Second World Online

The public woodworking shop in StoneBrook’s Crafter’s District once again became a silent witness to my persistence. On the workbench covered in wood shavings, the fifteen logs of Whispering Ash Wood that I had just bought at a fantastic price emitted a very faint magical blue glow. The sensation when my fingers touched the wood’s surface was truly unique; it felt as cold as ice, as light as cotton, yet possessed an extraordinarily hard molecular density.

Unlike ordinary oak or pine wood which relies on physical flexibility, the fibers of the Whispering Ash Wood possessed their own natural magical circuit circulation. Every time I tried to cut it with a whittling knife without channeling mana energy (MP), my knife would bounce off or only leave a shallow scratch.

"This wood is truly challenging," I muttered while wiping imaginary sweat from my forehead.

My first attempt ended in a tragic failure. Because I forced too much physical pressure without balancing it with the flow of magic, the first bow limb snapped in two when I tried to bend it. On the second attempt, I channeled too much Wind Element, making its wooden structure resonate too strongly until it exploded into glowing dust fragments right in front of my face.

"Damn... no wonder the price is expensive and rarely anyone uses it. This material requires perfect balance," I hissed curiously.

I did not give up. On the third attempt, I closed my eyes for a moment, fully activating my [Eagle Eye] to dissect the microscopic flow of the wood fibers. Instead of fighting it with physical strength, I let both my hands move following the rhythm of the mana flow inside the wood. My whittling knife danced like a painter’s brush stroke, carving slowly and forming the aerodynamic contours of a double-curved recurve bow.

After almost a full hour of focusing high-level concentration, I attached a pure silk bowstring to the notches at its tips.

Wuuussshh... Ting!

A cool magical gust of wind suddenly swirled from the center of the workbench, followed by a blinding blue-silver glow of light!

[System: Success. You have successfully crafted an advanced magical weapon item: ’Whispering Ash Recurve Bow’ (Rare)!]

[System: Craftsmanship quality reached Superior level (95%)!]

"It finally worked!" I exclaimed in joy while lifting my newest masterpiece.

The shape of this bow was much slimmer and more elegant compared to the Laminated Ironwood Longbow I made previously. Its color was silvery-white with glowing blue streaks that pulsed slowly like a heartbeat. I immediately opened its specification panel with a pounding chest.

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[Whispering Ash Recurve Bow] - Rank: RARE

Type: Bow / Elemental Resonance Weapon | Quality: Superior

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Physical Attack (Physical ATK): 15 - 20 | Magical Attack (Magical ATK): 48 - 60

Wind Element Resonance: +35% Transmission Speed | Attribute Bonus: DEX +4, INT +4

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Minimum Requirements: Level 10, DEX 10, INT 15

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My red eyes widened, and then a very satisfied laugh erupted from my throat.

"Hahaha! Its minimum requirements are truly based on 10 DEX and 15 INT! No more damn (STR) requirement holding back my potential!"

This is a true dream weapon for an Elf like me. If the previous ironwood bow still required a little muscle power to draw its string, this Whispering Ash bow was drawn entirely using the energy of hand agility and magical resonance. I no longer needed to worry about my pitiful STR stat sitting at 2 points. This weapon is very, very suitable for me!

After cleaning up the leftover materials on the workbench and sheathing both my Rare bows on my back, I stepped out of the workshop.

The afternoon wind in StoneBrook city blew quite strongly, directly hitting my face and blowing my Elf avatar’s long silver-white hair until it partially covered my vision. A few strands of hair even got into my mouth.

I clicked my tongue in annoyance while sweeping the long hair behind my pointed ears. "Sigh, having long, thick, straight hair down to my back like this is actually very troublesome when doing outdoor activities. In the real world, my hair is always cut short and neat."

The sensation of hair constantly tickling my neck and covering my eyes would definitely become a fatal problem when I had to aim at monsters later. I needed something to tie it up.

"Maybe Kitsuna has ribbons or hair ties for sale at her shop. Besides, she’s a tailor, there must be some leftover fabric," I thought, making a quick decision.

I immediately detoured and walked toward the location of the [Kitsuna Shop] that I had just visited an hour ago. However, I was completely surprised when I arrived in front of the two-story wooden building.

Unlike my quiet visit this morning, the street in front of Kitsuna’s shop was now completely packed with a sea of players! A long queue snaked all the way out the door. Apparently, the news of a Tailor selling quality leather armor sets at honest prices had spread widely across the city’s community forums. Dozens of adventurers, from beginner knights to mages, jostled together wanting to buy gear from her.

I slipped in through the gaps of the large-bodied crowd of players with great effort thanks to my high dexterity stat. Behind the counter table, the fox girl looked incredibly busy; her hands moved as fast as lightning, accepting coins, wrapping items, and answering customer questions simultaneously. Her tail wagged frantically back and forth.

Seeing how busy she was, I knew this wasn’t the right time for casual chatting or joking around. I immediately approached the accessories display corner which showcased various kinds of headpieces, scarves, and hair clips.

My eyes locked onto a hair ribbon made of deep black cotton fabric that was simple but looked sturdy.

"Kitsuna! I’m taking this black ribbon, okay! I’m leaving five copper coins here!" I shouted a bit loudly so my voice could pierce through the customers’ noise.

Kitsuna only had time to glance briefly at me, giving a thumbs up with her right hand while continuing to serve another player’s transaction. "Got it, Syl! Thanks for the purchase!"

I chuckled seeing the busy antics of the fox entrepreneur, then quickly turned around and exited the shop before I got crushed by the crowd.

As soon as I arrived at the quieter square area, I stopped for a moment. I gathered all the thick strands of my silver-white hair toward the back of my head, raised them quite high, and tied them tightly using the black fabric ribbon into a very neat ponytail style.

I shook my head left and right to test the knot. The back of my neck now felt cool exposed to the wind, and most importantly, there were no more rogue strands of hair obstructing my eyes’ sensory field of vision. The combination of shining white hair, ruby-red eyes, and that black ribbon somehow gave off the silhouette of a sharp, deadly, and elegant sniper.

"Now, this is comfortable and practical," I muttered in satisfaction, stretching my shoulders back. "Preparations are complete, hair is secured, new weapons are in hand. Time for some real hunting!"

With light steps driven by my high-level agility stat, I left the city limits of StoneBrook and ran across the northern grasslands, then turned toward the cliff route on the eastern side. My target today was East Area 2: [Whispering Forest].

The journey took about twenty minutes. As soon as I stepped past the remains of the giant stone pillars that used to be the boundary seal of the Grizzly King boss, I immediately felt an incredibly drastic change in the environmental atmosphere.

If the Eastern Forest in Area 1 possessed the nuance of a warm, leafy spring forest filled with pleasant bird chirping, this Whispering Forest in Area 2 truly gave off a vibe that made my hair stand on end.

The sky above this forest was covered by a canopy of tightly coiled ash tree branches, blocking the midday sunlight and creating an atmosphere akin to a gloomy dusk. A thin purplish fog hovered at knee height above the damp ground that smelled of rotten moss. The only source of illumination within this forest came from giant blue-glowing mushrooms attached to the tree trunks.

The sound of the wind blowing through the gaps of the exotic trees here created a soft hissing noise that sounded exactly like the whispers of millions of moaning humans. No wonder this place was named the Whispering Forest.

I activated [Stealth] and stepped very carefully using [Slow Walking]. My Eagle Eye swept across the dark surroundings.

In the distance, I could see the monsters inhabiting this advanced area. Its ecosystem was not friendly at all. I saw a pack of pitch-black [Dire Wolf - Level 15] sniffing a deer carcass, giant [Weaver Spider - Level 14] hanging behind thick webs between trees, and the silhouettes of bats the size of full-grown dogs sleeping upside down on the highest branches.

"It’s a bit chilling playing in a gloomy area like this, especially since I’m solo," I whispered internally while swallowing hard. "One wrong step and I could be swarmed by those agile hunting wolves."

However, among those fast-moving vicious predators, my eyes caught the movement of a group of creatures that were much more favorable to be used as test targets.

About fifty meters in my two o’clock direction, there were three pale Humanoid figures limping with hunched postures. Their skin was a rotting gray color, several ribs poked out of their chests, and their eyes glowed a vacant yellow. They were [Wandering Ghoul - Level 13].

Unlike the aggressive and fast wolves or spiders, Ghouls were pure Undead-type monsters whose movements were extraordinarily slow and stiff, even though they possessed quite a thick HP resilience.

"They are the most perfect targets for weapon calibration," I decided, smirking.

I jumped atop a mossy rock that was tall enough to get a clean shooting angle.

To ensure an accurate damage comparison, I decided to use my old reliable weapon first. I pulled out the [Laminated Ironwood Longbow (Silk Ver.)], nocked a regular wooden arrow, and aimed at the head of the foremost Ghoul located 40 meters away from me.

I drew the bowstring, fully channeling my signature skill combination. [Wind Arrow] was activated, summoning a green wind vortex at the tip of the arrowhead. Then, [Power Shot] was added to provide a magical spinning drill effect, locked on with the [Vital Shot] passive through my Eagle Eye gaze.

Swiss... Swuuush! THWACK!

The wooden arrow shot out quickly and embedded itself dead on through the Ghoul’s right eye, tearing through the back of its skull.

[Critical Hit! - 420 Damage!]

Because the total HP of a Level 13 Ghoul class monster was in the 380 HP range, that element-infused Power Shot combination instantly produced a One-Hit Kill effect. The Ghoul’s body staggered backward, then shattered into golden dust particles.

"As usual, very satisfying," I said, analyzing the damage. "The combination of Power Shot and this ironwood bow handles level 13 monsters very easily. Now... let’s see what my ’new baby’ can do."

I sheathed the ironwood bow on my back, then pulled out the masterpiece I had just crafted: the [Whispering Ash Recurve Bow].

I nocked a second arrow onto its silk string, aiming at the second Ghoul which was now starting to slowly turn its head toward the dust particles of its dead comrade.

When I drew the bowstring back toward my cheek, the sensation was truly shocking! This string didn’t put up heavy physical resistance burdening my arm muscles. Instead, as my fingers pulled it, I could feel the Mana (MP) from inside my body being smoothly siphoned and flowing into the silvery-white wood fibers. The Whispering Ash wood resonated, glowing brighter and brighter!

I repeated the exact same combination: [Wind Arrow] + [Power Shot] + [Vital Shot].

However, what happened this time was completely beyond logic! The green wind element, which normally only swirled the size of a fist at the arrowhead’s tip, now absorbed the +35% Transmission Resonance effect from the bow. A miniature storm vortex instantly formed, wrapping the entire arrow shaft from the tip to its tail feathers with air pressure that whirred sharply like a small fighter jet engine!

I held my breath, stabilized my Eagle Eye aim right in the center of the Ghoul’s face, and then released my fingers from the bowstring.

BOOOM! ZWAAASSH!

It wasn’t the sound of whistling wind that was heard, but rather a small sonic boom as the arrow broke the sound barrier! The shooting arrow traveled twice as fast as my first shot, leaving a trail of blue and green light entwining with each other in the dark forest air.

BLAM!

Its impact force was truly beyond logic! When the magical arrow touched its target, the poor Ghoul’s head was not just pierced through, but instantly exploded and shattered into pixel fragments before it even had time to realize what hit it!

[CRITICAL OVERKILL! - 850 Magic & Physical Damage!]

The headless Ghoul’s body froze for one second, before finally exploding into a messy, abundant shower of golden light particles, blowing away the dry leaves around it due to the shot’s shockwave.

My mouth hung slightly open, staring at the silvery-white bow in my grasp with pure awe.

"It’s different from before... this is truly crazy!" I shrieked, laughing freely, breaking the silence of the spooky forest. "The magical attack resonates and multiplies elemental damage. With my high INT stat, this DEX and Magic-based bow turns a regular arrow into a cannon projectile! What a very, very good weapon!"

The final Ghoul remaining in the area didn’t escape the brutality of my test. Just with a bow draw filled with a light Wind Arrow without needing to drain my stamina with Power Shot, my arrow was enough to wipe its remaining HP to zero.

I jumped down from the mossy rock and casually walked over to the pile of drop items left behind by the three Ghouls I had just slaughtered.

"Let’s see, do these level 13 Undead monsters have anything valuable to sell to Kitsuna or auction off?" I muttered hopefully.

However, when I picked up the loot bag, the system panel instantly displayed the contents of the spoils, which made my smooth forehead wrinkle in disappointment:

[Rotten Ghoul Flesh] (Trash) x4

[Torn Dirty Rags] (Trash) x2

[Dull Bone Fragment] (Common) x3

Total Money: 8 Copper Coins.

"Rotten meat and torn rags?" I looked away in disgust, immediately deleting the items marked as (Trash) from my inventory slots so they wouldn’t take up bag space. "Disgusting. Even the money-minded Kitsuna would definitely refuse vehemently if I brought these corpse-smelling rags to her luxurious shop."

As it turned out, despite being easy to kill due to their slow movements, Ghouls in the Whispering Forest were low-class monsters that didn’t yield high-value crafting materials. The drops they provided were mostly just digital trash only useful for trading into spare copper coins at the city’s general store NPC.

I straightened my body, patted the remaining dust off my cloak, and swept my gaze using the sharp lens of my Eagle Eye piercing through the forest fog.

Far to the southwest of the ash trees, I saw a group of giant weaver spiders that surely possessed valuable silk threads, and on the hills of giant tree roots, a pack of black wolves that clearly promised high-tier fur pelts.

I raised my Whispering Ash Recurve Bow, smirking confidently. With my hair ribbon leaving my vision unobstructed and a deadly resonance weapon in hand, I no longer needed to look for easy, slow targets.

"Leave these broke undead behind. Time to find more challenging targets that generate a lot of gold coins," I decided firmly, fading into the shadows of [Stealth] and darting through the Whispering Forest fog like an invisible hunter.