"Extraordinary Talent"

Berg said that those assisting Land in guarding the crossing were all believers, adventurers with a sense of justice, or local residents, and they received no payment.

Anse was not surprised; the church's ability to rally people had always been strong.

The God of Justice, Tyr, belonged to the War Domain, and his followers were notoriously capable in a fight, even if they weren't professional combatants.

Berg probed indirectly, asking about the group's plans for staying or leaving.

After consulting with Brat, Anse decided to stay for the time being, and Finn also indicated he was in no rush to leave.

This was a golden opportunity to harvest experience, and with a paladin acting as a safety net, their security was guaranteed. Besides, the Flying Dragon Bridge was right behind them, allowing for a retreat at any moment; surely the Flaming Fist wouldn't be insane enough to seal the gates shut.

The old cleric was delighted and immediately arranged quarters for the three of them on the second floor of the church, providing free food and drinking water.

The room was shared by the three of them; judging by the layout, it was likely a dormitory for the clergy—very plain, but clean.

The food consisted of hard, dry whole-wheat bread and strips of smoked pork. It wasn't exactly gourmet, but the portions were large enough that the three of them couldn't finish it all in a day.

It seemed the church had collected or seized quite a bit of food while evacuating the crowds yesterday. Paladins had principles and bottom lines, but they were certainly not narrow-minded.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Berg had just left when another knock sounded at the door.

Brat went to open it, and standing there was Zahir, covered in blood and grime; it seemed he hadn't had time to wash up yet.

"Apologies, I just finished up. Thank you for your help; these are all your spoils of war."

Zahir set down the two bundles he was carrying. As the linen cloth fell away, it revealed a pile of blood-stained miscellaneous items, the most eye-catching of which was a black war hammer.

"Many thanks." Anse smiled, not refusing the offer.

In this world, adventuring and combat were common occurrences, which had given rise to many conventional rules, including the distribution of loot.

For instance, if a paladin killed a Duergar, he might return the wealth the Duergar had plundered to the original owners or their kin, but they had no right to dispose of the personal belongings of monsters that had died at Anse's hands.

That was unless everyone was part of the same team, or there had been an agreement beforehand.

Previously, Brat had been injured, Finn was absent, and Anse had been immersed in the "grief of his parents' passing," so the task of collecting the loot had fallen to Zahir's team.

They were followers of the God of Justice, so the possibility of them pocketing anything was slim.

"If you need any help, just come find me. I'm usually on the third floor or in the main hall." Zahir, who sported a small mustache, spoke in a gentle, unhurried voice, much like a gentleman.

"Uncle Zahir, do you have any diamonds? I'd like to trade some loot for them." Anse didn't stand on ceremony; he was currently in need of spellcasting components.

Zahir pondered for a moment. "I believe we do. I'll have someone look for them shortly. Anything else?"

"No, that's all." Anse looked at Brat and Finn, both of whom shook their heads.

"Then get some rest. Underdark Creatures dislike the light, so they shouldn't come again during the day." With that, Zahir hurried away; he had far too much to attend to.

The group exchanged glances, pulled the bundles over, and excitedly began to inventory their spoils.

Anse and Brat's loot was mixed together. While it looked like a fair amount of items, none of it was particularly valuable. It made sense—they had killed slaves, so anything of real worth had surely been confiscated already.

There were a few crude scimitars, maces, and iron-rimmed shields, along with foul-smelling fur bracers, leather boots, belts, and various unidentified food items and sundries... they could only be sold as scrap.

There were quite a few money pouches, but most were tattered, containing worthless glass, copper coins, and a small amount of silver.

The best item was an elven-style gold-threaded pouch containing a few pieces of azurite, eye agate, a dozen gold coins, and a healing potion.

"This must have belonged to that hobgoblin, along with this." Brat pointed to the half plate on the floor.

The three javelins were given to Finn, the greatsword had likely been kept by Land, and the money pouch and the valuable half plate were split to Anse. All things considered, he had gotten the better end of the deal.

This set of half plate was incomplete, consisting only of a helmet and a breastplate, but the condition was quite good.

"You take the half plate for now. If you adjust the buckles, you should be able to wear it." Anse was a spellcaster and hadn't received the necessary training; wearing armor would hinder his spellcasting.

"Right." Brat nodded. In these extraordinary times, there was no need to be coy.

Anse placed all the gold, silver, and gemstones into the elven pouch and tucked it into his tunic, while Brat carried the heavy copper coins.

The black war hammer had belonged to the Duergar Warlord—it was a magical weapon, but since no one knew how to use it, they would have to find an opportunity to dispose of it later.

"Throw the junk away. We can't find a buyer right now, and it'll just hinder our movement," Anse said with a smile.

"I understand." Brat fiddled with the half plate, grinning without the slightest bit of restraint.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. A young cleric delivered a small box to Anse containing a silver necklace adorned with a diamond pendant. The diamond showed no signs of fine cutting and was about the size of his index fingernail.

Once he confirmed it was usable, the young cleric turned and left, leaving behind a single sentence: "This is a gift for you from Captain Land."

Anse's contribution to today's battle was undoubtedly pivotal, as everyone had witnessed; the church was clearly using a piece of art to express their gratitude.

Anse remained silent for a moment before putting the necklace on.

"It's worth at least two hundred gold coins," Brat assessed. "Keep it. This thing can only reach its true value in your hands."

"Mm, let's get some rest." Anse waved his hand; since he had decided to accept it, there was no need to dwell on it.

He chose the bed in the furthest corner, unslung his pack, and lay down. His entire body relaxed, and even his tightly wound mind began to ease.

Since his transmigration, this was the first time he had felt a sense of security.

Brat felt the same. The three berries hadn't been enough to fully heal his wounds, and rest was the best remedy.

Finn looked at the two of them, then sat at the dining table in silence and began to eat his bread in small bites.

Anse closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mind, where a silver D20 was rotating slowly.

To his pleasant surprise, the second symbol on it had fully lit up!

"As I thought!"

He tapped the die lightly, and fragments of memory surfaced in his mind: camping, leveling up, fighting, casting spells, using magical items...

Adventure experiences, significant events, or achievements? He couldn't be sure, but at least he had a general direction now.

It seemed he couldn't just hole up and stay stagnant; experiencing more things was never a mistake.

A moment later, the symbol transformed into a small tree, hovering above the die and swaying gently.

Ding—

[You have gained the Adventure Trait: Extraordinary Talent.]

"Extraordinary Talent": You possess learning ability and aptitude far exceeding that of an ordinary person. Gain an additional feat every 2 levels, with no restrictions on source or type.

Anse was stunned. "Directly modifying the DND class rules?"

The DND class rules dictated that one gained an Attribute Score Increase or another qualifying feat every 4 levels, and each instance had a significant impact on one's strength.

He tapped the small tree, and an interface for selecting feats popped up. There was a wide variety, but most were grayed out.

Feats were divided into four categories: Origin Feat, General Feat, Fighting Style Feat, and Epic Feat.

Origin Feats were related to one's background and race, such as the Tough feat for a farmer, and had no prerequisites.

Other feats all had prerequisites, and one could only master the corresponding feat if those conditions were met. For instance, Epic Feats required level 19, and Fighting Style Feats required possessing relevant class features.

Although "Extraordinary Talent" did not state that he had to meet the prerequisites himself, feats like Epic Feats and Fighting Style Feats remained unselectable.

Anse looked around and locked his gaze onto three feats: War Caster, Spell Sniper, and Gift of the Metallic Dragon.

War Caster would allow him to cast spells more steadily and quickly, Spell Sniper would increase his spell range and accuracy, and Gift of the Metallic Dragon would enhance his survivability.

Of course, he could also choose to increase his attribute scores by two points, but the improvement wouldn't be as significant as a feat.