Pantheon Online-Chapter 285 Rising Star (Part 1)

Exile stared at the papers in the workshop where he had recorded his failures. His research into dark spells had stalled due to his desire to remove the negative effects on his mind. He clenched his jaw as he peered through the loose parchments before tossing them aside.

'This is useless.' Exile groaned as he reviewed his research. 'Either I don't have enough information on the element yet, or something else is stopping me.' He shook his head as he wondered if it was a problem with his low tier or just impossible, to begin with.

He turned his attention to the only spell that showed promise. It was an analysis rune that used pure divine power. The new spell would be uncompromised by any element. 'If this works like it should, I could get some answers from Nar'Kozz's orb.'

Exile was hopeful that he'd soon be able to put that issue to rest. If the orb was harmless, he would absorb it. Though, he still had the issue of the fragment of the First Ore to deal with too. He had considered giving it to Clay or Midas. Since they seemed the best suited to it in Ragnarok. However, he was tempted to wait until Tier 3 to see if choosing the earth element would let him absorb it.

'If it's possible, then there should be a first element related to darkness out there. That would further drive my power beyond most players.' Exile chuckled at the thought of holding three first elements. However, he doubted it would be allowed. There were no stories or myths of the Old Gods holding more than one first element, and he wasn't egotistical enough to think he was the first to have that idea.

He knew it was a long shot to hold onto the First Ore, but he felt it was prudent to explore every avenue before making his decision. Exile picked at his notes to memorise the process he had come up with to create the Divine Analysis rune.

'Theoretically, it should work.' Exile sighed as put the papers down and walked toward the book for creating new spells. He took a deep breath before activating it. However, a deep frown appeared on his face as he began the process. He immediately found it more difficult to control pure divine energy than before. Exile had to strain his concentration as he gently nudged the energy to take the shape that he wanted.

Ten minutes had to pass before Exile felt a change. The energy flowed smoothly through the rune he had created and was contained without any of its power being lost.

[You have created a new spell!]

[Rune: Divine Analysis]

[Cost: 10 DP]

[Gain in-depth information on any item of Tier 2 quality and below.]

Exile let out a sigh of relief as he studied the information. 'At least it works as intended. Though, I didn't expect it to have a Tier restriction.' He frowned as he went over that part.

So far, he had not come across Tier qualities or restrictions on items. 'That doesn't bode well for the future.' Exile groaned as he made a note to pass the information along to Mikari. 'Who would've thought I'd discover an unknown mechanic in creating this spell?'

Exile chuckled to himself about his good fortune. Information was power, and he'd just gained another slice of it. 'Tier restrictions will probably come from items crafted by gods.' Exile thought as he stroked his beard. 'We really need to hurry and develop crafters within the Pantheon.'

He silently wondered what amazing items would appear as the players became more invested in those mechanics. 'Well, I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later.' He sighed as he removed Nar'Kozz's orb from his inventory. 'Let's see if you're hiding anything.' Exile's eyes gleamed as he stared at the black orb. 'Divine Analysis!'

The rune appeared on Exile's palm as he targeted the orb. He felt a connection establish itself between his spell and Nar'Kozz's orb. 'Now I need to wait for the results.' It was tedious at best, but worth it if he could avoid falling into a trap.

Exile frowned as ten minutes became twenty as he was stuck in that position. 'Why's it so slow? Is it a problem with the rune I created? Or is it affected by the item in some way?' Exile came close to cancelling the spell a few times but persevered. Finally, after an hour had passed, Exile felt his rune break the connection.

[Item: Orb of the Devourer]

[Element: Dark]

[Tier Restriction: 2]

[Item Uses: Absorb Orb of the Devourer to gain 100 free stat points. Alternatively, Orb of the Devourer can be consumed when crafting an item to create a permanent enchantment.]

[Enchantment: Hunger]

[Effect: Imbues a weapon with the ability to drain 20 DP per hit from the victim.]

Exile almost laughed when he saw the Orb's uses. 'I was worried for nothing.' He sighed. 'This is a no-brainer. The weapon effect would be nice if my analysis rune didn't hint at better weaponry to come. Sure, this kind of effect must be incredibly rare right now. But it also suggests it will become more common as crafting becomes more popular.'

'The enchantment would lose potency and become obsolete as my tier increases. Whereas the ten levels I'd gain from the 100 points will be a permanent boost.'

Exile shook his head as the choice was obvious. 'I can't pass up on ten levels. That'll raise me to level seventeen. If this Tier's cap is the same as Tier one's I'll jump up to Tier three. If it's not, then it'll get me a lot closer to it.'

Exile placed a hand on the Orb, and the game system pinged.

[Do you wish to absorb Orb of the Devourer?]

'Yes.'

[Congratulations! You have received +100 free stat points!]

Exile grinned as he studied his stats. 'This is a huge boost.' However, there was an issue that he had become aware of. 'Gaining stats will be harder from here on out. I'll have to pick up those damn grind quests. Which means sending out expedition parties to find new mobs.'

Exile groaned as he wondered where to dump the points that could be the last he gets for a while. 'I should put a large chunk into Authority. Then, keep the other three pretty balanced. Endurance and Speed are important for combat, whereas I need to keep my Strength up for enchanting and probably Strength restrictions appearing on equipment.'

[Congratulations! You have reached Tier 2 Level 17!]

Exile groaned in disappointment as he failed to make another breakthrough. 'It would've been really helpful with everything that's going on.' However, he couldn't complain after the meteoric rise through Tier 2 the Orb had given him. He quickly called up his stats to study the changes.

[Tier: 2]

[Level: 17]

[HP: 780/780 (300+480)]

[DP: 242/242 (100+142)]

[Strength: 148 (52+96)]

[Endurance: 156 (60+96)]

[Speed: 146 (60+96)]

[Authority: 242 (100+142)]

'My base stats are catching up with the bonus ones from my enchantments now.' Exile smiled softly. He was particularly pleased with the greater reserves of HP and DP from his decision.

'Even if Tier 2 players become more common now, it'll be some time until they can challenge me.' Exile scratched his cheek as he nodded his head. 'This is the perfect time to sell enchanted gear to our own people and the other Pantheons. I'll still need to be careful to sell them weaker versions. The last thing I need is a team of fully enchanted players targeting me.'

Exile cocked an eyebrow as he wondered if there was a way to offset the dangers of selling the equipment. 'I'm sure Midas has worked something out with the talks anyway. I'll need to check with him if anyone else has asked for custom enchantments.'

He could almost smell the gold from the itch the other Skardian players had to have by now. After experiencing the boost from the borrowed equipment, they were sure to be salivating to get ahold of some of their own. 'I guess I should get back to creating dark runes. Perhaps my new stats will help in finding a solution.' Exile groaned again at the thought of returning to the tedious work. That was when a welcome interruption presented itself.

Winter walked into the workshop and raised her hands in apology when she spotted him.

"I hope Im not interrupting something?" She said as she glanced at the parchments on the worktables.

"Not at all. What brings you here?" Exile asked as he studied her with open curiosity.

"It's just that I thought I'd have a go at creating my own spells. You know, after seeing what you can do now, I don't want to be left behind." Winter replied as averted her gaze.

"I see," Exile smiled softly. "Do you want me to help you with it?"

"Oh, I don't want to disturb you if you're busy." Winter quickly waved her hands in a fluster.

"You're not interrupting anything. I've hit a brick wall in my research for a new spell." Exile looked dejected to Winter's eyes as he deflated. "What's wrong with it?"

Winter couldn't help her curiosity. Exile always seemed to find a way through whatever issues came his way. So it was only natural to be intrigued by something that had him stumped. "I'm creating new spells that use the Dark element." Exile gazed sideways at her. "I wanted to remove the bad effects that come with them."

Winter cocked an eyebrow as she tapped her chin. Exile had shared some of the teachings on the divine elements with the officers, which was why Winter really wanted to start exploring those avenues.

"Maybe they're just part and parcel of that element?" She suggested earning an annoyed look from Exile. "I mean, wouldn't it be smarter to create mixed elements instead? The second element should mitigate some of the bad effects since the spell won't be fueled solely by darkness."

Exile's eyes went wide as he stared at her. 'Of course!' Exile groaned at his stupidity. 'I swear I've got to start being more flexible in my thinking!'

"Winter, thank you," Exile whispered as a dangerous gleam appeared in his eyes. "I think you've just given me the answer I was looking for!"