Chapter 611 - The God of Craft's Gifts, Walking In The Eye of The Storm
Though perhaps the most valuable thing to Izroth was not the crafting speed or Blessing of Craft, but rather the point of luck! Obtaining one point of luck was a daunting task, and the benefits it granted were not small.
'With this, I have four points of luck. It's a shame that this blessing does not have any direct combat applications, but it is indeed worthy of being an S-ranked skill.'
After reading over the blessing, Izroth shifted his focus to the next skill on his list, Appraisal. When Izroth first saw this name show up, he was curious about its use. After all, the system already freely appraised everything for players. However, Izroth believed that if it was a part of Mazi's offer—how could it be a worthless skill?
'This is... As expected, it is different from the system's appraisal. Even so, I never thought that the gap between the two would be this immense.'
Skill Name: Appraisal
Skill Mastery: 0.00%
Skill Rank: SS
Active: Allows the user to analyze and identify hidden values and characteristics of people and objects. The higher the mastery, the more in-depth details this skill provides to the user.
Cooldown: 25 seconds
Special Note: Let nothing hide from your sights!
Without hesitation, Izroth immediately unsheathed his Sword of The Storm.
'Appraisal.'
Weapon Name: Sword of The Storm
Weapon Rank: Epic
Weapon Level: 40
Requirements: 500 Attack
Attack Damage: 1,000
~Appraisal~
Classification: A++
Durability: 2,852/5,500(Decent Condition)
Sharpness: 7.2 -> 4.2
Weight: 452
~Appraisal~
...
〈System Alert: Your mastery with the skill «Appraisal» has risen by 0.01%!〉
'Oh? It went up right away?'
Just as the skill described, Izroth was now able to see the hidden values of his Sword of The Storm!
'Players are aware of hidden values, but since they are concealed under most circ.u.mstances, no one has been able to get a good grasp on how they work. The fact that I can see these hidden values gives me a huge advantage.'
When Izroth focused his eyes on one of the newly revealed values, a brief explanation of what it defined appeared before him.
[Classification: Judges the overall quality of a piece of equipment compared to other items of its level. Classification Ranks are as follows: S, A++, A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, E, F]
'The Sword of The Storm only possesses an A++ classification. Does that mean there are other level 40 weapons out there that surpass it? The durability has also been holding up much better than I anticipated. The sharpness on the other hand... I've felt that things have been somewhat harder to cut lately compared to when I first received the Sword of The Storm—especially after I left the Sky Palace. I figured it was related to confronting those with higher defensive stats, but the sharpness has dropped by almost half of its original value. I suppose it's long overdue for a repair.'
Izroth waited for 25 seconds until the cooldown of Appraisal ended before using it again on his Sword of The Storm. However, nothing changed, nor did his skill mastery increase.
'I guess it wouldn't be that easy to master. It is an SS-ranked skill, after all.'
Izroth returned his Sword of The Storm to its sheath as he once again waited for Appraisal to come off cooldown. The moment it became available, Izroth used it to examine an item that still held many secrets—the Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence.
〈System Alert: Your mastery level is too low to appraise this item!〉
'A bit disappointing, though I'm not too surprised.'
The Apparel of Insatiable Transcendence was something created by the God of Craft himself. If it were so easily appraised, it would have been deciphered and recreated a long time ago.
'Let's try a few more items.'
...
Approximately 30 minutes later...
Izroth had gone through virtually every item in his inventory using his Appraisal skill, and he found several interesting points.
For one, Izroth could now see the hidden ranks assigned to pills. In addition, when it came to certain materials, it revealed to Izroth details about what type of areas or climates he could find them in. While it was still highly restricted due to his low mastery level, in the future, it would serve as something irreplaceable!
'My mastery has risen, but... It's a lot slower than I imagined.'
Skill Name: Appraisal
Skill Mastery: 0.01% -> 0.25%
...
'Well, since it's just appraising things, it won't be too difficult to increase my mastery. As long as I use it frequently, there should not be any issues. Though it's a shame, I can't appraise myself yet.'
Of course, Izroth tried to use Appraisal on himself since the skill could appraise people; however, it stated that his mastery level was too low!
As for the Lost Page from the Book of Beginnings—Izroth did not even attempt to appraise it. If he could not even fully appraise something like his Sword of The Storm, what hope did he have for something even those in the legendary realm would fight over?
'I got so caught up in appraising that I nearly forgot about this one.'
Izroth inspected the last skill he acquired from Mazi, Unparalleled Craftsman.
'Though I would have to be a fool to let something like this escape me. But, this gift—isn't it a bit too generous?'
Skill Name: Unparalleled Craftsman
Skill Mastery: 0.00%
Skill Rank: SSS
Passive: The user of this skill has the potential to be an unparalleled craftsman! There is no time to rest on your journey! You will no longer experience fatigue.
Born To Craft(Passive) - +[100%] Crafting Speed, +[6.5%] Blessing of Craft
Attention To Detail(Passive) - The chances of bestowing an item with Blessing of Craft increases the higher the user's concentration is during the crafting process (MAX: 100%). When focusing on anything to an extreme degree, the user has a small chance of entering the state of «Mind of Craft». Entering the «Mind of Craft» state will temporarily provide a [300%] boost to the user's crafting speed and senses. The chances of Blessing of Craft are increased by [100%] in this state.
Natural Talent(Passive) - Items crafted by the user have a [3%] chance (MIN: 0.1%) of their quality being automatically raised by one rank upon successful creation. The higher the item's quality, the lower the chances is of this effect occurring.
Gifted Expertise of An Artisan(Passive) - The user gains the ability to locate and correct flaws in, but not limited to, existing blueprints and recipes.
Heart of A Creator(Passive) - The user will gain a permanent production method of any craftable item they disassemble. [Stored Production Methods: 0/4]
Prodigy's Right(Passive) - The user can learn more than one profession, as is a prodigy's right. However, even a prodigy should not spread their focus too thin!
[Primary Profession: Apothecary(3/10)(Unmastered)]
[Profession Slot(2): None(0/10)(Unmastered)]
[Profession Slot(3+): Locked(Insufficient Skill Mastery)]
Special Note: When it comes to crafting, let no one be your equal! You are unparalleled!
When it came to the other two skills Izroth received, neither of them came remotely close to rivaling Unparalleled Craftsman. This skill was in a league of its own—a true SSS-ranked skill!
'The skill certainly speaks for itself. From the looks of it, I can only master two professions with my current skill mastery. Apothecary being my primary profession is a given since I've already chosen it; however, I will have to carefully consider my next profession since I don't know when I will unlock another profession slot.'
Izroth had a few ideas as to what he wanted his second profession to be, but he was uncertain of how to obtain the profession he wanted as it was not common by any means.
'It looks like I'll have to do some digging. In the meantime-'
Suddenly, Izroth's train of thought was interrupted by an alert from the system.
〈System Alert: Player Meng Jiang has sent you a message, "It has been very hectic lately, as I'm sure you know. But, I assure you—I have not forgotten our arrangement, Mr. First Place. With the situation as it is in the Demilitarization Belt, don't you think they will be quite comfortable right about now? I really want to knock those shameless thieving bastards down a peg or two. ^_^ If you are still interested in cooperating with my Sacred Beasts, meet us at the following coordinates at the edge of the Demilitarization Belt in two hours. :) :) :) Coordinates..."〉
Izroth inwardly shook his head as he read over the message.
'As straightforward as always. Though I don't necessarily dislike this kind of person.'
Izroth replied to Meng Jiang's message, and the moment he finished sending it, a sharp look flashed through his eyes.
'Headhunter Syndicate, I hope you've enjoyed your last few days of peace in the Demilitarization Belt. Those peaceful days... Will be coming to an end.'
A great storm was brewing in the Demilitarization Belt, and walking in its eye was Izroth himself!