Damn... I'm exhausted...

Between my final exams before winter break and working on my new compound bow, I’ve had no time to take a break. Hell, I haven't even checked how many hours I’ve lost whenever I take a breather from reading my textbooks. So lo and behold, I lie down on the table as I wait for my order of Chocolate Overload Parfait and sigh without a care in the world.

"Whoa, this is very new. Hayate lying on the table, not caring that he's in the public area... Who are you and what happened to the real Hayate?"

I wish I have enough energy to smack Zac out of his joking mood, but I can't even raise my arm to save my life.

"Hilarious, Zac... I'm not the only one who's struggling the whole exams," I say.

"Yeah. All I get is a headache after that. As for you, you seem like you're ready to go to your own funeral," Zac says before I hear a whack. "OW!!!"

"Hey, keep your black humor to yourself, Osborne. Besides, Hayate isn't the only one who's exhausted from this week," Damon said. "Heck, I don't know if you can log in into [Isekai] tonight."

He's right. I carefully turn my head without lifting it and notice my younger brother lying on the table. Unlike me, however, it seems that he's completely knocked out with his mouth drooling as Damon wipes some of it from his face with a tissue.

"I can't blame him. He's also working a lot on his tomes for the past two days and between his studies and browsing the game's wiki, I think he'll win the "Most Exhausted Brother" award."

"I understand you guys are working on the clock, but at this rate, you might as well name yourselves as the "Workaholic Brothers"."

I roll my eyes in response to Zac's snarky response.

"Don't worry. The compound bow is almost done and once the assembly's done, we might be ready to venture back into once more."

"Speaking of which, are you sure you two won't need our help for the forest?" Damon asks. "It would be better if there are more people to hike through it this time."

"Thanks, but Kazuki and I discussed it yesterday and we’ve decided to try tackling on with just the two of us as usual. Sure, we might get another [Hidden Quest] like with the , but it's the risk we're willing to take for an important reason."

I wish I can tell them more about Kazuki's strange book and the connections to it. But since we now know how the [Hidden Quests] work, I feel that their presence there will just give us an ordinary [Urgent Quest].

"Well, maybe we can accompany you two until the entrance of the forest. Will that be good enough?"

"Maybe. But we'll see once that day has come. For now, we need to log in to do some final preparations and stock up on our trip there," I answer. "But first..."

With a brief jolt of energy, I quickly raise my head and smack my brother's head. This causes him to scream before he looks around and shouted, "Is it my turn?! Are there monsters attacking us already?!"

Of course, I let him look around to make him realize that one, he's in the cafe, and two, he’s just embarrassed himself in front of the public.

“I was drooling and daydream again, wasn’t I?"

"Yep," we say in unison as I flash a grin to my now-awake brother, who slinking under his seat in embarrassment.

A few hours after our usual cafe visit and family dinner obligations, we log back in the game, and rather than heading to [Force Blade's] crafting hall, we, Azel, and Wallaby decide to head to instead where I’ve promised to meet up with Razul's friend at the town's . It's been a while since we craft in this building. The only reason why we haven't visited is the fear of the paparazzi and other players trying to bug us about our accidental achievements, especially after that duel with that rude player, whom I'm glad is gone from the game forever. Thankfully, everything seems to calm down after a while, which is enough for us to meet up since we can't stay in the guild house for long. According to Azel, they are having a meeting about the upcoming expansion, and I’d rather not disturb them with our presence for now.

Once we arrive at the entrance, I see some crafters and normal players alike inside forging and crafting weapons on the first floor as usual. However, I don’t see him nor those guys right now. Arthur said they have to stop by somewhere first, so it might take a while. I would wonder about their whereabouts right about now. But I then hear Kazu letting out a loud sigh as I turn my attention to him next.

"Okay! I guess Azel and I should head upstairs to work on my new staff," Kazu says in confidence, much to my horror after recalling a certain incident related to his... unusual crafting skills.

"Are you sure you want to do it right here with several crafters present?" I sheepishly ask. "You can craft it tomorrow back at the [Force Blade] crafting hall."

"Yes, I do! And I know what you're thinking, Wind. It won't be like last time! I learn from my mistakes and this time, I won't screw up now that I have this!"

With a flash of light from his inventory, my jaw drops when I see several tomes coming out from his inventory windows.

"Or should I say "these"! Yeah, I know I should have stuck with one tome. But since I want to try making different kinds of staves, why not make several more elemental tomes? I kind of lost count of how long I made them, though. I think it was before my bedtime yesterday."

Forget how long. Just how many tomes did he make in two nights anyway?!

"He was determined to craft more staves than ever, so I asked Ellia and Barry to grab a few more materials for his craft," Azel pointed out. "Heck, some of the guild's Scribes were willing to give him some piles of paper after seeing him blitz through the enchantment without a sweat!"

Wait, was that even true?! Damn... Maybe leaving him alone to work on my compound bow build might be a bad idea...

"Hopefully, with these, I might be able to perfect the [Experienced Crafting] method for [Magecrafting]." As I look at my brother again, I notice that his eyes become narrow as he stares at his red tome. "I want to prove to Zale that I can grow and become a strong magician. I'm not going to make the same mistake again."

Well, I can see why he wants to craft in the same place that he almost destroyed a . But I'm still not too sure about this...

"Why don't we go up and see for ourselves?" My eyes perk up and I turn to see Ol' Wally slowly pat my head, albeit a bit gentle unlike before. "Your friends won't be here for a while and I want to see the young kid's skill in his craft with my own two eyes. This way, we can keep an eye on him in case of emergencies."

"Y-Yeah!" I then turn to see Wallaby's kid approaching me. "I also want to see Kazu succeed. He helped me learn to craft with [Experienced Crafting] and I want to help in return so we can improve the methods. That's why I convince Dad to tag along with you guys."

Heh... After hearing all of that, it might be rude to turn it down right now.

"Okay, go ahead. But as Ol' Wally said, we're going to keep an eye on you two in case something did happen. The only thing I don't need right now is dealing with a bunch of players asking questions about your antics again."

"YES!!!" Kazu yells in glee before he turns to Azel. "Come on, I have some crafting to do!"

As I begin to contemplate if this is a good idea, I notice them heading upstairs before my Master and I follow suit.

Once we arrive there, I watch Kazu take out some of the tomes along with his crafting kit needed for his [Magecrafting] build. Normally, we wouldn't get any attention even if we do something crazy into our builds (like my compound bow idea). But it seems that every crafter on this floor appears to be agitated at the sight of my brother. It makes sense since the last time he did [Magecrafting] left the hall in shambles. I know he said he's using the same one that Zale guy used (at which I'm surprised he didn't explode), but I'm still concerned about this.

Just in case, I take a glance at his items to see what he's working with. There are [Burning Gemstones] and [Mana Stones] like his previous staff, but there are other materials that pique my interest for a bit.

[Tome of Combustion]

[A special enchantment tome specifically made for [Fire]-related magical tools. As it was made only for [Magecrafting], it is not for combat use.

Creator:

Quality: 15]

[Tome of Lands]

[A special enchantment tome specifically made for [Earth]-related magical tools. As it was made only for [Magecrafting], it is not for combat use.

Creator:

Quality: 17]

[Tome of Spirits]

[A special enchantment tome specifically made for [Arcana]-related magical tools. As it was made only for [Magecrafting], it is not for combat use.

Creator:

Quality: 18]

3x [Terra Gemstones]

[A special stone that is well-known for creating rocks and soil. It can also cause earthquakes, so proceed with caution.]

From the looks of these materials and tomes, it seems that he's making a weapon based on [Earth] and [Fire]. However, the latter mentions it can make earthquakes, something that is too concerning for me to not ignore. More importantly, what are those writers thinking when writing this flavor text?!

"Alright." I turn to Kazu again as I see him taking a deep breath. "Wind, can you please-"

"I know. We'll be a few steps away ready and waiting for emergencies." So I step back to Wallaby and Azel's side as Kazu's build is about to start. I haven't seen much of his [Magecrafting] a lot since I’ve been working my own weapons at the same time. But hopefully, as I watch him, he might be able to get past his previous mistakes and has learned to not endanger anyone here ever again. So I start watching.

He takes out the [Magical Staff Base] we prepared beforehand, embedding one of the [Terra Gemstone] and [Burning Gemstone] at the tip, and drawing a magical pentagram before placing his staff on it. Then, he takes out his [Tome of Combustion] as he flips a few pages before he takes a deep breath again.

"From the blessings of , I call thee flames of the heart." He chants as I stare at him in confusion. But then, the [Burning Gemstone] on the incomplete staff begins to glow as a ring of fire appears around my brother. I want to jump in and help him, but I can see from my Master's eyes that it might be rude if I do so without his permission. As I continue watching, he takes out another tome, which is the [Tome of Spirits]. "From the blessings of the high God himself, I call thee the spirits to guide me."

The [Mana Stone] glows next and I see several runes surrounding Kazu, at which he seems to be unfazed by their appearance. Instead, he takes out the [Tome of Lands] next. "From the blessings of , I call thee the lands that I call home."

Rocks begin to materialize around Kazu as they spin around him. Is this really the same method he mentioned that the Zale guy used before? Regardless, I can't lower my guard right now. I have a feeling that the next one will be a big one and I assume my position in case the crafting goes awry again.

"Embers of the sun, stones of the land, I call upon the mana that descends and ascends from our world. Combine the flames and thunder into one and let their magic flow into mine!"

There it is. I see some aura absorbing the staff's stones. The magic begins, as does the possibility of another accident. This time, I...

"As I release my spells through this staff, show the beauty and shine that hides in the earth!"

With that, I quickly raise my hand and prepare to chant a [Wind] spell.

Except I didn't. Instead, the aura sucks up all of the items that surrounding Kazu into the staff. And like that, the craft ends without a bang. I can't help but drop my jaw as I watch him pick up his staff and happily approaches me, Azel, and Wallaby.

"Ta-da! My new staff is ready without a hitch!" Kazuki declares. "What do you guys think?"

I'm a bit reluctant to look at his staff. But to my surprise, both Azel and Ol' Wally seem to be entranced by how the oak staff is now adjourned with small crystals forming onto it. So I slowly grab it (thank goodness it's safe to touch) and check its stats.

[Prototype Crystal Staff]

[An unusual staff with a [Burning Gemstone] and [Terra Gemstone] inserted alongside with a usual [Mana Stone]. Casting magic with it can create several shards of crystals and gemstones surrounding the [Mana] that has been released from it. This staff is experimental and may experience some problems. Some adjustments may be advised.

Creator:

Effects: +13 Magic ATK, Imbued Fire Element, Imbued Earth Element, Combination Bonus

Quality: 21]

No way... He actually did it. He made a staff without blowing up the . And what's more, the Magic Attack and Quality are a little higher than his previous staff. At least that quells my concerns for now. But still...

"Huh. Decent quality and weight. And it looks strong," Ol' Wally comments. "Not bad for your first build on this, kid."

"Yeah! Your [Crystal Staff] got a lot of [Mana] in it. I'm sure you can get back at those [Link Ants]," Azel adds.

"Thanks, guys. I knew all of that hard work paid off!" Kazu then turns to me as he takes the staff back. "What about you, Wind?"

I briefly flinch before turning to Kazu again. "U-Um... Yeah. Good job, Kaz. Guess I don't have to doubt you on your [Magecrafting] any longer."

Oops... Wrong words. Now Kazu is pouting and glaring at me. "What does that supposed to mean?!"

I quickly back away as Azel and Wallaby chuckle at my brief misery. However, it is then interrupted by several players who witnessed the whole she-bang.

"Whoa, how did you do that without exploding?!"

"Is there a trick to your new [Experienced Crafting] method?!"

"Come on, give us a few pointers about it!"

Yikes. This is like the exploding incident all over again, but worse! Hell, the [Force Blade] are too busy to protect us right now! I want to grab Kazu and book it. But before I do, I notice several other players grabbing the nosy ones and one of them shouted, "Hey! Break it up! Can't you see the kid has already suffered enough?!"

"Yeah, give them some space already!"

Before we know it, the crowd disperses and the players drag the nosy ones out of the hall. At least it's over for now.

"Huh. I never knew some players defend you two," Azel says and they approach us.

"Yeah. Is it because they knew I'm a minor?" Kazu guesses.

"Maybe. That and they don't want you to disappear again. Regardless, just think of it as a mercy from what you two endured lately," Wallaby guesses.

"I guess..." I mutter. "At least I get to forge in peace."

"Yeah. Oh, and speaking of which..." Kazu then pulls out several more tomes from his inventory. "I actually have one more idea for a new staff..."

Before he can finish, I grab his collar and drag him downstairs as I shout, "Oh, no, no, no, no, no! We have enough [Magecrafting] antics from you for one day, Kaz! Now come on before you ruin my meeting with Razul and the others!"

While it's a bit of a relief, I have a feeling we get more unwanted attention if he keeps crafting. So I’m putting him on a break until then.

Wind's Masteries

[Archery] Level 19

[Woodcrafting] Level 10

[Swordsmanship] Level 18

[Cooking] Level 9

[Wind] Level 16

[Physical Enhancement] Level 17

[Hunting] Level 15

[Blacksmithing] Level 17

Kazu's Masteries

[Arcana] Level 20

[Thunder] Level 18

[Wind] Level 15

[Alchemy] Level 18

[Magecrafting] Level 12

[Magical Affinity] Level 19

[Scribe] Level 18