NOVEL WEB Chapter 30: An Incomplete Inheritance of an Artificer
This will be my first shoutout on SH
Iteration 001: initializing. Galaxy: reformed. System interface: established. Player Recruitment: In Progress.
Mason the survivalist was always preparing for the end of the world. He just didn’t expect a god-like AI to transform it into a damn video game.
Now he has to pick a ‘class’, survive a ‘tutorial’ (filled with monstrous creatures trying to murder him), and somehow find his brother Blake before the idiot gets himself killed.
OK. Blake’s no idiot. He’s a charming, incredibly lucky, ambitious world-beater. But he was destined for corporate boardrooms, not monster filled forests, and Mason knows he needs to reach him before it’s too late.
But as he claws his way through this new, dangerous world, gaining superhuman abilities and meeting a beautiful woman who desperately needs his help, he begins to realize: it might just be the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
Link: https://www.scribblehub.com/series/792760/the-first-great-game-a-litrpgharem-series/
Sponsor? Victor anticipated various scenarios that might unfold next. An apprenticeship, perhaps, or a request to become his follower. What he didn’t expect was this particular proposition.
“Elaborate,” he responded evenly.
“Welp, it ain’t no grand affair. I apologize if my way of speaking comes off a bit blunt,” the girl began, her tone down-to-earth. “What I mean is, would you mind if I become your personal blacksmith? I’ve heard you’re setting a dwelling deep inside the forest…”
Knowing that Victor procured tons of tools and seeds, it became apparent to the girl that his intended dwelling would require a significant workforce. This kind of deduction was hard to conceal even if he wanted to, leading her to come to this conclusion and promote herself for this opportunity. After all, Magi rarely ventured to such remote areas; even acolytes had to have specific reasons for coming here. This neatly aligned with Victor’s plan, as he was in need of additional NPCs for his project.
“And what can you offer in return?” Victor inquired with a measured and direct tone.
“This may sound absurd… but…” Her expression turned serious, and she whispered to Victor in a hushed voice that even the village head beside her couldn’t catch, “I might possess an incomplete inheritance of an Artificer…”
An Artificer!
Similar to Alchemist, it was a prestigious subclass unique to Magi. Tales spoke of powerful Artificers who could forge and wield their own magic artifacts (higher-grade magic tools) to bolster their combat prowess. Magi with these professions were so coveted that even the esteemed Arcane Radiance College would go to great lengths to secure their employment.
Victor was struck by the audacity of this girl to freely share such a revelation. If this confidential information were to reach the ears of a morally compromised Magus — something quite likely in this world — her swift demise would be a merciful outcome. An Artificer’s inheritance, even if incomplete, held tremendous value.
But on second thought, Victor realized this might be a worthy gamble for her. She was daring to reach beyond the confines of her remote village life by approaching him, attempting to ascend her station in life. In essence, she was willing to risk her life against the odds.
“What’s your name?”
“It’s Eleanor…” she responded. “I’m not trying to toot my own horn, but I’ve dabbled a bit in magic.” Her subtle attempt to enhance her value was not lost on him.
“Interesting…” Victor kept his gaze on her, assessing her, taking in her eager expression. Finally, he made his decision. “Very well! I will agree to become your sponsor.” Her eyes lit with excitement, but he put up a hand to bring her back down. “However, now is not yet the time for you to follow me.” As of now, he lacked the infrastructure for her to fully utilize her potential back at the academy. There was no smithy — not to mention that it was too early to introduce a blacksmith NPC into the “game” with only three days of development.
Ordinary humans were too weak to face magical beasts head-on; this was precisely why Victor never considered the option of arming the players with weapons until they achieved the status of first-stage Initiate Attunement. Cold steel was powerless against the supernatural might of Magi, who could reshape landscapes with a mere thought.
The disparity was stark; even ten skilled hunters armed with crossbows would be defenseless against a single Thornback Boar, a creature Victor himself had dealt with. Ten out of ten, the hunters would simply be wiped out without inflicting any meaningful damage on the beast. This was the harsh reality of this world.
Of course, it would be a different thing altogether if the players could manufacture modern weaponry such as guns. Yet, for the time being, such advancements felt like distant dreams.
Modern technology… An Artificer… Suddenly, something grazed the edges of Victor’s mind, causing a tingling sensation to run through him. While this world wasn’t strictly medieval, modern technology would still surpass many of its current innovations!
With a deft gesture, Victor produced two platinum coins and extended them toward Eleanor. “Take it.”
“Sir…” The old village head, who had been watching from the sidelines and not interrupting the exchange in the slightest, seemed not to understand why Victor was doing all of this.
“Sir Astralium…?” Eleanor likewise visibly perplexed. Although she was hoping for some kind of investment, she hadn’t provided any concrete evidence of her skills or abilities, making the gesture seem rather misplaced. Victor was clearly aware of this.
“It’s fine. Consider this an investment.” It wasn’t that Victor was accepting this at face value, but it was clear that she was not lying, or at least, she wasn’t trying to trick him. Two platinum coins were nothing but a small expenditure that was worth much less than even a novice-grade mana crystal. With this transaction, he still retained forty-eight platinum coins.
Afterward, the village head discreetly excused himself, and Victor continued his conversation with Eleanor. The need for tools would only increase as time went on, so he informed her of his intention to return the following day with materials for her to work on, potentially including weapon crafting.
Victor had initially contemplated designating some players as weapon crafters, but there had been no individuals with blacksmiths or similar occupations who had registered for the closed-alpha stage so far. To begin with, they were all avid gamers, people who had a lot of free time to spare, and not the kind of people to have jobs involving manual labor.
***
By the timeVictor returned to the academy, the sun was already high overhead. The journey of about three and a half hours for a round trip wasn’t exactly brief. Despite being an acolyte, Victor was only human. Traversing through uneven terrain and thick vegetation and staying alert to his surroundings consumed most of the time. Otherwise, the trip itself would have taken less than half that time.
This time, he didn’t come back with a wooden cart laden with supplies, only a single huge sack filled with tools that hadn’t fit into his interspatial ring. However, such trips weren’t the most efficient, given that he could only make them once a day. Moreover, appearing too frequently around the village risked diminishing the enigmatic aura he had cultivated.
With a sigh, Victor mused, “I wonder how long it will take for Lumen to grow large enough to be used as a mount.”
Lumen was a special magical beast, and magical beasts were known to grow many times faster than normal creatures. But no matter how fast, it would likely be several months or even years before she would be large enough to bear his weight. Unless…
“Well, there’s no use pondering that now.” Victor shook his head. “Right… There’s still one more class that I have to teach before I can be free from lecturing. Ah, but the affinity and aptitude tests have to be personally managed.”
There was no avoiding that — at least not today. Next time, he could schedule the tests earlier in the day, before the players were divided into groups. Maybe once there were other mentors, he could even just entrust this to them. That would minimize his workload and give him free time to pursue his path as a Magus. Victor might have taken the mantle of the academy’s headmaster, and was responsible for its continued smooth functioning, but he couldn’t neglect the reason he did all this — the pursuit of truth.
This was the holy grail for all Magi.
***
Amidst a momentary respite, Jacky found himself engrossed in an unexpected endeavor — crafting a stone spear. With a sharp stone he found lying around, a plant fiber, and a sturdy branch he had liberated from a felled tree, he set out to test the game’s crafting system. His fingers worked deftly, guided by curiosity and a desire to comprehend the mechanics of this new reality.
Between each meticulous movement, his taste buds were subjected to a trial of their own. “Shit! This food tastes like shit!” The dried meat that was distributed earlier on resembled rubber more than anything edible. Even the bland food given by the hospital tasted much better than the crap he was eating now.
Eventually, the stone spear took shape in his hands. Though the quality might not be the best, it was his first creation in this game — a small achievement that filled him with a sense of accomplishment similar to the one he had as a kid in an art class.
“Hey, what are you up to over there?” Locktekei, a fellow player, approached from behind.
“Just crafting a little something for myself — a spear. And yeah, isn’t that an hour until we’re supposed to gather back at the academy’s main building?”
“Yup. That’s a nice spear by the way. I didn’t know that the game could replicate crafting and physics down to such fine details. Still, you sure are one talented player, bro! Not only is your chopping efficiency higher than the rest of us, but your knowledge is also so deep. What’s your job in real life?” Locktekei couldn’t help but ask.
“Not much, really. I mainly deal in furniture and building materials, but that’s all in the past. As for knowledge, well, it naturally comes with age, though our virtual bodies all look like teenagers, so it’s not very convincing coming from me.”
“I see, I see… Bro, you must be very old then!” Despite knowing that, Locktekei playfully slung an arm over Jacky’s shoulder and exclaimed, “But you know what? Age is just a number. Now, let’s continue chopping wood, shall we?”
“Uh-huh.” Jacky himself didn’t mind this interaction. For some reason, he was now deeply influenced by the youngsters’ spirit.
Considering the spare time available before reconvening, they decided to maximize their merit point gains. Axes in hand, they resumed their task of felling trees. By now, a portion of the forest had been cleared, leaving behind wild thickets and groves that were harder to eradicate. Jacky himself had cut down ten trees so far, ranging from ten to fifteen meters high. Even if the points had to be divided with the players who helped him move the logs, he would be getting at least one hundred points. He was easily the fastest player at chopping down trees!
Yet, an inexplicable pull tugged at Jacky’s instincts, urging him to delve deeper into the woods. The feeling was subtle and strange, unlike anything he had ever felt before. Cautiously, he ignored the beckoning sensation, uncertain of what it might lead to.
***
Victor slouched in his chair, his eyes closed to the world around him. His schedule had continued on as planned: from lunch to the handling of procured materials and then onto imparting magic knowledge to the newly arrived players. Luckily, dinner came out quite well, thanks to the seasonings and professionally prepared meat.
Princess_Tomato had carved a portion of the Thornback Boar, but progress had been at a snail’s pace due to the creature’s toughness. She had shared her struggles with him, and he acknowledged the laborious process of breaking down the beast. Besides that, she proposed drying the meat with salt so the leftovers wouldn’t spoil.
Another pressing issue emerged: the players needed a supply of drinkable water. Previously, five players didn’t require much water to sustain themselves, and the supplies that Victor had prepared were enough to support them these past three days. Victor himself could manipulate the Hydro elemental particles in the air to produce small amounts of water, so this became a temporary solution until he had a chance to lead the players to the nearby stream tomorrow.
Victor was also contemplating charging the players’ for their meals with merit points starting tomorrow — twenty points for each serving — so the players had to work hard to satisfy their fill. After all, there was no free lunch in this world, and the magical beast meat was no cheap commodity. As for how the transaction could be carried out, the Shadowlink Marks worked as an intermediary; it was a truly convenient tool.
In the meantime, the five players from the first batch had made a makeshift fireplace. Using stones and branches gathered from their tree-chopping activities, they had managed to create a serviceable cooking area while Victor was preoccupied with instructing the new arrivals. Of course, they were rewarded with fifty merit points each for their initiative. Ideally, bricks would have been a better material, but that required making cement. For that task, a certain candidate from among the new players had already crossed his mind.
Regarding the affinities and aptitudes of the new players, Victor noted a striking similarity to those of the initial batch. While some displayed a talent for rare elements, none exhibited an affinity for the elusive Cosmo and Chrono elements. In terms of mana aptitudes, the highest ranking was a player with an inferior bright grade, mirroring the aptitude of Prominence. Overall, their profiles fell within the expected range — nothing too out of the ordinary.
