It had been a week since Party 1 started frequenting the 21st floor.
Master had also made the other parties in the Main Forces frequenting the floor as well. Including the Garudas and the Tsamudrans.
Not just the Main Forces, parties from the second floor of the lobby had started going to the 21st floor too.
More and more 2-star trainees were being promoted to 3-star and got recruited to the Reserve Forces on the third floor of the lobby.
The Raid Team was starting to rebuild its forces and we were making steady progress to continue our climb.
Sigyn had sent a scouting party to the 22nd floor of the Main Dungeon.
No survivors, as expected.
But Sigyn immediately relayed all the information about that floor through our mock battles in the Tactical Post.
From our simulation matches, I did not find much difference between the enemy patterns on the 21st floor and the 22nd.
So it was likely just another subjugation mission.
We would have no problem continuing our climb soon.
Tarran immediately established great synergy with the rest of us in Party 1.
I would, in fact, dare say he had proven himself better than Darius.
He was right about Tarran having greater talent than him.
The boy seemed to become stronger and stronger after each battle.
His growth was certainly exceptional for a hero that was originally a 1-star. Just like Jonah and Shanny.
It was reassuring to have someone like Tarran by our side.
But not every party could face the trial with such reliable comrade in their rank.
Master was trying to rebuild the Reserve Forces by sending many 2-star parties from the second floor of the lobby to the 21st floor of the Main Dungeon, where they could reach level 20 and get promoted to 3-star.
Thirteen 2-star parties were deployed to the 21st floor for the past week.
We lost nine trainees in those outings.
Only six out of thirteen parties managed to survive the regular mission without losing any member.
Most of the casualties were heroes with only level 4 in basic combat skill. The bare-minimum requirement for the first floor trainees to not get sent to the Evaluation Center.
This type of heroes survived climbing through the 12th to the 19th floor by fully relying on their stronger and more skilled party comrades.
Obviously that tactic no longer worked.
The tower's trials were getting more difficult and every hero in a party had to be able to pull their own weight.
Especially at the current state of our climb.
I already expected the casualties given the challenge on the 21st floor.
As an environment itself, Phirdaus was the most dangerous out of all the other places we had been before.
The poisonous vegetation that built up its jungle could easily paralyze and even kill a grown man.
Phirdaus's hot humid air would quickly drain a hero's focus and weaken their state.
All the monsters within the jungle also had their unique abilities and only possessed few weaknesses.
Even though it was not a Quintal Trial, the 21st floor still demanded about just as much readiness for its mission.
Sigyn already instructed us to do something about these issues.
And I had come up with solutions for them all.
With the help of Cedran the alchemist, we brewed batches of Heat Resistance Potion.
Phirdaus had extremely hot temperature that it became a hindrance in battle.
The Heat Resistance Potion should help the heroes withstand the jungle air.
Moreover, we had created a new potion which could both heal wounds and cure poisoned state.
The forged land's system named it Basic Healing Elixir. A fusion of Advanced Health Potion and Antidote.
By combining the two potions into one vial, our heroes would be able to recover more efficiently in battle. They would also save up space in their supply pouches.
New enchanted protective gears had also been designed for our combatants to better suit Phirdaus's hazardous environment.
Additional clothing layers and armor plating for better defense while enhancing air circulation to fight against the humid air.
We now had more skilled workers in the Equipment Workshop that Gerrits and the crafters could make the new gears quickly.
Everything was specially made for the heroes that were attempting the 21st floor.
And those were not the only improvement we made for the Raid Team.
The lobby had more skilled mages now.
I made sure to utilize those rare talents for the sake of our climb effort.
"This is another magic equipment we will mass produce. Observe carefully how I'm going to enchant it."
I told the mages gathered around the enchantment pedestal.
Yuxia, Vallerynne, Lauressia, Morivia, Kinnara, Meifa, and Aludra.
These mages had the necessary enchantment skill for what I would require them to do.
As their eyes were locked toward the enchantment pedestal, I turned my gaze there too.
A small black stone ring carved with intricate runes were placed on the pedestal.
With a twirl of my hand, threads of mana flowed out from my fingertips and crept into the ring.
They made the accessory glowed with soft light.
Once all the runes on the ring were shining, I cut the threads of mana and sealed the spell within the ring.
Several mages around me sounded a sharp gasp.
"By the Serpent! How did you manage to cast that enchantment so fast?"
Vallerynne blurted with a click of her tongue.
Yuxia nodded alongside her while maintaining a confused frown.
"Judging by the mana radiation alone, that enchantment had to be at least Fourth Circle. And you casted it as if it was a basic First Circle spell!"
My Divine Touch, Alchemist Hands, and Sorcerer Soul made such swift casting possible.
They came in handy for moments like this.
"The enchantment is only a Fourth Circle in formula. Mana-wise, it's just a Second Circle spell. That way all of you can perform it."
I told the mages.
This enchanted ring was meant to be mass-produced for the raiders.
That plan would not be feasible if I was the only one who could make it.
And it was important that we had this ring abundant in supply.
[Protection Ring]
[Rank: B]
[Excellent!]
[An enchanted ring forged with unstable material. Grants the wearer with a degree of protection against physical attacks.]
[Note 1 – Enchanted with "Durability Reinforcement."]
[Note 2 – Gradually breaks down after each use]
[Note 3 – Brand: Dunia]
As the Vice-Master and my seal's awakening, it was now possible for me to analyze items through the forged land's system.
That ability helped in appraising and evaluating the equipment we created.
Master had ordered to equip the Raid Team with magic artifacts.
So we really needed to ensure we were able to produce suitable equipment for our raiders.
This ring, in particular, would help our raiders climb beyond the 19th floor.
It was enchanted with a protection spell which should add another layer to a hero's defense.
There were limits to the protection given the quality of the artifact and the spell's degree.
But at the very least, the ring would significantly minimize the impact of fatal blows.
We should be able to suppress the mortality rate on the 21st floor if all our raiders wore the enchanted ring.
The downside was the fact that the artifact would break down overtime.
Raiders needed to consistently replace their worn ring with new one after several battles.
Given the current state of our resource supply, we could not afford to forge the ring with good materials that would make the accessory last.
In order to be able to distribute the ring to every raider that would attempt the 21st floor, we had to forge the ring with basic materials that were easy and quick to replenish, hence enabling us to mass-produce it.
It was still a good trade-off rather than having nothing to reinforce our raiders with.
However, the production of this ring would not happen at all if it were not for my advanced alchemy and enchantment skills.
My previous self would not figure out the correct formula that could instill a Fourth Circle protection enchantment into an artifact crafted with poor materials while only using minimum mana worth a Second Circle spell.
"This is a good sorcery. Morivia, it would do you well to learn whatever you can from the Vice-Master."
Lauressia said to her daughter as she was replicating the enchantment on another ring in the other pedestal.
Morivia nodded to the 5-star.
"Understood, mother."
"I expected no less from the Prophesied."
Kinnara said approvingly from another pedestal.
She continued while observing the Protection Ring she just enchanted.
"This artifact is a nice invention. But surely you have bigger plans brewing in your great mind, no?"
I nodded to her.
"Not to worry. Once we've made sufficient supply of this enchanted ring, we will continue to make stronger artifacts."
This enchanted ring was actually just a prototype for an artifact I had been designing.
I had been planning to create a number of artifacts, actually.
Equipment that would help the Main Forces in the Quintal Trials.
Our raiders were highly skilled. But they would be even more formidable with proper weapons in their hands.
Weapons with special powers. Ability-enhancing equipment. Magic artifacts that would amplify the effects of a mage's spells.
I planned to equip everyone in the Main Forces with such items. Not just Party 1. It was Master's intention as well.
After we achieved that, then we would work to provide special equipment for all the Reserve raiders.
The Raid Team would only become much stronger once we pulled that off.
And it was the least we could do if we were going to overcome the rest of the tower and save our world.