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Congratulations You have completed the Metallurgist Path As the extracted bones of the Earth have been insufficient to meet your needs you inevitably began to modify and enhance the materials around you By walking this Path the knack for creating something truly special will slowly emerge Your familiarity with all forms of metal increases Wisdom Control and Focus +20 You have earned the (Unique) Skill Touch of the Ghosthound

Touch of the Ghosthound When you create a material it will be permanently improved based upon a percentage of your own stats The enhancements will be related to the type of material created The specific percentage of your touch displayed will be based upon the Rarity of the created piece of equipment when it is made Higher Rarities will bring out more of the latent potential of your touch Common 1% Uncommon 3% Rare 5% Ancient 7% Runic 9% Legendary 10% Mythic 15% Transcendental 20% Pinnacle 25%

Randidly twitched very slightly Immediately he was punished for waiting so long to go through the Cohort 5 Path The small amount of stats he gathered while finishing it was fine but the reward was practically useless to him at the moment Meanwhile since he had spent several years on Tellus in various forms the extra experience and Skill proficiencies would have been extremely valuable at the time

To get it now just felt like the System was taunting him

Meanwhile the bonuses that Randidly got from the other two Paths were more pleasant The CreatorÆs Luck didnÆt have any direct effect but it would likely help him as he returned to Erickson Steel to make metal or when he was working on Engraving And due to the text it seemed possible that it would also give him bonuses when adjusting Skills or perhaps even images

Considering that Randidly still was in the process of figuring out the exact shape for his Yggdrasil Skillset it would be valuable to push the Level of that Skill up some before he finally attempted to consolidate this core Skillset

The bonus from Metallurgist was even more powerful It had been quite some time since Randidly had received any Unique Skills so he was immediately excited as he considered the effects And since the bonus it gave was based upon his own stats

Although a Pinnacle Rarity item was probably a long way away it would mean that Randidly could create an item that would give the user an extra 250 or so Control Even if the item was the limit of SamÆs current abilities a Legendary item that was still a boost of 90 Control should the bonus be the Control variety That was in addition to any effects that the item would already possess

maybe I should spend more time working on creating metal in the upcoming days

Chapter 956

Randidly was about to go back to his Path screen and select what he would be receiving next but a figure approaching the spring gave him pause Sighing Randidly straightened and prepared to receive the guest

Lyra smiled like a mischievous fey as she stepped into the clearing Am I interrupting something

What are you here for Randidly asked doing his best to keep his annoyance from his voice Although he had made his peace with Lyra that didnÆt mean that he trusted her Just that he had believed they had an understanding that they would keep to their own business until the first two Calamities had passed They were not in the sort of relationship where a sudden visit was a good thing

Especially since she came immediately after his challenge against Donnyton In order to spend some time examining the growth of his images Randidly had been carefully suppressing his Willpower If she forced him into a fight right now

Lyra raised her hands I understand you donÆt believe I have any good intentions Because I rarely come without trying to get something from you But today I want to make a trade A fair trade Between equals

That immediately had RandidlyÆs hands tightening into fists It was clear from LyraÆs tone that something she had seen in the challenge had powerfully affected her Even more disturbing than this young womanÆs change of heart Randidly couldnÆt help but notice the nearby wind quieted There was a silence in the air as if existence itself was waiting for an answer

The babbling of the spring faded away The leaves were shaken by a strong wind and then faded to oblivion The air was cool and clear like inside of a snow globe Randidly frowned and scanned the area with Aether but he could detect nothing that was amiss The surroundings seemed completely normal

Yet who could deny that the natural world reacted to something that Lyra said

No gifts but a trade Yet this is certainly one aspect of our karma Randidly thought tiredly He considered calling Lucretia out in order to see her perspective on the strange natural phenomenon but ultimately Randidly suspected that she wouldnÆt find anything

Unbidden the memory of fate related Skill that Randidly had forcibly destroyed came into his mind For several seconds Randidly simply studied Lyra Today she wore a dark blue corduroy dress the front of which was covered in stitched pockets Rather than a being that had casually sold her soul she had the sort of presence that you would expect from a childhood friend from an anime all bright eyes and wide smile

That is aside from her overly pale skin and luminous violet eyes That part of her screamed villain

Like Randidly Lyra probably spent far more time in this new world ruled by the System than a calendar would indicate Therefore she stood slender and lovely as an orchid looking like she was in her early 20s Her tawny hair curled down her ears to her jaw As Randidly looked at Lyra he realized that she was looking at him just as intently

Seeing that Randidly had no intention of doing anything but studying her Lyra smiled awkwardly As you expected IÆm going to ask you to do something that should not normally happen But I assure you Octavius will not become aware of your actions Until IÆm ready I will not reveal what you have done

The hairs on the back of RandidlyÆs neck prickled Mentioning Octavius was not a way to make him feel relaxed The strange being that ran their Cohort was very clear what would happen if Randidly flaunted the natural order of the System again Is that a threat

Finally this sweetly smiling mask that Lyra work broke and she scowled at him Randidly I donÆt want you to die or be thrown in fantasy jail Without you even with the seeds youÆve just planted itÆs still slightly doubtful that the Earth can pass the First Calamity And being cut off from Aether and relegated to a doomed planet is not what I want Although most Village Spirits can just return to their original world how would that help me If Earth goes to shit IÆm fucked IÆm on your side

For now Randidly said softly But as Lyra pursed her lips in annoyance some part of his inner suspicion faded away leaving amusement in its wake IÆve spent so much time forcing my body to relax today to control my images IsnÆt it just like Lyra to show up and spoil all that hard work

Randidly chuckled as that amusement continued to bubble forth That caused LyraÆs frown to deepen

What are you snickering at She snapped

Randidly shrugged helplessly ItÆs nothing just been a long day So IÆll bite what do you want from me

I want a Class Lyra said with a dazzling smile Randidly snorted and ignored her blatant attempt to charm him as he unpacked that statement

Obviously Lyra couldnÆt obtain a Class the old fashioned way with her Status as a Village Spirit Therefore Randidly thought it was likely that it meant that outside of her very specific sphere of influence as a Village Spirit Lyra was lacking in capability Whether that was due to lack of Stats or Skills it wasnÆt clear But obtaining a Class would allow her to grow A more powerful Lyra was dangerous but Stats only could do so much Her natural affinity for Aether was much more dangerous and why she could become a Village Spirit