System Change

Walter nodded. “I promise. As long as this woman does not act against me or my family, I will do nothing that will harm her. And, if possible, I will do what I can to help her. Now, what is it that you would like to discuss about her?”

“The girl’s name is Brandi. She was a villager that I happened to save by chance. With the Great System only just being unlocked, she already had a passion for Leatherworking. She wanted nothing more than to provide armor for her village to help them hunt safely.” Derek said.

He sighed. “Unfortunately, because of the spread of the disease caused by the dungeon, her village was attacked by a horde of mid-level forest creatures that were pushed out by the higher leveled ones that were running from the disease. By the time I arrived, it was too late for their village and most of the hunters in it. Her father also lost his life buying enough time for the women and children to escape.”

“I see. There have been reports of monsters attacking villages that were close to the forest. It must have been one of them. That is also the reason the Adventurer’s Guild took the report of a possible dungeon seriously and sent out my son’s team when news of it arrived. Of course, who would have imagined that it would be a level 100 elite dungeon.” Walter added.

Derek nodded. “That sounds about right.” He answered. “After saving what was left of that village, I escorted them to Thomas’s village. Things happened, and I ended up staying longer than I thought I would. That’s when I noticed Brandi’s drive and passion for crafting. That’s also when I decided to test some things.”

“I helped Thomas level fast and choose a class, but I had Brandi stay at level one and focus only on her general Leatherworking skill. Later, I took her and some others through dungeons and around other places, trying to obtain a bunch of Awards before allowing her to level to 10. Surprisingly, it seemed to pay off, as she was offered both an epic class, and a rare growth type class when she was finally able to choose. I won’t say what the classes were, but they both seemed quite good. She chose the rare growth type class in the end.” Derek explained.

Walter nodded. “That sounds like a successful experiment to me. If only we could find out how much of it was her passion for the craft, and how much was from the Awards and experiences. Then again, I don’t think many people would be about to focus only on the general Leatherworking skill without an adequate amount of passion.”

“That’s right. I believe that it all comes together. Now, with Brandi, we only focused for a couple of months. Think about what would happen if you had someone focus the same, except for years. I believe that it would work for multiple class types too. Not just crafting classes. Use your water type classes for example. If you could find a serious student at around 10 years old, you could have him train his body and mind, and constantly be surrounded by water. Then, when he unlocks the Great System, you could have him spend a year or so leveling general skills that have something to do with water or magic. I suspect that when he finally gets to choose a class, he would be able to select from at least an epic class. Who knows, he may even get a legendary class.” Derek layed out the training plan he had been thinking about since Brandi’s success.

Walter was quiet for a while, seemingly lost in thought. Finally, he came out of the trance. “I think we have a child in the family that could do it.” He said. “She just turned 12, but it would still be worth trying. Although, she enjoys melee more than magic…” Walter trailed off.

“That would work too. Find the weapon she is most suitable for, and have her train with it constantly by the water, or in the rain. Then, when it comes time for her to unlock the Great System, allow her to reach level one. Have someone help her get the Award for slaying a creature a certain level above her, then spend the skill points on one of the weapon mastery skills, along with some type of general magic skill. Oh, and Meditation, it is a must. So, I guess she would have to get the Giant Slayer Award for slaying a creature 50 levels above her. Make sure she does it with the weapon of her choice too.” Derek nodded, happy with his explanation.

Walter laughed. “It looks like I’m going to have to take my great niece in as a disciple.” He chuckled. “I wonder how the rest of the family is going to react.”

“She will be lucky. Hell, if it works, she could turn into the next head of your house.” Derek chuckled. “Now, about finding a place for Brandi. Do you think Torith could be a good option?”

Walter sighed, then shook his head. “The only way would be if you were to stay with her at all times, or allow her to work under me. I don’t believe that is what either of you want.”

“Why is that?”

“The City Lord, Malcolm Torith. Though I’m much stronger than him, his power comes from his father, who I am still stronger than. But, his father has connections that I do not. He has slithered his way into the King’s good graces. You can think of Malcolm as a version of Wallace, but to the extreme. He has never had to work for anything, though his level is rather high. It was all done by servants. I don’t believe he has ever been in a real fight.” Walter explained.

He continued. “If he finds out about Brandi, then the second she is left alone without you or me guarding her, he will have her. And, it would not be long after when she is forced to sign a slave oath. After that, there would be nothing you could do to save her. With a slave oath, even if you kill all the Toriths, she would die along with them. So, I believe you should keep her as far away from this city as possible.”

Derek frowned. He had expected the City Lord to be a bit overbearing, but never thought that he would be this bad. “If the man is as bad as you say, then why does the king allow it? From what I heard about the King, he seems pretty reasonable.”

“Gerald, Malcolm’s father, once saved the King’s life. If you ask me, it was all too timely. An assassination attempt happening during a small meeting that just so happened to include Gerald. I was there, and to me, it seemed that Gerald moved too fast. But, he took an enchanted dagger in the chest and almost died. The assassin died as soon as he failed, so there was no evidence left at the scene.” Walter shook his head. “The injury to Gerald still has not healed because of the enchantment. So, either everything he did was selfless. Or he is playing a very long game.”

“As for Malcolm’s actions. He knows how far he can go and who he can offend. Though I know that you are a person who should not be offended, nobody else does. Well, maybe the Crown suspects so. A slave oath is frowned upon by the King, but Malcolm has used it multiple times and he only gets a visit from his father and a good yelling at when they find out.” Walter finished.

“I see… Then, is there a place that you would suggest? Somewhere safe for her, where she could also hone her craft and gain reputation?” Derek asked.

The older man thought for a bit before speaking. “Savannah.” He said, nodding his head. “I believe that Savannah City would be the safest place. Natalie Savannah is the City Lord there, and she is the most neutral City Lord.”

“Oh, what is this city like?”

“Savannah is the third biggest city in Cydaria Kingdom. Only behind the Capital and Rota. It is a big merchant city. There is no low-class area in the city, as it was built by merchants, for merchants. The Savannahs have taken orphans in the city and raised them as their own for generations, thus keeping the homeless and slum rate down to a minimum.”

“The security is very strict, and there are laws that must be followed. There is no leeway for crimes in the city. Because of how successful of a merchant city it is, the King has given the Savannahs full control of the city, as they do not seek power. I have personally met Natalie, and while I can’t say we are friends, I can say that she is a very upright person. Instead of trying to have a talent such as Brandi for herself, she would be elated that the girl chose her city to make a living. I imagine that she would even post guards and extra security for the girl if she ever found out about her.” Walter said.

Derek nodded. “That does sound good. How is the outside of the city? Are there a lot of dungeons or high level monsters? I plan to provide the materials for the girl to work with, so that is a must. Right now, I can get plenty of level 100 or so materials for her to use, so is there a good amount at Savannah?”

“There is. There are many dungeons, ranging from level 50 to level 200. Plus, the areas around the higher level dungeons have high-level monsters. The level 200 dungeon is a desert dungeon that rewards fantastic weapons. Plus, the enemies inside the dungeon all have some kind of material that can be used by Blacksmiths and Leatherworkers. Not to mention that it is a main city with a teleportation platform, so you can always go to other cities to hunt too.” Walter explained.

Derek laughed. “I let the teleportation platforms slip my mind. I guess I’m going to have to check out this Savannah once all my business here is finished.”