Shield

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Gathering - ID#: 193003 - Loot: 20+8=28 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 40
Total EXP: 100/200

Shield managed to spot another sizable cluster and happily scooped the scales up in their entirety. He ventured another glance at his HUD and very sadly realized that, not only was he not near his next rank, but he had only just reached the middle point between zero and his goal, including the experience that had gotten him to rank two. With that, Shield decided it was much wiser to no longer continue unless he had his Green Thumb bonus from the greenhouse he would be installing the very instant he arrived back home.

He turned on his heels, marching quickly back over towards the entrance. Nemo saw the way he was headed and caught up with him.

"Leaving so soon?"

"I am," Shield replued. "But I'll be back soon enough, and with bigger and better bonuses. I refuse to do things this inefficiently anymore. It's time for a change."

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Gathering - ID#: 193002 - Loot: 17+8=25 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 37
Total EXP: 97/200

Shield continued his slowed down strategy, and strangely, as we did so, his gains sped up. Peering down between stones, he began to spot more and more glimmering scales (not to be confused with Gleaming Scales, of course - he should be so lucky). A fairly generous cluster of them winked up at him from the crevice between two stones. With a small amount of triumph, Shield bent down to recover them and stashed them happily away. He made a mental note that perhaps smelling the roses might be a more effective gathering method. That could especially be true if there were materials to be gathered that lived in rose bushes, but he set that rather obvious parallel aside for the time being.

He continued picking his way among the rocks, narrowing his eyes and shading his eyes from the sun to see if things might be hiding in less obvious places.

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Gathering - ID#: 193001 - Loot: 3+8=11 - No Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 34
Total EXP: 94/200

For one, he recognized the dangers of overworking. Although he ignored them a vast, vast majority of the time, this was one of those times where he had stumbled into that thought a little too directly, and the guilt alone was enough to slow his gait. Secondly, if the scales - and for that matter all of the items he had found so far - were really so spread out and tricky to spot, then rushing wasn't going to cut it.

As he slowed down, his eyes immediately fell on a single scale at his feet. He doubted it was worthy of the extra experience, but it proved the theory none the less that going too quickly would harm his results, not help them. He bent down to collect the scale, letting the artificial sunlight of Aincrad glint on its surface before storing it with the other such items he had found.

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Gathering - ID#: 193000 - Loot: 6+8=14 - Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 33
Total EXP: 93/200

As he straightened up, Shield immediately saw another small deposit of scales - just a couple, once again. It wasn't much, but every little bit helped. In particular every little success and every little bit of experience helped. Shield jogged over to them, careful to watch his step on the uneven stones. There were only a couple, but again, he didn't complain.

With his gains gathered, Shield ventured a glance out across the water. It was a peaceful sight to say the least. Although peaceful wasn't exactly what he was looking for, he could see why it would be appealing to those who needed it. "There I go again, being the workaholic. I'd say that this game is going to be the death of me, but that's just a little too on the nose." He turned his focus back to the task of searching, though he slowed down just a little.

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Gathering - ID#: 192999 - Loot: 6+8=14 - Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 31
Total EXP: 90/200

By this point, Shield found himself rounding the far end of the pond from where he began, and thus far it had not proved nearly as reliable as it had on earlier trips. "Of course, as soon as I start counting on the stupid scales, they start to dry up. Seems like someone hasn't been swimming as much, eh Nemo?" Again, although the guide continued to hover twenty or so feet from Shield, apparently moving with him whenever he would walk around, he continued to act as though he couldn't hear anything that the player said.

Shield's eyes drifted back down to the ground, where they should have arguably been in the first place, and there before him he spotted a small bundle of scales. It was better than just the single one. He had hoped to find larger clusters than this, but given how slow things had become, he couldn't complain.

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Gathering - ID#: 192998 - Loot: 3+8=11 - No Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 29
Total EXP: 87/200

Nemo either didn't hear or chose to pretend not to hear Shield's words, and busied himself with inspecting the tops of the distant trees. "So we're just going to pretend that you're not secretly a dragon in disguise then?" Again, Nemo pretended not to hear, despite Shield calling out to him more than loudly enough for him to hear. Shield took the hint, returning to his searching and his experience grind.

He continued combing the shore, picking his way along the stony beach until more light caught his eye. It was nowhere near the find that he had hoped, but there between two small white stones sat a single shining scale. Bending down, Shield picked it up and sent it to join all of the other items he'd picked up so far. He took a look at hit HUD, checking his accrued experience. This, as it turned out, was a mistake. He sighed.

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Gathering - ID#: 192997 - Loot: 15+8=23 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 28
Total EXP: 86/200

His suspicions were quickly answered. As he strolled along the shore by the water, a handful of the same luminous scales crossed his path. he knelt and collected them. As a sun ray bounced off of its surface, it sparkled with a brilliance he had seen somewhere before. Picking them up one by one, he searched his memory of what he may or may not have seen that matched this description.

A combat flashed into his memory. It was not a particularly profound combat, but it was one he had fought in this very area not terribly long ago. There was a dragon that he had faced not too terribly long ago whose scales had shone with this same light. Turning back to face towards the entrance, Shield spotted Nemo decidedly avoiding his gaze. "Well, I'll be. Looks like I've been picking up someone's scale sheddings this whole time, huh?"

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Gathering - ID#: 192996 - Loot: 3+8=11 - No Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 25
Total EXP: 83/200

Before long, the supplies of harvestable trees began to diminish. Shield managed to find one more in the current row before the rest of the supply dried up completely. He went on to the next row, but either he was very unlucky or the entire row was too young to be useful. He decided to cut his losses on the current portion of the garden and move on to, hopefully, greener pastures.

He made his way over to the lake, and took a moment to inspect the water. The surface was a deep, pond swill green, which limited visibility into the murky depths to essentially nothing. This meant that unless a creature very much wanted to be seen, it would likely remain invisible. Shield was not worried about this, as it was not a creature he was looking for. However, he had a feeling most of the items he might find around that spot would have been dropped by creatures.

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Gathering - ID#: 192995 - Loot: 16+8=24 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 24
Total EXP: 82/200

With the rather irritating matter of his housing upgrade settled, at least for the time being, Shield returned to his search. He paced back and forth along the row of bonsai like trees tapped each, waiting to see which ones bore item tags and which did not. To his surprise, the section where he searched continued to yield fruitful results, and his stash of would-be saplings continued to mount. He was so pleased with it, as a matter of fact, that he even rewarded himself with a short minutes to have a seat in the grass.

There was a lot to do, and unfortunately, very little progress to be made going forward. He wondered if other players were having similar problems to what he was seeing. So far, Freyd had seemed to be doing just fine, but then again he mostly only talked shop. That meant personal feelings might be hidden, but also that any such frustrations should have come u[p by now.

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Gathering - ID#: 192994 - Loot: 5+8=13 - Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 21
Total EXP: 79/200

Having gathered up his finds, he continued to harvest with one hand and searching through his housing menu, checking the prices of the upgrades he sought. "Looks like it's ten thousand Col for the basic hut and another fifteen thousand on top of that to upgrade to the deluxe." Shield snorted air out of his nose, realizing how dumb he'd been not to review his notes sooner. After all, this one transaction was going to almost double his experience, both through the bonus experience itself as well as the bonuses to his searching ability. He selected the hut and went to make the purchase, but an error message flashed. He finished harvesting the tree he had found and turned his full attention to the error message.

"'Must manually select outdoor building plot to request construction...'" he read. "But... I only have one outdoor plot available. If there isn't an alternative...." He rolled his eyes and closed his menu. "Guess I can wait till I get home."

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Gathering - ID#: 192993 - Loot: 11+8=19 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 19
Total EXP: 76/200

"Well, it looks as though getting a Green House is going to be my best bet for stepping up my searching skill." He took one more glance at his notes, spotting another something he had scribbled in the margins. "Limited data hints that the upgrade from Herbalist Hut to Green House may also slightly increase the odds of finding Demonic Shards." This was unexpected but welcome news. He didn't fully know the inner workings of the profession's mechanics, but that seemed like an incredibly lucrative bonus, if it turned out to be true.

Having exhausted his notes, Shield turned in the mean time to searching through dwarf trees. The current row thus far seemed to have been planted much earlier than the previous two, and its ratio of mature to immature trees reflected this. One after another, Shield managed to quickly find and harvest another handful of fully mature plants.

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Gathering - ID#: 192992 - Loot: 16+8=24 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 16
Total EXP: 73/200

Opening up his notes on various game mechanics, he scrolled down until he found the section on gathering. The notes were scant, but he searched through them regardless, trying to remember what it was he had seen that would be relevant. His eyes stopped on the section regarding how to gather experience, reading aloud to himself. "While the garden can sometimes provide materials outside of otherwise successful searches, a successful search is the only way to properly increase experience at a decent rate. Bonuses to searching can help, but other bonuses can apply as well. For example, items that increase searching ability, the corresponding totem from the Scents of the Wild quest series, as well as the Herbalist's Hut and its upgraded form, Green House-"

Shield paused, realizing he had not been searching and hurried down the row, picking out a few choice trees to harvest before returning to his notes.

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Gathering - ID#: 192990 - Loot: 13+8=21 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 13
Total EXP: 70/200

The unproductive bed behind him, he moved on to the next, and almost immediately it proved more bountiful than the last. Within his first few plants, he had found two different plants that could be harvested. He quickly uprooted them and stored them in his inventory before moving further down the row. Before the end of that section, he had managed to even find a third harvestable tree. "Much better," he said triumphantly.

Glancing down at his HUD, he opened the section for his occupation, navigating to his stats for gathering. Under the section for ranks and experience, he saw that he had just hit seventy experience. He also saw that his next rank would only be attained upon reaching 200 experience. He sighed, rolling his eyes. "There has got to be a better way to gain experience." This seemed to strike a chord with Sheild's memory. "Maybe there is..."

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Gathering - ID#: 192989 - Loot: 2+8=10 - No Material Found
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 10
Total EXP: 67/200

Shield continued down the line, though as he checked the next bed, they seemed to all be more immature than the last. They were smaller in size and less robust, which was saying something, and they did not seem to have as many needles. Not surprisingly, they were missing an item menu, which meant harvesting them would be incredibly pointless. He tapped one, waited a moment for a menu, and then moved on to the next. By the time he had made it all the way to the end of that bed, he had found no new plants to harvest.

This, he supposed, was not a huge loss. Although this did put a dent in his productivity, the simplicity of the task compared to some of the other options was still more appealing than going back to the thorn bushes. He at least wanted to find a few more before moving on.

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Gathering - ID#: 192988 - Loot: 15+8=23 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 10
Total EXP: 66/200

He ambled over to the nearest of the small trees, and kneeled down beside it. This one was a conifer - almost like a blue spruce. He ran his fingers along the small needles, parting them to peer deeper into the plant. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. Perhaps like in so many of the other plants there would be some sort of hidden fruit or pine cone, though they would have to be incredibly small.

As he moved his hands back and forth, he accidentally summoned an item menu, and strangely it was for the entire plant. "Dwarf pines, valuable for their sap..." He didn't read through the entirety of the entry, but he didn't need to. He gave a tug to uproot the, apparently, fully grown dwarf tree, and moved down the row. These, unlike the thorns, were relatively quick to check given he didn't have to search through the haystack to find the needles.

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Gathering - ID#: 192987 - Loot: 2+8=10 - No Material Found
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 7
Total EXP: 63/200

Shield made one more glance around the bush, but as he broke off the remaining colorful thorns, none of them seemed to be properly mature. Try as he might, he could not find any distinguishing features between the mature and immature thorns. He wondered if there would suddenly be a visual change that would appear upon his next rank, but for now it was a moot point. His time would be better spent elsewhere, and he was going to have to move on.

Stepping back from the shrubs, he took a moment to assess his options. There was of course the nearest of the pools. They had always been at least somewhat productive for him though, and he wanted to leave them as a last resort. Off to the side, he spotted what seemed to be a row of bonsai trees that had been carefully cultivated, wired into new twisting formations. "Works for me!"

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Gathering - ID#: 192986 - Loot: 5+8=13 - Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 7
Total EXP: 62/200

Although interesting, the harvestable thorns were difficult to pick out from those who were merely long and ornate. Best Shield could figure, there was a slight difference in color or texture that at his level of skill was much harder to detect. Hopefully, that would not remain the case as he ranked up further, but for now it was his reality. Having broken off a handful more, he found two that were viable items and discarded the others.

Typically, he did not spend much time investigating craftable items in the field, but these particular ones intrigued him. Tapping the middle, he summoned its item menu and read the entry. "Dead Nettle. A plant whose thorns contain toxic qualities. When properly prepared through alchemy, they can be used to create potent toxins to apply to weapons."

"That sounds an awful lot like Toxic Venom," he concluded, and decided that if the world of DoT building was as lucrative as it seemed, that these might be able to be sold at a premium.

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Gathering - ID#: 192985 - Loot: 6+8=14 - Material Found +1 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 5
Total EXP: 59/200

Making his way along the hedge, Shield continued to keep his eyes peeled for promising areas to farm. There were the pools, of course, which as he looked more carefully, seemed to be the only things that had remained the same. The willow tree where he had sat once was gone. The vegetable patches had been replaced by thorny shrubs. It was as if someone had superimposed a completely different garden over the top of the one he had seen before.

"Such an odd garden," he thought aloud. He walked closer, inspecting the thorny bushes more closely. While they did indeed have small leaves, the most prominent features were the thorns. Some had even taken on a bright orange hue and were considerably longer than the others, some even as long as his hand. He harvested a few, and sure enough, they were indeed craftable items. "Most likely for alchemy."

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Gathering - ID#: 192984 - Loot: 1+8=9 - No Material Found
EXP Gained: 1
Total Materials: 3
Total EXP: 56/200

Shield gave a stiff nod to the NPC who seemed relieved to step away from him and his mumbling. With a stretch of his shoulders and a crack of his neck, Shield struck out into the garden to search. He made his way toward the hedge that last time had been so profitable, but somehow it seemed to have been replaced with a stone wall. He blinked, checked his location, and judged his location off of the pools that were dispersed throughout the garden. He seemed to be in much the same place, but indeed, the hedge was gone.

"Does this place constantly change? Perhaps it presents itself differently depending on who is present... I did rank up in my Gathering profession... could that be the difference?" The thought seemed unlikely, but he couldn't entirely rule it out. In any case, he did not find any fruit in the stone wall, which was hardly surprising.

Quest

Shield

Post Action

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Gathering - ID#: 192980 - Loot: 13+8= 21 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 3
Total EXP: 55/200

Shield held out his arms, watching as the army of slimes that continually refreshed around him continued to throw themselves fruitlessly at his body. Then again, since it accomplished the task of providing minute amounts of experience, Shield did not consider their sacrifice fruitless at all. Finally, the spawner ran dry, and Shield nodded, stepping back into his home and into his kitchen. Picking up a piece of lucky grilled chuck, he began chewing the coarse meat and made his way down the mountain to Taft. He had a date with a garden.

-

There was a weight settling in Shield's chest as Nemo led him into the garden on Aincrad's lowest floor. Since Shadow's defeat and the complete upending of the mechanics of SAO, Shield's growth had stagnated, almost coming to a complete standstill. While he had continued to raise the bar of his gear, there were only a couple of remaining changes he could make before his ideal build plateaued. For now, all he could do was to continue to push forward in his Gathering skills.

"If and when I hit that peak, the next step is to create those niche other items to push my success in extenuating circumstances," he though aloud, causing Nemo to cast him an odd, sidelong glance. "Sorry. Thinking out loud."

As he was led once again into the garden that Nemo guarded, Shield spotted and picked up a bundle of glistening scales. It was not one of the prized Gleaming Scales that Shield so desperately required to complete his builds, but it was important to collect none the less.

Black Iron Dungeon

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Floor 1
<<Black Iron Dungeon>>
Party Limit: 4 | 20+ Posts
Repeatable

Quest Rewards:

• Any materials and loot that you find/gather.

Requirements:

• None.

Summary:

Beneath the Black Iron Palace in the Town of Beginnings lay a hidden dungeon that wasn’t discovered until recently. The revelation of its existence came as a shock to the Players of Aincrad, who had tirelessly scoured the first floor since the game’s debut. Had they simply overlooked it during their investigations? Or had it sat in waiting for the opportune moment to present itself? 

Once it was discovered, a scout team was sent in to investigate. The first few levels were fairly easy, but the difficulty ramped up rapidly. After encountering a trap room that locked them inside and disabled Teleport Crystals, two members of the party were killed, and the survivors were consequently forced to turn back. Ever since, it has been seen as taboo for all but the most powerful of warriors to venture into its depths. Even then, it is stressed that survival is not guaranteed.

Outline: 

The Black Iron Dungeon is an atypical dungeon that hosts powerful mobs, dangerous traps, and untold treasures. The Black Iron Dungeon holds multiple levels, descending downwards. 

Loot earned within the dungeon will be tiered to the Black Iron Dungeon's Level number (Level B1 = Tier 1 loot, Level B2 = Tier 2 loot, etc). Standard loot tables apply when looting mobs/bosses. Maps looted from monsters in the Black Iron Dungeon will open on any floor currently available and the dungeon's tier will scale to that floor.

New levels will be unlocked at each new tier in Sword Art Online. See the following for specific details of each level.

  Hide contents

[LEVEL B1]
Unlocked instantly.

Standard Mobs present here will have varying stats that adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 20 ~ 200
• DMG: 6 ~ 60

B1 Trap: The player steps on a panel. As the panel sinks into the floor, arrows will rain upon the party from above, dealing 50 unmitigatable damage. Players with three slots of EVA in their armor will be nimble enough to avoid damage, while Players with three slots of MIT will witness the arrows harmlessly bounce off of them.

B1 Boss Monster will adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 1000
• DMG: 120
• EVA: 1
• ACC: 1

---

[LEVEL B2]
Unlocked at Tier 2.

Standard Mobs present here will have varying stats that adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 220 ~ 400
• DMG: 66 ~ 120

B2 Trap: The floor beneath the Players shifts, creating a downward slope where the path was once level. Only once the floor has pitched will the Players realize it is slicked with some sort of mysterious oil. They’ll slide helplessly down the ramp and into a shallow pool of viscous ooze, which covers their bodies and reduces their mobility. EVA and ACC are reduced by 2 for the next combat encounter, and Sword Arts will cost an additional 2 EN each until the fight has concluded.

B2 Boss Monster will adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 1500
• DMG: 180
• MIT: 50
• EVA: 1
• ACC: 1

---

[LEVEL B3]
Unlocked at Tier 3.

Standard Mobs present here will have varying stats that adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 420 ~ 600
• DMG: 126 ~ 180

B3 Trap: The corridor suddenly becomes pitch black, filled with a darkness so palpable the Players can practically feel it. As though pulled along like a puppet by invisible strings, a Boss Monster will lumber into view, shambling toward the Players like a predator with prey in its sights. Seemingly immobilized by the sudden onset of the darkness, the Players won’t regain mobility until the Boss Monster has reached them, forcing them to fight.

B3 Boss Monster will adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 2000
• DMG: 240
• MIT: 75
• EVA: 1
• ACC: 2

---

[LEVEL B4]
Unlocked at Tier 4.

Standard Mobs present here will have varying stats that adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 620 ~ 800
• DMG: 186 ~ 240

B4 Trap: Shackles erupt from the floor and walls of the corridor and bind the Player that tripped the trap. A surge of electricity runs along the length of the chains and into the Player, instantly reducing their HP to red (25%). The energy will arc to all surrounding Players, inflicting 50% of the damage dealt to the target Player as unmitigatable damage. The ruckus will attract five nearby loot minimum mobs, who will attack the Players on the following post.

B4 Boss Monster will adhere to the following parameters:

• HP: 2500
• DMG: 300
• MIT: 100
• EVA: 1
• ACC: 2
• Immune to Debuffs.

Exploration

Every fifth post (post #5, post #10, post #15, etc.) within this dungeon requires a roll for LD, even when in the middle of combat against standard mobs. This LD can only be influenced with the Searching Skill and/or Scouting Familiar and/or Nimble Cloth Armor Mod. This roll does not require a Post Action, but must be performed separately and after all other rolls within the post. In the event that the Player(s) are already engaged with a Boss Monster, Chest Room, or Trap, they are exempted from this roll.

 

LD Result	Outcome
[1]	Boss Monster encounter.
[2]	Trap encounter.
[3 - 18]	Nothing happens.
[19+]	Chest Room encounter.

When opening a Chest in the Black Iron Dungeon, roll for natural CD and LD. LD may only be modified by the Lock Picking Skill and/or a Scouting Familiar. If your CD is 7 or lower, the chest will be empty. The room will lock and trap the Player(s) inside, disabling Flee mechanics as well as Teleport Crystals. When the room locks, the walls will open to reveal 10 mobs with stats relative to the maximum the Dungeon Level you are on permits. In the event that your CD is 8 or higher, the chest will produce loot as normal in accordance with the natural LD.

 

LD Result	Rewards
[1 - 4]	(Dungeon Level * 1000) col, (Dungeon Level * 3) Materials.
[5 - 8]	(Dungeon Level * 2000) col, (Dungeon Level * 5) Materials.
[9 - 12]	Unidentified Perfect Weapon (1) Unidentified Perfect Armor/Shield (1) Unidentified Perfect Trinket (1)
[13 - 16]	Unidentified Perfect Weapon (2) Unidentified Perfect Armor/Shield (2) Unidentified Perfect Trinket (2)
[17 - 18]	Unidentified Perfect Weapon (3) Unidentified Perfect Armor/Shield (3) Unidentified Perfect Trinket (3)
[19+]	Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1)

Bonus EXP

Players can potentially receive bonus EXP for each page completed or Boss Monster killed within the Black Iron Dungeon, provided they are interacting with the floor corresponding with their own Tier. This bonus EXP is progressively unlocked as the Player completes Sword Art Online’s quest content, with the exception of these quests:

• Making Vows
• Saying Vows
• Breaking Vows
• Nature's Treasure
• Redemption
• Black Iron Dungeon

The Bonus EXP breakdown is as follows:

• 50 quests completed:
  • Boss Monster = Current Highest Floor * 100 EXP
  • Page Completion = Player Tier * 75 EXP (in addition to standard page rewards)
• 75 quests completed:
  • Boss Monster = Current Highest Floor * 200 EXP
  • Page Completion = Player Tier * 125 EXP (in addition to standard page rewards)
• 100% of quests completed:
  • Boss Monster = Current Highest Floor * 300 EXP
  • Page Completion = Player Tier * 175 EXP (in addition to standard page rewards)

Shield

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Shield - HP:1,058/1,058 | EN:128/128 | DMG:1 | ACC:0 | MIT:260 | THN:134 | EVA:0 | BH:52 | LD:0 | V.D.:52 | HB:63 | TNT | ANT.FZ | GS:158 [17/17]
» Shield	The Immovable Object
Modified HP:	1,058
Modified EN:	128
Modified MIT:	260
Modified ACC:	0
Modified DMG:	1
Modified EVA:	0
Battle Heal:	50
Loot Die:	0
Temp Buff:	Immolation Potion +2 [+30 THN]
Temp Buff:	Perfect T4 Mit Hot Dog + "Filling" [+85 MIT] - Pending
Temp Buff: Temp Buff: Temp Buff:	Perfect T4 OH Hot Dog [+138 HP] - Pending Perfect LD Hot Dog - Pending
» Base Stats
Base HP:	920
Base EN:	128
Base MIT:	160
Base ACC:	0
Base DMG:	1
Base EVA:	0
Battle Heal:	46
Loot Die:	1
» Items Equipped:
Shield	Manticore Mask - T4 Demonic Shield [Thorns / Thorns / Frost Aura / Flame Aura]
Armor	Blessed Greaves - T4 Demonic Heavy Armor [Mitigation / Mitigation / Holy Blessing / Holy Blessing]
Armor	Naudia's Allure - T4 Demonic Heavy Armor [Holy Blessing / Mitigation / Vampiric (Defensive) / Taunt]
Extra	Dimensional Backpack - Battle Ready Inventory Slots [+1]
Extra	Wedding Ring - Mitigation [+18]
Extra	Hammerspace Backpack - Inventory Slot Capacity [+2]
Extra
Extra
» Combat Mastery:	Mitigation | Rank 3
» Familiar:	Lilith | Bush Viper | Protector
» Totem:	Mōretsuna (HP +50)
» Battle-Ready Inventory:
Slot 1	Gungnir's Shard [Instant Song of Healing] x17
Slot 2
Slot 3
Slot 4
Slot 5
Dimensional Backpack
Storage Closet
» Skills:
	Heavy Armor | Rank 5
	Fighting Spirit | No Ranks
	Battle Healing | Rank 5
	Howl | No Ranks
	Extended Weight Limit | No Ranks
	Extended Mod Limit | No Ranks
» Extra Skills:
	Block | Rank 5
	Survival
	Parry
» Mods:
1	Focused Howl
2	Iron Skin
3	Shield Bash
4	Large Pockets
5	Rampart
	Justified Riposte
	Vengeful Riposte

There had been too many rumors of the supposed Black Iron Dungeon floating around. Tales of harrowing traps and bountiful rewards had floated to Shield's ears. However, for now, they were mainly just that: rumors. Info brokers had very little information, and the information they had was pieced together from - likely embellished - firsthand accounts by flustered players. Aside from the obvious loot benefits of such risky ventures, Shield wanted to be able to add to the accounts to hopefully add information and credibility from a seasoned front-liner. A second seasoned front-liner would only add to the credibility, and Shield knew who he wanted to bring along. As he ventured down to the Town of Beginnings from the mountains outside of Taft, wandering down mountains whose inhabitants no longer posed a threat to him, bustling through city streets, teleporting between hubs, and finally migrating down into the underbelly of the first floor, Shield finally began to see parts of Aincrad that were entirely new to him. As he walked, he wrote.

Though not without their pitfalls, the first three basement floors (as they had been dubbed by the brokers) were of no real consequence, easily bypassed. The few gremlins and goblins that did attempt to ambush Shield quickly died to his defenses, and, to nobody's surprise, did not drop any useable loot. He sighed at the fifth empty loot window that appeared before him, dismissing it and turning the last corner of the dreary dungeon corridor to face a stairway down with a bold roman numeral "IV" above the opening.

"I think I've found my stop." He made camp momentarily, sitting on an empty crate and looking through his stores of consumables. Sadly, all of them were designed for players of a lower tier. "Useable, but not quite up to snuff for what likely is down there." He took out the newly reforged Manticore Mask, dousing it with the contents of one of the bottles of Immolation Potion he had leftover from his last trip to the local merchant. "Used to be able to source these myself, but I guess those days are done. Oh well."

@Freyd @Oscar

[PH - Picking up Manticore Mask]

To say it had been a while since entering Macradon's shop was an understatement. Not only has the two players fought side by side a number of times since, but the entirety of Aincrad had been turned on its ear around them. As such, Shield no longer felt the need for such stiffness and formality as he had in prior visits.

He approached the smith and fellow front-liner, raising the side of his fist to offer a tap in greeting to Macradon. "It's good to see you. I hope you're managing the chaos as well as possible." Taking a few items from his inventory, he placed them on the nearest open counter space. "I'm hoping you can handle this request. I have two items I would like combined. To make it simple, there's a single slot of Frost Aura I want transferred to Manticore Mask to overwrite the Antifreeze." Once that was explained, he produced a handful of steel and silver, the base materials of the shield as crafting fodder, as well as two fish scales, shining with a pale and subtle radiance, as well as a shard of dark obsidian that was wreathed in a sinister red haze.

"If you have any need of other compensation, I'm happy to oblige, but this should be all you need to perform the work. Can you handle the job?"

Quote

Crafting Type: Fusion

[Starting Item 1]
Item Name: <<Casseur de Logistille, Second Wind>>
ID: 176188a
Tier: 4
Type: Shield 
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: Frost Aura I, Holy Blessing, Taunt
Description: An arm-shield variant of the Pink Paladin's thorns bracer much more focused on protection than offensive onslaught. Tougher steel and more cover offer better defensive stats, along with a subtle healing effect. In the center of its boss, there is a simple etched image of a heater shield, a subtle nod to the item's origin.

[Starting Item 2]
Item Name: <<Manticore Mask>>
Item ID: N/A
Item Tier: 4
Item Type: Shield
Item Rarity: Demonic
Item Enhancements:
Flame Aura I/Thorns II/ Antifreeze 
Description: A silver shield, the face of which is adorned by the head of a manticore, framed by its folded wings.

[Final Item]
Item Name: <<Manticore Mask>>
Item ID: N/A
Item Tier: 4
Item Type: Shield
Item Rarity: Demonic
Item Enhancements:
Flame Aura I/Frost Aura I/Thorns II 
Description: A silver shield, the face of which is adorned by the head of a manticore, framed by its folded wings.

Transferring to Mac:
Demonic Shards x 1
Gleaming Scales x 2
Crafting Materials x 3

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Gathering - ID#: 192466 - Loot: 17+7=24 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 47
Total EXP: 52 [Rank 2 Attained]

Before leaving the hedge behind altogether, he grabbed one more handful of fruit 'for the road,' though unlike the implication behind the idiom, he had no intention of eating any of them. "Thank you for being my guide once again, and for not trying to kill me this time."

Nemo gave a nod, leading Shield the last little bit of the way to the exit and guiding him back to civilization. The two nodded to each other, which was more cordial than Shield typically was with NPC's, and he made his way back towards the main settlement of the first floor, The Town of Beginnings.

As he made one last tally of his gains, he noticed a small notification in his display, denoting a promotion to the second rank of his newly gotten profession. "I'll be finding Demonic Shards in no time!" he though to himself aloud, more out of denial and force of will than anything else. "Here's to another... how much experience do I need until max rank?" He checked his note from Hikoru and groaned.

Quote

<<Quest Rewards>>

EXP: 800 [1 Page]
Gatherer EXP: 52
Materials: 47
Col: 400 [1 Page]

Quote

Gathering - ID#: 192465 - Loot: 19+7=26 - Material Found +2 Bonus
EXP Gained: 3
Total Materials: 44
Total EXP: 49

Taking his winnings, Shield put a hitch in his step and picked up the pace. He had very mixed feelings. Checking his HUD, it seemed his experience from searching was close to getting him his next Gatherer rank. This wasn't anything to sneeze at, though the further he walked to the exit the more the weight truly settled in as to how much grinding was in his future.

"You sure I can't convince you to leave your treasures behind?" chimed a familiar, slightly anxious voice. Nemo was at Shield's elbow, greeting him with a half-joking smile.

"'Fraid not," Shield quipped back without skipping a beat. "I appreciate your dedication to your guardianship, but I'm afraid I'll be keeping what I'm finding, Nemo."

Shield had a little chortle to himself that was not returned by the NPC. He consoled himself by taking a moment to gather a small handful of the odd fruit that had refreshed on the hedge.