Staring at the spear, Nova couldn’t help but appreciate the striking contrast of its colors. The hues seemed to shift with every angle, creating a dynamic interplay that caught his eye.
A surge of inspiration washed over him, and a name materialized in his mind, fitting the weapon perfectly: Dreadscape.
[Are you sure?]
‘Yes.’
Immediately the spear information was displayed in his mind.
[Dreadscape]
· Strength: +472
· Dexterity: +537
· Speed: +398
· Water affinity increased
(The work of an unknown craftsman, where the creator’s skills are fully displayed bringing to life his best work to date.)
As Nova read through the spear’s description, a laugh escaped him, echoing with a mix of satisfaction and amusement.
"I can't wait to see Darius' face when he realizes I just forged something far better than his precious sword," he said with a sly grin.
With a flourish, he twirled the spear in his hands, performing a series of graceful sweeps and thrusts. The weapon felt almost alive in his grip, and Nova reveled in the smoothness of its motion.
[Spear Sweep proficiency increased]
[Spear Sweep proficiency increased]
[Spear Thrust proficiency increased]
[Spear Thrust proficiency increased]
His grin never wavered, in fact, it seemed like it might stretch even wider if it could.
By the time he finished testing the spear, only one word escaped his lips.
“Beautiful.”
Lowering his hand, Nova continued to gaze at the weapon for several minutes, his smile permanent on his face, a mix of pride and satisfaction.
‘I have my weapon, now I just need a new set of armor... and I already have the perfect material for it.’
With a grin, he stored the spear back in his Inventory and grabbed the tongs lying nearby. Pulling out a gleaming sky serpent scale, he placed it carefully inside the forge. While the forge heated up he allowed his mind to wander.
‘I need a chest piece, boots, gloves, and pants... but...’
His thoughts trailed off as an idea bloomed in his mind. He shook his head lightly, amused at the thought.
‘I don’t want a helmet like the guards wear. Something about it feels... mundane. If it weren’t for the scale’s elasticity and lightness, I wouldn’t even consider using it for armor. But... could I make something else? Something lighter? A crown, perhaps?’
Shaking his head, Nova murmured to himself, “Not yet.”
He continued to ponder the idea, but no design for a headpiece felt quite right—nothing he’d want to wear. With a shrug, he muttered, “I’ll think of it some other time,” and shifted his focus back to the scale, which was now fully heated and ready for crafting.
Placing the scale carefully on the anvil, he took up his hammer once more. With practiced precision, he began the familiar rhythm of forging, each strike purposeful and controlled. His goal was clear: to craft a seamless, lightweight armor from the scale, one that would flow with his movements while still offering protection.
[Blacksmithing proficiency increased]
[Blacksmithing proficiency increased]
[Blacksmithing proficiency increased]
As Nova worked, he quickly noticed a problem.
‘This scale is too large to forge into a seamless chest piece.’
With a muttered curse, he pulled out his spear from the Inventory, the blade gleaming in the dim light of the forge. He carefully sliced through the smoldering scale, reducing it to half its original size. The heat still radiated from the metal, but Nova’s hands were steady.
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He cooled the half he intended to use for the boots, gloves, and pants, setting it gently on a nearby table, before turning his focus back to the remaining portion—the piece destined to become the chest armor.
The hours dragged on, the rhythmic pounding of his hammer echoing through the forge as he meticulously shaped and refined the pieces. It wasn’t until fourteen hours later that he finally finished, his eyes bleary with fatigue.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he surveyed the fruits of his labor. There, resting on the table, lay the full set: boots, pants, gloves, and, lastly, the chest piece. The armor was complete—every piece forged, fitted, and ready for wear.
‘This was harder than I thought... makes me not want to craft armor ever again,’ Nova mused with a wry smile as he approached the chest piece. The weight of the process, the hours spent shaping the scales, still lingered in his bones, but the satisfaction of the finished product kept his spirits high.
He grabbed the chest piece and slipped it on. The moment it settled against his body, he was struck by how light it felt—almost as if he were wearing nothing at all.
‘Light armor is the best,’ he thought, a sense of relief and comfort washing over him.
Just then, a notification pinged in his mind, pulling his attention away from the armor.
[Name your work]
‘I’ve already got a name for it.’ Nova thought, a grin tugging at his lips. ‘Since the spear is Dreadscape, I’ll call this set Dreamscape, and the chest piece... Dreamscape Chest.’
He didn’t hesitate. The name felt right—perfectly fitting due to the colors of the the light, yet powerful, armor he had just crafted.
[Are you sure?]
‘Yes.’
The chest piece information appeared in his mind.
[Dreamscape Chest]
· Strength: +129
· Vigor: +341
· Dexterity: +216
· Speed: +160
· Water affinity increased
(The work of an unknown craftsman, where the creator’s skills, albeit subpar, are displayed.)
A stunned look crossed Nova’s face as he read the description of his newly crafted armor.
‘Did the system just roast me?’ he thought, blinking in disbelief before breaking into a fit of laughter.
He snorted in amusement. “Subpar, huh? I’d love to find something like ‘Blacksmithing Basics’ and see how long it took people to get to my level,” he muttered, a mix of pride and humor in his voice.
With a shake of his head, he moved on, naming each piece of armor—Dreamscape Gloves, Dreamscape Boots, and Dreamscape Pants—as he went. As he did, their descriptions filled his mind, each one adding to the growing sense of accomplishment.
Dreamscape Gloves]
· Strength: +197
· Dexterity: +232
· Water affinity increased
(The work of an unknown craftsman, where the creator’s skills, albeit subpar, are displayed.)
[Dreamscape Boots]
· Dexterity: +266
· Speed: +292
(The work of an unknown craftsman, where the creator’s skills, albeit subpar, are displayed.)
[Dreamscape Pants]
· Vigor: +255
· Dexterity: +159
· Speed: +138
(The work of an unknown craftsman, where the creator’s skills, albeit subpar, are displayed.)
Nova’s eyelids twitched as he read the descriptions, but he quickly reminded himself of the high stats the armor pieces offered.
‘Focus on the positives,’ he thought, trying to shake off the annoyance. Deciding to ignore the rest of the descriptions, he retrieved the Dreadscape Spear from his inventory, eager to see how his stats had improved now.
‘Status.’
[Status]
Rank: 0
Name: Nova Grey
Species: Human
Affiliation: None
Level: 27 (170/500)
Mana: Mana Core (Low) (802497/100000000)
Class: None
Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Novice, Troll Exterminator, Orc Exterminator, Rune Novice, Mana Novice, Lord (Giants), Hunter
Stat Points: 343
Attributes:
Strength: 232 (+3164)
Vigor: 205 (+2708)
Dexterity: 255 (+4011)
Speed: 215 (+3181)
Intelligence: 171 (+1761)
Wisdom: 215 (+2215)
Will: 10
Luck: 10 (+10)
Skills
Active: Spear Thrust (15) (2671/16384000), Spear Jab (15) (69684/16384000), Spear Sweep (16) (8163798/32768000), Spear Lunge (11) (584102/1024000), Spear Overhead Strike (10) (814/512000), Sword Slash (10) (641/512000), Sword Stab (10) (267/512000), Sword Chop (10) (197/512000), Sword Sweep (10) (784/512000), Sword Parry (1) (184/1000), Sword Block (0) (497/500), Blacksmithing (5) (6472/16000), Woodworking (0) (54/500)
Passive: Regeneration (11) (167465/512000), Keen Reflexes (8) (3140/128000), Momentum Streak (15) (12089674/16384000), One with the World (Spear) (MAX), One with the World (Footwork) (MAX)
Grinning from ear to ear, Nova couldn’t help but boast, “I could probably crush my past self from two days ago now.”
Satisfied with the progress he had made, he stored the Dreadscape Spear back in his inventory and walked over to the only chair near the table. He sank into it, allowing himself a moment to relax and think through his next steps.
‘I don’t think I’ll be mastering lightning anytime soon,’ he mused, ‘I still don’t even have a solid understanding of it. And the only elemental Mana I’ve really encountered is wind…’ He paused for a moment, considering his progress. ‘But I now have a high affinity for the water element. Not sure how much of a difference it’ll make yet, but I’ve got a solid foundation now. I’ll need to test it out.’
‘I can’t increase my Mana Core anytime soon, or if I can, I have no idea how.’ Nova’s thoughts drifted as he mentally assessed his situation. ‘And I’ve already crafted both my weapon and armor. I doubt my craftsmanship is going to improve enough to give me a significant boost in stats anytime soon.’ His brow furrowed. ‘The only way I could improve my Stats further is with better materials, but if I do that now, I’d be wasting their true potential.’
He paused, taking a moment to mentally recap everything he had accomplished so far. ‘There’s something I’ve been putting off, though. It’s time to dig deeper into it.’
With a weary sigh, he muttered, "Runes."
Laying his head down on the table, he closed his eyes, thinking, ‘I need to rest for a bit before that though.’
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