Chapter 6: The Power Of Crafting

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Without hesitating for a second and without even knowing the Gate's Rank, Jack jumped inside and quickly found himself within the depths of a labyrinthian set of caves. His eyes glowed red as they resembled those of a ferocious wolf, in seconds, all his senses, not only his sight, were enhanced as he utilized his Innate Skill [Demon Wolf's Senses]!

"Anna… Her scent, it is very far away…!" He muttered, gritting his teeth as he started to run across the caves. His powerful presence quickly brought the attention of many monsters.

Hordes of goblins wielding armor and weapons, Warrior Goblins, D Rank Monsters. Armies of Orcs holding magic staffs, Arcane Orcs, C Rank Monsters. And even worse, giants with a single eye holding massive stone clubs, Giant Cyclops Barbarians, C Rank Monsters, almost as strong as B Rank Monsters! And as he saw them, he felt the scent of human blood.

His eyes widened in slight surprise, as he saw the corpses of many people who ended up caught inside the dungeon dismembered across the floor. None were Anna, but this still brought Jack an immense sense of guilt and frustration. The guilt and frustration of having not been able to enter the Gate in time and save their lives, and the fear that Anna could end like them, somewhere within this Dungeon's corridors.

"You bastards…!"

Jack howled, his black aura suddenly encompassing his entire body as he transformed into a monstrous and berserker werewolf covered by black fur with red stripes, furiously tearing apart the goblins nearby with his bare claws and then kicking the heads off the orc's necks, continuing by grinding the cyclops eyes into bits and crushing their hearts with powerful shadow magic attacks.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

As the monsters died, their essence was drained into Jack's body, enhancing his Attributes even further. Physical Strength, Defense, Agility, Dexterity, everything was increasing as he gained Experience Points and Leveled Up.

Ding!

[You've devoured the essence of the life of many monsters, your stats keep growing higher!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Your Level has increased from Level 87 to Level 90!]

"Where could she have gone to?!"

Jack ignored his system messages, desperately looking for his sister as he massacred everything on his path. Seeing the corpses of those innocent people only made his mind go even more insane. He recalled his little sister's memories. How adorable and energetic she was. How cheerful she was, and how much she always brightened the everyday of his family.

Back then when things were still normal. Jack's worst fears started emerging inside of his paranoid mind. Jack imagined her running away from monsters, in a never-ending nightmare. Her eyes crying in fear and despair that at any moment, she would be caught and devoured alive.

"I have to hurry…!"

Ding!

[The Constellations spectate your despair with great delight!]

[Their laughter cannot be contained!]

"I will make sure to kill all of you one day…"

.

.

.

Ding!

[You've exchanged 5 Skill Points!]

[You acquired the [Crafting (F): Lv1] Innate Skill!]

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[Crafting (F): Lv1]

[Skill EXP]: [0/100]

A Special Innate Skill that gives the user the ability to craft all sorts of items utilizing raw materials and Mana. Depending on the Skill Level and Rank, the quality of materials will vary greatly.

Level Bonus (1): Enhances Item Creation Quality by 10%. Decreases Mana Cost by -5%.

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[The Crafting Skill has detected several items that can be used as materials!]

[Do you wish to craft something using these materials?]

I smiled rather creepily as I finally obtained one of the Skills I wanted. Thanks to having the Gatherer Skill, I can gather materials in top condition, and with the Crafting Skill, I can create amazing items using them.

"The only thing missing is…!"

CRASH!

Without hesitating, I swiftly kicked a nearby rock and broke it into tiny pieces, storing the fragments inside of my Inventory. These pieces were going to be my primary ingredient for what I was about to make.

Ding!

[You've stored [Dungeon Stone (F Rank)] x32!]

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[Dungeon Stone (F Rank)]

A stone originating from a dungeon. It has a very faint amount of Mana inside, which is the only thing differentiating it from normal stones. Can be used as a material for crafting a variety of items and tools.

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"Done."

I rapidly selected all the materials I wanted to use while escaping the pill bugs bites using my newly enhanced speed thanks to the privilege I just got.

FLASH!

All the items within the Inventory converged together as I gave the mental command for the Crafting Skill to activate, creating a brand-new item, something I already knew the recipe for based on the knowledge I had about this novel's world, and especially about my brother's crafting powers, which were virtually the same as mine!

Ding!

[You've combined: [Dungeon Stone (F Rank)] x10 [Rotten Heart Rose Roots (B Rank)] x5 [Rotten Heart Rose Crystal (B Rank)] x1 [Abyssal Dweller's Carapace (E Rank)] x5 [Abyssal Dweller Sharp Jaws (E Rank)] x5 [Abyssal Dweller Poisonous Stinger (E Rank)] x5!]

[Due to the quality of some materials, the resulting item quality has automatically increased!]

[You've created the [Abyssal Dweller's Poisonous Stone Spear (C Rank)] x1!]

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[Abyssal Dweller's Poisonous Stone Spear]

{Item Type}: [Two-Handed Weapon] [Spear] [Piercing Weapon] [Poisonous Weapon]

{Item Quality}: [C Rank]

{Item Requirement}: [None]

{Item Durability}: [500/500]

{Item Effects}

[ATK]: [ 350] [HP]: [ 25] [MP]: [ 50] [STR]: [ 30] [VIT]: [ 15] [DEX]: [ 30] [AGI]: [ 15] [INT]: [ 15] [WIS]: [ 15] [LUC]: [ 5] [CHM]: [ 5]

{Item Abilities}

[Poisonous Stinger]: This weapon possesses a deadly poison within the tip of its blade, which can easily poison a foe and constantly chip away its HP. It has a random chance of provoking Paralysis, Fever, Confusion, or Sleep.

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"This is not bad at all!" I said triumphantly, just before a dozen Abyssal Dwellers reached my legs.

"Again?! Get away!"

I quickly utilized my new weapon to my heart's content, piercing the bus one by one, poking them to death had become utterly easy now with this.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

The screams and screeches of the disgusting bugs echoed around the cave. I was already sick of their gooey blood, but there was no helping it. If I wanted to grow stronger and survive, I had to bear with it.

"After this is done, I'll make sure to take a warm bath…"

…

After some minutes which seemed like an eternity, I found myself resting on the floor, my body was completely covered in bug juice, and I smelled terrible. I only had around two HP Potions left, and my MP Potions all remained intact because I hadn't used my MP at all aside from crafting the spear. And my Antidotes? All gone. I've barely survived. Yet… at the very least, there was something good out of this disgusting scene.

Ding!

[You defeated the [Abyssal Dweller Pill Bugs (F Rank)] x179!]

[You earned 3580 EXP!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Your Level has increased from Level 1 to Level 3!]

[All Your Stats have increased!]

[You gained Bonus Stat Points and Skill Points!]

"I killed over a hundred and only got three levels out of this… This is a bit pathetic." I sighed.

However, just when I felt my efforts barely amounted to anything…

Ding!

[Several Constellations were at the edge of their seats as they spectated your miraculous survival!]

[They have found your performance very amusing! They're entertained!]

"Huh?"

Ding!

[The Cosmic Throne {Butterfly That Flies Across The Universe} says that you're at least not as pathetic as the bugs that crawl in the ground!]

[She has graciously tipped 20 PP!]

[The Cosmic Throne {Monkey that Dances in Chaos} laughed so much at your struggles that his face hurts!]

[He throws at you 15 PP!]

[The Cosmic Throne {Jester Filled With Lies} seems satisfied with your performance while laughing suspiciously.]

[He has gifted you [Antidote (D Rank)] x3!]

[The Cosmic Throne {Maiden that Watches Over Nature} was cheering for you all this time and feels relieved you're alright. She smiles at you softly and offers you her gifts.]

[She has gifted you [Health Potion (D Rank)] x3 and [Stamina Potion (D Rank)] x3!]

[The Cosmic Throne {Warrior That Seeks Calamity} is amazed by your battling performance!]

[He has gifted you [Weapon Enhancement Stone (C Rank)] x1!]

"So many gifts… Really? All for me?"

I felt shocked, these damned monsters made me go through all this, but they really gave me some nice rewards in exchange.

"Thank you, I guess?"

I can't even tell what's going around their minds, to be honest. Well, I might as well use that Stone right away.

FLASH!

The stone turned into a red-colored light, encompassing the spear I had made and suddenly enhancing its Attack.

Ding!

[You have used the [Weapon Enhancement Stone (C Rank)] on the [Abyssal Dweller's Poisonous Stone Spear] Weapon!]

[Your Weapon ATK Stat has increased by 500!]

Not bad.

"Kyu… Kyu…"

"Huh?"

As I was sorting out my gains, I suddenly heard another small bug-like screech. Readying myself to attack, I slowly sought the origin of the sound, finding a smaller-than-normal pill bug hiding behind the bigger carcasses.

"Huh? Is this a larva?"

As if almost instinctively, I took out some Lily petals and offered them to the little guy. Its tiny body slowly crawled towards my hand, eating the petals with a lot of hunger.

"Kyu! Kyuuuh!"

Giving a tiny and adorable sound, the little bugger seemed satisfied and happy.

Ding!

[The [Rare Abyssal Dweller Pill Bug (F Rank)] seems to like you!]

[He has become your {Friend}!]

"I-I guess I made a new pal…" I sighed, looking at the little bug that walked around my arm and reached on top of my head. Maybe killing so many of these bugs made me quite immune to my fear of bugs.

"Well now, I should give you a name-"

RUMBLE!

Before I could even name my new pal, trouble came knocking on the door, an enormous buggy shadow slowly started creeping in where I was hiding, a monstrous, gigantic bug beast! Its very presence made the caverns tremble.

"GRUOH!!!"

Ding!

[You've been spotted by the [Abyssal Dweller Queen (D Rank)]!]

[She seems furious you've defeated her entire colony and seeks your blood!]

[The Constellations spectate what you will do!]

"Ah, give me a break…"

The queen, which resembled a gigantic, over thirty meters long version of the Abyssal Dwellers immediately spotted me with her six red eyes. Without hesitating, I immediately stored everything around me inside my Inventory and ran away from the dead-end cave I was hiding from, jumping right in front of her as a result!

"GRYAAASH!"

RUMBLE!

The Queen rapidly started chasing me, its hundreds of legs making the entire cave tremble. It made me feel like at any moment, the damn ceiling was going to fall over me.

"Well, at least I've got you, little one."

"Kyuu!"

Ding!

[If you win this impossible fight, the Constellations say they will reward you greatly!]

[Do your best!]

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Chapter end