Chapter 37 - Stage 4 : Dress For The Party

Brance was silent for a moment as he used Inspect on the two gem-like Mana Codexes in Cynrik's palm.

- Tier 0 Mana Codex – Psychic Affinity. -

- Tier 0 Mana Codex – Earth Affinity. -

{Hey Tobs, what do we use these things for?} Cynrik broke Brance's focus by asking about how to use the two Mana Codexes.

- Acquired Mana Codexes have two primary uses -

- First, they can be absorbed to add Proficiency to the Host's existing Mana Codex; the amount gained will be determined by the Tier of the external Codex and the Tier of the Hosts. -

- Second, suppose the external Codex has the same Affinity as one owned by the Host. In that case, it can be absorbed to increase the Affinity Proficiency. This increase will be dependent on Tiers, just like in the first instance. -

{Kuekuekue, INTERESSSTINNNGGGGG!} Cynrik began his creepy laughter once again in the mind link before stopping suddenly and getting serious.

{Alright, let's get to business; the harvest shall be glorious. Takes these; it's gonna take me a second to get my passive squared away;} while speaking, Cynrik pulled out the sword and shield he had gotten for Brance from Saylin earlier before promptly tossing them in his direction.

Not wanting to look away from the jail cells, Brance extended both his arms and quickly caught the sword and shield before stowing them in his inventory.

-System has detected two pieces of equipment in the Host's inventory, unlocking Equipment Loadouts Panel.-

-Host currently has two Loadouts; they can use to store equipment. These Loadouts can be instantly swapped by accessing the respective panels.-

Tobs's notification caused Brance to raise an eyebrow. 'This is new; hey Tobs, why didn't we get anything like this when we were in the HBTC?'

-The Host was in the virtual world; as such, none of the training equipment existed. However, the Equipment Loadout function would not be marked for installation without physical equipment on the Host's person.-

'I see; thank you for the information, Tobs.'

-It is my job, Brance; there is no reason for you to thank me-

If Cynrik could hear his brother's conversation with Tobs, he would go ballistic. However, while her voice was still monotone, it replied to Brance without hesitation, unlike when Cyrnik would ask questions. This was mainly due to how Brance never treated his system in the same way Cynrik did. While Brance was polite, Cynrik was demanding and would even constantly harass Tobs.

Opening up his new Equipment Loadout panel alongside his Inventory, Brance quickly moved the new sword and shield to what he named then named T1, an abbreviation for tank one.

Once his equipment was placed into the loadout panel, Brance activated his T1 Loadout with a thought, causing the shield to materialize on his back and his sword to appear on his right hip. Feeling the familiar presence of a shield on his back and a sword on his waist caused Brance a great deal of comfort. Comfort that he hadn't realized he had been lacking since they came back from the HBTC.

Checking over his T1 Loadout, he studied the description of his shield first.

-Terra Guard-

-Tier 0: Basic Grade-

- Classification: Medium Kite Shield -

-A shield made from a mixture of Terra Stone and bronze. Terra Stone is both lightweight and durable, allowing it to be easily molded onto a bronze framework. In addition, due to the high conductivity of Terra Stone with the Earth Element, the shield can have Earth Mana channeled into it, allowing for increased defense.

- +1 STR -

- + 5 DEF -

- Ability:+ 20% Buff to Earth Skin -

The shield itself was the size of Brance's entire torso, making him look kind of funny when Cynrik saw him equip it for a moment. However, from a visual standpoint, it looked very similar to a bronze kite shield from the game RS, the brothers played back on Earth. It wasn't flashy or overly ornate, but the simple bronze plating gave it some shine compared to the deep brown rock it was molded from.

Satisfied with his new shield Brance moved on to the sword he had received.

-Runic Gladius (Wind)-

-Tier 0: Basic Grade-

- Classification: Republican Gladius -

- Basic Wind Mana Infused bronze sword-

-Due to this weapon's runic inscriptions, it has been given the ability to channel Wind Mana. While the inscriptions may be low quality, they still allow this weapon to hold a certain amount of Mana. -

- + 2 STR

- + 1 DEX

-Ability: Infusing Mana into the blade will allow the user to use the Affinity Skill: Wind Slash for half the Mana Cost. -

Feeling he had a grasp of what his two pieces of equipment could do, Brance closed his Inventory and Loadout panels before looking over at Cynrik, who was sitting cross-legged on the grimy floor of the hall with a small booklet in his hands.

Cynrik had spent the last couple of minutes staring blankly at the Dual Wielding passive skill booklet. Instead of jumping directly into learning it, he was building up his excitement. Ever since Tobs told him that he couldn't use the style he wanted, Cyrnik had spent night after night dreaming about this moment.

He took one final deep breath and placed his left hand on the booklet before calling out to Tobs. {Tobs, just waiting on you.}

-The system has recognized Passive Skill Booklet: Dual Wield. -

-The Host has met the requirements to learn Dual Wielding: 50 DEX, 50 AGI, Possess the correct skill booklet. -

As Tobs spoke, Cynrik noticed the booklet beginning to glow, and he could feel his Mana rapidly declining, making him slightly light-headed. Without panicking, he simply opened up his Stats Panel and watched as his Mana dropped by 50 points before Tobs sent over another notification.

-You have Learned the Passive Skill: Dual Wielding –

-Dual Wielding: This skill allows the user to use one weapon in each hand simultaneously. -

-This skill is not limited to any singular weapon and includes Short Swords, Long Swords, Great Swords, Axes, Sabers, Mace, Staves, Crossbows, Guns, Whips, Flails, and Wands. -

-The user's ability to wield certain weapons will not be allowed unless their Stats meet the prerequisites. -

-Users will be unable to hold both weapons simultaneously if they do not meet the Stat requirements. -

Fighting back a fit of laughter, Cyrnik jumped up to his feet and immediately equipt his two new swords. Placing his left hand on the hilt protruding from his right hip and his right hand on the grip over his right shoulder, Cynrik brought up both their descriptions and sent them over to Brance.

-SunFlare Forged Sword-

-Tier 0 Basic Grade-

- Classification: Single Edge Curved Short Sword-

- A blade forged with ore from the planet Nafiro, named SunFlare Ore. Due to the Nafiro's seven Suns causing extreme temperatures year-round, the steel made from SunFlare ore can quickly assimilate Fire Mana. Additionally, this blade's slight upward curve and jagged point allow its wielder to cause damage with shallow strikes.

- +1 AGI

- +1 Dexterity

- Ability: User can Channel Affinity Skill, Fireball into the point of the blade before releasing the attack, increases Mana cost by 20%, and increases range by 50% if fired off the tip of the blade.

Ignoring his brother, who had a massive smirk on his face, Brance's continued to read the description of the second sword.

- Runic Iron Short Sword (Wind)-

-Tier 0: Basic Grade-

- Classification: Single Handed Short Sword -

- Basic Wind Mana Infused iron sword-

-Due to this weapon's runic inscriptions, it has been given the ability to channel Wind Mana. While the inscriptions may be low quality, they still allow this weapon to hold a certain amount of Mana. -

- + 2 STR

- + 1 DEX

- Ability: Infusing Mana into the blade will allow the user to use the Affinity Skill: Haste for half the Mana Cost. -

Cynrik's Iron Short Sword had the same stats, but unlike Brance's Gladius, which reduced the Mana cost for Wind Strike, Cynrik's reduced his Haste's cost. His SunFlare Sword, on the other hand, was a completely different subject. Brance gave his brother an unapproving look, clearly feeling ripped off since, from a technical standpoint, Cynrik had better weapons. In the end, all he could do was shake his head and watch as his brother started playing around with his newly equipped sword.

Brance had named his first Loadout as T1, while Cynrik had secretly made two. He still hadn't revealed his assassin tools to his brother, but he had already slotted them into their own particular Loadout, one without the swords. Cynrik had already decided to use them separately from his first Loadout, which held his two swords. Subsequently, he cleverly named both Loadouts with what he considered very appropriate acronyms. The sword Loadout was titled SAO, and the one with his hidden blades was called AC.

Chuckling to himself as he named the Loadouts after something that would make Brance spit blood, he glanced one last time at his AC Loadout and the duplicate descriptions for the two hidden blades.

-Assassins Tool-

-Tier 0: Basic Grade(Upgradeable)-

- Classification: Bracer with Hidden Blade mechanism -

-The outer shell of the bracer is made out of ShadeViper hide. ShadeVipers are one of the few creatures to be naturally born with the Dark Affinity, which allows the Assasin Tool to be imbued with Dark Mana. This tool is currently at Tier 0: BG, but it can be upgraded to add additional modification slots for more tools, increasing its grade and potential Stat boosts. –

- Slot 1- Hidden Blade-

- +1 DEX -

- + 1 AGI –

- Ability: This allows the wielder to receive one attack without being knocked out of Dark Affinity Skills that hide the user's appearance or presence.

Closing his Loadout panel, Cynrik slowly slid out his left leg to the front and turning his body to the right, and bent his now back leg, which was his right. This form was the opening stance for his Dual Wielding style.

Slowly, Cynrik extended his left arm across his body until his left hand gripped the hilt of SunFlare in a reverse grip with his palm and wrist facing up.. His right arm went up to the ISS (Iron short Sword) hilt while a creepy smile spread across his boyish face.