Saliva dripped from the venomous fangs of the wolves as their paws, stepping on dry leaves, echoed through the quiet forest, mingling with the low growls of the blood-hungry creatures.
[ Venom Wolf (Level 7) ]
Reading the words above each of the wolves, Ivan knew he had to prioritize defense. The venom wolves' bite was disorienting and caused the victim to lose around twenty HP over five minutes.
"Their bites are venomous, be careful," Ivan warned Iris.
"Yeah," Iris replied, her eyes locked on the approaching threat.
Gripping their weapons tightly, they both braced themselves as the wolves closed in. Ivan's large sword cut through the wind before meeting the flesh of the first wolf.
One by one, the wolves succumbed to death as Ivan and Iris fought back, efficiently dispatching the Level 7 foes. Although their individual strength didn't pose a significant danger, the wolves' venom and their sheer numbers remained problematic.
Suddenly, a quest notification appeared before Ivan, prompting him to step back from the wolf he was facing to read the message.
[ Quest: Create the C+ Rank weapon - Bloodhound, using the Master Craftsman skill, by obtaining (43) Venom Wolf Hearts.
Reward: 2 F Rank magic potions.
Failure: Null ]
Ivan stood for a moment, perplexed by the quest's requirements. His current Craftsman skill level did not allow him to create any weapon above D rank, and crafting a weapon never required specific items before.
Ivan swiftly cleared his mind of distracting thoughts, fully immersing himself in the battle. He knew that allowing the wolves to get too close or overwhelm him would be disastrous. Yet, as the fight dragged on, he found it increasingly challenging to keep them at bay.
In contrast, Iris exhibited a mastery that left Ivan in awe. With skillful precision, she wielded her spear, effortlessly maintaining a safe distance while efficiently piercing through the wolves and taking them down. Her movements were fluid and swift, rendering the wolves helpless to prevent their impending demise.
Ivan, on the other hand, found himself in the most perilous situation one could face against these wolves—surrounded on all sides. The wolves lunged at him with open mouths, their venomous fangs seeking to sink into his flesh.
With determination etched on his face, Ivan swung his large blade rapidly, cutting down each wolf one by one. However, as the circle of adversaries closed in around him, it became less a matter of "if" they would bite him and more a matter of "when."
However, Ivan was not without a plan. Suddenly, the wolves began to scatter in a futile attempt to dodge the onslaught of raining iron rods that now targeted them.
[ Skill: Iron Rain is Active ]
[ STR: +0.5 ]
The iron rods pierced through the wolves, rapidly reducing their oppressive numbers. It seemed as though the tides of battle were about to fully turn in Ivan's favor, but just as quickly as it began, the rain of iron rods ceased. Ivan had exhausted his mana.
To worsen the situation, Iris's words followed, revealing that her spear had broken during the intense fight.
"Fighting them without weapons is dangerous; we'll be more likely to be bitten," Ivan cautioned as they both regrouped backing each other.
"Yeah, and I'm saving my mana for the boss," Iris replied, her eyes scanning the approaching danger.
Thinking on his feet, Ivan quickly pulled out a bow from his inventory and handed it to Iris.
"Here, take this," he said.
"Great, this is perfect" Iris said, skillfully leaping onto a nearby tree, finding a vantage point from which she could support Ivan.
In a display of impressive marksmanship, Iris loosed arrows with quick precision. Four of the wolves had their heads pierced by her arrows before they even had a chance to react.
"Do you know how to use every weapon?" Ivan inquired, impressed by Iris's proficiency.
"I'm good with most, but I'm better with a dagger. I'll support you from here," Iris replied, her focus never wavering as she continued to take down the wolves.
Using the distraction provided by Iris's precise shots, the remaining wolves scattered, trying to evade the incoming arrows. Seizing the opportunity, Ivan launched into action, slashing through the wolves one by one with his large blade.
After a fierce and exhausting battle, the entire area was now littered with over a hundred venom wolf corpses, their blood seeping into the ground. Many of them bore arrows piercing their bodies, a testament to Iris's skillful archery.
[ Player has leveled up ]
[ Game Developer class has leveled up ]
[ Skill: Master Craftsman has leveled up (C) ]
Ivan took a moment to catch his breath, his chest heaving as he leaned on his sword for support.
"C-rank dungeons really aren't easy," Ivan remarked, glancing at the notifications before him.
"I told you, and we just entered too," Iris said, gracefully descending from the tree she had perched on during the battle.
Curious about the rewards of his efforts, Ivan decided to utilize his Master Craftsman skill to see what the quest had yielded.
Before him materialized the stats of the weapon that had been mentioned in the quest earlier:
[ Bloodhound: A longsword with a sharp blade that deals significant damage. Its edges are forever stained with venom, causing a cut from its blade to inflict 1 HP loss every ten seconds for five minutes.
Rank: C+
Required item for crafting: Venom Wolf Heart (0/43) ]
Ivan examined the stats of the Bloodhound sword with a sense of satisfaction.
This new weapon was far superior to any that Ivan currently possessed, and he knew he had to craft it. The wolves lay lifeless around them, leaving only the task of extracting their hearts.
"What are you doing? Let's go," Iris said, noticing Ivan seemingly lost in thought.
"Give me a sec. You said you use daggers, right?" Ivan asked, his mind racing with a plan.
"Yeah," Iris replied, slightly puzzled.
"Okay, hold on," Ivan said, his gaze fixated on something in the distance.
Iris watched with curiosity as Ivan stared into space once again.
Now that Ivan's Craftsman skill had reached C rank, he had assumed he could easily craft a C rank dagger for Iris. However, as he scrolled through the craftable weapons, he realized that every C rank weapon required a specific item for crafting.
After some searching, his eyes settled on a dagger. Although it, too, required an item to be crafted, it was the Venom Wolf Hearts—similar to what he had used for the Bloodhound.
[ Wolf Fang: A dagger with venom-laced blades, reducing its victim's life by 2 HP every ten seconds for four minutes.
Rank: C+
Required item for crafting: Venom Wolf Heart (0/53) ]
It was essentially a dagger variant of the Bloodhound.
"This might sound weird, but we need to collect ninety-six hearts from these wolves," Ivan said bluntly.
"Huh? First, you zone out for minutes, and now you want to take out the wolves' hearts? What kind of demonic things are you up to?" Iris asked, a mix of concern and curiosity evident in her voice.
"I need them to create weapons for us," Ivan explained, his plan coming together in his mind.
"How are you going to do that?" Iris asked, intrigued by his unexpected request.
"I can't explain now, but just help me get the hearts," Ivan urged, his eagerness to craft the weapon's growing.
"Fine, but let's be quick. We've already spent too much time here, and other monsters might arrive," Iris replied, walking over to one of the dead wolves. Without hesitation, she plunged her hand into its chest cavity and pulled out its heart.
"Damn, that's one way to do it," Ivan commented, slightly taken aback by Iris's brutal method.
"What? You wanted me to surgically remove them?" Iris retorted.
"Good point," Ivan conceded.
"Yeah, now start ripping out hearts. Time's ticking, and we don't have all day," Iris said, throwing the freshly extracted wolf hearts onto the ground from her blood-stained hands.