He remembered that when he first became a Redeemer, he had obtained two skills and one class trait all at once.
Now that he had reached Lv. 5, he had awakened a new skill: 【Arcing Strike: A heavy strike with an armor-piercing effect, dealing bonus damage to heavy armored units.】
Bai Xuan thought to himself that he would likely unlock a new skill every five levels, meaning he should obtain another one upon reaching level ten.
If he could undergo a second class advancement in the future, he might even be able to unlock two new skills at once, just as he did when he first started.
He just didn't know if his current Class had any specific advancement paths.
Aside from that, he had accumulated quite a bit of Pleasure on his way back from the dungeon, though the rewards he drew were still entirely experience cards, with no surprises.
He was already used to this; after all, it seemed that colored card from before had used up all his luck at once. Since then, he hadn't drawn any more special items.
However, even if they were just experience cards, they were still solid gains, which was better than nothing.
Most of it was Class EXP, so reaching Lv. 5 had been faster than expected.
The remaining Skill EXP Cards were distributed logically, and several skills on his panel had successfully reached level two.
With these thoughts, Bai Xuan summoned his personal status panel with a thought, seeing that his various stats had improved once again:
【Class: Redeemer Lv. 5 (6%)】
【HP: 1080/1080】
【MP: 445/445】
【Trait: Digitalization】
Support Skills:
【Holy Light Catalyst Lv. 2 (5%): Gently tap a wound to quickly stop bleeding through vibrations and stimulate muscle healing.】
【Purifying Severance Lv. 2 (11%): Purifies continuous damage energies such as toxins, corrosion, and curses, while temporarily increasing the target's status resistance.】
【Pain Empowerment Lv. 2 (4%): Grants a minor boost to all attributes of the target while amplifying their emotional reactions. Extra pain felt by the target can be converted into additional empowerment, further increasing the skill's bonus effects and duration.】
Combat Skills:
【Redemption Strike Lv. 2 (15%): A heavy, powerful strike.】
【Concussive Field Lv. 1 (6%): Erupts a circular shockwave centered on the weapon's point of impact, forcibly knocking back enemies within range while inflicting awe, stun, and light damage.】
【Arcing Strike Lv. 2 (3%): A heavy strike with an armor-piercing effect.】
Passive Skills:
【Strength Enhancement Lv. 1 (63%)】
【Healing Ascent Lv. 1 (46%)】
【Elemental Resistance Lv. 1 (40%)】
Class Feature:
【Sacred Martial Radiance: Passive. Attack power and healing power are linked. 20% of attack power is added to healing power, and 20% of healing power is added to attack power.】
【Current Pleasure: 26, Draws Available: 1】
【Wealth: 36 Gold, 182 Silver, 55 Copper】
【Items: (Omitted)】
Looking at the values on the panel, Bai Xuan couldn't help but think of the Heavy Armored Skeleton he had encountered in the mine.
That skeleton was only Lv. 5 itself, but after being strengthened by the Specter Seed fragment, its combat power had reached the threshold of Lv. 7.
Bai Xuan pondered to himself. If he encountered it now, with his current strength, he should be able to react in time and save Karl...
He also thought of the experts he had seen before. Kaylon, the captain of Silver Heart, was Lv. 7, and the guards of the Mulan family were also Lv. 7.
He remembered that when he first met them, their overwhelming strength had made it almost difficult for him to breathe.
But looking back now, their attributes were likely similar to his current ones, and in some areas, they might even be inferior to him.
This was the confidence that the Digitalization trait and the status panel gave him.
Although his level was only five, the values stacked from upgrading his various skills, combined with the dual bonuses of his class feature, had forcibly pushed his comprehensive attributes to a level seven standard.
In other words, within the area of Blackcreek Town, as long as he wanted to leave, no one could stop him, and no one could keep him there.
The only thing that gave him a bit of a headache was the side effect of Pain Empowerment.
The effect of emotional amplification could be a great help if used well, but if not, it could easily lead to awkward situations.
Thinking back to how Lily looked when she was affected by the side effect in the mine, the corners of Bai Xuan's mouth twitched slightly.
If he could find a way to suppress this side effect, that would be ideal.
Bai Xuan shook his head gently, tossing these stray thoughts aside for the moment and refocusing on the present.
He currently had thirty-six gold coins. Adding the gold and silver jewelry brought out from the tomb and that broken Soul-Patterned Ring, if he sold them all, he should gain another twenty-plus gold coins.
That way, the initial payment for his weapon would be fully covered, and the remaining thirty gold coins had a long grace period, so there was basically no need to worry too much.
Bai Xuan planned privately. After paying off his debt, he would save up the remaining money to further enhance his strength.
His weapon was coming soon, but he still lacked armor, and he needed to stock up on various potions.
As he was thinking, he looked up and saw the familiar sign at the corner of the street ahead.
Lorrain's Coarse Pottery Flask Shop had arrived.
Bai Xuan pushed open the door and stepped into the alchemy shop, greeted by a familiar scent.
Various alchemy potions and products were still neatly arranged on the shelves, their glass bottles reflecting faint glimmers of light.
Behind the counter, the half-elf Lorrain was looking down, holding a long, thin glass rod as he focused on mixing a potion.
Hearing the creak of the door, he only lifted his eyelids for a brief glance before lowering his head again to continue his work.
“Here to sell something?” he asked, his tone as flat and emotionless as if he had already seen through Bai Xuan's intention.
Bai Xuan's pace faltered slightly. To know he was here to sell something meant Lorrain had likely sensed his arrival long ago.
“Yes,” he replied, walking quickly to the counter and getting straight to the point. “I brought some things back from the dungeon. See if you'll take them.”
Only then did Lorrain put down the glass rod and slowly look up.
His expression didn't change as his gaze naturally fell on Bai Xuan's hand, waiting for him to produce the items.
Bai Xuan didn't hesitate, taking out the Soul-Patterned Ring and placing it gently on the counter.
Lorrain's gaze froze instantly, and his previously dull eyes gained a hint of hard-to-detect focus.
He reached out to pick up the ring, bringing it close to his eyes to examine it carefully, his fingertips gently stroking the cracked crystal on the face of the ring.
The crystal had long since lost its internal luster, but the patterns remained clearly discernible.
“Something from the Ancient Glayde Kingdom,” he murmured, his tone carrying a trace of faint melancholy, as if talking to himself. “This pattern is a technique unique to the Royal Workshop.”
He looked up at Bai Xuan, his gaze now quite different from the previous indifference. “Ancient items like this are usually put up for consignment at the Adventurer’s Guild by adventurers. Few people bring them directly to an alchemy workshop.”
As soon as he finished, he followed up with a question: “Which floor did you find it on?”
“The seventh floor, inside some ruins,” Bai Xuan answered truthfully, his tone calm.
Lorrain nodded gently, looked at the ring for a few more moments, and then slowly placed it back on the counter.
“This thing is broken. Its functional value is basically zero, but it has some research value.”
He said slowly, “The Glayde Empire collapsed thousands of years ago, and their enchanting techniques have long been lost. This ring can keep me busy researching for a while.”
He paused and quoted a price: “Fifteen gold coins. If you think that's too low, you can also take it to the guild for consignment and see if anyone is willing to pay more.”
Bai Xuan calculated in his mind. Consignment at the guild was indeed a viable option, but it was too conspicuous.
This ring was brought out from the seventh floor of the dungeon. Once it was put up for consignment at the guild, news would spread about who sold it and where it was found, making it easy to be targeted.
He didn't want to invite that kind of unnecessary trouble right now.
Lorrain was different. He was a Lv. 9 Transcendent; even if he was cursed, his vision and perspective remained at that level.
And given his status, he likely wouldn't go around publicizing the matter for a broken ancient item.
Even if he did have designs on Bai Xuan, Bai Xuan had the confidence to deal with it.
He already had some ability to protect himself, not to mention Lorrain was cursed and his overall power was cut in half, so he might not necessarily be able to do anything to him.
Furthermore, the fifteen gold coins Lorrain offered were three more than his own estimate of twelve. This price was very fair.
“Deal,” Bai Xuan replied without any hesitation.
Lorrain took a heavy coin pouch from under the counter, counted out fifteen gold coins, and pushed them gently toward Bai Xuan.
Bai Xuan put away the coins but didn't turn to leave immediately, instead remaining where he was.
“Boss, how much for a Medium Mana Recovery Potion?” he asked, looking up.
Lorrain glanced at him, his tone still flat. “Two gold coins per bottle.”
Bai Xuan was slightly stunned and instinctively said, “The basic ones are only eighty silver coins a bottle. Why are the medium ones so expensive?”
“Basic potions are for warrior-type adventurers,” Lorrain explained calmly. “With your current mana capacity, drinking a basic potion won't restore much at all.”
“Medium potions are different. Their recovery effect is three to five times that of basic ones, and they are much more efficient.”
He looked at Bai Xuan and added, “When the time comes that you really need it, you'll understand.”
Bai Xuan thought for a moment, then counted out four coins from the gold he had just received and pushed them back across the counter.
“I'll take two.”
Lorrain didn't say more, turning to take two small dark bottles from the shelf behind him and placing them on the counter.
Bai Xuan tucked the potions away properly but still didn't move, continuing to stand before the counter.
Seeing him like this, a flicker of unexpected surprise crossed Lorrain's eyes.
“More things to sell?” he asked.
Bai Xuan weighed his words for a moment before slowly speaking, “Boss, I have a question. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask.”
Lorrain didn't speak, just watching him silently, gesturing for him to continue.
“On you...” Bai Xuan pointed toward his own shoulder, his tone as tactful as possible, “is there something that has been troubling you all this time?”
Lorrain's gaze changed instantly. It wasn't anger, but a complex emotion—a mix of alertness and surprise.
“You can tell?” he asked, his tone several shades deeper than before.
Bai Xuan nodded gently, offering no further explanation.
Lorrain stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly curled his lip into a smile, though it held no warmth.
“Interesting,” he said slowly. “I've used quite a few masking methods for this curse. Even the clerics of the Church might not be able to see it standing right in front of me.”
“And yet you, a level five Healer, saw right through it at a glance.”
He leaned forward slightly, his tone gaining a bit of pressure. “Then do you know that just based on the fact that you can see my curse, I could keep you here right now to eliminate any future trouble?”
Bai Xuan's expression didn't change. He remained standing steadily in place without a hint of panic.
“If you really wanted to do that, you would have done it already instead of wasting so many words on me,” he said calmly, offering no excuses.
“Besides, since I dared to ask, I have the confidence to make a clean escape. You probably don't want others to know that a cursed Transcendent Rank expert is hiding here, do you?”
He paused, softening his tone. “I mean no ill will. I just felt that since this curse has troubled you for so long, perhaps I could be of some help. One more friend means one more path. Wouldn't you agree?”
Lorrain watched him silently, his gaze becoming increasingly complex with scrutiny, doubt, and a trace of wavering.
“Do you know how I got this curse? Do you know what kind of thing I caught it from?”
He asked in succession, his tone carrying a hint of mockery. “Even the clerics of the Church might not be able to break it. What makes you think you can?”
Bai Xuan was silent for a few seconds before slowly speaking, “I'm not sure if the Church's clerics can break it, but given your profession, if you went to the Church for help, I'm afraid you'd be arrested immediately.”
“To be honest, I'm not entirely certain I can break your curse,” he said sincerely. “But my magic does have some effect on this type of curse.”
He paused and added, “As for your profession and what you did before, that has nothing to do with me. I just feel that you do business fairly and are someone worth dealing with.”
Lorrain stared at him for a long time, his gaze intensifying as if trying to see through Bai Xuan from the inside out.
Finally, he slowly sat back in his chair, leaning against the backrest, and smiled again. This time, the smile had lost its previous coldness and gained a bit of relief.
“You really aren't afraid of me,” he said, his tone much softer and carrying a hint of praise.
He was silent for a moment before finally relenting. “Fine, I'll give you a chance. Not because I believe you're certain, but because you dared to stand here and say these things to me.”
He looked at Bai Xuan and asked seriously, “What do you plan to do?”
“Not now,” Bai Xuan shook his head. “I still need to make some preparations. Once I've finished one thing, I'll come find you again.”
“What thing?” Lorrain followed up, his tone less guarded and more curious.
“To go fetch something,” Bai Xuan said simply. “With that item in hand, my certainty in helping you remove the curse will be even greater.”
Lorrain didn't ask further, nodding gently, clearly accepting this answer.
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