Shadyna the master crafter is here~

I am currently enjoying my private time with Hessy, the blond waitress. A scenario many would kill for!

_ Hessy: You are thinking something rude aren't you?

I didn't ask for that cold glare~

_ Shadyna: It's your imagination~ Let's continue shall we?

_ Hessy: …Sure. What do you have in mind?

_ Shadyna: Un, let me explain what I have in mind. Feedback is welcomed~

The problem with skill stacking is, as Hessy knew, only the weapon is counted towards it. Only skills without proc (activate) condition can be used on non-weapon equipment. My [Accelerate Power], despite being a passive skill, cannot be added to my armors. Sad~

By having multi-category items being created at full strength, I somewhat overcame that obstacle. If anything, I stomped on it, figuratively.

A construction-equipment hybrid allows me to [Enchant] the furniture. Just with that, I have an additional skill stack.

Next, an alchemy-equipment hybrid, with same logic. I tried it out and confirmed it actually includes the enchantment in the buff effect!

Same goes for food-equipment hybrid. I can only have one buff of each type, so only the strongest buff takes effect. [Alchemy] and [Cooking] are of different category however, so I can have one of each!

But wait, there's more! We still have this thing called "debuffs"!

They count as a different category, so it stacks with buffs.

An enchanted alchemy poison bomb will give me poison AND the skill buff! By the way I heard that creating a [Dark Bolt] bomb will end up similar to 's long rod, but in bomb form.

No food debuff though, sad face…

And last but not least, weapons with skill bonus, similar to my [Refinery Dagger]. I dismantled that one by the way, to make a [Refinery Knife] which grants [Refinery] without enchantment! This is the basis of 's long rod, to have [Dark Bolt] and [Ignore Magical Defense] in one piece of equipment.

With all of that, I have practically 6 times the skill stacking than normal players!

_ Shadyna: …Hessy, please stop that orz pose…

_ Hessy: AND WHOSE FAULT WAS THAT?!

Not mine, obviously~

That is all for the skills.

A~nd next up is attributes!

Because attributes play a role in crafting skills' outcome, having the 18 equipment pieces and the crafting furniture-equipment hybrid helps tremendously. I do not know how much, but my runes had 3 attribute bonus when I crafted them with no buffs and specialized crafting sets.

If the difficulty is similar to [Enchant], maybe 10 attribute bonus is a bit… much?

It was the best I could do without food buffs though, so I had to ask Hessy for support!

_ Hessy: Sateri-chan, please nerf this idiot already!!!

Please don't~ I am playing without using any exploit… Probably.

_ Shadyna: When I have your food buffs I will be crafting a lot of items to have even better buffs. After a few times I will most likely hit the point where the new items cannot create stronger ones, like how most enchanters cannot go past level 7 enchantment. Still, I do hope it will be a lot higher than the limits as we know them currently.

_ Hessy: That is not the problem here!!!

You mind too many little details~

_ Shadyna: But Hessy, don't you want a stronger [Dark Bolt] enchantment…?

_ Hessy: !!!

Welp, she really reacts to [Dark Bolt]!

_ Shadyna: I don't know your current enchantment, but I am sure it can't be 6 times stronger than the strongest enchantment on the market…?

_ Hessy: O-of course… Kuh… No, I am not going to fall for this!

Your face is saying otherwise though~ Just a few more pushes~

_ Shadyna: And 6 times is just the bare minimum… I wonder if it will be stronger than 's rod…?

_ Hessy: …!!!

Agitate people 101: Mention their worst enemy! In this case, it's the long rod, not , funny enough.

_ Shadyna: Ah, I forgot. Would you mind equipping this?

_ Hessy: Aren't you supposed to keep persuading me?!

I can't help it~ If we could remember everything perfectly it would solve a lot of problems wouldn't it?

And shouldn't you be more resistant if you knew I would tempt you with [Dark Bolt]…?

Anyway, I gave her the item.

_ Hessy: …What's this?

It's a crystalline gauntlet with a black orb spinning above the back. When Hessy equips it, the orb grows slightly in a purple-ish light.

_ Shadyna: A prototype. I thought that it was weird to have furniture only aiding crafting skills, so I made a furniture-equipment hybrid that you can equip while acting as a furniture… for spellcasting.

If the same logic applies, only one furniture counts. However, that is already doubling her firepower because she can only use one weapon! Shields' enchantments only work if the shield itself is being used for attacking, so furniture is the only way to go.

_ Hessy: …In other words…

_ Shadyna: Double skill enchantment?

_ Hessy: …

SCARY! That sadistic smile is so scary, Hessy!!!

_ Hessy: , since you want power grinding so much…

Elri, please come back and save me!!!

_ Hessy: Will you kindly tell me if there is anything else that can boost your results?

Could you not ask nicely while emitting a death aura like that?!

Too many things going as planned can be a bad thing!!!

_ Shadyna: Pl…please calm down. I have only messed around with crafting for a few days, so there's a limit to what I know!

_ Hessy: …Sorry, I got too worked up there. Is there anything that you thought of but haven't got the resources to perform?

Hessy, that's pretty much the same question even if you claim to have calmed down…

_ Shadyna: Well… [Enchant] and [Enhance], probably? My own skill levels are still low, so having someone with high [Enchant] equipped with my gears might yield better skill levels… And having someone with buff skills for increasing attributes would be nice too, if those buffs exists…

Currently, my only buff skill is [Cheer], oof…

I have better try to get some more skills later!

_ Hessy: [Enchant], [Enhance] and attribute buff skills. Give me a few minutes, I will get those for you. Ah, is this gauntlet enchanted with [Dark Bolt] yet?

_ Shadyna: Only a level 3, I didn't even have that skill.

I tried with [Minor Heal], so it definitely works, but to what extent, I have no idea.

_ Hessy: It will do. I'm heading out!

And there she goes, dashing out of the basement right after changing back to her waitress outfit. I wonder how many will recognize her without that trademark costume…

There's no way I can misidentify her when she showed that scary smile though. I thought I was done for there!

Oh well, let's dismantle a particular corpse before [Butcher House Special] runs out. Should have done this before wasting time cleaning up…

_ Shadyna: [Refinery]!

It is the corpse of a boss. What I'm looking for is its [Unique] set's bonus: [Absorbing Surface].

[Absorbing Surface: Improve mana absorption from the environment. Increase mana regeneration significantly.]

Yes, an MP regen skill. I was going to buy a cheap skill scroll from the market, but Elri said she was going to hunt this boss with and co yesterday so I took up her offer.

Don't worry, giant mole-like boss, I'll make sure to use every last part of you!

A pile of items later…

[Condition fulfilled. Unlocked Skill: "Absorbing Surface Lv.0"]

With my attributes and buffs, it would be rarer not to get a full set after dismantling. I wonder if stronger corpses would have fewer drops, or if there's any mechanism to avoid higher-end bosses' drops from saturating the market because of high level [Dismantling].

I am overly equipped and only got 4 pieces, so it's probably the fewer drops case.

Let's burn MP using [Minor Heal] until Hessy comes back, I suppose~

____________

_ Hessy (PM): Are you free right now?

_ Mera (PM): Hessy~

The backdoor of the tavern swings open as the cheerful waitress jumps out like a rocket. In the alley, was waiting from a distance, because she knew this would definitely happen!

_ Hessy: It's been a while.

_ Mera: It's been days, Hessy! The patrons won't stop asking if you would be back!

_ Hessy: That aside, I need your help. Come with me.

_ Mera: Don't worry~ I will persuade to…

_ Hessy: Not that. Just come with me.

_ Mera: Eh~~~

Mera thought for sure Hessy wanted her to help with convincing the guildmaster to invite her back, but that sadly wasn't even close.

And without any chance of raising a complaint, the carefree waitress is pulled along.

_ Hessy: Something came up, so I am in need of a good support. I'll pay you for your time of course.

_ Mera: I'm not that kind of girl~

_ Hessy: Because I know better than paying you in favor.

It was self-preservation before all else!

_ Mera: How mean~ But, couldn't you just ask a patron or something~?

There are many support players who would gladly help Hessy if she would just ask.

_ Hessy: …Mera.

The former head waitress halts and turns to Mera. Still not letting go of her friend's hand, Hessy speaks with a gentle smile that can be said to be unseen among even the most frequent patrons.

_ Hessy: It's normal to ask the person I trust most, is it not?

Even with all her goofing around, Mera can feel her virtual heart skipping a few beats. Luckily she doesn't need it beating to survive in this game world.

_ Mera: You re~ally are a womanizer sometimes, Hessy~ How can I say "no" to that~?

_ Hessy: Who are you calling a womanizer… Oh well, let's hurry. We have a lot to do.

The dragging continues. While there was no one in the alley to see them, a lot of people sure witness the two waitresses passing through the streets, hand in hand. Even if it's just Hessy pulling Mera as fast as possible, people's gossips are not known to be accurate!

Thanks to such gossips, however, that the news of a guard tower "mysteriously" getting destroyed went unnoticed.

Meanwhile, two certain waitresses received a message from their former head waitress, asking them to get to the same destination…

____________

was surprised to see the waitresses multiplying in number as she returned from the marketplace.

_ Fuelri: Why are you all here?!

_ Shadyna: This and that happened~

_ Fuelri: That's not how you explain anything!!!

_ Hessenria: My apologies, but requested some additional help, so I called them.

_ Vulkerzelianna Merashiel: , nice to meet you~

_ Fuelri: I know who you are! We even met yesterday at the tavern!!!

_ Melodyn: I am , half dark elf, newest member of the corps along with my younger sister~

The girl with dark pale skin and long light violet-tinted hair bows slightly. Dark elves are usually depicted with brighter hair colors to contrast their skin, and this is really showing on .

If there's anything atypical of a dark elf on her, it would be her hairstyle first and foremost. It's kept together by a dark crimson hairband on the back of her head. For a dark elf with huge… assets, she gives off a much younger and more cheerful impression than expected.

_ Choruse: And my name is . Pleasure to meet you.

A dark elf with twintails, who could have guessed? And unlike real life, she's allowed to use that excessively long twintails style around same length as her sister's hair, which reach their ankles no problem.

With same hair and skin color, they really look like sisters.

_ Choruse: I am a half ghoul, just saying.

_ Fuelri: Why?!

_ Melodyn: One day our dark elf father was…

_ Fuelri: STOP! STOP! I don't want to know!

They have even prepared a backstory!

_ Shadyna: …I am surrounded by breasts.

That is to be expected, considering the sisters are dark elves (half), who are known for their size of certain body parts. is a fallen angel, while is a human, so they were not expected but opted to have them big anyway. Worst of all, 's elven body would only appear in questionable media, end of story.

No one here is even close to 's physique.

The little girl's current situation is probably more than the can ever hope to be.

____________

I have decided. My next friends will have to be young and petite!

Nerin and the other waitresses back then were normal, so I didn't expect to see a pair, or two pairs even, at this level so soon!

The balance is totally off! Players, why are you so obsessed with body fat!!!

_ Choruse: So, Miss , how many guilds are we going to kill today?

_ Shadyna: We are not going to kill anyone… I am a pacifist, you know…

And why would you ask that first of all?! Hessy, are you handling human (and other races) resource properly?!

_ Hessy: Just tell us what to do. Actions speak louder, and faster, than words.

_ Shadyna: Hessy, you just want to have that double enchantment as soon as possible… But okay. Everyone, please tell me what skills you have.

After a small meeting session, we start the grind.

1: creates attribute-boosting equipment and furniture.

2: cooks for boosting attributes.

3: enchants all equipment with crafting skills.

4: enhances all equipment to the best of her ability.

5: buffs everyone's attributes and uses [Devotion] on .

6: wears LDR-boosting equipment and is party leader.

7: Everyone puts on new equipment, eats new consumables, throws bombs at each other and receives buffs again then repeats the whole process.

To save time, we craft at the same time. The important part is having higher attributes and skill levels for the next iteration. Doing it in turn will save us one or two iterations, I think, but the time for each iteration increase by 4 times!

I have lots of materials since the raid, and the dark elf sisters brought a lot on their own as well. Some wasted materials are acceptable!

…

_ Shadyna: I have hit the breakeven point!

After 3 successive attempts without any increase in equipment's status, I declare the end of the first phase: Making fodders.

We were using second-best materials for these fodders, to reach the breakeven point as fast as possible, and because we actually don't have enough for highest-grade materials.

With the fodders ready, I am going to use the best materials available to craft the best equipment sets I can muster, as many times as I can.

Everyone stops crafting, since there's not enough equipment to craft at the same time. Instead, we will do what we have been doing, but in order, so that we can give the best equipment and consumables for the next crafter.

_ Shadyna: Let's see… I think we can do this 3 more times.

I'm not going to do it half-way, like crafting for 4 attributes then running out of materials. I will forget which set I have crafted later, and there's some use for the leftover best materials.

Yes, I did not forget the goal in the first place: Craft strong equipment, that isn't used for more crafting!

_ Hessy: So the time has come…

_ Mera: I wonder how strong our new waitress outfits will be~

They have already decided to craft more waitress outfits before the crafting gear is ready!

…

_ Choruse: Done.

_ Everyone: Oh~!

It was so nerve-wrecking watching the dark elf sisters working on my items, but it's finally finished!

And so, my new crafting gear looks like this:

---

[ Blooming Friendship Tunic of Strength]

- Creator:

- Quality:

- Type: , ,

- Enhancement: 21

- Enchantment:

- STR: 42

- PDF: 1600

---

_ Elri: What the heck is that naming?!

Un, crafting for too long dulled my naming sense, whoops~

My base [Creation] is at level 7, so I cannot create equipment with multiple status bonuses like Elri's halberd, but currently I think this item alone is enough to tank even the strongest sword in the game right now.

And yes, I made 18 pieces for all 8 attributes, for a total of 144 pieces of equipment.

Even with recycling materials from previous attempts, that burnt through not only my, but everyone's most expensive material stockpile too!

I do think it was totally worth the effort, at least until someone calculates the gold coins we just… ate.

All in all, I made like 1000+ items in the last few hours. That was only feasible thanks to the massive skill stackings and buffs bringing crafting time to around 10 seconds…

_ Melodyn: That [Creation] is useful~ Could you make a skill scroll for us?

_ Shadyna: …I only got from level 5 to 7 after all we have done, are you sure you want to do so?

_ Melodyn: On second thought, I'll stay with [Enchant] after all~

You can learn combination skills through skill scrolls, but it seems like it will remove your combined skills even if they are at higher level. If I give her a level 1 scroll, her level 20 [Enchant] is going to be wasted.

_ Shadyna: Everyone, please tell me what you want to create. Since we barely have any good material left, only 1 piece per person, okay?

_ Melodyn: I'll go first! I want a new hairband with FOC! Recipe is…

Then chose ribbons with STR to replace the ones tying up her twintails. As expected of sisters.

They use [Enhance] and [Enchant] on their own, so I have no idea what the skills they put into the accessories are.

Mera went with a new waitress outfit, as planned. She asked for WIT as attribute and [Fast Cast] as her skill, to help casting faster.

---

[ Divine Sudden Strike Apron]

- Creator:

- Quality:

- Type: ,

- Enhancement: 21

- Enchantment:

- WIT: 42

- MSP: 55

---

Her skills now hit even before she could finish calling out their names. Yikes. Thankfully she's support, not nuke.

_ Hessy: Hmm…

_ Shadyna: What's wrong, Hessy?

_ Hessy: I want the furniture thing you showed earlier, but I don't know which armor piece I want it to be…

She's not a waitress-costume-obsessed person like Mera, surprisingly…?

_ Elri: Me too. I have [Unique] weapon now, so choosing one armor piece out of eight is surprisingly hard…

…Eight? Have they already forgotten that there are more than eight pieces they can equip?

_ Shadyna: Then, would you allow me to surprise you?

_ Hessy & Elri: …Uh oh…

What the heck is that reaction, you two!!!

_ Mera: Now now, why not let do it? It's not like she has a disastrous fashion sense like Nerin~

…Note that down, now!

_ Hessy: …Then, I'll be counting on you.

_ Elri: …Though I have a feeling we will have problems one way or another…

Can't you at least wait for me to be out of earshot before bashing me?!

_ Shadyna: Even though I haven't done anything wrong… No one has faith in me…

_ Hessy: Uh, no, that's not what we are worried about…

_ Shadyna: I will make sure you have no room to complain later with my items, [Creation]!!!

_ Elri: That's exactly what we are scared of!!!

---

[ Wings of Blitzkrieg Hellfire]

- Creator:

- Quality:

- Type: , ,

- Enhancement: 21

- Enchantment:

- STR: 42

- PSP: 55

- Furniture: Accelerate Bonus Lv.6

---

A half-transparent pair of dark purple wings spreads out from Elri's back as she equips the rune. Most of my other runes wraps around a body part so they look like tattoos from a glance, but I figured I should try to give it more of a concrete shape.

The wings glow a bit, but they still look a lot darker than Melodyn's hair. Elri's new equipment, the [Everlasting Despair] series, are black. Combined with these wings, she looks like cavalry shock troops of the old days, except darker uniform, and is more devastating with [Accelerate Bonus]!

Yes, it's a rune-furniture hybrid!

_ Shadyna: Since it's an offensive skill, being a furniture gives you even more skill stack!

_ Mera: Aw~ I should have chosen an offensive skill…

…Even though [Fast Cast], a passive without proc condition, works even if it's not your main weapon, you still want to have a furniture skill stack in addition to the other 15 pieces of armor and runes you can equip at the same time?!

Please use a bomb or food item with enchantment if you need more skill stack~

_ Elri: …Hey, , should I become a shut-in?

_ Shadyna: Eh~ Even though I worked so hard to make it good-looking…

_ Elri: No matter how you look at it, I will become an eyesore when going outside!!!

_ Hessy: Good luck.

Hessy, stop trying to hold your laugh! Elri, please stop that orz already!

And no refund, sorry!

_ Shadyna: Next, for Hessy! [Creation]!!!

_ Hessy: Ah!

_ Mera: Too late for you~

---

[ Eye of Endless Terror]

- Creator:

- Quality:

- Type: , ,

- Enhancement: 21

- Enchantment:

- FOC: 42

- SPD: 138

- Furniture: Dark Bolt Lv.6

---

If her dual swords were having level 7 enchantment, the total will be 25 now. That's more than triple the original amount!

Unlike Elri's rune, Hessy's is much smaller in size. In exchange, it leaves a glowing trace as she moves. If she runs straight, you can see a pretty long tracing line, making her presence more obvious, and terrifying~

And yes, the rune is on her iris. The right one, to be exact.

_ Mera: Hessy, you look like an eight-grader now~

Please stop the orz, Hessy~

_ Hessy: I want the equipment, but not like this!!!

No refund~

And as for myself.

---

[ Flower of Eternal Blossom]

- Creator:

- Quality:

- Type: ,

- Enhancement: 21

- Enchantment:

- LCK: 42

- HP: 2600

---

A rune that becomes a glowing golden flower on top of the sprout on my head~

Considering how I was scrapping for HP whenever I came across an enemy, this will help greatly!

…Although to be fair, I doubt many players would encounter a semi-boss, a guild war and an area's last boss in their first few days like I do…

_ Everyone: Evolution completed…?

What are you all talking about?!

We spent the rest of the day and third-best materials crafting and grinding equipment to fill up the slots. It was a busy day, but it was a (many) great success!

And to translate into gold coins (at the time)…

Material expense: Roughly 4600 gold coins for the best equipment, and 500 gold coins for the weaker filler ones. Thanks to recycling, the actual cost is reduced to around 3000 gold coins.

Elri's piles of corpses aside, I'm surprised these waitresses had so much high-grade materials lying around!

Equipment market price: 15000 gold coins for each filler, and at least 50000 gold coins for each of our best gear. A total of nearly 2 million gold coins just for the currently equipped items alone!

We need a higher value currency… Although the inflated price is probably because I am the only person in the game capable of making them at the moment. Maybe in the future it will go down?

I wonder what will say when he knows Hessy's glowing eye being 10 times more expensive than his long rod…