Chapter 21: Game Changer

[Smithing]! It was a feature that allowed you to forge weapons and other equipment from various materials.

I had played my fair share of games and had seen how they work. Since this world functioned similarly to those games, the concept should be similar.

"It looks like I struck gold this time!"

"A-Ah…" Paul moaned slightly as I untied the ropes tightly binding him.

What is this guy? A baby?

Within a few moments, he was finally free, moving his body in a relieved manner.

"Thank you. This feels much better." He smiled.

I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't necessary for him to use his [Smithing] Gift.

Fortunately, he trusted and was most likely afraid of me enough not to try anything funny.

"Now then, shall we begin? First, tell me how your Gift works. I have basically told you mine." I said to Paul, who excitedly toyed with the cores on the floor.

"O-Oh, that. I just put the materials together and create an image in my head. The materials combine and form the item in my head. B-But there are restrictions…" He mumbled.

Of course. His Gift, like mine, must have a low rank. To unlock more features he would have to 'Rank up'.

"I can't create objects more than a particular size, and it takes some time for the objects to fully transform. Also, some objects are incompatible with each other so the process is canceled." Paul explained.

"Ah, I see…" I mumbled.

The first two are a given, but the last one concerns me a little. Incompatibility could be a problem. The demon cores were essential elements required to forge the kind of tools I wanted.

"It would be unfortunate if he couldn't merge them due to that reason." I thought to myself.

"Paul, what's the 'Rank' of your Gift?"

He was a little surprised by my question, so it took a while before he could answer.

"R-Rank D…"

My eyes bulged when he uttered those words.

"What the fuck!"

How had this retard advanced so much while doing nothing but hiding in his home?

"W-Wow. That's quite the Rank!" I said with an uncomfortable laugh.

"You don't have to force yourself to say it. I know my Rank will be pretty low compared to yours…" He mumbled.

If only he knew… That my Gift was only at the E Rank. And that was only because I ranked up.

"Maybe…" My mind suddenly sparked with a thought.

"Did you perhaps use (G) Karma Points?" I asked.

Paul appeared confused at my mention of (G) Karma Points.

"What's that?" He asked.

What? He didn't know about that? How did he Rank up so easily then? Perhaps he was just unsure of what they're called.

"Check your Status Window. You should find it among your displayed information." I said.

"O-Okay… B-But there's nothing here." He said, looking at the invisible panel In front of him.

Paul placed me in too high a regard to lie to me. He must really not have that element among his Status Information.

"What of (G) Factor?" I asked.

Even I didn't know what that meant.

He shook his head after checking for a while.

"What's going on here?" I asked myself in confusion.

But, I couldn't afford to show my ignorance to him.

"I see. It must be due to your low level." I falsely explained.

"Ah, I see… I'm still a Level 1, after all." He chuckled in embarrassment.

Whew, bullet dodged.

Still, I'm impressed. To have Ranked-Up his Gift to that extent without leaving the confines of his room, he must have used it like crazy.

"The thing is, I have been constantly making weapons and tools as soon as I was aware of those 'things'," Paul revealed.

"I made countless daily and experimented with various features to test my limits. I thought by doing this frequently, I would eventually have the courage to leave this place. B-But…"

His face fell, implying what he tried to communicate.

I could understand things from his perspective. Even I nearly lost hope after seeing the horrific Demons that awaited me should I step out. But, one way or the other, danger was imminent. At least, this way I could choose what path to take.

"I won't powerlessly cower in fear like this idiot."

Since he was a Rank D, it should be enough for him to transmute Demon cores with other items. The Demon Cores were all lesser grades anyway, so it should be fine.

There were quite a lot of weapons in this room. They should suffice for the tests we would be undertaking.

"Let us begin" I smiled.

[Moments Later]

My eyes glowed in excitement as I stared at the knife before me. It had a faint crimson glow, and I could feel a slight buzz anytime I touched it.

"It's a success!" I beamed.

Paul made a relieved expression, also marveling at the creation he'd forged.

"wow!… This is amazing!" He whispered.

Like little children attracted to the latest toy, we both observed the knife with awe and satisfaction.

Having a slightly bent shape and an entirely black color, this special weapon had energy flowing within it, making it more durable and powerful than the others.

"This is perfect! Can we do more? There are so many things I want to try." Paul beamed at me.

"O-Okay… Just relax. Keep your voice down." I said in a hushed tone.

He quickly covered his lips in recoil, making me laugh slightly to myself.

Well, I was in a good mood. The first combination was a success. Since I still had over 70 cores to spare, we might as well continue experimenting and making many things.

There were also many things I wanted to try.

>Clanganganagangg<

Sounds of metal scraping each other filled the room as I spilled all the viable weapons within my [Subspace]. Still, these weren't actually enough for what I had planned.

"Paul!" I called out, drawing his attention from the knife he was still admiring.

"Y-Yes?!" He responded, flustered by his action.

"You said you'd been making many weapons, right? Where are they?"

"Oh, they're placed all around, just in case I needed to fight from anywhere in the house… W-Why?" He asked

As expected from a cautious person. It was not a bad idea, though. This way, no matter the direction the Demon decided to come from, he would have weapons in store.

"That's only assuming he's able to use them, which he can't." I mused.

"Gather them all up!" I instructed.

"We're going to be making some crazy tools now… This will take a while"

With weapons like these, those Kobold Spawns would be nothing. I must say, I'm grateful to Paul… This changed everything!