When the time of departure finally came, I managed to complete 26 armor pieces made of copper giving me yet another 2 PER. I wish I could have made more, but sadly, I was short on both time and materials. Thus, I reluctantly made my way out of the workshop and towards the carriage...

When I saw Harold standing there by the side, I approached him...

"So... how much leather were you able to get?" I inquired.

"Not too much unfortunately, about 17 tier 1 leather and 8 tier 2 leather. I also procured the leatherworking kit you wanted" Harold answered.

Wait one darn second... now that I think about it...

"Is there a [Leatherworker] in this village?" I hurriedly asked.

"Not exactly a dedicated [Leatherworker], more like a [Hunter] who happens to have the [Leatherworker] class and does [Leatherworking] on the side. So their skill level from what I heard is only at 3" Harold explained.

"Really? Can I talk to them?!" I desperately begged.

"We have to leave soon..." Harold objected.

Damn! If I'm going to be working on leather, I'd prefer to be at a higher skill level! Otherwise, it will be extremely hard, especially since I don't have any class skills to help me!

"Tina and Ariel are still not here right? Can we do it quickly? Like 15 minutes max... Please..." I pleaded with my [Acting] skill in full throttle and my catkin charm set to max!

"*sigh*... Alright then... but only 15 minutes, no more..." Harold reluctantly relented, "I'll be by the [Leatherworker]'s place, call me when Tina and Ariel are ready" he then requested of Brian, and began walking towards the village.

Wow... I can't freaking believe it! That is like the first time that actually worked... Did the [Acting] skill actually help that much?

"Well, are you coming or not?" Harold asked, bringing me out of my daze.

"Y-Yes!" I hurriedly replied, and ran to catch up to him.

After a short stroll through the village, during most of which I was still wondering if this was a dream or not, we stopped by one of the houses and approached the door.

* Knock * * Knock *

"Anyone still there?" Harold called out.

Shortly after, a woman came by the door.

"How may I help... Ah if it isn't the customer from before? Is there maybe a problem with one of the pelts?" The woman questioned.

"No problem at all ma'am, I was just wondering if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you to give a few pointers to this child here... a few minutes is enough, just show her your work and answer any of her questions is all I'm asking" Harold replied, then took out some coins and handed it to her.

"Sure... I can do that..." the woman agreed, "Come this way" she then beckoned to me.

"I'll be waiting here if you need me" Harold informed.

We walked over to the interior of the workshop, and lying there in the middle of the ground was a pelt which seemed to be half finished.

"This is a pelt of a [Forest Deer], I'm currently making it into a pair of leather pants. As you can see-" the woman explained as she resumed her work while breaking down in detail on how she goes about processing the leather... and shortly after...

Your skill [NP][Leatherworking] has become Level 3

Congratulations! You have completed the class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills]

+25 PER has been attained

Class quest [Creationist: Improve your production skills], has been reset.

Awesome! Now that's what I'm talking about! This should really come in handy...

"- Do you have any questions?" the woman queried.

"Ha?" I replied with a confused expression.

"I said do you have any questions? So you know, your guardian paid a decent amount of money for this short lesson. Make sure that you pay close attention, and don't let your mind wander!" the woman sternly reprimanded.

I was paying attention! I only lost track for a short bit when the skill popped up that's all... but questions... hmmm... oh right?

"I was wondering... [Blacksmithing] has [Smelting], [Tailoring] has [Threadweaving] and [Alchemy] has [Herb Processing]... does [Leatherworking] have any prerequisite production skills?" I curiously inquired.

"The only prerequisite I can think of for [Leatherworking] would be [Disassembling], that is pretty much it. Other than that, all the requirements of the skill are part of [Leatherworking] itself" the woman informed.

Hmmm... I see... so it's like that ha? Well as much as I'd like to get some more [Disassembling] levels, my priority is class skills...

"Uhm... I guess that should be all the questions I have for now... Can I continue to see you work and if anything I'll ask?" I requested.

"You sure? From what I heard, you are leaving soon aren't you? So it would be wise to ask while you still have the chance..." the woman insistingly offered.

"No... thank you very much, but that would be more than enough" I assured.

"Well if you say so..." the woman relented.

With that, I just continued to watch her work for the remainder of the time, albeit using [All-Observing-Eyes] to see some details here and there... but the biggest bounty was of course the class skill that showed up mid way!

You have acquired a new skill [CP][Leatherworker: Enhanced Leatherworking] Level N/A

[CP][Leatherworker: Enhanced Leatherworking] Level N/A

Improve the speed of your leatherworking related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER]

Improve the quality of your leatherworking related skills by 10% + 1% for every level in your non-combat class + 0.5% for every point of [PER]

All in all, this experience turned out pretty darn good if I do say so myself... Unfortunately though, since her class level was only at 19, that was pretty much as far as it will go... but relatively speaking, the Enhanced production class skill is probably the most important skill as far as learning goes, so I pretty much got what I needed most for now...

Once I was done with the short lessons, I said my goodbyes and we left back towards the carriage. When we arrived there, Ariel and Tina were still nowhere to be found... Seeing that, Harold got pretty pissed and went storming into the house... as for me, I just made my way into the carriage and sat there waiting... and as I did so, little by little I began to get sleepy as the fatigue started to catch up to me... *yawn*... maybe just a short bit until we are all here won't hurt...

*zzzzzzzzzzzz*

"These are pretty warm and fuzzy~" came a woman's voice.

"Mmmmmhhhh!" I murmured in frustration as I felt some form of discomfort on my head.

"Ooooh! They vibrate too~!" the woman elatedly declared.

"You really should stop trying to get on Ariel's nerves you know..." rebuked a man's voice.

"I'm not sure what you're talking about~" denied the woman in a playful tone.

I wanted to get up and find the source of this discomfort, but the warm pillow was just too tempting to give up... ha? wait... warm pillow?

Slowly opening my eyes... the visage of Tina entered my sight... slowly taking in my surroundings, I found myself situated on Tina's lap while she was playing with what seemed to be my ears!

"Hey, that tickles, cut it out!" I complained and brushed her off as I got up.

Taking a short look around the insides of the carriage, I noticed everyone here except Saron and Ariel, so I'm assuming they are at the front?

"Aww..." Tina pouted.

"So where are we now?" I queried.

"Hmm... I'd say we are about 10 hours or so away from the Icecomb mountains. We'll be making camp at the foothills for today, then attempt to cross them tomorrow" Harold informed.

"I see... Is there any reason why they are called Icecomb mountains? And by that I mean, like does it get really cold there?" I curiously inquired.

"It gets quite chilly once you go deeper into the mountain range, but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Since we'll be riding the wolves on our way through, they'll be helping to keep our bodies warm. I also have some spare blankets you can use just in case, so all you have to really do is sit tight and leave it to us" Harold confidently assured.

While I'm definitely looking forward to riding the wolves, I can't exactly say I'm too thrilled about the whole venturing into the freezing cold thing... Even in my old life I've never been too fond of the cold, and now that I'm a catkin, I'd imagine that would be even more so...

"Okay..." I responded with a tinge of hesitation.

Seeing I had nothing more to ask, Brian and Harold began discussing their own things, while Tina went back to reading her... books...

Well anyways... I probably shouldn't be wasting any more time, so let me get back to making more armors out of the cloth and leather that I have. Though the question comes down to what should I actually make?... I have that one [Wool Fabric] left, but I don't really see much point in making it into gear... If anything, I would be better off making it into regular clothing later on. Which leaves me with either continuing with on with Cotton, or making an attempt at [Leatherworking]...

Let's see... looking at my quest status, it seems like I'm at 6 out of 10 for the 7th armor creation quest, which pretty much means that I need at least a quality score of 6 if I plan to get credit for making Tier 1 gear... so what should I do?... hmmm....

How about this, let's first see how well I do at [Leatherworking] overall, and if I don't feel like I can do a quality score of 6 soon, then I'll focus on making things out of Cotton to raise my INT and WIS instead. As for the remaining Tier 1 leather, I'll just make it into regular clothing with no stats. Okay sounds like a plan!

Though wait... what exactly should I make from it?... I guess maybe some winter cloth just in case? Sure, Harold said he'd offer me a blanket, but I've already learned my lesson about blindly relying on others. So I would rather take things into my own hands just to be safe. Plus, since the gear is going to be low level anyways, might as well make it utility based.

"Uhm... Harold, can I get some Tier 1 leather that you got this morning?" I asked, interrupting their conversation.

"Sure, you can take all of it if you got the room for it in your [Item Box]" Harold replied and took out the leather.

"Thanks..." I replied with a rather sad expression due to the apparent lack of a skill up...

"Is something the matter?" Harold questioned, noticing my odd behavior.

"No... It's nothing..." I answered back while storing the excess leather into my own [Item Box].

Oh well, it was bound to happen eventually... Though speaking of disappointments, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed at how many opportunities I've apparently been missing out on due to my negligence... If I think about it, I should I have bought a Leatherworking kit back when I was in Hallion. I also should have remade things like the needles in the kits with my [Blacksmithing]. Why didn't I think of that at the time is beyond me... I mean even if not then, I should have most definitely done it when I was in Tiamet at the very least... I mean sure, I can play it off as being blinded by the money and all, but still...

I also can't help but feel like something about me has changed... I don't know if it's part of the whole growing up thing, my experiences so far in this world, or this new body... but somehow, I just feel a tad different... and these differences become more and more prominent as I go along... Just like these strange urges I've been getting lately... it's like this odd desire to sink my claws into things... and out of all things I could possibly want to sink my claws into, I have this itch to sink them into the freaking carriage I'm riding on! Utterly ridiculous! Why the hell would I want to do that?!?!

* scraaaatccchhhh *

"What's that noise?" Brian suddenly spoke out as he perked up his ears.

Eeek?!?! * hiccup * ... breathe... breathe...

Your skill [RA][Hearing Sense] has become Level 2

After listening for a short while and hearing nothing, he thankfully went back to his conversing with Harold...

Whew... that was close... anyways, I can worry about all this later, let's not get too distracted and get back to work!

For my first project, I opted to use a [Giant Rat Pelt] as the base material of a fur hat. Even if I get a blanket from Harold, it wouldn't really help my ears much... though I'm not exactly sure how sensitive catkin ears are to the cold versus my old human ones, but nevertheless, it's a good thing to have just in case!

While making the fur hat, I also made sure to listen in on Brian's and Harold's conversations, just in case they mentioned any useful information, but unfortunately, most of it was useless nonsense... I mean who the hell cares what some darn hero did?! Hmph!

After spending about an hour carefully working on it, my first leather item was complete! Well... at least first real item... I'm not counting those paddings I made since well... they weren't really items per se...

Catkin Specialized Giant Rat's Fur Hat of Vitality

An average hat made out of Giant Rat's fur and has been custom fit for a young catkin. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold.

+1 VIT +2 DEF

Durability: 25/25

Quality 5.7175/10.0000

That said, the experience working on those paddings definitely helped quite a bit, otherwise there would be no way that I'd get such a high quality score on my first attempt. Since my [Leatherworking] is only at level 3, and I lack the perfection skill, the difficulty is much higher than my others skills. That said, I noticed something peculiar about [Leatherworking]. It seems to be overall easier than [Blacksmithing] or [Tailoring], but at same time harder than them. It's easier if you are already familiar with the material you are using, but considering there is virtually an infinite variety of monsters, getting familiar with each material poses its own complications. So effectively, you've got to pretty much relearn from scratch with each new material, but once you get that material down, it gets much easier going forward. If anything, it reminds me of[Cooking] quite a bit, which also has similar implications.

Now then... with my warm comfy hat complete, I should move on to making the next thing. Let's see... while we plan on riding the wolves through the mountains, there will still be instances where we are forced to walk right? So just in case, I should probably prepare an extra thick pair of boots to trod through the snow...

"That's a pretty fancy hat you've got there. Do you mind making one for me as well?" Harold requested out of the blue.

"Sure I guess... but since I'm not a commissioned Leatherworker, that will cost you!" I demanded in return.

Well I'm not sure if such a thing even exists, but I don't plan on working for free if it ain't part of my job description!

"... Uhm..." Harold stuttered, being caught off guard by my sudden declaration.

"What about me~? Will you make me one?" Tina joined in.

"Hmm..." I pondered.

Well Tina did help me figure out their nefarious scheme back there... so I guess I can make an exception for her...

"I guess I can make you one" I accepted.

"Yey~!" Tina cheered, then made a subtle wink at Harold.

"..."

"Don't mind it boss, I bet you that twerp's leatherworking is just as terrible as her smithing, if not more so!" the hateful dogkin pitched in, earning him a well-deserved glare!

How dare he insult my work! Just you wait, I'll have you pleading on the floor in no time! Or better yet, maybe I should just skin him and make him into dogkin leather? *evil grin*

"Stop it Brian, lets not cause any more conflicts" Harold reprimanded him, "How much for a hat?" Harold then asked as he turned back to me.

Ha? He actually wants to buy it? I definitely didn't expect that... hmmm... let me think... If I remember correctly, the [Dire Fox] boots cost me 3 silver coins sans the modifications... so that is 1 silver and 50 copper coins per boot? Then I guess throw in a discount since technically speaking I'm not a 'certified' leatherworker...

"It will cost you 1 silver coin!" I decided.

Technically speaking, due to the double layering, I'm using up enough materials to make two hats, but since I'll be gaining EXP from a Rank B adventurer, I'll let it go cheaply this time around.

"Alright, we have a deal then, here you go" Harold accepted and handed me 1 silver coin.

With the commission accepted, I took out two more pelts and got to work. After about 2 hours, both hats were complete!

Giant Rat's Fur Hat of Vitality

An average hat made out of Giant Rat's fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold.

+1 VIT +2 DEF

Durability: 25/25

Quality 5.6312/10.0000

Giant Rat's Fur Hat of Vitality

An average hat made out of Giant Rat's fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold.

+1 VIT +2 DEF

Durability: 25/25

Quality 5.8217/10.0000

My improvement has been somewhat lacking since well, I was extra careful to seal off any traces of my heart. Because next thing you know, it'll probably end up on fire after that wicked hero sets of an explosion or something... That said, there were other reasons as well why my progress was so limited...

"Here you go!" I announced while handing out the hats, opting to give the slightly better one to Tina.

"Thanks..." Harold replied.

"Can't wait to show this to Ariel~" Tina said as she happily took the hat.

Now then... time to put my true abilities to the test!

I took out two more [Giant Rat Pelts] and began working on my boots. For these boots, I opted to make them full sized instead of child sized, so that I can put them over my Holy-steel boots. And after working on them for another 2 hours, I got exactly what I wanted...

Giant Rat's Fur Boot of Vitality

An exquisite boot made out of Giant Rat's fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold.

+2 VIT +2 DEF

Durability: 45/45

Quality 8.9998/10.0000

Giant Rat's Fur Boot of Vitality

An exquisite boot made out of Giant Rat's fur. It is double layered to provide extra warmth against the cold.

+2 VIT +2 DEF

Durability: 45/45

Quality 8.9999/10.0000

Surprising, I know! But actually there is a trick to it. That trick is in my new skill, [Creationist: Creation Correction]!

Considering this is merely Tier 1 gear, the skill pretty much goes off almost every single time due to my high [PER]. During all this time that I've been making things out of leather, I've been experimenting with the skill to see all kinds of possibilities to go about things, while at same time being extra careful not to harm my quality too much... The skill is pretty awesome if I do say so myself, especially for learning. Though for actually making stuff, it can be a double edge sword. The reason for that is simple, sure, it shows me my mistake as I make it, and also gives me an opportunity to correct it, but there are multiple ways to go about making things. So unless the skill goes off 100% of the time, there is a risk of making an error in between. If that happens, I could completely ruin the path I was taking, thus lowering the quality of my item significantly.

But as far as learning goes, it is pretty much a god send! It's like having an instructor right next to you that tells you if you are about to make a mistake, but better since I also have multiple attempts to fix it before I actually mess up. Of course said instructor doesn't give me an answer, and there also seems to be a sort of diminishing returns the more times the skill goes off, but it's still a significant improvement for my learning ability.

Though the only reason it actually works like that is only because of the low tier, when I was [Blacksmithing] with Steel for example, the skill only went off from time to time at best... and I can imagine it will be even worse if I were to make Holy-Steel or Mithril. I guess it's just a matter of raising my PER high enough so that the rate of it happening goes up as well, thus class quests now became even more important...

Making these boots also brought to me another insight. For the first time since I started production, I have hit an impassable wall. Actually, two impassable walls. The first wall that I hit against is that there seems to be a limit to how much a material can improve. From the looks of things, that limit seems to be 3. Hence, the boot that was made using material with quality score of 5.9998 ended up with a quality score of 8.9998. The other impassible wall I found was that with [Leatherworking] only at level 3, quality score of 9 seems to be impossible. That is because even when I used a material with a quality score of 6.0014, I could not see myself getting a 9.

Though when I say impossible, I can't really say if that is really the case... Actually, I'm completely confused here... The issue stems from the fact that I'm currently lacking the [Leatherworking] equivalent of [Blacksmith: Smithing Perfection]. Does [Leatherworking] not have such a skill? Because otherwise, how can I even begin to explain the fact that I got a higher quality score than the base material? It should in theory be impossible right?... Does [Creationist: Creation Correction] let me bypass one impossibility, or does it do something similar to perfection which lets me improve on the quality score of materials? So effectively, I'm stuck with more questions than answers yet again...

On top of all that, I have yet another regret... maybe I shouldn't have so readily dismissed studying up on Copper?... If I had spent a bit more time studying up on it, maybe I could have achieved a quality score of 10? If I could accomplish that, then getting 7 more Weapon Creation class quests done would become a piece of cake... well that is assuming the quest requirements continued on as before of course...

* scraaaatccchhhh *

"There is that noise again... I think it came from your direction twerp, did you hear it?" Brian queried.

Your skill [RA][Hearing Sense] has become Level 3

"N-No... I-I didn't hear anything..." I franticly denied while shaking my head.

"Hmm... I could have sworn..." Brian doubted, then got up and took a look around the area I was sitting at.

With my hand to covering up the scratches on the floor...

"See there is nothing..." I asserted while sweating profusely and avoiding eye contact...

"Give it a rest Brain, if there was an issue Ariel would have long sensed it" Harold assured.

"I guess you are right boss..." Brian relented and went back over to Harold.

Whew... I really need to get that under control...

Now then... I guess I should make some gloves next? Followed by a pair of pants and maybe a jacket?...

Like that, I began to work on creating a full set of equipment for dealing with the cold. By the time I was done, we arrived at the foothills of Icecomb mountains.