When Kaizen left the Silver Mountains, he stopped using Chiron to get around. Since the Beast Mount was Epic Rank, and Kaizen didn’t want unnecessary attention yet, this was the wisest decision.

The way back to Holinda City was a bit long, but Kaizen faced a few monsters along the way, it helped the journey get a little less boring.

[You killed a Bloodhound and gained +50 XP].

The notification came to him after he cut an undead-looking dog in half.𝒐𝑣𝑙xt.𝔠𝑶𝑚

‘Three days ago, I would have smiled with joy at receiving 50 XP, but after all that experience I got from the Mutant Moss Scorpions and the Steel Claw Mantis, this seems so little~.’

Thinking about this made Kaizen remember that he had not yet checked the evolution of his attributes since he entered the Howling Cliff.

So he looked at his surroundings, and when he saw no one near him, he opened the attributes screen.

[Statistics Screen

Nickname: Kaizen | Class: Psych

Current Title: The descendant of the Ironstones; Talented

Profession: Blacksmith Apprentice.

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral | Fame: 90].

[Attributes

Level: 22

HP: 300 | Vitality: 27

Intelligence: 28 | Luck: 16

Attack: 55 | Agility: 40

Charisma: 11

Defense: 28 (+50)

Magic Resistance: 7 | MP: 130

PR: 120]

‘My HP had a quite large jump, thank goodness. However, mostly just the Attack and Agility attributes went up. I mean, that’s not such a big surprise since those are the attributes I use the most when I’m fighting hand-to-hand, only… 11 Charisma? Is this a joke? Wait, why am I complaining? I don’t even know what Charisma would help me. Yeah, I need Jayaa’s tips…’ Kaizen understood.

Kaizen understood that in Rise Online the attributes did not increase in what he chose but by how he played and evolved. It was a bit complicated and difficult to understand this system, so having Jayaa’s help would probably be great. However, Jayaa said that he played in the Royal Capital of Tretidian and that they should meet there.

At the time, Kaizen did not refuse this request, as he already planned to go to the Royal Capital to sell the monster drops to Klank. However, he didn’t even know where this city called the Royal Capital was, and the only thing that comforted him was the idea that there was probably a place in Holinda that would sell maps with routes to the Royal Capital.

“Without a doubt, going to the Royal Capital is the best thing I can do,” Kaizen said after closing the interface and continuing walking down the road. “There, I will be able to find Klank, Jayaa, and I also believe it is the best place to find the Shaman or Advanced Mage I am looking for.”

With that thought in mind, once Kaizen got beyond the great walls of Holinda, he immediately made his way to the shopping district, a place frequented especially by gamblers.

Unlike before, Kaizen was no longer being stared at by many people as he walked the streets; it was sure nice for him. Although he didn’t understand why the staring had ceased, he didn’t care enough to be curious about it.

Deep down, people had identified him so easily last time because he was the only one who fit the characteristics advertised by the Metal Dragons. A large man with Asian features, basic beginner’s clothes, a blue tunic, and a barbaric look was certainly not a common mix of traits. Since he was now wearing armor, he went unnoticed.

The moment Kaizen entered Zahir’s store, the dwarf was attending to a woman who was wearing leather armor and passing instructions to him.

“The waist needs to be thin to fit my body, but I also don’t want it pressing on my belly. In fact, I want my shoulders to be free, so if it is possible, make the tunic with only shoulder straps and shoulder pads.” The woman said.

“Okay, these requirements are no problem, and I will need your correct measurements, but I have to tell you, Miss, such custom products are not cheap.” Zahir was surprisingly courteous.

Although Kaizen was in a hurry, he just crossed his arms and kept waiting as the other player finished her talk with the dwarf.

When the girl passed the Psyker to leave, she looked him in the eye, blushed slightly, and left the store. Before going her way, she still stared at him through the window.

“Hey, weirdo, don’t even consider dating one of my customers.” The dwarf caught Kaizen’s eye and started walking behind the counter.

“Why? Did you get interested in that girl? That explains your unexpected politeness, old man.”

“D-don’t talk bullshit. I was only polite to her because she is a noblewoman.”

Kaizen closed his eyes and propped both arms flexed on the counter, which left him at the same height as the dwarf who climbed up on a stool behind the counter.

“I won’t tell anyone that you get your eyes nailed on your customers. Don’t worry about it.” The black-haired man winked, teasing the blacksmith.

At that moment, Zahir lost his patience, and although his cheeks were rosy, he quickly changed the subject when he asked:

“So, what brings you back here to the store again, Kaizen, repairs?”

“You told me that the repairs would be free, right? So, definitely, yes. However, I also want to tell you about how my adventure in the Howling Cliff went.”

The expression of disinterest on the dwarf’s face was extinguished as soon as he heard these words from Kaizen.

“Oh! Have you already returned from there? So does that mean that the armor I made withstood combat with the Steel Claws Mantis? That’s comforting for sure!” The dwarf quickly went around the counter to check the player’s armor up close.

“Hey, why do you look so surprised?”

“Listen, Kaizen, none of the men I met who talked that they were going to explore the Howling Cliff returned alive, so I’ve really only heard rumors about the place… And well, it’s hard to create armor when you don’t know the level of the creature the armor will face. Do you understand that? Anyway, take off that armor, so I can repair it while you tell me how your adventure went. How’s that?”

…

Edited by: DrHitsuji

If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: Pa treon.com/NandoFalske

More character images in:

https:///bpqq9u4gS8

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