《Crafting Hero》 Chapter 1- Fantasy Land

Chapter 1- Fantasy Land

Earthquake! No something is not right. My mind...feels...blurry... In the beginning, there was almost no movement, just tiny vibrations. As they grew in strength a few objects from my desk fell to the floor and shattered. I heard a ringing sound as my mind was filled with radiance, almost like the sun itself had appeared in my head. It was really hard to describe. I couldn¡¯t see or think, and it felt as if the light was the sole thing in the world ¡°Boom¡± The light exploded with a loud sound, leaving behind millions of shards that bombarded my mind. The sound caused me to feel a headache far worse than anything I¡¯ve felt before. And just like that, I lost consciousness and then everything became black.
I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a throbbing pain in my head. What happened? It took a few moments for my for my mind to process what I was seeing. I practically bolted up in a sitting position, all the morning grogginess disappear straight away. Instead of my cozy apartment, I currently sat up in a golden bed with a red quilt covering my entire body. It looked like a picture taken from a fairytale, as all kinds of marble pieces of furniture occupied the room. The wall was adorned with different paintings, massive strange creatures, and knights in shining armor. There was one particular that made my jaw drop in astonishment.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The painting had a pure golden frame, and inside the frames, there were silver stripes lined up to form a circular portrait of a majestic dragon. Red eyes, a long neck, covered in black slimy scales. Two wings that covered the vast blue clear sky. Surely some joker, huh? The thought flashed through my mind as I remember all those popular pranks on youtube when people get kidnapped. Well, It sure felt like a big prank until I looked out from a small window. What I saw was a huge medieval town that stretched hundreds of kilometers. Around the whole town was a wall similar to the one in China. ¡°Knock¡±, ¡°knock.¡± The door opened and an old, white-haired man, with wrinkles all over his face, walked with his hands behind his back into the room. ¡°I welcome you, Hero. Please follow me and everything will be explained.¡± The Old man said with a smile on his face. ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s going on?¡± A very confused expression sat on my face as I asked him Last time I was in my apartment and now I¡¯m clearly in some kind of fantasy land, of course, I¡¯m scared, like, who wouldn¡¯t? ¡°Just follow me.¡± Replied the man as began walking out of the room. I decided to follow the man. A few minutes later and he stopped in front of a huge door. He lightly knocked on the door as he said in a somewhat humble voice, ¡°My king¡± ¡°Enter,¡± replied a voice coming from the room. Holy cow¡­ On the other side of the door was a hallway as big as a shopping mall made of a shiny material that I had never seen before. A man sat on a golden throne at the end of the room. There were hundreds of guards, equipped with dazzling swords and shields, lining up both walls. They wore a mix of dark and red plate armor while they exuded a fearsome pressure. When their gaze landed on me, I felt my scalp turn cold. A few seconds later it all disappeared as the man, who the white-haired elder called king, slowly rose from his chair and said, ¡°Welcome Hero, I have been expecting you. The rest of the summoned have already awakened and begun their training."
Chapter 2 - Jenny鈥檚 Inn

Chapter 2 - Jenny¡¯s Inn

I walked out of the castle with a purse full of coins while clenching my fists. ¡°Those bastards, summoning me to this world and then just discarding me like shit¡± I angrily muttered in a low voice, ¡°Fuck them¡± What happened? Well, to make a long story short I met the king and the other heroes from my world. I was then told that we have been summoned to defeat the demon army, which obviously was a cliche taken straight from a fantasy novel. The king named Argus, told me that every hero was given a class and heroes were always given divine and godly skills such as Holy wrath: (Summon the divine flames to devour enemies) The class was often similar to your skill. For example, if you had a skill similar to holy wrath you were probably given a class like Paladin or Exorcist. I got a class called ¡°The Crafter¡±. The king and his shitty Mage told me that my class was useless. I, myself, actually believe that the class is pretty good. I argued about it until they banished me from the castle. Luckily, The old white-haired elder gave me a purse of gold coins and said, "Sorry for the trouble" Though, I don''t really understand their thinking, how can crafting be pointless? Isn''t that what makes the world go around? I mean, the wheel that was invented made traveling a lot easier. Creating boats gave us the ability to cross huge oceans? Useless my bum. The point is that crafting is important. So why did the king say it was useless? Of course, I am not sure what "The Crafter" class can do. But I''m sure that it''s not completely useless. Why would a hero be given it otherwise? People like that make me sick. They hide their ugly faces behind masks. They smile, they are polite and they help other people when they need something. They care only about themselves and their own well-being. The almost faded and lost memory of my older brother appeared in my mind. The sight of him, with a dagger in his chest while the blood pool around him kept getting bigger and bigger. I still remember every last word he said as he took his lasts breath from all those years ago and said in a tired and hoarse voice, ¡°John...survive..whatever you do..just survive. ¡± I pushed the memory far away into the deepest part of my mind. I¡¯ve been trying to bury it for a long time, yet I somehow can¡¯t. It just keeps bubbling up like air trapped in water. The worst part is the pain of not being able to save him, the only one I held dear, from the jaws of death. I sometimes wish that I was the one that died that day. But I am not going to complain, there are people that have far tougher lives than me. Life isn''t fair. Like a friend of mine always said, "You can''t expect the lion to not eat you, just because you didn''t eat him". I shook my head, took a deep breath and calmed down, ¡°I¡¯m in a new world, maybe this is a chance for me to start over?" Who am I kidding? I can never restart. I can never erase the past. I will always feel his hand on my ankle, screaming for me to run. I will always feel the heavy burden of guilt on my shoulder. But...what can I do if not continue? I can start a new journey. I can save people. I can redeem myself. It took a moment for me to strengthen my resolve. I brought my fist up in front of my face, clenched it and said to myself, ¡°I will become strong, I won¡¯t let anybody I care about die again.¡± I looked around and saw that the sun was beginning to disappear in the horizon. I decided to first find an inn or at least somewhere to sleep. After that, I can decide what to do next.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
I started walking down the streets with quick steps. I noticed that many people stared at me. (Well, it''s not that strange when you¡¯re wearing clothes that make you look like a clown in this world) I tried to ignore their stares while traveling through the crowds of people that occupied the streets. The people wore medieval clothes while a few of them even had weapons such as daggers, swords or bows. Seeing stores such as blacksmiths, armor shops, and mount shops left me stunned, "truly a fantasy world." Finally, I laid my eyes on a sign that said, ¡±Jenny''s inn¡± The inn was made from some sort of stone, similar to gray colored bricks from Earth. The roof was made of a huge amount of hay held up by wooden planks. To be honest, It looked pretty cozy. I opened the door and was greeted with a wave of warm air and the tiny smell of sweat. A few burly-looking men occupied one of the tables in the corner while playing cards. Except for that, the Inn felt empty.I had a good feeling about it. The floor was made of some kind of dark wood. The most noticeable furniture was the bar-counter that stood at the end of the room. Different from the floor, the bar was made out of a lighter wood type. I walked forward to the desk and cleared my throat, trying to get attention. After a few seconds of nothing happening, I asked, "Anybody here?" ¡°Crash¡± ¡°boom¡± ¡°crash¡± Several of loud noises escaped the room behind the counter. The door slammed open and a girl dashed forward to the counter. The girl took a few huge breaths as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. She made a huge grin and said politely, "I''m so sorry for the wait." The girl had long brown hair that was bound into two ponytails stretching down to her shoulders. She also had few freckles here and there, but there weren''t many. Everything together made her look young, immature and a slightly cute. She looked at me with her big green eyes and asked, ¡° What can I do for ya?¡± ¡°Are there any available rooms?" I replied, trying not to look at her cleavage which proved to be quite the struggle. They were huge...Do all girls in this world have that..capacity? ¡°A single room for 3 days with morning and evening meals, is that okay?¡± She replied, tilting her head. ¡°Yes,¡± I answered. ¡°Okay, 2 silvers please,¡± she said with a naughty smile and stretched out her hand. I looked into the bag of mine that was filled with small gold coins. They were rather similar to 2 euro coins from earth, except that these ones didn''t have any print. I picked one up, flipping it through my fingers before putting it down on the counter, ¡°Is this enough?¡± The girl looked at me like seeing an alien for the first time. ¡°You don¡¯t even know the currency?¡± She asked wide-eyed. Scratching my head, I came up with the ¡°perfect¡± excuse for a situation like this, "A few days ago I hit my head. Some things are rather foggy for me right now." Not the best one I suppose, but it would work. Ohh, okay," The girl laughed as she took the gold coin and gave me back a bag of silver coins and said, ¡°1 gold coin is 100 silvers and one silver is 100 coppers..simple right?¡± She then started walking up the stairs while saying, ¡° Follow me then. Just so you know, breakfast will be served at 7:00 in the mornings and dinners 19:00 in the evenings¡± ¡°At least the time is probably the same¡± I muttered as I followed the young girl to my room. Her swaying hips distracting, ¡°Was it really that long since I did it? I really need to release some steam somewhere. Not with prostitutes of course.." ¡°If you ever need anything, just ask for Jen at the desk,¡± she said after arriving at my temporary and new home. Jen gave me the keys before quickly saying goodbye. She scuttled away, down the stairs. The single room was pretty small, no more than four meters wide, long and about 3 meters in height. On the left side of the corner laid a worn out gray bed. The right side was occupied by a small table and a closet. I laid down on the bed and looked straight at the ceiling, ¡°Pretty weird day, huh?¡± ¡°Being transported to another world isn¡¯t exactly a normal event for me. Probably not a normal event for anyone else for that matter.¡± I thought about a couple of other things before deciding to make a priority list. First, I need to find out how to open my ¡°status¡± as it¡¯s the first thing I need in order to get stronger. I already tried saying it out loud and saying it in my mind, but neither seemed to work. I also need to find out more about my class. From the title, I know that it''s some sort of crafting class. But it''s still too vague for me to guess. I also want to get stronger, this world seems to be a world ruled by strength. Even though I can get rich with crafting, wouldn''t it be pointless If I can''t defend myself and my friends? Well, if I get any friends. If this ¡°world¡± is the same as the ¡°games¡± I played on earth, I need to find a way to level up. Maybe dungeons exist in this world too? If that¡¯s the case should I go alone or with a team. Maybe I can gain some combat skill as well? There were many questions I wanted an answer for. I thought about my world. Would anybody miss me? Would anybody grieve for me? I drifted to sleep...
Chapter 3 - Monster Crafting Guide

Chapter 3

"Run John, John!" My brother''s voice echoing behind me. I could hear footsteps all around us. Pictures flashed by one after another; running through corridors, hiding as soldiers looked for me ¡°John...survive¡± "Arghhh!" I woke up, half screaming in my bed. Where am I? My back was covered in sweat. Half panting I found myself in the room at the Inn. A nightmare..a very looking real one at that. I took a long, deep breath and tried to cleanse my mind. Always that dream. Always ending with that same sentence. I meditated for 10 minutes, a habit I had picked up after the death of my brother. After a while, I glanced left and saw my clothes hanging on the chair. ¡°I still have the jeans and the brown sweatshirt, guess I need to buy some other clothes to fit in,¡± I said as I rose from the bed. The nightmare had cleared away my morning grogginess. I quickly got dressed, walked out of the room before locking the door behind me. When I came down to the main floor I was greeted with the delicious smell of eggs and bacon. I sat down at one of the tables. After a while, Jen arrived at my table with a plate of breakfast. ¡°Morning.¡± She happily said to me. ¡°Morning.¡± I replied before saying, ¡°Jen, do you possibly know how to open status?¡± She gave me a strange look which disappeared a few seconds later, ¡°It must be because of your little accident, well, it¡¯s actually quite simple." Just say, ¡°Show status¡± in your mindJen explained before asking, ¡°By the way, what¡¯s your name? ¡°I¡¯m John, John Crow,¡± I answered with a smile. ¡°Weird name." Jen giggled. "Okay. Well, I must be off to serve other customers, see you later¡± replied Jen quickly before she ran off in a hurry. I heard a growling from my stomach. I must be starving. I quickly began to devour the newly made breakfast. After a finishing my meal I tried to do what she told me. I quietly said in my mind, "Show status!". A blue window popped up in front of me with a ding. I nearly fell off the chair in surprise, luckily, I was just barely able to avoid it.
John Crow Class: Crafting Age: 24 Attributes Skills: Inscription
I was a bit shocked as I stared at the blue screen in front of me. To be honest, I didn¡¯t think it would be so game-like. After a few seconds of basically staring at the blue screen, I started to read what it actually said. After reading everything I thought " 10 in each stats...I wonder if the stats are the same as RPG games¡­" Stats
Strength: The Physical power of your body. Agility: Speed and flexibility of your body. Endurance Physical defense and energy storage of your body. Intelligence: Process information much faster (Faster Spells) Wisdom: Understanding information better (Stronger spells)
"That¡¯s pretty neat." I thought to myself before dismissing the blue window that popped up, "If I''m right, by thinking of something on my status I can make it appeared in front of me"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Let¡¯s try the same thing with my class,¡± I mumbled to myself. As I thought about my class another blue window appeared right below the status window, proving that my idea was correct.
Crafting Gives you the ability to learn all crafting skills available. Current crafting skills: 0
¡°Jesus, isn''t this...like awesome?¡±, I thought before making my skill window appear.
Inscription - Lvl 0 Gives the ability to create glyphs using mana and elemental cores.
I quickly began to ponder about the choices I had to make. Option one would be to focus on crafting and not fighting. Perks= No danger involved and stable way to make money Cons= I won¡¯t be able to get strong. Option 2: I can craft good equipment, fight a bit and then start my awesome crafting empire. Perks = I will be able to protect myself and make a lot of money. Cons = Slightly dangerous Well, the choice wasn¡¯t hard for me. I made a promise right after coming to this world. I want to become strong. Strong enough to protect my loved ones. Strong enough to make my own choices. Besides, If I can''t handle a bit of danger, How can I expect myself to survive here? I cleaned the last bit of food from the bowl with a swift move of my spoon. When I saw Jen at the counter on my way out, I decided to ask a couple of questions. ¡°Jen, can I ask you a few things?¡± I said, trying to sound polite. ¡°Sure, feel free!¡± She answered as she scribbled something on a note, probably someone''s order I guess, "What do you want to ask? ¡°Do you know a place where I can buy crafting materials and books?¡± I replied. ¡°Yeah, well, you can buy crafting books in the bookstore around the corner. Just go left outside the inn until you see a large and wide tower. Then turn left again and you''re about there¡± She explained before continuing, ¡°And about the materials. well, all the crafting stuff you can easily find in the general store. Just go straight out of the inn and you¡¯ll see it. But the rarer materials can only be bought in auction shop or earned yourself by killing monsters." ¡°Thank you, then I¡¯ll be on my way. See you later¡± I said with a smile plastered on my face. ¡°Okay, have a good day, John,¡± she said before I left the Inn. I followed Jen''s directions and quickly found myself in front of a very large building. It was extremely similar to a mall in my old world. Just some sizes smaller. I entered the shop and saw tens of shelves with books lined up. At the end of the room, by the counter, sat an old man. The man looked like the typical librarian. Scrawny appearance, short white hair and a long white beard that reached all the way down to his chest. He stroked his beard while reading an old looking book. When I arrived in front of the counter I greeted him in a respectable tone, ¡°Hello¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± His whole body shook and the book, unfortunately, dropped to the floor with a loud bang. He turned his head upward with shock covering his face and he said, ¡°Damn boy, you almost scared me to death¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry...but do you possibly have any crafting books for sale?¡± I asked the old man politely. ¡°Okay...¡± He said while eyeing me. ¡°Let me just calm down first.¡± After a moment of his "inner meditation," the old man asked, sounding very irritated, ¡°What type of crafting books do you want?¡± ¡°Hm...¡± I thought, "What books do you recommend to a complete newbie interested in crafting?" ¡°To a complete newbie...¡± The man rose up from his chair. He walked through the many bookshelves, carefully searching. After a few minutes, the man came back with three books in his hands and said, ¡° I have Ross - Tailoring guide for beginners, Monster crafting guide, and Blacksmithing - how to bend iron to your will!" ¡°Hm, what to choose,¡± I thought to myself. I can rule out the tailoring since such clothes won''t really help me fight monsters. Blacksmithing is a good choice, but it will be too much of a hassle to find a place to work since you need lots of tools and a fireplace. The choice seems to be Monster Crafting. And to be honest, it sounds rather cool - craft equipment from slain monsters. "The Monster Crafting book, please, " I said, trying to sound respectful (flattering is always good) ¡°1 gold coin then,¡± the man said, looking eager to resume his reading.¡± 1 gold coin? Damn that expensive, "Why so expensive?" I asked the man. "Books are rare, my friend..." The old man said with a crooked smile. I¡¯ll go back to the inn, read the book and if I have some time over I¡¯ll go buy the necessary materials. About 10 minutes later I opened the door to my room and sat down on the bed. The book had a cover of a different kind of tool with a big text saying, Monster crafting guide I opened the book and began to read the big introduction words. In this book, you will learn the importance of crafting, as well as how to gather materials from common monsters and how to craft equipment and weapons. After reading the first sentence I decided to skip the introduction part and directly began to read the first part, "How to gather materials from monsters" Wolves are big animals with thick fur. There are different species with different effects: The gray wolf living in cold environments are good a holding in warmth...
After a few hours, I was done with the book. I had read carefully, but I probably had to go back and read it again. I was shocked at how good the author was. He explained almost everything and made it simple to understand. I quickly went down the stairs. I greeted Jen on the way and walked in the direction of the general shop. After entering the shop I arrived in front of the counter and asked the shopkeeper, ¡° Do you guys have any pelt?¡± "Yes.." After buying pelt, I made my way to the closest general store and bought wooden sticks, rope and iron arrowheads. Wasting an additional part of my precious money, I rushed back to the Inn in a hurry. Opening the door, I left the bags with materials under my bed as I eagerly went down for dinner. Chapter 4 - First Craft

Chapter 4 - First Craft

I sat down on one of the unoccupied tables. I was thinking of asking Jen what ways there are to level up. My theory is that killing monsters will grant experience, similar to the games in my world. The question is if there exist dungeons that you can clear for extra rewards. It¡¯s highly possible, but you never know. I also believe that crafting may grant me various of bonuses. I hope. A few minutes later Jen arrived with a big bowl of food that smelled delicious. ¡°Hello John¡± she greeted me with her usual smile. ¡°Hello, Jen..." I replied with a crooked smile, "Do you possibly know what dungeons are?¡± I asked with the assumption that it was common knowledge around here. ¡°Yes,¡± She replied. ¡°From what I know, dungeons are a way for adventurers to level up and earn cash. Hundreds of years ago, they suddenly arose from the ground. Maybe it''s the work of a crazy scientist, magicians or just the work of God, nobody really knows.¡± ¡°Where can I become an adventure?¡± I asked. ¡°You can become an adventure by signing up for the adventurer guild. It''s located near the castle, so it¡¯s pretty easy to find,¡± she replied in a friendly voice. ¡°Okay, thanks a lot,¡± I said with a big smile. We talked about a few trivial things until she had to go serve some other customers. I, on the other hand, quickly ate my dinner before rushing up to my room. Inside my room, I brought up the bags of material from under the bed. I put down the sticks, the arrowheads and the rope in separate piles on the floor. I brought up one of the sticks, and a knife (which I bought from the general store as well). I looked at the brown stick. It was about one and a half inch wide, and 1,5 meter long. I began with chipping off all the twigs from the stick. I then used the knife to split the top of the stick about 1 inch deep. I then inserted the arrowhead in between. I secured it by tying the rope tightly around.
Iron Spear Different from the modern iron spears, this one is made using an old and inferior method with origins the stone age. Can be used for stabbing annoying people. - 3 damage Very poor
Crafting Skill increase - level 1: 2/100xp
"Oh?" I exclaimed to myself. Let''s continue.
Every time I completed a spear, the next spear became easier. My hands felt faster. As I completed my fifth and last spear, a window popped up in front of me.
New stat earned - Dexterity
Crude Iron Spear +1 Different from the ordinary iron spears, this one is made from an older and inferior method from the stone age. Can be used for hunting and stabbing annoying people. - 5 damage
Crafting Skill increase - Level 1: 26 /100xp
I first read the effects of dexterity, "Increases crafting and hand speed..." That''s neet I only felt joy. The feeling of improving is really great. At first, I was only able to make a spear with 3 damage, and the last spear I made almost doubled. But...This was probably crap in front of real forging techniques. I put away the iron spears and took up the hide. It came from a creature known as Banalo Marmot. It was an easy, good and rather cheap material for beginner''s to use. My idea was to make a poncho - Like the natives in Mexico used. I want to make some sort of clothes, and a Poncho is probably the easiest thing available. I began with spreading out the hide on the floor. I then opened a jar of Pam dust, A white powder used for drawing. The good thing was that it disappears with water. I dipped my finger into the jar and carefully drew lines with the powder where I wanted to cut the hide. Soon after, I used my knife to closely cut and follow the guidelines I had set up. It was rather tenacious, and it took a long time to cut through the thick hide and take off all the unnecessary leather pieces. I folded the one square meter hide diagonally, one corner to another before drawing a half circle at the middle top of the one long side. This will be where my head would stick up. I repeated the process of cutting and finally, I heard a sound of a blue window appearing.
Banalo Poncho A poncho made from the skin of the creature known as Banalo Marmot. It''s warm, water resistant and cozy. +Warm under cold winters +Resistant against rain Poor
After my first crafting experience, I had some mixed feelings. Although I was quite satisfied with my results as it were the first time, I didn''t get any experience nor levels. This meant that I really had to get out and kill monsters to level up. Of course, I could also just get rich, but something inside of me craved for power. Maybe it''s because of my past¡­The poncho probably made me look like a foreigner, but that was better than someone from another world + It keeps me warm.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. I shuddered as the memories flashed through my head. Let''s go to the general store. I put on my newly made poncho, left my room and walked out of the room. I felt a chilly breeze embrace me. I was stunned at how fast the climate changed. When I first came here a couple of days ago, It was rather warm and now...it was on the verge of winter. Luckily, my poncho came to good use and bugged my resistance from the chilly winds. Walking down the streets, I enjoyed the scenery. The capital was indeed really beautiful. I also didn''t get any weird stares today. One point to Banalo poncho. Although, it could also attribute to my looks. Long black hair that stretched down to my shoulders. My brown large eyes coupled with my good-looking face made me exotic compared to the people here - quite a lady killer. Well, in my opinion, that is. After a while of walking, I entered the general shop. I greeted the shop owner with a smile, "Hello" The man recognized me and replied, "Hello young man, What do you want today?" "I just have a small question if you don''t mind, "I said before continuing, "Is there any blacksmith here in the capital? You see, I''m looking for an apprentice spot." The man furrowed his eyebrows. It took a few seconds of silence before he finally answered, "Well, something happened and most of the blacksmiths moved out of the capital. Most of the ones left don''t take any more apprentices at the moment. But, there is one Master Blacksmith available..." The man looked at me and said slowly, "I don''t recommend it since he''s a bit...special, but go to the east district and ask for The blacksmith." I shrugged, "Maybe he''s a bit special, and maybe he''s not." I thought to myself. I required help from a professional, I had to learn the correct techniques, otherwise I was stuck with crude spear crafting techniques and poncho crafting. "Thanks," I said before disappearing into the streets. **** I saw all kinds of people on the streets. From old men to young women trying to attract lustful men with their bodies. I''m stronger than that...I mentally empowered myself. I traveled through the crowd of people. I bumped into people many times and on one occasion there was a typical young arrogant master who cursed at me, calling me rude and un-behaved. Of course, I didn''t bother. After almost an hour of walking, I arrived at the east part''s main district. I asked for directions from a woman. The blond woman dressed in fine clothes snorted at me. I smiled and said, "Please?" Maybe it was my charm, but she replied right after. "Go straight that way until you see a large building" She pointed her finger to me, "Then go right and you''re there." I thanked the woman and followed her directions. I took a while, but finally, I arrived in front of a small building. It was built with gray bricks and looked rather creepy, to be honest. I knocked on the door and said, "Hello, anyone there?" The door opened and I saw a small old man, not more than four and a half feet tall (140m) peak out. The man that looked like a dwarf. He was bald and had a long white beard that stretched down to almost half his height. Everything together made him look bizarre and funny. "Aye, What can I do for ya?" The dwarf replied in a weird accent. I could see his middle finger tapping against tumb in a rhythm. His eyes were filled with a strange kind of light. "I want to become a bla--" I began to explain before the door was closed with a loud bam. "Huh?" I accidently exclaimed out loud, "Couldn''t he even let me finish?" I knocked again, "Hello?" I could hear a muttering voice as the door once again was opened by the dwarf, "What do you want? If you say you''re here to sell those damned miracle medicines for hair development I''ll strangle you with my bare hand." "Ahem" I cleared my throat and replied in a polite and serious voice, "I want to become a blacksmith" "Eh?" The dwarf replied, but later shook his head, "I don''t want any disciples" Just as he was about to close the door, I used the super effective technique from Earth called, "I''ll stick my foot between the door and be a douchebag." As the little man realized what I did, He clenched his jaw in anger and said, "For fucks sake..." "I only want one chance," I said as I looked at him straight in the eye. The dwarf seemed to become even angrier, but after a few seconds he calmed down and he muttered, "Whatever..." "Have you ever created a sword before?" asked the dwarf. "No?" I replied surprised. That''s...why I''m here... "Do you have a crafting class?" The man continued with his questions. "Yeah, It''s called The Crafter," I said to the man. Something lit up in the dwarfs eye''s like a wildfire, but quickly disappeared a tenth of a second later as he thought, "The Crafter? Impossible...Is it the same...as that man? No, it''s probably only the name that''s similar." "I''ll give you one chance, create a sword in my workshop right now and I''ll let you become my disciples." The dwarf snorted. "Ehh?" "But, I don''t even know how to do it..." I unconsciously said out loud. The dwarf''s grin became bigger and bigger as he said, "Well, you don''t have to do it if you don''t want to..."
Minutes later, I stood in a huge room. A monstrous black forge with a blazing hot fire stood in the middle. Huge amounts of metal scraps laid around the room in a mess. Tens of sharp-looking weapons adorned the wall. I gulped in terror, "How....can anyone work in this freaking mess?" "How do you like my forge? Cool right? This is my baby. No, much more than that. She''s my wife, my adorable little wife..." The dwarf said with passion in his eyes. As he turned around and saw me looking at him in a weird way, he cleared his throat and said a little embarrassed, "Let''s get started..." "I''ll give you 7 tries." The little man began to explain, "If you can''t successfully smith a rare weapon , you can''t become my disciple..." A mysterious and creepy smile began to grow on his face, "Hm...If you can''t become my disciple, you will have to pay all those materials + the additionals fees for disturbing me...let''s say around 7 gold coins. Do you still want to try? I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked in my coin purse, "7...8..9 gold coins in total" I shuddered and thought, "I guess it''s all or nothing..." As John the Hero took his first step towards a big journey, the cogs of destiny began to move...
- Somewhere in the North; In an underground ice cave - "Finally...I''m free..." A voice rang out in the cave. The icicles shook and fell down to the ground and broke into countless of fragments. The ice cracked and fell apart. The voice akin to a roar echoed out tens of kilometers in the wasteland. The monster that wandered the land became stricken with fear and passed out. Some fell to the ground. Lucky predators that withstood the enormous force pounced upon the unconscious creatures. Feasting on their flesh.
- On the other side of the continent; In the town of elves - The Tree Village. "He''s awakened..." An old lady with pointy ears slowly said. In her hands, she held a small transparent crystal ball covered in cracks. "Hm..." A man with long golden locks replied. His skin was flawless. In his slither-like purple eyes, a shimmering light flashed, "A storm of chaos and destruction is on the way...I can only hope for a miracle, and that a True Hero can once again appear¡­
Chapter 5 - Rhythm Forging Chapter 5 - Rhythm Forging
Iron Sword (blade) An incomplete sword made from quality materials. 5-10 damage Common
I pushed the sword to the side and glanced at the blacksmith. I could see a mocking smile on his face. His middle finger tapping against his thumb. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes and began to ponder. How would I be able to create a rare sword? My gut told me that there was something wrong. How can I keep up my momentum while hammering? It felt like the extra force that I had dissipated after a few strikes. Wait... My eyes glanced at the old man. His tapping. Rhythm. I closed my eyes and copied him. Tappin my middle finger against my thumb, trying to find the rhythm that felt good for me. Then something clicked. I began to hammer again. Bam. Bam. Bam. A refreshing feeling bubbled up inside of me. Every swing made sparks flash. Seconds turned into minutes. Minutes turned into hours. What woke me up from the blissful trance was a blue notification.
Iron Sword (Blade) An incomplete sword made of quality materials. Blood and sweat have been sacrificed in order to create this sword piece. 15-25 Special effect: Evolution, Sharpness I Rare
Rythm Forging Every good blacksmith forges in his own way. In his own tempo. His own rhythm. Effects: Enables optimal forging for oneself
A sword blade laid before. It was straight and sharp. I lifted it up in the air, and I could see my reflection look back at me from the shiny surface of the sword. "Now, let me see that sword blade," The blacksmith said while thinking, "It''s probably only a rare with increased damage."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. I passed the sword to the blacksmith. He examined the sword. He frowned. His frown turned to amazement. He gave me back the sword and said, "That''s...a good sword blade ..." The blacksmith stood before me wide-eyed. The shock was seen in his eyes. The mocking smile had long disappeared. "Did I pass?" I said sounding a bit cocky. "Hmpf" The old man snorted, " I applaud you finding the trick to forging." I felt like being a bit cocky since he mocked me before and said, "You should have given me a tougher task aye?" The blacksmith laughed and said," Cocky brat, I could have made 10 of those weapons in my sleep. You were an amateur, that is what surprised me, and that evolution effect is rather rare.." Good. Good. Good.." He mumbled before saying, "I shall teach you the way of forging young man." He extended his hand and asked me what my name was. His hand was burly. I could feel strength far higher than anything I had encountered before in my entire life, "John. John Crow. He smiled and replied, "Armon Drah"...
So, your class is named The Crafter?" Armon asked me before taking a sip of his tea. We sat in his garden. The grass was overgrown, and there was a tree looming over us, casting a shadow that blocked the sunshine. Just at the right side of where we sat, there was a pond. Golden fishes swam in the clear water. "Yeah, it says that I can learn all craftings skills" I replied, taking a sip of tea as well. I almost choked on it, "How can tea be so freaking bitter?" I examined the tea, and a status popped up
Bitter Tea Made from exotic silver tea-leaves and 100-year-old ginseng. This tea similar to elixirs improves physical condition and sharpens the mind.
"That''s some sick tea," I thought and took on more sip. "Enjoying the tea?" Armor said with a confident smile, "It''s a secondary hobby of mine." By the way John, how much do you know about forging?" I shrugged, "Not a lot, just came to the capital from a faraway place and hadn''t touched a hammer nor seen a forge before." "Alright.." Armon replied, "The technique you just learned is something all proper blacksmiths use. I believe you found your rhythm by a fluke, correct?" "Yeah, I felt like something was missing, after a few swings my force dissipated, then I glanced at you and saw your tapping with your middle finger..." I answered. The old man took one more sip from his cup as a summer breeze passed by, rustling the leaves of the willow tree, "Apprentices often have to meditate for months to match their heartbeat and apply it to their forging...I believe you have a talent" Or its that class. Armon continued and said, "I shall teach you the way of blacksmithing, and I''ll recommend you to some of my old friends in the crafting circle, but I there''s a catch.." He glanced at me and smirked, "You''re gonna have to do all the chores around here, "Cut the grass, feed the fishes, purchase all the materials for me and so on.." I thought about it and said, "Deal..." Armon rose from his char and thought, "That''s a meager price, most would kill for a chance to be my disciple." "When will I start?" I asked him as I downed the last bit of tea and likewise got up from the chair. "Tomorrow. Seven a clock. Don''t be late. The first we''ll do is completing that sword of yours" He said, "You can find your way out by yourself by the way." I exited the forge and made my way back to the Inn. "Hey, Jen" I greeted the Innkeeper as I entered the building. "Hey, John!" She smiled and asked curiously, "Did you sign up as an adventure?" "No, I became an apprentice blacksmith," I replied. "Blacksmith?" She cutely tilted her head, "To who?" "A blacksmith named Armon Drah," I said and laughed, " And his pretty weird to be honest, but he''s nice." "What?" Jen exclaimed surprised, "Armon Drah!?" "Yeah" I scratched my head, "Is he famous or something?" "Well duh, he''s a legend in here in the capital," Jen revealed, "By the way, do want some dinner? I''m free now so I can tell you some rumors about him." Before I was able to reply myself, my stomach rumbled. "I''ll get you some right away" Jen laughed as she went into the kitchen. She came back with some pork and potatoes. We chatted for a bit. She told med that Armon was a blacksmith for the king. He was a Master in his profession, well known in the whole kingdom. The blacksmith had a dispute with the king some years ago - something we have in common I guess. He then opened his own forge, living in solitude. After the dinner, I thanked Jen and went up to my room. "Wonder what awaits me tomorrow," I thought. I was happy. My first reaction about being summoned here was anger, but now I had a different opinion. This world was a new chance for me. A new life...
Chapter 6 - Learning Chapter 6 - Learning
I knocked on the door. Twice. The sun had just risen, and the sounds of chirping birds traveled to my ears despite being in the city. The door opened, and Armon said in a grumpy voice, "You''re 10 minutes late." "Sorry," I said scratching my head, "The streets were bustling with people, could hardly get past the morning rush." "Hmpf" The old man stared me down and after a few seconds he said, "Come on, the faster you do the chores, the more you can learn..." I hurried inside. I began with cutting the lawn. Unfortunately, this world hadn''t invented a lawn mower here, something I would have killed for right know." It took two whole hours doing all the chores required for today. The only slightly funny part about it was feeding the fishes. They were on a different level than the ones at home on Earth. They practically leaped from the water surface, catching the fish-food in the air. After doing the chores, I went inside the forge. I saw Armon forging. It was a sight I would never forget. Under the frail appearance of a geezer, there was an athletic physique resembling a Greek god. Bang. Bang Bang. Bang. Bang His strikes were twice the speed of mine. No, trice. After a few minutes, the sounds ceased. Armon picked up the sword blade and examined it, "Have I becomed so rusty?" He threw it away in a corner and turned around, "Already done?" "Yes, Teacher" I puffed my chest. "Cheeky bastard," He muttered and said, "Well, come here, let me teach you the components of a sword..." I hurried over before examining the sword blade that Armon had made.
Iron Sword (Blade) Legendary An incomplete sword made by a master blacksmith. Imbued with the essence of might. A peerless masterpiece. Special effect: Sharpness X, Bleed III Extra skill: Moon Slice 250-265 damage
I swallowed saliva, "Holy cow..." Armon and I sat down on the floor. The old man''s eyes suddenly became serious as he took up white chalk and made four pictures on the floor. He pointed at the first one. It was the shape of a blade. "The first component of a sword is the blade." Armon said and continued, "This component is the largest one and has two essential parts worth mentioning: The Edge and the back," I engraved them into my memory and continued to listen. "The edge is what makes a sword sharp. There are two common ways: Either single-edged or doubled edged." Armon said before asking me, "Can you guess some advantages of them?" "Hmm..." I took a few seconds before I made a guess, "Doubled edge is faster?" "Bingo," Armon smiled, "The double edge has more penetration power, and is faster than the single-edged due to less weight. It also has the benefit of having two sharp sides, giving the wielder more flexibility." "However..." Armon looked me straight in the eyes, "Everything has its pros and cons. A double-edged sword weights less and therefore the durability is lower. Also, the force you can generate becomes stronger the more weight a sword has, meaning, the single-edged wins in a power contest when compared to the double. edged." Armon let me take a couple of minutes rest so that I can analyze what he said. After thinking about it for a while, I broke the silence and spoke, "Let''s continue."The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. He nodded and said, "The back and the flat are simple. The flats are sides of the blade: They should be completely flat to minimize air resistance. The back only appears on the single-edged sword and is rather interesting." Armon brought his fist up in the air and slammed it down into the ground. The floor nearly cracked under the force as Armon declared "The back is useful for variation, switching from cutting strokes to mighty crushing blows can be a deadly technique if learned correctly. "Now..." Armon began to disclose the rest of the parts.
The hilt. The guard. The pommel and the blade. I had learned the four parts of a sword. "John.." Armon said to me, "For a true blacksmith to recognize the value of these parts and techniques he needs to experience them..." before pointing at side right side of the forge, "Take that sword and follow me to the lawn..." I picked up the swords as instructed and followed him out. He picked up one of the swords and announced, "Watch closely.." He stood quietly as the wind blew. His eyes opened, and he drew the sword forward in an upward motion. The blade danced around him in slow-motion in order for me to learn. The strokes were with filled with might, emitting the essence of a mountain. Sturdy and unwilling to compromise. I mimicked his movements. It took some time before I felt strength flow through my arms as I swung my sword. My whole body was full of sweat and I laid down on the grass, gasping for air, after barely a minute.
A blacksmith''s legacy Blacksmiths forge with might. Their sword techniques are hammers raining down the sky. Grade: Epic
"Hmm..." Armon ran his hand through his beard and said, "Your strength and endurance are far to low if you want to become a great blacksmith or a swordsman..." I nodded my head. I only had 10 in all of the attributes when I came to the world. I had earned three more in strength, and 4 in endurance after the forging yesterday, putting my strength at 13 and 14 in the latter. Far too little... "After you complete your sword, you should go into the forest just outside the city and kill some monsters, "Armon and suggested, "You could sign up as an adventure as well, earning a few points from a slime-slaying quest." We called it a day, and I passed through a shop and bought a few vials of monster blood: 2 from wolves and one from a bear. After entering my room, I was excited to try out my Inscription skill. I put the brush in the blood and began to draw. I imagine a wolf. Fast and agile. Hunting prey with speed and finesse.
Inscription failed
Inscription failed
Inscription failed
After countless of tries, I finally succeeded. I looked down at the symbol that excluded a feeling that reminded me of wolfs.
Silver Wolf Glyph (16%) Empowered by the silver wolf''s blood. This glyph boost agility.
"Interesting.." I thought after reading the description, "I suppose bear gives strength and endurance, using that on an armor would help me significantly with my forging and practice of sword technique. I switched the silver wolf blood for the bear blood and imagined a huge bear; trashing around in the forest. Tilting trees as I hunted, how it ripped animals with massive power. The feeling of strength flowed through my mind into the glyph. It flashed and a notification popped up on my first try.
Brown Bear Glyph (18%) Empowered by the brown bear''s blood. This glyph boosts Strength and endurance.
"Awesome..." I seemed to have more affinity with the bear. I furthermore guessed that fighting monsters make it easier to inscribe their power and condense them into glyphs. I set aside the Inscription skill for now and thought about the future once again. I wanted to learn some other professions. Enchanting would be interesting, as well as alchemy. Leatherworking and tailoring didn''t interest me so much, but a life-saving potion sounded pretty good in my ears. My goal should be to complete my sword and some armor. Then Inscribing them with the bear glyph. Enchanting them as well, but I''ll set that aside for now, since I have no clue how to do it. I felt tired so I cleaned up and laid down on the bed. It had been a long day and my body was still sore from the sword practice. Day 3 so far. I blew out the candle and soon snores filled the room...
Chapter 7 - Eastern Forest
Five days later, I gathered the four parts. The hilt. The blade. The pommel. The Guard. It had taken three days creating the rest of the parts. I assembled the sword in one movement, and my hard work paid off. With a blinding light, the awaited notification popped up
Iron Sword A sword made of quality iron. Blood and sweat have been sacrificed to create this sword. 55-65 Damage Special effect: Evolution, Sharpness II, Stability I Rare
A good sword is never nameless. What shall your creation be named?
A name popped up in my mind. I hesitated, but what the hell. It''s a new world. I laughed and wrote it down.
Excalibur A single-edged sword made of quality iron. Blood and sweat have been sacrificed to create this sword. 55-65 Damage Special effect: Evolution, Sharpness II, Stability I Named bonus: 5% bonus damage 24 strength + Rare
The sword was beautiful. The sharp blade had been sharpened. The guard was made of thick iron. The hilt was wrapped in dark brown leather. It was comfortable and provided a good grip. The pommel was round and smooth. It was also heavy and would surely do it''s work if crushing something very close was required. I equipped the chest plate and helm I had made yesterday.
Iron Helm A helmet made of quality iron. 6 defense 4 endurance (Bear glyph 33%) 3 strength (Bear glyph 33%) Uncommon
Iron Chestplate A helmet made of quality iron. 12 defense 4 endurance (Bear glyph 33%) 3 strength (Bear glyph 33%) Uncommon
I looked pretty badass (not). My endurance was boosted to 22, and my strength sat at 43, which was way higher than any of my other attributes. Almost all my other attributes except for dexterity were, however, still at 10. "Good work.." Armon commented when I finished, "Before we continue on the path of forging I want you to experience the benefits of good equipment...So go to the eastern forest and fight some monsters.." "Yes Teach" I exited the forge and made my way back to the center of the capital. I was itching for some action and trying out my weapon was the perfect solution. The adventure guild entered my view of a range. I opened the door and homed in on the clerk. "Hey" I greeted the middle-aged man and said, "Can I sign up for an adventure?" The man scanned me, from bottom to toe, and frowned. I looked like a complete beginner due to only having an iron helmet and chest plate as armor. "Are you sure?" He tried to persuade me, "Being an adventure is a dangerous occupation." "Yeah" I rolled my eyes. Still, I was a bit thankful, since the man cared for a complete stranger, "I''m sure." "Alright.." The middle-aged man made a sigh and thought, "He''ll probably quit after a few days, most people do that anyways.." I signed the form and picked up the bronze badge I was given.
Adventure Badge + 1 + 2 endurance + 2 strength + 2 agility + 2 Wisdom + 2 Intelligence
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "That''s pretty neat.." Flashed through my mind as I left for the eastern gate, " Enchantment should be my next profession, that combined with the inscription skill would raise my equipment to a whole different level." 20 minutes later I saw the towering walls ahead of me. Two men guarded the gate: A short, burly man equipped in armor from top to toe. The other man was tall and thinner than his companion. He was dressed the same way, except for missing a helmet. "Good morning" I greeted the guards. They looked at me. The burly man only glanced at me before continuing his duty. The lanky man smiled and said, "What brings you here, to the east gate?" "I just became an adventurer, so I''m going to train on a few monsters in the forest" I replied politely. "Hmm.." The thin man paused for a second and said, "Alright, be on your way then.." I walked past the men and stepped outside the capital for the first time. I saw a forest in front of me. Tall trees, dozens of meters high and overgrown grass that reached my hips. The sun rays shined on me as I begun my first adventure into the unknown. "Oii James, why send him into death..?" The burly man grunted at his companion, "This gate is deserted for a reason.." "I just felt like it..." The lanky man called James laughed, his eyes sinister, "Why didn''t you stop him from entering the mutated forest then, Mr. I am a Saint?" The burly man snorted and returned to his post, ignoring his guard comrade''s sarcastic comment.
I walked on the road. I felt tired. The chest plate weighed a bit more than thought. Just as my thoughts began to wander I heard a sound behind me. Instinct honed from my past kicked in, and I leaped forward in a roll. I rose to my feet and inspected the creature that stood in front of me. A blob of green mass, half my height.
Mutated slime - Level 11 Health: 245
"Isn''t that level a bit too high?" I muttered as I readied myself. I gripped my sword with my two hands. I waited for the slime to lounge...Now. I sidestepped, and strength flowed into my arms as I slashed with Excalibur using the sword technique Armon taught me. A red 24 appeared above the slime. Only 24? Guess it''s resistance to physical damage is rather high. I used the back side of the sword like Armon thought me how to do and hit the slime once more. - 56 It seems like blunt damage is better.." I smirked and continued fighting. It didn''t take more than a few minutes before the blob dissolved into a green liquid. I brought out a vial and filled it with the slimy goo that covered the ground. I wanted to test later if I could add the slime trait to armor, boosting physical resistance seemed pretty good. Level up! Level up! Level up! I opened status as dings echoed in my mind.
John Crow Level 4 Class: Crafting Age: 24
Attributes: Strength: 16 (46) Endurance: 15 (24) Agility: 12 (10) Wisdom: 12 (10) Intelligence: 12 (10) Unassigned Points: 15
I scanned my status window and added 6 points to endurance and 7 to agility. I wanted to round up the stats a bit. I felt tired after the fight, so endurance was a must. Goddess fortune had been on my side as a slime had appeared and not a speedy creature. So agility was my second option. I continued down the road. A few more slimes appeared. One at level 9 and another one at 12, pushing me up to level 5. I picked up a few herbs - crafting materials was always useful - at the side of the road as I walked. After a few ones, I didn''t have to examine them anymore, as their appearance became familiar to me. I caught a glimpse of blue fruit on a tree deeper in the forest. My gut feeling told me that it was good. Really good. I used my sword and cut through the obstacles and closed in on my target.
Unknown Fruit A blue fruit with mystical mana powers. Mythical
I picked the fruit and put in in my bag, feeling excited over my find. I didn''t know how good something at mythical was, but the term had been used to describe items of legends at home. Suddenly, heard a deep growl. My hand gripped the sword as I turned around. A brown bear looked at me. It roared in anger as it threw itself paws first at me.
Mutated Brown Bear (young) Level 24 ???
I was taken by surprise and hid behind the thick tree as quick as I could. It shook violently as the bear with twice the size of me rammed into my cover. I didn''t have time to think. I slashed the bear with all the force I could muster. My action only seemed to anger it as a red number popped up.¡§ - 18 "Fucking hell..." I cursed and got up. I ran as quick as I could. I heard the bear behind me, trashing through everything in pursuit of the thief that took its fruit. I turned around, sidestepped, and swung my sword right into its nose. The pain stopped the bear for a moment. 10 meters away I saw a cave crevice. I ran and lunged forward. I felt a paw hit me in the back. Pain flooded my brain as the force propelled me into the hole. I laid inside the crevice in shock. Blood flowed from the back. I could hardly move. I felt my power disappearing, and the sounds from outside seemed to dim. My mind felt blurry. I panicked. What to do...I somehow reached out to my backpack. I picked up the mythical fruit I found and put it in my mouth. A fresh and sweet liquid ran down my throat as I devoured the fruit before passing out...
Chapter 8 - Frenzied Bear
Chapter 8 - Frenzied Bear I woke from the feeling of water on my face. My feet felt cold, and my back hurt. Fuck. I looked around, and everything felt different. As far as I knew, there was no light, but my eyes could perceive my surroundings with ease. The uneven surface on the wall, the ants over at the corner. I opened my status, and I was baffled.
John Crow Mana-touched Level 6 Class: Crafting Age: 24
"What''s mana touched?" I asked myself.
Mana-touched You have been touched by mana. +30% Mana affinity
I sat up in the cave. My whole being hurt, but I could live through it. I looked up at the cave opening: It had become broader, and I saw claw marks on the sides. Hell, that bear was angry. The space around me was barely enough for me to move around in, but enough to lie comfortably. "Mana..." I felt something in the air. I tried to grasp it my hand, and a blue ball of light slowly condensed in my hand. It pulsed and warmth spread through my hand. Full of energy. I changed the shape to an arrow, homed in on a stone and threw it. The rock exploded into pebbles. Holy cow... I had no idea how I just did that. It felt...so natural to me, similar to walking. My sword and my helmet...They were lost, somewhere, in the midst of my escape. The only remaining equipment remaining was the chest plate, which was beyond repair due being shred open by the bear. If I didn''t have armor, that strike would have killed me. I shuddered. I picked my bag and looked through the materials I picked up. Some of them got destroyed when I propelled into the cave. Finally, I found the thing that I was looking for. It was a herb. It was green tinted with bits of yellow and had a spongy texture.
Jarr moss + Minor healing properties
I took a fist-sized stone and began to grind the moss into a gluey consistency. Finished, I grabbed small parts of the created salve and applied them to the wound. Shit. A burning pain appeared. I bit through the pain and continued to the end. Despite recent events, I became delighted with the success of my self-care. Probably more thankful that I had picked random herbs at sides of the road. My thoughts blurred, and my eyelids felt heavy, I knew that staying awake more would prove difficult. My assumption was right as sleep took me with the storm second after. I awoke once again. My pain had subsided by a large margin. I was safe...for now. The forest outside was silent and dangerous. Armon hadn''t bothered to mention it - It could also be that he didn''t know, of course, the man had lived in solitude for a couple of years. I''ll ask him if I make out alive. Going outside without any protection would be dangerous since the bear could still be around. I had to invent something to defend myself since my sword is nowhere to see. There were no materials, however, so that would be problematic. The arrow made out of mana seemed useful, but one of those wouldn''t stop a strong beast, and I wasn''t in the condition to mass-produce them either. My stomach growled. Food. Water. I had to take the risk. I forced myself up and decided to glance outside. My eyes caught the figure of a colossal creature, and likewise, it noticed my presence. Fuck. The Bear. It growled and lunged forward in anger. I backed away from the opening. Little did I know that the bear had guarded the Blue fruit for over two weeks. It hadn''t let its prized possession out of its view for a second, and then, I, a puny human in its eyes took it away. Of course, it was angry. The cave shook as the bear tried to claw its way in. Its black eyes full of fury. I gathered all the mana I could muster and condensed it into an arrow. I hurled it like a spear towards the bear. The creature sensed danger and tried to wipe away the projectile with its arm. - 168 The beast roared as its right paw became a mangled mess of flesh. The pain pushed the creature into a frenzy. Its eyes turning into a deep-colored red. It struggled even more and managed to get half it''s body inside of the cave. I panicked and backed away into the corner. Every second seemed like minutes as the bear got further and further into the cave. Shit. Shit. Shit My eyes darted around until a found a stone. I picked it up and I gambled. I filled it with all the mana I could and threw it like a bomb. The rock engulfed in mana hit the cave roof above the creature, and a massive explosion happened. A shockwave threw me into the wall behind me. My wounds once again reopening. My spine broke. I sustained a head injury and countless of other unknown injuries. The cave-opening closed as the rocks rained down. A stone, twice the size of a basketball killed the bear. Its skull had cracked open like a watermelon.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Level up! Level up! Level up!
The first thing I noticed was that I couldn''t move. I was dying. I managed to survive the onslaught of falling stones due to the shockwave. Ironic right? Staying alive just to inevitably die later. Strange. I was calm. How could I be calm? I had escaped death countless of times in the past, true, but something inside of me told me that it was the end. The real end. No chance of surviving. Maybe...Maybe it''s time for me to give up? The thought blossomed into my mind. Yes..let us just give up. My eyelids shook. John. A familiar voice echoed in my mind like thunder on a clear and blue sky. Survive. *Blink* "John. There''s a whole new world outside there." My brother said to me and grinned, "Someday, you and I''ll escape.." The room was dark. I could barely see my brother''s face. The air stank: A mixture of feces and urine. "That''s impossible" I alleged and looked at him with squinting my eyes, "We can never be outside, we are sick.." "Sick or not, I don''t care.." My brother patted my head and declared, "Nothing is impossible". *Blink* Fuck. Tears began to fall from my eyes. How could I have even have thought about giving up? The sacrifice he made...for me. So--... I stopped my thoughts of my past and cleared my mind. Nothing is impossible. Yes. Nothing is impossible. Even in death, you help me... I can''t dwell on the past. Think. Think. Think. How can I survive? I brought up my status.
John Crow Mana-touched Level 6 Class: Crafting Age: 24 Attributes: Strength: 46 (16) Endurance: 30 (21) Agility: 10 (18) Wisdom: 10 (12) Intelligence: 10 (12) Unassigned Points: 40
What to do... The only thing that would help me was endurance. I put all 40 points into that stat. I felt the energy flow through my body. I felt my bones becoming stronger. My flesh became tougher and my blood thickened. It wasn''t enough.I was still dying, albeit a slower. I couldn''t move. Nerve damage? Paralyzation? How long did I have? Hours? Days? Hunger would soon kill me. I knew that the body could cannibalize on fat, and water from an elimination of fat cells. But how far would that last me? The only thing I could use was...mana? I decided to give it a go. I tried to sense the particles in the air. I had experienced the power of an image. Imagining the creature of the blood is what made inscription possible, and the level rose with greater realism. I had a theory. I could try using mana and heal my spine. "What''s there to lose?" I thought and began moved the mana through the air. I imagined myself as a sponge. Absorbing water to survive, in this case, mana. I noticed the pain. My whole body felt like it was on fire. My temperature rose. I would have screamed if I was able to and then - I dozed off. I awoke and felt better. It worked, so I continued. I didn''t know how long I absorbed mana, but a notification appeared and broke the silence.
Body Strengthening Absorbing mana strengthens the body and increases health regeneration with the aid of an image. Uncommon+
Due to the interference of your class, body strengthening has upgraded to Body Crafting.
Body Crafting Absorb mana and re-craft your body based on an image. Rare+ Current bodies available: 0
"Re-craft?" I didn''t have time to think random thoughts. I cast my questions aside and began using the skill. Based on the description, an image was the key. An idea sprouted in my mind. I channeled the skin and focused on a healthier me. A me who could move with ease. The pain began to disappear, and on some occasions, it flared up like a bright torch. I gasped for air and clenched my teenth to withstand the pain.The time became irrelevant. The image of me was the sole focus. The only thing in the world...
You have successfully re-crafted your body.
A tremendous amount of energy suddenly erupted from my heart and into my body. My arms and legs felt alive again, and my body functions began to work. I could finally move. I glanced around. I wanted out. The entrance was sealed. The rocks were massive, but with newfound energy from recrafting my body and putting a huge amount of points into endurance, I began. Hours later, the first ray of sunlight hit me in the face. It was the second time in my life that I had felt the joy of being blinded by the sun. I was soooo hungry. My body had become a lot thinner than before. My hair was almost down to my waist, and I had grown a scruffy beard. Unbothered with my appearance, I entered the forest in pursuit of food. I scanned the berries that I found, edible I ate and poisonous I discarded. I''m in the other forest. I think. There were hardly any animals at all in this part of the forest except slimes - and they were of low threat I searched the area until I found the road. I squinted my eyes and saw the capital far away. Good. It took me about an hour before I saw the guards standing at the entrance. "Hey..." I wasn''t in the best mood. Really. Even though I was happy for finally finding my back way to the capital, I didn''t want to spend a second more of time outside. It would be a while before I stepped out again, and then I had to have absolute knowledge and excellent equipment. The lanky guard looked at me, "Who are you? Wait..." His voice shook and continued, "You''re that guy from 11 days ago?" I nodded.
Note: plus (+) symbolizes the upper level of a grade and minus (-) a lower grade. Chapter 9 - A storm is coming [Small] Chapter 9 - A storm is coming ¡±Yeah..?¡± I tilted my head and asked, ¡±Why are you so surprised?¡± The guard made a nervous smile and replied, ¡±Oh nothing¡­It¡¯s you have been gone for a long time that¡¯s all¡­¡± I felt a bit weird about it. There was something shady about him. It wasn¡¯t something he said, nor anything he had done; it was just a hunch that something wasn¡¯t quite right. Of course, I was finally back in the city. Fuck that guard; it was probably nothing. I decided first to make my way to a tavern to get a beverage and maybe some food, something a lot yummier than wild berries.
Damo knitted his brows, he signed another document and put it on the piling stack on his desk. He was about to grab the next one, but his actions paused as there was a knock on the door. ¡±Enter..¡± He said and paid no need as he resumed his work. A young soldier entered the room and replied, ¡±S- Sir, James Norx wants an audience regarding some Hero¡­¡± Damo looked up through the stacks of papers. His cold eyes glanced at the soldier, ¡±Send him in.¡± The soldier felt a trickle of sweat from his forehead, ¡±Yes sir!¡±. It didn¡¯t take more than a minute before a familiar figure John would have recognized as the guard at the east gate entered. James looked at the man before him. The man had short dark hair and skin pale as the moon. His eyes were dark and cold. He gulped. The man before him was the right hand of the King, Damo Retchet. He was known to be brutal and very efficient in his affairs. There were even rumors about him being part of massacres, but no one had any solid proof. ¡±Th- The hero that was described to us came back to the east gate this morning, ¡± James said, stuttering with his words. Damo looked up and showed surprise, ¡±Really?¡± He looked down at his papers again in thought, ¡± Hm¡­well, it doesn¡¯t matter in the long run, as long as he stays away from the other heroes..¡± A shaky voice disturbed Damo in his thinking, ¡±D- Do I still recieve m-my reward?¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. An evil grin sat on Damo¡¯s face as he looked up at the guard, ¡±Of course...¡± He opened his drawer and picked up a purse of coins. He rose from his chair and gave it to James. He looked him in the eyes and said, ¡±Keep quiet about this, okay?¡± ¡±Y-yeah..T-thanks¡± James bowed with gratitude, mixed in with a bit of fear as he began to make his way out of the room. Just as he turned around, he felt pain. He was struck with panic and regret as he slumped to the floor. Damo smiled, holding a bloodied dagger in his hand. His face sprayed with blood, and in his cold eyes, there was something dark. Some twisted happiness.
Lucy clenched her hands and gripped her dark-brown staff tightly. She channeled her mana and said a series of words in the ancient language. ¡±HEAL!¡± She cast a heal on Douglas as she saw his health run low. The Hero named Douglas parried the strike from the; sparks were scattering from the exchange of blows. The young man stunned the giant Lizardman as a well-timed combo attack, Jerry, and David, ending the monsters life. Douglas bent down to check the loot: A pair of leather gauntlets and a knife. They didn¡¯t seem to be a higher grade than uncommon. Trash. Shouldn¡¯t bosses drop good stuff? Grease saw the heroes exit the dungeon. They had hardly broken a sweat; they were after all heroes blessed by the system itself. The young paladin named Douglas led the team and said to Grease, somewhat arrogantly, ¡±That was too easy.¡± He was a short-haired man with black hair. His eyes radiated arrogance [TN: cliche I know]. ¡±Of course¡± Grease put a fake smile on, ¡±There are no difficulties for you, almighty heroes!¡±. Try and take off the godly equipment you have and see how hard it is. Just wait, little naive heroes for what is about to come... ¡±Well, let¡¯s go to the next dungeon¡± Grease said to the heroes, ¡±Only when you get strong can you defeat the evil!¡± I patted my stomach. It was¡­yummy. I knocked on the blacksmith¡¯s door. A familiar face entered my view. ¡±What took you so long,¡± Armon said as he let me in. ¡±If you only knew¡± I replied and began to tell what had happened from the beginning to the end. Armon stroked his beard as we sat outside, ¡±Tha-that¡¯s quite the event¡± ¡±Yeah,¡± I said, before sipping on the bitter tea, ¡±It was quite a scary experience..¡± ¡±And you said you ate a fruit that made you..mana touched?¡± Armon asked me a bit skeptical. ¡±Yeah, it was a mythical fruit that gives 30% affinity mana.,¡± I replied while watching his expression become resolute. ¡±I guess I¡¯ll have to let you learn the other professions sooner or later..¡± Armon let out a sigh, ¡±I have a close friend who lives outside the castle..a master in enchanting and alchemy..¡± Armon shook his head slightly and said, ¡±That re-crafting skill I rather interesting as well, however, remember to keep it to yourself..¡± ¡±How come?¡± I was quite puzzled as I couldn¡¯t find a reason to be secretive about it. ¡±Well, body-modifications skills has always been seen as something evil, something that only necromancers and evil magicians dvelve in..¡± Armon answered, continuing after a minor pause, ¡±That skill of yours isn¡¯t the same per say, but it can be misunderstood..¡± ¡±Alright, I promise, I¡¯ll keep it a secret.,¡± I said and nodded to Armon with a smile.
Chapter 10: Alchemy Chapter 10: Alchemy I trudged the path leading to the forest. Not the mutated one of course.I had just left the capital with a backpack of necessities: A map, some dried jerky, water, ent, etc. I didn''t want to only stay as a blacksmith. I had noticed the powers of alchemy: Even though I just used the Jarr moss without any other materials to boost its properties. Armon had noticed me yearn for other professions and sent me to find an old friend of him. I wanted to take full advantage of my class, I could learn all the different crafting professions and to be honest, I was excited about that. Especially the concept of mana involved in crafting. Armon told me that mana was required for a high-level blacksmith. Although he didn''t want me to learn it, he wanted me to learn it from the friend of him. Someone who was supposedly an expert in enchanting and alchemy. I slowed down my speed and scanned my surroundings when I walked. Beside the muddy dirt road and the green grass across the landscape, I sometimes caught sight of herbs of different qualities and effect. There were some white flowers the size of a hand that gave mild paralyzing effect. Maybe useful for poisons? I put it in my bag. I found dozens of other valuable herbs, including the jar moss which grew on the side of a boulder. The most interesting was something called Radkin berries that hang on a small tree a few meters from the road. They restored a minor amount of stamina when consumed. Just thinking of never being tired lifted made me excited. I saw that the sun was on its way down, so I searched for a suitable place to set camp. Armon had said that the trip to the village where the master lived was about one and a half days of travel. I liked the peaceful walking and searching for materials. It was much better than forging and fighting with the monster. I set camp under a willow tree beside a lake. The branches were long and stretched over the water, casting a shadow which would soon disappear as the night came. The tent took a few minutes to set up. The grass was quite alright to sit on, but I put over which made it comfortable and soft. I unloaded my backpack and took out a lantern which I lit up. The soft glow illuminated the tent. I brought up some dried jerky and ate. I wasn''t tired from the walk. My high endurance was showing its splendor. I decided to experiment a bit with the herbs that I had collected. I could have waited until receiving guidance from The master or whatever his name was, but my curiosity thought otherwise. Armon briefed me before leaving that his friend was a hermit. He didn''t want anyone to know his name. He didn''t yearn for riches. His friend hadn''t taken a student, nor taught anyone for that matter for decades. Fortunately, he owed Armon a favor that he chose to have repaid now. I brought up the herbs a picked and spread them out on the quilt. I first sorted them according to their effect. I set my eyes three different kinds of herbs that I found intriguing and a good match, the familiar Jarr moss being one of them. I inspected the other similar materials:
Radkin Berries [Restores minor amount of stamina when consumed] - Crafting Material
Grassroot [Boosts blood-circulation] - Crafting material
The berries were easy to understand what they did. The Earthroot, which were fist-sized and had a brown collar underneath the dirt - wasn''t. Blood circulation was indeed beneficial in a sense. But what if you mix it with something toxic, wouldn''t that hasten the effect? I washed the Earthroot in the lake to get rid of the dirt. A minute later I entered my tent again and brought up a mortar and pestle that Armor had sent with me. He said that I was supposed to give it to the master, but if he was free to use it on his journey.
God''s hands [Legendary] - A masterpiece of a tool, made to better grind herbs together. Special effects: Enables mana-techniques, +240% synergy
"Synergy?" The mortar and pestle were heavy despite its size. I put it down on the ground and thought, "I guess it makes the materials mix with each other easier.." Now. I looked at the berries. Should I peel them first? Or should I use them as they are? Fuck it, let''s go with my stomach feeling. I took my knife and made a small slit in the skin. Using my hands, I began. The inside of the berry was a ball of red fruit-flesh. I put the inside of the fruit in the bowl and set protective skin aside. The Grassroot was squishy. I cut and squeezed it over the mortar in hopes of liquid coming out. Nothing. Maybe there''s a special trick? I pressed harder and harder. Finally, It began drops hit the mix of materials in the bowl After a few minutes, I was happy with the results and started mixing. When I finished with the mixing, I put the liquid in one of the vials that I had purchased in the general store. A notification popped up in front of me.
Stamina liquid - Poor [Recovers stamina] - Mixed with Grassroot for better effect
I was quite happy with the result, even tough the potions were worse than common, I had never done it before. I cleaned the bowl and tried to mix the grassroots with Jarr moss. It was easier this time, and I managed to create one more potion after a while.
Health liquid - Poor Recovers hp. Mixed with Grassroot for better effect
A yawn escaped my mouth. I was tired. "Better get some sleep so I''ll be energized for tomorrows journey," I put out the light and went to sleep...If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
I woke from the chittering sound of the birds. They seemed to be close by, maybe above me in the tree. There was no nightmare this night. It felt weird since it was a long time since that happened. A good start on the day. I packed down the herbs in the bag, before disabling the tent. Before leaving, I went down to the lake and splashed some cold water on my face. The slight bit of morning grossness disappeared. The rest of the journey was faster than yesterday. I didn''t pick any herbs that I had seen before due to the space limit in my bag. Late afternoon, judging by the sun, a similar village that I had in my imagination appeared. A wall made of gray bricks, reinforced with sharp poles on the lower bottom. Ahead of me stood two men guarding the gate. One of them was a young man with a helm on his head. There was a dent in it, and it was slightly large for the young adult. He wore a chain armor and in his hand a spear. The old man dressed in leather armor. A scimitar on his side and wooden shield, fortified with metal, on his back. The old guard had an untrimmed beard. His eyes were blue and wrinkles, showing signs of aging. The aged man straightened his back and said, "What business do you have in our small village?" "I am on a mission from my master to find a close friend of him, a famous hermit living nearby this village" I replied politely. The wind blew past me as the old man hesitated and said, "You mean he who has no name?" "Yes," I answered, "I have traveled here from the capital, seeking his guidance in his professions." "Are you a follower of alchemy?" The man asked as I saw him relax. "I guess you could classify me as one" I responded to him, "But I can probably do some basic potions.." "Alright kid, if you can do me a favor, I''m willing to give you shelter for the night and send my son here as a guide to the man with no name," He said as he patted the young man beside him, "What do you say?" I considered his proposal and replied, "That sounds good, I rather sleep inside than in a tent." "Okay," The old man said and stretched out his hand, "I''m Barry, Barry Johnson." I shook his hand, "John Crow." Barry nudged his son. The young man stretched out his hand, avoiding eye contact and stuttered with a nervous, "Ja-jake Johnsson..." Jakes father chuckled and said, "He''s been nervous in front of new people from an early age, but spend some time with him and familiar with him, and he''ll talk until your ears start ringing." I didn''t quite know how to respond to that. Fortunately, Barry didn''t give me a chance and said, "Come, I''ll show you the way to my humble house.." "Let''s close the gate first Jake.." Barry glanced at the sunset. The young man nodded together they made quick work of the task, locking the door. Barry led me to his house as his son was sent to tell the other guards that it was time for the shifts. On the way to his home, I got suspicious looks from the villagers still outside. "Has anything happened in the recent past? I hesitated but decided to ask anyway, "I seem to be unwelcomed here?" The old sighed and said, "Well, let''s talk about it inside instead.." A minute later we entered a small house. It was made of lumber and had a cozy feeling to it. The door creaked as Barry opened it. We entered the house. Almost all furniture was made of the same timber as the house. In the living room, there was a lantern and a pot of blue-white flowers resting in the middle of a table Barry gestured me to sit down on one of the chairs, as he poured dark liquid out of a container into two mugs, one for me and one for him. I looked closer at the old men. Despite his wrinkles, Barry had eyes with energy, unlike old people back at earth. "I guess I should answer your question.." barry look med straight in the eyes before glancing at his drink, watching the steam rise and disappear, "I didn''t want to take it outside, it''s quite a sensitive subject.." "I understand.." I nodded slowly, "I''m all ears.." Barry took a sip and said slowly, "There was an attack from bandits two months ago...they robbed us of most of our riches, as well as murdering...the mayor and his whole family.." There was a painful expression on his face as he continued, "His daughter was barely seven years old, and the boy turned 14 last spring.." Anger rose up inside of me. I''ve seen my fair share of murder, but killing kids, that''s..pure evil. It took a while before Barry calmed down and said, "Well, enough of that, there''s something a need your help with.." I felt that Barry didn''t want to speak of the subject again, and I didn''t blame him for it either, so I followed him to his barn. It was quite dark inside. The old man walked to the side and lit up a lantern. The light illuminated the barn, and I saw a black horse laying down on a stack of hay. "I have noticed that my old buddy, Bill, here has some problems with its right hooves." Barry explained to me, "Every time I try to inspect it, he gets nervous and almost kicks me.." I pondered about it. I can probably use the herb with pain reduction, but the problem is how to apply it since the horse won''t let me near it''s wound... Maybe. "Barry, do you guys have a syringe?" I asked, but realized that such equipment might be a bit advanced for this village.." Barry scratched his head, "A syringe?" "Something that can inject liquid" I tried to explain. I bent down and brought out my knife. I created an image of a syringe on the ground. It was crude, but someone who had seen it before would see the resemblance, There was some silence as Barry looked at the picture. A few seconds later barry made an "ah" sound. He went inside, and after a few minutes, he came back with an old syringe in his hand He gave it to me and said, "It was left behind by the doctor that once lived in the village. I was one of his friends so he gave me some stuff that he couldn''t carry with him." I checked the syringe. I was a bit old, but I guess it works. Problem one finished. The light flickered from within the lantern as Barry said, "I''ll be inside the house in the meanwhile, tell me if you need anything.." I nodded and put my backpack as I picked up the required herbs and put them on the table. I was not sure if it would work since the horse was big. The mild effect probably wasn''t strong enough for an animal of that size. Nevermind, Let''s see how it turns out. I brought up the herb that stated that it was pain reduction.
Bellroot [Minor pain reduction] - crafting material
It was similar to grassroots in many aspects, but the bellroot had a greenish color to it and was a bit smaller. I did the same thing as I did with the earthroot: cut and squeeze. I mixed the bellroot juice with the earthroot. I managed the results surprised me.
Pain-relief liquid - Common [Bellroot mixed with Earthroot for faster effect] Special effect: +20% effect Due to mixing highly compatible materials
The door swung opened as Barry asked, "Are you done?"I managed to get three vials of the potion before all materials were used up. I called on barry after cleaning up the mess I had made. "Yeah...I''m not sure if it will work.." I responded as I filled the syringe with the liquid, "Can you keep her calm and as still as possible?" "Yeah.." the aged man put his hand on Bill the horse''s neck. I gently put my hand on its leg and inserted the sharp point of the syringe and presses. The horse became nervous due to the pain, but Barry calmed him down and whispered comforting words. I smiled, the blind trust an animal could have towards a human was rarely seen. I filled the syringe and repeated the step twice more, confident that the effect had kicked in. Barry carefully inspected the wound underneath its hooves. A few minutes later, he heaved in relief and brought out a bandage and wrapped the hoove. A tear fell from Barry''s eye as he said, "I sometimes forget how much love I have for him. Some might say that he''s just an animal, but he has helped the village for many years with plowing the fields.."
You have earned the title Veterinarian. + Increased affinity with animals.
1 Hero Points earned
Chapter 11: Future allies Chapter 11: Future allies A few clouds slowly moved across the blue sky. I put my hands up in front of my eyes, peering through the gaps between my fingers. I glanced at Jake, Armon''s boy. He wore a white tunic and a pair of pants. He still had his helmet on, which surprised me since it was hot. Guess it''s something important to him? I didn''t know and judged from how our "small talks" went, I presumed I wouldn''t get the chance either. "How much of the journey is left?" I asked Jake. He looked up, barely meeting my eyes before shifting his gaze forward, "A-almost t-there.." After around half an hour we entered a deep valley. There was pathway down that almost spiraled against the walls. Jake was able to stutter a goodbye before he disappeared from my sight. I took a deep breath and walked down. A flock of white ravens flew across the sky just above me. The air in this world was a lot fresher than on earth. It took me more than 5 minutes to reach ground level. "Whoosh" I heard a sound behind me before I even had the chance to react a force slammed me down to the ground. My arms were held tight, and I felt a knee on my lower back. I couldn''t move. I felt the persons long hair in the back of my head. My nostrils picked up perfume that smelled like flowers. A woman. "Who are you?" She said with a raspy yet feminine voice. I could hardly speak, my head was pressed into the dirt. I managed to speak with difficulty, "I''m here...To learn alchemy and enchanting .." "Ohhhh" It took a few seconds for her to perceive what I said. She exclaimed and rose up. I could finally breathe normally again. "S-sorry.." The young woman and bowed slightly after I had gotten up from the ground. The woman that attacked me stood a head lower than me. Her figure was feminine, yet well-developed muscles underneath her clothes. Purple hair that stretched down to her shoulder, glistering in the sunrays. She had a mask on her face. Utterly white with two eyesockets for her eyes, that had the same kind of purple shade as her hair. "No worries" I replied before asking, "I guess this is the place I''m looking for?" "Yeah..just go that way.." She nodded and pointed towards my left side. I followed her finger with my eyes and saw a house under a cliff. Before I was able to say my thanks, I heard a whoosh sound again, and she had disappeared into the woods. I made sigh and started walking. After walking past several trees I arrived at the house. The cliff loomed over the house, casting a triangular shadow over it, which stopped the sun and instead made the air cool and nice. I stepped up to the door, but before I had the chance to knock a deep voice came from inside the house, "Hero of Crafting, no need to knock.." "How did he know I was here and who I was?" I was full of questions, but I swallowed my shock and curiosity before opened the door. The inside was a small room. On the sides were shelf upon shelf, filled with books in all kinds of colors. Most were brown, where the bits of leather had curled from the passage of time. There were some of the different colors; red, blue, green... In the center of the room sat an enormous man. A giant compared to me, at least twice the height and thickness. His muscles almost bulged and squirmed as he signaled me with his hand, "Come..Sit." I scrambled forward and sat down before him. I had to look up with my head in order to meet his eyes. His eyes were purple. His hair long, but it was put up into a man bun, with some of the occasional strands of hair that were white, compared to the rest that was black. His beard was bushy, not as big as Armon tough, but still. With his deep voice, he said, "I guess you have many questions that your master hasn''t explained for you..." I nodded. Master had thought me a lot, but there was stuff that he hadn''t talked about, like what my class meant and why the heroes were summoned. "You were summoned to this world not too long ago right?" His purple eyes glanced at me. My whole body shock out of instinct. That gaze...it felt like he looked through me. "H-How did you know? Did Armon tell you?" I managed to ask after seconds of silence. "No.." He said after he had replied to my question, "I''m not going to brag, but there a few things that I do not know in this world.." Somehow, I believed his words before I had even thought them through. I shook my head, straightened my back and made eye contact with the giant and bowed politely, "I would like to learn the way of enchanting and alchemy from you.." He nodded twice and mumbled to himself, "Of course. Of course...I can see the same light as you predecessor in your eyes...Curiosity and excitement..." He chuckled and said,"I believe you are tired from your journey. Ireene, my daughter, will show you around my home..you can call me Mentor by the way.." Mentor put his middle finger and thumb together. The mana in the vicinity rushed towards his fingers. I could however hardly notice it, it was only because of my increased affinity with mana that I could feel the movement. It didn''t take more than a second before he snapped his fingers. "Don''t be afraid and enter..take a leap of faith. In a few days, we''ll talk more.." He said and chuckled. The shelf closest to me rippled before becoming transplant. I understood what he meant and stepped forward. I didn''t know what to expect, but I never thought that my feet would make contact with the squishy grass outside. I glanced behind me, but the house was nowhere to be seen, there was only trees and bushes. Birds chittered and the sound of a waterfall echoed in the area.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Clang.." "Clang.." Clang.." Underneath the all the sounds I heard the sound of metal hitting rocks. I became curious and decided to follow the sounds. It grew louder and louder until I saw what it was. I hid behind a tree and peered at the one who made the noises. Next, to a waterfall, a familiar woman danced while unleashing punches onto an enormous rock. Her fists and arms were coated in a metallic black substance that reflected the light from the sun. I was mesmerized by the view. Different from Armon fighting style, this was not just mighty, but beautiful. Punch after punch. Minutes after minutes. After a long time, the rock exploded into pieces with a deafening sound. The woman sat down on the ground and panted heavily. What should I do now? I didn''t know. I shrugged, walked forward and cleared my throat to get her attention. She turned around, and her pupils contracted, "Who are you? And how long have you been here..?" Her voice was cold. I saw that she was angry. "Ehm...we have already met? I responded. There was a pause as the wind blew past us. She didn''t bother to answer my question, different from the past behavior she was really cold to me. "Your father made me appear here, so I followed the sounds I found you here.." I scratched my head, "I should have told you the moment I was here, but I was mesmerized by your dance..." She looked me in the eyes and muttered something to herself before nodding. I couldn''t really hear what she said, but I decided it wasn''t something that was meant for me to understand anyway. The light in the sky dimmed. The sun was on its way down. I broke the awkward silence and said, "I was told that you would show me around The woman nodded again. She turned around and started walking into the woods. Not sure of what just happened, I scratched my chin and helplessly followed her. She led me to a small cottage made of wood in the middle of the forest. "You will live here.." The woman that I presumed was Ireene said before continuing, "Stay here until father tells you otherwise.." "How will he t--" I couldn''t finish my sentence as she had already disappeared. What the fuck... Were they the same person? Evil twin? Personality disorder? Heck, this feels like it''s going to be troublesome. "Nothing I can do about it.." I muttered and glanced at my surroundings. The cottage was no more than 5 square meters. Around it was tall trees. Behind the cottage ran a small river that continued into the forest as far as my eyes could perceive. I saw occasional fishes glimmer in the water, which made my stomach remember that I hadn''t eaten anything since noon. I entered the cottage. There was a bed in the corner and a table opposite side. I put down the backpack and searched for some jerky. To my surprise, I couldn''t find any. Did I eat it all? Guess I need to find some food? Damn Ireene or whatever she is named, Mentor said she would take care of me, but she just left me on my own. I pushed the bag underneath the table a bit irritated and I made my way out from the house. I was thinking of going fishing. Of course, I had to have a tool for that. I looked around until I found a sturdy branch that had the right size for my idea. I chipped off bits of wood and made the tip sharp. I got the woodcarving profession, which I didn''t know existed. After a few tried I got better and better, and I was able to make sharper and sharper. I swung it around a few times and tested the weight. Armon had told me that a weapon was most suitable if the weight was perfect for the user. I chipped off more wood until I was happy with the result. Nothing happened as I pricked my finger with the spear. I used some strength to test my endurance and an "Ahh" escaped my mouth as I managed to draw blood. Even if it was made of wood, the sharpness was dangerous when not wearing equipment. The River was quiet There was no light, except for the slight glow of the sunset, which hardly helped me see the fishes. What should I do? I could wait until tomorrow, but then I would need to go to bed hungry. Ughh... I bolled ideas until there was one that I was interested in. Re-crafting. I wanted to test it out but on a smaller scale. I had a good image of bears and wolfs. The animal that I was most proficient with was the bear so that was my goal. I didn''t need to re-craft my whole body. I only required the eyes of an animal. I activated the skill and imagined the eyes of a bear. Brown. Tinted with yellow. Feral and dangerous. The pain became apparent as withheld the need to stop, but I clenched my teeth. After more than dozens of minutes something went wrong and I felt an unimaginable pain in my eyes. Complete darkness. I couldn''t see anything. It reminded me of bad memories, memories of when I was temporarily blind from the past that I wanted to forget. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I almost had a panic attack. I drew a deep breath. Calm down. I sat down and meditated... My eyes hurt as hell. Would I be permanently blind? No. I changed my image to my own eyes. The feeling of seeing. The feeling of no pain. I felt pain more than what I felt before, but a sat through it.
Congratulations, you have re-crafted your eyes from a self-sustained damage
[Semi Re-crafting unlocked] You can now easier re-craft specific body parts 15% bonus
"Should I continue?" I asked myself. I was afraid of the consequences, but I was curious. I didn''t know what it was that drove me to such length. The past me wouldn''t have done it, but the new me thought otherwise."Whooo..." I relaxed my tensed muscles and opened my eyes. It was dark and the sunset was no longer to be seen, but the stars illuminated just enough to see my surrounding a meter around me. Instead of my eyes, I imagined a paw instead. Brown Fur. Sharp Claws. My bones reorganized and fur grew from my hand. "You have successfully semi-crafted your body" I lifted my hand up. It was heavy. Much more than my hand. I was excited if I changed my body into different animals, I could cover the stat gap between my crafting classes and combat classes. Of course, I didn''t want to look like a freak so would have to be careful. I continued my experiment. I changed my other hand. I changed my feet and my legs. I didn''t try it with my torso. I didn''t want to accidentally damage my heart I die in the woods all alone. The surrounding became clear as I re-crafted my eyes. I saw the bushes on the other side almost perfectly. I had my spear in my hand as I watched the fishes swim. Do fishes sleep? I didn''t know, at least not these ones. I was patient as I studied their pattern. Their speed. "Swish." Damn. I missed the fish and all the other ones disappeared. I walked further from the house, following the river. I gave it a try once more. This one was a success as half a meter fish was stuck on the spear. I continued and caught 3 more fishes. I made my way back to the cottage with 4 fishes on the spear. I gathered dry branches and moss. I put stones around the pile and lit it. Orange flames flickered and danced with the shadows. I put the fish over the fire and it didn''t take long before it was well-done. It tasted bland so I took some spices from my bag; basically salt, pepper and some edible leaves that I had found on the road. I rubbed the leaves, salt, and pepper together and smeared it over the fish.
[Cooking profession unlocked]
The fish that was marinated was a lot tastier. The skin was crispy. I had to spit out the bones, but I cleaned the fish and threw away the skeleton. As I finished the third one there was a sound from the bush. A cat-like being appeared. It had gray, almost silver fur. Green eyes and a pair of ears similar to cats at home. I took my spear with my hand and got ready to defend myself. Shit. I should always wear equipment I said as I studied to cat.
Unknown [Cub]???
The questions marks scared the hell out of me and it was just a cub?! I was just about to retreat when I saw that the cat''s eyes weren''t on me, they were on the fish. I saw the hunger in them, and I remembered that I felt the same feeling just hours ago. I relaxed slightly and threw one of the raw fishes to the cat. It looked suspicious at me and then to the fish. It sniffed on it, took it with its jaws and disappeared into the forest. Guess we all need some help sometimes?