“Alright, here we go,”
I returned from the battleground with the Hydra to my flower garden home.
Having grown considerably larger due to 〖Evolution〗, it felt a bit cramped, so I found a space and took a breather.
“(…I actually won, didn’t I…)”
Until just now, I was too caught up in the afterglow of victory and the excitement of 〖Evolution〗, but now the reality was finally sinking in.
I had defeated a 〖Feral Beast〗 and gained power comparable to them. That realization, that joy, was slowly spreading through me.
“(…Guess it’s about time to get started.)”
Having savored the joy enough, I moved on to my original purpose.
“(〖Escalating Warfare〗)”
I snapped off a nearby tree branch and activated the 〖Skill〗.
My ultimate goal was Hydra weapons, but I figured I’d start by getting used to the weapon crafting 〖Skills〗.
So, first, information analysis.
I went straight for 〖Arms Craftsman〗 earlier, but all I made was a bizarre object.
This time, I’ll prepare properly before diving in.
“(Okay, okay, I see, I see…)”
I read the information of the branch, searching for a suitable weapon type.
Considering the weight, sharpness, hardness, flexibility, and even special properties of each part, the overall answer was:
“(This branch isn’t really suited for a weapon in the first place.)”
Well, yeah. It’s a tree, after all.
If it were a bit thicker, it might have worked as a blunt weapon, but I broke off the end where no fruit grows, so that’s out of the question.
“(Still, I know what it’s best suited for.)”
So, I’ll make that.
“(〖Arms Craftsman〗, activate.)”
I poured 〖Mana〗 into the wood and began the transformation.
This was my second time doing this. I was progressing more smoothly than the first time.
Though, more than experience, it seemed to be because I had a clear image of the finished product and was 〖Concentrating〗 on the adjustments.
“(…Is this about right?)”
After a while, the tree branch was completed as a weapon.
All the unnecessary parts like knots and leaves were removed, leaving a perfectly straight short spear.
Well, the length was only a few dozen centimeters, and it was entirely made of wood from the tip to the butt, which was far from a normal short spear, but if I had to classify it, I guess it would be a short spear.
I adjusted it to be as hard and sharp as possible, and added an additional effect to improve its piercing power.
“(Alright, next I’ll try it inside the 〖Zone Control〗.)”
I decided and moved locations.
Right now, I can only narrow the 〖Zone Control〗 to a minimum of ten meters. If I turned the plants I’ve been nurturing into weapons, it would be a disaster.
“(This area should be good.)”
I walked for about a minute from the flower garden towards where the Forest Turtle lived and stopped at a place with a large rock.
I’ll try turning this into a weapon next.
“(〖Zone Control〗, add conditions.)”
I set ‘Master Craftsman’ and ‘Mass Production’—both effects that assist in weapon crafting—into the two empty slots of the 〖Zone Control〗.
With this, preparations were complete.
“(〖Territory〗, activate… Whew, the depletion is pretty fast.)”
〖Mana〗 is constantly consumed while 〖Territory〗 is active.
If I didn’t put anything in the slots, it was about one per second, but now it was consuming nearly three times that amount.
I’ve tried various other 〖Skills〗, so my 〖Mana〗 is quite low.
I brought some Mana Fruit, so I won’t run out of 〖Mana〗, but I can’t afford to be too careless.
“(Well, first, I’ll transform this rock.)”
The analysis is already complete.
All that’s left is to weaponize it.
“(〖Arms Craftsman〗)”
The 〖Mana〗 that had seeped deep into the rock began to reshape its existence from within.
The change was obvious to the eye, and the rock was taking on a rectangular shape with dull grinding sounds, which would look bizarre to most people.
Well, it took a bit more effort than the tree branch, but the rock weaponization was also complete.
This time, I made a club. The handle was thin, the rest was thick, and there were several protrusions from the middle to the tip, like a club an Oni would use.
The size, about five meters long, also added to the Oni’s club-like feel.
“(〖Weapon Storage〗)”
I stored it away and let the fruit I had on my body sink into my body.
Thorns had grown on it due to the 〖Zone Control〗, but there was no change in its efficacy, and as soon as I absorbed the fruit, my 〖Mana〗 began to recover rapidly.
This yellow tomato-like fruit had the rare property of restoring 〖Mana〗 when eaten.
Among humans, it’s called Mana Fruit and is traded at high prices.
Since Paula told me about its effects, I’ve offered it to her several times during her training, and it came in handy in an unexpected place.
“(I’ve gotten used to it to some extent, so it’s about time to go for the Hydra weapons.)”
Even if I fail, I can fix it to some extent with 〖Escalating Warfare〗.
There are a lot of them, so it’s time to go for broke.
I released the 〖Zone Control〗 and took out the weapons that used to be the Hydra.
Each head was about to become a separate weapon, and in front of me were two swords, a spear, a whip, and a hammer.
By the way, the whip also had the body from below the neck attached to it, which made its reach quite long.
“(〖Escalating Warfare〗)”
First, information gathering.
Even though they were still in the process of being made, they were high-level weapons, so the analysis was still in progress.
“(Amazing, if the 〖Beast Rank〗 is high, does it become such high-quality material?)”
I muttered, looking at the Hydra’s bones, which had more flexibility than wood and more solidity than stone.
The other parts also had outstanding performance, and as weapon materials, they were all top-notch.
The powerful weapons I’ve seen so far have always used 〖Dire Beast〗 materials, and now I understand why.
If there’s such excellent material, anyone would want to make weapons with it.
Well, in the case of the Hydra, if you mess up the processing method, it could become a cursed weapon that poisons its owner.
“(…Alright, I’ve decided on a general plan. I’ll start by completing the whip.)”
Having decided what kind of weapons to make from the Hydra, I stored the other weapons, reactivated 〖Territory〗, and poured 〖Mana〗 into the whip.
“(〖Arms Craftsman〗)”
The whip began to transform with a raw sound.
It was much harder to manipulate than the previous materials, but thanks to the 〖Zone Control〗, I could somehow move it.
The first thing I did was to drain the blood. I focused on draining only the moisture by having the toxicity absorbed by other parts.
Then, I packed the remaining meat around the bones, carefully smoothing it out to avoid unevenness.
Then, I tightly stretched the skin over it.
The skin was covered with hard, fine scales, which would leave lacerations on those who were struck.
But that alone would leave me worried about its attack power, so I lined up fangs at equal intervals on the whip part.
These fangs, which had been the medium for the 〖Hundred Poison Fangs〗, had a vicious toxicity, and could inject a variety of potent poisons even from a graze.
For the weight at the tip, I used a large fang made by combining about four fangs.
The tip of the whip is where the most power is generated, so it would inflict great damage on anyone who was hit by it.
And finally, I attached the handle.
I repurposed the iron club that the Hobgoblins had been using.
“(For special effects, I’ll add Hundred Poison, and two more… Enhanced resilience and enhanced toxicity seem good.)”
With this, the first Hydra weapon, the Poison Whip, was complete.
It was a weapon that made the most of the material’s flavor… or rather, it was a weapon that was exactly like the material.
As far as I could see with 〖Escalating Warfare〗, the joints of each part were well done, and there were no concerns about its strength.
I could say this was a success.
“(Alright, next weapon!)”
And so, I continued to push forward with my mad weapon crafting.