Chapter 19: the first point

Smith and Velvet were left alone while Brian and the others went to clean up the battlefield, Smith had nothing to do. He decided to check Velvet’s Aura level progress.

​Velvet had nearly killed five ordinary Goblins before meeting with the Goblin hunting party, along with the Goblin tribe she had just annihilated. In total, she had slain nearly 50 ordinary Goblins (which had an average of 12 Aura points each), 7 Big Goblins (20 Aura points each), and one Hobgoblin with 32 Aura points.

​Altogether, the difference was almost 250 points. According to Brian’s earlier explanation, she gain a Little around 0.25 points. However, Velvet’s data panel required a whole number to show any visible change, so her panel still showed 10 points without any change.

​Closing the data panel, Smith began chatting with Velvet. Since they were inside a dungeon where danger could strike at any moment, Velvet remained in her armor rather than acting spoiled. She simply stood behind Smith’s wheelchair as they talked.

​Smith was waiting for the items dropped by the Goblins. After Brian and the others finished searching all the corpses, they returned. Brian began accounting for all the enemies Velvet had killed:

​"We collected a total of 22 grams of energy orbs. We also got lucky because an Equipment Blueprint dropped from the Intermediate Rank Hobgoblin."

​Smith took the item and inspected it:

​Item: Equipment Blueprint

​Rating: 1-Star

​Brian explained about the item drops.

When dungeon creatures are slain, they drop various items, one type being Equipment Blueprints. These blueprints are used directly on chess pieces, and each chess piece can use them to unlock enchantment slots,where the star rating indicates the number of available slots.

​Enchantment Stones can be equipped into these slots to provide passive boosts. For instance, an Enchantment Stone might boost a chess piece’s base Aura by 2%.

​For example, if a Bronze title Queen with a base Aura level of 100 equips a 2% Enchantment Stone, her aura rises to 102. Combined with her title boost, her total points can reach 122. The major advantage of Enchantment Stones is that they provide passive enhancements, whereas titles only provide active enhancements.

​Normally, chess pieces do not come with rated equipment, though a few possess them naturally. As for other drop items:

​Repair Stones: Used to repair damaged equipment. (Energy orbs only restore physical bodies, not equipment. Higher-rated equipment is naturally more durable than lower-rated gear, making rating an important factor in battle.)

​Artifacts: Can be equipped by Queens and Players alike. They offer various passive effects without equipment restrictions, though a player can only equip one artifact of the same type at a time (e.g., you cannot equip two storage artifacts simultaneously).

​Energy Orbs & Special Drops: Basic recovery items alongside other rare specialized drops.

​Suddenly, Smith remembered what Velvet had said about receiving equipment after completing her training in that special dimension. Communicating via their mental connection, Smith asked:

​"Hey Velvet, what rating was the equipment you guys received after graduating from that dimension’s training?"

​Having not thought about it until now, Velvet quickly scanned her gear. Since she had been listening to Brian’s explanation, she understood how equipment worked and replied directly:

​"My equipment has a 5-Star rating, and all the slots are currently empty."

​Smith was stunned. Realizing how valuable their graduation gift actually was, he did math in his head. If a 1-Star blueprint dropped from an Intermediate-Rank Hobgoblin, higher-star blueprints likely dropped from much stronger monsters—meaning a 5-Star blueprint might require defeating a Rank 6 creature but this was based on his own assumption But it can’t be far from the truth.

​Knowing that Velvet and the others started with legendary titles and 5-Star equipment made him realize just how ridiculous their starting advantage was. Naturally, he wasn’t going to complain since it directly benefited him.

​Having finished clearing the battlefield, Brian asked, "Should we rest for a bit so Velvet can recover her strength or keep hunting?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

​Smith looked at Velvet, who replied immediately, "I don’t need to rest. We can keep going. I barely exerted myself and didn’t sustain any injuries, so let’s not waste time."

​The group didn’t object. This wasn’t a standard training session for a novice Queen,it was purely a hunting ground for her.

​Normally, an ordinary Queen would need guidance from veterans, taking over half an hour for a single fight. Veterans would wear down the monsters while holding back the horde, leaving the novice to deliver the finishing blow. That process expended immense energy and required long rest periods.

​In contrast, Velvet finished battles rapidly, expended minimal energy, and possessed the Blood Replenishment skill to restore her strength using her enemies’ blood. Recovery was a non issue for her.

​The group searched the surrounding area and found isolated Goblins. After nearly two hours of searching, they located another hunting party, it was slightly larger than the first but Velvet dealt with them effortlessly using the same tracking method to locate their main settlement.

​This time, the Goblin settlement contained nearly 100 Goblins in total. To make things smoother, Velvet asked for assistance from Lily and Anna then who were both at the peak of Intermediate Rank

​Lily summoned four Archer Pawns along with two sword and shield bearing summons.

​ and Anna summoned six Shield Bearers and two among them carried large tower shields.

​Brian explained to Smith, "When a Queen promotes to Intermediate Rank, she gains two Rooks and two additional Pawns. Rooks are elite chess pieces whose main role is defensive,primarily protecting the player, though they can engage in direct combat when needed."

​As the battle began, Lily and Anna’s summons held back the Hobgoblins and the main horde as instructed, allowing smaller detachments of Goblins to funnel directly toward Velvet. Without the pressure of being surrounded, Velvet charged into the fray.

​The battle lasted 20 minutes. After gathering the loot, Velvet successfully gained 1 point of Aura.

​With night approaching a time when dungeons become significantly more dangerous Brian suggested, "That’s enough for today. It’s getting late, so we should head back to the city."

​No one objected. They located the dungeon exit and made their way back toward the city. On the drive back, Jack sighed with emotion and turned to Brian.

​"Brian, do you remember when we first met in the Public Recruitment Pool? We were both guided by George back then. We were just clueless novices who had just awakened, and George took us in because we looked so lost. If I remember correctly, it took us three or four days just to gain our very first Aura point! Now look at this kid just the first day in a dungeon and he’s already got his first point."

​Jack said with a teasing voice"You should be thankful I took pity on you and brought you along with George! If it weren’t for me, you’d still be stuck in the Novice Rank."

​"Who said that?!" Brian retorted. "You were the one standing in the bar looking like a lost giant panda! I was the one who told George to accept a big guy like you usually, people built like you have water in their heads instead of brains!"

​The two began bickering as usual. Smith was accustomed to their banter, but he noted the name "George"—the man who had guided them into the world of Chess Players.

​As their car pulled up to Saint John Street, Brian suddenly looked into the backseat where Smith was sitting. His usual playful banter vanished, replaced by a deadly serious expression. Jack’s expression hardened as well.

​"Before we get out of the car," Brian said in a grave voice, "we need to talk about something very important."

​Seeing both veterans so stern, Smith braced himself, listening intently to whatever Brian was about to say.