Chapter 23 - Mindcraft
When Lucas woke up from his short power nap, or more accurately his faint, he realized only an hour had passed, yet he still felt refreshed by the nap.
Seeing that Chloe and Samantha hadn't returned, he decided to continue experimenting with his ‘Mindcraft’, trademark in progress.
Picking up several more scrap metals, he formed ingots from them. Due to his previous trial with the
With a couple more steel ingots lying in front of him, he molded one into a dagger using his mental energy. Shaping it, reinforcing it, and sharpening it. All of the same processes as before.
Surprisingly, Lucas found that this attempt was much easier and less mentally taxing compared to his first endeavor.
Soon, a dagger was hovering in the air, its hilt devoid of any grip except the cold metal. He purposely left out the texture of the grip as he wanted to experiment with something else.
A piece of rag flew to his side. Looking at it, Lucas sent a wave of mental energy to it. He realigned and manipulated the fibers within the rag, compressing the molecules to add strength and structure.
Then, he wrapped the rag around the tang of the dagger, applying his mental energy to manipulate both the fibers and the metal, effectively 'gluing' them together on a molecular level.
After the 'gluing' process, he added grooves to the hilt for a better grip and smoothed the surface for aesthetic purposes.
Finally, a single-edged dagger appeared before him, this time with a proper hilt alongside a couple of system notifications.
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Perfect Steel Dagger
Rank: Uncommon
A steel dagger forged from discarded scraps and junk. The unique forging method has breathed new life into the materials. Despite its Rank, the sword’s sharpness and durability rival those of higher-tier equipment.
Special Effect(s):
Nice Grip - Immune to 'Disarm’ effect.
Slashwave - Residual psychic energy imbued in the dagger causes a psychic wave to damage enemies when slashing.
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Playing with the
Eager to test the
“Wow, that's awesome,” Lucas exclaimed, inspecting the marks on the wall. “Let's play Mindcraft again!” he laughed, finding the process of crafting items quite enjoyable. Picking up another steel ingot, he began molding it.
This time, he crafted a dagger with a different design. Most of the process was the same, except that during this creation, he stored concentrated mental energy at the tip of the dagger.
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Perfect Steel Dagger
Rank: Uncommon
A steel dagger forged from discarded scraps and junk. The unique forging method has breathed new life into the materials. Despite its Rank, the sword’s sharpness and durability rival those of higher-tier equipment.
Special Effect(s):
Deep Puncture - Residual psychic energy imbued in the tip of the dagger causes a psychic penetrating force to damage enemies when stabbing.
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Talented Crafter
Rank: Rare
Your consistent success in crafting equipment of Uncommon Rank or higher, despite your limited experience, showcases your innate talent in the field of craftsmanship.
Crafted items will possess superior quality, and there is even a chance they may increase in Rank.
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“Huh? I suspected it might happen, but I never really expected it would. And I leveled up too. Neat,” Lucas whistled as he placed the second
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Lucas Kun
Level 17
Class: Mechanic
Title: Forerunner, Talented Crafter
VIT - 25
POW - 8
AGI - 11
INT - 35
WIL - 16
Free Points: 15
Talent: Avid Reader.
Class-Exclusive Skill:
Oversurge Protocol - Lv 1
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Machinery Affinity I - Lv MAX
Skill:
Knowledge - Lv 6
Combat Fundamentals - Lv 4
Matrix Simulation - Lv 4
Analysis - Lv 4
Eternal Suffering - Lv MAX
Steel Flesh - Lv MAX
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As usual, he invested his points into VIT, INT, and WIL. Four points into VIT, seven into INT, and four into WIL, bringing his WIL to the twenty-point milestone as well.
As he was about to continue his experiment, the makeshift alarm Lucas had set up by the entrance rang.
In an instant, he narrowed his eyes and gripped his pistol.
Luckily, the ones entering the workshop were Chloe and Samantha. Seeing it was the girls, he greeted them casually, “Hey, how’s it going?”
“Got some sweet information you might be interested in,” Chloe said as she hopped into Lucas’s arms, hugging him tightly.
Samantha rolled her eyes but still explained, “Twenty-three people, including the boss. They’ve eleven Warriors, seven Archers, four Rogues, and a Mage.”
Ignoring Samantha’s contempt, Lucas hugged Chloe tightly in bliss while asking, “That huge of a group but they only have a single Mage?”
“Apparently, they all died in the dungeon. They went in earlier with a fifteen-person team, half of them being Mages,” Samantha explained. “But only four made it out.”
“It’s a golem-related dungeon,” Chloe added while rubbing her face against Lucas’s chest. “The golems have some kind of anti-magic stuff to deal with Mages. And the dungeon refreshes once per day, at eleven sharp in the morning.”
Pulling Chloe gently from his chest, Lucas pecked her forehead. “How did you guys even get this information?”
Chloe giggled and smiled, “Samantha learned a new spell that erases our noise.”
“Movement. Only movement sounds,” Samantha immediately corrected while clicking her tongue.
“They’re planning to challenge the dungeon again with all Warriors and Archers,” Chloe said, sticking her tongue out at Samantha.
Chuckling at the girls’ reactions, Lucas said as he headed into the kitchen, “Good work, girls. Go take a shower, the shower still works. I'll whip something up for dinner. Both of you must be hungry.”
“I'll shower first, don’t fight with me,” Samantha said instantly, charging straight for the shower.
Giggling at Samantha’s antics, Chloe glanced around the workshop. Scraps of metal were scattered all over the garage. In the corner, there was even a pile of sharp-looking metal, faintly shining with a blue hue.
However, her focus was on the car.
Her fingers brushed against the blue car in the middle of the garage. It was a memento from her late father.
Taking a closer look, she could tell that Lucas had put a lot of effort into fixing it. Even the scratches and dents that had been on the car were now evened out. The sight of her car in such good shape made her beam with happiness. She muttered softly, “Thank you, Lucas.”
Looking around more, she then noticed a sword and daggers made entirely of metal lying in the corner. Out of curiosity, she picked up the sword.
The moment she saw the system notification, she yelped in surprise, “An Uncommon sword?!”
She immediately picked up the daggers and was even further astonished. “All of them are Uncommon…” she muttered, stunned.
***
Samantha praised, “This is good! It's not tough but soft and tender! How did you cook it?” She took another bite of the wolf steaks Lucas had prepared.
“With a bunch of herbs to marinate it,” Lucas replied, smiling as he took a big bite of his own steak.
While Chloe ate her meal, her gaze kept drifting toward Lucas.
Noticing her stare, Lucas raised an eyebrow and said between bites, “I did some work on the car. It'll run better and smoother now.”
“Yes, I saw it. The car feels brand new. Thanks, Lucas,” Chloe said, smiling. But she couldn’t hold back her curiosity. “Hey, Lucas, what’s going on with the sword and daggers?”
Hearing Chloe's question, Samantha perked up and looked at Lucas curiously. “Sword and daggers?”
“Oh, those? Just something I made while playing Mindcraft, trademark pending,” Lucas joked, finishing his last bite. “I’m planning to make us some new equipment.”
The girls exchanged puzzled glances, clearly waiting for him to elaborate.
“Both of you are still using Common Rank weapons, so I figured I’d make something better for you,” Lucas explained. With a subtle wave of his hand, the sword and daggers floated toward him, landing neatly in his grasp.
He pointed to the shimmering blue metal piles in the corner. “These are just prototypes. I’m planning to use those glowing metals to forge us some new gear.”
Chloe's eyes widened in realization. “Wait, those metals are from the acolytes? You went back to get them?”
Lucas nodded casually. Samantha, meanwhile, was checking the weapons’ stats, her eyes widening in disbelief. “How did you even forge these? These are Uncommon Rank! There’s no furnace, no hammer, none of the tools, right?”
Smirking, Lucas tapped his temple. “Modern problems require modern solutions.”
“Tomorrow, we’ll steal the dungeon from them. I’ll spend the night prepping some decent stuff. You girls should get some rest,” Lucas said, mentally commanding the dishes to do themselves.
Samantha shook her head. “Nah, I’ll go scavenge for some resources. I think we’re running low on a few things. Want to come, Chloe?”
Chloe thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No, I want to do some training later.”
***
With the girls gone, Lucas decided to dive back into his Mindcraft. Although he knew it would be challenging, he was determined to create at least a Rare-Ranked weapon for the girls to ensure their safety.
“Oh, right,” he muttered, rummaging through his pack and pulling out a dozen sharp wolf teeth and claws. “I almost forgot about these. Maybe I can grind them into powder and bond them with the metal. Is that even scientifically possible?”
He eyed the materials skeptically for a moment but shrugged. “Might as well try instead of overthinking.”
Blue rings shimmered in his pupils as a portion of the bluish metal pile, composed of the acolytes’ weapons, began to levitate.
Focusing his mental energy, he vibrated the metal molecules at high speed. Slowly but surely, the metal began to soften, glowing faintly as it entered its molten state.
Upon reaching its molten state, Lucas muttered, “Making a spear for Samantha using this metal sounds like a good idea. It'll make her runes more effective. But I don’t have enough blue metal to craft the entire spear.”
“Hmm… How about mixing it with normal steel? Since mana conductivity is the inherent property of this blue metal, I could probably create a new alloy that retains some of that conductivity.”
“I can use this alloy for the spear shaft and reserve the remaining blue metal for the spearhead. Sounds good, let’s go with that.”
After a couple of hours of literal, mind-bending crafting, Lucas stood before a two-meter-long spear radiating a faint blue hue.
The entire spear was made of metal.
Its shaft was silver, with streaks of blue coursing through it, while the navy-blue spearhead was sharp and angular, featuring two long, tapered blades that came to a fine, precise tip at the center.
“Name, huh?” Lucas mumbled as he stared at the spear. “Since blue lines are streaking through you, let’s call you Blue Lightning.”
The moment he spoke, a blue system window appeared before him.
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Blue Lightning
Rank: Rare
A masterpiece spear crafted from Birunium alloy by a Talented Crafter. Its unique forging method optimizes mana flow, allowing it to channel energy more efficiently through its structure.
Special Effect(s):
Mana Pathway - Its refined molecular structure minimizes energy loss, enhancing its ability to channel mana with greater efficiency.
Mana Recharge - It naturally absorbs ambient mana from its surroundings, slowly replenishing the wielder's mana over time as long as the spear is held.
Thoughtblade - Residual psychic energy imbued in the spear causes psychic damage to enemies struck by it.
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