Sleeping early has its perks, and one of them is waking up early. Well, I don't know about you, but I don't sleep more than what my body requires. Most of the time, I wake up after 6 hours of peaceful sleep.
When I woke up, it was just around 4 a.m. and the sun had yet to even show its brilliance over the horizon. I got up from my bed, stretched a little, and wore a few thick clothes to fight the early morning cold breeze before heading for the garage.
At this time, Mother should still be asleep, so I tried to keep the noise as low as possible.
"Alright, let's start with modifications!"
While hunting yesterday, I already reached Crafting Skill Lv. 3, which was a lot higher compared to when I first made these crude weapons. Furthermore, in the garage, I had tools to help me!
The first thing I did was dismantle the poorly made weapons. The raw material was a monster's body part, so it was getting slightly foul with the rotting process already starting.
The first step would be to remove the loose flesh, which would end up rotting further. With long nose pliers, I carefully pried out the crab-like meat from inside the scythes, careful not to break them as it'd add more work for me later. After a careful procedure, I took a bucket and loaded it with a mixture of vinegar and water. This is to sanitize the remaining parts of the scythe.
After making sure that the mixture was able to enter the cavity between the hard shell, I moved on to make the handle for the weapon. The soaking process would continue for an hour, at least. Although I should've done this last night to save time, I was unable to move from eating too much. I'm reflecting on it right now.
After using a hammer and creating a steel handle for a scythe, about half a meter long, I welded an unused sledgehammer's head on one side of it. It was half as heavy as the one I'm using, so it should be pretty wieldy. After that, I made one more of the exact same setup and wiped the sweat off my forehead.
I tried swinging it, using it like a hammer, and it was pretty easy to wield.
"With this, dual-wielding should be possible!"
As soon as the handles were done, I returned to the soaking scythes. They were already cleared of the debris after soaking for more than an hour. However, when I tried to place my nose closer, I could smell the foul stench remaining.
"Damn. This is not good."
Having no choice, I washed the scythes with chilly water and, while shivering in the cold breeze blowing against my hands, I created a solution of bleach and water. Of course, I carefully made sure to remove all the vinegar from the scythe; otherwise, I may end up knocked out by the ensuing tragedy of bleach plus vinegar.
To make doubly sure of my personal safety, I used a different bucket for the solution and placed it outside the garage. With it exposed to open air, it should be a little safer for me, at least.
The last stage of bleaching didn't take long—only about fifteen or twenty minutes. After carefully drying them, I checked for any remaining smell. Other than the chlorine-like scent, I couldn't detect any pungent odor remaining, so I guess it was a success.
Carefully, using the small metallic protrusion I added earlier, I tried attaching the scythes to the handle. It was the perfect angle, but the blades were pretty loose.
It'll be pretty dangerous if the blades fly off while I'm fighting with monsters, so I modified the protrusion to have a few little spikes to fill the space. Then I filled the rest with wood chips before finally adding wood glue. To add the finisher, I covered the joint with a metal clasp and welded it firmly.
"Done!"
With this, the weighted scythes are complete! After confirming the work process with one side, I quickly worked on the other and finished everything just as the time reached 7 a.m. I spent three hours just modifying these makeshift weapons, but it's pretty worth it.
[
You successfully created Modified Simple Weighted Scythes x2!
You earned 2,000 skill experience points!
Crafting was upgraded to Lv. 4!
]
Yep, seeing myself improve with every little effort I put in is pretty satisfying. After that, while waiting for Mother to call me for breakfast, I made a modified belt holster and a sheath for the scythe blades. Although I wanted to remake the scythe daggers too, I was already short on time. I just slapped a handle on them without much thought and hung them on my waist together with the scythes.
After looking in the mirror, I nodded my head with a serious expression.
"This... Looks pretty cool."
I may be biased because I am the creator, but I think I did a pretty good job.
Right, some might think, "Why use weapons with monster body parts when you can use guns or already-made metal weapons?" But this is mainly due to the difference in their status.
For example, let's look at the status of the sledgehammer I used yesterday.
[
Name: Sledgehammer (Westwing brand)
Type: Blunt Weapon
Attack Power: 10
Durability: 47/55
Description: A standard sledgehammer with no bonus effects.
]
The weapon that I used, apart from being durable, was actually pretty low in damage output. That's why it takes two hits for me to take out those insects, even if I hit them at their vital points.
Now, however, the newly created scythes should be more useful.
[
Name: Modified Simple Weighted Scythe
Type: Blunt/Slash Weapon
Attack Power: 25
Durability: 30/30
Description: A custom scythe combined with a hammer, perfect for both slashing and smashing. Made by a fledgling crafter with crude skills.
]
"..."
I know I'm just starting as a crafter, but please, can you stop with the "crude" part? Even I have a heart that could break, you know?
As I was wondering why the system seemed to always pick a fight with me, I heard my mother's faint voice calling me for breakfast. I quickly took off the belt holster and cleaned up before heading for the dining room, right next to the kitchen.
Mother also made lunch for me to bring along, knowing that I'd be spending the whole day on the hunting grounds. Although I feel thankful, it kind of makes me feel complicated that my mother actually knows what I'll do before even telling her about it.
After eating and taking a short bath, I changed into a different set of clothes (but the same combination as yesterday) and went to the garage to fetch my other gear.
Scythes, check.
Dagger scythes, check.
Foldable dagger, check.
Backpack with lunch and water, check.
Random metal wires, just in case something requires them, check.
With this, I'm all set to hunt!
"Be careful out there, alright?"
As I went out, Mother's voice echoed from the house's door. I waved goodbye as I ran like the wind, excited to finally grind to my heart's content! It's just 8 a.m. and I'm already feeling giddy. I hope my energy lasts me for the entire day!
After that, I followed the same route as yesterday and greeted the two guards, who were different from before. After they scanned my ID, I finally entered the forest and rushed ahead.
I pulled both scythes from my waist holster, taking off their leather sheaths. Now it's time for a wild hunt!
---
Hunting in the forest was peaceful, as the monsters rarely grouped together and mostly wandered around alone. After taking care of my tenth victim, an announcement finally echoed in my ears. It's something that I've been waiting for a long time!
[
You have slain Lv. 2 Giant Mantis!
You earned 10 experience points!
You have leveled up to level 2!
All stats increase by +1 (+1.5)!
You have gained 10 free stat points.
]
Excited to see how my level-up went, I quickly checked my status page. I moved to the shadow of a tree first, making sure that I was hidden from plain sight before doing so.
[
Name: Giza Mahiro
Level: 2
Class: Student
Badges: 50 (expand>>)
Titles: 3 (expand>>)
Skills: 5 (expand>>)
Strength: 5.5 (4 + 1.5)
Agility: 5.5 (4 + 1.5)
Intelligence: 5.5 (4 + 1.5)
Wisdom: 8.5 (4 + 4.5)
Endurance: 5.5 (4 + 1.5)
Luck: 10
Free Stat Points: 10
]
"So the bonus from the badges only applies to base stats? Feels like a waste, but alright..."
I was expecting my intelligence to reach 10 at least, but it seems like the bonus only computed 50% from my base value (3) and ignored the ones added from achievements (another 3).
"For my free stat points... Let's go with strength and agility first."
It's never wrong to increase your strength, and agility is needed to ensure cleaner and faster hits or dodges. I distributed five points equally to both stats and stood up.
As I was dusting off my jogging pants, however, I suddenly felt the air around me stir. A fast-approaching slash sound was heard.
"Sh-!"
Without waiting, I ducked down and rolled away. As soon as I did, the tree behind me got bisected and fell down, creating a loud rumble. I looked around but was immediately confused.
"Where's the enemy?"
As I was wondering, I heard the same sound earlier. Before me, I noticed that the dust was being parted by something that couldn't be seen.
"Invisible?!"
I raised both scythes to parry whatever was coming to my face and managed to save my neck in time. Following the impact that sent me spinning, I sent a roundhouse kick aiming at the figure that was supposed to be right in front of me.
I felt like I was hitting a hard exoskeleton as it flew, leaving six scratch marks along the leafy undergrowth.
"Damn, there aren't supposed to be invisible enemies here!"
I cursed as I fixed my stance.