Chapter 893 (2/2)

Questions for later… For now, we need to keep moving.

As Randidly pondered it, he returned to Shual. “Alright, we are leaving.”

Shual poked his head out. Randidly almost felt bad to see how relieved the young frog looked. “Oh, you killed the monster?”

“No, I didn’t,” Randidly remarked. Then he turned and stared after the monster. His face twisted into a frown.

The direction it had fled was South. A coincidence?

*****

Two squirrels paused on the long branch of a nearby oak tree and considered this strange human. Ignoring them, Sam cracked his knuckles and ran his hands lovingly over the marble and gold table that made all of this possible.

Workbench of the Dawn Smith (L) Lvl 64: The seat of power for the Dawn Smith. A workbench that sits in the open air that will absorb the sun’s rays and grow in power. After a sufficient number of dawns pass, it is possible for the item Level to increase. While working on items on top of the workbench, the items will be enhanced by a fraction of this workbench’s power. Will slightly increase the chance of creating items at a higher rarity. Adds an extremely small chance to include bonus stats in an item. Control and Focus +20. Fixture Array II. Dawn Cocoon III. Toward the Final Sigh II.

Fixture Array II: This workbench is part of an array that will absorb an extremely small amount of energy from the surroundings. Effect increased on energy from the sun. As such, power in the surrounding area will concentrate here.

Dawn Cocoon III: While the Dawn Smith makes use of this Workbench, some of the gathered energy will fill the surrounding area and create a warmer and stabler environment. Adds a bonus 3% to crafting Skill Levels while using the Workbench.

Toward the Final Sigh II: Always dawn will come… until it won’t. This item will possess an increased resistance toward outward attacks that will grow until the sun no longer appears in the sky. Each Dawn sees its Endurance increase a minuscule amount.

The secret that Sam had discovered while testing out Form, Function, and Image as the correct approximation of the categories was thus: they had thought too simplistically about their ability to create “equipment”.

Furniture could give options too.

And the only reason he stumbled upon this delight was that Sam struggled for a long time to identify items that possessed various forms and functions. It was hard to think of weapons that varied overmuch from a central shape for reason other than material constraints. Well, that wasn’t true. Yet Sam felt bound by his own perfectionist nature. In his mind, there was one way to make the best longsword. Another way to make the best lance.

What he needed was an item that could be made with different forms and still have the same function. And these variations couldn’t be due to what the main material was. And he also didn’t wasn’t to simply add superfluous additions to a perfectly good weapon. What he needed was something a little… different.

Which was why Sam eventually arrived at furniture. Furniture was an area that had seen of innovative explosion immediately prior to the System. A lot of those designs had survived, demonstrating their value. And often the function would remain constant.

At first, Sam was dubious that he could create a piece of furniture that could possess stats. But he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why he believed that was true. It seemed like the only reason was that it hadn’t been done. Plus, all of the System buildings that assisted forging had special focuses that were all pieces of armor or weapons. No word of a carpentry station.

Likely this truth would have been discovered eventually, as the supply of furniture they were able to harvest from old warehouses around Franksburg ran dry. But that might not be for a while.

Which meant that Sam had an edge on the whole Earth. Likely even on Randidly. He was the only person who knew this possibility.

“It is a good feeling,” Sam said smugly, rubbing his hand lovingly over the workbench he had created. It was in an area a little bit distant from his usual workshop, in a deserted clearing that Sam sometimes wandered to in order to think. It stood in the midday sun, glowing greedily as it absorbed the energy in the surrounding area and grew more powerful.

It was a squat and heavy thing, made of carved marble with gold accents. Overall, it was relatively simple, almost austere. It was covered with simple engravings that would increase its resistance to physical blows, so the marble could actually withstand forging of more troublesome metals. Sam wasn’t as adept as Randidly, but he was probably the best Engraver in Donnyton at the moment. Creating the engravings hadn’t been a problem.

And it seemed that his plan to attach the array to the surrounding area to power the workbench was a success; hopefully, it would grow fast enough that Sam wouldn’t catch up to its capability to withstand force.

Humming to himself, Sam reached into his interspatial ring and seized the elemental incarnations that had been sent down from East End. Now that he had the capability and the materials… Sam supposed it was time to show off a bit.

We may not be the strongest… but you can bet we will catch up. No matter who attempts to triumph over us. Sam thought as he massaged his shoulders and sat back down at his workbench.

The array instantly activated, and a warm veil of light spread to cover his position. It felt extremely comfortable within that light. So comfortable that Sam laughed with delight. Then he coughed awkwardly and glanced around.

Luckily, no one was around to notice his unfiltered glee.

Thank god, Sam thought darkly. If Ed saw that… I would never live it down.