Chapter 114 - Chapter 102: Secrets Keep Piling Up
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Saturday
"Well, I guess I'll make a mantle today."
"Woof."
Saturday. After lunch, I logged into IRO.
Mion was absent due to lessons. We had agreed to do homework together, and today she had to prepare for the evening live stream.
After eating with Lupi, I wanted to get right to making the mantle, but,
"Which one should I use? The same [Greydeer] hide as Seth, or should I try the [Red Armor Bear]?"
In terms of sheer size, the [Red Armor Bear] hide had a distinct advantage.
Even unprocessed, it was large enough to completely envelop me. The [Greydeer] hide, on the other hand, felt a bit small.
According to what Seth (Miki) heard from Season-san, loose-fitting, full-body clothing (non-metallic) was better for MP recovery.
By allowing mana to accumulate in the space between the garment and the body, more MP could be recovered.
I briefly discussed it with Miki during lunch.
"So, the thicker the clothing, the better?"
"Simple thick clothing won't create a void between the body and garments. It seems hollow costumes are better."
Apparently, someone had actually tried it, but it didn't work as well as expected and made it impossible to move, so they decided it was "no good." Right…
So, I was going to make a normal mantle, but,
"Lupi, which one do you think is better?"
"Woof-woof."
Since Mion wasn't around, I asked Lupi, who firmly placed her paw on the [Red Armor Bear] hide. Then,
"Woof."
Lupi curled up on the [Greydeer] hide.
I see, so she wants that for her bed.
Alright, I guess I'll try making it from the [Red Armor Bear] hide, then…
First, I had to squeeze the juice from [Papu Fruit] into an [Urn], which was quite a task given the large hide.
I used up most of my [Papu Fruit] until the hide was just submerged.
"I should replenish the [Papu Fruit] before processing is done. Lupi, want to go for a walk?"
"Woof!"
She immediately sprang up, eyes sparkling.
Yesterday, I was completely absorbed in building the storage house all day and night, so I should play with her a lot today.
………
……
…
After a long time, we took a walk through the [Dense Forest], securing [Papu Fruit], vines, [Bicobit], and [Saloon Lizard]s.
Lupi, seemingly satisfied, returned and promptly curled up on the [Greydeer] hide.
Ah, I could weave a vine basket or bamboo basket to make a bed for Lupi. But she seems to still be growing, so it's a tricky decision.
I hung the [Red Armor Bear] hide on the clothesline (the old tent frame) to dry, and while waiting, placed other unprocessed hides into the [Urn].
The solution could be used two or three times, so I decided to process as many hides as I had.
"While it's drying, maybe I'll make some [Arrow]s…"
Once the mantle was finished from the dried leather, I'd go to the [Western Forest] to set some [Trap]s.
Mion said today's live stream would be an explanation of how I defeated the [Red Armor Bear], but would that really fill an hour?
Well, if not, I could just dive into the sea and look for seaweed. Or maybe shrimp and crab… and sea urchins or shellfish? I'd like to make clam or shijimi miso soup, but I don't even have miso yet.
[Your Crafting skill level has increased!]
"Oh, lucky."
It seems [Bone Arrowheads] fall under [Crafting] after all.
Now that my [Crafting] skill is also 5, my production skills feel pretty well-rounded.
"Alright, let's see."
[Red Armor Bear Leather]
"Tough, reddish-black leather. The hardened armor-like parts of the [Red Armor Bear] possess flexibility and lightness equivalent to iron.
"[Sewing]: Material for clothing, armor."
Seriously…?
Making a mantle out of this feels luxurious, but I just made leather armor, and if I keep playing, even better materials will surely appear.
So, before cutting, I draped it over myself to check the general feel.
I examined the parts that looked like armor skin versus those that didn't, roughly marked them, and then used a bone awl to make the actual marks.
The parts for both arms and legs are leftover, so I'll make [Boots] and a [Hood] from them…
………
……
…
"Alright, is this good enough?"
After about an hour wrestling with the [Red Armor Bear] leather, the mantle was finally complete.
[Your Sewing skill level has increased!]
"Good, good, my [Sewing] skill is steadily increasing. Now, how did it turn out?"
[High-quality Hooded Mantle of Red Armor Bear]
"A hooded mantle crafted from [Red Armor Bear] leather. A quality item possessing flexibility and toughness.
"Defense +23. MP recovery 3/10 seconds. [Presence Concealment Skill] +2."
"Huh?!"
This… isn't this broken equipment?
The defense is almost the same as my current [Composite Armor]. MP recovery is 18 per minute. That's good so far. It feels quite broken, but Club President Bell-san probably has something equally good.
But [Presence Concealment Skill] +2 is just insane…
"Woof?"
"Ah, Lupi, sorry."
The way she tilted her head, "What's wrong?", was so cute that I instinctively petted her profusely.
Yeah, yeah, calm down, me. It's not time to panic yet…
For now, I'll try wearing it.
It completely covered my body and didn't hinder my movements.
And,
"It's much lighter than I expected… Isn't +23 defense cheating?"
I'll test the MP recovery later; the problem is the skill level increase.
Looking at my status screen, it said "[Presence Concealment]: 7."
"Oh no…"
Wait, wasn't the MAX skill level said to be around 10? What happens if it goes over 10 with corrections? Hmm, anyway…
"Mion, please cut out any mention of this mantle."
I told the stream camera.
Such equipment probably hasn't been discovered yet, and if this became public, a [Red Armor Bear] free-for-all would surely begin.
I felt like I was already drawing too much unwanted attention, so I decided to announce this only after someone else discovered it.
"Ah, and the [Boots] I'm about to make too."
I planned to make boots from the leather of both legs, but who knew how that would turn out…
………
……
…
[Your Sewing skill level has increased!]
It went up again.
Is it because the material is special, so I'm getting more skill experience points or something?
[High-quality Boots of Red Armor Bear]
"Boots crafted from [Red Armor Bear] leather. A quality item possessing flexibility and suppleness.
"Defense +8. [Presence Concealment] +1."
This too?!
Changing boots every time is annoying, so it should be fine as long as I don't show the [Appraisal] results.
I swapped my boots and opened the status window.
Since I wasn't wearing the mantle, the skill list showed "[Presence Concealment]: 6." If I wore the mantle in this state… it changed to "[Presence Concealment]: 8."
…At this point, I really want to get it to 10.