I had thought working through that [Quest] would be a breeze since it appears 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 have I ended 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’m not very keen on the latter like Kazu, but I’ve to pass the test thanks to my decent knowledge of math. Unfortunately again, it has cost me a bit of my mental stamina, to the point that I’ve had to nap for a few minutes after I logged out to regain it enough 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 log back into , now fully recharged and ready to take on another few hours in the game. We’re completely rested enough to take on our original goal for today. This time, we first head to the general store to buy some needed items 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 cost a lot of [Lapi], but at least it’s enough for us to get through at least several hours of crafting. With that, we head directly towards the . Unlike last time, there are more players on the first floor than before, which is no surprise since today is the weekend. This leaves me a bit worried though, that I won't be 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 have to stay here until we each finish our weapons and then rendezvous with him afterward. However, I’m not too worried about it since the restrictions in our [Safety Pact] still allow us to go our ways onto different floors since buildings such as the are considered as a single area. However, we still need to contact each other with the whisper chat function every 25-30 minutes. I’m okay with this catch since it enables me to check up on Kazu from time to time while also allowing him to contact me in return if he ever finds himself in a situation that he can'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 declares as he stretches his arms while looking around the crowded floor. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, Wind?"

I sigh as I also looked around the first floor. I know this isn't going to be easy like last time. But at least I’m 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 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 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?"

Kazu nods at me. "Sure! I'll see you later then!"

With that, my little brother leaves and heads for upstairs as I wave goodbye to him. I want to follow him, but we promised each other that we had to make our weapons without any help this time. Besides, if I keep following him like that, he might get annoyed and scold me for being too "overprotective" towards him. In any case, I decided to find my station before I end up working outside the .

Much to my relief, I manage to find a vacant [Woodcrafting] station down by the left side next to other stations like it. It not only contains several tools such as a hammer, nails, small pieces of sandpaper, a file, and an ax to cut down logs that I’ve gathered from my hunts a few weeks prior. At least, I won't be spending too much [Lapi] to get any of the tools needed for this project.

However, there is still the dilemma of making the bow. I’ve already read and watched the process of making a handmade bow, and just those two sources alone have made me worried that I might mess up the process. The virtual world is practically set in medieval times, so it’s no surprise that we had to rely on axes, saws, hammers, and other hand tools to get any crafting done. And unlike with the [Cooking] skill, I don't have enough real-life experience with wood-crafting or even building my bow, so it might be a bit more difficult this time, but I’m still not giving up on upgrading my equipment for the sake of survival in the wilds.

With that, the first step I need to do is prepare the wood. I’ve already gathered plenty for this project, along with some extra in case I make a mistake in the process. And yes, I also bring the ax that I used to chop them, which Kazu bought for me a few days ago after we decided to focus our energies on upgrading our equipment. The logs I’m carrying are huge, so the ax is essentially a blessing for this. Also, if the inventory menu didn't exist in this game, I’d never been able to carry all my tools and equipment from the forest to the without straining my back.

[Beginner Chopping Ax]

[An iron ax used for chopping down a tree. Perfect for any aspiring Woodcutter.

Quality: 10]

Tools and game mechanics aside, I decided to start things off by taking a tree log and my ax from my inventory.

[Oak Tree Log]

[A log that was cut from an oak tree. It can be cut down into beams for wood-crafting use.]

I take a few minutes to inspect the log, observing its texture and durability by knocking on it like a door. While my actions don't seem to make a lot of sense, like Kazu, I’ve researched websites on bow-making and archery. And from that, I’ve learned that having the right wood is the key to making a durable and strong bow. And while the oak trees are very common near , I was worried about how things might fare using that type of wood, but I feel it could work out on my end.

With that, I begin chopping the log with my ax, which to my surprise, doesn’t feel as heavy as when I first used it. Was it because my stats are a bit higher than before thanks to our leveled-up skills? That aside, once I’m done, I see the log has been turned into multiple pieces of wood, just like with the rabbit meat from before.

5x [Oak Wood]

[Wood beams made from an oak log. It can be used for any furniture as well with bows and wooden staves.]

Knowing that I have no problem with the amount of wood available to use, I take a piece and start cutting it down with my [Beginner Saw]. The main key for this craft is to cut and carve it down into the shape of a bow. I also need to make sure the wood was bendable and tough enough to endure for at least a few future hunts and battles. As for its size, I decide to make a simple hunting bow since according to the website, it is much more balanced than the other bow types.

Eventually, after about 30 minutes, I manage to carve out a bow shape. Out of all the prototype bases I’ve made, this one seems durable and bendable enough to hold a bowstring and I want to ensure that it didn't break while I was trying to fire an arrow. Once I am satisfied with this, I sand it down with sandpaper to smooth out the edges and affix the notches that I'd carved at each end of the bow with string. With some final adjustments and a small tug test, my very own handmade bow is done!

[Carpenter's Hunting Bow]

[A simple hunting bow made by an amateur woodcrafter. It might not be a good bow to use for fighting monsters.

Effects: +10 ATK

Quality: 9]

Not bad for my first try. As the flavor text said, I might not be able to use it against a monster, but it is proof of my first successful weapon craft. But I feel it not enough. I want to make a new bow to replace my starting bow. So I need to make something more than a simple hunting bow. I decided that I should make a compound bow to enhance the durability and strength of the fired arrow. Also, I had found some unique trees at the forest where we fought the [Wild Bear] a month before and made them into wood beams after I made those [Oak Wood] beams.

5x [Pine Wood]

[Wood beams made from a pine log. It can be used for any furniture as well with bows and wooden staves.]

5x [Birch Wood]

[Wood beams made from a birch log. It can be used for any furniture as well with bows and wooden staves.]

As for what kind of wood I should use for this bow, I consider using a couple of pieces of [Birch Wood] for its stiffness and one [Oak Wood] as its main material. To be honest, I’m a bit reluctant to mix and match without any aid from the game's recipes. But after what Kazu told me about his alchemy experience that helped him create new potions to boost our attacks and [Mana], I decided to follow his example and just wing everything to see if it’ll have the same effect with my bow. With that thought, I cut the pieces down to my desired shape and bind them together with some glue, string, and extra small pieces of wood. Eventually, after another hour, a new pop-up window appears in front of me once I'd finish my new bow.

[Experimental Composite Bow]

[A bow made from several pieces of wood. Easy to handle, but hard to maintain and master. This bow is experimental and may experience some problems. Some adjustments may be advised.

Creator:

Effects: +15 ATK

Quality: 14]

"Experimental"?

I get confused at the item's name once I read the text. Does that mean that this bow was the first of its kind in this world? Or is it something else?

Regardless, I was a bit worried about the flavor text. If what the text said is true, I might have to look up some information regarding the weapon's durability and repairs. But for now, I finally have the bow I need to replace my starter one. All that’s left to do now is to practice on several more logs for some extra arrows and I’ll be good for today.

Speaking of which, I begin to wonder about how Kazu is doing with his projects.

Wind's Masteries

[Archery] Level 11

[Woodcrafting] Level 6

[Swordsmanship] Level 10

[Cooking] Level 4

[Wind] Level 9

[Physical Enhancement] Level 3

[Hunting] Level 10

Kazu's Masteries

[Arcana] Level 10

[Thunder] Level 11

[Wind] Level 7

[Alchemy] Level 12

[Magecrafting] Level 1

[Magical Affinity] Level 11

[Scribe] Level 4