novelraw Chapter 111 : Chapter 111
Chapter 111 : Chapter 111
Chapter 111 : Materials
"Wondering what's in the third box? It's something interesting."
Chatfield placed his left hand on the box and looked at Sal meaningfully.
"Think of them as prototype materials. They'll be much more useful once you complete the Tracker. My team gathered accessible small fragments of every material in our warehouse. Didn't we discuss before that your Tracker could help identify materials? And that your Mythos Crafter ability can only use things you've directly contacted. So the idea came up to let you experience all the materials we have and might obtain in the future in advance. We thought that way, you could expand your ability and find good synergies and combinations for the breastplate set."
Chatfield flipped open the lid of the third box.
Sal instinctively moved closer and peered into the trays Chatfield was taking out one by one.
There were at least thirty small fragments of different colors, fixed with cloth strips on white cushions.
Among them were materials that seemed to contain attributes like fire, water, and lightning, and some glowed irregularly or sparked whenever they moved.
Chatfield pointed to the location of each material and said.
"Be careful not to mess up the order. Some might react with each other and explode, burn the workbench, or cause random accidents. So keep them separated for safety."
Sal examined the fragments a bit more, and Chatfield started putting the trays back into the box one by one.
"Anyway, for now, these are just distractions. They're useless until you finish the Tracker, so let's focus on that first. Any other problems since last time?"
Sal took his eyes off the last tray, looked at Chatfield, and smiled.
"Nothing I'd call a problem. If I had to pick one, it would be Lars constantly tormenting us with the battlefield simulator."
Chatfield didn't react much to the joke, and Sal quickly changed the subject.
He was slowly getting to know the good person hidden behind Chatfield's professional attitude and sense of duty.
"After checking all the breastplate sets, I think a crafting recipe will be needed for artisans to properly replicate my design."
Sal expected Chatfield to be slightly disappointed, but surprisingly, he smiled.
Chatfield opened the second box, took out a breastplate, and silently pushed it toward Sal.
Sal immediately recognized it as one of the designs he had uploaded to the Credit Store, and his Appraisal ability instantly confirmed its quality.
Name: Rookie Breastplate (Set 1/4)
Source: Crafted
Condition: New
Rank: Common
Specs: Chest 42 inches, Neck 17.5 inches
Material: Infused Iron, Reinforced Cowhide
Attributes:
-Resistance: Nullifies piercing damage and blunt damage
-Synergy: Abilities are shared between set items
Abilities: Resistance, Synergy
Energy Source: External Essence
Evolution: None
Quality: Perfect
Status: 100%
"Did you make this without a crafting recipe?"
When Sal asked in puzzlement, Chatfield burst into laughter.
"Of course. My team doesn't need something like a crafting recipe. Any artisan with pride should be able to create an object with just a perfect blueprint. Did you hear complaints from the first-year students? If they're first-years, it's natural they can't even handle their own bodies properly yet. An artisan who handles Essence can skip difficult processes, but beginners must learn every step by the book. For our plan to proceed smoothly, we'll need to teach them the crafting recipe, but that's Porge's job. Don't worry, he can reverse-engineer anything."
Sal nodded slowly, examining the breastplate this way and that.
"Why did you bring this? Didn't you say this box contains materials your team thought would be needed, not what I requested?"
Instead of answering, Chatfield took out the rest of the breastplate parts from the box and placed them on the table.
After taking out all the parts, he pulled a leather-bound file from the very bottom of the box and placed it aside, then reached in again to pull out a pile of silvery metal plates shrouded in white mist.
When the pile of metal plates was placed on the table, a faint mist shimmered over their surface.
Next, a pile of blood-red glass shards was revealed.
They were cut in a shape that was largest at the bottom and tapered upwards.
Sal was completely captivated by the crimson material, flinching at the sound of Chatfield closing the box and putting it on the floor.
Chatfield pulled the file forward and opened it.
"Dr. Ameier pointed out a few flaws in our concept. He is the best Crafter in the Guild Association and possesses an ability similar to yours. His ability is Epic rank, but his achievements go far beyond that. He said the Evolution attribute you applied to the sniper rifle is only compatible with weapons. Since the same effect can't be achieved with breastplate sets, an Essence absorption method must be added. Dr. Ameier suggested applying these runes, but said the likelihood of them working on lower-rank materials is slim. It will cost more initially, but since the Guild Association and the Hunter Bureau are fully supporting it, we're going ahead no matter what."
Chatfield slid a few pages across the table.
They were all runes.
Unable to read any information from them, Sal placed the paper on top of the breastplate, trying to recreate the moment he had overlaid the sniper rifle blueprint with Blink's dagger blueprint.
The result appeared instantly.
His Mythos Crafter ability activated, and lines from the runes began to replicate onto the breastplate.
After several attempts, the lines found their correct positions.
Sal guided the ability to enter the concept stage, and information was immediately converted.
"Does this rune allow damage absorption? But it's not an Evolution rune?"
When Sal asked in confusion, Chatfield turned another page and said.
"Ah, my mistake. They all look similar. Here, how about this?"
Chatfield handed over another page, and Sal picked it up.
Soon, Chatfield packed all the documents back up and handed the whole file over, saying.
"No point trying to understand. This is all yours. Dr. Ameier drew these himself for you and wished you luck. Having someone like him on your side is huge. I hope you make good use of these rune designs."
Sal paused at those words and turned off his Mythos Crafter ability.
"Did... he really create these runes himself? I thought all runes were copied from Portal relics?"
Chatfield nodded and pointed to the file.
"Yes, he made them all. He's on a different level from other artisans in the Guild Association. However, he's extremely reclusive and insists on working alone. Occasionally, he gifts designs like this. Our train network exists thanks to him, and barrier technology has advanced significantly too. He spends most of his time hunting for rare materials to use in his workshop. But he was very interested when he heard about you. He even laughed when I told him about the problem with your Tracker."
Chatfield pointed to the red glass.
"He said Lord Crystals are excellent, but Scarlet Screen is incomparable."
And he pointed to the misty metal pieces.
"Plus, Scarlet Screen has great synergy with Moonsilver. Especially for information gathering purposes. They're ridiculously expensive, but Ameier handed them over as a gift. It includes a few runes for the Tracker too."
"He could have just made it for me."
Sal laughed and flipped through the rune pages.
Soon, he found a blueprint and a note written in messy handwriting.
-Moonsilver is absolutely perfect for Essence management. It is considered a rare material because it naturally absorbs Essence from the surrounding environment. For equipment with limited space like a Tracker, prioritizing surface area and eliminating the need for self-sustaining runes is a huge advantage. It offers a subtle calming effect excellent for concentration, meditation, and fear resistance. As an evolution material, it will easily open the path to Legendary rank.
"What does this part mean?"
Sal asked, reading the last paragraph aloud.
Chatfield snapped his fingers in response.
"Ah, Ameier said your idea of making low-rank items evolve is brilliant. It's a method he uses often too. However, each material has limits, so some cannot be made into low-rank items. It means the combination of Scarlet Screen and Moonsilver will be Rare rank by default. If you can make it lower, it means there is potential for further evolution."
Sal put down the page and examined the materials again.
"Using this blueprint and materials is great, but if my skills are clumsy, I won't get a proper result. Could that be what he meant about Rare rank?"
When he looked up, Chatfield tilted his head while reading the paper.
There was no answer.
Sal looked into the blueprint again.
It was different from the Tracker design Sal had made with the Quest device.
As his Mythos Crafter ability recognized the blueprint, new design information filled his head.
The materials on the table glowed orange in his vision, appearing as Legendary rank.
However, Sal felt frustrated that he couldn't properly identify the attributes due to his low understanding of the materials.
‘I need the Analysis ability to properly analyze this.’
Sal turned his gaze to the first box.
"Did you bring the materials I requested as well? I could make a prototype Tracker with those to gain the Analysis ability, and then use these materials to make something better... But using something this precious feels a bit wasteful."
Sal said, stroking the Scarlet Screen.
This time, Chatfield shrugged.
"I brought all the materials you requested. Moonsilver and Scarlet Screen are gifts from Ameier, so use them as you please. It might be good to make the prototype as originally planned and apply what you learn from it to Ameier's design. Since he is unparalleled in this field, he won't lead you down the wrong path."
Sal nodded briefly and opened the first box.
Chatfield pulled up a chair and sat next to the table.
He watched as Sal placed a pile of Lord Crystals, followed by several ingots of refined Hellfire Titanium.
When Sal looked up, Chatfield gestured and said.
"Do you have everything you need? Don't mind me and go ahead. I just want to watch the work of an artisan creating Mythos rank."
Surprised by those words, Sal blinked.
‘The more time I spend with him, the more I seem to discover the Captain's good side.’
Sal popped open the cylinder containing the Tracker blueprint and soon fixed his gaze on the various materials sent to him.
Cores of different ranks, Hellfire Titanium, and Lord Crystals glittered before him.
All seemed full of potential, waiting to be used at any moment.
Sal's Mythos Crafter ability identified them easily.
Unlike the miscellaneous materials that were in the third box earlier.