章 17: Testing Extraction Within Enders Light

August surveyed the battlefield after clearing the surroundings. The loot from these higher-level monsters was even more impressive.

Wolf pelts, iron claws, and mid-tier mana potions were just some of the valuable items he collected. The experience points gained from these battles quickly added up, pushing him to the next level.

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Name: Aleman

Level: 14

Title(s): Nil

Class: Assassin/Mage

EXP: 200/50,000

HP: 2500/2500

MP: 1700/1700

Gold: 210

Skills: Shadow Dance, Hidden Strike, Slash, Dash, Dual Wielding, Fireball, Arcane Shield

Inventory: Leather Armor, Healing Potion x4, Uncommon Toxic Dagger, Danting Pendant, Runic Sword, Goblin Tooth, Minor Health Potion, Wolf Pelt, Iron Claw, Mid-tier Mana Potion

←←←←←←←←

August was sure that if he kept up the pace, he could increase his level by a whole lot more to prepare himself for future quests since quests in this location of the game were most likely going to be more difficult.

---

Hours went by and August kept grinding nonstop.

Despite the victories, not all battles were easy. August encountered a level 16 forest troll, a massive creature with thick, stone-like skin and a club the size of a tree trunk.

The troll's bellow echoed through the forest as it swung its club at August, who barely managed to dodge the blow.

-100 HP

The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, and August knew he had to be strategic.

He used his agility to stay out of the troll's reach, casting Fireballs to chip away at its health. The troll roared in frustration due to its slow movements and how it was unable to evade... nonetheless, it was still powerful. Each swing of its club was a potential death sentence.

[ - 250 HP ]

August took advantage of the troll's slow recovery time, darting in to deliver a bunch of quick strikes before retreating.

[ -200 HP ]

[ - 180 HP ]

[ - 220 HP ]

The battle was grueling, and he had to use several health potions to keep his HP from dropping dangerously low.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he managed to bring the troll down with a series of well-placed strikes to its head.

[You have defeated Forest Troll. +3500 EXP]

[Item Drop: Troll Club, Thick Hide, High-tier Health Potion]

The loot from the troll was substantial, but the effort it took to defeat the creature showed him how much different the beasts were in strength compared to the ones back in Unhidden Mist.

After a grueling session of monster hunting in the Western Woods, August decided to take a break. He had gone up by three levels already so it had been a completely fruitful time for him.

He made his way back to Tagharuim Kingdom and headed towards one of the popular taverns where players often hung out.

The tavern, named "The Drunken Dragon," was a lively place filled with the sounds of laughter, chatter, and clinking mugs. It was decorated with wooden beams, cozy fireplaces, and tables bustling with adventurers.

August found a quiet corner and sat down, pulling up his player inventory to review the loot he had collected. The items varied in rarity and usefulness, and he knew he would have to sell some of them, especially those he couldn't use due to his class.

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Inventory:

- Leather Armor

- Healing Potion x4

- Uncommon Toxic Dagger

- Danting Pendant

- Runic Sword

- Goblin Tooth x10

- Minor Health Potion x5

- Wolf Pelt x3

- Iron Claw x2

- Mid-tier Mana Potion x3

- Troll Club

- Thick Hide

- High-tier Health Potion

←←←←←←←←

Examining the items, August realized that some of them could fetch a good price at the auction house.

He decided to sell the Wolf Pelts, Iron Claws, and Goblin Teeth, as they were valuable crafting materials but not particularly useful for his Assassin/Mage build.

He was still on tenterhooks as to whether or not to sell the runic sword because even if he couldn't use it due to his class, the option of extraction was still on the table. So he decided not to add it until he was ready to make his final decision on what to do with it.

He made his way to one of the auction houses which was a grand building filled with players and NPCs looking to buy and sell items.

The structure was impressive, with tall pillars and intricate carvings depicting various heroic feats. Inside, the atmosphere was one of focused energy, with players huddled around terminals, checking bids and listing items.

The process of listing items was straightforward, and August quickly adapted to the auction house's user-friendly interface. He listed his items for sale, setting reasonable starting bids and buyout prices based on the current market trends.

[Items Listed for Auction: Wolf Pelt x3, Iron Claw x2, Goblin Tooth x10]

Satisfied with his listings, August returned to the tavern and ordered a drink. As he sipped his ale which boosted his energy, he thought about his next steps.

The break was a good opportunity to test out his extraction ability within the game. He needed to know if it was only limited to activation in real life or if it would work in the game as well.

With his curiosity piqued, August headed to a blacksmith's forge shop.

The surroundings were filled with the sounds of hammering and the heat of molten metal. The shop was spacious, with weapons and armor displayed on wooden racks. The blacksmith, an obese man with a thick beard and soot-covered apron, was hard at work crafting a new sword.

August approached the shop, eyeing a particularly well-crafted sword displayed on the wall.

It was an embellished Sword with a beautifully etched blade and a hilt encrusted with gems.

Without saying a word, he reached out for the sword and tried to extract it.

[Would you like to extract item: Ornate Sword?]

[YES] × [NO]

His eyes lit up the moment it displayed this even within the game.

August immediately selected [YES], but nothing happened.

The system remained unresponsive, and the sword stayed firmly in place.

'Is it just a fluke then?'

August frowned, realizing that there were limitations to his extraction ability.

He was about to leave after witnessing the failure but a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

'Would it even display any notifications at all if it wouldn't work in the game world?'

Determined to test this further, he decided to buy the sword. He approached the blacksmith, who paused his work and turned to greet him.

"Good day, traveler. Interested in that fine sword, are you?" the blacksmith asked with a deep rumbling but warm tone.

"Yes, how much for the Sword?" August inquired, trying to gauge the price.

The blacksmith rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "That'll be 20 gold pieces. It's a fair price for a blade of this quality."

'Damn it... That's quite pricey. Let me get something else,'

August immediately withdrew and moved to a much less impressive-looking blade. Although he currently possessed over 200 gold coins, he knew the conversion rate of a gold coin was twenty dollars to one. He couldn't be spending anyhow for an experiment.

"How about this one?" He pointed at a curved blade that was only a little over two feet in length.

"That's 55 silver coins," The blacksmith answered.

'Much better,'

August nodded and handed over the silver coins.

The blacksmith took the blade off the display and handed it to him.

<[ You Have Acquired A Bronze Shortsword ]>

With the Short sword now in his inventory, August tried the extraction process again.

[Would you like to extract item: Bronze Short Sword?]

[YES] × [NO]

"Yes," August stated.

This time, the progress bar appeared, and after a minute, the sword vanished from his inventory.

August immediately felt a surge of exhilaration. He had successfully extracted the item, proving that he needed to own the item before he could extract it.

He couldn't extract items that were not in his possession.

He thanked the blacksmith and left the shop, eager to see if the items he had extracted had materialized in the real world.

His discovery of the extraction ability's limitations was valuable information, and he knew it would help him make more strategic decisions in the future.

___

Returning to his reality, August couldn't wait to see the results of his extractions. To his delight, the Bronze Short sword was sitting there beside him in the pod.

He picked it up immediately and it felt wickedly sharp blade, with a faint green tint.

The basic dagger he had extracted that could easily slice through anything didn't feel anywhere as sharp as this.

He tested its sharpness on a piece of cloth, and it sliced through effortlessly, even before the blade made direct contact.

This was to say that the higher the grade of a blade, the more powerful they'd be in the real world. If he started bringing items like this into the real world from the game, even if they were the lowest of the lowest grades, they'd still be immensely valuable.

He could really sell any of these items for a substantial profit or use them to gain an advantage in the real world.