There were fifteen weapons, fifteen armors and accessories, and twenty assorted items, mostly crafting resources and recipes. All equipment was of Rare or Epic quality. Frank quickly located the saber among the items and focused on it to bring up the description.

Cursed Saber, Epic quality, +2 Dexterity, +3 Quickness, +2 Perception. Damaging hits will place a curse on the target, reducing Willpower by 10 for 1 minute. If the target's Willpower drops to zero, the Fear effect will be triggered, reducing all Attributes by 50% and all skill levels by 25% for 1 minute. Subsequent hits have a chance to proc the Terror effect, causing the target to flee for 5 seconds.

It was an amazing weapon, especially since only healers would have decent amounts of Willpower, meaning everyone else would fall under Fear in just a hit or two. The added attribute or the chance to proc Terror were just icing on the cake. Unfortunately, the cost was equally impressive, at 250 SP. Frank could only sigh in regret as he closed the description. He’d already done the calculations, turning sticks into clubs and wooden spears required 50 mana and could be traded in for 0.1 SP. Even with his regeneration of one thousand mana per hour, he could only get 2 SP per hour. Less even, since he couldn’t use Meditation while crafting.

He skimmed through the other items: a sword that sent out a short wave of sound magic with every slash, a bow that caused the arrows to have a slight homing effect, a crossbow that added a small explosive to the bolts, an axe that caused a layer of ice to form on anything it struck. The most impressive was a Unique quality dagger, which had two effects: Sharpened Point – attacks ignore armor with a rating of more than 50 points below its own, Burning Blade – when striking, the blade will be engulfed in fire, causing an additional 20% fire damage. Frank frowned and focused on the new terms.

Equipment comes in seven qualities: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, and Mythical. The Rating is a numerical representation of the item’s craftsmanship and how it compares to other items. Depending on quality, items have the following Rating: 0, 20, 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200. Better materials make for better items, each tier of materials increases the items’ Rating by 40.

Hmm, so attacks with that dagger, that has a Rating of 100, would ignore Common, Uncommon, and even Tier 1 Common armor? That’s really good, Frank mused. Of course, the price was also astronomical, at 1250 SP. Rubbing his chin, he skimmed through the armors and accessories: a metal helmet which prevented concussions, leather gloves that helped guide the weapon’s point toward a more vulnerable location, an amulet with a charge that boosted Evasion skill for a short time, a ring that could absorb Stamina, giving a portion of it back upon use.

Frank had moved on to viewing the assorted twenty items when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He closed all the panels and looked up to see Gabriel’s smiling face.

“We’re taking a lunch break. Want me to use Touch of Decay now before you eat?”

“Yes. Ready when you are,” Frank replied.

A few moments later, the same feeling of unease began to flow into him. Despite getting pretty intense toward the end, it seemed less pronounced than previously. After a minute, Gabriel ran out of mana and removed his hand.

“What’s your resistance at? My skill is only level 9,” Gabriel asked.

“Level 2,” Frank replied before checking again, ”3 now,” he added.

“I guess 20% reduction makes a difference,” Gabriel mused. “How did your training go?”

“Quite well, got about 100 GP,” Frank replied, as he got up. He started walking but stopped to look back at Gabriel who wasn’t moving, an incredulous look in his eyes.

“Fucking hell. Here I was feeling good about getting 10 GP from my work, and you got a 100? I wonder how fast advancing the other weapon lines would be?”

“You’re getting pretty close to finishing Skirmisher IV, right?”

“Yeah, I should finish it tomorrow. 250 GP, better be worth it.”

“Not like you have anything else to spend it on,” Frank retorted. “What did you think of the Shop’s items?”

“Some of the accessories and armors are nice, but I didn’t see anything for unarmed combat. Which is a good thing, or I’d be crying over it as much as you are about that saber,” Gabriel said.

“I am not crying.”

“Not on the outside.” Gabriel burst into a laugh, before snapping his fingers. “Oh, right, here are the sticks you wanted,” he added, dropping a pile of branches on the ground.

“Thanks,” Frank said, putting everything into his Spatial Ring. “Looks like I got enough to fill the afternoon.”

***

After lunch, Frank taught Amy the offensive skills that he’d learned earlier, while he crafted clubs and spears. Retrieving a branch from his ring, he used an axe to chop off the smaller offshoots, leaving him with a six-feet long stick. Mana began to flow into the wood from his palm as he activated Mana Channeling. Fifty mana later, it was fully saturated. Frank held an image of the finished product in mind and used Magical Crafting – the stick gave off a slight, purple glow for a few seconds, then it transformed into a simple wooden spear.

Frank repeated the process, as he crafted spears, clubs, and arrows, depending on the piece of wood he was working with. Despite his skills making steady progress, the process was quite boring. There was a brief distraction when “yee-haw” shouts filled the air – looking up from his work, Frank saw a group of people walk several cows toward the base. He smiled and shouted “yee-haw” before returning to his task. Also, Clay stopped by with a bunch of swords, which Frank turned into a couple of dumbbells, a kettlebell, and a barbell, before running out of metal. Even though he didn’t get any plates, Clay seemed pretty happy with the equipment.

Frank spent a total of five hours crafting – even if he couldn’t get the Saber, getting some SP was a good idea. Overall, it was time well spent, as he got a hefty 9 levels in Mana Channeling, 3 in Magical Crafting, and 2 in Meditation. He also got a Woodworking skill, which he leveled to 3, as well as another 2 levels in Decay Resistance, courtesy of Gabriel’s Touch of Decay. Sadly, he didn’t get a single level in Phantom Strike, despite dumping nearly three thousand Stamina into the skill.

Thomas had called a meeting in the evening, but it was still four hours away, and Frank planned to spend them leveling Pain Tolerance. Amy declined to accompany him and he was going to look for Gabriel, but he figured with all the people around, there was little danger of being attacked. Moving a bit further from the base, he used the leftover wood to start a fire, placing a sword into the flame. He waited for it to heat up, then put a piece of wood into his mouth and bit down on it, before he reached into the fire and grabbed the sword handle. Intense but familiar pain assaulted his mind, causing Frank to growl, as he fought against his senses that screamed for him to let go of the sword and pull his hand back.

He only managed to keep at it for ten seconds, but that was enough to earn him a level in Fire resistance. A Healing Touch and some Meditation later, he was ready for the pain again. The training continued as he subjected himself to excruciating pain over and over. However, an incident occurred toward the end of the session.

He had just shoved his hand into the flame for an umpteenth time when he managed to bite through the piece of wood in his mouth. Without anything to stifle his scream, he hollered in pain. He was still fighting against his instinct when someone’s hands grabbed him under the armpits and pulled him away from the flame. He dropped the heated sword on the ground and turned to look at his ‘savior,’ ignoring the sizzling skin on his palm.

“Are you OK? What happened?” A man in his thirties asked him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Frank replied. He could see several more figures running towards him from the forest’s edge.

“Thank God. I ran as quickly as I could when I heard you,” the man said, sounding relieved.

“Um, you didn’t have to do it though. It wasn’t an accident or anything, I was just training Pain Tolerance,” Frank told him.

“You were… training?” The man finally squeezed out, his eyes moving from Frank’s burned hand to his face.

“Jean, is he alright? What happened here?” A woman who ran over asked the man.

“Uh, yes,” Jean replied, scratching his head.

“Hey, are you OK?” She asked, as she squatted down next to Frank and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Yes, I am fine,” Frank repeated, trying to suppress his annoyance. “Look, I appreciate your coming to help, but there’s no need for it. I was just training Pain Tolerance, that’s all.” The woman gave him a blank stare, just like Jean did previously, causing Frank to continue. “See, my Pain Tolerance is at a high enough level that normal methods, like stabbing myself, aren’t effective anymore. So, I came up with the method of sticking a sword into the fire, then grabbing onto the heated handle. This way I’m not only leveling my Pain Tolerance but also Heat and Fire resistances.”

During his explanation, several more people arrived. After listening to him, they too had dumbfounded expressions, as they exchanged glances with each other.

“That’s crazy,” the woman muttered. She appeared to want to say more, but Jean placed his hand on her shoulder and called out to her.

“Come on, Karen, he says he’s fine, we should just leave him be,” Jean said while avoiding Frank’s eyes, the others seemed to agree.

Karen struggled with her desire to tell Frank her thoughts, but eventually relented and got up. The lot of them began to leave when suddenly, she halted and turned back to face Frank. He could practically see the gears turn in her head, as she thought of something.

“Hey, aren’t you among the leaders of that other group? I think I saw you with Frank,” she finally asked.

“He goes by Baj now, and yes,” Frank replied, as he set the sword back into the fire.

“What the hell?!” “Are you serious?” “He’s one of the people leading us?!” Jean and the others exclaimed, Jean’s face turning pale.

“Let’s go. I need to talk to Thomas,” Karen huffed, her face turning red.

Frank could hear her mumbling about Thomas going senile, as the group left. He could only shrug. Don’t these people understand the advantages of having high Pain Tolerance? Not to mention Heat and Fire resistances, as well as more GP? He complained half-heartedly as he returned to his training. The rest of the time passed without any issues.

On his way to the Town Hall, he noted a dozen or so wooden constructs – the new bathrooms. Now the line in the morning should only be five people long, he thought. He entered the Town Hall and ascended to the second floor, it seemed he was the last to arrive, and the meeting started immediately.

“So, Frank, is there anything you’d like to tell me about your pain training?” Thomas began, startling Frank.

“Um, it’s very effective. I’ve got 15 levels in Pain Tolerance, 4 in Heat resistance, and 9 in Fire resistance in just four hours,” Frank explained after recovering from his surprise.

“That’s awesome, what did you do to get so many levels?” Baj asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“He stuck his hand into the fire,” Thomas chimed in before Frank could respond.

“There is also the heated sword, to focus the heat of the fire on a single point and add to the sensation of pain,” Frank nodded.

“You’re not just pulling my leg, are you?” Baj asked as he looked at the others’ reactions. However, no one was laughing, causing him to frown. “OK, that might be a bit much.”

“We don’t call him crazy old man for nothing,” Carol offered with a giggle.

“The reason I bring it up is that a woman from my group came to me, complaining about an insane old guy, that’s you Frank, having a leadership position,” Thomas explained, his stern expression unwittingly breaking into a smile.

“Fine, I admit it, the method is rather barbaric, but you can’t argue with its effectiveness. Besides, I am just a War Adviser, and my ideas would be kept in check by Baj, in addition to you,” Frank protested.

“I told her as much, but she wouldn’t buy it. So, I was forced to reveal your secret,” Thomas said, his smile growing wider.

“What secret?”

“That you are a masochist, and it’s a sexual thing for you,” Thomas replied seriously. His expression faltered almost immediately, as he threw his head back and broke into a laugh.

Nearby, Steve had doubled over from laughter, banging on the table for emphasis. “Oh, that’s great,” he managed to utter while laughing.

“You didn’t really tell her that, did you? I don’t want people treating me like some pervert” Frank said as he felt his anger rising.

“Haha. No, no I didn’t. But I was tempted to,” Thomas replied as his laughter subsided. “You really freaked her out. Took me half an hour to calm her down and reassure her that you aren’t that crazy.”

Frank heaved a sigh of relief, while the others snickered at his reaction.

“Jokes aside, let’s get down to business. We’ve got the Observation Orb, the Shop, and a dozen bathrooms up. As predicted the Shop did light a fire under many of the people, getting them motivated to go out there and do stuff. That said, I propose we rise the daily tax to 1 SP. I don’t think it’s too much to ask, given our current ability to get SP. Anyone opposed?” Thomas asked. “Passed,” he concluded after no one objected. “Anyone have any suggestions?”

“I think we should buy the unique items from the Shop if no one else can before they disappear when it refreshes,” Frank suggested.

“A good idea, though we won’t be able to do it this time,” Baj seconded.

“Actually, my group will buy that dagger from the shop, as well as the future unique items,” Chon chimed in.

“What do you mean? How?” Frank asked in shock, by his calculations, it was simply impossible for ten people to get enough SP in just three days.

“I’ve put together a group for people who are willing to work hard to acquire equipment, over ninety members, each one contributing at least 10 SP per day,” Chon explained.

“So, how exactly does it work? Frank asked, his curiosity having been sparked.

“As I said, everyone contributes 10 SP per day or more. The one with the highest contribution gets the first item, then the second, and, etc. Once they receive an item, the cost of it will be subtracted from their contribution, and they won’t be eligible for another item until they pay off the debt. We’ll always get the unique item first, and it’ll go to whoever has the highest contribution among those who want it.”

“Hmm, what’s the current highest contribution score?” Frank asked, as his mind began to churn.

“25.”

“Ugh, and the 7th highest?”

“18,” Chon replied, wondering what was the point.

“I would like to join your group!” Frank declared. I’ll have to spend the next two days crafting, but I should have no issues getting into the top seven contributors and getting my saber, he thought, his face splitting into a smile.

“Shameless old man,” Kareem exclaimed, his hand moving to cover his face as his body trembled from suppressed laughter.

“Sure, the more people we have the better,” Chon agreed.

“Great. So, do you keep everyone’s contributions written down or what?” Frank asked.

“No, it’s done via the Settlement. Let me send you an invite,” Chon replied.

A moment later a panel sprung into Frank’s view, asking him if he wanted to join an “Item Acquisition Group,” a subgroup of the Refuge Settlement. Below the group’s name was a list of rules, which matched what Chon said earlier. Frank focused on the “yes” and was notified that he had successfully joined IAG.

“Hmm, I didn’t realize we could make such a group,” he voiced, as he looked at the new tab in his Profile.

“He can as a vice-leader of the Settlement,” Thomas supplied. “Frank’s machinations aside, any other suggestions?”

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about items. Uncommon items can be created by adding Crystals to Common items. Rare items appear to require a Rare quality component, though we’ve only created one such item, the wand in Frank’s possession. But how are epic items created? I’d like to buy two items from the shop with the Settlement’s funds to figure it out. One is a Magma Golem’s Core – an epic crafting ingredient at 125 SP, the other is a leatherworking recipe for a Rare quality vest at 100 SP,” Steve said.

“Hm, 225 SP, that would set the wall’s completion,” Thomas mused.

“But, we’ll need several days to complete the wall anyway, and with these items, we could figure out how to make better equipment,” Steve argued.

“Baj, what do you think?” Thomas asked.

Baj shrugged before he began speaking. “Since we can’t complete the wall quickly anyway, I think Steve’s notion is fine. I’d like to suggest that we get the Barrier Ward, to provide some protection before the wall goes up.”

“Not a bad idea, but it requires five units of Stone, as does the Healing Ward,” Thomas said after he checked the cost. “We haven’t found any Stone, have we?” He asked, directing the question to Jordan.

“Not yet, but I can send more people towards the mountains to the South. I’d imagine we’ll find some there,” the man responded.

“Let’s make it a priority. We’ll build the Barrier Ward once we have the stone to do so,” Thomas decided. ”Any other ideas?”

The meeting continued for another fifteen minutes. Afterward, Frank grabbed some food from his ring and went to the river to wash up, before settling in for the night. However, there was one more thing he had to do before going to sleep – decide whether he’d get Trickster or not. He looked at his Profile, noting that he had a nice 220 GP to spend. Almost enough to get Trickster right away. But, should he go for it or focus on getting the Final Sprint grid instead? He opened the description for the Trickster and looked through it again. His focus lingered on the words “Illusion Magic” when a new panel popped up into his view.

Illusion Magic – a mid-tier school of magic (all grids cost 250 GP) that focuses on optical illusions ranging from small to very large in scale. An excellent utility school for both combat and scouting. Since the power of the spells varies greatly, most people prefer to acquire the skills via Magic Draw, rather than by blindly completing its grids.

Hmm, Magic Draw? Frank mouthed the new term. However, focusing on the words didn’t bring up an explanation. Still, now I know that all the Illusion grids would cost 250 GP, rather than 500 or more. This would be a good thing, but the description says that completing the grids blindly is not a good investment, which diminishes the returns I’d get from getting Trickster. Decisions, decisions. He looked at the description one more time, then with a sigh, closed all the panels. There will be plenty more skills I’ll want to get, no need to get obsessed with the first bone the System threw me, he thought as he went to sleep.