NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 21: Explosive Stats
Ethan inspected the attributes of his newly acquired gear:
[Silver Wolf King's Necklace] (Bronze-tier):
Attack: +25
Critical Rate: +10%
Luck: +3
Bonus Attributes: Strength +10, Agility +8
Required Level: 10
[Silver Wolf King's Ring] (Bronze-tier):
Health: +100
Attack: +30
Attack Speed: +10%
Bonus Attributes: Strength +12, Stamina +10
Required Level: 10
[Silver Wolf King's Belt] (Bronze-tier):
Health: +300
Physical Defense: +20
Magic Defense: +20
Bonus Attributes: Stamina +10, Constitution +10
Required Level: 10
[Wolf King's Helmet] (Black Iron-tier):
Health: +200
Defense: +10
Bonus Attributes: Stamina +6
Required Level: 10
[Wolf King's Legguards] (Black Iron-tier):
Health: +250
Defense: +6
Bonus Attributes: Stamina +8
Required Level: 10
[Wolf King's Boots] (Black Iron-tier):
Speed: +24
Defense: +5
Bonus Attributes: Agility +8
Required Level: 10
The remaining White Label gear consisted of Silver Wolf items, each adding a mere +10 to attributes. Ethan dismissed them as irrelevant and promptly listed all six pieces on the auction house at $8,000 per item.
Although there were no Silver Wolf items on the market yet, he had noticed players farming wild wolves, which meant Silver Wolf gear would soon flood the market. Given its slight stat increase over wild wolf gear, it was likely only wealthy players would pay such a price.
It took over ten minutes for all six pieces to sell, probably because the buyers debated whether the marginal stat boost was worth $8,000. Eventually, someone bought them, leaving Ethan with $43,200 after fees. Not bad at all!
Turning his attention back to the Bronze-tier and Black Iron-tier equipment, Ethan realized he could use almost everything. The necklace felt slightly wasted on him since only the +8 Agility truly benefited his playstyle, but the +3 Luck intrigued him. It was the first time he'd seen this attribute, and he suspected it improved drop rates. Unless someone offered an irresistible price, he'd keep it for himself.
The ring and bracelet slots allowed two items each, so he equipped the [Silver Wolf King's Ring] without needing to remove anything. After swapping out his belt, helmet, legguards, and boots, Ethan's stats transformed dramatically:
Name: Sealed
Level: 10
Health: 1,710
Mana: 150
Physical Attack: 131
Magic Attack: 10
Physical Defense: 66
Magic Defense: 25
Movement Speed: 100
Attack Speed: 50%
Critical Rate: 10%
Experience: 22,060/20,000
Strength: 27
Intelligence: 5
Stamina: 52
Constitution: 15
Spirit: 5
Agility: 76
Free Attribute Points: 20
Skill: [Insight]
Talent:
Venom Source: Deals 23 true damage per second for 60 seconds. Can stack up to 3 layers.
Equipment:
Weapon: [Wooden Sword] (Novice Gear): Attack +2
Helmet: [Wolf King's Helmet] (Black Iron-tier): Health +200, Defense +10, Stamina +6
Armor: [Wild Boar King's Armor] (Black Iron-tier): Health +100, Defense +10, Stamina +8
Legguards: [Wolf King's Legguards] (Black Iron-tier): Health +250, Defense +6, Stamina +8
Belt: [Silver Wolf King's Belt] (Bronze-tier): Health +300, Physical Defense +20, Magic Defense +20, Stamina +10, Constitution +10
Boots: [Wolf King's Boots] (Black Iron-tier): Speed +24, Defense +5, Agility +8
Necklace: [Silver Wolf King's Necklace] (Bronze-tier): Attack +25, Critical Rate +10%, Luck +3, Strength +10, Agility +8
Bracelet: [Silver Wolf Bracelet] (White Label): Health +20, Attack +12, Attack Speed +1%
Left Ring: [Toad Ring] (White Label): Health +20, Physical Attack +8, Attack Speed +1%
Right Ring: [Silver Wolf King's Ring] (Bronze-tier): Health +100, Attack +30, Attack Speed +10%, Strength +12, Stamina +10
Surveying his current stats, Ethan couldn't help but smile. "Explosive. Absolutely explosive. If I'd had these stats before fighting the Silver Wolf King, I wouldn't have burned through over 20 [Instant Recovery Potions]. Those things cost a fortune."
The power of equipment was undeniable. Once players geared up, even soloing elite monsters would be feasible.
Next, Ethan pulled out the skill book he had looted. His eyes lit up as he read its description.
[Swift Dash]: Consumes 50 Mana. Instantly increases Movement Speed and Attack Speed by 50% for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 2 minutes. Usable by all classes.
"Nice! Both boss fights so far have dropped their signature skills. Is this some kind of first-kill privilege?" Ethan mused.
The skill was perfect for him. Without hesitation, he activated it, watching the skill book vanish as the new ability appeared in his skill bar. Finally, he had more than just [Insight].
Ethan then examined the two scrolls he had found:
[Bodyguard Scroll]: Grants an invulnerability shield, making the user immune to all damage for 10 seconds.
[Luck Scroll]: Increases drop rates by 100% for 30 minutes.
"These are amazing. Definitely saving these for critical moments." He carefully stored the scrolls before turning to the most exciting item: the egg.
[Pet Egg]: Can hatch into a Silver Wolf King cub. Aptitude is random, with a maximum potential of A (pet aptitude ranges from D to SSS, influenced by bloodline). In Oracle, there are no summoner classes; all players can carry one pet, which must be hatched from a pet egg. Wild monsters cannot be tamed.
Ethan's eyes gleamed. "Exactly what I thought!"
For now, he decided not to hatch the egg. Better to wait until reaching the main city to decide, or perhaps sell it if the price was right. First, though, he needed to complete his class advancement. He was just about to list his spare gear on the auction house when a private message popped up.
Snow: "Do you have any spare Black Iron gear?"
Ethan thought for a moment before replying: "I have one piece left." He attached a screenshot of the [Wild Boar King's Legguards], deciding to give his only friend a chance at the gear. As long as the offer wasn't too low, he was fine with selling it.
On the other side, Sophia's eyes sparkled when she saw the stats. She had only asked out of curiosity, but now she was determined to get the gear. At level 9, she had tried fighting Silver Wolves but found them too challenging. Upgrading her equipment was essential, but White Label gear no longer provided meaningful improvements. She quickly sent another message.
Snow: "Can you sell it to me directly? Don't worry, I'll pay a fair price. How about $12,000?"
Seeing her reply, Ethan didn't hesitate to initiate a remote trade, placing the [Wild Boar King's Legguards] in the window.
Sophia's offer was more than reasonable. While the [Tusk Greatblade] had sold for $12,000 due to being a weapon and the first Black Iron-tier item, Black Iron gear's value had already started to drop as more players leveled up. At this point, listing the legguards on the auction house might not even fetch $12,000 after fees. Free trade had no such deductions.
When Sophia entered the amount and confirmed the trade, $12,000 was instantly transferred to Ethan's linked bank account.
"Rich player," Ethan muttered, marveling at how effortlessly she spent the money.
Afterward, he listed the remaining four Silver Wolf pieces at $5,000 each. Lowering the price sped up the sales; within minutes, all four sold, netting him another $18,000.
Ethan smiled contentedly. "Another solid payday."