Chapter 184


    CHAPTER 184


    CRAFTING SPREE


    Lino’s eyes glistened in bedazzling light, focused entirely on the shining ring sitting atop the palm of his hands . It exuded deeply violet sheen, smooth to the touch, with a one-winged crest carved out of ruby gem being the centerpiece of the disy . For the majority of the smithing involved, Lino had actually done quite little, with Sarah bearing the bulk . He only helped inscribe arrays toward the end and smooth out the surface .


    Even so, however, he couldn’t help but feel slightly prideful over the creation as it was derived entirely from his own design . However, perhaps the most important thing that he derived from the crafting process was the realization over just how different jewelry crafting actually is from crafting a weapon or a piece of armor .


    "Satisfied?" Sarah suddenly asked . The already tight clothes she wore now stuck even closer to her skin, doused in sweat . She was heaving deeply at the moment, clearly exhausted, yet still bearing a brilliant smile .


    "He he, beyond satisfied!" Lino eximed . "You’re really a genius at this!"


    "But of course . "


    "Damn, now I want to put it on your finger even more . " Lino said with a grin .


    "Ah, you little ruffian!" Sarah smiled, ruffling Lino’s hair for a moment before sitting down . "You’re toote . My heart is already captured . "


    "Tsk . " Lino clicked his tongue inaudibly . "First Ava . . . now you . . . why are all the charming women already taken . . . ah . . . what injustice . . . "


    "Do you want to rest for a bit before continuing?" Jack quickly asked in order to prevent the conversation from derailing any further .


    "Ah, I’ve brought us some ale," Sarah eximed as she took out four jars from her void ne before taking out a massive barrel . Lino’s eyes immediately shone as his nose perked . "Hm? You recognize the smell?" she asked, seeing Lino’s reaction .


    "Is that legendary Dwarven Ale?" Lino asked expectantly .


    "Ha ha, right on . "


    "Dear god, this day keeps getting better and better!"


    "You’re really not pulling your punches today!" Jack eximed, unable to hide his excitement .


    "Ah . . . Dwarven Ale . . . " Edward mumbled with a dreamy expression .


    "Alright, alright, pour yourself someds," Sarah said . "And enjoy!"


    "Don’t mind if I do!" Lino was the first to scoop the jar and fill it to the absolute brim . He then sat down and stared at the bubbling foam for a long while before taking a sip . It tasted . . . bitterly sweet . He’d only read about the ale, yet all his dreams about it hadn’t been betrayed -- they were even surpassed . "So this is what heaven tastes like . . . "


    "Hey, don’t insult my ale!" Sarah eximed, taking a sip herself . "Heavens suck asspared to this . Anyway, Jack, what are you guys going to be disying?"


    "He he, it’s a secret," Jack replied, savoring the taste himself . "However, I promise you you’ll be surprised . "


    "Indeed," Edward joined in, his hands shaking as he held onto the jar . "Lino’s really a heaven-sent gift for us . . . "


    "Jeez, as if my ego wasn’t already inted . . . " Linomented . "But, what can I say? It’spletely true . I’m unlike everyone you met before!"


    " . . . yeah, I’ve noticed you’re quite a narcissist . " Jackmented .


    "To the point that if the mirrors could speak they would tell you to leave them alone . " Edward added .


    "Ah, let the youth be," Sarah chimed in . "It’s better to love yourself too much than to hate just as much . "


    "Indeed, listen to this beauty," Lino said with a serious expression . "When did a little bit of self-love ever harm anyone? Oh, I mean self-love as in love not as in going to town with myself . "


    " . . . yeah, we got that . " Jack said .


    " . . . " Edward sighed and shook his head .


    "There’s a child living inside of you, isn’t there?" Sarah asked with a rather queer smile .


    "That’s against thew, though . "


    ": . . "


    " . . . "


    " . . . "


    "Yeah, very few people can handle my brilliance indefinitely . " Lino said . "It’s both a gift and a curse . "


    " . . . khm, what do you n on craftingter?" Sarah asked, switching the topic quickly .


    "An arsenal for myself . " Lino replied with a grin . "An arsenal so overpowered that I’ll make people die out of jealousy alone . "


    "We only have enough materials for four items, though . " Jack said .


    " . . . I-I know . . . it . . . it was a joke . . . "


    "Eh, you can’t swing and hit them all . " Sarah said .


    "Khm, anyway, I’ll crafting a thick-ded zanbato, a spear, a war-hammer and a chain sickle . " Lino said .


    "Wow, that’s quite ambitious . Didn’t you say it’s for yourself?" Sarah eximed after a short thought . "Can you even use that many weapons?"


    "He he, the easiest way to beat someone is to drown them in money . " Lino said, licking his lips . "No need to bleed blood or Qi . Just drown the bastards into the grinder of doom!"


    " . . . you’re insane . " Jackmented .


    "Aplete lunatic . " Edward nodded .


    "Yup, there’s something about you . . . " Sarah said .


    "I just hope they turn half as good as the ring . . . " Lino once again went over the ring’s stats, still unable to truly believe it .


    [Ring of Liberation - Epic]


    Level: 180


    Requirements: 2000 Agility


    +40% to Agility


    +50% to Hand Speed


    +30% to Melee Martial Arts


    Special Effect [Liberator] -- momentarily edify physical constitution, improving all body-rted stats by 400% for 5 seconds (offense and defense)


    Special Effect [Snipe] -- directing Qi into the ring creates a [Phantom de] which can be thrown at will, dealing damage equal to 60% of total sum . Each sessive conjuring consumes more Qi .


    Note: A bnce-oriented essory, offering a boost both to melee and rangedbat; especially useful in the hands of craftybatants .


    However, seeing the stats again, suddenly inspired Lino . A feeling swelled inside his chest, one he couldn’t resist . He quickly downed the contents of the jar and got up, bellowing sharply before shifting over to the furnace and starting the mes again . While the mes bellowed, he quickly took out numerous parchments and began designing the weapons wantonly; in just an hour, he’d designed at least twenty variants of each, before slowly condensing his desires into one design for each weapon .


    Finally satisfied, he sectioned off the materials to use for each before getting to work . Deciding on the spear first, he melted the ingots and elongated them, partitioning them into three parts and adjoining them through internal, metal conduits for increased flexibility . For the de he decided on a bnced approach, aiming to create a spear appropriate for thrusting, swiping and shing . He also alloyed the shaft twice over to be able to use it as a shield without it breaking apart .


    Drawing out the arrays slowly and carefully across the surface while Jack and Edward sharpened and alloyed the de, he also decided on decorating it slightly, adding a feathered end at the shaft’s bottom and carving out spiraling patterns across its surface, filling them with a slight, golden glitter .


    By the time he was done, it was already night . Taking a quick look around, he realized that the other cksmiths had already left, yet that hardly impeded on his mood . Immediately shifting over from the finished spear he decided on creating the war-hammer next . As he hadn’t crafted one before, he employed Jack’s and Edward’s help a bit more . While he prepared the shaft, the two worked on the head in ordance to his design, Lino joining them only by the end, chiseling out the arrays and patterns .


    Both the spear and the war-hammer were quite massive, taller than him at that, impossible to wield for practically anyone except the Body Cultivators . Since he atst decided to finalize his battling style and detail it out a bit more, he designed weapons in a diversifying way -- or, to be more precise, they were designed with a specific purpose in mind .


    The same thing urred once he began crafting zanbato; as he was very picky about the details, he himself handled the entire process with Jack and Edward merely acting as a supply depot for the materials . Thick, wide and long, he had no intention of making it a cutter which is also why he didn’t bother sharpening the edges all that much and instead focused on repeatedly reinforcing the de’s endurance through numerousyers .


    Moving onto thest one, Lino had long since forgotten the passage of time; it had already been three days, actually, since he’d begun crafting . The story about the crazed smith in the local smithy had already spread throughout the city, and every day the number of observes increased exceptionally, though he himself failed to notice it . Chain sickle was a rather unique and rare weapon, one even Jack and Edward didn’t have much experience crafting which is why it took them the longest to craft .


    Simrly to the other three, Lino specialized it to the mid-range as hecked any form of ranged attack besides throwing stuff at people . With that image in mind, he focused on making it quick and silent as well as durable rather than imagining it as a killer weapon; he imagined using it more as a supportive tool than a weapon, but he believed it suited him perfectly .


    [Jailing Wail - Unique Rare]


    Level: 140


    Damage: 13,644-14,311


    +60% to Drawing Speed


    +60% to Projectile Speed


    -60% to Damage


    +200% to Durability


    Special Effect [Jailer] -- entangling the chains immobilizes the victim for at most 3 seconds, preventing the channeling of Qi .


    Special Effect [Reaper] -- sessfully killing someone of the same Realm with the weapon permanently increases its damage by 1% (grade increase every 100 kills)


    Note: A growth-type weapon, suited only for those who live and die by the hills and dunes of the battlefield . Begins on the weaker end with nigh-infinite potential .