MTLNOVEL Chapter 16
“Well, let’s get started and organize things.”
I looked over the various tools laid out in front of me.
These were the tools I had bought in preparation for the exam that was to start tomorrow.
“Master, you’ve really stocked up, haven’t you?”
The exam instructions had said, “Prepare as if you’re going to dive into a dungeon,” so I had purchased everything I thought I might need, tossing them into The World as I went.
I had three blankets, including spares, a lantern, ropes, a pickaxe, and, perhaps somewhat excessively, enough preserved food for several weeks.
I inspected each item one by one to confirm there were no issues.
“Now, it’s this one.”
Apart from the exploration gear, I picked up the items I had set aside.
“Master, let’s test them out!”
I placed them on a simple platform that Eve had made. There were 60 transparent stones, large, medium, and small in size. Since I had paid 12 gold coins, the value of each stone was roughly 20 silver coins.
So far, my World had absorbed magic cores, expanding the space, or absorbed dungeon cores, improving the environment and allowing me to learn magic.
Thanks to that, I had been able to conquer dungeons without struggling against low-level monsters.
I suspected that this blessing was about drawing power from stones with special properties.
If that was the case, then perhaps I could use abilities that can’t normally be activated by magic tools. It might be possible for me.
“Let’s try one out.”
I placed a small core onto the platform. It wasn’t a smooth sphere like Eve’s, but a jagged stone about the size of my fingertip.
“Eve, what’s the result?”
As soon as I placed the stone, Eve absorbed it into the platform.
“Please wait a moment… …Got it!”
After a short pause, Eve responded cheerfully. Then…
“Master, this stone grants a speed ability.”
“Speed?”
“It’s a skill that doubles your agility.”
“That’s… quite a powerful ability, isn’t it?”
With this, even an ordinary person like me could compete with seasoned warriors in terms of agility.
It seemed like my assumption was right. The core from a special dungeon wasn’t a defective one at all. It just couldn’t be handled by regular magic tools, but it was a useful item for me.
I couldn’t hide my excitement and placed the next stone on the platform.
“Hmm. This one grants a power ability.”
The power ability is a skill that doubles strength. Those who receive this blessing often become knights or warriors.
“This one is magic, and this one is luck.”
I continued to have Eve appraise the remaining stones, and here are the results:
Speed ×10
Power ×8
Stamina ×9
Magic ×7
Luck ×12
“These are small stones, so once used, they’ll be gone.”
Apparently, due to the size of these cores, they couldn’t store power. Once used, all their abilities would be unlocked at once.
“So, one use means 20 silver coins worth of abilities…”
It seems like they won’t be something I can use casually.
Even so, the fact that I could get a temporary boost is reassuring.
For an ordinary person, receiving even one of these blessings would be a great gift.
It would be like a paid boost, but having the ability to double all stats is a massive advantage.
“For now, keep these stored, Eve. I’ll give you instructions when I need them.”
“Understood. Leave it to me!”
As expected of an administrator, Eve responded brightly and quickly stowed the core away in the platform.
“Next, let’s move on to the rest of the stones.”
The remaining stones consisted of 2 large ones and 12 medium ones.
They were likely to hold even greater powers than the smaller ones.
I started with one of the medium stones and placed it on the platform.