He also found out very quickly that even functions had an increased effect on him, the Innkeeper!
Since the innkeeper could get more, then the compounded effect of the function increased it even more.
Durgan always felt shocked whenever he saw Finn every day, seeing how much he grew overnight, every night. However, he’d definitely be up for more surprises from here on forward.
By this time, Finn could absorb more cores than normal people his level could absorb in a week, and this was him doing other things during the day, too. On top of the new functions, it simply could not be compared anymore.
The days passed like this, with those assigned in the inn harvested core after core without much tiredness (because they could just rest and eat any time), while the rest did what their mission asked them to.
Speaking of harvesting cores, Finn thought that seeing different teams of seasoned adventurers fight was really interesting. They all adopted different strategies to maximize the kills. Many of them had area of effect skills, too, and they really took advantage of that.
For example, stronger members would lure the monsters and cluster them in an area. And then the mages would shower the beasts with attacks. After this, the close-ranged fighters would jump in and harvest the weakened surviving enemies.
The adventurers would often come up with ways to maximize their skills and use mana efficiently by using the same attacks to kill multiple enemies.
Normally, when they were outside, this was very difficult to do because the concentration would break often. Monsters could also come in different directions, and they tended to move erratically, especially when there was a mix of species in a single mob.
They also had to break their attacks when their allies were in the way, afraid to accidentally hit an ally, which was something that happened occasionally due to the unpredictability of battle royales.
Now, this was controlled because at least one side was safe from monsters, reducing the area they had to pay attention to, and giving them more space to plan and react effectively without excess fear, causing them to make inefficient decisions.
Many were also veterans who had been fighting alongside each other for a while, and their teamwork could be said to have entered a new dawn of productivity with this.
The most worried ones were the tanks, who might feel like their role was no longer needed, at least when they were assigned to the barrier area. However, they managed to do well in the end, especially when assisting the close-ranged fighters who had to get out.
Meanwhile, those with long-range skills could be said to be having the time of their lives.
Yes, the mages shone brightest behind the barrier. Imagine dealing damage after damage without having to worry about getting attacked. Someone called the Inn a Mage’s Haven, and some called it Magician’s Grinding Nook.
Earth magic user Micc, who now has one bad leg, really excelled in this. He’d literally just sit on the edge, use his magic to trap a group of monsters, and use a few spires to stab the monsters over and over.
Then, after that, he’d stab the monster’s hearts and get the cores to roll over to him. He didn’t need to lift a single one of his five good toes.
Further, whenever the fighters got tired, they’d either rest or buy food. Some would also absorb the cores they got, though most were limited to 2 to three cores a day, which was the standard that they knew.
Until... they noticed some differences.
After a while, they noticed that...they could take in another one! And then another!
"This must be the regeneration the Innkeeper was talking about..." one said, looking at his companion who successfully absorbed an extra core than usual. "Plus the essence food..."
"This is amazing..."
"Is it just me, or are the empty cores looking rougher now?"
"Wait, you’re right."
Finn (who suddenly appeared behind them) smiled, prepared to start his marketing tirade. "That is because you’re getting more from the core than usual," he said. "The atmosphere in the inn allows for better absorption on top of increased regeneration stats."
"Whoa, what?!"
"Wowwowoow..."
"This is too amazing."
"You know...I realized that upgrading within the Inn grounds made my transition much smoother," Finn said, smiling. This wasn’t even a lie. According to Pang, the regeneration of the inn helped him a lot, and his already torturous process would’ve been much more painful had he done so outside.
"You can also eat more essence food to stack up to the effects, further increasing the chances."
"Really?"
"Yes," he said. "If anyone is at the peak now, I recommend trying to upgrade ranks while you’re here. I guarantee it’s much more effective."
People were in awe and were extremely excited about these ’updates’, encouraging them to grind more, gather more cores, and stay for longer!
For the next day or so, people focused on grinding endlessly and leveling up.
"KYAAA!"
One day, people suddenly heard a scream, making everyone flinch. They thought something happened, like the one that almost took Micc’s legs.
They headed to the source and realized it was one of the covered and cushioned gazebos, and the person who screamed was someone most of them knew.
"Reesa!?" Victor gasped, holding on to his wife, who was out cold on the ground.
"What’s going on?"
"She has upgraded," he said, and they all knew the accompanying pain every rank up, because the cores would dissipate violently and combine with the body, bringing them to another tier of strength.
The others looked over to check her state. They were relieved she was fine, but then they finally allowed themselves to focus on her level.
They gasped. "She’s really upgraded!"
Like this, the 43-year-old Reesa, who had been stuck in Charged State Tier 3 for years , had finally upgraded to the Blessed rank!
Then they heard about Finn’s words and the new functions, and it fired everyone up another level.
The immediate area of the inn, tens of kilometers away, for the first time, ran out of beasts.