Vol. 3: Chapter 31
With the Mayoral authority, Kael gained another title.
[Mayor of Starlight Town]: +300 to all five core stats.
If Kael were to display all his titles at once, they probably wouldn't even fit on the screen:
[Vanguard of Defiance]: +5 to all five core stats
[Champion of Crescent City]: +10 to all five core stats
[Fourth Chieftain of the Blackwind Brotherhood]: +50 to all five core stats
[The Blackwind Champions]: +130 to all five core stats
[Dauntless Marshal]: +200 to all five core stats
[Savior of Beryl Creek]: +100 to all five core stats
[Guardian Elder of Behemoth's Watch]: +200 to all five core stats
[Mayor of Starlight Town]: +300 to all five core stats
Altogether, Kael's massive stack of titles granted him a whopping +995 to each of his five core stats. In a gearless, stripped-down duel, he would be untouchable.
"That concludes our official business. Now, let's speak personally," Korbin said, stepping down from his seat. He walked over and took Kael and Fenris by the hands, a warm smile on his face. "Ullr saved my third brother's life. We are not the type to forget such a debt…"
"What are you implying?" Kael interrupted. "Are you treating me like an outsider?"
"Haha, my apologies, that was my mistake," Fenris laughed. "But even between brothers, a debt is a debt."
He pulled two items from his inventory and handed them to Kael. "Ullr, your current weapon is starting to fall behind. We found these back in the day—an [Earthwyrm Sinew] and a vial of [Sunfire Distillate]. They should be of use to you."
Earthwyrm Sinew and Sunfire Distillate? Kael’s hands trembled with excitement.
My Galeharrow can finally be upgraded!
There were many ways to upgrade equipment. For ordinary gear, you could use socketing, enchanting, or runes to temporarily or permanently boost its stats and functions. Ascendant-tier equipment, in addition to those methods, also had its own unique upgrade paths. For instance, Galeharrow scaled with its owner's level, while Dragonbane grew stronger by slaying powerful bosses.
But for Ascendant gear and above, there was another, far more powerful method: Awakening.
The Awakening effect was ranked on a scale: [D], [C], [B], [A], [S], and beyond. An Awakening wouldn't just make a weapon look more spectacular; it would drastically increase its stats and, more importantly, raise its hidden item level.
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This meant that once Galeharrow was Awakened, its Silkbind Shot skill could potentially restrain level 35 or even level 40 bosses, depending on the quality of the Awakening.
The one essential material for any Awakening was Sunfire Distillate. However, the process also required reinforcing the weapon itself; a forced Awakening could cause the weapon to overload and be destroyed. To Awaken a bow, one needed to strengthen both the bowstring and the bow's body. The Earthwyrm Sinew was the perfect material for the bowstring. Now, he was only missing a component to reinforce the body.
Kael's mind raced, sifting through all the possible materials he could obtain at this stage. An idea began to form.
But before he could explore it, Korbin's voice broke his concentration.
"Ullr, we're leaving the operation and development of Starlight Town in your hands. The three of us will continue our hunt for The WarChief. One day, we will have Kromgar's head."
"Of course," Kael said readily. "Be careful, you three. The WarChief's power is not to be underestimated."
Korbin nodded. "You be careful as well. Many of Kromgar's minions are still scattered throughout this region. The force that attacked our village was merely the tip of the iceberg. With half the world's villages now occupied by orcs, the people are going to suffer."
Kael nodded grimly.
After leaving the third floor, he returned to the first. Next to the main hall was a newly designated [Mayor's Office], and behind it, his old [Fourth Chieftain's Quarters].
Kael stepped into the office. The moment he entered, a special system notification appeared.
System: You have entered the [Mayor's Office]. Would you like to activate a [Mayor Persona]?
A Mayor Persona? This NPC system was getting more interesting by the minute. He opened the interface and found he could select an NPC to sit at his desk in his stead. If he was away, this persona could handle simple "yes or no" decisions for anyone who came looking for the Mayor.
I see, Kael thought. He scrolled through the available NPC models, but it was the very last option that made his jaw drop.
[Ullr]
Holy shit! It would let him use his other identity as the persona?
He quickly selected it, but another prompt appeared.
You have chosen your secondary identity [Ullr] to serve as the persona for this office. While in use, you will be unable to switch back to this identity. Are you sure?
"No!" Kael slammed the cancel button. His Dawnbreaker identity still had a high infamy score from all the players he'd killed, making him a wanted man in many cities. He couldn't afford to lose access to his Ullr identity yet. Unless…
Kael stroked his chin, muttering to himself. "Hmm, it's about time I got a Merchant's Passkey. I wonder if I can get one now."
Before he could work out a plan, another notification popped up.
System: The Alchemy Shop is in trouble and requires assistance.
He hadn't even stood up before another issue arose—players were crowding the hall, asking about the new races and whether they were allowed in Starlight Town.
His head started to spin. How did so many things pile up at once? If he had to fulfill all the duties of a Mayor, he'd have no time left to grind and level up. What was the point of playing then? Was he supposed to treat this like a city-builder sim?
He frantically clicked through the control panel, looking for some kind of auto-resolve option, but found nothing. He did, however, find something else.
[Mayor's Assistant]
Unlike the Persona, which could only handle binary choices, the Assistant could be assigned to manage complex affairs on the player's behalf.
Kael's excitement surged. This was the solution! He wouldn't have to be chained to his desk. But then, a sobering thought hit him. The Mayor's Assistant would wield immense power. It had to be someone he trusted completely.
But who?
His first thought was Lila. He trusted her, and he knew she wouldn't abuse the position. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Lila's focus was on managing her guild; she needed to spend her time leading raids and leveling up.
So who else was there?
Just then, a private message chimed. He opened it, and as he read the simple text, a perfect solution crystallized in his mind. She was the absolute, most perfect candidate.
The message read:
"Brother, I hit level 30!"