He now had a total of 86 gold and 8 silver, as well as an Ancient Coin worth 100 gold.
As long as he could fence the goods, he could immediately scrape together nearly half the money he needed.
He had to admit that there was serious money to be made working with the church. If he could moonlight in the confessional every week, he could earn 100 gold a month. If he sold the Dimensional Bag the church had given him, then aside from meeting these needs, he could even pay off his loan.
Medium Dimensional Bag: You can use your mind to directly store and retrieve items from the Dimensional Bag. You will not feel any weight while carrying up to 1,000 pounds of supplies; beyond 1,000 pounds, their actual weight will apply. Maximum capacity: 10 cubic meters. Quality: Extremely Rare Price: 5,000 gold coins Description: The Dimensional Bag can be considered one of the essential items for adventurers. Its value even surpasses that of magical weapons, second only to defensive armor. With one, your adventuring party's logistical and storage burdens will be greatly eased. Owning a Dimensional Bag is also a sign that an adventuring party has become mature and professional. If the user is willing to hand it over, it can be directly valued at 5,000 gold coins.
Hand it over my ass! You damned system are rotten to the core.
There was no need to explain the importance of a Dimensional Bag. The fact that the church was willing to use it alongside a Amulet of Health to win him over made its value obvious.
Just as the system had said, without a Dimensional Bag, an adventuring party was simply not mature. Such parties often could not travel far and had to carry too many supplies. Hiring horses or carriages could reduce some logistical trouble, but it was also highly likely to scare off their targets, and not every road was passable. They simply could not undertake difficult missions.
On the other hand, any adventurer with money would naturally seek to buy one. This kept Dimensional Bags in perpetual short supply. Combined with the considerable difficulty of crafting them and the scarcity of raw materials, they always carried an enormous premium in magic shops. Even if one was willing to pay extra, they often needed connections to buy one.
If he sold it, then even if he added another 1,000 gold when he wanted to buy one in the future, he might not be able to get it. Du Pont would never sacrifice long-term interests for short-term gain like that.
Unless he was truly left with no other choice in the end.
After hesitating briefly, Du Pont chose to purchase the Shield Proficiency Handbook.
The price of teaching himself was only one-tenth of the full cost. Though he did not know how effective it would be, he could still afford the 5-gold learning fee.
If this was not difficult to learn, he could try buying more study materials and teaching himself. If not, even if those 5 gold went completely down the drain, it would not be a huge loss to him. He could bear it.
Shield Mastery: For nobles, wielding a rapier in a duel is the most elegant way to claim victory. But for soldiers and gladiators on the battlefield, even an extra small buckler would significantly raise their odds of defeating an opponent, while greatly increasing their chances of survival. Even priests are among the shield's devotees. Some have even developed techniques for casting spells while carrying a shield, becoming veritable mobile bulwarks of war. Please enter a meditative state.
Du Pont lay on the bed and entered meditation. The familiar training ground appeared again, but unlike before, he now had a small round shield on his arm, just large enough to cover it and roughly forty centimeters across. Before him stood a muscular man in light fur armor, holding a sword and shield. He wore a helmet that obscured his face.
The user may begin the learning process at any time. If the user purchases Weapon Proficiency and Light Armor Proficiency, they may be practiced together to save time.
"Quit trying to sell me things. Let me see how effective this is first." Du Pont looked at the small round shield strapped to his left arm. "Training begins?"
The moment he spoke, the muscular man who had been standing still exploded into motion. His longsword was swift and vicious, piercing straight through the unprepared Du Pont. The realistic pain made Du Pont drop to one knee before collapsing helplessly.
What the hell?
The next second, Du Pont's injuries healed, and the muscular man returned to his previous position and resumed his pose.
"What the fuck..." Du Pont touched his abdomen. Although the wound had healed, the pain of the sword entering his body had not fully faded. After taking several deep breaths, he asked, "What level is this guy?"
He possesses attributes equal to the user's. His weapon and shield proficiency are at the mastery level. The user only needs to survive under his attacks for one minute to gain shield proficiency.
"He has the same attributes as me, but higher weapon proficiency?" Du Pont wiped the drool that had spilled from the corner of his mouth as he lost control from the pain, suppressing the agony wracking his nerves. "That's bullshit. Why don't I have that kind of explosive power?"
The mirror operates at peak capacity and can bring all of its attributes into their optimal state.
"So you're saying I don't have that explosive power because I suck?"
Attributes are divided into bonus values and innate attribute values. Attributes gained through bonuses are external attributes and generally cannot be utilized perfectly. The user lacks the training to mobilize his body. Only in critical moments, driven by adrenaline, can he draw out the full potential of his attributes. This is the difference between normal and peak states.
Du Pont understood. "So under normal circumstances, I have strength but can't use it? I have to be in extreme danger to unleash all my potential?"
Correct. The user's strongest output occurred when using the Rage Ability. His wild nature can liberate his condition to the greatest extent.
"How can I keep my body at peak condition even normally?"
Through specific training, the user can improve his actual control over his innate attribute values during ordinary circumstances, achieving an optimal state and increasing instantaneous explosive power.
Du Pont raised his shield. This time, he focused completely as he lifted the small shield. "Come on."
The mirror attacked with its sword again. Du Pont held the round shield before his chest and perfectly blocked the strike. Then, keeping the shield before his chest, he knocked aside the short sword as it shifted from a chop into a slash. Before he could catch his breath, the mirror thrust at his abdomen again. He took a step back and lowered his left arm to block the blow, yet the impact against his shield was barely perceptible.
This is...
Du Pont sensed trouble. Then he saw the mirror's round shield slam into his body. As he lost his balance, it thrust its sword into him.
You lasted 15 seconds.
The intense pain made Du Pont's body convulse, but as he looked at the blood spilling across the training ground, excitement flashed in his eyes.
Opportunities to test oneself between life and death were rare. Here, he did not have to worry about treatment and could fight an expert. This was absolutely the training environment countless martial professionals dreamed of.
"Damn it, give me a weapon and light armor!" Du Pont roared. Fifteen gold vanished instantly, and armor and a weapon identical to his opponent's appeared in his hands.
"Isn't it just lasting one minute without losing? What's the big deal?" Du Pont spat, raised his short sword, and charged forward bravely.
Ten seconds later, Du Pont was on the ground again, his teeth chattering.
Damn it, he could not handle the short sword. Stabbing and slashing wildly with it only interfered with his use of the small shield on his left arm, exposing openings too early.
"You bastard, switch me to a dagger! Again!"
"Give me a Short Spear! Again!"
"Again! I don't believe I can't beat you to death!"
Just as Du Pont finished roaring, he suddenly felt someone patting his shoulder. He groggily opened his eyes, only to find himself back in the classroom, surrounded by apprentices staring at him strangely.
"Uh... if I said I had a nightmare, would you believe me?"
Before you continue