After I inspect my new bow, I put it back into my inventory and pull out my first bow so I can take a closer look at it once more.

[Beginner Bow]

[A simple bow that is easier to fire, but has low firing power.

Effects: +11 ATK

Quality: 10]

To be honest, this bow has served me well since my first day in . It is such a shame that I have to part ways with it since its job is finished and I have trained my [Archery] skill enough to wield a stronger bow. But I feel that selling it might be a bit unfair on my end. I wonder if my [Woodcutting] skill can help me salvage the [Beginner Bow] into so-

"Move out of the way! That damn magician is crazy!"

The sound of that voice breaks my concentration towards my [Beginner Bow] and I turn around to see a player wearing leather armor running down the stairs, pushing others out of the way, and fleeing out of the building. What’s his problem? I’m about to leave my station, but just seeing that guy makes me a bit angry about how he pushed the others out of the way without any remorse or concern for them. But still, what’s caused him to run anyway? I notice some other players also running down the stairs, as some of the blacksmiths and carpenters notice this and approach them to ask what was going on. More importantly, that rowdy player mentioned a "magician"...

I would’ve just ignored it as another [Alchemy] explosion from someone else, but just the mention of that word makes me worried. Kazu is upstairs and I fear something has happened to him. Packing up everything from my station, I quickly rush through the crowd and head upstairs as fast as I can.

As I arrive on the second floor, I quickly stop as my eyes widen at what I saw. Rather than seeing artisans working on their crafts, I see them running away from bolts of electricity and fire flying around the room like crazed bees buzzing around defenseless victims. Just seeing the floor like this reminds me of a war zone. Which begs the question, what the hell happened here?

Looking around at the mess, I quickly see Kazu looking around behind his station with a worried look on his face, and I run up to him while calling his name. "W-Wind?! I-I can explain..."

Explain? Don't tell me he’s responsible for all of this craziness?!

I want to ask him what he meant, but I notice a stray lightning bolt flying towards my younger brother. Thinking quickly, I pull out my sword and swing it at the bolt without even knowing if it would work. To my surprise, it does as the bolt suddenly disperses in sparks that spread through my sword's blade. I wonder how it is possible, but that is short-lived as I turn to Kazu again and give him a stern glare. "You can start by helping me stopping these bolts. What the hell did you do?!"

As I begin swinging my sword in an attempt to deflect the bolts away from my brother, he approaches me slowly and turns towards the chaos in front of us. "I-I didn't mean to set off such a chaotic spell! I was just trying to make my staff an- Look out!"

Kazu's sudden change in tone causes me to turn and once I see the lightning bolt heading towards me, I quickly push him down to the ground before I roll under a table to avoid it. "Your magic crafting skill did all this?! How in the world did you turn a typical crafting process into magical mayhem?!"

"I-I don't know! But can we discuss this after we stop these magic bolts from hurting anyone here!"

He has a point. If we squabble anymore, more people will get hurt from those bolts. With Kazu's help, we spend several minutes putting out all of the chaotic magic on the floor.

Once we stop all of the fire and electricity bolts, Kazu then explains everything up to the point when he accidentally releases a chaotic amount of magic around him.

"So... you're telling me that you tried to invoke an improvised spell to finish your strange new staff, and the pentagram you drew released those magic bolts and they went out of control, correct?" I ask with a bit of skepticism, which is not out of sarcasm, but out of worry for Kazu's unintentional actions.

"Y-Yeah... I just wanted to stabilize the [Burning Gemstone] and [Sparking Gemstone] together along with a single [Mana Stone] so they could combine their power to boost my spells in battles..." Kazu then frowns as he looks towards his station as I see that the pentagram has stopped glowing. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. All I wanted was to have a unique staff that I could call my own and help you better, Wind. I-I'm sorry you had to endure all that while protecting me."

I groan as I rotate my left arm. I can still feel the pain in my shoulder. While the bolts haven’t reduced a lot of my [HP], I can still feel the aftereffects of it. "It's okay. I don't think I’m hurt too much, but I have to learn how to dodge and roll better next time. But I'm also sorry that your hard work went up in smoke."

I’m not exaggerating at this point. He did work hard on his creation, so I can feel how frustrated he is with his staff going up in flames because of his minor mistake. However, Kazu just approaches the charred table and pulls something out of the rubble. To my surprise, it’s a long oak staff with red, yellow, and light blue gems at the tip of it in a triangular position. For some reason, I can see small magical circles glowing around it with some strange runes spread across the stick. Seeing its appearance shocks me on how it survived the magical blast. I want to ask how it survived, but he just says, "Nah, don't worry about it. Look. It's still in one piece and ready for battle!"

I can’t believe my eyes when I see the unscathed staff right in front of me. Accidentally releasing those magical bolts was one thing, but the fact it survived that blast is a bit ridiculous on my end. Just how could a wooden stick like that survive against such powerful magic anyway?! That aside, I decided to take a closer look at the staff with the game's pop-up window.

[Prototype Plasma Staff]

[An unusual staff with a [Burning Gemstone] and [Sparking Gemstone] inserted alongside with a usual [Mana Stone]. Because of this, it can combine the powers of electricity and fire into a powerful plasma magic attack. This staff is experimental and may experience some problems. Some adjustments may be advised.

Creator:

Effects: +11 Magic ATK, Imbued Fire Element, Imbued Electric Element, Combination Bonus

Quality: 17]

Whoa, it not only has both the fire and electric elements, but the quality is a bit higher than my [Experimental Composite Bow]. "And you made that without using a crafting menu at all?"

"Yup! I just used an incantation, some spells, handcrafting, and a bit of experimenting."

Wow... his methods might’ve been a bit of a risk to anyone else, but I’ve never known that they could produce a high-quality magic staff like that. I let out a sigh and placed my hand over my forehead. "Geez... I’ve heard of sacrificing something for art, but this is ridiculous. I'm happy you made your very own staff, but you have to remember there are consequences to reckless actions, even in a virtual reality online video game like this one. If you don't watch yourself, you could end up causing more disasters than you know."

Once I say this, I see him hang his head and frown. "R-Right... I'm sorry. I just wanted to make the very best staff I could on my first try."

I let out another sigh as I smile at Kazu, happy that he has learned his lesson. "I hope so. But as much as I want to know more what your staff can do, I think we better get back to our inn immediately." I quickly point behind Kazu, where several players are staring at us, their eyes widened and jaws dropped. Considering what Kazu has done with his first crafting menu-less [Magecrafting] success, calling it an earth-shattering revelation is a bit understatement. And then, questions begin to fill the second floor.

"Dude, that was lit! You made that all by yourself and almost blew up the whole building at the same time?!"

"You're telling us you accidentally released those magical bolts all because you made a staff without the crafting menu?!"

"Seriously?! How did you make a [Magecrafting] weapon without the menu?!"

"Did you discover a new method on how to make that staff? I just followed the recipe by hand and finished everything with the menu."

"Hey! I'll let you have this rare necklace I found in the dungeons if you tell me your method on making that monstrous staff!"

Of course, just like me with my rabbit steak, they just have to be star-struck over Kazu's crafting methods. However, after what happened to me last time, there was no way I’m letting him be attacked by some crazed players who want him to make orders of their very own magical weapons. So I grab Kazu's wrist and pull him away as I shout, "My brother would like to answer your questions, but Kazu and I have some other business to attend to. And if anyone dares to pull him away from me, there's going to be hell to pay!"

With that, both of us quickly run downstairs and then towards the exit without looking back.

"You know... Just threatening them like that makes you look like a vengeful bad guy..."

Just hearing those words from my brother hurts me a little bit. Sure, me threatening those players reminds me a bit of Star, but I can’t just leave Kazu alone with them and as I said before, I have had my own run-in with those people and I refuse to let him suffer the same fate as I did. At that very moment, we are hiding in the alleys near the to lose those crazed players. "S-Sorry, I just didn't want you to end up being harassed by those players like I was. You're just playing this game to fulfill your fantasy dreams and hang out with me for your playthrough."

Kazu nods in response as he dusts his robe off and stands up after catching his breath. "It's okay. I mean, you were swarmed by them big time when you made that [Rabbit Herb Steak]. I can’t blame them though since it smelled and tasted delicious. I guess it was the same for me when I made my new staff without the menu."

"In any case, let's not work on our crafts in public from now on and try to avoid the for a while. If we don't, we might get hounded by those players again."

He gasps in a panicked tone, at which I quickly prepare myself for one of his loudest rejection rants ever. "Avoid the ?! But where can we work on weapons and potions?! The plains outside are okay with working on my [Alchemy] and our small stand with your [Cooking], but I can't say the same for our other crafting [Masteries]."

As loud his voice was, even in a VRMMO, he has a point there. Not only will we be barred from access to the tools the hall provided for us, but we might also get attacked by hostile monsters by surprise. If only there’s a way to hide our activities to prevent these incidents from happening again...

But before I can decide our next course of action, my vision suddenly darkens into deep black sight. I quickly realize that someone has deliberately obscured my vision. Of course, being a cautious guy and all, I quickly grab their arm and try to reach my sword from my hip, but someone quickly grabs my other arm and restricts both of them with a strong grip. I start to demand to them that they let me go in anger, but to my surprise, my "captor" turns out to be none other than Star along with her young cousin, Annie.

"W-What the hell?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

She responds by flashing a big grin on her face. "Ever heard of a joke? You're just lucky you recognized me in time or the Corps arrested you on the spot."

"The Corps?" I repeat as I raise my right eyebrow.

"In the game's lore, they are known as the , a military that protects the whole country and is situated in the country. We players usually called them because they have knights troops called and magician troops called and just calling them those makes it easier for all of us. But, in the gameplay of , they are the ones who punish any players who dare to break any player-killing laws in any town and city unless they are in a [Duel] with someone. Even just raising a weapon against another player will be considered a player-killing attempt, so I suggest you avoid pulling out any weapons you have in the hand unless you or someone else wants to inspect it with your permission. And that includes any magical items as well, such as a staff or a grimoire."

Of course. This dissuades players from attacking other players outside this [Duel] feature. But still, knights and a magician army? This seriously sounds like it was ripped straight out of a fantasy novel and/or Isekai light novels already... Still, even I think I had turned off the [PK] feature for Kaz's sake, I decided to take her advice to avoid any complications shortly. "We'll keep that in mind. Thank you for the warning. But why are you girls here anyway? I thought you two were busy making our new equipment."

"We are still working on it. But as we are about to make some final touches, we heard a commotion at the and want to check it out since you two might’ve been there working on your crafts," Star explains as she points towards the said building, at which I mentally groan since we had to get out of there earlier. "Instead, we saw some people running away and panicking about these "magical bolts" created by a mad magician. Do you know anything about that?"

Ugh... Did she have to mention that now?! All I can do is cover my eyes and forehead with my hand as Kazu speaks to the girls in a nervous tone. "T-They... might be talking about me... I sort of experimented on [Magecrafting] by crafting a staff with two different gemstones without the aid of a crafting menu an-"

"WAIT!!! Time out! Did you say that you made a staff without any help from the menu at all?!"

Kaz?! Why the hell did he mention that detail to her?! I cab only slap myself in the face, as it is now too late for me to stop him from talking about his crazy experience. "Y-Yeah... I noticed nobody tried to work on [Magecrafting] without a menu in their whole crafting sessions, so I kind of decided to work without it... To be honest, it's not of a big deal for m-"

And that's enough for me to step in to protect Kazu. But as I uncover my eyes, I quickly see Star grab Kazu's shoulders and start to shake him as she shouts, "Not a big deal?! Do you know what you just did back there?! You practically discovered something that not even the beta testers could find a few months ago! Not many players have found a way to craft magical gear without the automatic crafting system other than inserting gems into their staff and writing spells in their grimoires! So it is a big deal for the entire community!"

My eyes widen when I hear those words. So crafting a magical item without any help from the game's crafting mechanic wasn't a thing before today?! Geez... And I thought my food was a major deal to everyone who liked them so much... "In other words, Kazu practically discovered a system-less [Magecrafting] method, correct?"

"It's more than that. And as much as I can express how impressive it was that you pulled that off, I have a feeling that every magic player in the game is going to hound you to make them some stronger weapons and gear, which might be too much for a little kid like you to handle. Like I said, [Magecrafting] doesn't have [Mass Production] and I doubt you could build so many weapons one at a time in a single day. I know, because I was once in that kind of situation before my [Masteries] leveled up to Level 18."

I then see Star shiver after she mentions that fact, at which I can tell that explaining that to us is very traumatizing for her. Now that I think about it, I become curious as I ask, "So what's the big deal about making an item without using the automatic crafting system at all? I feel you're not telling us the whole story."

"You can say a lot of it is a big deal. Not only can you build your weapons more accurately in terms of effects, but their quality is vastly superior to their automatic crafted counterparts. Many beta testers already saw the potential with system-less [Blacksmithing] and [Woodworking] and some are already writing video guides on most crafting [Masteries]. They’ve even come up with a shorter name for these kinds of methods: [Experienced Crafting]. Of course, everyone freaking out over an [Experienced Magecrafting] means attention and information hunting over what kind of methods were used."

I see. So if this [Experienced Crafting] system is as big a deal as Star said it would for Kaz's [Magecrafting], then we might end up attracting even more unwanted attention than before. And damn, I seriously don't want to have another crazy experience.

"Anyways, for your safety, I suggest you should avoid the for a while until everyone cools down from seeing your methods."

That's what I suggested to Kaz a few seconds ago. Of course, I already know his answer, which came via a loud protest.

"And deprive me of the opportunity to create new items other than my [Alchemy]?! No way, José! I already got some more ideas for new staves, and I'm not going to just give it up all because of my methods attracting a few players, who want one of their own! And no, I am not doing [Magecrafting] in a forest or a rank alley like this! As a full-fledged magician, I’m not abandon everything even if just for my safety! That's what they all do, correct?"

Yeesh, that's rough. It made sense with his many points, not to mention that this brother of mine was a fantasy purist. Just one suggestion against his dream of fulfilling his "fantasy life" will be to respond with a big fat rejection no matter what justification or reason the suggestion may be. Even just say "no" three times during theme park and bookstore visits, to things such as an autograph signing or a meet and greet with his favorite author had caused me to face his wrath (i.e. tantrums and believing that I was lying) more times than I could endure in this VR online game.

"Well, what do you want to do then? There are probably swarms of rabid players out there trying to pry information from you to know more about your [Experienced Magecrafting] methods!" Star warned us loudly, at which I became a bit worried that she might attract some of those said players to us. "Face it, unless you have a private place, such as a house, a large shop that has private crafting areas for each of you, or a hideout like an abandoned building in the city, your only choices right now are to hide or to stay out from for a while until all this blows over."

I sigh in response. If we want to continue playing this game, then those are the only choices we had for the time being. But before I can say anything to persuade Kazu at the risk of another tantrum again, I hear someone cough behind Star. It was just Annie hiding behind her "older sister" as usual while taking a slight peek at us (especially Kazu) as she spoke. "U-Um... Speaking of which… There is this strange man that I saw earlier near a house that I just passed by... He just walked by and stared at me while smiling."

A strange man? Now I’m a bit worried. This game already has rules regarding crimes against child abuse and pedophilia, so just mentioning a person creepily staring at a 10-year-old girl in big trouble. "Can you at least tell me who this person is?"

"Yeah, did he do something to you? Because if he did, that perverted bastard is going to talk to my fire and fist!" Yikes, even if her namesake means more than just shining plasma in the night sky, her explosive nature, as well her passion for using "fire" makes me wonder if she should rename herself "Sun".

"H-He's not all bad. He just helped me up when I fell and told me to be more careful before he left." I cab tell that Annie was a bit scared just by her stuttering voice. Yet her words say otherwise even though this man is a stranger. "A-Although, he was wearing a strange white robe and grey boots. He even knew my name before I could tell him..."

Now I’m even more suspicious. I try to ask her more questions, but to my surprise, Kazu suddenly pushes me back as he runs up to Annie. "Hold on, a man in a white robe and grey boots?! Was he wearing a hood that was so dark to the point you couldn’t see his face?!"

My eyes widen as I heard Kazu's question, as well as how he knew supposed details of this stranger. Does that mean he also met this guy before? As I was trying reel in from this revelation, Annie slowly nods and continues, "Y-Yeah. He even wore this strange necklace with a transparent blue gem and called himself a "seer". I don't even know what that is."

Kazu begins to back away from Annie as I see a full look of shock on his face. Now I need to know who he is talking about. "Kazu... Don't tell me..."

But before I can finish my question, he covers my mouth and stares at me as he said, "I think it would be best if we wait until after our equipment's done. It's a very long story..."

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 9

[Magical Affinity] Level 11

[Scribe] Level 4