Chapter 37: Skill Upgrade
"Alright, see ya," Tyler said, stepping out of the store. He dropped the two silver coins Hector had given him into his pocket, the metal clinking softly against the others.
He smiled, feeling their weight against his leg.* I have a total of seven silver coins now. All in one day. This is awesome.*
He navigated through the thinning crowd, heading toward home. *With this, I'll be able to pay James in no time. He's helped me a lot.*
His pace faltered, a heavy boot scuffing the uneven cobblestone as the thought of James dragged up a much less pleasant memory.
The girl with the silver hair. The cold, dismissive way she had looked at him, like he was nothing but a helpless liability dragging James down.
The satisfaction of the heavy coins in his pocket suddenly soured. He let out a slow, jagged breath, his chest tightening as a familiar bitterness settled in his stomach.
*People have a tendency of underestimating me before they get to know me.*
*I hope James is alright. I wonder if he'll let me go hunting with him again. I caused so much trouble. If it wasn't for me and this damn system, we wouldn't have been caught. He would have gone hunting today.*
He stopped dead in the middle of the street, his brow furrowing. "But what if I go hunting by myself? Can I even do that?" He shook his head, forcing his legs to move again.* No, it's too dangerous. I won't have anyone to protect me.*
His boots ground against the cobblestones as he halted once more. *Protect me. Fuck... She's right. Just hearing myself think this way pisses me off. I'm just burdening him. Maybe I can just go on my own and make sure I don't get caught. I remember the way.*
He started walking again, his pace slow and deliberate.* I'll just take that route.*
He kicked a small, jagged stone lying in his path. It skittered across the cobblestones, scraping harshly against the uneven surface.
The street suddenly dimmed. The shadows deepened, not from the setting sun, but from a thick blanket of dark clouds rolling overhead. A sudden, cold wind swept through the thoroughfare, carrying the sharp, metallic scent of impending rain.
The chill bit through his clothes and rustled his hair." It's about to rain..."
Around him, the remaining people in the crowd broke into a run, hurrying toward their homes.
Vendors scrambled, dragging wooden shutters closed and securing their stalls. Tyler quickened his pace, his boots striking the ground in a rapid rhythm.
*I'll just have to take a risk. Or maybe I can train some more. The memory of hauling the heavy sack of rocks surfaced, the ache in his muscles, the sweat stinging his eyes. He recalled the combat stances James had drilled into him.
*James said I just have to get better equipment to train, right? Yeah, maybe I can still do that. The only problem is, I don't think those rocks will be enough anymore. I'm a level fourteen now. My stats keep increasing through achievement points. Maybe I can request something like that.*
"System," he muttered under his breath.
The translucent blue panel materialized in the air directly in front of him, tracking his movement. The screen remained blank.
*What should I ask for? What will make me stronger? Faster?*
"System, is it possible for me to craft training equipment that will make me stronger?" He kept his voice low, his eyes fixed on the floating rectangle as he slowed his stride.
He let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropping. *Right. It's just ignoring me. Like always.* The blank screen flickered, vanished, and immediately reappeared with glowing text.
[User Can Inquire For Training Equipment. However, The Equipment Recipe Will Be Randomly Generated If The User Does Not Specifically Name It.]
"Great. So I'm basically rolling the dice. Fine... System give me the recipes."
The text shifted, new lines rendering across the translucent interface:
ARMOR RECIPE:
5 BIG IRON INGOT, 1 MEDIUM STEEL INGOT - IRON BOOTS
WEAPON RECIPE:
4 BIG STEEL INGOT, 1 SMALL STEEL INGOT - BLUNT MACE
.Tyler stared at the glowing text. *That's a lot of iron for small items. This is obviously heavy gear meant for training.*
The panel vanished.* Did the system change the name from 'ore' to 'ingot' just because I know the difference now?*
A single, freezing drop of water struck his forehead. A second later, the sky opened up. Thousands of heavy raindrops plummeted, instantly turning the dirt streets to mud.
Children nearby shrieked, laughing as they scattered for cover. Tyler took off running.
*Shit. I don't want to get wet. These are the only clothes I have.*
He pushed himself, his boots hammering against the cobblestones. The rain whipped against his skin, but his body responded with startling speed. His recent stat increases were obvious now, he wove through the scattering crowds and hurdled growing puddles with a fluid, effortless agility he didn't possess a week ago.
He left the market district behind, bolting through the residential streets until he reached James's house. He threw the front door open, slipped inside, and shoved it shut against the storm.
He stood in the empty living room, chest heaving. Rainwater cascaded off his hair, pooling rapidly on the cold stone floor.* I'm soaked.*
He immediately peeled off his clinging shirt, wringing it out as he walked toward his room. The dull roar of the storm drumming against the metal roof echoed through the house.
In the corner of his room sat the oversized clothes James had originally lent him, folded neatly. Tyler stripped out of his wet clothes and pulled them on. He dropped onto the edge of his bed, letting out a long breath.
*This ain't bad. It's actually quite relaxing.*
He closed his eyes, letting the rhythmic pounding of the rain wash over him.
Cold water dropplets splattered directly onto his forehead. He snapped his eyes open. "Oh shit, it's leaking."
He scrambled up, grabbed the heavy wooden frame of the bed, and shoved it toward the left wall, out of the danger zone. He stood back, watching a steady stream of water hit the floor where he had just been sitting. "What should I do now?"
The bedroom door creaked open. Heather stood in the doorway, her small hands gripping the handle of a metal bucket.
"Mama said here," she said, holding it out to him.
"Oh, thank you," Tyler said, reaching for the
handle.
"You're welcome," she smiled.
Tyler took the bucket. As she let go, the sudden weight of the metal yanked his arm down a few inches. He caught himself, his muscles tensing. "Woah!" Before he could say anything, Heather turned and pulled the door shut behind her.
Tyler weighed the heavy metal by the handle. "She was holding this with one hand?"
It wasn't unliftable, but it was incredibly dense.
"What is this made of? Solid iron? Maybe kids in this world are just naturally this strong. After all, they have levels and mana too. She must be a G-Rank."
He set the heavy bucket under the leak, listening to the rhythmic ping of water hitting the metal bottom. He sat back on his bed.
"Right," he muttered, looking at the empty air. "System, craft Iron boots and blunt mace."
The blue interface materialized. A circular loading bar appeared, the words [CRAFTING ITEMS] hovering beneath it.
Tyler watched the bar fill, his mind racing ahead. *I'm going to use these to train tomorrow. I also need to check out that skill inside the spear. I have to get the hang of my weapons before I launch myself back into a monster zone.*
The bar flashed Blue. [CRAFTING SUCCESSFUL]
Tyler stood up, lifted his right foot off the floor. As it hung in the air, the shadow leather dissolved into his inventory, and the thick, metallic shimmer of the iron boot enveloped his foot.
The sudden, dead weight yanked his leg back toward the earth. His foot slammed into the floor with a heavy, metallic clang that vibrated up his spine.
Whoa," he breathed, the word swallowed by the drumming rain. He gritted his teeth, his leg muscles trembling as he forced himself to lift his foot. Getting the metal sole just a few inches off the ground felt like pulling his leg out of deep mud. He took one single, agonizing step forward. His breath was already turning ragged.
*It's so heavy*, he thought.* Just how much metal goes into one large ingot?* He unequipped the gear, and the thick iron dissolved. His leg instantly felt incredibly light. He exhaled a long breath.
"Yeah, I don't think it's a good idea to summon the mace in here. I might actually cave the floor in."
With a thought, he dismissed his shadow leather boots as well. Standing barefoot, he felt the cold stone floor under his soles. He stepped backward and dropped onto the edge of the mattress.
*I wonder if Assimilation could work on the metal boots and the mace*, he thought.* If I could draw out a skill from those, that would be awesome.*
*Though I'd have to get a lot stronger just to use them in battle.*
"Okay," he breathed out, staring at the empty room. "What haven't I crafted?"
The system panel flickered, displaying the remaining pending recipes: Bronze Dual Daggers and a Wooden Bow.
*Of course. I forgot about those. They'll definitely come in handy.*
"System, craft Dual Bronze Daggers."
A [CRAFTING] bar appeared, filling instantly. Tyler rested his open hands on his thighs, waiting. A warm light shimmered over his palms, and a second later, the weight of twin hilts settled into his grip. He closed his fingers around them.
*These look are pretty good.* A small stat window materialized beside the blade:
[Durability: 100% | Grade: Basic | ATK: 32 | AGL: 5]
"Just a Basic grade", he noted. *Still, not bad. The attack is higher than the iron sword.*
Suddenly, a red system panel flared directly in his line of sight.
[THERE AREN'T ENOUGH DORMANT MANA INGRAMS TO DRAW OUT A SKILL.]
"I didn't even ask to scan.," he muttered in surprise. The daggers shimmered away into his inventory. "Too bad. It would have been great to get another skill."
He swung his legs onto the bed, sinking his back fully into the mattress. He pulled the blanket up to his chin, letting his trapped body heat slowly ward off the chill of the damp room.
*I hope James recovers his energy so we can go out tomorrow. If not, I'll just spend the day training.* He closed his eyes, the dull, continuous roar of the rain finally lulling his exhausted muscles.
Eventually, sleep claimed him.
In the dark, empty room, completely unbeknownst to him, a final glowing panel quietly materialized in the air above his sleeping form.
[THE USER HAS CRAFTED WEAPONS MORE THAN 10 TIMES. CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN MET TO UPGRADE THE SKILL.]
[CONGRATULATIONS. LEVEL 1 WEAPON CRAFT HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO LEVEL 2 WEAPON CRAFT.]
[THE USER CAN NOW CRAFT COMMON WEAPONS REGULARLY. THE USER HAS A 30% CHANCE OF CRAFTING ELITE GRADE WEAPONS.]