Chapter 118:

Vol. 8 Chapter 2 Fittings for the Equips Part 1

Hour Empty Child


It was around 9:00 am when the sparring session ended. The party members took a quick shower within the baths—separately, of course—and headed out of the mansion to get back into the Alpha Heart guild, mainly heading towards the Crafting Garage.

On the way there, they had a conversation about the type of equipment Kudo and Tsuchi would make for themselves. It was then that Kudo got curious and asked for Tsuchi and Mizuri’s crafting levels. Tsuchi’s Leathering skill was level 56, while Mizuri’s Alchemy skill was level 43.

After seeing how surprised Kudo was to hear how close they were in level, the party made it to the Alpha Heart guild, opening the doors and meeting up with the party members.

“E-Plus!” Every member of the guild shouted simultaneously. Kudo and everyone else responded back as they normally did.

“Yo!” Kudo waved his hand, showing a bright smile.

After meeting up with several members, including Jien and Adonis, they headed towards the Crafting Garage. The reason for their visit is to make some new armor for the new members. For Hinota and Kudo, they didn’t need new equipment.

“Kudo, the equipment you’re wearing looks pretty good. You made them?” Hinota asked, once the topic of making equipment came to mind. The thought about his armor was in her mind the moment she first laid eyes on them, and so she finally asked.

“Ah… Y-Yeah…” Kudo slowly answered. Hinota raised her right brow from hearing that.

Kudo remained quiet about the reasoning behind the armor as they headed towards the garage. Once the doors opened, the sounds of metal clashing and concoctions brewing resounded in the air. The burning scent of food and the shrill sounds of a woodcutter hanged alongside them.

“Hey Hinota, the ring,” Kudo pointed at the ring on her right index finger as they head inside the garage. “Does it fit well?”

“Sure does—fits like a glove,” Hinota chirped.

“Of course he would know about Hinota’s finger size instinctively…” Kuki teased slightly, his hand over his mouth to hide his snickering.

From that, everyone had a short moment of puffing air out of their mouths before nonchalantly pretending to go about their business. Sweat trailed down the leaders’ heads as they couldn’t avoid this kind of statement.

“W-Well, that’s good…” Kudo swept aside the statement and continued. “Then, I’ll make some accessories for everyone else.”

“Then, I’ll go make some inner clothing for us to wear with some nice stats,” Tsuchi offered while pointing at himself with his thumb.

“That’s great, Tsuchi! It’ll be good for cold weather,” Kudo said with an excited grin after thinking about raising stats for their innerwear.

It was then that the party separated once again for their own work like before, only this time Hinota was with Kudo for the accessories as she needed to enchant them. Raika, Kuki, and Mizuri were with Tsuchi for their innerwear specifications.

Back at the blacksmithing section, the two leaders found out that the people here made a section exclusively for Kudo, and it was obvious that it had Hikari’s touch all over it.

The section had a tapestry of the Alpha Heart guild mark at the wall. The table was as glamorous as the table in the dining room of their mansion only a few sizes smaller. It was made out of furbished gray marble with everything a crafter needed, such as tools, blueprints, as well as several boxes on the shelves behind the table for material sorting.

More than that, it was right next to Par’s section, being as the top leader of the blacksmithing committee in the Crafting Garage.

Kudo saw all this as if it was sparkling like a divine treasure for crafters, a bead of sweat trailing down his head.

“Of course, Mom had to go all out on this as well…”

“That’s just how much she loves you,” Hinota smiled wryly.

Kudo figured that he would just accept this generous donation which he had no choice either way. His first item on the list is making rings for everyone else, suited to their needs.

Kuki and Raika needed something that made them more agile. Mizuri wanted an item that restores her mana for her healing skills. Finally, Tsuchi asked for an item that provides a boost in his defenses. Even though the same defense would be penetrated by defense-cutting skills like Kuki’s Air Bullet, such a skill is rare enough as it is so he won’t have any problems in the future.

Kudo spotted something on his marvelous table that resembled that of a Portable Furnace. The Furnace was decked out and sleek like many of Hikari’s Ames, styled with a look that resembled that of a spiky cuirass armor. The stylish main base black color meshed well with the silver colored barred door and handle, and at the top of the handle had a soft grip that would be easy on Kudo’s hand.

Kudo’s eyes looked dead after seeing such a monstrously expensive item on the table, looking at Hinota who smiled wryly once again before letting out another sigh.

“Guess it’s time to replace the furnace…”

Par explained to him before that the furnace he had, compared to Roprase’s furnaces, was close to obsolete. She was surprised to hear that Kudo could make Ancient-grade equipment from such an old-fashioned furnace.

The current furnace he had on the table had enough features that would make a blacksmith’s jaw drop on the floor, and the processing speed was even faster than what he used yesterday, so Kudo was lucky to get such an item.

However, he brought his old furnace out of his Magic Bag inventory, and placed it on the shelf behind him in an easy-to-look-at spot. Seeing the dirty looking, well-used furnace in front of him, a smile spread across his lips as he recalled the many memories spent on this furnace, making incredible items alongside Hinota who stood beside him. Hinota smiled to herself as well after seeing Kudo’s ecstatic face.

“You’re gonna put it here as a keepsake?” Hinota asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah,” Kudo answered. “Can’t just throw it away.”

“Figures that you would do that,” Hinota chuckled as Kudo rubbed the back of his head.

He turned around and looked at the shiny new furnace in front of him. He cracked his knuckles as a look of a craftsman showed on his face, a fierce smile and a glint in his eyes.

“Then, let’s make some items!”

Sounds of metal clashing and grinding came to pass, about 2 hours flew by in a flash for Kudo as he managed to finish making the items.

However, despite that he made them the best he could, each item could only match up to Ancient, his usual grade before he created Hinota’s ring.

“I don’t get it,” Kudo said, scratching his head. “I put in as much effort, but it doesn’t come out right…”

“Mmh…” Hinota, who watched Kudo work as long as he started, hummed as she analyzed. “Maybe it comes down to luck? Dragon is a high rarity, you know.”

“Yeah… That’s probably what’s going on.”

Kudo rubbed the back of his head, disappointed to hear that he cannot make such legendary items every time. Like swallowing a bitter pill, Kudo took it as a sign to keep working as honestly as he always did.

“For now, I should just keep working on other accessories… what should I make this time?”  
Kudo rubbed his chin as he looked up with a crease in his brows to think on some new items.

“How about some earrings?” Hinota offered. “It’s easy to make.”

“Yeah, I suppose. Though, pendants are also good…” Kudo crossed his arms as his thought process developed further. “I wonder what I should make first?”

“Well, you figure it out on your own,” Hinota walked over to the side of the bench where the four rings, the equipment Kudo made, were at. “I’ll get to work on enchanting these rings.”

“Yeah, please do.”

Kudo smiled as he got back into his pensive state. During his intense thinking, he noticed at the corner of his eyes several people walking towards him, turning out to be his party members.

“Yo!” Kuki waved. “We’re back!”

“Oh, you’re done?” Kudo walked around his table to face the four, but then notices the awed look in their eyes.

“Y-You got such a fancy place here, Kudo…” Kuki spoke in wonder after seeing the differences between Kudo’s table and pretty much everyone else’s.

“Ah, I prefer that you don’t stare at it too much…” Kudo pointed out as he blushes, wanting to hide himself from being associated with such an outlandish display of his section.

“So, Kudo, you made the equipment?” Tsuchi chimed in as he looked over to where Hinota was, seeing the items she was enchanting.

“Yeah, made a ring for each of you.”

“Ooh, nice! Let me see!” Kuki instantly walked over to the table to view the rings full of vigor.

“So, did you make some innerwear for everyone?” Kudo asked Tsuchi, leaving him to raise two fingers to form a ‘V’ sign.

“Yep! Got some for you too! Here,” Tsuchi opens up his inventory screen and plunged his hand into the blue light. He took out some clothing folded into perfect squares as he hands two sets of clothes to Kudo.

They were colored black, but when Kudo touched them, he felt the incredibly surprising softness as if it was made out of cotton.

“Whoa, this feels so nice…” Kudo said as he checked the appraisal to check out the innerwear’s stats.
———————————————————————————————————————
Name: Kudo’s Inner Shirt
Unique

Created by a passionate tailor. The innerwear was made with incredibly soft Coldray Sheep Cotton, allowing easier movement during rough times and provides cooling during hot weather and warmth during cold weather. The traits grant the wearer extra protection under dire stress.

Defense: 102, M. Defense: 56, Durability: 200/200
Requirements: [Lv-150]

【Traits】
{High-Mid Wall}— Increase Total Defense +30%
———————————————————————————————————————

“And the stats are awesome!”

“Hehe, impressed? That’s the Eartherin technique for you! It never disappoints!”

“I can see that!”

Kudo smiled as he unfolded one set to reveal a shirt that looked like it would fit him well even if he didn’t wore it yet, a small sparkle in his eyes to see his own stats improving.

“Whoa! These rings are no joke, either! They’re all Ancient grade!”

Kuki suddenly said with a surprised reaction, making everyone else share a common ‘Huh?!’ before turning to the rings to spot them out.

“Hold on guys, I’m still in the process of looking over what materials to use,” Hinota said as she held out a hand in front of the four party members while she had her own inventory screen in front of her.

“Oh, what are you going to put in?” Raika added in.

“Mmh… There are enchantments that seem really good, but I don’t have the materials for it…”  
Hinota turned off her screen as she crossed her arms with a sharp look on her face.

“Then, why don’t we ask Par and Fitty for them?” Kudo offered which turned Hinota’s head.

“Will they give us the materials?”

“If we pay for them. Mom did say that we can rely on them if we needed any materials for crafting. Says that they got everything that they got their hands on.”

Having pointed that out, the party decided to look for the two throughout the Crafting Garage. 
After a while of walking around, feeling the intensity of the entire garage and all their passionate crafters working so hard, they eventually found them at the Enchanting side.

Kudo and the others walked into what is supposedly Fitty’s section which made them react by dropping their jaws.

The section was clean as if it was never used. Every blueprint and markers for enchanting on the walls were eloquently placed in a proper order. The desk was clean of any materials other than the current materials used for enchanting, and the shelves looked orderly and well-put.

Behind the very clean table were the two crafters having a discussion.

“I’m telling you, it’s the truth!” Par shouted with a crease in her brow.

“There’s no way that can be true,” Fitty rebutted. “That’s not even possible!”

The two seemed to be having a heated discussion, but the party were too stunned by the impressively clean section.

“Everything here looks so clean…” Raika spoke in awe.

“Compared to Par, it’s like heaven and hell,” Kuki plainly stated.

“Hinota, didn’t you see this?” Kudo asked in surprise after remembering that Hinota asked for advice from Fitty yesterday.

“We were on this side, but not his. This is also my first time seeing this…” Hinota said as she also let out an awed tone, though her glaring eyes still showed the same expression.

“Mmh? Oh, it’s you all!” Par noticed the group walking in which made Fitty turn his head.
.
“Ah, yeah, it’s about—”

“Master Jr.! Show Fitty the ring you made for Hinota!”

Before Kudo could get a word in, Par jumped over the table which made Fitty react wide-eyed. She walked over to Kudo, her eyes sparkling as if waiting for something spectacular.

“H-Huh?” Kudo stuttered.

“He wouldn’t believe me when I said that you made a Dragon-grade ring. He said I was just seeing things!”

“That’s cuz’ it’s impossible to begin with! No way a newbie chick like him could make a ring like that!” Fitty gave out his complaint with a grunt.

“But Master Fitty, it is true. Look!”

Hinota stepped in to repeal her master’s words and lifted her hand to show off her ring.  
Showing a crease in his brows, Fitty looked closer to the shimmering band around her finger, the shine on it catching his eye.

“…Appraisal,” Fitty reluctantly said. The screen popped up in front of him.

Reading the screen intently, his eyes widened.

“Impossible!” Fitty flinched. “Y-You were right?!”

“See? I told you! Damn kitty cat, always suspectin’ people!”

Par’s arm grabbed hold of Fitty’s neck, using her knuckles to rub intently on Fitty’s scalp hard enough to make him grind his teeth.

“Gah! You gorilla woman! You’re scraping my brains out!”

“It’s your punishment!”

Fitty struggled to release himself from her death grip and her voluptuous breasts crushing his very head. Hinota had a look of pride on her face as she returned her hand to herself and turned to Kudo.

“Guess that ring really is rare…” Kudo recalled their conversation and admitted his defeat.

“Told you,” Hinota grinned.

“Yo! My beautiful crafters!”

The voice rang out like a bellowing drunken man, but it was actually the hearty guild master waving her arm towards them. Hikari met up with the young children, seeing the display of her top crafters somehow in a huddle struggling with themselves.

“Am I missing anything?” Hikari asked for this peculiarity.

“Par and Fitty are having it out over Kudo’s ring,” Kuki answered.

“What did he make?”

As if acting on cue, Hinota lifted her hand, showing the marvelous ring to Hikari. One short wording of ‘Appraisal’ later.

“Oh, my! Such a beauty! You made this, Kudo?” Hikari’s smile glistened from the short screen in front of her, turning her proud sight onto Kudo.

“Y-Yeah…” Kudo’s face grew hot from receiving praise from his famous mother.

“Well, don’t look so embarrassed! This is incredible! Rather, this is just what I expected from you, Kudo.”

Hikari returned to her high standing posture, arms crossed with a grin that was as smug as if she created the ring herself.

“Kudo even made some accessories that are Ancient grade! He always makes good equipment!”

Raika chirped as if to relay the truth, only leading Kudo to blush deeper.

“Well! That makes me rather curious,” Hikari’s tone changed, turning her sight to Kudo. “It’s all well and good that you’re raising your Crafting Skill, but I hope that you’re not lacking in training your own body. If you plan on becoming stronger, having just good equipment is not enough.”

“O-Of course I’m training myself!” Kudo somehow took it as an offense. He said back to prove that she was wrong.

“Really…” Hikari slowly uttered, a smile creeping along her fine lips. “Then, you don’t mind showing me that strength, then?”

“W-What do you mean…?”

The way Hikari was proposing to Kudo suddenly made his hair stand on end, his skin feeling the cold chill emanating from her aura.

“Kudo, show me what you can do in a match,” Hikari answered. The group was left slack-jawed.

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Asking such a thing, is Hikari serious on this? Will Kudo even make it out alive? Well, he is her son, so he might… maybe…
I hope everyone is enjoying Chapter 2 so far. Remember to press that heart button if you like it and comment on what you think need some improvement. I always respond to any comment, so don’t hesitate and ask away!