F-ranker Sword Saint: My Soulbound Sword is Secretly SSS-tier!-Chapter 325: Glaring Concern
==
Name: Vitality Seed
Type: Consumable
Tier: S
Level Requirement: None
Description: A covenant grown, not crafted. Within rests a drop of primordial sap. Plant it in yourself, and the body remembers how to endure.
Effects: Gain 1 Vitality
==
Daru’s eyes sparkled as he read through the description and effects of the Vitality Seed.
He would gain permanent attributes!
’This...if I can obtain one Vitality Seed for every kill...’
His heart raced at the thought.
While he had recently learned of how truly essential a high-tier armor set was, in the end, attributes from items are external, and no matter how skilled a blacksmith was, there was an absolute upper limit to what he would obtain through them.
At the apex, battles could be decided by these small, extra attributes that would stack up.
Perhaps that was also the reason why Caladbolg was called the mightiest of humanity.
Maybe his physical attributes were so impossibly high that, even though his opponents were at their prime, the old man was still somehow faster and stronger.
Daru believed that the truth was probably more than that, but he was also almost sure that the accumulation of these extra attributes played a huge part in why a Bladeborn would end up a notch above the rest.
After all, from what he learned from Big Ed, all Bladeborns had reached what could be called a "soft level cap".
Not because there is an actual limit set by The Overseer, but because even for Sword Saints, leveling further had become almost impossible.
The experience points required to level up and the difficulty in even defeating standard Swordspawns — if they could still be called that — had simply reached astronomical heights in the deeper parts of Vigrheim.
The Sword Saints would have to work together if they wanted to grind levels effectively.
Unfortunately, with how the current forces of humanity were split up into eight clashing factions, there was simply no hope of this ever happening.
Daru even found it odd that there was even a stalemate.
After all, from what he learned from Hailey, the other three factions are properly under the rule of one powerful individual or faction.
’Maybe they’re indeed scheming?’
Realizing how far he had gone in his thoughts, Daru shook his head, turning his focus to the other item.
==
Name: Life sap
Type: Consumable
Tier: A
Level Requirement: None
Description: Amber taken from the core of Yggdrasil’s fallen wardens. Thick, warm, and slow to move, as if reluctant to leave the wood it once fed. It smells of damp bark and deep earth. Even separated, it does not seem entirely still.
Effects: Instantly restore hitpoints and stamina equivalent to 15% of the consumer’s maximum.
==
Daru’s heart skipped a beat.
This! He was in dire need of this!
With these obtainable Life Saps, his newfound strategy on how to take down the tough Swordspawns faster, and the instantaneous, full restoration of a level up, there was now a real chance he would survive long enough to figure out more things that would, in turn, help him survive for far longer.
He didn’t believe The Overseer would simply throw them to a location they couldn’t handle and call it an event.
The clues he had been discovering, the obtainable loot, along with the massive experience points, suggested there was a path.
Extremely difficult, perhaps, but everything was survivable.
He even believed that eventually, the "Yggdrasil Race" would truly begin.
Time would come when the representatives would be strong and knowledgeable enough to turn what was survival at first into a true race for the Sovereign Sapling.
Of course, it was very possible that a few of them would perish here.
Daru just had to ensure that he wouldn’t be among those people.
’Alright, those are a few problems and mysteries solved...’ he smiled faintly, then looked around.
His battle with the Oak Runebark didn’t seem to have disturbed other Swordspawns.
It was safe to consume the Vitality Seed.
[You’ve gained 1 Vitality.]
Daru decided it was best to keep going, instinctively following the direction the "trees were looking", but this time, closer to the forest.
He was now a bit more confident, coming off a victory.
As the unsettling peace of Yggdrasil returned, the rustling of leaves — unsettling instead of calming — filled the air.
Daru was still quite tense.
After all, although he had already experienced a lot in less than an hour, it was highly likely that there were more...and they would cause his death if he wasn’t careful.
Being on edge had its advantages, although it drained physical and mental energy...
A dozen minutes of walking and observing later, another tree moved. This one had white bark.
Stepping away from the outskirts of the forest, Daru drew his blade, prepared to engage the Swordspawn.
It was a Birch Runebark — same level as the Oak one, but faster and stronger, though considerably less tough.
The Life Saps in his inventory didn’t even make it past the half-hour mark.
But at the very least, they were worth it, as he was actually damaged quite a bit in this battle due to the slightly different specialty of this species of Runebark.
He also had to use four units of standard stamina potions.
[You’ve slain a Swordspawn of Life, Birch Runebark Lv.80]
[You’ve obtained 65,070 Experience Points.]
[You’ve obtained (1) Vitality Seed.]
[You’ve obtained (2) Life Sap.]
Daru sighed.
He was glad that he won and had already filled up his experience bar by more than half, but there was a glaring concern that was impossible to ignore.
His supplies would only last him two more battles at most, and that’s already taking into account the Life Saps he would obtain from his next kill.
If the next Runebark somehow didn’t drop them, he would be in trouble.
There was also the possibility of having to fight a different type of Swordspawn — ones that don’t drop Life Saps.
’Hmm...’ Daru mused, munching on the Vitality Seed.
[You’ve gained 1 Vitality.]
There’s an idea that has been on his mind for a while now...
’Well, what else to do except try it?’
