55 [BONUS] Hubert, the Gnome Merchant 1

BONUS Chapter for reaching 500PS last week! 😁

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[ FIRE Spell LV.2 » LV.4 ]

‖ F I R E L V. 4 ‖

–– cost 40 MP

–– inflict 40% fire damage based on INT

–– single enemy target

–– 2 sec. cool down

‖ E N D ‖

Ren ignored the [World Chat]. He had something to do, which was related to why he hid the final Boss of the Gargantuan Cave from the others.

It was to make sure that the others were unprepared for the Boss and would be caught off guard. It was also the reason why he suggested using them as meat shields so they wouldn't be present when he burned a chunk of the web on a ledge above the ceiling and a [Rope] fell down just meters from where he stood.

[ACQUIRED, Rope!]

Ren walked forward in the room, where he stumbled upon a cracked floor with a deep hole. It wasn't noticeable since numerous cracks and holes were scattered across the floor. And if you weren't paying attention, you would miss the small voice coming from below.

". . . on . . . he . . . Anyone there? Help." It was a very small voice that could be passed as a whisper.

Ren didn't speak and just threw the rope's end towards the hole while holding the other end by his hand.

After a while, a violet-skinned gnome crawled out from the tiny fissure. It had a white gentleman's mustache on its upper lip and was wearing a monocle on his left eye. Its ears were long and pointy, as well as its nose and chin with a height of only knee in length.

"Thank you, stranger. I don't know how I will ever get out from there with that overgrown spider guarding this place." The Gnome patted away the dust on his clothes and said with a high-pitched but raspy voice," My name is Hubert, by the way."

"Ren."

[Your relationship level with Hubert went from Strangers to Friends!]

"Nice to meet you, Ren. And thank you for getting me out from that hell hole."

"How did you get in there in the first place?" asked Ren so he could get the items that he wanted from the Gnome.

The corner of Hubert's lips twitched, revealing a broad set of sharp teeth like the jaws of a shark.

"Those good for nothing Orcs! They're the reason why I'm stuck in this spider's lair in the first place. Thanks to them, I already forgot how many years I have been trapped here."

Hubert began, and there was no stopping him when he continued ranting on and on.

Ren already knew about his story, but he still let the Gnome continue least he wanted a [Relationship Level] reduction. He needed his relationship with Hubert as [Friends] even better if it was [Intimate].

"So there I was, minding my own business in Maze Forest, selling my wares to passerby under the Millennium Tree when I spotted these two giant Orcs with an elven girl on their shoulder.

"It's not that I was snooping or anything . . . but I decided to spy on them and followed them 'cause I was . . . curious. But one of them spotted me and chased me all the way here."

Hubert sighed and grumbled under his breath. "If it's not that I went hiding inside this hole, that Orc might have found and killed me.

"However, just as I was going to escape, another took that Orc's place in the form of a giant spider!"

Hubert caught his breath and shook his head. "My life had not been easy down here."

And then he beamed at Ren, showing his row of yellow stained teeth.

"Thanks to you, stranger. Here, I'm giving this to you as a token of my appreciation."

Hubert handed Ren trinkets.

[ACQUIRED!

❶ Crystal Keys x4

–– can open any locks.

–– very handy in dungeon exploration.

❷ Smoke Duds x4

–– envelop an area of 10m radius with thick fog

–– AoE Damage

–– very handy in escaping.

❸ Paralyzing Duds x2

–– envelop an area of 10m radius with static that paralyze all foes upon contact for 1 minute

–– AoE Damage

–– very handy in a group fight.

❹ Monocle of a Tinker x1

–– can change class into a Tinker and acquire its set of skills and spells for one day

–– Skill and Spell set dependent on ATP ]

Hubert was a [Tinker], another class that could invent devices that would aid players in battle. However, it's not a permanent class. It was one among the non-permanent classes that the players could change into the future.

A class change device like the one Ren had allowed him to be a [Tinker] for one day. Some dungeons and areas required a [Tinker] in the group in order to advance since a [Tinker] could invent tools that help solve puzzles and open locked doors and such.

"Thank you," said Ren, who couldn't contain the grin on his face.