Berg explained that everyone who had helped Rand defend the intersection was a believer, an adventurer with a sense of justice, or a local resident. None received payment.

Anser was not surprised. Churches had always possessed strong powers of mobilization.

Tyr, the God of Justice, belonged to the War Domain, and his followers were famously capable fighters even when they possessed no class.

Berg indirectly asked whether the three intended to stay or leave.

After discussing it, Anser and Bratt decided to remain for the time being. Finn also said he was in no hurry to leave.

This was an excellent opportunity to earn experience, and the paladins provided a safety net. Wyrm's Crossing stood directly behind them, allowing a retreat at any time. Surely the Flaming Fist would not be deranged enough to seal the gates completely.

The elderly priest was delighted. He immediately arranged accommodations for the three on the church's second floor and provided food and drinking water free of charge.

The three shared one room. Judging by the layout, it was clergy housing: plain but clean.

Their food consisted of hard, dry whole-wheat bread and strips of smoked pork. It was nothing special, but the portions were generous enough that the three could not finish it all in a day.

It seemed the church had collected or confiscated a considerable amount of food while evacuating people yesterday. Paladins had principles and boundaries, but they were not blindly inflexible.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Berg had barely left when someone knocked on the door again.

Bratt opened it to find Zahir covered in blood and grime. Apparently, he had not yet found time to wash.

"Sorry. I only just finished my work. Thank you for your help. These are your spoils."

Zahir set down two bundles. The burlap fell open, revealing a heap of bloodstained objects, the most conspicuous of which was a black warhammer.

"Thank you." Anser smiled and did not refuse.

Adventure and combat were common in this world, giving rise to many unwritten customs, including rules governing the division of spoils.

For example, if a paladin killed a duergar, they could return the wealth it had stolen to its original owners or their relatives. But they had no right to dispose of possessions carried by monsters that Anser had killed.

The exception was when everyone belonged to the same team or had reached an agreement beforehand.

Bratt had been wounded, Finn was absent, and Anser had been immersed in his "grief over his parents' deaths," so Zahir's group had been the only ones available to collect the spoils.

They were followers of the God of Justice and were very unlikely to hide anything for themselves.

"If you need any help, come find me. I'm usually on the third floor or in the central hall." Zahir wore a short mustache, and his voice was gentle and measured, like a gentleman's.

"Uncle Zahir, do you have any diamonds? I'll trade some of the spoils for one." Anser did not stand on ceremony. He badly needed spell components.

Zahir considered the question. "We should. I'll have someone look shortly. Is there anything else?"

"No." Anser looked at Bratt and Finn. Both shook their heads.

"Then get some rest. Subterranean creatures dislike light, so they probably won't return during the day." With that, Zahir hurried away. He had far too much work to do.

Anser and the others exchanged looks, pulled the bundles closer, and eagerly began taking inventory.

Anser's and Bratt's spoils had been mixed together. There appeared to be a great deal, but little was valuable. That made sense: they had killed only slaves, and anything good would already have been confiscated from them.

Several crude scimitars, maces, and iron-rimmed round shields; foul-smelling fur bracers, leather boots, and belts; unknown food and miscellaneous junk... They were worth only scrap.

There were many coin pouches, but most were ragged and contained only cheap glass, copper pieces, and a few silver pieces.

The best item was an elven-style coin pouch woven with gold thread. It held several chunks of azurite ore, eye agates, more than a dozen gold pieces, and a Potion of Healing.

"This probably belonged to the hobgoblin. And so did this." Bratt pointed at the half plate on the ground.

The three javelins went to Finn, while Rand had probably kept the greatsword. Anser received the coin pouch and the half plate, the most valuable item. In truth, he had gained the better share.

The half plate was incomplete, consisting only of a helmet and breastplate, but it remained in decent condition.

"You use the half plate for now. Adjust the buckles and it should fit." Anser was a spellcaster without armor training. Wearing it would interfere with his spellcasting.

"All right." Bratt nodded. In an emergency, there was no need for false modesty.

Anser placed every gold and silver piece and all the gems into the elven coin pouch, then tucked it inside his clothes. He made Bratt carry the heavy copper coins.

The black warhammer had belonged to the Duergar Warlord. It was a magic weapon, but none of them could use it, so they would have to find an opportunity to dispose of it later.

"Throw out the junk. We won't find a buyer now, and it will only slow us down," Anser said with a smile.

"I know." Bratt fiddled with the half plate, grinning without the slightest restraint.

At that moment, someone knocked again. A young priest delivered a small box to Anser. Inside was a silver necklace adorned with a diamond pendant. The diamond showed no sign of fine cutting and was roughly as wide as his index fingernail.

After confirming that it would work, the young priest turned and left, tossing back one sentence: Captain Rand had given it to him.

Everyone had witnessed Anser's crucial role in the day's battle. The church wanted to express its gratitude with a work of art.

Anser remained silent for a moment, then put on the necklace.

"Worth at least two hundred gold pieces," Bratt estimated. "Keep it. Only in your hands can it realize its value."

"Mm. Let's rest." Anser waved a hand. Since he had decided to accept it, there was no point agonizing over the decision.

He chose the bed deepest in the corner, removed his backpack, and lay down. His entire body relaxed, and even his taut mind eased somewhat.

For the first time since transmigrating, he felt safe.

Bratt felt the same. Three berries had not completely healed his wounds, and rest was the best remedy.

Finn looked at the two of them, then silently sat at the dining table and began taking small bites of bread.

Anser closed his eyes and sank his awareness into his mind, where the silver twenty-sided die revolved.

To his delight, the second symbol had lit up completely!

"Just as I thought!"

He touched the die, and memory fragments surfaced one after another: making camp, leveling up, fighting, casting spells, using a magic item...

"Adventuring experiences, important events, or achievements?" He could not determine which, but he had at least found a general direction.

It seemed he should not remain in one place forever. Experiencing more could only help.

A moment later, the symbol transformed into a small tree that floated above the die, its branches gently swaying.

Ding—

[You gain the Adventure Trait: Extraordinary Talent.]

<Extraordinary Talent>: You possess learning ability and talent far beyond ordinary people. You master one feat every 2 levels, with no restrictions on source or category.

Anser froze. 'It directly changes the class rules?'

Under D&D class rules, every 4 levels granted either an Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat whose prerequisites the character met. Each choice significantly affected one's strength.

He touched the little tree, opening a feat-selection screen. It contained numerous choices, but most were grayed out.

Feats fell into four categories: Origin Feats, General Feats, Fighting Style Feats, and Epic Boon Feats.

Origin Feats were tied to one's background and race, such as the Tough feat granted by the Farmer background, and had no prerequisites.

Other feats had prerequisites and became available only after those requirements were met. Epic Boon Feats, for example, required level 19, while Fighting Style Feats required the corresponding class feature.

Although <Extraordinary Talent> did not state that he had to meet prerequisites, Epic Boon Feats and Fighting Style Feats remained unavailable.

After examining the choices, Anser focused on three feats: War Caster, Spell Sniper, and Gift of the Metallic Dragon.

War Caster would make his spellcasting faster and more stable. Spell Sniper would extend his range and improve accuracy, while Gift of the Metallic Dragon would strengthen his ability to survive.

Of course, he could choose two attribute points instead, but that improvement would be smaller than a feat.

Feats:

1. War Caster

General Feat

You gain the following benefits:

Ability Score Increase: Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Concentration: You have advantage on Constitution saving throws made to maintain Concentration.

Reactive Spell: When a creature provokes an Opportunity Attack from you by leaving your reach, you can use your Reaction to cast a spell at the creature rather than make an Opportunity Attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 Action and must target only that creature.

Somatic Components: You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands.

2. Spell Sniper

General Feat

You gain the following benefits:

Ability Score Increase: Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Bypass Cover: Your spell Attack Rolls ignore Half Cover and Three-Quarters Cover.

Casting in Melee: Being within 5 feet of an enemy does not impose disadvantage on your spell Attack Rolls.

Increased Range: When you cast a spell that has a range of at least 10 feet and requires an Attack Roll, the spell's range increases by 60 feet.

3. Gift of the Metallic Dragon

You have manifested some of the power of metallic dragons:

Draconic Healing: You learn the Cure Wounds spell.

Protective Wings: You can manifest protective wings to shield yourself or another creature from an attack.

(End of Chapter)