Chapter 25

The weapon of the magician type is a staff. Of course, it's not that other weapons cannot be equipped.

Equipment has status requirements set, and as long as these criteria are met, they can be equipped regardless of the profession. The same type of weapon does not necessarily have the same restrictions (there are staffs with Intelligence requirements and others with Spirit requirements), but generally, the more powerful the equipment, the stricter the status requirements.

Incidentally, even if the criteria are not met, it doesn't mean you can't hold or wear anything. You can wear it, but you won't receive the benefits of the equipment. For example, if you hit with a weapon like a spiked bat, it won't deal damage unless the criteria are met, and even if you wear multiple layers, the damage is calculated based on the equipped items.

By applying this, you can dress beyond your normal equipment slots, and players often hold many accessories to compete in outfit coordination contests.

Let's get back to the topic.

Even if other weapons can be equipped, certain skills can only be used with specific weapons, and since many of the magician's skills require a staff, in practice, only a staff can be chosen.

Additionally, weapons and armor have a "durability" value, and when this reaches zero, the weapon breaks and becomes unusable. Even if a magician doesn't directly attack, the weapon will still deteriorate from skill usage. Therefore, you need to either buy a new one or repair it.

To repair—restore "durability"—you can either take it to an NPC weapon shop for repair or use a Blacksmith's "Repair Weapon" skill. While repairs are cheaper than buying a new weapon, each repair reduces the weapon's "maximum durability," eventually requiring a replacement.

Until now, with significant level fluctuations, weapons were replaced before they broke (usually, higher-level equipment is available every 5 to 10 levels), so it wasn't a problem. However, once you exceed level 45, level-ups slow down, and the time between new weapon purchases becomes longer. The more powerful the weapon, the more expensive it is, so frequent replacements are not feasible. However, the durability still decreases rapidly, and I've been thinking about this for a while, so it's probably best to replace it now.

Actually, I wanted to buy a weapon with "MP Absorption." To be honest, the consumption of MP potions has been excessive recently. The cost per potion isn't high, but the consumption is significant.

Fortunately, "Brandenburg" has monsters that drop "MP Absorption" materials—dragons.

Dragons. The classic formidable monsters in fantasy worlds. However, these are Lesser Dragons, which are sluggish and can't fly well (apparently, they aren't good at flying magic, and Western dragons aren't built for flight). Still, they are dragons.

I started playing VRMMO because of dragons, so I have a lot of attachment to them. When I was fighting dragons, I was so excited that my imagination ran wild, and my mood was high.

When I decided to go dragon hunting that day, I talked excitedly about it, and Lady Alexia said, "Mr. Teacher, you look like a child," which was a bit embarrassing. When I defeated the dragon, I was so moved that I got scolded by Irene for drawing the dragon's attention.

After that battle, I obtained dragon materials, specifically "Dragon Souls," which are palm-sized, crystal-like orbs with green flame-like patterns inside. By attaching these to weapons, you can add the "MP Absorption" effect. The color of the flame apparently changes based on the dragon's strength. They are rare items that fetch high prices, but I got more than enough because of my good luck. In my previous game, it took over a month to get rare items, so I wonder if the game balance is off. Maybe MP is used by all classes, so the demand is still high even with this balance.

I collected over a hundred "Dragon Souls" over a few days and sold them to the guild—selling to players would be more profitable, but it would take too much time, so I didn't. I took the necessary amount to the weapon shop and had them processed into a new staff, matching Lady Alexia's and Irene's rapier.

Lady Alexia was very happy and in a good mood, but I think she was just excited about getting a new weapon. I want to try it out too. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

---

Bartel, a blacksmith in "Brandenburg," was heading to the adventurer's guild, whistling and in high spirits. For craftsmen like him, the basic cycle involves buying monster materials from the guild, crafting weapons and armor, and delivering them to weapon shops (some also run weapon shops).

Today, he came to the guild to collect materials. Normally, apprentices would do this, but there was a reason he came himself.

The quality of materials has improved dramatically recently. As a craftsman, he gets motivated when good or rare materials are brought in, and he can create better items. He is the type of craftsman who gets excited and visits the guild to see the materials early.

"Hey, I'm here. Got anything good?"

"Ah, Mr. Bartel, welcome."

Bartel greeted the guild staff, who usually respond cheerfully but were unusually slow today.

"What's wrong? You look down. Did something happen?"

"Well, business is good, but..."

Thanks to the high-quality materials, the guild has been making a lot of money. High-quality equipment is being sold, and adventurers are replacing their gear, creating a small boom in "Brandenburg." So Bartel's question was valid, and he was concerned about the staff's lack of enthusiasm.

"Mr. Bartel, what do you think of this?"

The staff showed him a crystal with a beautiful flame-like pattern inside.

"This is a 'Dragon Soul,' isn't it? What's the matter with it?"

A 'Dragon Soul' is a rare crystal obtained from the remains of long-lived dragons. It has the property of absorbing surrounding mana and is said to reduce mana usage when attached to a staff. Despite its rarity, skilled mages often have one, and Bartel has seen a few in his long career.

"Still, this one is impressive. To get a 'Dragon Soul,' you have to cut through the thick flesh, and if you're not careful, the crystal can break. Is it from the usual group?"

A trio of adventurers, including a student from the prestigious Stolbrüssen Magic Academy, recently appeared in "Brandenburg." The student was on a quest as part of her coursework, but it was the first time a student had traveled so far, causing some debate in the guild about how to handle her achievements. Ultimately, the academy decided, and the report was submitted. However, if the academy learned that a student had achievements rivaling top adventurers, they might suspect a false report. Of course, if the guild knew the student was a top underachiever, they would laugh it off.

"Yeah, it's the usual group. Watching them makes me wonder if the standards for adventurers are off. They're even considering setting up high-level quests for them."

Receiving hundreds of materials daily makes you wonder how easily monsters are being defeated. This makes other adventurers look worse, and their quest evaluations tend to be lower. An adventurer-turned guild staff member suggested not comparing them, and this is being corrected.

"So, about these 'Dragon Souls,' I have a lot of them."

Five bags, each filled to the brim, were placed on the table. Bartel opened one, and it was packed with 'Dragon Souls.' His face twisted in shock.

"Hey, what's this? If you bring in this many, the market for 'Dragon Souls' will collapse!"

A top-tier 'Dragon Soul' can fetch dozens of platinum coins, and even a lower-tier one can fetch 200 to 300 gold coins. With this many, the market price will drop. There are only a handful of mages in "Brandenburg" who can afford to buy them at the original price. Selling all of them will require a significant price reduction.

"Yeah, I know. Maybe I should have refused to buy them... But the quality is really good. I can't just sit by and watch."

"But what if they don't sell?"

"Yeah, I know. Damn, I shouldn't have gotten greedy."

The guild staff, holding his head, looked troubled.

"Maybe you should try the capital guild. There are nobles there, so they might sell. Even with the cost of dragon dung, you'll still make a profit."

"That's the only option. Man, dealing with the headquarters is a hassle."

Bartel laughed at the guild staff's grimace.

---

While Chaos and Alexia are famous as heroes in history, not all of their actions are praised. In particular, the story involving 'Dragon Souls' is criticized by some historians.

They used staffs, and there is a story that they favored staffs with 'Dragon Souls.' While this was a trend among high-level mages, the fact that two famous heroes both used them made it popular among mages, especially in the Vaisel Empire, where the nobility's wealth led to the overhunting of dragons.

This overhunting led to the current situation where dragons can only be seen as fossils. It was a tragic event that led to the establishment of monster protection laws. Furthermore, not only dragons but all monsters were considered harmful and were exterminated, leading to a significant decrease in their numbers as humans expanded their dominion. A survey report suggests that the number of registered monster species in protected areas is less than one-fifth of what it was in Chaos's time, highlighting the intensity of the monster hunts.

According to Alexia's diary, there is a passage suggesting that Chaos enjoyed hunting dragons to collect 'Dragon Souls,' which has led to protests from monster protection groups demanding that Chaos and Alexia's status as heroes be revoked, as their actions are considered cruel and inhumane.

However, these criticisms are based on modern sensibilities, where monsters are scarce and need protection. Considering the historical context, where monsters were a threat due to the influence of evil gods and humans were at a disadvantage, such evaluations are unfair. Moreover, Chaos and Alexia were not directly involved in the overhunting, so criticizing them alone is misplaced.

Similarly, the notorious Vaisel Empire's new recruit training methods, which are criticized as abusive and inhumane, must be considered in the context of the need to quickly train elite soldiers to fight against evil gods.

Rather than making hasty judgments based on a skewed view of history, it is important to broaden one's perspective and understand the full picture of history.