Creation system

"Hi, are you hurt?" Mitch's voice carried genuine concern as he knelt beside the woman who had been trapped in the spider's web moments before.

The woman blinked slowly, her emerald eyes struggling to focus.

She pressed a trembling hand to her temple, wincing as she tried to sit up. "I think I got poisoned, but I'm feeling better now. Thank you for saving me, uhh..." Her voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.

"My name is Mitch," he said, offering her a generous portion of the boar meat he had cooked earlier.

The aroma of seasoned meat filled the air between them, and he noticed how her eyes immediately fixed on the food with barely concealed hunger.

"I'm Leya," she replied, accepting the meal with grateful hands.

Now that she was upright, Mitch could see her more clearly.

She was tall, almost matching his own height, with long, silvery-white hair that cascaded down her shoulders like moonlight.

Her clothes hung in tatters, torn and stained from her ordeal, but couldn't hide her athletic build. What struck him most were her slightly pointed ears, a detail that sparked his curiosity about her heritage.

"Can I have something to drink, my savior?" Leya asked between careful bites of the meat.

"Sure, but just call me Mitch," he replied with a modest smile.

"Mhm," she nodded, a hint of warmth returning to her voice.

"I don't have a cup, so I'll have to pour it onto your hands."

"Can't I drink it from the bottle? I can assure you, I don't have any diseases," she said with a weak laugh.

"I don't have a bottle. Here, look." Mitch extended his hand and focused his mana. "[Create Element]," he intoned, and a perfect sphere of clean water materialized above his palm, shimmering like liquid crystal.

Leya's eyes widened, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. "Y-yo-you are a mage!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with awe and disbelief.

"Are mages rare?" Mitch asked, curious about her reaction.

"Of course they are! Most awakened individuals become warriors. Those lucky enough to become mages usually stay locked away in their academies or towers, wherever mages go to train their craft.

You don't see them alone in a forest like this," she explained, gesturing around at the wilderness surrounding them.

"Oh, I see. You still want to drink?" Mitch asked, conjuring another water sphere above her cupped hands.

She drank eagerly, the cool water washing away the bitter taste of spider venom from her mouth.

"How did you end up in that situation, Leya?"

Her expression darkened, and she looked down at her hands.

Pure hatred flickered in her emerald eyes like green fire. "We were heading back home after a successful dungeon run.

We got lucky this time, managed to get a tier 2 rare drop from the boss monster." Her voice grew bitter. "

One of my companions, a pampered beast summoner named Kael, drugged us while we were camping for the night."

She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. "He stole everything from us and left us to die. We were left alone in the camp, three of us, each bound with rope, unable to move or call for help."

Mitch listened intently, his jaw tightening with each detail.

"At night, the spider came," Leya continued, her voice barely a whisper. "She dragged us one by one to her lair. I was the last one, fortunately. The spider poisoned me, and I fell into a deep sleep until you came and saved me."

Tears began falling from her pristine green eyes. "I should have seen it coming. Kael never made food for the team until that day."

"I'm sorry to hear this," Mitch said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Let's eat, then get some rest. Tomorrow we'll figure out what to do next, okay?"

"Mhm," Leya nodded, sobbing quietly as she tried to compose herself.

When morning came, Leya seemed transformed. The rest had done her good, and she faced the dawn with renewed determination, ready to take on whatever challenges lay ahead.

"Do you know how to get out of this forest?" Mitch asked as they shared a simple breakfast.

"Yeah, I have a tracking skill," Leya replied with a genuine smile, the first real smile he'd seen from her. "But before we go, don't you want to loot the spider's nest? If you killed it already, there's bound to be treasure."

"Well, I didn't think of going back there. Do you think there will be any loot worth the risk?"

"There's always loot in monster lairs," Leya said enthusiastically, her adventurer's instincts kicking in.

"Here, take this." Mitch handed her one of his swords, a well-balanced wooden sword.

"Thanks. I promise I'll repay you for everything," she said, testing the weapon's weight with practiced movements.

"Don't worry about it," Mitch replied with a knowing smile.

After they finished eating, they made their way back toward the spider's den, following the trail of destruction Mitch had left the previous day.

Along the way, they encountered several tier 1 spiders, smaller offspring of the creature he'd slain.

Leya proved surprisingly skilled with the sword, moving with fluid grace as she dispatched the creatures.

Her fighting style was elegant yet efficient, confirming Mitch's suspicion that she was a tier 2 warrior with a combat-focused class.

Each time Mitch collected the spider cores into his pocket space, Leya watched with barely concealed amazement. Life must be so good for mages, she thought, feeling a twinge of envy at his convenient abilities.

They arrived at the spider's den. The tower rose nearly twenty meters into the forest canopy, its surface glistening with morning dew.

Two large cocoons lay on the ground near the entrance, human-shaped bundles that could only be Leya's fallen teammates. At the sight of them, she began crying again, the grief hitting her anew.

"It's okay. They're in a better place now," Mitch said, pulling her into a comforting embrace.

"After we loot this wretched place, I want to burn it all down," she said through her tears. "I don't have a way to properly bury them, so that's the last thing I can do for my friends."

"Of course," Mitch agreed solemnly.

They entered the tower through a gap in the webbing. Inside, the structure was even more impressive, and horrifying.

Countless smaller cocoons hung from the walls and ceiling like macabre decorations. A spiraling staircase made of hardened web material connected the various floors.

The first few floors contained nothing but more cobwebs and cocoons. They climbed carefully, testing each step before putting their full weight on it.

Finally, they reached a floor with a locked wooden door, its key still hanging in the lock, a promising sign.

When they entered, they found a room that seemed almost normal compared to the rest of the tower.

Dust motes danced in the filtered sunlight streaming through gaps in the walls. The chamber contained a bed, a wooden locker, a simple chair, and a table, all covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs.

On the bed lay a human skeleton, still clutching a rusty sword in its bony fingers. The remains of what had once been clothing clung to the bones in tatters.

They searched the room methodically. The locker contained only rotted fabric and rusted metal. The table and chair yielded nothing of value.

It was only when they carefully moved the skeleton that they discovered a jewelry box hidden beneath it.

Inside the box, nestled in faded velvet, were three pieces of extraordinary loot:

[Tier 2 Mana Storage Ring – Increase mana storage by 8. A marvelous silver ring, enchanted by a skilled mage. The band is inscribed with tiny arcane symbols that pulse with inner light.]

[Tier 2 Fireball Ring – Throw a fireball with the power of a tier 2 spell, cooldown 12 hours. A golden ring adorned with fire motifs, enchanted by a skilled mage. The ruby centerpiece seems to contain actual flames.]

[Tier 2 Moon Pendant – The wearer can see better at night. A silver pendant with a half-moon decoration, enchanted by a skilled mage. The surface reflects light with an ethereal, moonlike glow.]

"They look incredibly powerful! We should get them appraised by a professional," Leya said, her eyes wide with excitement.

"I appraised them myself," Mitch replied with a grin, then explained what each item could do.

"Here, take this one." He handed her the fireball ring.

"No! I can't! You killed the spider, those are all yours by right!" she protested.

Mitch already possessed his mana ball spell, which he felt was as effective as the fireball ring's ability. The other two pieces of jewelry would serve him well.

"Without you, I wouldn't have even thought to come here and collect them. Just take it!" he insisted, pressing the ring into her hands.

Leya looked into his eyes, her smile radiant as the morning sun. "THANK YOU!"

The rest of the tower proved empty, nothing but webs and cocoons stretching up to the very top. They made their way back down and exited the nightmarish structure.

They walked into the forest until the web coverage thinned enough to ensure their safety.

"I think we're safe here. Use the ring, Leya."

Leya pointed her index finger, now adorned with the golden ring, toward the tower. She channeled her mana into the artifact, feeling its power respond to her will.

A fireball the size of a basketball materialized in front of her hand, pulsing with intense energy and radiating waves of heat that made the air shimmer.

The spell held for barely a second before shooting toward its target, leaving a streak of fire in its wake.

The explosion echoed through the forest, and flames immediately began spreading across the highly flammable webbing. The entire structure became a towering inferno, consuming the spider's lair and everything within it.

Leya watched the webs burn, tears flowing down her beautiful face once more, but these were tears of closure, of saying goodbye to her fallen friends.

"Let's go," she said quietly.

As they turned to leave, heading back toward their previous camping spot, a sound split the air.

Fwooosh!

"AHHH!" Leya screamed.

An arrow had pierced through her left hand, its black fletching quivering with the impact.