Zenith Affinity

Sky woke up to the struggles of Zedra trying to break free of her grasp, “Sky, let go of me!”

The celestial just grumbled and held on with surprising strength. The adventuring room had three queen-sized beds, meaning that people were either doubling up or someone was on the couch. The good thing was that they had curtains that separated them, though there was nothing to help suppress sound. The odd number meant that either people were sleeping on the couch or were bundling up.

Obviously, the married couple had no trouble sleeping in the same bed, but Atticus was fairly large, and he sort of sprawled out. Sky had slipped in next to Zedra the night before and had, at some point, pulled him into a cuddling position and now refused to let the smaller Dark Elf go.

Kesa poked her head in to get a good laugh, but didn’t offer any help as she walked away, “Good luck, Zed!”

Unfortunately for Sky, Zedra immediately found her weakness and began tickling her enough that she woke up squirming and laughing. It was enough to break free, and he claimed that freedom with alacrity. The rogue shook his head and left the small, curtained room.

Atticus was just putting something on the stove, and the wonderful sound of frying bacon immediately drew Zedra’s attention. He stretched and headed over to the bar from the night before, taking a seat next to Dark Hero, who looked over with a smirk.

“So-”

“Just don’t,” Zedra interrupted, his hand up to deny the tease. "She climbed in last night and scared the hell out of me, but I think she had a bit too much to drink cause I couldn't get her to let go."

Dark laughed, and they enjoyed a hearty breakfast after Sky eventually emerged from the bed. Clearly not a morning person in her second life.

After eating, [Reality Check] met up with the [Flamesouls] and [Pink Lotus] as they headed over to the crafting hall within the Adventure Association’s large building.

It was time for a quick meeting before they got into crafting. Zedra and Sky were the most excited about this for some reason, taking note of what armor and weapons everyone would need.

Zedra was writing everything out as Sky followed along. They started with armor.

Heavy Armor - 6

• Dark Hero
• Zaria Flamesoul
• Ar’Gen Lightfist
• Helga Battlebjorn
• Ashariel Navi
• Amara Goldtree

Medium Armor - 4

• Zedra Stone
• Mia Hayabusa
• Tia Hayabusa
• Alisha Caldwell

Light Armor - 5

• Solara Sky
• Kesa Ivy
• Atticus
• Sera Cavendish
• Asheera Flamesong

The [Flamesouls] had only one with light armor in their party since Bards could be both light or medium, and Asheera was enjoying the lighter fit. Dark was the smith who would be specializing in heavy armor, and he had his work cut out for him with having to fit 6 people with heavy armor.

Zaria was the Leatherworker, but seemed more excited than worried about the workload. While Zedra used Leather Armor, he absolutely loved the amount of light armor choices available with the Tailoring Profession, so he dove straight into that. It was more of a career choice than a practical decision.

This was a new world, and if they were here for life, then Zedra wanted to be able to design beautiful clothing. No one could blame him for the practical choice.

Sky knew she was going to have to enchant 15 sets of armor, but just like Zaria, she seemed excited about it. She also had to prepare the many [Attuned Ascension Ritual Discs] for the 15 members, including herself, not to mention any other members they might find in the near future.

The other person who had as much work, but on the front side of it as opposed to the final step, was Ar’Gen, who would be the guild's official Refiner. He is the one processing stacks of essence dust into essence shards on top of refining other materials. It would almost certainly take him from a low-level Refiner and well into the high teens. It was one of the most important professions in the game, and definitely the easiest to level.

Kesa also had a difficult job, as she was going to make her first set of Affinity Elixirs, which, when used, would apply percentage increases to the attuned affinity of choice. The tier 2 elixir allows for an hour a day of increased Affinity, the lowest tier at which they can be created. The lore behind elixirs was that they were extremely magical concoctions that filled the body with so much magic that they could only be used once a day.

In the game, though, it just showed as a countdown timer where the elixir would be ready after an in-game day. The problem would be getting to Tier 2 as an Alchemist, and making just healing potions wouldn’t cut it.

Tia Hayabusa was trying to get into Oils, a focus point of the Alchemy Craft that enables buffs for bladed weapons. The most potent are usually poisons or affinity-based oils of some sort. There are a myriad of types that can be created, but they add a time-based buff to increase melee damage.

The entirety of [Pink Lotus] was shocked at the complete breakdown of three days' worth of crafting to equip 15 people with everything they needed for nearly 25 levels. It was unheard of in the pre-Player Zenith World. The sheer determination and planning was so incredible that they watched in awe as the main crafters went to work as if they were following a path that they had already walked.

It went beyond planning for each player's equipment as well. They had to get to the low to mid-20s to create tier 2 gear. What was really impressive was that Zedra and Sky had created progression lists for almost all of the crafts. This included materials required, approximate amounts to sell them for, and plans for the final projects.

Alisha had to parse everything and went up to Sky for some clarification, “Alright, Sky, what is happening?”

Sky turned her brilliant smile to the fuchsia-haired human, “What do you mean?”

“How do you all know that you can hit that sort of leveling in crafting that fast? What items did they hand you, that you know you can enchant full sets of armor in less than a month of being on our world? What is going on?” Alisha asked, her voice growing astonished as she continued.

“Well, come with me,” Sky said, leading all of [Pink Lotus] to a workstation. This was a generic one where there was just an open table and not a specific crafting station. She pulled an entire set of armor from her inventory and laid it out to form the shape of a person.

“I know the path of enchanting very well, so while I can talk about other crafts to some degree, I can give a full synopsis of enchanting. We might not know how everything works in this world, but when it comes to crafting, [Reality Check] is unmatched,” Sky said, looking around at the curious NPC party.

“So, enchantments are easy to understand, but as far as practical application, you will hear the term ‘BiS’, which means Best-In-Slot. It’s a fantastic term that shows the best and most efficient enchantment or item for each class and armor slot. As far as all of us at tier 2, it will mostly be simple things, but let me break it down for you,” Sky said, her tone changing to that of a teacher.

“For Helms, circlets, or whatever you put in your head slot-”

“Head slot?” Helga interrupted. “What do you mean?”

“Ah, imagine that each piece of armor has to be put into a slot that it was meant for...sort of a terminology us players use to differentiate where things are supposed to go. The ‘head slot’ refers to any armor or item that can be equipped on one’s head.”

Helga nodded in understanding.

“So, for instance, helms, this is one of the strange ones, but for the most part, you want it to increase the mental statistics you need the most,” Sky explained.

[Pink Lotus] exchanged glances, confusion clear on their faces.

Sky sighed, “Right, so there are six primary stats that we need to worry about in Zenith World, and they are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Willpower, and Charisma. That’s three for the body and three for the mind. Most classes use one stat as their main one, but having a secondary stat is just as important.”

“Okay, you said six primary, what are the secondary?” Sera asked.

“Ah, sorry, that is a mistake. I meant that in regard to each class, we have a primary and secondary stat, which is taken from one of the six. Don’t worry about that for now, but let’s break this down in an easier way,” Sky said.

“I am a Mage Class, so the primary stat that I need is Willpower. Sera and Amara, it’s the same with you as a Mage and a Cleric. Helga and Ashariel will put theirs into strength, while you will be Dexterity, Alisha.”

“Dexterity…moving faster and stuff,” Alisha nodded.

“That’s right. Here is where things get weird, because this is a head slot, we can only put enchantments that increase mental stats. For Helga, who is a Barbarian and focuses mainly on Strength, she only gets a small boost to her resolve and power by choosing Willpower as her second stat, but it would be just as well served by using a different enchantment that helps you in combat.

“But it is perfect for someone like Alisha as a Blade Dancer, who will need Intelligence equal to her dexterity to fully maximize her spells and fighting. For you, Ashariel, as a Valkyrie, your main stat is Strength, but you also need Willpower to increase the potency and power of your spells or magical attacks and effects.”

Helga sighed, whistling in shock, “I got a headache, but I am sure glad you know what you are talking about, Sky.”

“This is a lot to take in,” Amara said.

“Sera, are you following this?” Alisha asked her party’s mage.

Sera nodded, “This is fascinating. I was always under the impression that Intelligence was the most important for a Mage, but you are saying it’s Willpower?”

Sky nodded, “Willpower lets us fully access our power source as Mages, giving us greater power and control. Wizards need Intelligence the most, as it lets them comprehend their spell circles and increase their potency, while Sorcerers use Charisma to access their gifted powers. By applying every stat perfectly, we can min-max our stats to get the most out of them. This changes for every class.”

Alisha shook her head, “Do I even want to know what min-maxing is?”

Sky nodded, “You do. It’s essentially optimizing your stats wherever you can to maximize your potential while minimizing waste. I can go more into that later if you would like, but for now, let me explain the stats for each gear piece based on what class is using it.”

“Head slots, as we know, will use a primary stat, secondary stat, or whatever random enchanted ability we can find. In the end, it looks like this. Of course, Tier 2 armor will only allow 1 enchantment slot of the same tier for non-legendary items, so we take the best we can get.”

Sky wrote out an outline on a sheet of paper, showcasing priority stats.

It looked like this:

Head

• Primary Stat
• Secondary Stat
• X - Ability

Shoulder

• Primary Stat
• Skill Cooldown Reduction
• Secondary Stat

Chest

• % Affinity increase
• Added damage reduction
• Primary Stat

Gloves

• Primary stat
• X - Ability
• Secondary Stat

Legs

• Primary Stat
• Secondary Stat

Feet

• Movement Speed
• Primary Stat
• X -Ability

Weapons

• Affinity Increase
• X - Ability

Jewelry

• X - Ability
• Primary Stat

“What is X - Ability?” Sera asked.

“Hmmm, like this ring here that I got from the Zaphid Caverns. It's called the [Zaphid Queen’s Core Ring], and it applies the [Zaphid Corrosion] damage type to Fire or Acid adjacent affinities,” Sky said, showing off the glowing green ring that had a sphere the size of a small pearl as its gem. The ring matched the color of the corrosive lava that the Zaphid Queen spat during the fight, like a frozen piece of it that turned to crystal or glass.

"It isn't great for me as it barely increases my damage. That being said, if we find someone who does burn damage, it will be a fantastic boost to their strength. For someone like me, though, a flat increase in affinity would be more helpful. You as well, Sera."

“This counts as an ability enchantment, something that will be much more commonplace in the future. That is why Dungeons, Raids, Open World Bosses, and even those kinds of fights are so important. They drop unique ability gear that you can’t find in other locations,” Sky explained.

Ashariel had put aside her frustration at Sky, something she already had difficulty quantifying before, but knowing that she had so much knowledge on hand was humbling if nothing else. “Uh, Sky?”

“Yeah?” Sky smiled at Ashariel, even though she had been nothing but rude to her.

“Is it important to have these enchantments?”

“Important? Of course! It’s required to be honest. That is how we become the best of the best! The strongest guild out there! But don’t doubt that other Players will be doing the same, because that is how most of us work. I won’t lie to you: if you plan to push into higher tiers of power, you need enchanted gear. Flat out, NEED it.”

“I see…” Ashariel's face went dark.

“What is the matter?”

“How much is this going to cost?”

Sky looked around and realized that all of them were worried, and Alisha spoke up, “She is right to worry, Sky. Most people can’t afford a single one of these enchantments in their lifetime, much less something like this ring.”

Sky smiled, letting her amusement show, “Want to know how much it will cost you?”

They party almost collectively gulped, holding their breath as Sky let the silence hang.

“Only the resources, which we will find in dungeons. The benefit I get from this is getting further ahead in enchanting, along with having my guild members get stronger.”

“What?!” Alisha replied, shock filling her voice.

“Alisha…you are one of us now. We take care of our own. Inter-guild crafting only costs the resources required, and to be honest, since you haven’t done a dungeon yet, you will probably just be covered until you can farm your own resources. It’s not a big deal. Part of being fellow guildmates!"

“You can’t be serious,” Ashariel said.

Sky shrugged, “It’s as simple as that. We are a team, and we have to be as strong as possible. We will work together in the long run, and if you guys aren't up to par cause you aren't min-maxed with your gear and enchants, then it hurts our guild image and more.”

[Pink Lotus] understood the paradigm shift that the players brought at that point. It was almost too much to comprehend, but they were willing to dish out enough money to retire comfortably just to equip themselves to Tier 2. To min-max, as Sky had put it, was being the strongest they could be by utilizing everything they could.

Times had truly changed.

≪ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ≫

A full production chain had started as Ar’Gen received everyone’s essence dust, [Zero Affinity Metal], and anything else that needed to be refined.

From there, Ar’Gen had taken perfect notes and sent the resources back out to each of the people who needed them.

Metals went out to Dark Hero. Leathers went out to Zaria. Cloth went to Zedra. Kesa and Sky had their own things to worry about while slowly leveling up, receiving completed items from the other crafters to enchant or, in Kesa’s case, to turn into ingredients for other potions. Ar’Gen completed everything in waves so that he could continue to feed resources to the next step.

It turned out the estimates of three days' worth of crafting were way off.

After seriously buckling down and putting 100% effort into crafting, they estimated it would take about twice as long as they had estimated to get to tier 2 for everyone, besides Ar’Gen and Atticus, who were either already there or landed at level 25 in just a couple of days.

Taking a break from Tailoring, Zedra grabbed everything that Sky had enchanted and began to sell them to the local guild for four to five times as much as what they would be worth in-game. They didn’t stop there either, Kesa’s potions went up for sale and went for almost ten times the going rate for Tier 1 potions. The trade market was apparently accessible for everyone, NPCs included.

Zedra was speaking with Sky about finances during a break, “I mean, we are way ahead of our projected goals, even with the crafting delay. When we sell the rest of the stuff we make while leveling, including the ascension ritual stuff, we are going to be some of the richest people on the server…I mean, out of the players, that is.”

Sky nodded, “Yeah, I agree. It will be fantastic. Thank you for dealing with the Trading House and selling everything. We need a salesperson. “

“They are called merchants now, Sky. And no worries, it's nice to take a break to run our stuff to the Trading House. Gets me some fresh air."

During the heavy week of crafting, [Pink Lotus] went to attempt the Zaphid Caverns Dungeon with all of the information they could need.

Zedra was the first to hit Tailoring level 25, followed closely by Ar'Gen in Refinement, Kesa in Alchemy, and Dark in Smithing. Sky was the last to hit level 25 in Enchanting, mostly because she had to wait for everyone to craft their stuff and produce writs for her to continue forward. It was a supply line where armor of all three weights and even martial weapons were all ready to be enchanted after the others had wrung out the crafting experience.

The final curve in crafting was with everyone putting their final orders in with Zaria, Dark, and Zedra for new sets of armor. This was also timed with the successful return of [Pink Lotus], who had completed the dungeon several times on the hardest difficulty. They were utterly shocked by the amount of [Zero Affinity Ore] a single instance of the dungeon contained, but it was nothing surprising for the players who used to farm dungeons back in the game.

By the end of the week, everyone was finished, except Sky, who had received all of the new sets of armor, along with all the martial weapons, as she enchanted each one. Making caster or magic-user weapons was a different beast, requiring someone to go into the Artificer Craft. Artificers work closely with Enchanters as they imbue effects into the components of scepters, wands, staves, and even spellswords. They didn't have an Artificer right now, so the many casters weren't able to upgrade their weapons as easily. They had to order premade tier 2 weapons that Sky could enchant, but it still ended up working after they sold plenty of leveling gear.

Everyone waited as Sky finished each set of armor by noon at the end of the week. She had been working most of the night, then had slept for a few hours, and went back at it. After the armor and weapons were finished, Sky began to work on each of their [Ascension Ritual Discs], finishing the final enchantments on the discs that Dark had created.

It was late afternoon when everyone in the three parties was dressed in new armor and were ready to hit the second tier of power.