Pick Me Up!

I am different from the typical heroes.

I was aware of that. The system logs that appear while the Master controls the game were visible only to me.

There’s one more thing here.

It’s the ability to bring up the stat window. And this is where things change from this point on.

It means I can interfere with the system with my own will.

Even if it’s just a little thing like this.

I recalled my conversation with Iselle from last night.

Iselle said that the stat window I bring up doesn’t appear on the Master’s screen.

I’m a being that is half Master and half hero.

This is what I am in this world.

‘In that case.’

It might be possible.

To intrude into the areas allowed only for the Master.

I picked up a wooden shield and a bow from the armory.

“Stay here.”

Jenna handed me the cart full of materials.

[Blacksmithing Lv.1]

I opened the small iron door that appeared on the left side of the armory. A rush of hot air hit me. Inside the blacksmithing area, there was a small blazing furnace, an anvil, and various tools for crafting.

[You’re finally making something!]

Iselle appeared and circled above my head. Perhaps it was because of the fire in the furnace, her cheeks were flushed.

“Let’s give it a try.”

[So, Loki! What are you making? Levatein? Or maybe Brünnhilde? Stormbringer? Pragahr?]

“Here?”

I didn’t have any materials, and the facility level was low. There were no assistant agents to help with the crafting. On the other hand, if the conditions were sufficient, as Iselle mentioned, I could create such a ‘super-grade weapon,’ but it wasn’t the right timing yet.

“Open the equipment crafting window.”

[Okay!]

A hologram window appeared, shimmering on one side of my vision. It was the exact screen that appears when you press the equipment synthesis tab in Pick Me Up.

[Equipment crafting in progress!]

I pressed the crafting button at the bottom of the screen.

The screen changed, and a window asking for detailed conditions appeared.

“So it works.”

Type: Normal.

Form: Longsword.

Method: Casting.

[You have selected casting. Are you sure? A penalty will be applied.]

“Yes.”

There are three methods for equipment crafting: reinforcement, which enhances existing weapons, casting, which creates new weapons from materials, and commissioning, which entrusts the entire process to a skilled blacksmith.

[Please insert the materials.]

I put two iron ores, one piece of leather, and one sheet of cardboard into the furnace. The flames in the furnace roared fiercely.

“Is this how you insert the materials?”

[Yes, that’s right. Just like that.]

I touched ‘Start’ at the bottom of the equipment crafting window.

[Insufficient facilities. A penalty will be applied.]

[No blacksmith available. A penalty will be applied.]

[No blueprint available. A penalty will be applied.]

[Success rate: Extremely low – It will fail unless extraordinary luck accompanies you! Prepare better conditions and give it a try. Are you sure about this?]

[Do you want to proceed with the crafting?]

[Yes / No]

I flicked my finger.

It’s been a while since I crafted, but the sensation still lingers at my fingertips. With a low facility level, no blacksmith, and no blueprint, it’s a triple penalty. However, this level of challenge is nothing to me.

[Manually, crafting…?]

“Manually.”

[Good choice!]

A hologram screen appeared in the center of my field of vision. The screen was composed of thousands of lines, resembling a grid. In the middle of the screen, I saw the longsword I wanted to create. The image of the sword was rendered in pixels.

[Ting!]

[Insufficient facilities!]

A portion of the horizontal axis rotated, distorting the sword.

[Ting!]

[No blacksmith available!]

A portion of the vertical axis rotated, deforming the shape of the sword.

[Ting!]

[No blueprint available!]

The intact sword vanished, and the screen was covered in white and black dots.

It was similar to a toy cube. By rotating the screen horizontally or vertically, you could solve the puzzle. The only difference was that the puzzle target was a polyhedron. It was a kind of mini-game. Of course, most Masters didn’t bother with such a tedious game. As long as the conditions were met, it could be automated.

[Please select the puzzle difficulty level. The higher the level, the greater the rewards!]

“Super Hell.”

[Super Hell? Despite the triple penalty?]

“Just for fun.”

[You have selected the Super Hell difficulty level.]

[Do you really want to waste the materials like that? I won’t stop you!]

15X15.

15 lines on the horizontal axis.

15 lines on the vertical axis.

For Super Hell, the time limit was 3 minutes.

The image on the screen shook and rotated once again.

Now, I couldn’t recognize the form at all.

[Puzzle Start!]

Why did they create such a useless feature?

Hardly anyone uses it except for a few genuine maniacs.

“Does this puzzle have any deeper meaning?”

Since it wasn’t an ordinary game, there might be something more to it.

But for now, I couldn’t tell.

Elapsed time: 27 seconds.

[★!Major Success!★]

[‘Han(★)’ has crafted a ‘Well-Forged Longsword(C-)!’]

A single sword sprang out from the bottom of the furnace.

[Well-Forged Iron Sword]

[Grade: C-]

[Masterpiece!]

[Sturdy, lightweight, and sharp. While the base materials are crude, they have been complemented with an unbelievable level of craftsmanship.]

Just a C- grade.

Considering the materials, there’s nothing I could do about it.

This time, I threw a crude bow into the furnace.

As I inserted the materials needed for reinforcement, I pondered.

There are two types of bows.

The shortbow, which emphasizes portability and rate of fire.

The longbow, which prioritizes range and penetrating power.

“But it’s not the time for a longbow yet.”

She would need a longbow starting from the floors where large monsters appear.

I chose the normal type, shortbow form, and reinforcement method. The weapon to be reinforced was a crude E- grade bow. The mini-game began.

[★!Major Success!★]

[‘Han(★)’ has crafted a ‘Balanced Shortbow(C)’!]

I also decided to make a spear.

[★!Major Success!★]

[‘Han(★)’ has crafted a ‘Sharp Halberd(C-)!]

Lastly, I reinforced the shield.

[★!Major Success!★]

[‘Han(★)’ has crafted a ‘Sturdy Iron Shield(C)!]

“This, this is the hand of a god! The legendary Hand of God! Kyaaaah!”

I pushed Iselle, who was charging toward me.

“That’s enough.”

Although I’d like to make more items, I’ve already made enough to catch the eye.

I don’t want unnecessary misunderstandings from the Master.

Even if I’m an independent existence, in the end, I’m just a single hero.

I’m not allowed to use essential functions like summoning or synthesis. Equipment crafting would have also been impossible without Iselle’s help.

I put the crafted weapons into the cart and left the armory.

Jenna looked at the weapons and her mouth dropped open.

“How did you do this??”

“Don’t ask. It’s dangerous.”

To be precise, I used cheats.

The type of crafting I just did isn’t allowed for heroes. When you observe how the crafter, craft equipment, it’s an analog process of carving wood, tanning leather, and smelting iron… This is why I was hesitant, but I was fortunate that it was possible.

Jenna took out a bow from the cart and tested it.

“The quality…”

“The quality?”

“It’s amazing.”

Jenna smiled and placed the bow on the display stand.

Next, the sword, spear, and shield were also displayed in the armory.

“With this much, won’t people who come later try to steal them?”

That won’t happen if I ask the master to use the ‘Exclusive Weapon’ function.

“Don’t worry.”

As we left the armory and entered the square, the armory door closed with a creak.

• One Piece: The Soul Purchasing Pirate
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