Chapter 216 - 211: Meditation Skill, The Possibility of Becoming Stronger Through Training, Dungeon Planning
Chapter 216: Chapter 211: Meditation Skill, The Possibility of Becoming Stronger Through Training, Dungeon Planning
A graceful, pure-white Unicorn, without a single blemish, trotted lightly forward. Its horn shimmered with a faint, pearlescent luster in the twilight glow of the setting sun.
Seated upon its back was none other than the Seventh Princess of the Empire, Cecilia Benest.
Unlike some other members of the Royal Family, who were known for their sharp and assertive personalities, Cecilia’s features were more delicate and gentle.
She had long, smooth, light-gray hair, intricately braided and coiled at the back of her head, revealing a clear forehead and a face with soft contours.
Her bright blue eyes, like a lake under a clear sky, were crystal clear. They now held a gentle smile as she curiously observed the unfamiliar town and the people lining the streets.
She wore a well-tailored, light-gold riding outfit made of fine materials, though it wasn’t overly extravagant. Over it was a light-purple velvet cloak embroidered with the Benest Royal Family’s crest—a winged lion—which both displayed her status and maintained an air of approachability.
She didn’t resemble a high and mighty Princess inspecting her domain, but rather a girl-next-door who had stumbled into a lively festival, observing everything with a hint of novelty and goodwill.
When she saw children held up by their parents on the roadside, she would even give a slight nod of acknowledgment. The natural smile on her lips easily dissolved the sense of distance created by her Royal Family status.
"A Unicorn! I saw a Unicorn! Heavens, to think I’d get to see one with my own eyes in this lifetime!"
A low gasp of amazement rose from the crowd.
"Is that Her Highness the Seventh Princess? She’s... she’s so beautiful..."
another voice said, filled with excitement.
"Shh... quiet down! Look at those guards, their gazes are terrifying..."
"What’s there to be afraid of? Her Highness looks so friendly. See? She’s even smiling this way!"
"So this is the Princess here for the King-Selection Ceremony? She doesn’t look very old..."
"What do you know? This is called being approachable! And look at how orderly the procession is—now that’s true royal grandeur!"
For a moment, surprise, admiration, awe, and curiosity all intertwined.
Amidst this medley of gazes and whispers, Cecilia Benest, guided by the Knights of the Roco family, led her retinue unhurriedly through the main street of Roco Town toward the brightly lit Lord’s Mansion.
Tonight, Roco Town was destined to be anything but peaceful.
However, none of this had much to do with Jon, at least not for now.
After purchasing all the necessary supplies for their adventure, Jon rented out the entire second floor of a small inn for himself and his teammates to rest.
"Good work, everyone. Rest well tonight. We head out for the Demon Forest Ruins tomorrow morning."
"Understood, Sir Jon."
The Moon Sati siblings naturally had no objections; it wasn’t often they found an employer like Jon who covered food and lodging.
Dolores, on the other hand, chuckled and said,
"It’s a little too early to rest, Boss. I’m gonna go look around~"
"Do as you like, just don’t delay our departure tomorrow."
With a cheer of "Yay~", Dolores was gone in a flash. Jon paid it no mind. He returned to his room, removed his armor, lit some incense he carried with him, and began his daily Meditation session.
For players, "Meditation" and its related Skills were merely a means to accelerate Magic Power recovery and obtain long-lasting buffs.
But for a Mage in the traditional sense, Meditation was a mandatory practice for organizing one’s thoughts and training one’s Spirit.
Moreover, the Meditation method he used wasn’t some common technique, but a Secret Technique of the Elf Race taught to him by Claudio.
——
[Meditation Skill of Pure Light LV.3 (Rare): Usable outside of combat. Begin Meditation to rapidly recover Magic Power Value. Small chance to gain 300 general Experience Points. Meditating for 30 minutes accumulates 1 point of "Pure Light," with a maximum of 1 point per day. Gain "Meditation Wisdom" after Meditation ends.]
[Pure Light: Can be triggered once 10 points are accumulated. Has a chance to increase Intelligence or Spirit. Current points (6/10)]
[Meditation Wisdom: Intelligence +3, Spirit +3, Magic Power recovery rate +3%, casting speed increased by 3%. Lasts for 8 hours.]
——
Compared to the various Meditation Skills from Jon’s past memories, the real Meditation Skill had undoubtedly undergone a massive change.
Not only did it add a small chance to gain Experience Points during Meditation, but it also had the overpowered effect of accumulating points like a daily check-in for a chance to gain Attribute Points.
And by Jon’s estimation, even if other Meditation Skills varied in efficiency, they were probably all more or less the same in this regard.
’Come to think of it, if I learn the training methods of the natives, I should be able to raise my other Attributes... but they all require long-term dedication. It’s not as fast as leveling up and allocating points...’
’Considering my leveling speed, this method is probably just icing on the cake...’
It had only been a month since he’d transmigrated, yet he was already at the threshold of the Official Level. This was an achievement that most ordinary Professionals might spend their entire lives trying to reach.
And once he completed his advancement, the growth rate of his Attributes would increase even further. At that point, ordinary training methods would truly be nothing more than a minor bonus.
Still...
’Who doesn’t like freebies...’
Something was better than nothing!
During a lull in his Meditation, Jon began to ponder his strategy for the Demon Forest Ruins tomorrow.
Back when he used to carry newcomers, he would just steamroll the Dungeon with his Advanced Level strength and didn’t need any strategy. But now he was only at the Apprentice Level; he had to plan things out.
’I remember the Demon Forest Ruins has three Official Level bosses. Two of them, the Splitting Tree Demon and the Demonized Ancient Tree, are elites, like Big Mimi...’
’I have to take down those two first before I can go for the hidden boss.’
’Perfect. Taking them down first will also let me complete the first part of my Warrior trial.’
During his previous journey to Trulane County, he hadn’t managed to complete his objective of killing five Official Level enemies in one go. He only killed three; the other intended targets had either heard he was coming and fled, or they had been reassigned elsewhere. In any case, he never ran into them.
To avoid wasting time, Jon could only save this task to be completed inside the Dungeon.
Fortunately, compared to humans who could run all over the place, Demons usually had fixed areas of activity, making them easier to find.
Furthermore, having fought these bosses before, Jon knew their weaknesses and had already prepared specific items to counter them when he was buying supplies earlier.
This was the source of his confidence in being able to clear the Dungeon even while bringing along three pieces of baggage.
’Mmm... I remember the route after entering the ruins is...’
However, just as Jon was using the heightened mental activity from his Meditation to recall the strategy for the Demon Forest Ruins, a faint commotion erupted outside his window, as if something was happening in town.
Jon remained completely unfazed by this; the rhythm of his Meditation was not disturbed in the slightest.
Since a touring procession had entered the town, such incidents were unavoidable. Unless he intended to get involved, it was best to just stay away.
Sure enough, the commotion died down after just a moment.
However, he hadn’t been able to Meditate in peace for long before there was a knock on his door.
It was followed by Dolores’s hushed, joyful cry.
"Boss! Boss! I got something good!"
Jon opened his eyes.