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“Congratulations! Focus Point Gravity ability Gravity Force Push has reached level 3! Progression to level 4: 16%!”
“Congratulations! Focus Point Afflictions (Lunar) has reached level 10! Progression to level 11: 0%!”
“Congratulations! Focus Point Affliction (Lunar) ability – Epidermis Luminescence has reached level 10! Progression to level 11: 0%! Damage Output has increased, Timer has increased!”
“Congratulations! Focus Point Utility (Shadow) ability Shadow Step has reached level 12! Progression to level 13: 3%!”
“Congratulations! Focus Point Affliction (Shadow) ability Shade’s Corruption has reached level 10! Progression to level 11: 0%! Damage Output has increased, Timer has increased, 5% chance to cause Confusion Debuff has increased to 7%!”
“Congratulations! Weapon Skill – Dagger has reached level 18! Progression to level 19: 0%!”
“Congratulations! Weapon Skill – Scythe has reached level 6! Progression to level 7: 0%!”
“Congratulations! Control over Lightning Mana has reached level 12! Progression to level 13: 31%!”
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Liam pulled the blade of his war scythe out from the Longhorn Static Whip Beetle’s eye socket, dropped that end on the ground and then leaned against the handle while trying to keep himself standing. He breathed heavily as he stared at the giant corpse. The shadows that were gripping it tightly dispersed as his affliction spells deactivated.
He could feel the muscles in his arm bulge as he tried to straighten his posture and intake as much air as he could. Sweat rolled down his face as he lifted an arm up and wiped his forehead clean.
“I can definitely understand why you need a certain amount of strength to wield a weapon like this,” Liam muttered to himself between breaths. “The amount of stamina it consumes is no joke.”
Either way, I must commend you and congratulate you on that impressive move you pulled there at the end. Eri stated with a hint of awe in her voice. The way you swung your new weapon and activated Cleave at the right moment was impressive. A bit reckless, but impressive, nonetheless.
“Thanks,” Liam replied as he felt his heartbeat start to calm down. “I know it was a gamble there because I wasn’t sure how bad the fall damage was going to be, but I’m glad it didn’t hurt as much as it would have back in my old world. Having stats can really save your ass at times.”
And that is why people work hard on raising them. Eri agreed. For moments like this where a stat being at a certain level can really come in handy. Now enough with this. See what you got and harvest this creature.
“Yes ma’am,” Liam said as he reached out and touched the monster’s corpse.
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“You have received Static Shell Greaves.”
“Static Shell Greaves has been placed into your inventory.”
“You have received 50 Copper coins.”
“50 Copper Coins has been placed into your inventory.”
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Liam pulled out the equipment piece he received and stared at them. They were smooth burnt yellow with black stripes leg armor. He knocked on them to see how sturdy they were and the feeling his knuckles felt as he tapped the equipment reminded him of how sturdy the giant beetle’s shell was. They weren’t too impressive, but sometimes equipment didn’t need to be in order to protect you. He assessed them to get a better look.
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“Static Shell Greaves. Item Type – Armor (Legs). Item Rarity – Uncommon. Item Quality – Crude. + 5 Defense. + 5 % resistance to Lightning Magic. Effect – Static Pulse. Static Pulse – Channel Lightning Mana into the Greaves. After enough Lightning Mana has been stored into the equipment, wearer can release a small static pulse of Lightning around them. Distance 5ft.”
“Warning! User must be able to manipulate Lighting Mana in order to utilize Static Pulse!”
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Liam nodded after reading the information on them. As he placed them back into his inventory he muttered, “The defense isn’t much, but that Static Pulse effect is pretty good. Especially for a Crude item.” He then stared at the boss monster’s corpse, pulled out a knife and started to harvest the monster.
It took Liam some time to harvest the Soul Orb of the Longhorn Static Whip Beetle. Thanks to its level instead of it being a Flawed Soul Orb, it ended up being a Minor Soul Orb. After that he went and tried to harvest as much as he could from the Longhorn Static Whip Beetle. However, due to never harvesting one before, many of the materials he attempted to harvest were not suitable for crafting.
The long whip-like antennas that he had cleaved during his fight and the perfectly intact eye he hadn’t stabbed repeatedly with his war scythe were the only ones in almost near perfect condition. He was able to gain some parts of the creature’s shell, but the size of each one varied and cracks were visible on majority of them.
Due to that, Liam let out a sigh and just resigned his luck on it. He accepted that he needed to find smaller variants of the creatures to practice on, along with trying to find a book on harvesting the species.
As he stared at the broken pieces of Beetle shell, Liam asked himself, “Is it possible to even make armor out of this stuff? I mean I know how the ingots work as well as bones, but is it the same process or is there some trick to it?”
I wouldn’t say there’s a trick to it. Eri suddenly chimed in. It’s more about experience. Once you get certain sections of Blacksmith like Weapon Craft, Armor Craft, or even Bone Forging as well as Blacksmithing as a whole up to level thirty then you’re able to start adding more components. Since you’re still in the Bronze or Beginner stages from level one to twenty nine, you’re essentially just learning how to make stuff and trying to get a better understanding of how you can work with materials.
After entering the Silver Stage of the Craft a new section will appear in your Blacksmith. This new section you should allow you to begin a more creative venture for your crafted items. Adding things like this beetle shell to strengthen your armor or mixing the Bone crafted armor with tailored made or plated metal pieces. The possibilities are endless.
Keep in mind though, as you start to do this, the quality of the smithed items you make will go down until you raise that new section up high enough. So, when you make your first item with components on it do not be discouraged. It’s all a part of the learning and experience you’ll need to grow.
Liam was genuinely surprised. He knew that crafting wasn’t simple. While there had been some simplicity at the beginning, he was starting to see that much like anything the basics will always seem that way. After mastering the basics that’s when things start to get complicated.
Speaking of Blacksmithing. Eri started back up. Don’t leave this place just yet. I think this would be the best place to try something new.
Liam tilted his head with a confused expression on his face. “Try what out?”
A class ability of yours that we haven’t had the chance to test out yet. Eri replied. Anima Forge.
“Are you sure? Don’t we have to go back and prepare for those tests?” Liam questioned sounding a bit unsure.
Yes I am sure. Eri started. You don’t get many chances to be alone in an area where no one would enter. So, take this opportunity to test the ability out. You never know when you’re going to get another chance.
Liam thought about it. He knew she was right. If he let this chance go he didn’t know when it would appear again. He pulled up the description of the ability and read it.
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“Anima Forge. Ability type – Crafting, Instant, Non-chant. MP Cost – N/A. Spirit Pool Cost – 25. Item Requirements – Small Kiln or Small Smelter. Requirements – Spirit Stat Will Sub-stat Zen level 20. Description – Creates a small Anima Forge by turning a regular flame into a soul flame allowing the user to forge spirit orbs into a completed crafted weapon, armor piece, or tools into it. This ability levels up Soul Smithing in the Blacksmithing Craft.”
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Much like his Spirit Weave Class ability, this one didn’t require any Mana. Instead, it required using his spirit pool. He wasn’t entirely sure how he would be able to activate this ability since all it said was creates a small Anima Forge by turning a regular flame into a Soul Flame.
“Do I just summon a flame and does that turn into a Soul Flame?” Liam muttered to himself as he thought about it. He shook his head. “No that would be impractical wouldn’t it? If I was able to just make a flame then what would I do with it after that? Hold on to it? Would it transform into a forge just from that?”
He was stumped on what he needed to. After giving it some thought he decided to give that a try to see what would happen. He decided he would use Light and Burn to create a small flame and experiment with that.
He reached his hand out, palm up, and chanted, “Come forth heat of flames and burn the pyre before you. Become the tool that will help. Light and burn!”
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A small flame flickered to life and danced an inch above his palm. After it stabilized, he focused on the flame and said with as much focus as he had, “Anima Forge.”
As Liam focused his attention on the flame he felt an ethereal sensation stir within his chest. He wasn’t sure if what he was feeling was correct, but it felt like something light and wispy had passed through his chest and started to circle up to his shoulder then down the arm that was stretched out.
An eerie ghastly green light fazed in and out of his sight as it slowly circled up his forearm. At first he wasn’t able to see it, but as it slowly crept towards his hand, the phenomenon slowly came into view. It looked like a ghastly green mist smoke was trailing along his arm.
With wide eyes, Liam watched as the ghastly green smoke ran along his palm under the flame. It then started circling around until his entire hand was thick with the smoke. Shortly after that, while still circling around, the smoke rose like a miniature tornado. The size of the funnel expanded as the smoke started to swirl around the flame that was dancing on his palm.
After the ghastly green smoke tornado grew taller than the flame, it then thinned out and engulfed the flame. However, as it did this, Liam watched as the flame was suddenly snuffed out like wind blowing out a candle. This also caused the ghastly green smoke to suddenly disperse. The ethereal sensation Liam had felt when he tried to activate this ability had also stopped, making Liam believe the ability had failed.
Even though his little experiment had failed he didn’t get nothing out of it. A couple of chime sounds echoed in his mind while two notifications suddenly appeared.
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“Class Ability Anima Forge has failed! Equipment was not found and proportions of flame to Spirit Pool resources did not match properly!”
“Congratulations! Requirements have been met! You have received Non-Combat ability – Phantom Sight! Phantom Sight has reached level 1! Progression to level 2: 0%!”
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“Equipment was not found and the Proportions of flame to Spirit Pool Resources did not match?” Liam muttered to himself. “I figured the first part of the message was what I originally thought it would be like. However, what the hell does that last part mean? Also, Phantom Sight? What the hell is that?”
He then pulled up the ability to read the description.
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“Phantom Sight. Description – Allows user to see Phantom, Spectral, Spirit, Ghost type creature when it disappears from plain sight. Can see through any solid object a Spirit type creature inhabits in order to discern if a spirit type creature is attached to it. Bonus Effect requirements met: Spirit Pool, Spirit type Class. Bonus Effect: Allows user to see Spirit type abilities easier when caster is using them or if a creature is using them against the caster.”
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Liam was confused by the wording of this description. The description of the ability wasn’t what confused him though. It was worded as if this wasn’t an ability that was strictly for his kind of class. The Bonus effect gave the feeling that it was tailored for his type of class, but the first part made it seemed like anyone was able to gain this ability.
“Hey Eri?” Liam started. “This Phantom Sight. It kind of sounds like anyone could gain this ability. That’s not the case right?”
That is the case. Eri replied. Although it is rare, there are ghost or spirit type monsters in dungeons. Some people with very high Perception have a chance to gain it, but generally Priest, Paladin, or classes similar to that usually gain them. They get this abilities because they have a higher chance to gain abilities in order to help their teams out during fights that have ghosts, wraiths, or the like.
Most classes don’t focus on gaining abilities that can help defeat spirits since the chances of coming across them are rare. That and majority of the people don’t like going into Black Dungeons where they reside.
If memory serves me right, the Sojourner Race are the only ones who focus on those types of Dungeons since they have a motto that the Dead should remain dead. Their Deity, Arlen, heavily requires his subjects to gain the abilities needed to fight Undead, Spirit creatures, and even the Demon-kins since he believes they are foul spawns that plaque the world. My advice, if you come across someone who says they are a Sojourner do not talk to them.
“What do you mean?” Liam asked as curiosity filled him.
Their race is a highly religious one. Eri continued. They will not stop at just killing Undead, Spirits, and Demons. The race of people are highly fanatical and want to convert everyone. They do not like taking no for an answer too. There has been a time where wars were waged because they wanted a whole race to be converted and that race refused. It was…messy. Many Deities had to step in to stop it because it was getting out of hand.
Liam’s face contorted into a disdainful look. “That sounds intense. Yeah I don’t want to get mixed up with them if that’s how they are.”
Would be wise, but let’s refocus on what just happened. Eri nodded in agreement. Tell me. Why did you try to activate the ability with just a flame out and not your portable forge?
“Since I’m not one hundred percent sure how the ability activates I wanted to test if all I needed was a flame,” Liam replied. “I had a feeling it wouldn’t work, but I at least wanted to say I tried.”
Fair enough. Eri said. I won’t undermine you testing it that way since you were able to gain a new ability from your little experiment. Albeit, I do believe you need a forge with a fire already going in order for it to work. Let’s try that out and see if it works.
“Alright,” Liam said as he pulled up his Mobile Crafter ability.
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“Mobile Crafter. Which would you like to use? Available Crafting Stations – Alchemy (Small), Blacksmithing (Small), Cooking (Small). Unavailable Crafting Stations – Tailoring (Small).”
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He mentally clicked on Blacksmithing (Small) and took a couple steps back as the ground around him started to rumble. The ground shifted and stirred as stones began to push up and form into a small domed forge with a chimney. A second area had formed into a flatter version of the domed forged as an anvil appeared in between the two. A small area close by the flattened forge had pushed down making a small pit. Liam’s face scrunched as he thought about what would normally go in that pit close by what he called the Smelter.
Okay. Go ahead and light the forge with your Light and Burn spell. Eri instructed. After you get the fire stoked activate your new Phantom Sight ability and try to use your Anima Forge ability.
“Oddly specific instructions,” Liam quietly muttered to himself before doing as she said.
He chanted his Light and Burn spell while channeling some mana into it to get the flame hot and big enough to be placed inside the Mobile Crafter Forge. After he placed the flame, he waited a few seconds before readjusting his goggles that rested over his eyes, activated Phantom Sight, placed both arms out towards the flame inside the small forge, and said, “Anima Forge.”
Like earlier, Liam felt an ethereal sensation stir within him before it passed through his chest. Instead of the light ghastly feeling running towards one shoulder, Liam felt a wispy light touch split into two directions. They gently and slowly ran up to both shoulders before circling around and down his arms.
As soon as the ghastly green smoke made it to his biceps, Liam was able to see the thickness of the smoke was thinner than it was when it ran down only one arm. He also noticed something else as the smoke crept slowly to his hands. Within the ghastly green smoke, transparent outlines of an arm looked to be rising and sinking.
Liam couldn’t put it into words what exactly it was he was seeing, but he felt a bit unsettled. The images only appeared where the lines of smoke touched. The areas the smoke didn’t touch nothing happened.
He shook his head and concentrated on the task before him. He watched as the ghastly green smoke continued to his hands. He almost flinched as he saw transparent outlines of parts of hands rose and sunk. Trying hard not to react to it he then watched as the ghastly smoke began to waterfall of his hands and into the forge.
As the lines of smoke entered the forge they started to swirl around the burning flame livening inside. The swirling smoke started at the top and slowly made their way down to the bottom. As Liam watched this he saw wild parts of the flame escape from the body and fly right into the smoke. The flame that came out from the other side of the thin line of smoke had changed color for a brief moment before returning to its orangish red and disappearing.
Liam was curious about that. That one independent flame’s color had changed to match the smoke entirely. He tried to look around inside to see if it would happen again and watched as several other flames that had broken off from the main body either passed through the ghastly green smoke or between the lines.
He noticed a difference between the two. The ones that had passed through the smoke did what he had witnessed with the first independent flame. The ones that didn’t pass through the smoke, but instead in-between the lines remained the same color. He found this discovery to be very intriguing. He then waited to see what would happen next. However, as he waited nothing changed.
He frowned at this. He didn’t know what to expect when he was told to try this ability out, but he was hoping for something like his many other skills. He was hoping for an understanding to appear in his mind like many of his abilities he received did. As he continued to wait he came to the decision that this ability wasn’t going to give him the answer. Instead, it wanted him to figure it out on his own.
“If that’s how you want to play then I guess I’ll bite,” Liam quietly muttered to himself as he smile and began to think about what to do.
He worked on a lot of different ideas on what he was supposed to do, but each one felt like they were missing something. As he continued to think he watched the smoke swirling around the main body of the flame while little bits separated from it and passed through the smoke.
As he watched this, he began thinking to himself, The color of those flames passing through the smoke is probably the outcome I’m wanting to happen. If that’s the case then how would I get the flame to…
His thoughts on the question slowly died out as words from the notification he received earlier on his first attempt replayed in his mind.
Proportions of flame to Spirit Pool resources did not match properly.
What did that notification mean? Liam began to think. Why would I receive a notification saying something like that? Think. What happened during the last attempt?
Liam replayed the scene of the thick smoke turning into a tornado on his palm while swirling around the small flame. He then remembered seeing the smoke engulf the flame and…snuffed it out?
Did it snuff the flame out? Liam thought. If that is the case then why did it? He thought about the notification and the scene where the smoke and flame both disappeared. He felt like he was on the cusp of something but still wasn’t there.
If the notification was a clue to it then maybe it was trying to tell me there was too much smoke and the amount that had covered it was too much for the small flame? Liam nodded his head. Yeah. Yeah, I think that was it. But if that was the case for that flame, then what is going on here? The flame is bigger than the one earlier so wouldn’t it…
Liam’s line of thought caused him to grow curious about something as he watched a random small flame that had separated pass through the thin line of smoke. He leaned his body forward enough to get a better look at the bottom of the fire. A smile formed at what he just saw.
The smoke that was spiraling down was entering the flame at the bottom and was feeding into it. The color of the bottom section of that flame was a ghastly green. However, only the bottom of the flame was that color while the rest of the flame was an orangish red.
So that’s what it meant when it said the proportions of the flame and the Spirit Pool resources didn’t match properly. Liam thought as an understanding washed over him. The piece he was trying to figure out had finally clicked. I had poured too much of the spirit smoke over that little flame which caused both to puff out. This time I’m not pouring in enough to match the flame. If that’s the case then I need to feed it more.
Liam focused on the ghastly green smoke. He tried willing it grown. To thicken the lines more than what was pouring out. At first nothing happened. After a few seconds had passed, he felt the sensation grow a bit heavier. He then watched as the thin smoke that was circling around his arms grow before entering the forge.
A satisfactory smile grew on his face as he watched the thicker lines of spirit smoke swirl down around the flame. He waited for a few more seconds before witnessing the color of the entire flame begin to change. The orangish red color began to turn. The middle of the flame lightened up until it turned into an ethereal white. The red outlines that covered the outside of the flame darkened to a blue then to a green before matching the same color of ghastly green that the smoke had. After the last bit of flame had finished its transformation, the ghastly green smoke suddenly puffed out leaving behind a flame that gave Liam both an eerie and warm feeling.
A couple of chime sounds entered Liam’s mind as notifications appeared.
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“Congratulations! Main Class Spirit Weaver ability - Anima Forge has reached level 1! Progression to level 2: 0%!”
“Congratulations! Requirements have been met for a new section of Blacksmithing! Soul Craft has been unlocked! Sub-section of Soul Craft – Core Creation has been unlocked.”
“Congratulations! You have received a Soul Craft ability Soul Flame! Soul Flame has reached level 1! Progression to level 2: 0%!”
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