[Task accepted?]
“Yes…”
[Task accepted.]
[For 1 minute, you will be able to use the Artisan's "Destruction" power at its maximum potential.]
[Destruction: Just as an Artisan knows how to create, they also know how to destroy. The Artisan's destruction ability allows them to break anything down into its fundamental components, reducing it to its essence.]
[Time remaining: 59 seconds.]
“Shit, the timer's already started... So this ability lets me destroy things, huh? I think I know how to use it. No, it's more than just knowing how to use it, it's like I've had this power for a long time. How is this possible? Screw it, none of that matters right now!”
I started crawling to survive. Crawling, dragging myself by my fingers. Even as my nails tore off and my hands were drenched in blood, I kept pulling myself forward.
[Time remaining: 30 seconds.]
“Huh? What does this insect think it's doing? Are you crawling toward me?”
The vampire threw Nigel, whom he had been holding by the neck, onto the crying female hunter.
“HAHAHAHA! The effort humans put into clinging to life is admirable! Do you want revenge? What do you think you'll achieve by crawling toward me?”
Ignoring what the vampire said, I kept crawling, doing everything I could to reach him. As soon as I saw his feet, I reached out to touch him, but before I could, he stomped on my hand, crushing every bone in my right hand.
“HAHAHAHA! Pathetic creature!”
“Pathetic? Your death will come at the hands of this pathetic creature.”
“Huh? What did you just say?”
With my left hand, I grabbed the vampire's ankle, the one crushing my right hand, and activated my ability.
“Destruction.”
“Wha—”
Before the vampire could even finish his sentence, his body exploded into pieces, his limbs scattering across the room, and my entire body was drenched in his blood. I could taste the blood as it dripped from my face into my mouth.
I crawled toward the wall and tried to pull myself up.
Meanwhile, Nigel, who had witnessed everything, was overjoyed that the vampire was dead.
“We—we made it! So you were actually a hunter hiding your power all this time? I can't believe we survived! Bringing you onto the team was really the right decision! I'll give you 20%, no, I'll give you 30% of the profits!”
I pushed myself up with the help of the wall and walked toward the woman still lying on the floor, crying. As I passed by her, I placed my hand on her back and activated my ability.
“Destruction.”
The female hunter exploded into pieces, her blood splattering across the walls.
“H-Huh? What are you doing? Ah, I get it! You want to steal her stuff too, right? Why are you walking toward me? Did you think I'd be mad because you killed a teammate? Of course not! I was planning to kill that bitch soon anyway! Come on, let's grab her stuff and get out of here!”
[Time remaining: 10 seconds.]
I continued walking toward Nigel and stopped in front of him, reaching out my hand.
Nigel said, “D-Do you... do you want to shake my hand? Hahaha! W-We really did make a good team, didn't we?” as he reached out to shake my hand.
But I wasn't trying to shake his hand.
[Time remaining: 5 seconds.]
I placed my hand on Nigel's face.
“W-What are you doing? S-Stop!?”
Nigel wanted to escape, but he couldn't. He had already collapsed to his knees in fear, paralyzed and unable to move.
[Time remaining: 3 seconds.]
“Don’t worry too much, Nigel. It’s just business.”
[Time remaining: 1 second.]
“Destruction.”
Nigel’s head exploded, splattering his brains all over the walls. Blood covered me and the room, the scent of fresh blood overwhelming my senses.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
[Task completed.]
[As the time has expired, the Artisan's Destruction ability has been withdrawn.]
[Rewards being distributed...]
[Reward: Full Restoration]
My entire body was engulfed in light, and all my wounds healed. Even the blood and dirt on me vanished.
"Is this Full Restoration? I really feel like I’m in a laundry detergent commercial."
[Reward: Craftsman's Path]
[Craftsman System Acquired.]
"Craftsman System?"
[Craftsman System] [Level 1]
[Health: 15/15] [Mana: 0/0]
[Stats] [Strength: 2] [Agility: 2] [Durability: 3] [Intelligence: 2] [Luck: 1]
[Skills]
[Examine] [A passive skill that develops in proportion to your level of understanding. It allows you to better comprehend materials, complex structures, and the composition of different substances.]
[Shatter] [Allows you to break down complex formations into their components, provided you fully understand their structure.]
"All these skills and stats… This is just like a game. So, is this what the so-called system gave me? Is this the work of some god? No, gods don’t help someone without talent."
Gods have the right to choose individuals with talent, bestow their own gifts upon them, and take them as their apostles. While they cannot directly interfere with the world or people for some reason, they show their presence through humans.
"And this dismantling skill, it doesn’t seem as strong as the [Shatter] skill I just used, but it looks like a similar ability."
"Wait a minute, what am I doing? Am I seriously examining my skills like I’m playing a game?.."
“I-I just killed two people without hesitation…”
Overwhelmed by shock, I suddenly started vomiting. The human brain tends to fill itself with other thoughts to cope with trauma, but no matter how much you distract yourself, the effects of trauma eventually surface. What I was experiencing right now was no different; my body was trembling, and I couldn’t stop vomiting. Reality had hit me like a wet log to the face.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the portal beginning to close.
“Damn it! So much happened at once that I forgot I killed the boss. I need to get out of here before the dungeon collapses.”
Just before entering the portal, I spotted something shining among the vampire's exploding corpse.
[Vampire's Fangs]
"Huh? Vampire fangs? These details… Am I seeing this thanks to my Comprehension skill?"
[Vampire fangs have the ability to absorb blood and become sharper depending on the amount of blood absorbed. Since they are made of bone, they are also hard and durable.]
"These might come in handy. I should take them before I leave."
I looked around a bit more before leaving, but I couldn’t find the boss’s mana crystal anywhere. It must have been destroyed along with the boss when I used the Destruction skill. I should consider myself lucky to have gotten the fangs.
Mana Crystals: Mana crystals are materials used by hunters for making tower weapons, armor, potions, and various other items. Through studies conducted on mana crystals, it has also become possible to use them as long-term energy sources. While not every monster drops a mana crystal, low-level mana crystals are fairly common. The rarity of the monster often correlates with the rarity of the mana crystal.
After putting the fangs in my bag, I entered the portal and left the dungeon. By the time I emerged, hours had passed, and the crowd had already dispersed, leaving only the officials behind. Since I was the only one to come out of the dungeon alone, the officials naturally asked what had happened. I explained what had occurred in the dungeon, though I altered the story a bit. Instead of revealing what I had done, I told them that Hunter Nigel had killed everyone and left me to carry the items, and that we encountered a B-rank boss. I said Nigel and the boss fought until they both died, and I somehow managed to escape by sheer luck.
If Nigel’s team had all survived, they might have covered up the deaths in the dungeon as a ‘Dungeon Accident.’ But for an unawakened person like me to emerge alone would raise suspicion.
Of course, I’m awakened now, in a way.
The Awakened: The awakened are individuals chosen by the system. Awakened people can level up, increase their stats, and gradually become stronger. However, leveling up becomes increasingly slow, so individuals within certain level ranges are often at roughly the same power level. Therefore, while leveling up is important, what matters more is the person’s class and skills. Warrior, mage, archer, and thief are common classes, while healer, barbarian, and spearman are rarer. Classes that are held by only one or a few individuals are referred to as "Special Classes." Japan’s most famous hunter, Yoshida Isamu, possesses one such Special Class, the “Aura Spearman.”
Hunters’ strengths are ranked from F, E, D, C, B, A, to S. Even among the S ranks, those who are exceptionally powerful are called "Special Grade." Special Grades are so rare that there are only a few in the world. Felix Latyn is the first Special Grade hunter.
After explaining the situation to the officials, I set off toward my workshop. Even though people had died, they said the items belonged to the person who cleared the dungeon, so they allowed me to take the items I had collected with me.
As I walked, my thoughts were spinning around in my head.
“A craftsman, huh? There’s never been a production-type class before. Does this mean I have a Special Grade class? How am I supposed to fight with a class focused on crafting? I thought I could climb the tower, clear dungeons, make money, and cure my mother’s illness. But can I really do that?”
I kept walking, feeling confused.
"No, I didn't have anything before, and now I have something I can use. I have to do my best."
When I arrived at my workshop, I put my bag on the workbench and emptied its contents onto the table.
The workshop was a makeshift structure with very limited facilities. The first thing that caught your eye when you entered the room was the old and worn-out workbench in the middle. Scattered across it were tools like hammers, pliers, and wrenches. In one corner stood an old forge and an anvil, next to which hung unfinished or damaged swords, knives, and other weapons.
The walls were cracked and dirty, bearing the marks of time. On the floor, metal scraps and piles of dust were scattered. A small window let in a faint beam of light, barely illuminating the room. The workshop gave the feeling of being abandoned or left untouched for a long time. While there were enough materials to work with, the environment felt overwhelmingly dark, tired, and lonely.
My mother was now staying in the hospital, and after turning 18, I sold our small, makeshift house to push things forward and earn more money. I bought this smaller, even more makeshift workshop and filled it with the tools I needed with the remaining money. Most of the items here were built from trash I found, and I’ve been living here for the past six months. In our old house, I only had a small anvil and a few tools, but moving to a workshop with a forge and more tools gave me the chance to work harder. I had considered using the money from the sale to buy my mother's medications, but sooner or later, when we needed more medicine, I would have ended up penniless. So this was the best solution.
I sat in my wobbly chair, with one leg broken, and glanced over the items I had spread on the table.
"Alright, it's time to make some money!"