Becoming an adventurer by copying monster abilities

Luca's current points far exceed his previous budget for purchasing this combat skill.

However, he did not choose to select other combat skills.

The defensive combat skill, 【Mind's Eye Sword】, was one that he had carefully considered among many combat skills before.

Other slightly more expensive combat techniques might not necessarily suit him either.

After carefully tucking the scroll away, Luke didn't rush to leave the association. Instead, he walked straight to a corner on the other side of the hall.

In that direction, there is a shop with a sign that reads "Magic and Alchemy".

This is the Adventurers' Guild's magic shop.

They offer various types of alchemy potions, as well as magic-related equipment for sale.

Naturally, they also provide item authentication services.

Upon entering the store, the room was somewhat gloomy and dimly lit.

The air was filled with a pungent smell of alchemical potions mixed with the odor of old parchment scrolls.

A dwarf wearing a heavy monocular convex lens sat at the front desk, burying himself in a pile of books taller than himself.

Luke took out the bronze ring he had obtained from the black stone altar:

"Hello, I'd like to have this item appraised."

"The appraisal fee is 60 gold coins, no bargaining."

The dwarf boss didn't even look up, his tone listless.

Often, adventurers would find some scrap metal in the wild and think it was a treasure, so they would come to him for appraisal.

As a senior appraiser who has been running a shop in the Adventurers' Guild for many years.

The moment Luke entered, the dwarf boss had already quickly scanned him.

Whether it's the armor on their bodies or the longsword on their backs, etc.

They all looked like very ordinary equipment, with no trace of magic.

Therefore, when the other party asked this question, the dwarf boss immediately quoted a price, thinking that the other party would leave on their own after hearing the price.

To his surprise, the other party placed sixty gold coins directly on the counter.

After accepting the gold coins, the dwarf shopkeeper closed the book.

Since he is a serious customer, he will naturally treat him seriously.

"Please wait three minutes."

The dwarf boss put the ring in his hand and took out a pearl the size of a pigeon egg from his pocket.

As the boss chanted the incantation, a faint glow began to appear on his hands.

The soft light gently enveloped the bronze ring, occasionally emitting a dazzling brilliance.

This is a spell specifically used to identify magical items—the Identify spell.

The cost of 60 gold coins is not low, but it is a genuine first-level spell.

Through this spell, the caster can determine whether the object being touched is a magical item or an object imbued with magic.

If it's a magical item, you can also know its attributes, how to use it, and whether it needs to be synchronized with other magical items, etc.

If it's a charged item, you'll also see how many charges are currently available.

The three minutes passed quickly.

The dwarf shopkeeper stopped what he was doing and, under Luke's slightly expectant gaze, slowly spoke:

"This is indeed a magical item, and its magical circuitry is quite ingenious."

Luke breathed a sigh of relief; those dozens of gold coins hadn't been wasted after all.

The dwarf wiped his glasses with a dirty velvet cloth, then changed the subject:

"The bad news is that this thing is encrypted, and I have no way of knowing its specific properties and functions. A rather complex encryption method has blocked its core functions, and it requires specific authentication or a certain frequency to decrypt."

"Is there any way to crack this encryption?" Luke asked tentatively.

The [Stealth and Evasion] scroll in his hand was previously encrypted, and he only managed to decrypt it after asking the halfling owner of the Moss Hut.

"Hmm... If I were to force my way through this level of encryption, there's a high probability I'd fail, and it might even destroy the device."

The dwarf boss's rough fingers traced the delicate patterns on the inner ring of the ring.

"I suggest you find a higher-level spellcaster to help you take a look, at least an elite-level... no, at least a level 9 or higher spellcaster to make an assessment."

Of course, you have to be prepared to spend a lot of money, after all, spellcasters at this level are not exactly short of cash.

Level 9...

This is already close to the threshold of the extraordinary.

Such an important figure is probably one of the few in the entire city of Ryan.

Luke felt uncertain about the four hundred-odd gold coins he had left after purchasing the [Mind's Eye Sword] and the appraisal service.

Asking a level 9 spellcaster to break the seal on an item would be too expensive for him to afford.

Moreover, is it really worth spending such a huge amount of money to crack this mysterious ring?

Magical items are certainly valuable, but not all magical items are that valuable.

For example, there is a mass-producible magical weapon called the "Moon Touching Sword".

It has only one function: when the sword is drawn from its sheath, the blade will emit a faint moonlight with a range of 15 feet.

To achieve a torch-like effect, its aesthetic appeal far outweighs its practicality.

The price is only slightly higher than that of regular weapons, costing two hundred gold coins.

This is because it is popular among the aristocracy, which has driven up its price.

What if you spend all your money to have this ring appraised, only to end up with a worthless little toy?

Luke immediately shook his head, dismissing the idea.

Something that receives special attention from the black mark must be no ordinary object.

Stepping out of the store, Luca's next goal became clear once again:

Earn money, then spend it.

"How much money is enough...?"

At this time, the city of Ryan was in a strange period of calm.

The good old days of easily obtaining dozens of goblin left ears to exchange for bounties by simply going to a marked location are over.

Because of the monster invasion of the surrounding villages, a large-scale cleanup operation was carried out by the lord's regular army and adventurers.

The goblins in the surrounding area have been temporarily eradicated.

Although these green cockroaches are like weeds that can't be burned out, it will still take some time for them to return to their former size.

As for the other tasks on the task board, there aren't any suitable for Luke at the moment.

Either the challenge level is too high, such as hunting trolls that inhabit a certain mine.

The bounty is certainly high, but for Luke to go there with his current strength would be tantamount to suicide.

Either they are bounty requests from wanted criminals with professional ranks, and there is no specific location to look for them.

No wonder all those low-level adventurers are heading towards Sunset Forest.

Finding a suitable commission in Ryan City is not easy.

Luke was eager to get back to Twilight to make money.

However, the cleanup work outside the city after the battle is not yet over, and the burning of corpses to prevent the spread of plague will continue for several more days.

Therefore, the main trade route connecting Ryan City to the outside world remains in a semi-closed state.

The stagnation of large caravans also led to a significant reduction in escort duties.

Before finding a suitable way to make money, Luke decided to focus his energy on improving his own abilities.

With that thought in mind, he took the combat skill he had just acquired and headed to the Adventurers' Guild's training grounds...