Chapter 18: Chains
Louise woke up together with the sun.
Her eyelids trembled gently, slowly revealing her sleepy and mesmerizing blue eyes. She rolled onto her back, her fire tails twisting slightly, and her hand landed on the spot next to her. In a normal scenario, Louise would have hit her master and woken him up.
However, she'd hit the empty spot, frightening herself.
"Master?" Louise whispered, looking to the side and naturally finding no one. Knowing that without her master, she wasn't ready to be alone in the world, Louise became scared and flustered.
She wasn't the only one needing someone else — Leon was the same. Didn't he say he doesn't like being alone and wants to adventure with her? Together with Louise, Leon would adventure and find her crystal memories. Moreover, Louise was ready to support Leon's Monster Collector path, striving to be a chef.
Louise didn't know whether their paths would be the same for a lifetime, for that would mean pretty boiling and an exciting topic she didn't want to think about for now. Instead of thinking pointlessly, Louise decided to act really fast.
"Ah."
But after jumping out of bed to find her master, Louise suddenly heard the shower from their bathroom, her heart slowly calming down, and strength leaving her body. She dropped onto the bed, sprawled, then her master's smell assailed her little nose.
Twitching uncontrollably and sucking Leon's smell as though it was medicine to utterly appease Louise's chaotic heart, Louise extended her hand for Leon's pillow, burying her face within his scent.
She tightly hugged the pillow, recalling how she'd done the same to Leon yesterday while telling him about her problems, which made her only embrace the pillow tighter, her fox tails waggling rapidly around her curves.
Fortunately for her, Louise's fox ears detected her master leaving the bathroom, allowing her to quickly throw away the pillow and act like nothing had happened.
"Morning. I'll order something for us while you take your time in the bathroom. Then, we'll do some light warm-up and training, alright?" Leon didn't waste his time and closely stuck to his schedule.
Louise nodded and swore to do her best today.
She had more energy than yesterday already, heralding another day of chaos in the kitchen.
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[A week later.]
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Leon and Bou, the master blacksmith from the village, were alone in the smithy. Everyone else went home, for it was past their working hours, and the night was about to start. Of course, it was always dark in the smithy, so young blacksmiths sighed at the lack of stars above them, looking forward to their holidays.
Returning to Leon and Bou, these two were in the process of doing something unique.
Leon held a hammer, striking down the metal pieces, while the older man did the tasks of striker, primarily tending to billows and passing other resources. Leon's blacksmith master deeply scrutinized his movements, enhancing his knowledge.
Moreover, Leon had an odd blueprint about some chains, which easily outlined mana passages.
"Looks like we're done." Leon glanced at his chains, feeling their mana passages with his keen eyes, then took them into his hands, sensing an indescribable connection with them.
Unaware of Leon's talent and class, Bou commented in a friendly tone, "I've never seen such a blueprint, Leon. If I am correct, it should be impossible to even imbue a drop of mana into those chains."
Mana passage is a concept that allows even normal metal to carry some mana and enables a user to use techniques through items. Depending on the ore, Blacksmiths either draw many of those passages or none — it's all about the quality of resources at hand.
Leon used a cheap and common ore to complete his quest.
"It'll work." Leon completed his quest, received the reward, and saw through his chain's system information. Because he owned the blueprint and knew what those chains were for and who could use them, Leon's eyes flashed legit and full information about them.
In Bou's mind, those chains were Leon's attempt to create something his own, and he'd failed. He didn't voice it aloud because Leon's talent helped Bou improve, too, and his work became of higher quality in just a week, to say nothing of his speed in mending broken tools of the villagers.
Leon didn't bother correcting the man.
When Bou went to change clothes, Leon stared intensely at the chains.
[Monster Collector's Four-Legged Monsters Fire Chains(Common)(Durability: 100/100) - Those chains can carry fire mana and skills to punish enslaved monsters. In combination with a collar of the same quality, the user can enslave common four-legged monsters ranging from level one to forty.]
With those chains, Leon could create a link with monsters of higher levels to ensure their consciousness and bodies stayed intact. For instance, if Leon had the chains and collars to enslave skeletons, he'd be able to keep their consciousness and learn more about their group.
But because he just used his skills without sufficient level and items, Leon managed to turn them into his cards with clear flaws. Additionally, it was only possible because those were skeletons. If he were to try the same method against monsters with higher levels and proper bodies, Leon's cards would have even more mistakes.
It'd be weird for him to get a monster without a head. That monster would be only available as food, wouldn't it be?
Leon got a different idea for those chains, however.
He wrapped them around his right arm. They were lengthy, for some of the chains hung out from Leon's wrist, reaching his calf.
"Nine Flame Spirits Art," Leon whispered the command, his system helping him with his skill.
After summoning nine empty fire spirits, Leon ordered them to enter the chains. Because everything was connected to his class, the process was smooth but not without another problem. First, the chains evolved; it was a success indeed.
[Your chains' grade has become unique.]
[New stats have been updated.]
[Monster Collector's Four-Legged Monsters Fire Chains(Unique(Durability: 99:100) Att: 340 ~~ 369]
[Passive effect: Scarlet Fox Ignition - burns upon contact for five seconds, taking down 5% of maximum HP]
Secondly, the chains could ignite monsters and Leon's enemies far easier than if he were to use them without any material, which was a great concept to explore. Leon didn't know whether the damage was high or not, but he was already excited about new concepts to explore.
[Your chains' durability has fallen by one.]
It was the new flaw.
Leon believed it was an understandable flaw since not every metal could endure the fox flames, let alone common stuff from a low-level village. That flaw didn't diminish his excitement!
"And I have even better chains, right?" Leon glanced into his inventory, deeply gazing into the crimson chains that had been used to enslave Louise.
Those legendary chains were the real weapon in his hands.
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