforehand, I’ll only charge you for my services!" Lemour said as she nodded in agreement.

After some thought, Kieran sent a screenshot of his [Jagdtiger-X1] to the alchemist.

He just wanted to enchant his equipment, not sell it, so he had no intention of making that information public. When it came to privacy, every player had to be extremely careful.

Kieran had chosen the [Jagdtiger-X1], and not the [Lightning Tiger’s Finger], the [Flaming Iron Boots], the [MI-02], or the [Python-W2], because of its Armor Penetration Lvl 2 attribute rather than its high attacking power.

Kieran had thought even more about Armor Penetration after his battle with Trumbo and his Powerful Force Field Barrier.

A truly formidable attacking power combined with the Armor Penetration attribute could have made up for the gap between them. More so, it could even have changed the outcome of the battle.

If Kieran’s [Jagdtiger-X1] had had an Armor Penetration Lvl 3 during his fight with Trumbo, he should have been able to penetrate his Powerful Rank defense mechanism, considering that Lvl 2 was able to penetrate Strong defense armor. Kieran would have been able to inflict direct damage on Trumbo instead of spending his time trying to find heavy artillery like the rocket launcher to turn the battle around.

It had only been a coincidence that this dungeon had included a powerful rocket launcher, but what about the next dungeon?

Kieran would consider himself extremely lucky if he had a collaborator like Mr. Big in every dungeon.

Kieran messaged Lemour about wanting to enchant the Armor Penetration attribute.

As for [Primus Arm] and the [Half-Dead’s Gaze]?

Even if Lemour had the ability to enchant both Rare and Legendary Equipment, Kieran would have rather died than show that equipment to someone else.

It didn’t matter that Lemour had a good reputation.

Betrayal always reaped good benefits, and greed always got the best of humans.

Maybe it wasn’t fair to assume that everyone was like that, but Kieran would rather be safe than sorry.

...

2567: Could u enchant Armor Penetration to Lvl 3?

Lemour: Lvl3? That’s beyond my current [Alchemy] level, Lvl 2 is my maximum!

2567: Then how about the attack? Could u raise it up one rank?

Lemour: You should find a top-tier machinist, alchemy can’t help you!

...

Kieran tried to change his request after Lemour turned him down for enchanting his Armor Penetration.

Trumbo’s existence meant that he might come across similar enemies in future dungeons. If he maintained his advantages and maximized his benefits, he would only need a powerful weapon that could tear down a Powerful Rank defense.

That could be either a stronger attack or Armor Penetration, but Lemour’s answer was disappointing.

Kieran frowned as he asked, "A machinist?"

Lemour’s answer spawned even more thoughts in Kieran’s mind, but it did not help with the situation at hand.

Did Kieran really have to acquire a [Firearm Weapon (Medium Firearm)] skill and select a rocket launcher as his default fighting method?

Kieran’s brows furrowed even deeper.

WIth his current Points and Skill Points, he could afford [Firearm Weapon (Medium Firearm)] and even level it up to a considerable level. Buying an extra rocket launcher would also be a piece a cake for him. However, the thought of the consumption of the rocket launcher alone caused him a headache. It would outweigh any rewards by a lot.

Of course, Kieran’s common sense was telling him what the right choice he had to make was.

He did not give up yet though. He asked Lemour again instead.

...

2567: Is there any way to increase its attack with alchemy alone?

Lemour: Of course!

Lemour: Both [Critical Rate] and [Critical Damage] could do that!

Lemour: [Critical Rate] will increase the chances of 2x Damage when you hit someone’s weak spots!

Lemour: [Critical Damage] has a chance of inflicting higher rank damage!

2567: I’ll go with [Critical Damage]!

(Lemour’s answer made Kieran exhale in relief. Kieran could not tell if she was purposely mocking him just by looking at her blurry face, but after Lemour named the two possible attributes, she had Kieran’s attention. After comparing [Critical Rate] and [Critical Damage], Kieran picked the latter without a second thought.)

2567: I hope that [Critical Damage] can reach the maximum level with ur current [Alchemy] level.

2567: If four pieces of cracked [Soul Shard]s are not enough, I can pay you more!

Lemour: That will suffice!

2567: What if I added [Critical Rate] as well?

Lemour: Then it would not be a matter of money anymore.

Lemour: Enchanting one extra attribute with my current level of [Alchemy] is a 99% success, but if I add a second one, that success rate will go down by half!

Lemour: If u can afford it, I’m in! Problem is, are u willing to take the bet?"

...

Kieran ignored Lemour’s last question.

If enchanting failed, not only would the enchantment materials be consumed, but the items themselves might also suffer damage. Without a replacement for his [Jagdtiger-X1], Kieran was not willing to risk it.

After confirming the enchantment attribute, the two of them signed an agreement that vaguely stated that Lemour would try her best to enchant the item for one day and would keep all information regarding the enchantment to herself.

The veterans once again surrounded Lemour after she and Kieran had signed the agreement.

Kieran sat aside, counting his earnings from the earlier auction. He had earned a total of 97,000 Points and 31 Skill Points.

After adding that to his rewards from the dungeon, he had a total of:

[Points: 110,690; Skill Points: 37; Golden Skill Points: 2; Golden Attribute Points: 2]

When he saw that his Points were over 100,000, Kieran had the urge to trade them for union currency so he could treat his illness. He suppressed that thought quickly though. He had not forgotten about his original goal. He was not longing for a wealthy life, but just for enough to live comfortably.

He wished for a better life.

The Points and Skill Points before him would help him realize that goal.

Why would he trade them so easily?

"There’s still some time before my next treatment! What I should be doing right now is turning my points to strength and power and earning even more!"

Kieran stood up and canceled the remaining screenshots of the [Alloy Blade] as he prepared to leave.

The deals were not finished. He had received the Points and Skill Points, but the veterans had not received their goods. Both parties had signed an agreement.

Kieran would still need to go back to his lobby and send the goods to their respective owners.

Before Kieran could leave, his message tab pinged again.

He had received a message from Nobian.

Nobian: I have a [Potionology] Skill Book.