"Wait, that works too?"
Eric blinked as a notification popped up in front of him, declaring a rise in reputation.
Strategic lean-back.
Only one thought crossed his mind: Dwarves, man... they're really something. Who knew drinking could earn this much reputation?
Still, it gave him ideas. Apparently, earning respect didn't have to involve hacking monsters into bite-sized chunks. Progress through partying? Now that was a profession he could get behind.
Unfortunately, just as he was beginning to enjoy the realization, the world around him started to tilt slightly.
Oh no. That creeping aftereffect was kicking in!
One quick glance at his status bar confirmed it:
[Drunk: 5h 34min]
"Right. I think I'll just... head upstairs and drop off my luggage."
"Of course, sir," the innkeeper nodded, though with a small smirk. "Just be careful of the ceiling. It's not exactly built for folks your height..."
Thud!
A loud bonk echoed from the stairwell.
"Sir?"
"I'm fine!" Eric shouted quickly, staggering into his room.
He fumbled through his inventory, pulled out a bottle of milk, and chugged it like a potion of emergency sobriety.
Whoosh —
Drunken state: purged.
Crisis averted.
He hadn't forgotten why he came here in the first place, even if the sudden dwarven drinking contest had thrown off his rhythm a bit. At least now he didn't have to worry about paying for the inn, his new dwarven drinking buddy had promised to cover the bill.
Still, there was no time to waste.
Sober and focused, Eric headed out toward the marketplace.
The streets were bustling ,exactly as that polite dwarf he'd met on the way said. The trading caravan had returned from the lower mines, bringing fresh supplies and exotic goods, and the whole town was alive with excitement.
Among the crowd of stout, broad dwarves, Eric stood out like a misplaced tree in a field of boulders. Still, no one gave him trouble. His current reputation was [Friendly], and that was enough to keep curious looks from turning into trouble.
Before long, the ringing of hammer on steel and the sizzling heat of forge fires drew him toward the blacksmith district.
"Top-quality swords and armor, come take a look!" a smith called out.
Eric ambled over and inspected one of the swords on display.
[Dwarven Steel Sword] — Attack +7
A street vendor's sword... with stats matching a diamond blade?
Eric whistled low. "You dwarves don't mess around."
"Interested in weapons, eh?" the smith grinned, stepping forward. "Then you've come to the right place. Everything here's the real deal."
"That it is," Eric nodded appreciatively, but shook his head. "Sadly, mine's better."
His own blade practically hummed with enchantments and personalized upgrades.
Still, curiosity pushed him toward the armor rack. He poked, prodded, and tapped different pieces, judging their weight and craftsmanship.
Eventually, the smith had enough.
"Don't bother trying them on, human. Those are forged for dwarven builds. You'd snap a strap just putting one on. If you really want something, I could make you a custom set... though it'd take a while."
"No thanks. Just browsing."
Truth be told, Eric was a little annoyed. He'd looked at the weapons, checked the armor and still no crafting recipes had unlocked.
He thought back to the time in the elven glade when he'd unlocked new formulas.
Right, he'd needed to see the elven forge itself to unlock their special gear.
So maybe with dwarves, it wasn't the gear... but their forging halls?
"Thought of something you want yet?" the smith asked.
"Nothing here fits what I need," Eric replied, then added, "But do you have any diamonds? Or obsidian?"
The dwarf raised an eyebrow and gave Eric a funny look.
"You think I look like someone who'd keep that sort of thing lying around? Diamonds and obsidian aren't good for weapons or tools. But if you're dead set, try asking one of the deep-mining teams. They hoard shiny stuff like magpies. Or... try the jeweler across the square."
The smith pointed toward a quieter part of the market.
"Appreciate it."
Eric followed the directions and arrived at a well-kept stone house with polished windows and an air of precision. Inside, the jeweler looked up as he entered.
"Obsidian? No, none of that. But diamonds, yes. What're you after? Rings, necklaces, something fancy for your lady?"
"I need a solid chunk," Eric replied, gesturing with his hands the size he had in mind just like the one required by the crafting schematic in his system.
The jeweler blinked.
"That big? In one piece?"
Eric gave a sheepish smile, silently praying his coin pouch would survive this request.
"Sir," the jeweler said after a moment, "a stone of that size... in one whole piece... would be near-impossible. But I could match the volume with smaller fragments. Same carat total, just broken down."
"That works too," Eric nodded after a short pause.
The dwarf headed into the back and returned a few minutes later with a carefully measured pile of sparkling shards.
"Think these'll do?"
[Recipe Unlocked: Diamond Fragment]
Eric's eyes lit up. "Yes. Perfect. How much?"
The jeweler quoted a price that made Eric's soul leave his body.
He stared down at his coin pouch. "Ogres really don't pay enough for this kind of shopping."
"Do you accept trades?" he asked weakly. "I've got some high-grade gems. Found them... out in the wild."
"Depends on the quality," the jeweler said cautiously.
Eric rummaged in his satchel and pulled out the last of his precious stones loot from a ghoul-wight nest. Ugly creatures, generous hoards.
The jeweler examined them, nodded slowly. "Good stuff. I can give you one-point-two times their volume in diamonds. Got more?"
"Just these," Eric admitted. "I'll cover the rest with silver."
It hurt. Deeply.
A night of drunken revelry was cheaper than this.
Still... he now had enough.
[Achievement Unlocked: Diamond!]
Back at the inn, he returned to his crafting table. The second the achievement notification vanished, a pristine, blue-tinted diamond the size of a large walnut materialized with a gentle hum.
He'd burned through almost everything coins, gems, dignity but it was his.
Almost.
He still needed one more.
Which… he absolutely could not afford.
Eric sighed, then recalled something the jeweler had said.
A full-size diamond like this is rare. Very rare.
He stared at the stone in his palm. It was flawless gleaming, cool to the touch, radiating quality.
An idea sparked.
He went downstairs and asked the innkeeper a simple question:
"Who's the richest dwarf around here?"
Not long after, Eric stood in a lavish dwarven hall. A particularly rotund dwarf was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Marvelous! Magnificent! MINE!"
The dwarf stared at the diamond like a dragon eyeing its next hoard.
"Silver, gold, whatever you want just name your price!"
"I want diamonds," Eric said flatly. "A lot of them. Big or small, doesn't matter. Fragments are fine. I want everything you've got."
The dwarf didn't hesitate. "Stay here. Don't move."
He vanished.
Time passed. A lot of time. Long enough for Eric to wonder if he was being scammed.
Then, finally, the dwarf returned, hauling a small iron chest, panting from exertion.
He dropped it with a loud clang, and when he opened it, the inside sparkled like a dragon's dream.
"These," he wheezed, "are all the diamonds in this region for sale. Every last one. I pulled strings to get them. Will they do?"
Eric peered inside.
Roughly enough fragments to craft five more diamonds.
"Perfect," he said, handing over his single, pristine diamond.
[Achievement Unlocked: Here's Your Diamond!]
The trade was a win-win.
Eric exchanged one high-grade, flawless diamond for a horde of mid-quality fragments. The rich dwarf walked away with the most beautiful rock he'd ever seen.
And Eric?
Eric was back in the game.
A little poorer, maybe.
But a lot richer in shiny potential.