Liam felt ecstatic as he stared at the two notifications before him. He had crafted his very first Soul Craft item. He didn’t know what to expect when he attempted this, but everything that had happened during the whole process was both exciting and adrenaline pumping.
He had entered an unknown territory that he couldn’t get much information on. He didn’t know if he would have been able to use the Anima Forge let alone actually create it. Albeit, it looked like taking that first step into creating it was what he needed to get access to the, what Eri had called, Lost Art.
From creating his first Anima Forge to crafting his first Soul Core Orb, he was basically taking a crack at it in the dark. However, thanks to his curiosity and Eri’s insistence on him trying it out, he was able to gain new Non-Combat abilities that were new and enticing to him. These new abilities made him believe they were needed for the craft, but as he used them to create his first Soul Craft item, he came to realize they were also needed for him to grow his current Main Class Spirit Weaver.
When he attempted to try and recreate how he had achieved Mana Channeling, Mana Control, and Mana Manipulation with his Soul Power, he realized there were similarities between them. While Mana Channeling, Control, and Manipulation both increased the potency of the Mana he wanted to use and help guide it do what he wanted, he felt that the Spirit version of the three would help with both his Crafting and his other abilities like Soul Harvest and Spirit Weave.
Even though he felt that was right, he knew he would need to test it out. However, with his current Spirit Pool size as well as his method of replenishing it, he would need to be more frugal with his tests. This was just another reason he felt he really needed to learn how to make potions specifically for this. However, that line of worry would have to be saved for another day.
He closed down the two notifications and was about to address something he found curious about the Soul Core Orb he had just made. Before he could though, a few more chimes echoed in his mind bringing notifications with them.
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“Congratulations! Soul Craft has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 21%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability – Phantom Sight has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 24%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability – Spirit Channeling has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 34%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability – Spirit Control has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 34%!”
“Congratulations! Non-Combat ability – Spirit Manipulation has reached level 2! Progression to level 3: 34%!”
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Liam closed his notifications after reading them. He was happy that his new abilities were growing, but there was an important matter he wanted to look at first before he thought about anything else.
He looked down at the Soul Core Orb that rested on the anvil. The size of it was almost close to that of a baseball. It had a glossy sheen over its rounded form almost like a marble. His concerns weren’t about the size of the item nor the sheen of it though. His concerns were more on the description it gave.
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“Orb of the Electro Orchid Mantis – Filled. Item Rarity – Uncommon. Item Quality – Flawed. Description – An orb filled with the soul of an Electro Orchid Mantis. Usages: Soul Bind this Orb into a weapon or object to give it a + 10% to all Lightning based Magics, + 5 % to all Plant based Magics, + 5% to attacks.”
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Disregarding the Usages section and everything after that. Liam felt like he had read something very similar to this, but he couldn’t remember where. He closed his eyes and tried thinking about why it sounded familiar as well as where and when he had seen it.
“Let’s see,” Liam started muttering to himself. “I haven’t done much fighting since I’ve been on this island and the loot I’ve received from the monsters I did fight didn’t drop anything like this. If that’s the case then it must have been when I was still in the Tutorial Area. But where?”
Liam tried to remember each and every fight he had while he was taking on the Black Dungeon in the Tutorial Area. He took out the normal mobs he had fought since most of the loot they dropped weren’t like the boss monsters’ loot. He thought about each Boss and E.F.M. monster and tried to remember what they each had dropped. Again, nothing they had dropped rung a bell to him.
Liam scowled. This was bugging him now. he clearly remembered obtaining an item that had similar text, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember. He had thought about the monsters from floor one, two, three, five, and six. He skipped over floor four because it was a trial floor for Eris and he didn’t fight any boss monsters. He did have to fight that wave of monsters as a trial with the final wave being…
“Wait a minute,” Liam stopped his thoughts.
He focused his mind on the fourth challenge he had to do. The one where he recognized the set up as an old mobile game called Plants versus Zombies. The last creature he had to defeat to win the challenge was Atlas the Grave Keeper. He remembered he had received two items from that challenge. One was Atlas Chest Bones, that he was saving for creating Bone Armor, while the other was…
“The Orb of the Grave Keeper,” Liam whispered as it clicked.
Liam opened up his inventory and searched through the open slots then through the nags he had in there. He realized he was coming dangerously close to being full as he searched. He needed to either sell or figure out how to get bigger bags. After searching through everything he finally came across the item he was searching for. After pulling it out he assessed it.
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“Orb of the Grave Keeper – Filled. Item Rarity – Rare. Item Quality – Common. Description – An orb filled with the soul of Atlas the Grave Keeper. Usage - Soul Bind this Orb into an armor piece, or object to give it a + 15% defense against all Undead attacks, + 10% defense against all Plant and Earth based Magics.”
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Liam remembered last time he received this item it didn’t have the information that came after usage. It had said unknown to him. He wondered if after getting the Soul Craft and crafting his first Soul Core Orb if that had unlocked the information that was once unknown.
What’s that? Eri questioned.
“It’s something I had gotten as a reward after I passed your fourth challenge on the fourth floor,” Liam replied. “I believe it’s a Soul Core Orb. It’s called Orb of the Grave Keeper.’
That’s interesting. Eri stated. I didn’t know you received this as a reward. But what makes you think it’s a Soul Core Orb?
“The information it shows almost matches the same information as the Orb of the Electro Orchid Mantis,” Liam answered. “Both descriptions state that it is an orb filled with the soul of. Also, the Usage on both say Soul Bind this orb. The only differences I’ve seen is what soul the orbs are filled with; the attributes and one says weapon while the other says armor piece.”
That is very interesting. Eri muttered in an almost quiet voice. Liam felt like she was thinking something over, so he took the time to go back to his thoughts.
As he talked to Eri about the two items he remembered why this had piqued his curiosity. It was because when he had received this item he had compared it to something else as well.
Liam opened his inventory after setting the Orb of the Grave Keeper next to his other Soul Core Orb. He looked for the item and pulled it out after finding it. This one was the same size as the other two orbs, but instead of having a solid center it was completely empty. He assessed it as he sat it down next to the other two baseball sized orbs.
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“Orb of the Withered – Unfilled. Item Rarity – Uncommon. Item Quality – Minor.”
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Coming out of her thoughts, Eri quickly asked, What’s this one? It almost looks like the other two, but completely empty.
“It’s something I had received when I harvested a Withered Treant back on the second floor of the Black Tutorial Dungeon,” Liam replied. “It doesn’t give me much of a descript…”
Liam swiftly stopped as a new notification suddenly appeared.
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“Information Unlocked.”
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Orb of the Withered – Unfilled. Item Rarity – Uncommon. Item Quality – Minor. Description – An orb that was once filled with the Soul of a Withered Treant. Due to unknown reasons, the soul that once resided inside has disappeared. Since Vessel is still intact it can be refilled again.”
“Warning! Crafter does not meet the requirements to refill Unfilled Soul Core Orb – Orb of the Withered! Requirements needed to refill Soul Core Orb – Orb of the Withered: Any Withered type Soul Orb at Minor Tier level. Core Creation at minimum level 10. Soul Craft Sub-Section Core Replenishment.”
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Liam stared at the notification updates. He had never received something like this before. This only further made him believe the theory he had earlier was right. Because he was able to get Soul Craft and made his first Soul Core Orb, all hidden, locked, or unknown information was now being revealed.
That is some very interesting notifications. Eri stated with a lot of interest. If I could make a guess right now…that might be the next Sub-Section to your Soul Craft.
“You think so too, huh,” Liam agreed. “Will be interesting if I could get that, but I’ve never seen any other creatures with the name Withered in them besides that Treant. Are they rare? Also, what could cause a Soul Core Orb to empty but still remain intact?”
Withered type creatures are kind of rare. Eri stated. Uncommon more than rare. It all depends on the dungeon and the location of the dungeon. As for the empty Soul Core Orb, I have never heard of someone receiving it as a harvested material. That is very interesting.
Liam frowned at her words. He made a mental note that if he ever came across a dungeon with Withered type monsters he would have to farm the dungeon a few times to stock up on their Soul Orbs. He made an adage to that mental note that he would have to farm a few dungeons to stock up on their Soul Orbs. Not only did he need them for his Core Creation, but he also needed them to replenish his Spirit Pool.
Thinking about his Spirit Pool, Liam took a look at it to see where he was with it. He grimaced as he saw he was sitting at one hundred and thirty five. He let out a sigh. He needed to replenish it before he left the dungeon. He looked back down at the three Soul Core Orbs then at his Anima Forge. Regardless of if he used so much Soul Power, he was happy with the results.
“Alright, I guess I can take this time to replenish my stock of Health and Mana Potions while I wait for my Spirit Pool to replenish,” Liam stated as he put three baseball sized orbs away.
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Liam had spent an hour replenishing his Spirit Pool. During that time, he had made five Minor Minty Health Potions, five Minor Apple Health Potions, and ten Minor Grape Mana Potions. He finished those a little earlier than he had thought it would take not because he ran out of materials, but because he had reached a goal he had wanted to meet for quite a while. His Potion Making Section in Alchemy had finally reached level twenty.
That wasn’t the only thing he had leveled in Alchemy during his crafting session. His Mana Extraction had reached level twenty as well while his Alchemy as a whole reached level twenty one thanks to both Extraction and Distill reaching the same level.
His Alchemy craft and sections in the craft weren’t the only things that had levels too. His Main Class ability Mobile Crafter had leveled twice reaching level eight thanks to his crafting with Anima Forge and Alchemy. Even his Secondary Class ability Devour had gained a level, reaching level eleven, after all the times he used it. He had also gained an extra forty points to his Spirit Pool making it reach two hundred and fifty. It wasn’t in one go though. It came in groups of ten thanks to four of the Soul Orbs he had devoured.
He wasn’t sure how or why he was able to increase his Spirit Pool size by using his Devour ability nor why it wasn’t consistent when it did increase, but he wasn’t going to complain. Instead, he took it as a good sign since he didn’t have a real way to do it like how his Vitality increased his health.
During the remainder of the time, he had left waiting for his Spirit Pool to replenish, Liam took out two of his Knowledge Theory Books and went over them. The two books he read were his Toxicology Knowledge Theory Book and his Beginner’s Guide to things that go Boom! He was able to get his Toxicology Knowledge Theory up a level making it level twelve, and his Beginner’s Guide to things that go Boom up two levels leaving it at level seven.
He was looking into both because he wanted to come up with some ideas on what he wanted to craft when he got back to the Fiddler’s Spider Web. He was going to use their Alchemy room to try and craft some items and wanted to see which methods would be great to use. While poisons were great when coating on his blades, he felt like there was more he could do.
Going over his Toxicology book, he remembered Alice had informed him when she first taught him about poisons that there were different types and applications. As he read the book he realized that some of the methods were still beyond his reach, but he still felt like there was a method out there he could use. Maybe if he found the right one he could mix it with his Chemicalized Creation items.
After thinking it over and over with the time he had left, he couldn’t find a method that really stuck out to him. He figured once he started his crafting session he would come up with something, until then he could only wrack his brain.
After he was finished with replenishing his Spirit Pool, he cleaned up, activated his Veil of Shadows and exited out from the dungeon. After he reappeared in the Dungeon Tower, he received a notification that his kills and completion of the dungeon was recorded in his A.I.D.
He then made his way to the entrance of the Fiddler’s Spider Web after that. After he activated the entrance and made his way down the crazy abstract staircase, he deactivated his Veil of Shadows and activated his Spirit Weave, taking the form he had when he first came here. After confirming he was good and disguised, he opened the door and took a good look around.
To his surprise, Noxi, Orchid, and Lady Arachne were standing around by the desk that sat close to the wall opposite of where he stood. They looked like they were talking about something but had stopped the moment he entered the room. All three turned to look at him and smiled.
“Looks like the little kitten has come back much sooner than I had expected,” Lady Arachne teased as she stared at him. “Are you done preparing and ready to start your testing?”
Liam frowned after hearing what she had called him. Not allowing his dislike of the nickname she called him, Liam said with an even tone, “Not quite yet. I would like to inquire if I can use your crafting room, but before that I was wondering if I can take a look at the market place you mentioned before to see if you have some…unique materials in stock?”
Lady Arachne and Noxi raised a brow, looking interested in his request while Orchid held back a snicker. Liam was a little confused by their reaction but waited for answer.
“Normally we do not allow applicants to browse the wares meant for members,” Lady Arachne started. Her face was schooled and didn’t give Liam any hint of what she was thinking. That was until a curious grin slowly formed. “However, you are the Wild Card’s apprentice. With a feat like that, I believe allowing you to make some purchases to help your crafting can be given. Oh, but please do not believe it is because I think you deserve the right to. It is more of a courtesy and respect to him. That and I am quite curious what you think you need to make in order to pass.”
Liam felt some relief within after listening to her. He tried his best not to let it show with his body language or in his voice as he stated, “Thank you for giving me your permission to use your market place. I hope that…”
“Ah I must inform you on something though,” Lady Arachne interrupted. “I will be accompanying you and stopping you from purchasing certain materials.”
Liam’s body tensed a bit. He wasn’t sure what she was going to stop him from buying, but he was hoping it wasn’t anything he actually needed.
His concerns were quickly dispelled as she continued, “Can’t have you buying high grade materials for high level crafting. You simply are not ready for those types of crafts yet so I can’t have those materials wasted. Also, I will be prohibiting you from buying finished crafted items. You are only allowed to purchase materials and maybe a Knowledge Theory book or two if you meet the requirements to learn them as well have an actual use for what you intend to craft. Those are the terms I wish to place. Do you agree to them?”
If Liam was being honest, the terms were not bad at all. He didn’t have any intention of buying what he could not use at the moment. He would be lying if he said he didn’t want to purchase some fully crafted items. However, he had no intention of buying those items for the test. He wanted to pass the tests with what he made and not what others created.
“I feel those terms are quite fine,” Liam replied. "I accept them.”
Lady Arachne grinned. “Good. Now that you have agreed. Shall we proceed?” Without waiting for an answer, Lady Arachne turned and made her way to a door to her right. After she approached the door, she reached a hand out and turned the knob.
Liam slowly walked towards her and watched as the door opened. Inside the doorway was a dark background with a light purple mist floating down mixed with some white sparkles here and there. He tried to peer past it, but he couldn’t see anything.
Liam was curious how these doors worked. He didn’t hear her say anything that indicated the doors were voice activated. He did remember her saying there was some sort of space magic behind them, but besides the entrance, he really didn’t know how each room worked.
He looked at her. She gave him another smile as she insisted, “After you little kitten.”
Liam internally frowned once more at the teasing name. He wasn’t sure if she was dead set on calling that or if she was making fun of him. But he figured if she was teasing him then he shouldn’t react to it. This way she would stop. However, if she wasn’t teasing him then he needed to say something about it.
He sighed internally as he thought, Let’s just hope she really is teasing me and she’s not going to give that as his Web Name. He then took a step through the door and braced himself for the worst.
Liam closed his eyes as he stepped through the purple mist he was surprised. To his surprise it had felt like he just walked through a beaded curtain. The purple mist and black background with white sparkles had run over his body and rolled off of him like they had no force or gravity to them.
After the beady feeling had washed over his body, the sound of flapping, feet scuffing against dirt and stone, and voices suddenly entered his ears. He slowly opened his eyes and was caught off guard as he took in the scene before him. He didn’t know how it was possible or if what he was seeing was entirely accurate, but he believed he was no longer standing in a room, but rather outside in a forested area.
Several people wearing masks and cloaks rushed about all around him. They carried crates, bags, items of different shapes, sizes, and colors. They carried these item to and away from several tables that were spread about with what looked like designated people ordering them around.
Liam took a good look around and noticed he was standing in a clearing surrounded by thin eggshell white barked trees marking where the clearing started and ended. Birds that looked exactly like different species of owls flew around in the sky above head or rested on the branches of the tall trees. The size of these trees were impressive, albeit, the height of these trees paled in comparison to the one that stood not too far away from where he stood.
A giant eerily white tree standing three story high and as thick as a house stood tall and proud. Liam looked up at the top to see the crown of the tree had white as crystal snow leaves covering the top. The full moon that looked down and shined brightly with its majestic brilliance illuminated the giant tree in a way that Liam could only call magical and breathtaking.
As Liam took in the snowy tree in front of him he noticed the branches that sprouted underneath the crown of tree were bare of any leaves. Instead, thick spiderwebs woven in intricate and sturdy rope like designs were spread out from branch to branch, holding wares of different kinds.
As Liam brought his eyes down the trunk he noticed there were windows carved in different sections with light shining from within. At the base of the trunk was a carved out entrance with carefully crafted designs running along the archway big enough for someone like Naro to be able to walk through with ease.
Liam was entirely baffled by all of what he saw. He couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating or dreaming. Taking in by all of this he had forgotten that he was accompanied by Lady Arachne. She took a few steps ahead of him and spun around, allowing her dress to twirl with her movements, and stopped to give him a wide knowing grin and said, “Welcome to our Marketplace. Also known as the Dark Nest.”