Chương 33

Rudra practically kicked the door to the blacksmith shop open, breathing heavily. He was covered in woodchips, ash, and sweat, but he had a massive grin plastered under his leather mask. Thud. He dropped the heavy metallic branch right onto the counter.

"One pristine ironwood branch, as requested. I didn't even break a single twig." Blacksmith Gary slowly turned around from his furnace. He looked at the gleaming grey wood, then looked up at Rudra, his thick eyebrows shooting straight up toward his hairline.

"You're back already?" Gary muttered, genuinely baffled.

"It's barely been an hour. Did you find a dead one on the floor or something?"

"Hey, I fought hard for that," Rudra complained, crossing his arms.

"The thing tried to turn me into a pancake. Now, what about my gear?" Gary picked up the branch, running his rough hands over the flawless wood. A rare, satisfied smile broke through his permanent scowl.

"It's perfect. The density is exactly what I need to anchor the coral's energy. But don't forget the second condition, kid. Custom work of this level isn't free." Rudra winced. Right, the fee. He opened his inventory and reluctantly pulled out a heavy leather pouch, counting out exactly 100 Gold. It was a massive chunk of his hard-earned savings, and it physically hurt to hand it over.

"This better be the best damn gear in Port Nereus," Rudra grumbled, pushing the pile of shiny coins across the table.

"I'm practically broke now." Gary swept the gold into a drawer with a hearty laugh.

"Quit whining. You're getting a master's work. It's going to take me about three hours to melt the coral and bind it to the wood. Get out of my shop, go find something to do, and don't disturb my rhythm."

"Fine by me," Rudra cheered internally.

"I have a date with some meat." He didn't need to be told twice. He sprinted right back toward the market plaza, his feet moving like a blur through the dusty streets. His internal compass guided him straight back to the exact source of that heavenly, smoky aroma. Five minutes later, Rudra was sitting in a quiet, shadowy corner of a narrow alleyway, holding a massive stack of wooden skewers. Chomp. He tore a huge chunk of charcoal-grilled pork off the stick.

The outside was perfectly crispy, the fat literally melted on his tongue, and the sweet, savory glaze had just the right amount of spicy kick.

"Oh my god," Rudra groaned happily, kicking his legs like a little kid.

"This is absolute heaven. Satisfy is seriously a dangerous game. How am I ever supposed to eat real-world convenience store food after this?" He completely lost himself in the meal, devouring skewer after skewer. He didn't care about looking elegant. He just wanted to enjoy the flavor. By the time he finished the last stick, his satiety bar was completely full, and a warm, lazy wave of comfort washed over his entire body. He leaned his head back against the cool stone wall, watching the clouds pass over the city.

For a functional introvert like him, this was the ultimate peak of relaxation. No annoying players asking for his build, no crowded guild chats, just a quiet alley and a full stomach. He rested for a couple of hours, letting his stamina naturally recover, before stretching his limbs and heading back to the artisan district. When he pushed the door back into the workshop, the heat was absolutely intense. Gary was standing over the anvil, his chest heaving as he wiped a thick layer of sweat from his forehead.

On the wooden counter rested two brand-new items. Rudra's eyes instantly locked onto them. The first was a sleek, dark staff. The base was made of the dark grey ironwood, but the top was intricately wrapped in smooth, polished black coral that pulsed with a soft, deep-blue light. It looked incredibly elegant but carried a heavy, dangerous presence. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Beside it was a lightweight vest crafted from dark, treated leather.

It was reinforced with overlapping purple scales that shimmered under the firelight like the surface of the ocean. A golden system prompt violently flashed across Rudra's eyes. [The Quest "Epic Item Creation" has been successfully completed!] Rudra eagerly tapped the floating screens to check the detailed descriptions of his new gear. [Abyssal Ironwood Staff] [Rating: Epic] [Durability: 410/410 Attack Power: 185 ~ 230] - Ignores 15% of the target's physical and magical defense.

- Increases the impact velocity of offensive staff skills by 10%. This is a custom-made staff forged by the blacksmith Gary in Port Nereus. By binding high-grade Abyssal coral with a pristine branch of an Ironwood Treant, Gary created a weapon that channels the crushing force of the deep sea while maintaining the toughness of steel. Conditions of use: Strength 200 or higher, Agility 200 or higher, Intermediate Staff Mastery Lv. 1 or higher.] [Tide-Breaker Scale Vest] [Rating: Epic] [Durability: 300/300 Defense: 140 - Reduces all incoming blunt and piercing physical damage by 10%. - Stamina consumption rate decreases by 5% when using active mobility skills. A lightweight leather vest crafted by the blacksmith Gary of Port Nereus. Made from the treated leather and shimmering purple scales of a Level 85 Trench Horror, it absorbs external impacts effortlessly and shifts fluidly with the wearer's movements. Conditions of use: Stamina 200 or higher.]"Oh, wow," Rudra breathed, his eyes scanning the windows.

"This is a massive upgrade." He easily cleared the requirements for the staff. Between his massive stat dump in the cave and the permanent +4 bonus to all stats he just got from cooking that Epic calamari, his strength and speed were way past the limit. But when he looked at the leather vest, his face fell behind his mask.

"Stamina two hundred?" Rudra grumbled, rubbing his chin.

"Are you kidding me? Let's see here..." He quickly pulled up his character sheet. Thanks to the extra stat points he had gained from his recent level-ups and the cooking bonuses, his Stamina was currently sitting at exactly 191. He was just nine points short of wearing his new armor.

"Good thing I didn't spend everything," Rudra muttered. He opened his unallocated stat points pool, peeled off exactly 9 points, and shoved them straight into Stamina. Ding. [Stamina has reached 200.] A subtle wave of vitality washed through his torso, making him feel just a little more grounded. He closed the interface, reached over the counter, and snatched up the new gear. He pulled off his old, shredded vest and slipped the Tide-Breaker Scale Vest over his shoulders. It fit like a glove.

The purple scales shifted smoothly against each other as he moved, feeling incredibly lightweight. It didn't restrict his breathing at all. Then, he gripped the Abyssal Ironwood Staff. The moment his fingers wrapped around the dark grey wood, his massive dexterity stat kicked in. The balance was absolutely perfect. He gave the staff a quick, casual spin. The heavy wood cut through the air with a faint, clean whistle, stopping perfectly parallel to his arm without a single tremor.

It felt like an extension of his own hand.

"Incredible," Rudra laughed, completely thrilled.

"Gary, you're a genius. This feels amazing." The grumpy blacksmith crossed his arms, leaning back against his anvil with a proud, soot-covered smirk.

"Of course it does. I don't make trash, kid. Now get out of my shop before you get dust on my floors."

"Thanks again!" Rudra waved, slinging the beautiful new staff onto his back. He pushed open the door and stepped back out into the narrow alleyway. The afternoon sun hit his face, reflecting off the subtle purple scales of his vest. He pulled up his log to check his main quest. [The Legacy of the Submerged God] [Progress: 10 / 113 Temples Cleared] [Notice: All local coastal temples within the Murray Kingdom have been purified. The remaining 103 temples are scattered across distant landlocked lakes, major inland river systems, and deeper ocean territories across the continent.] Rudra scratched his head, reading the notification.

"So the local coast is completely tapped out. If I want to find the eleventh temple, I have to travel all the way across the continent to the next major body of water." Honestly, the timing was perfect. He opened his regional map and saw a string of forum alerts pinned to the Port Nereus board. Players were starting to talk. The video of a masked player holding off a beach siege for ten hours was spreading like wildfire on the internet.

People were already calling him the 'Masked Lunatic,' and several mid-sized guilds were sending scouts to the coastal towns to track him down.

"Oh, absolutely not," Rudra shuddered, his introvert survival instincts instantly kicking into overdrive.

"If I stay around the coast, some sweaty guild recruitment guy is going to corner me. I need to disappear." He looked away from the ocean, pointing his finger toward the deep green interior of the map. Ahead lay the massive, quiet agricultural plains and thick forests of the inland territories. It was the perfect place to hide. Nobody out there would care about a beach raid, and the mountain villages would definitely have entirely new, land-based ingredients to cook with.

"Alright," Rudra grinned under his mask, adjusting his heavy brown hood.

"Let's go find some quiet woods and a fresh steak." He turned his back on Port Nereus and marched toward the inland highway, leaving the sea behind him.