After the craziness back at the , Kaz and I decide to log out for a few hours to rest and prepare for dinner. It makes sense since we’ve had to stay away from the public and let them cool off for a while. Not to mention Kazuki's revelation about that mysterious stranger that Annie met has left me sort of curious and worried. If he is a pedophile, my greatest fears might’ve come true. And if he turns out to be a criminal, it might be even worse. Either way, I have to be careful and learn more about this guy from Kaz.

As for us, I’m preparing dinner as usual while Kazuki is doing his usual chores outside. Just as I finish up and start placing some of the food at the dining table, my smartphone rings. Today is Veteran's Day and Mom said that she was going to call today to check-up on us. I quickly take out my phone and answer the call, at which I hear her voice on the other line.

"Hey, Hayate! How are you and Kazuki?"

"We're okay, just playing video games and studying, the usual. What have you been up to lately anyway?"

"Oh, same old, same old. We're covering most of the Veteran's Day Parade and most of the folks here are busy with several other topics for tomorrow's papers and the website. Though, you two should try to tune in to the news beforehand and keep up with current events. I know you love to play with your brother in that online game, but there is more to life than just staring into your phones, computer screens, and VR goggles all day."

"You know watching TV is the same thing as everything else you just pointed out." While Mom can be very scary many times in our whole lives, she can also be a bit of a ditz when it comes to life lessons and advice.

"My point is that you have to put more focus on real-life and your future. You guys can't stay in school forever and Dad and I can't be there forever to take care of you two. You have to find a way to support yourself and better yourself for the sake of others and your future."

"I guess... But what about Kazuki? I know he's working hard on his studies, but I'm a little worried about his independence. As you said, you and Dad would always be around to take care of us forever and I may have to leave him behind to go to college someday." Though Mom didn't see it, I frown after I tell her all of this. I seriously want my little brother to have a bright future as an adult, but I’m afraid that he might not be able to conquer his fears if he continues clinging onto me like a shield.

"That's true. But you're also the reason that he’s been willing to stand up to adversity and move past his troubles in the first place. Just think of yourself as his guiding light: you always light the path to the finish line. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be the same Kazuki we know and love. We can still be his role-models in his life, but it's up to you to help him choose the right path and fight his fears. It depends on if you want to keep protecting him and stay by his side."

I sigh as I look out the window where I watch Kazuki raking the leaves in our backyard. As cheesy as her advice is, she did have a point. It is because of me that Kazuki was able to smile again and discover his love of fantasy novels. These sessions wouldn't have been possible if it hadn’t been for my intervention that day. I just hope it would remain the same as we continue playing that game.

"Yeah, I do," I mutter as my frown curls up into a smile.

"That's the spirit!" I slightly jump back, briefly startled by her loud and sudden burst of joy. For a journalist like her, she should have used her indoor voice during our call. "Anyways, I better get back to work. I should be back home by tomorrow and Dad will join us for a family night out on Sunday. So don't burn the house down until then."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." I end the call and continue preparing for today's dinner, which leaves me somewhat relieved after hearing her advice. A guiding light for Kazuki, huh?

After dinner, we go back to . We find that a day had passed in the game's world. I’m still worried about the players who are looking for Kazuki and his [Experienced Magecrafting] methods. So just in case, we decide to stay in our room for a while to discuss our next move until the girls contact us. Besides, I still need to know more about this stranger that Annie and Kazu met before.

"I hope they finish our equipment soon. I want to try out my new staff as soon as possible," Kazuki muttered as he looks at his [Plasma Staff], which he held in his lap.

"I know you're excited to use it, but don't forget the incident started the whole [Experienced Crafting] boom in the first place." I cross my arms and narrow my eyes as I stare at Kazu. "We have to wait until it's safe for us to go out on the town again. More importantly, you said you met that stranger that Annie mentioned earlier, right? Did he do anything strange when you meet him?"

Kazu then frowns and hums, which confuses me since he barely knows the guy. "He didn't do anything strange, but he did know my name before I ever told him and he gave me this strange book."

Strange book?! Wha-What the hell?!

"Kazu, you know that taking items from strangers is a big no-no in our book!"

"Yeah, but..." Kazu then takes out a hardcover blue book from his inventory. "The guy insisted, and he even disappeared before I got the chance to give it back."

I seriously don’t want to snatch anything from him like this, but it's for his own good. "Yeah, I think you should throw it away, like right now! It might be a hacking bomb or something that can snatch our data!"

"What?! But Wind, that's..."

I don't let Kazu finish his sentence as I quickly reach over towards his book in an attempt to dispose of it quickly before it can do anything bad. Unfortunately, I have failed to think this through because as soon as I grab the book, a painful shock courses through my body, and I scream in pain before letting go of it. I had barely held it for just a few seconds and yet, within that time, it has consumed a bit of my [HP]! "W-What the...?!"

Kazu quickly puts the book back in his inventory and says, "That's the thing about this book, Wind! That stranger is an NPC and after what just happened, apparently, I'm the only one who can wield it."

Hang on a second?! That stranger is an NPC?! This isn't right...

"Are you sure he's an NPC? I mean, he just gave you a strange item and he might’ve done something to that book."

Kazu just frowns and crosses his arms. "He was an NPC! I even saw his name and his crystal name was blue! He even introduced himself as a [Seer of Eyes] before he left."

I quickly raise my right eyebrow when he mentioned the man’s [Crystal Name]. That strange title belongs in a fantasy novel, so it isn’t surprising to meet an NPC with such a title. But then, how in the world did he interact with my brother and Annie as if he were a normal player? My head starts to pound, so I sit down at my bed as I massage my forehead temples.

"Seriously... I thought he was just another stalker or creepy player that I’ve heard about. But it doesn't explain why that strange book that chipped away some of my [HP]."

"I told you! I think I'm the only one who can touch this book and I think it doesn't like being handled by anybody else, including you." Ouch... I guess that book is more clingy to my brother than I anticipated. "As for what's inside, I can't open it. I don't know if brute force will help, but it seems I have to complete a [Quest] or an event of some sort to open the book since it's a [Key Item]."

He does have a point. [Key Items] are very important items in many RPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons and Pathfinder. If what he is saying was true, then I have a feeling we might get involved in something big soon. However, opening the book is another story since it has been completely shut tight since Kazu took it out from his inventory. I even notice that the said book didn’t have any keyhole on the book cover. And since this game is based on a fantasy genre, I wonder if using magic would have anything to do with it.

"In any case, just keep that book close to you for now. I still don't trust this "[Seer of Eyes]" guy, but if you believe it's important for you and your character, then I won't stop you."

Kazu then smiles after I say this. "Thanks, Wind. I promise you, I’ll keep an eye on it until it's ready to open."

Well, whatever content that mysterious book had, I just hope it isn’t some kind of malware or Trojan virus that could damage the whole game itself. Just then, I hear a ping sound as an envelope icon appeared in my HUD. I realize it must’ve been Star.

[Hey [Wind]! Sorry to keep you waiting, but your new equipment is finished and ready for battle!

There should be no more crafting-hunting mob players around here, so come meet us at our usual spot to pick them up!

P.S.: Make sure you show us those awesome weapons you two made! I think Annie is kinda curious at what your brother did with his new staff.]

[ FROM: [SpeedStar] ]

Huh, that was fast. Guess she wasn’t kidding about her [Tailoring] skills.

“It’s Star. She said our equipment is finally finished and she told us to come and pick it up at her place right now.”

“Really?” Kazu’s eyes perk up as I say this. “So it’s safe for us to go out right now?”

“She did say the mob is gone, so I think it’s safe for today.” At least, that’s what Star said in her mail. I just hope she’s right.

“Awesome! Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”

Oh boy… I should’ve known to expect those words from Kazu in this kind of situation. Before I can stop him, he dashes out of the room, taking all of his belongings with him. I’m still wary about going outside since there’s a chance that some of the mob might see Kazuki, so rushing outside without any thought is a bad idea in my book. Then again, we can’t stay cooped up here forever. Otherwise, Kazu will get mad at me for being overprotective again.

With that in mind, I sigh in defeat and follow after Kazu to pay our rent to the innkeeper NPC and then head out to our destination.

----

Once we arrived, I sigh again, this time with relief, after I look around the town square. True to Star’s words, there are no signs of the mob anywhere. I only see several players buying and selling what they see in some player shops. As for the girls, we soon see them waving at us with Annie calling out to Kazu with glee. Guess Star wasn’t kidding about her curiosity and excitement regarding my brother and the weapon he’d made.

“What took you two so long? Did some players find you and ask for your autographs?”

I sigh when Star asks us that question while also flashing a grin towards us. “Real funny. At least you’re not a young magician who accidentally discovered a special kind of crafting just by being yourself.”

“Hey! I resent that remark!” Kazu protests, at which I slightly cringe upon hearing his loud voice again. “I may be a kid, but you seriously need to stop describing my actions like they’re a bad thing!”

“As much as you’ve made some several good points, I have to agree with Mr. Experimental here. Seriously, you need to work on your humor.”

My humor? Ouch… And after I’d called Zac a “poor comedian”, someone else has criticized my humor. In my defense, I’m not the type to joke a lot in many situations. But still, just hearing that from Star stings.

“But while you work on that, how about you two check out what we made for both of you! And trust me, it took us some extra time to add in a few effects to help you in your early game journeys.”

I slightly grin in response, and Kazu and I then enter the girls’ small shop to see what they’d made during our stint in the . Once we see our new equipment after trying it on though, well… “impressive” is a bit of an understatement to describe what they had made.

My new equipment consists of a hooded brown and green jacket with a green tailcoat-like cape attached to its back, long brown fingerless gloves, and green pants which the shin parts of them are tucked within my new long brown boots. To my surprise, they not only look impressive, but the fabrics within my new clothes feel a bit comfortable and light enough for me to move and jump around without feeling so restricted by my clothing. Also, the gloves are very soft and loose on my fingertips to the point that I might nearly forget I was even wearing them in the first place. And even so, their rough texture also has helped out with my grip on both my sword and bow. Guess my worry of losing my weapons by them slipping out of my hands has been resolved for now.

As for Kazu, his new equipment is rather flashy compared to mine. It consists of a blue robe with a turtleneck and a black stripe on his right sleeve, black pants, and blue and black shoes. He looks very heroic, yet also intelligent, similar to one of the characters in his favorite fantasy novels. It is even more pronounced with his [Insignis] appearance, which fits the otherworldly nature of his in-game race.

"So what do you think, boys? Are we good or what?" Star grins as she stares at us in a satisfied manner.

"You weren't kidding when you said you made us some cool equipment. But I don't know if the cape is necessary for this attire." I point out as looks at the said accessory right behind me.

"True, but it not only matched your jacket, but it was also made from the pelts of some green tiger monsters that we fought as one of the daily [Quests] and I don't want it to stay there and take up all of our inventory space there. Plus, it has some useful effects that may help you soon, so it's another way of upgrading your gear a bit."

Really? In that case, I’ve decided to check its description when we have some free time.

"Thankfully, unlike weapons, you can keep it on without any worry of armor breakage. Though I suggest you visit here from time to time so I can check if the effects are working properly. I don't want you two to get hurt (because you two might be my best customers ever), and I also want to check for any flaws that I can improve and fix for your next requests soon."

Other than my suspicions about what she said regarding losing us as customers, I feel that was a good idea. Considering we might face tougher monsters as we gain more levels in our adventure, having Star to check for flaws in our new equipment could be beneficial for her when making upgrades. And I feel that Kazu and I should do the same regarding our weapons when doing maintenance on them.

"And I'm guessing we need some interesting and rare materials to make those strong armors and weapons, correct?"

"Correct-o-mundo again, Mr. Wind. Strong equipment needs rare materials, and rare materials are often dropped by the strong raid and MVP monsters. Sure, they’re not easy to farm, but you two can start once you're at a higher level. And even if you try to not go by the book, you need at least try to get them when you have the chance."

She's right. It might be a risk, but if we want to avoid getting killed during our in-game adventure, we need to be prepared for the worst. This includes getting any useful materials that we may need soon.

"Don't worry, Ms. Star. If we manage to obtain any rare items, we will bring some of them to you as soon as possible." Kazu declares as his eyes narrow in determination. "If we want to explore around , we need to prepare for the worst!"

Just what I’m thinking. Though declaring our goals isn’t going to just make them come true right at once. Not to mention we still have some problems after that incident. "I agree. Thanks for the gear, Star."

"No problem-o." Star gives us a wink and wave before she gasps and turns to her cousin. "And before I forget... Annie, Do you have something for Kazu?"

Annie quickly jumped up when she notices her and starts to look bashful upon staring at my brother. "U-Uh... Yeah... I-I made something to finish up your outfit..."

She approaches Kazu very slowly, takes something out of her pocket, and she offers it to him. As I look closer, I see that it was a star-shaped buckle that for some reason, seemed to be sparkling like stars, giving me the impression of a small night sky stored within a star-shaped container.

"Wow... This looks so cool. And you made it all by yourself?" Kazu asks as he accepts the buckle from Annie.

"Yup. Big sis gave me some of her hard-earned materials to make it just for you. I even named the pin after you." Annie explains as I noticed her trying to smile in front of Kazu. And as her mouth twitched slightly, I could see how Kazu's presence had somehow made a positive impact on her shy, yet kind nature. "I call it the [One Hope Buckle]. I know a bit of Japanese and Kanji, but I can't tell what your name's Kanji is. But I know it fits you very well."

[One Hope Buckle], huh? I didn't know much about Japanese, but she's right. That buckle fits with Kazu in terms of his heroic aspirations and his desire to help others. I can see that he also likes the name as he gives a big smile before looking at Annie. "I like it, especially with the starry sky-like texture and design on the buckle’s face! It also matches my new outfit perfectly. Thanks a bunch!"

As expected, Kazu has the right words to compliment Annie, to which she responds with a smile as her face starts to go red. And considering how hard she had tried to make the buckle in a day, she deserves it. And true to his words, once he equips the buckle on his belt, I can see how the starry sky design matched his whole outfit. He does look like one of the characters in his fantasy novels now.

"Okay, now that you've got the gear and weapons, what are you going to do now?" Star asks as she approaches us once more. "There still some mob players around in the town square and you still have daylight to grind outside ."

"Isn't it obvious? We're going to go fight more monsters and get stronger with our new armor and weapons!" And like before, Kazu dashes out of Annie and Star’s shop. Of course, this time I’m prepared and quickly grab him by the collar of his new robe and pull him back before he can reach the exit.

"Hold it, Kaz. Even if most of the players who witnessed the [Crafting Hall] incident are gone from the town square now, we might get ambushed by some of them while hunting. I think, just to be on the safe side, we should come back tomorrow after school to try out our new gear so the shock of this new crafting system can wear off some more."

"Seriously?!" Kazu frowned again as he crosses his arms in disappointment. "Man, this sucks… And all because I had to do [Magecrafting] without any crafting menu help.”

“It’s not all bad, though. You could try to take advantage of this unwanted attention for your business? You do say you need money for your future endeavors, and you need to level up your other crafting [Masteries] including your usual expendable ones, right?”

I raise my right eyebrow, suspicious at what Star has just suggested. “Uh, yeah. Why do you ask?”

“Trust me, just listen and follow my lead.”

Wind’s New Equipment

[Leaf Widow Spider Cape]

[A cape made of a Leaf Widow Spider’s silk. Wearing it allows you to slip away from any kind of situation.

Creator:

Effects: +10 Agility, +8% Flee

Quality: 13]

[Wild Wolf Hunter Leather Top]

[A leather jacket made from Wild Wolf’s pelt. It is well-liked to any aspiring Hunters due to the feeling one with nature and the beasts.

Creator:

Effects: +15 DEF, +7% Beast-type Resistance

Quality: 12]

[Wild Wolf Hunter Gloves]

[A pair of long gloves made from Wild Wolf’s pelt. It is well-liked to any aspiring Hunters due to the feeling one with nature and the beasts.

Creator:

Effects: +6 DEF, +3% Beast-type Resistance

Quality: 12]

[Wild Wolf Hunter Pants]

[A pair of pants made from Wild Wolf’s pelt. It is well-liked to any aspiring Hunters due to the feeling one with nature and the beasts.

Creator:

Effects: +4 DEF, +4% Beast-type Resistance

Quality: 12]

[Wild Wolf Hunter Boots]

[A pair of boots made from Wild Wolf’s pelt. It is well-liked to any aspiring Hunters due to the feeling one with nature and the beasts.

Creator:

Effects: +5 DEF, +3% Beast-type Resistance

Quality: 12]

[Due to wearing the full set of [Wild Wolf Hunter Set], you gain a small Attack bonus to bow-type weapons.]

Kazuki’s New Equipment

[One Hope Buckle]

[A belt buckle that resembles a small container of a starry night sky. Rumors surrounding its creation states it was made with a special person in the crafter’s mind.

Creator:

Effects: +5 Magic Attack, +5% Magic Defense, +5 Intelligence Bonus to [Insignis] Race

Quality: 9]

[Starlight Silk Robe]

[A robe that sparkles underneath the night sky. It is well-known to some magicians due to its flashy, yet mysterious design.

Creator:

Effects: +10 DEF, +7 Magic DEF, +6% Dark Resistance

Quality: 10]

[Starlight Slacks]

[A pair of slacks that darkens underneath the night sky. It is well-known to some magicians due to it’s flashy, yet mysterious design.

Creator:

Effects: +6 DEF, +3 Magic DEF, +4% Dark Resistance

Quality: 10]

[Starlight Silk Shoes]

[A pair of shoes that sparkles underneath the night sky. It is well-known to some magicians due to it’s flashy, yet mysterious design.

Creator:

Effects: +4 DEF, +5 Magic DEF, +2% Dark Resistance

Quality: 10]

[Due to wearing the full set of [Starlight Silk Set], you gain a small Magic Attack bonus and Intelligence bonus if your race is an [Insignis].]

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