Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 62: A Small Chat

Man, talk about a long dinner. Sure, the food they offered hasn't made us bloated, but it is very delicious even though the ingredients are a bit... wild, to say the least. Eventually, the guild is having their meeting regarding their next plans while Star and Annie leave the guild house for a while to check up on their shop back at <Initio>. As for us, Kazu has decided to check out the crafting building while I check out the guild grounds outside the main hall. I want to join him, but I'm a bit troubled after seeing Star scold her older cousin like that. I wish I can do more than just watch and wait until it got messy...

"Oh, hey! I didn't expect you to be here, Windy kid."

I gasp as I turn around and see the old blacksmith approaching me.

"Oh, hey, Ol' Wally. You're not joining the guild meeting?"

"It's okay. The young folks are just talking about how they're gonna participate in the next raid in those new dungeons that popped up after that [Hidden Quest]," said Wallaby. "As much as I like to join them, I have to work on their equipment for it. Most of the young blacksmiths are busy with their real lives and I have work on a lot of projects if we want [Force Blade] to succeed."

"I see..." I said, wanting this conversation to stay short. But I'm too curious to ignore recent events right now. "By the way, is the guild leader's cousin not part of the [Force Blade] guild?"

"That's right. To tell you the truth, Anton has no plans to invite her in. Though even if he did, I doubt she'd say yes. You saw what happened earlier."

"Yeah... I never have seen her so pissed off before. Thank goodness letting Kazu cast that [Wind] spell was the right call. But what's the deal between him and Star anyway? He told me he wanted to play this game to make memories with his guild friends, but I don't know Star's side of the story. Even if I ask her, she might not be willing to tell me though."

Wallaby sighs as I notice him scratching the back of his head.

"Well, I'm not surprised. She knew Anton for years now and ever since Annie came into their lives, both of them have been trying their best to bond with the little charm to help her break out of her shell. Star did her job, but ever since middle school, she's grown resentment towards the leader because of him seemingly choosing new friends over them."

My eyes widen when he said this. Now that he mentioned it, I had been mainly ignoring Kazuki since I began attending elementary. Though unlike Anton, I started paying attention to him again after starting high school and meeting Zac and Damon. Heck, the whole reason why I played this game is because of him.

"If I recall, he said he invited Annie to play [Isekai] to make memories with her, too. I doubt he's ignoring his little sister for that reason."

"You're right on the money again, kid. He's never been the ignorant type and if I recall, he often came home with snacks and toys for Annie. Though, he did get scolded by Star and his parents for spending too much of his allowance on that stuff. Heck, he tried asking me to make something for her 6th birthday despite the fact I can't make anything girly out of metal."

"Okay. But I noticed that you've mentioned them as if you've known each other for years now."

"Ah, that. I'm a family friend of their folks. I live next door and work as a blacksmith making knives and other knick-knacks. I just started playing this game because my old friend sent me some VR tech and I feel like need to play more than those shooting games you young folks have been raving about in recent years."

"I'm guessing that's why you chose to play as a blacksmith in [Isekai], right? Your smithing skills translate well in your [Mastery]. I'm a little jealous."

I'm not kidding. The only people I've known for years now are my brother and those bickering friends of mine and the only skill I have carried over from real-life was cooking, of which I had to get a few lessons from Mom beforehand.

"Hey, don't be, kid. Even I had some problems when I first played this game. For starters, I have no experience when it comes to battling make-believe monsters. It took Anton and Star's teachings to get me on the right track so I can defend myself the next time I go to the mines."

I chuckle a bit.

"You can say that again. Heck, out of both of us, Kazu's a prodigy when it comes to fighting and crafting. It might because he loves reading fantasy novels all the time that he knows the ins and outs of the game so easily. Guess I have to step up if I want to catch up to him."

"That's the spirit! And don't worry about those two. If you keep hanging out with either of them, I'm sure they will kiss and make up one day. Heck, they might even team up one day and help with the sparks between your brother and his sister."

"Yeah, that might not be easy." I chuckle again at the thought. Kazu may be a prodigy, but he's no lady's man.

"So what are you planning to do now? Curfew's not for another hour. I think you have more time in this game if you like."

That is true. Kazu's out making potions thanks to the guild leader's permission and I can do nothing except waiting. Unless...

"To tell you the truth, I'm planning to do some crafting other than [Cooking] and [Woodcrafting]. I've already made a new bow, but I still need to find a way to upgrade my sword without breaking the bank."

"A sword, huh? I'm guessing that you're planning to take up [Blacksmithing], correct?"

I nod as my eyes set on Wallaby.

"Yeah. If you're free, maybe you can give me a few pointers about it. I already got a few points on that [Mastery], but there is no way I'm going to use the crafting menu to upgrade it."

"I see what you're getting at. It's better to make it with your own hands than to rely on a computer to make it for you. But are you sure you want to do this? [Blacksmithing] is not for the weak, you know. And judging by your attire, you might not able to wield a hammer properly."

I nod again. There is no way I can back out from this. Besides, I still have my [Physical Enhancement] with me. I'm sure I'll be alright.

"If Kazu can master [Experienced Crafting] with [Magecrafting], I think I can master [Blacksmithing] with your guidance."

Usually, I become a bit nervous after declaring this kind of stuff. But I'm glad I wasn't this time since Wallaby has been very friendly to us so far and he responds with a jolly laugh.

"You really are an interesting kid, Windy. You just might be more reckless and gung-ho than our leader."

I don't know whether if that's a compliment or something else. Then again, I do have a small glimpse of who Anton really is inside.

"Well, toss your jacket, get that [Mastery], and follow me. Tonight, we'll light up the forge!"

And with that, I follow Wallaby into the crafting building. As I do, I open up my stat window and buy that [Mastery] as Wallaby said. Though I intend to hold my jacket with me until we get there.

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Wind's Masteries

[Archery] Level 18

[Woodcrafting] Level 7

[Swordsmanship] Level 16

[Cooking] Level 6

[Wind] Level 15

[Physical Enhancement] Level 15

[Hunting] Level 14

[Blacksmithing] Level 1 (New)

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Kazu's Masteries

[Arcana] Level 19

[Thunder] Level 15

[Wind] Level 14

[Alchemy] Level 12

[Magecrafting] Level 10

[Magical Affinity] Level 17

[Scribe] Level 4