HC: Pacifist | Ch. 182 - Yeti Yak

Eager to buy new equipment that suited his needs, Roth checked all the items for sale in the auction house window. His excitement soon dissipated. 

“That’s it? No more items?” He was surprised to finish checking the listings so quickly. Why was there so little on offer? He turned the filters on and off and quickly found the reason. It seemed that his ecotailor profession didn’t just block materials such as skins and leather. It also blocked other materials depending on how they were harvested.

For example, he found an item that, at first glance, he should have been able to wear.

Yeti Yak Wool Jacket (Rare)

Description: A jacket made from the finest wool of the Yeti Yak that terrorizes the villages of the cold mountains out west.

Item effects:

3% cooldown reduction;

+12 intelligence;

+50hp;

+100ep.

Even though this jacket was made of wool, it seemed that it was harvested from a wild boss’s corpse and, therefore, blocked by his ecotailor profession. He clicked his tongue. Most of the better equipment in the game was obtained from hunting bosses and wild bosses. If the ecotailor profession prevented him from equipping that equipment, he would struggle to find suitable equipment at later levels. Out of curiosity, Roth decided to conduct an experiment.

He left the tab in the auction house that contained pieces of equipment and went to the one that featured crafting materials. An unending variety of fruit, vegetables, herbs, timber, ores, computer chips, rocks, gemstones, gears, and gizmos appeared. This was Roth’s first time browsing this market section, so he looked over some of the items. 

There was so much stuff that if he weren’t careful, he would spend the rest of the day exploring this brand-new world. Using the filters, he made it so that only crafting materials for tailors appeared.

He could only see bundles of wool, leather, hemp, cotton, linen, silk, and even plastic fibers.  He narrowed it down even further to crafting materials that could be used by tailors level 10 and below. He simultaneously opened the Rescue Library and looked for the bestiary section where common monsters, elites, and bosses were featured.

Roth finally found one crafting material that would work well for his experiment.

Alpaca Leader’s Wool

Description: Soft wool that has been harvested from a wild alpaca.

According to the Rescue Library, there was a mixed biome map with high hills not far from Hilsford. Players went there to hunt alpacas. Among them was an elite monster, the alpaca leader, who granted this valued crafting material. This would work fine to confirm his theory.

With his eyes on this material, Roth went to the filters and toggled the option to show items he could use on and off. His hunch was right. Whenever he turned the filter on, the item disappeared. Seeing where this was going, he could feel a headache brewing. As a pacifist and an ecotailor, he probably had to meet with all these animals personally and form a relationship with them.

He didn’t mind making new friends, but the time factor worried him. When he climbed his levels further and needed to find new equipment, he would have to harvest the wool from the animals personally.

Fortunately for him, he could also use plant fibers in the meantime. Up to level 20, most options were made of hemp, but for level 30 medics, most options were fashioned from linen. This begged the question, should he abandon wool and just focus on plant fibers? This was something he would have to think about more later.

After this small detour, he returned to studying the items available. Now that he better understood how his special profession limited the equipment he could wear, he quickly came to another realization: Practically all the items he was looking at had been crafted by players. The frustrating thing was that he was a tailor and could craft these items himself. 

Should he just drop the whole thing and try to craft some equipment himself? He shook his head. The expedition to slay the Hive King would happen very soon, and he needed to boost his stats immediately. Knowing that he was about to spend gold on the work of a craftsman competitor ignited his desire to progress in his profession as an ecotailor. 

Following his earlier decisions, Roth looked for items that granted intelligence and cooldown reduction. Secondary stats that he didn’t mind getting were wisdom and charisma, followed by subterfuge and dexterity. Eventually, he was able to narrow it down to two possibilities.

One was one of the few sets of equipment crafted from wool that he could wear. It offered slightly less intelligence but a little more cooldown reduction.

Lambswool Cap (Uncommon)

A cap from a lamb’s first wool. It captures and reflects ambient light, providing an otherworldly appearance.

Item effects:

+1% cooldown reduction;

+7 intelligence;

+2 wisdom.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 28.

Lambswool Robes (Uncommon)
Item description: A soft robe that will keep you warm and comfortable in the coldest weather.

Item effects:

+1% cooldown reduction;

+10 intelligence;

+40 hp;

+6% damage reduction.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 29.

Lambswool Mitts (Uncommon)

Item description: Soft gloves made from a lamb’s first wool. 

Item effects:

+1% cooldown reduction;

+3 intelligence;

+10 ep;

+2% status resistance.

Restrictions: Medic, lvl. 28.

Lambswool Leggings (Uncommon)

Item description: Leggings made from lambswool. Perfect to keep you warm.

Item effects:

+1% cooldown reduction;

+20 hp;

+8 intelligence.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 31.

Lambswool Hooves (Uncommon)

Item description: Boots that allow you to walk around quietly.

Item effects:

+3% running speed;

+5 subterfuge;

+5 wisdom;

+2 intelligence.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 30.

It provided an overall bonus of 4% cooldown reduction, which wasn’t bad. Now that he was more familiar with crafting, he wondered what crafting grade these items had gotten. He selected all [Lambswool Caps] for sale and compared the listings.

There were ones that were most likely Ds and Es for sale at 50 silver.

Lambswool Cap (Common)

A cap made from a lamb’s first wool, which captures and reflects ambient light, providing an otherworldly appearance.

Item effects:

+5 intelligence;

+2 wisdom.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 25.

Then there were caps like the one he saw earlier for sale for one gold. He guessed that those were B grades. Sadly, he found nothing beyond that. Why was that? Was it that difficult to get an A and above grade when crafting these items? Maybe there was a high demand for A and S grade equipment and it was sold as soon as someone posted it.

He then turned toward the other set that granted a little more intelligence but less cooldown reduction.

Linen White Hood (Uncommon)

A hood made from coarse linen with a beautiful white finish that makes the wearer look more distinguished.

Item effects:

+10 intelligence;

+5% healing power;

+30 ep.

Restrictions: Medics, lvl. 30.

Radiant Robes (Uncommon)

Item description: These white and shiny floating robes, albeit beautiful, offer little to no protection. 

Item effects:

+1% cooldown reduction;

+14 intelligence;

+8% critical healing;

+50 ep.

Restrictions: Medics, lvl. 30.

Linen Light Gloves (Uncommon)

Item description: Gloves made from linen that won’t restrict your movement.

Item effects:

+1% cooldown reduction;

+7 intelligence;

+2 dexterity;

+10 ep.

Restrictions: Medics, lvl. 28.

Linen Shiny Trousers (Uncommon)

Item description: Trousers fashioned out of linen that provide a comfortable choice for adventurers and warriors.

Item effects:

+8 intelligence;

+5% damage resistance;

+20 hp.

Restrictions: All classes, lvl. 31.

Linen Shoes (Uncommon)

Item description: Very light boots that won’t hinder your speed. 

Item effects:

+5% running speed;

+5 dexterity;

+2 intelligence.

Restrictions: Medics, lvl. 30.

Sadly, neither offered a set bonus effect. 

If AstroTerra was like other games Roth knew, obtaining sets from running dungeons or hunting bosses was much easier than crafting them. In New Earth, recipes for sets of equipment had been extremely rare drops. 

There was more than one account of how a lucky player became rich after finding a recipe for set equipment and selling it in an auction. There were other tales of how guilds had made fortunes purchasing these recipes, teaching them to a team of skillful craftsmen, and selling them to the masses, bringing vast wealth into their coffers.

Even though none of them had a set effect, they still had good stats, better than the ones Roth had now. They also were reasonably priced for equipment of its level. The lambswool set was on sale for 30 gold, and the linen one was for 34 gold. He had bought the [Black Toxicologist] set for a tenth of this, but as one progressed in the game, everything inevitably became more expensive. 

He weighed both options and ultimately decided to get the lambswool set of equipment. The reason for this was simple: the [Wool’s Will] skill.

Wool's Will (Profession)

Skill description: You have spent a long time in the presence of sheep and have worked with their wool. You understand how the molecules of its fibers align and can better utilize wool to its fullest potential.

Skill effects:

Passive. Whenever you're wearing wool equipment, +1 intelligence per piece;

If you're only wearing wool, +3 dexterity.

By only wearing wool, he gained a bonus to his intelligence and a little dexterity to boot. It was like his profession offered him the set effect that these pieces of equipment failed to provide. Just as he was about to purchase all the equipment, he stopped himself. He stood up and paced in front of the bench. Why settle for crafted equipment with a B grade? 

He remembered his early conversation with Drake and hurriedly checked the names he had added to the VIP section in the Union Contract. He went through the list of names in the VIP list and grinned. He hadn’t remembered adding the two names Drake had mentioned, but he just wanted to be sure before contacting him.

He opened his list of friends and sent Drake a message.

“Hey, Drake!”

“What’s up, Roth?” came the swift response. No matter how busy Drake was, he always answered Roth promptly. Seeing his friends’ concern for him brought a smile to Roth’s lips.

“Remember those two tailors you told me about?”

“Rhapsody and Leanne?”

“Yes. I can see neither of them are on the VIP roster. Would it be OK if I placed an order with them?”

“Sure,” he answered.

Roth smirked. He went to the union chat. Things had picked up since he had last visited this private post in the forums. There were different channels dedicated to different professions, and even as he opened it, lively discussions were going on about crafting techniques, materials, and recipes.

He went to the orders section. There weren’t many orders yet. Even though a normal union member would find this section empty, Roth, as one of the founding members, could see the orders in progress. One was issued by a third-tier guild asking for a batch of polearms, and another by a group of adventurers asking for fire-resistant equipment to run a dungeon. In exchange, both customers putting in the requests were offering precious crafting materials. Hopefully, as the union became more famous, more orders would pour in.

Roth put in his order:

Customer: Union Collective.

For: 1 Tailor

Request: A medic or non-class equipment made of lambswool for a level 30 player. The crafting grade has to be at least S-. The main stats required are intelligence and CDR. Secondary stats are wisdom and charisma.

Deadline: 10 hours. 

Payment: The craftsman will become a VIP union member and have access to extra stats.

Roth pondered whether he should offer the materials, a monetary reward, or add more requirements to his commission. However, considering the extra stats' value, he decisively hit send. The order appeared in the Union’s forums, and he also received a message.

There’s a new order for tailors in the Union Collective! 

He chuckled and nodded approvingly at how H had programmed this. Since he was also registered as a tailor, he received these notifications. Seeing nothing happen immediately, Roth shrugged. He would have to allow the Union's tailors to check out the order. Hopefully, one of those two big shot tailors would be interested. He couldn’t wait to see what kind of equipment they came up with.

In the meantime, he turned to his accessories.

ACCESSORIES

[Crow Feather Earring] | +1 intelligence; +1 energy regen

[Blue Caterpillar Earring] | +5 subterfuge; +10 wisdom

[Witness Protection Mask]

[Crow Feather Necklace] | +1 wisdom; +2 intelligence; +5 ep

[Utility Belt] | +10 kg

[Blue Caterpillar Ring] | +8 subterfuge; +5 intelligence

[Ring of the Wanderer] | +2 wisdom; +5 ep

Although [Blue Caterpillar Earring] and [Blue Caterpillar Ring] were good accessories, several others needed an upgrade. Curious, he checked for any other blue caterpillar items for sale. He wrote ‘blue caterpillar’ in the search bar. 

There are 0 results for your query.

As he suspected, these accessories were rare and valuable. He received a notification as he searched through the different accessories, looking for anything that reduced cooldowns or granted intelligence. He eagerly dropped what he was doing and read it.

Leanne has picked up your order.

Roth threw his arms up in triumph. He would get something better than anything available in the auction house and do so for free! Good thing, too. Some of the stuff he still had to buy was crazy expensive.

He spotted the pair of epic earrings he’d seen before still for sale. Was 10,000 gold for the [Sun of the Mountain] and [Moon of the Mountain] too much? He knew he would buy these quickly if he had enough gold. Just as he was about to purchase his selection of jewelry, he got a call from Drake.

Roth frowned. Why was Drake calling him all of a sudden? When Drake came into the call, he had an exasperated look. 

“Hey, Drake. Are you OK? You seem annoyed with something.”

“Hey, Roth. The little order you put on the Union’s website has started something.”

“Uh? What do you mean?”

“Leanne, Rhapsody, and another guy haven’t stopped bickering since you posted it. Do you mind coming over? If we don’t do something, these people will turn the Union into a battlefield.”

“Uh… fine. I’m going.”

Roth left the call confused. What had he done wrong? Was putting an order for equipment something so controversial? He stared at the floating market window wistfully. He just couldn’t catch a break! It was as if there was a curse preventing him from shopping! He sighed, slumped his shoulders, and followed the coordinates on the map. Hopefully, he would still have time to buy the rest of what he needed later.

Ch. 181 - BlueFire

INDEX

Ch. 183 - Rhapsody