Unexpected Reaction

As Tristan said those words, he handed Valyr over a pair of boots, the appearance of which was incredibly familiar to the latter. After all, the design of the boots was quite similar to one of the monsters they fought during the monster tide. Although he wasn't part of those who fought against the monster firsthand, he was definitely near to see it from up close. Naturally, such a monster to warrant the need of the strongest banding together would be none other than the final boss of the monster tide.

The Lesser Tidemother.

Realizing the origin of the boots he was holding, Valyr could not help but look back at Tristan with his eyes widened in shock. Of course, the latter took great delight in his reaction, trying his best to stifle a chuckle, only to fail at the very end.

Ignoring the laughter coming out of Tristan's mouth, Valyr looked at the boots that were given to him, being left at a slight loss for words at the intricateness of the design, as well as the power exuding from the equipment. Akin to how the Lesser Tidemother looked, the portion that covered the ankles and part of the thighs were covered in a tuft of soft dark gray fur, with intricate carvings blood red in color covering a great portion of it, mimicking the pattern that could be found on the Tidemother's underside.

As for the part that protected the foot, it seemed to be made from a strong type of metal that resembled the exoskeleton covering the Tidemother's legs. Knocking on it with his hands to see the thickness of the metal, Valyr could not help but be slightly surprised, judging from the sound that echoed from the knock that the metal making up the foot portion was significantly thick.

"So, did you just give this to me as a joke and you're actually planning to take it back?" Once he was finished examining the boots, Valyr placed them on the floor before focusing his attention on the two in front of him.

In response, Damian shook his head as he opened his mouth to speak. "We fully intend to give these boots to you, Valyr. After all, your contributions during this monster tide are the greatest after the six of us who fought against the Tidemother. You truly deserve to obtain rewards far more than the ones given by the emergency quest."

Scratching his head as he let out an awkward chuckle, Valyr then shifted his attention to Tristan, who looked at him with a hint of confusion. "Why are you looking at me? What Damian says is true. We've decided to give it the equipment we've received this time around from the Lesser Tidemother to you because of your selfless sacrifice."

"But if you're still doubtful, you could always ask the other four who also agreed to it." Saying those words, he pointed at the four that fought alongside them against the Tidemother, who stood up and nodded back at Valyr before returning to what they were previously doing.

Seeing that the others truly intended to give the boots to him, Valyr let out a light sigh before thanking everyone, identifying it with [Analysis] as he glared at Tristan for a bit, inwardly blaming the latter for making him misunderstand the reason behind them giving the boots.

Ding!

Soon after, a screen appeared in front of his field of vision, which piqued the curiosity of the trio, as well as others surrounding him as they took a peek at the description of the boots. Though, after reading through all of it, all of them could not help but let out a hiss, thinking that the boots were way above Valyr's league at the moment. Nevertheless, as they thought about it for a bit more, they could not help but agree on the fact that someone like the Tidebreaker should get this much at the very least.

As for Valyr, his mouth could not help but go slack-jawed as a hint of excitement could be seen in his gaze.

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[Lesser Tidemother Greaves] (Level 15)

Rarity: Uncommon

Defense: 25 - 33

A pair of boots crafted from the parts of the Lesser Tidemother, maintaining the ferocity and the tenacity of the monster before it met its demise. A small portion of the Lesser Tidemother's power is imbued within the boots, allowing one to access one of the Lesser Tidemother's skills, albeit reduced in power and scope.

These boots are radiating a faint yet unique type of energy that seem to resonate with other equipment. If the user finds other equipment that radiate the same type of energy, special effects might occur.

<Innate 2 10 Skill: Tidemother Stomp - Allows the user to stomp heavily on ground, dealing damage equivalent 50% of user's Attack stat within a meter radius. Has small chance inflict Stun enemies. Cooldown: seconds.>

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<Lesser 1 6 Tidemother Set |>

Set Effects:

- 2 pieces - Attack +5%

- 4 pieces - Defense + 5%

- 6 pieces - VIT and STR +10%

Remarks: Get stronger. You can't even use it.

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"Set equipment…" Valyr could not help but murmur, his body quaking with excitement as he knew how important such items like these were. Rummaging through his memories, he recalled that equipment dropped from the monster tides were highly sought after all throughout the various versions.

Although it was partly due to the fact that the equipment dropped from the bosses was one tier higher than what dungeon monsters would normally drop, even being two tiers higher in rare occasions, the main reason behind it was the fact that it was the easiest way to obtain set equipment without breaking a sweat.

From what the name suggested, set equipment were pieces of equipment that, when equipped together, would achieve a unique resonance, allowing one to get more out of their equipment and exceed their peers. Because of this fact, Valyr instantly thought of the boots given to him as a some rare treasure, wanting nothing more than to obtain all of the other pieces and don the entire Lesser Tidemother Set.

'Unfortunately, I have to reach Level 15 to be able to equip this.' However, even though he was excited to be able to obtain such a precious piece of equipment, Valyr could not help but let out an inward sigh as the recommended level of the item was five levels higher than his current level. In any case, this realization did not make him disappointed, but instead stoked the fire that urged him to ascend to Rank 1 as soon as possible.

Placing the boots aside for now, Valyr looked back at the two, wondering if the boots were the only other reward he would obtain aside from the ones from the emergency quest. Noticing his expression, Tristan could not help but let out a light chuckle, grabbing a vial from the box before tossing it to Valyr in front of him. "I don't know if it's as precious as the boots you just got, but as a blacksmith, the contents of the vial are definitely interesting, to say the least."

Hearing the words that came out of Tristan's mouth, Valyr's interest could not help but be piqued, tilting the vial to the side, only to find out the crimson red fluid contained within was incredibly viscous. In terms of consistency, it was more akin to syrup than water.

Though, just as Valyr was about identify the contents of the vial through [Analysis], the connection between him and the weapon suddenly awakened as he felt the spear he had affixed on his back sometime earlier lightly tremble. Wondering what was going with his wooden spear, a couple of words resounded in his mind, prompting him to stare at the spear for a bit before raising up the vial that was given to him.

'I… need it…'

'Give… me…'