Chapter 8: Major Makeover, Commission
Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Major Makeover, Commission
Among these three pieces of equipment, the one that most attracted Jon was, without a doubt, the Excellent-grade saber.
The blade was about three fingers wide, with a thick spine and a thin edge. Its tip was slightly upswept, and its overall shape resembled an Ox Tail Blade, only much heavier and thicker.
Compared to the Mountain-Cutting Saber he originally used, this was undoubtedly a true weapon for hacking and slashing!
Seeing Jon’s eyes practically glued to it, Old Sutton, who was standing to the side, felt the boy was as silly and simple as ever and immediately laughed and chided him.
"Stop staring. They’re all for you. Try them on. If anything doesn’t fit right, I can still make some adjustments."
"Yeah!"
Jon responded, and without any hesitation, reached directly for the saber.
The moment he held it, he could tell it was different.
The center of gravity was balanced, and the grip was comfortable.
And the best part was that it felt completely effortless to swing!
This was likely due to a special design Old Sutton incorporated during the Forging process. This must be what the "Balance" in the equipment’s name refers to.
In the game, the "Balance" stat made it easier for a weapon’s damage to reach its upper limit. In reality, it probably meant that better control allowed the user to better manage their force when attacking, resulting in more powerful strikes.
Jon, unable to put the blade down, hefted it a couple of times, a joyful smile spreading across his face.
The "babysitter" gear he got from his friends back when he was a newbie was only about this level.
It wasn’t that his friends were stingy and couldn’t provide better equipment, but that in the world of Yino, each stage of progression had its own appropriate gear quality.
The better the equipment, the higher the requirements for the user. They were either astonishingly heavy or had Attribute requirements. If you gave a Level 1 alt an Epic Level Divine Artifact, they wouldn’t even be able to lift it, let alone talk about grinding monsters to level up.
So, what’s suitable is what’s best!
Besides...
’It’s rated Excellent without any Enchantment effects. If I could just slap an Enchantment Scroll on it, wouldn’t it be heading straight for Rare Level?’
’What were the ways to get Enchantments in the early game again...’
As Jon recalled the quests he had done and the Dungeons he had run, he turned his gaze to the other two pieces of equipment in the box.
The Thick Hide Armor seemed to be made from the hide of some kind of lizard monster. It was grayish-white, and you could still see fine, scale-like keratin protrusions on its surface. The chest and back were reinforced with an extra layer, making it look extremely sturdy.
The oak Arm Shield was a Square Shield, made from a single block of thick oak. It was about the size of a briefcase, reinforced with cross-shaped iron bars, and its edges were bound with an iron hoop.
Although they were both Ordinary-grade pieces of equipment—what players commonly called "white gear"—their quality was top-notch, enough to last for a long time.
After humbly "asking for instructions" from the Old Dwarf on how to wear everything—thoroughly satisfying the old man’s desire to give pointers—he successfully put on both pieces of equipment.
And so, Jon’s appearance changed drastically.
Before, he was a disheveled mess, relying on tattered animal hides for warmth. After his battles with the lone wolf and the great snow fox, he was covered in mud and blood—the very image of a wild man!
But now, having stripped off the rotten hides and donned the Thick Hide Armor with its matching cloth lining, with the Arm Shield on his left arm and the saber in his right hand, he still looked scruffy, but it was a massive improvement.
To put it simply, he had evolved from a wild man to a barbarian!
At least Old Sutton looked very pleased, stroking his beard and nodding repeatedly.
"You rascal, you finally look the part... I suppose... hmm..."
As he spoke, he seemed to think of something, turned around, and fished a fist-sized jar out of a toolbox next to the forge, tossing it to Jon.
"Take it. Figure out how to use it when you get back."
Jon hadn’t expected this. He caught the jar and glanced at it, freezing on the spot.
——
[Chu Blood Grass Essence (Ordinary - Potion)]
[Quantity: 122g]
[Slowly restores Life Value after consumption. Amount restored and duration depend on dosage.]
"Caution: Consuming too much at once will cause a nosebleed."
——
He looked up at the Old Dwarf, somewhat at a loss.
"Sir... what is this?"
To Sutton, this look naturally meant the silly boy didn’t recognize a good thing when he saw one. He immediately snorted coldly.
"It’s wound medicine!"
"You rascal, you really risked your life out there and got hurt pretty bad, didn’t you? If you don’t recover properly, you’ll be a wreck by the end of winter!"
The words weren’t pleasant, but the concern hidden beneath the scolding was undeniably real.
And this caused Jon, who had been viewing Old Sutton with the mindset of dealing with an NPC, to feel a stir of emotion...
As someone whose former Sub-profession was an Alchemist, how could he not recognize the most commonly used potion from the newbie stage?
According to the market price back when he started playing Yino, 100 grams of Chu Blood Grass Essence was worth 50 Harvia Silver Coins, enough to last a new player for a long time!
And that was during a time when players had already impacted the Yino Continent, and the production of various adventuring supplies had increased dramatically.
At the current time, this one jar was probably worth half as much as that great snow fox pelt!
Adding in the value of the three pieces of equipment, Old Sutton definitely got the short end of the stick in this trade!
But why was he willing to do this?
Was it simply because he enjoyed the flattery? Or was it charity given from a position of superiority?
’Probably... neither...’
Recalling fragments of his predecessor’s memories from before he was branded with the name "Calamity Star," Jon found his answer.
It was because of affection.
People aren’t made of stone. How could they be unfeeling?
Jon had no idea how long Sutton Silverbeard had been in Nomu Village.
At the very least, he’d been firing up his forge and hammering iron here for as long as Jon’s predecessor could remember.
The Old Dwarf had watched Jon and the other boys of his generation grow up.
After so many years, you’d even grow attached to a cat or a dog, let alone a living, breathing child who could run and jump, cry and laugh.
A plague at the beginning of the year had taken nearly half the village’s population. The people of Jon’s generation had either died in the plague or moved away from the village.
And the emotions of those who remained naturally needed an outlet.
Out of their ignorance and fear, the villagers had placed the title of "Calamity Star" on the surviving Jon, cursing and ostracizing him.
But Old Sutton, of course, knew that the plague was no single person’s fault. So, he had directed all his affection toward Jon, looking after him and helping him.
Only now did Jon truly feel what an incredibly real world this was.
The interactions between people weren’t just simple data exchanges; they were filled with warmth.
This was an experience that no game, no matter how realistic, could ever provide.
As a player, in order to maximize his gains, he could naturally "perform" at the right moments to get the most benefit for himself.
But, was that really the right thing to do?
Was he really just a player simply playing a game right now?
When facing the people of this world, did he have other choices?
Jon couldn’t think it all through right now.
He just felt a whirlwind of thoughts in his mind and a slight sting in his nose.
A thousand words ultimately condensed into one sincere and heartfelt sentence—
"Thank you, Uncle Sutton!"
Old Sutton looked at the boy bowing before him, a faint glimmer flashing in his small eyes. He, too, seemed moved, but in the end, he just waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, you’ve got your things, you’ve got your medicine. Scram, don’t disturb my sleep!"
Jon straightened up and acknowledged him, then turned to leave. But just before he reached the door, he remembered something and stopped.
"Uncle Sutton, I saw before that the papers you were writing on seemed to have some stones drawn on them..."
"Hm?"
"I was just wondering, is there anything I can do to help?"
Old Sutton grunted, on the verge of saying no.
But after glancing at Jon clad in his hide armor and holding the saber, and then catching sight of the great snow fox hanging under the eaves out of the corner of his eye, he gave his reply.
"If you see any strange-looking stones in the mountains, pick them up and bring them back for me to see. But there’s no rush on that."
"Your most important task right now, you rascal, is to heal up properly. Don’t go looking for death in the mountains anytime soon!"
"If you’re short on food, just come to me!"
Jon’s eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically.
"Yeah!"