49 || Death of the First Novelist!

[Tinder Scorpion Bow, Minor Artifact, Iron Rank]

<A powerful bow made from mysterious ore and embedded with a powerful Soul Bead>

<Dexterity + ??? x Level, Accuracy + ??? x Level>

<Passive Skill: Adds Armor Piercing +3>

<Passive Skill: Hearth's Wisps, freely control two Flame arrows>

<Active Skill: Flame's Reach, Increase range of attacks by 20 yards for 10 Seconds>

<Hidden Ability: ??>

Syringa Fang receives a gorgeous black polearm with a curved white blade like a bird's talon. The shadows of the room seem to reach for the weapon even though it was within a message box.

[Shadow Owl Glaive, Minor Artifact, Iron Rank]

<A powerful polearm made from a mysterious ore and embedded with a powerful Soul Bead>

Attack + ??? x Level, Agility + ??? x Level

<Passive Skill: Offensive Arts +3>

<Passive Skill: Wisdom's Eyes, see 360 degrees within 7 yards>

<Active Skill: Serrated Shadow, tears through Armor leaving a Wound>

<Hidden Ability: ??>

Violet Hammerhead, a friend of Lavender Artificer, is Syringa's right hand and Vice Captain of the Ruby Blade's Dungeon Runners. A shark Leviaquan with the Stone affinity and a support focused Mage, he is given a beautifully crafted clay brown bookmark for his Spell Prime. Similarly, Amethyst Crane is a Water Ifrit Mage who is given an exquisite aqua colored bookmark. Her eastern counterpart, Sassy Daisy, is a Pugilist and is given bracers!

Honest Blade, who had volunteered as Iris Ash's Vice Captain, receives a gorgeous almost wispy dagger called the Storm Fox Dagger. The Captain and Vice of the Ruby Blade's Field Goers, a Light affinity Gigantis Infantry named Dark Avenue and a Lightning Ifrit Summoner called Opal Bat, receive the white Gleaming Nightjar Claymore with a feather on the pommel and the golden Stunning Microbat Staff with a translucent orb on the top.

"So are you going to get down on one knee...?" Gladiolus teases Tara as she saves her girlfriend for last. Everyone snickers as the two blush.

[Blaze Wolf Rod, Minor Artifact, Iron Rank]

<A powerful rod made from a mysterious metal and embedded with a Soul Bead>

<Wisdom + ??? x Level, Spirit + ??? x Level>

<Passive Skill: Magic Damage +3>

<Passive Skill: Flare Howl, release a cry with a chance of stalling a foe>

<Active Skill: Ember Maw, binds a target with a flaming wolf!>

<Hidden Ability: ???>

The rod is crimson, white, and silver with two wolves climbing from one pommel to the other and forming a heart. Everyone can see a bit more affection has gone to the making of Kristen's weapon even compared to Qisma and Renee's.

The final weapon, which she hands to Sassy Daisy, is a valiant greatsword. Among all the elements, Metal is considered the neutral elemental. By itself, the Metal element boasts the highest physical Defense of them all, but it can also make weapons sharper and the heaviest armor lighter.

Similarly, the Metal element can easily enhance and channel the other elements making equipment even stronger! As Tara hadn't looked into what element her Uncle favored in past games, she had chosen a Osmium Bear Soul Bead for it.

"Be sure to give this to my Uncle please." Tara imparts. Sassy Daisy nods with a smile.

The Explorers depart for their session with even the non-combative Sassy Daisy and Amethyst Crane eager to try out their new gear. Both Gladiolus and Syringa grin as they don't exit out into a busy restaurant but into a large common room on their Continent. The others who had started earlier were excitedly going between the two counters.

This is what Pakeeja had asked of them, giving each enough money to purchase a Residence. Later on they'd be able to turn them into official Guild Halls.

Being the first to own Residences, the two perks are a Quest Board connected to the Explorer's League and a NPC controlled counter connected to a player owned Shop. If a Guild or Workshop was able to own a Shop currently, then they wouldn't be able to buy a Residence. However, Lapis Tome and Ruby Blade can easily connect to Dawn Blossom and Dusk Spark, saving transportation time!

What caught both of the leaders' attention is the glow surrounding the items Tara had made them. The words Minor Artifact hadn't meant much but even the bookmarks from the Mages' book holsters at their hips gather Essence in a green aura. A hundred and thirty eight items that are Iron quality had been forged, each able to be Bound and Grow alongside them!

Syringa gives a wolfish grin. The Scissor Heart Guild had declared war on her team with their final breath. She can't wait to show them what true strength looks like.

"Crane, do you and the others want to get some exercise with your new gear? I know you won't have much time to fight with the new Shop you bought here." Syringa asks Dusk Spark's head merchant earnestly.

The Mage usually detested combat, raising her level recently through the management and sales of their Shop as a Merchant. With how popular they were, her growth wasn't any slower than her Dungeon or Field teammates. At this moment, however, a glimmer of fighting spirit flashed in her eyes.

"Everyone gather! Before you head out for your Quests we need to do some clean-up!" Syringa shouts in the team chat! Every one of them knew about yesterday's matter and cheered loudly. They quickly begin to get themselves ready for a battle but under Syringa's instruction hide the effects of their items.

Syringa summons her new glaive. The Essence around it shifts from non-existence to a night black even though the glow effect was turned off. Her grin grows even wider.

Meanwhile, Sassy Daisy steps into her new Shop location. She pulls up Dazzling Vase's information on her Friends List. Iron Wall had welcomed the trade agreement but surely he isn't expecting the gift he is about to receive. His already powerful legend throughout the history of virtuality was going to become unfathomable in a few hours time.

Lapis Tome further split their team for today. Some of the team are going to continue their operations of resource gathering while most are staying behind in the Residence. Seeing the blue book symbol upon the building independent, Guild, and Workshop players all were learning to recognize it.

Talk of Lapis Tome even reaches other cities through the forums. To their surprise, Lapis Tome was looking to expand their members by another 50 or so!

In the same breath Dawn Blossom begins holding their own examinations to grow the Artisans underneath them. Item grade, efficiency, and handling of various materials factor into whether or not they could join the Shop's ranks. Swiftly several hundreds of players are willing to give their all to join Dawn Blossom's second shop!

The first rate Guilds and top Workshops can only seethe with jealousy and anger. What good are their forces and ability without a roof over their head? Despite their ability to get Silver during the Copper era, they can't compete with a single Dawn Blossom or Lapis Tome.

[Enough players have reached level 10! Opening Coin Transfer to players!]

As if answering their prayers, the Main System finally opened the Coin Transfer building. While they can turn their Coins into cash, they can't use money to buy Coins in game. As long as they had the funds, the first rate Guilds and Workshops could catch up--no, they could surpass these upstarts! It is only a matter of time til Coins appear within the building so all they had to do was wait at least one natural day.

While these changes are happening, Tara awakens in her room in the Dark Saber dormitory. Starting from now she had a year till Sharost's tournament. In that time she needs to get stronger. The fastest way to do that was by completing as many Key trials before then. The minimum for the Trial of Water had been high tier Bone Crystallization, then for Stone she must be at least Billowing Muscles low tier, mid tier for Wind, and high tier for Metal.

The only way to reach that level quickly, even for her, is to first adjust herself to her current strength so it felt more natural. The more comfortable she feels with her body and her Arts, the easier it would be to break through the other stages.

Tara falls back into her routine for several sessions. It was on her free days that she would visit the Stone Chamber's second level. The space was within a gem filled room with black and white brick floor.

"Hyah!" Tara shoots forward, swinging Moon Fang. Wolyung deflects with a twirl of her spear and returns with her own strike. Tara stumbles back as Moonlight Cleave strikes her mind. Every attack Wolyung threw out was embedded with the move as if it were natural.

"How do you keep doing that?" Tara asks as she dodges Rushing Flood. Part of this training was to see if the two could use the Riversword Blade Play like with Inspect.

It turns out they also produced Skill Proficiency as well. Tara is certain that constantly using the Aural Skill would shorten Wolyung's summoned time, but it seems like it is getting longer instead. This works out just as well, as the second reason is to have the two guardians match up frequently.

"My body isn't physically here, it's more of a direct manifestation of energy. That being the case, I can manipulate the energy around me instead of using my own. For example, it's similar to you using the Twin Sphere energies instead of your own aural energy to practice."

After all this time, Tara is beginning to understand that Twin Sphere energy is similar to ambient world energy. It is always present and as long as she can filter and refine it, she'd always have some sort of aura around her. The Twin Sphere threads within her operate differently but alongside her aural threads. What Wolyung is doing is a more advanced application.

"Can--?" Before Tara can ask to be taught to do the same, a fate changing notification rang out.

[The first Story Mode player has died! New Event in progress...]

The voice of the Main System continue to echo to every corner of the universe, touching the ears of Explorers and Novelists alike:

On a water covered planet, a limestone toned human tween with dirty blonde hair grins. A saber by his side gave off a stormy glow that kept the other patrons of the bar away. He swirls his drink with a straw.

Then, suddenly, he stands up with his cloak flowing with the movement as the heels of his boots click loudly against the immediate silence. The moment he heads out, several people within the crowded room follow after, sending shivers down everyone's spine. They had just been speaking to these folks a second ago!

On yet another world, at the base of a mountain, swords clashed as an ivory toned girl defends herself. Her cutlass is charged with blue electricity, deep black eyes glaring with determination. Her ears are rectangular with sharp fangs visible as she snarls. Just as she cuts down the foe before her, she rolls her eyes before charging at the next prey from an army.