Chapter 88

In the center, which was sunken like a mortar, a large stone was visible.

Finally, we've reached the Flame Spirit Rock.

The edge part is already within the area of the Area Portal.

There was a presence of monsters behind, but I'm not in the mood to deal with them.

My MP bar has dropped below half and is less than 30%.

I want to take a long break to recover.

It was already past noon.

I want to have lunch.

"First, let's eat."

"Yes, that's right."

Lambda seems to be eating with portable food.

He eats quickly.

Half of it was gone while I was preparing the meal.

"Don't rush, okay? I think we need a longer break for the MP to recover."

"Mmm."

"You don't have to talk while eating."

He's eating as if washing it down with water.

If you eat like that in real life, it's bad for your health, you know?

Lambda finished eating in one go and waited for me to finish.

During that time, he seemed to be observing the summoned monsters.

He was poking the slime Rig and enjoying its reactions.

Does he like paw pads?

It's possible.

"Then, let's take a break for a while."

"How long should we wait?"

"I want at least 60% of the MP bar."

"Can I log out for a while then?"

"Of course."

Lambda took out a tent from the Item Box and started setting it up.

While watching him, I checked Volfs status.

Volfs Status:

Volfs Level 8

Dexterity: 12

Agility: 27

Intelligence: 12

Strength: 12

Vitality: 18

Spirit: 12

Skills:

Bite, Sprint, Intimidate, Listen, Danger Sense, Track

Class Change Options:

Gray Wolf

White Wolf

Black Wolf

There are three options.

I don't know which one is good.

There should be a simple explanation.

I focused on the Gray Wolf entry.

It seems that Volfs status and skills have changed.

Volfs Level 8 → Gray Wolf Level 1 (New!)

Dexterity: 12

Agility: 29 (+2)

Intelligence: 12

Strength: 14 (+2)

Vitality: 20 (+2)

Spirit: 12

Skills:

Bite, Sprint, Intimidate, Heavenly Ear (New!), Danger Sense, Track, Night Vision (New!), Stealth (New!)

[Gray Wolf] Summoned Monster, Battle Position: Ground

An advanced form of Wolf. Attack method is biting. Fur is gray with a white underside.

The body is one size larger than a Wolf. It excels in both combat and exploration abilities.

Originally, Wolves have good night vision, but this ability has improved.

[Class Change?]

[Yes] [No]

Wow.

It's like a three-level jump all at once.

Moreover, the skills have changed or increased.

Amazing.

I want to check the other options before making a choice.

Volfs Level 8 → White Wolf Level 1 (New!)

Dexterity: 12

Agility: 28 (+1)

Intelligence: 13 (+1)

Strength: 12

Vitality: 18

Spirit: 14 (+2)

Skills:

Bite, Sprint, Intimidate, Listen, Danger Sense, Track, Ice Attribute (New!)

[White Wolf] Summoned Monster, Battle Position: Ground

An advanced form of Wolf. Attack methods are biting and special ice abilities. Fur is white.

Adapted to cold environments. It has special ice attack abilities.

[Class Change?]

[Yes] [No]

This is also amazing.

The increase in status is not as much as the Gray Wolf, but it has the ice attribute.

A fluffy white one.

Adele would probably be happy with it.

There's still one more type, so I'll hold off for now.

Let's check the next one.

Volfs Level 8 → Black Wolf Level 1 (New!)

Dexterity: 12

Agility: 27

Intelligence: 14 (+2)

Strength: 13 (+1)

Vitality: 18

Spirit: 13 (+1)

Skills:

Bite, Sprint, Intimidate, Listen, Danger Sense, Track, Dark Attribute (New!)

[Black Wolf] Summoned Monster, Battle Position: Ground

An advanced form of Wolf. Attack methods are biting and special dark abilities. Fur is black.

Adapted to nighttime activities. It has special dark attack abilities.

[Class Change?]

[Yes] [No]

This one has the dark attribute.

The black one sounds scary.

I'll make a hard copy of the data for the three types of status and skill lists.

Now, the important part is the choice.

Yeah.

Any of them would be fine.

Improving attack power is tempting, but improving exploration ability is also necessary.

Let's go with the safe choice.

I'll choose the Gray Wolf.

I focused on the Gray Wolf entry and selected the [Yes] option.

Volfs fur changed from brown to gray.

The underside remained white.

When I touched the fur, it felt a bit softer than before.

When I petted him, Volfs throat rumbled in a way that seemed to indicate he was enjoying it.

The feeling of petting him is also pleasant.

"Mr. Keith, the wolf's fur is different from before, isn't it?"

"It's the same individual, but I just changed its class."

"Summoned monsters can change classes too?"

"Players can change classes, so it makes sense that summoned monsters can too."

Players can also change classes, so it's possible.

I wonder how strong players can become when they change classes.

I'm curious.

But I'm a summoner, after all.

"The setup is complete. I think we can return in about an hour."

"Understood."

Lambda lay down in the tent and fell asleep almost immediately.

This is the first time I've seen a player logged out.

It just looks like they're sleeping.

If someone wanted to attack, they could, right?

But if I did that, I'd definitely get penalized.

What should I do with the remaining time?

Check spells, and if there's time, do some woodworking.

Resist Steam (Heat Magic)

Boil (Heat Magic)

Steam Shot (Heat Magic)

Resist Melt (Melt Magic)

Refine (Melt Magic)

Volcanic Shoot (Melt Magic)

Resist Degrade (Dust Magic)

Evaporator (Dust Magic)

Thermal Expansion (Dust Magic)

I took out the broken Kaya rod and checked the spells while cutting the damaged part with a saw.

I looked at the three resist spells in a row.

The descriptions are the same.

Only the attribute names are different.

Next, let's move on.

Steam Shot, Volcanic Shoot, and Thermal Expansion are attack spells for each attribute.

They attack with a block of steam, a block of lava, and a heat wave, respectively.

Steam Shot has a short range but deals a lot of damage.

Volcanic Shoot also has a short range, but it deals continuous damage when it hits.

Thermal Expansion has a slightly shorter range than Wind Cutter but is easy to use.

It has a very high hit rate.

It's a spell that rapidly expands the air around the target to deal damage.

It's quite scary.

The remaining three spells are probably utility spells.

Boil is a spell that instantly heats water in a container.

It's like an instant water heater.

What you boil is up to the player.

Refine is a spell that removes impurities from metal.

This is convenient.

I should remember it as an ingot creation spell.

Evaporator is a mystery.

It's a depressurization spell.

As a result, it evaporates volatile components, including water.

Can it make mummies?

It seems like it could be useful for something.

I'll probably figure it out eventually.

The broken Kaya rod has been transformed into a Kaya bat.

Let's [Identify] it.

[Weapon Item: Staff] Kaya Bat, Quality C, Rarity 2

AP+1, M·AP+2, Damage 2, Weight 0+, Durability 60

A weapon that can be used for both striking and casting magic.

It has a moderate elasticity and is easy to handle as it doesn't slip in the hand.

It is a beautiful item.

It can also be used as a percussion instrument.

Hmm.

But it's not finished yet.

I started drilling a triangular hole near the tip.

However, the corners are rounded to prevent them from being sharp.

On the opposite end, I applied a dovetail joint.

I plan to use this item here.

I inserted the Angry Crane's beak into the triangular hole.

On the opposite end, I plan to insert the Snow Leopard's claws.

That's the plan.

What am I making? It's a pickaxe-like tool.

The shape is similar to a smaller version of a pickaxe used at construction sites.

Since a pickaxe is written in kanji as 鶴嘴 (tsurumashi), which means crane's beak, it's appropriate.

However, it will be much lighter.

I don't know how it will turn out until I make it.

And I won't know until I use it.

I inserted the Snow Leopard's claws on the opposite end to serve as a pommel.

Since there are three hidden claws, I don't hesitate to use one.

I took out the Angry Crane's beak and the Snow Leopard's hidden claws.

I adjusted the size of the holes while checking the size.

I also made wedges by whittling down scrap wood for fixing.

All that's left is to assemble them using hide glue.

I'll let it dry for another day.

Next.

I started whittling the Dogwood branches I collected.

What am I making? Practice weapons.

Wooden swords.

I made a large wooden sword and a dagger-sized wooden sword from a single Dogwood branch.

This task took only about 15 minutes.

The production skill is amazing.

[Weapon Item: Sword] Dogwood Wooden Sword, Quality C-, Rarity 2

AP+2, M·AP+1, Damage 3, Weight 1+, Durability 70

A Dogwood wooden sword for practice.

[Weapon Item: Dagger] Dogwood Wooden Dagger, Quality C-, Rarity 2

AP+1, M·AP+1, Damage 2, Weight 0+, Durability 50

A Dogwood wooden dagger for practice.

Hmm.

Not bad for a quick job, right?

I made another set.

Two wooden swords and two wooden daggers.

This should be enough for now.

I got so into the woodworking that I made another set.

This time, a wooden katana and a wooden tanto.

[Weapon Item: Katana] Dogwood Wooden Katana, Quality C-, Rarity 2

AP+3, M·AP+1, Damage 2, Weight 1+, Durability 70

A Dogwood wooden katana for practice.

[Weapon Item: Tanto] Dogwood Wooden Tanto, Quality C-, Rarity 2

AP+1, M·AP+1, Damage 2, Weight 0+, Durability 50

A Dogwood wooden tanto for practice.

By the way, there are also katanas.

In the tournament, only a few players use them.

With swords, it's relatively easy to deal damage using their weight.

With katanas, it's not that simple.

It requires a certain level of familiarity.

It's even more difficult if you rely on player skills to perform all the movements.

Relying solely on skills is easy, but if you want to add some fun, you should use player skills.

This opinion was common through casual conversations.

Bows, katanas, and thrusting swords are honestly difficult.

If you want something easy, it's probably a mace or a club.

Oh.

Oops, Lambda is already back.

"Sorry, I took a bit longer."

"Well, I think it's probably still online time, so it's fine, right?"

I gave Lambda a wooden dagger.

I also had one in my hand.

"Then, put on your armor and helmet. I want to watch you for a bit. Of course, go all out."

"Huh? Swords?"

I just smiled ambiguously.

It's not what you think.

"Isn't it going to be hand-to-hand combat?"

"I just want to see your abilities first, that's all."

10 minutes later.

He couldn't even get into a stance.

He seemed to be at a loss as to what to do.

I understand that feeling because I've been there.

"Well, that's about it."

Lambda was still in a daze.

No, you don't have to be that down.

I'm not doing this to train you.

I just want to check your combat ability.

"Do you have skills for daggers and swords?"

"No, I don't."

"Huh?"

He was speechless.

Let's move on to the next thing.

"You don't have time to be dazed. Next, with a wooden sword. Do you need a shield?"

"No, I'll go with this."

He held a wooden sword in his right hand and a wooden dagger in his left.

A two-sword style.

But with swords.

I held only a wooden katana.

I got into a neutral stance.

Let's see how it goes.

10 minutes later.

Lambda was standing like a living statue, his swords hanging limply.

He seemed to be at a loss again.