Morning in the suite at The Ivory Refuge began with a realization that made Diana stop what she was doing and stare at the System window with her mouth slightly agape.
She was arranging her crafted potions on the table when she decided to check her attribute panel.
And that was when she realized.
[UNASSIGNED ATTRIBUTE POINTS DETECTED!]
- Diana: 10 Free Attribute Points (Level 7 and Level 8).
- Rhea: 10 Free Attribute Points (Level 6 and Level 7).
Diana lightly slapped her own forehead.
With the adrenaline of the forest hunt, item crafting, and the battle against the Level 11 Salamander, both of them had simply forgotten to distribute the points from their last two level-ups.
"Rhea." Diana called out.
Rhea approached the table, surprised. "What is it, Diana?"
"Open your status panel." Diana said, shaking her head. "We forgot to spend ten attribute points from the last two levels."
Rhea blinked, her amber eyes widening upon seeing the notification flashing on her screen. "I-It's true! I didn't even notice!"
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Diana sat down on the chair and began analyzing her own distribution with extreme care.
[DIANA'S CURRENT STATUS PANEL (BEFORE DISTRIBUTION)]
Level: 8 (45 / 3,800 EXP)
Strength: 12 | Agility: 11 | Vitality: 10 | Intelligence: 10 | Luck: 2
Free Points: 10
As she stared at her balanced numbers, a subtle, troubling doubt began to hammer in the back of Diana's mind.
Am I spreading myself too thin…?
Diana's analytical mind began questioning her own growth. She was investing in Strength for melee combat, Agility for dodging, Intelligence for long-range spells, and still spending time on Alchemy and Leatherworking.
On paper in a traditional RPG game, trying to be good at everything usually meant becoming a character who was average at everything and master of nothing.
If I keep distributing points across every front, Diana thought, her brow furrowed in pragmatic concern, I might end up a weak warrior who uses mediocre magic and crafts basic potions.
—Uh-oh… look at the strategist's identity crisis.
The System's voice echoed in her head, the screen flashing yellow.
—Noticed the problem, huh? Wants to be a swordsman, mage, alchemist, and merchant all at once. But keep calm, my dear greedy one: this 'Specialization' problem only becomes a real dilemma at Level 10.
Diana raised an eyebrow mentally. Level 10…?
—At Level 10, you'll have to choose your First Official Class. The System explained. The class will define your main attribute multipliers and lock your Skill Tree onto a path. Until then, maintaining a balanced foundation is the best decision to avoid dying.
Diana reflected on the System's words and agreed.
Worrying about specialization now was premature. Until Level 10, absolute versatility was what kept her and Rhea alive against Field Bosses.
Without hesitation, Diana distributed her 10 free points evenly:
- +3 in Strength (12 -> 15) -> To increase dagger impact and [Voracious Throw].
- +3 in Agility (11 -> 14) -> To match the speed of Second Circle monsters.
- +2 in Vitality (10 -> 12) -> To increase max HP to 120.
- +2 in Intelligence (10 -> 12) -> To increase max MP to 60 and [Arcane Arrow] damage.
Rhea, on the other hand, did what she did best: dumped almost everything into her scout specialty:
- +6 in Agility (17 -> 23!) -> A monstrous movement speed.
- +2 in Strength (9 -> 11) -> To increase stealth attack damage.
- +2 in Vitality (7 -> 9) -> To increase max HP to 90.
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[UPDATED STATUS PANELS]
DIANA (LEVEL 8):
Strength: 15 | Agility: 14 | Vitality: 12 | Intelligence: 12 | Luck: 2
HP: 120 / 120 | MP: 60 / 60
RHEA (LEVEL 7):
Strength: 11 | Agility: 23 | Vitality: 9 | Intelligence: 6 | Luck: 1
HP: 90 / 90 | MP: 35 / 35
Agility 23 for Rhea. The hybrid girl was now a true invisible lightning bolt in combat.
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With attributes distributed, Diana picked up the rare loot she had obtained from the Level 11 Crystal Salamander: the Dark Crystal Core and the Intact Salamander Hide.
She pulled her crafting kit from her bag and attempted to use the tools to process the crystal hide.
However, the moment her harvesting knife touched the Salamander's hard scales, the System interface flashed red:
[ACTION BLOCKED!]
[Minimum Crafting Requirement Not Met!]
[Required: Smithing Level 3 and Leatherworking Level 3.]
[Your Current Leatherworking Level: Level 1.]
[Warning: Attempting to force the process will destroy the rare material!]
Diana pulled back her knife, letting out an exasperated sigh.
She was a realist. Her crafting level was still that of a beginner. Trying to process a Level 11 rare material with Leatherworking Level 1 would be greedy stupidity that would only result in losing the item.
"I'm not risking destroying this material." Diana said, stashing the hide in her bag. "We need a specialist."
Rhea thought for a few seconds before perking her ears. "Diana! In the Forge District of the west sector… there's the workshop of Master Volkan. He's a legendary smith demon of the Second Circle. They say he works with ores and hides from Field Bosses!"
"Master Volkan's Forge." Diana adjusted the pouch on her belt. "That's where we're going."
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Forge District - Master Volkan's Workshop
The Second Circle's Forge District was a hot, noisy, vibrant place. The sound of hammers striking iron anvils and the glow of elemental fire billowed from the chimneys of dozens of workshops.
Master Volkan's workshop was the largest in the sector.
Upon entering, the heat in the room was intense. Behind a massive anvil, a muscular demon with four arms made of volcanic rock and hair of blazing fire hammered a glowing bar of iron.
It was Master Volkan.
"I don't sell premade weapons to rookies!" Volkan hollered without stopping his hammering, his voice deep as thunder. "Get lost before the heat of my forge scorches that thin skin of yours!"
Diana didn't back down. Without speaking a word, she walked up to the smith's stone counter and placed two items on the table: the Dark Crystal Core and the Intact Level 11 Salamander Hide.
The sound of hammering stopped that very second.
Volkan turned his four eyes toward the counter. The fire demon approached slowly, his four volcanic-rock arms picking up the Dark Crystal Core with almost reverent care.
"Where…" Volkan stared at Diana in pure shock. "Where the hell did two Level 8 girls get the core and hide of a Level 11 Crystal Salamander?!"
"We killed it yesterday in the Crystal Ravine." Diana said with total composure, arms crossed. "I want gear made from this material. And I want masterwork."
Volkan looked at the core, then at the hide, and finally at Diana. A loud, booming laugh echoed through the workshop.
"Bullshit! Killed a Level 11 Field Boss?! Hahaha! You two have guts!" Volkan slammed a stone hand on the counter. "I can forge a Dark Crystal Chestplate for you, with high physical resistance and an MP regen bonus… and a Pair of Corrosive Crystal Daggers for your scout!"
"What's the labor fee?" Diana asked straight to the point.
"The standard rate for an elite commission is five silver." Volkan grinned, revealing iron teeth. "But since I'm impressed by your nerve… I'll do it for 3 Silver Coins."
Diana didn't haggle. Three silver coins for two elite pieces of gear made from Field Boss materials was an extraordinarily fair price.
She pulled three gleaming silver coins from her pouch and set them on the counter.
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[FINANCIAL AUDIT]
- Gear Commission with Volkan: -3 Silver Coins.
[FINAL POCKET BALANCE: 9 SILVER AND 80 BRONZE - 3 SILVER = 6 SILVER COINS AND 80 BRONZE (680 Bronze)]
Volkan stashed the money and rare materials into his stone safe.
"Come back here in two days." Volkan said, his fiery hair glowing with excitement. "I guarantee you two walk out of my shop ready to crush any Level 10 monster!"
Diana and Rhea left the workshop and walked back toward the market plaza.
With Level 8 attributes properly allocated, anticipation of Level 10 on the horizon, and two elite equipment commissions underway, Diana looked at the Second Circle's purple sky with renewed determination.
Level 10 was near. And with it, the true power of her first Official Class.
Final Notes:
I don't know about you, but I always forget to allocate points sometimes T-T. Diana did the exact same thing here-
Level 10 is getting close, and with it, Diana's first official class! Let's see how that goes!
Any guesses?