Chronicles Of The Crafting Hero

Chapter 142: Unique Items

Joy trudged toward Tyler, her legs heavy under the weight of the steel bars, the burden pressing like invisible chains. She was slowly adapting, each step a small victory in the vast plain's unrelenting sun. As she reached him, the coolness of the shade enveloped her, a welcome respite from the heat. Her body felt exhausted and scorching, muscles strained and burning with fire. Sweat beaded on her green skin, her breaths coming in ragged heaves, mouth agape. With a small hand, she swiped at the sweat trickling from her forehead, the droplets glistening before flicking away.Tyler saw her and grinned. “Wow, well done,” he said, crouching down to untie the vines binding the steel bars to her back. The bars dropped with a heavy clunk, thudding onto the grass. Joy felt her body lighten instantly, the relief washing over her like a cool wave.

Tyler stood up straight as the little goblinth sighed deeply and collapsed onto her back. The cool blades of grass pressed against her skin, soothing the ache, and she closed her eyes, hands spread wide in surrender. A small smile of relief curved her lips, her chest rising and falling in steady rhythm.

Tyler chuckled softly. “Feels good, doesn’t it? I remember feeling the same way.” His gaze drifted back to the system panel, its circular bar inching forward as it combined the weapons he’d instructed. He scratched the back of his head, the other hand on his waist, a frown creasing his brow. *This is taking a bit long, isn’t it? It’s taking as long as it did when I made the shadow armor.*

He sighed, the panel vanishing with a flicker. His attention returned to Joy, who looked utterly relaxed, her eyes still closed, the picture of hard-earned peace. Suddenly, another system panel appeared before Tyler, its text bold and glowing: Achievement Unlocked: Train pet under punishment +10 AGI pet points.

"Oh, so you also get achievements,” Tyler muttered, his eyes scanning the system panel. He re-read the sentence, his brows knitting together as surprise widened his gaze.* Wait, punishment? I’m not punishing this thing. I’m just training her.*

He muttered, “System, what do you mean by punishment? How exactly is this a punishment?”

The system panel vanished, replaced by another with stark text: The pet’s agility, strength, and mana have all been redistricted by 70% as punishment for not listening to its master. 

Tyler scratched his head with a finger, confusion clouding his expression. “What? But when?”wo combined items, right? I mean, its not like the system said, I can't combine an item that's already combined. I could make another lightning sword and combine it with the other one, and maybe then I can get an even more powerful item and who knows, maybe I can enhance that one.*

With a thought, Tyler tried to combine three more steel-fang daggers, but the system panel appeared, its text stark: Cooldown: 2 hours left.

Tyler placed his hand on his forehead, realization dawning like a cold dawn. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, chuckling ruefully. “This skill has a cooldown. I got too excited. Looks like I’ll have to do it after two hours.”

With that, the lightning sword vanished into his inventory, its absence leaving a faint echo of energy in the air. Tyler turned his gaze to Joy, who was sleeping peacefully on the ground. He muttered, “Right, time to go back to training, or maybe I should just let her rest a little more.” He shook his head, resolve hardening. “Nah, I should train her some more. If I go hunting with her, she’d be in danger the entire time.”

He took a step closer, crouching down beside her, his shadow falling across her small form. “Joy, Joy, wake up.”

Joy slowly opened her eyes, blinking against the light. “Hmm?” she said, her voice thick with sleep, a drowsy murmur escaping her lips.

She pushed herself to sit up with her small hands, a yawn escaping her lips, revealing the tiny fangs in her mouth, small but unmistakably sharp. Tyler materialized a vial from his inventory, filled with clear water that caught the dappled light. “Here,” he said, offering her. “Drink some water.”

Joy blinked, her wide eyes fixing on the vial. It was so pretty, glass, a material she’d never seen, smooth and translucent. The liquid inside shimmered faintly, and she recognized it as water, a rare treasure in the monster zones, usually savored only during rain.

She accepted it slowly with both hands, her fingers wrapping around the cool surface. Tilting it to her mouth, she drank deeply, the refreshing water sliding down her throat with a subtle metallic tang that added an unexpected flavor. She drained it all, a soft hiss escaping her lips, like someone savoring a strong sip of whiskey.

Tyler chuckled softly, and the vial vanished from her hands into his inventory with a faint glow. Joy let out a confused “Huh?” her palms opening and closing in surprise at the sudden disappearance. But she knew it was her human's doing, he had this strange power.

Tyler then materialized an apple in his hand and offered it to her. She snatched it quickly, sinking her fangs into it with aggressive bites, juice dripping from her chin. Tyler muttered, “Looking at your small body, someone would think one apple is enough for you.”

Tyler straightened himself and said, “All right, these things should be easier for you to lift now. Come on, give it a try"

Joy just looked at him as she finished eating her apple, devouring even the core with a final crunch. Tyler sighed, rolling his eyes, and muttered, “Oh man, this thing can’t understand me. How do you train a monster that can’t even understand what you’re saying?” He gazed at Joy, lost in thought, his mind racing to figure out how to bridge the gap.

Joy stood up with a groan, her small body stretching. She approached the steel bricks, eyeing them curiously, then easily lifted one with both hands, the metal gleaming in the dappled light. Tyler tilted his head in surprise, watching as she toddled over and handed it to him with outstretched arms, her expression expectant.

Tyler took it, making it disappear into his inventory with a shimmer. “Thank you,” he said. Joy smiled, her eyes sparkling as if waiting for more. Tyler awkwardly placed his hand on her bald head, petting her gently. She closed her eyes, leaning into the touch, enjoying the attention. Tyler noticed something , she reminded him of a puppy, loyal and eager.

Joy then ran quickly to the other bricks, lifting both with a grunt and walking back to offer them to him. Tyler took them, absorbing them into his inventory. *Huh, what if I tell her to bring me something heavier?* he thought, a spark of curiosity igniting. He continued petting her as he pondered, his fingers gentle on her head. Joy put both hands behind her back, her posture relaxed, looking as if she was savoring the moment.

He smiled and said, “Let’s play a game.” Suddenly, a steel bar materialized a few feet away from him. Joy turned to look at it, her wide eyes curious. She went to lift the steel bar, but as soon as she turned, Tyler was further away, about 30 feet now. He watched her, hoping she would run to him, the dappled shade of the tree casting shifting patterns on the grass between them.

Joy then suddenly ran, her small feet tapping against the ground at a rapid pace, her legs blurring like a cartoon character in motion. Tyler’s eyes widened, surprise flashing across his face. In just a moment, she reached him, not even breathing heavily or showing any signs of tiredness. With a smile, she handed him the steel bar.

He took it and said, “Wow, you’re pretty fast,” petting her gently. Joy closed her eyes with a contented smile, leaning into the touch.

Tyler then said, “ So she likes that. I can simply just put them on the ground and tell her to give them to me. Simple as that. Almost like playing catch. But I’ll have to make her bring me something heavier and increase the distance each time. Now, what should I give her that’s heavy?”

After putting some thought into it, moments later, Tyler had filled the blanket with lots of steel bricks and tied the vines to her again. As he waited very far away, she could still see him, standing at the fallen tree where she had started earlier, she looked at the vines tied to her waist. She remembered when Tyler stopped her from ripping them off earlier.

She gazed at Tyler's small figure ahead, and Tyler waved. Tyler was surprised as he saw her waving back. It felt a bit awkward, but in a small way, he was glad that she was learning. He put his hands on his waist, the grass crunching softly under his boots as he shifted. *Right, while she’s training, I should craft some more things. I do have some materials after all.*

Tyler took a look at the recipes one more time, the system panel glowing faintly. *What? I thought I had a lot of materials, most of these recipes I didn't do are just missing one ingredient.* He sighed in disappointment, the sound carrying on the gentle breeze. Then he spotted an accessory recipe that had all the ingredients: Tempest Bracers. He recognized the Mr. Slime core among them, a smile spreading across his face. He muttered, “Craft Tempest Bracers.”

The system immediately started crafting, a circular loading bar filling quickly in front of him, its progress pulsing like a heartbeat.*I totally forgot about the core of that slime boss monster. It was kind of different from the others. Since it’s a boss monster, this thing has to have some pretty good stats, right?*

The system panel appeared: Crafting successful.

With a thought, Tyler equipped the bracers. They appeared on his wrists, silver and glistening, almost as if coated in a very thin layer of glass, catching the sunlight like polished mirrors.

The system panel appeared beside the bracer on his left, its text glowing steadily: Tempest Bracers: 

Def - 150 Skill: Absorption - A skill that absorbs force from physical attacks. This force can be redirected back to enemies when the force accumulated has reached the maximum limit which is 100%. Can only be used in one move - mana consumption none.

“Oh,” Tyler said in surprise, his voice laced with wonder. “This is a pretty good skill. So this thing can absorb the force of physical attacks, and I can use that force back on my enemies in one attack.” He paused, brow furrowing. “How exactly does it work? Do I just block with these, or....let me test something out.”

Tyler hit the bracer on his right arm with his left hand. A loud ting echoed from the impact, the bracer vibrating slightly before stilling. A small blue panel flickered beside it, reading 35%.

Tyler smiled, curiosity sparking in his eyes. He hit it again, the ting sharper this time. The panel updated: 52%.

*I get it now, he thought, a grin spreading. *That's how it absorbs force. It's a pretty good accessory. I don't even feel any strain in my arm from my own punches.*

He started repeatedly hitting the bracer, each strike building the charge until it reached 100%. The bracer began glowing with a faint blue hue, pulsing softly like contained energy.

Tyler said with a smile, “OK, let's see what you can do.” He looked around the wide plain for something to hit, scratching his head. The only thing nearby was the fallen tree. He shrugged. “Well, I can only test it here, so…”

He advanced upon the fallen tree with deliberate purpose, the weight of accumulated power thrumming through his veins like the heartbeat of a storm god.

His fist drew back, coiled with the raw might he had always possessed, even before ascending to B-rank, he could shatter wood with a single blow, splintering it into oblivion. But now, infused with the bracer's seething reservoir of force, he pondered the cataclysm that might unleash. 

With a resolve forged in the fires of curiosity and strength, he channeled the intent, his arm a thunderbolt in human form, and struck with the fury of a titan awakening.

A thunderous boom erupted, shaking the earth as if the heavens themselves had cracked open. An almost invisible force, a rippling distortion in the fabric of space, surged from his fist, a wave of unbridled devastation. The tree didn't merely splinter; its fragments hung in the air for a heartbeat before disintegrating into fine dust, scattered like the ashes of a vanquished foe. 

The ground beneath buckled not in a simple crack, but in a vast, gaping scar, a colossal tunnel gouged into the soil, revealing the dark, moist underbelly of the earth in a wide, ragged furrow that stretched forth like the claw mark of a primordial beast. The shockwave whipped through the air, tossing his hair and clothes in a wild gale, as if the wind itself bowed to the power he had unleashed.

Stunned by the spectacle of destruction, Tyler stood frozen, his breath caught in his throat. “Whoa,” he muttered, voice barely above a whisper amid the settling dust. “This thing is pretty awesome.” He gazed at the bracer, its surface pulsing with latent energy, and summoned an enhancement stone from his inventory, its crystalline form shimmering like captured starlight.

Pressing it to the bracer, he watched the process unfold, the stone crumbling, its essence infusing the artifact. The system proclaimed in glowing script: Enhancement successful.

Emboldened, he repeated the ritual on the other bracer, and success crowned it once more. Now the bracers could accumulate up to 200% force absorption, their defense fortified to 300, a bulwark against the world's fury. 

He pushed further, enhancing again, and astonishingly, triumph struck a third time. They surged to 400% force capacity, defense soaring to 600, transforming them into relics of legendary might, ready to defy gods and monsters alike.

"This much power and no mana consumption?"