Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 30: Woodcrafting

I thought working through that [Quest] would be a breeze since it seemed to be a written exam with easy questions and/or multiple-choice questions that I could choose via a pop-up window or something. Instead, not only did I end up sitting through an hour of writing down answers and filling the forms that the librarian gave to me, but the questions consisted of math problems and most of the lore of the game world. Unfortunately, I was not very keen on the latter like Kazu, but I managed to pass the test thanks to my decent knowledge of math. Unfortunately again, it cost me a bit of my mental stamina, to the point that I had to nap for a few minutes after I logged out to regain it enough in order for me to get back on my feet and work on today's lunch.

After our two-hour lunch break in the real world, we logged back into <Isekai>, now fully recharged and ready to take on another few hours in the game. In fact, we were completely rested enough to take on our original goal for today. This time, we first headed to the general store to buy some needed items to for our crafting.

[Beginner Iron Saw]

[An iron saw made specifically for new Carpenters.

Quality: 10]

5x [Fiber Bowstrings]

[Bowstrings made of fiber ready to be attached to a bow. Its strength is a bit weak, but you can make a bow perfect for beginners.

Quality: 7]

It might've cost a lot of [Lapi], but at least it was enough for us to get through at least several hours of crafting. With that, we headed directly towards the <Crafting Hall>. Unlike last time, there were more players on the first floor than before, which was no surprise since today is the weekend. This left me a bit worried, though that I wouldn't able to find a place for me to work on my new bow. And since Kazu was going to be working on his [Magecrafting] on the upper floor, I had to stay here until we finished with our weapons and then rendezvous with him afterward. However, I wasn't too worried about it since the restrictions in our [Safety Pact] still allowed us to go our own ways onto different floors as buildings such as the <Crafting Hall> were considered as a single area. However, we still needed to contact each other with the whisper chat function every 25-30 minutes. I was actually okay with this catch. It enabled me to check up on Kazu from time to time while also allowing him to contact me in return if he ever found himself in a situation that he couldn't handle by himself.

"Okay! Looks like I should get started with my magical upgrades. I got all of my materials ready and I'm ready to make my new staff!" Kazu declared as he stretched his arms while looking around the crowded floor. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Wind?"

I sighed as I also looked around the first floor. I knew this wasn't going to be easy like last time. But at least I was mentally prepared for what was to come for both of us. "Yeah. I've handled the crowds in New York's subway, so I think I'll be okay on my own. But I should ask the same thing about you. Just don't do anything stupid while you're working upstairs. The pain might not be real in here, but you can still disturb someone if you do something crazy with your crafts."

"Don't worry about it. [Magecrafting] is very different from [Alchemy], so I don't think there'll be any explosions involved in my crafting this time. Just focus on your bow for now and we'll meet back here to show what we've have made so far. But don't forget, no peeking or mentioning any details! I want to make this a surprise for both of us."

Huh. Typical of Kazu to come up with a strange condition like that. He's always loved surprises to the point that he actually temporarily exiled himself from social media just to avoid spoilers of his upcoming "The World of Seraph" spin-offs and other fantasy novels coming out this year. In any case, I'll try to fulfill his promise and keep from accidentally blabbering about my bow's abilities and appearance. "Alright. But make sure to contact me if you're in trouble. And I'll contact you every 30 minutes to check up on you, okay?"