Making the bonfire was more trouble than expected. It took ages to gather enough wood and set it up in the right way so it would burn. As if that wasn’t enough of an issue, the ice wood, as I was calling it, took a long time to ignite. Even if there was no actual ice in the fiber, the cold SP made it take forever to heat up.
According to the System, those specific particles might be more receptive to ‘cold fire,’ but even it couldn’t explain what it was talking about. Still, it was warm enough, and the reddish-orange glow gave the entire room a purple shade. One that was somewhat soothing and a great help to sleep.
Even then, we took shifts. Astrid went first, since she was wounded and needed the rest more than I did. I told her to have her System continuously use {Body Regeneration} since it could still do that even while she slept.
She nodded, leaving me alone with the bonfire, the wood, and the ice. Not to mention the giant polar bear who controlled ice outside. But I did my best not to focus on it that much. Letting my thoughts go to a giant monster that might be able to kill me without batting an eye would only increase my anxiety, and I would need some rest after Astrid woke up.
Trying to sleep while freaking out never worked. Instead, I shifted my focus. There were a few large pieces of wood nearby, all of them big enough to replace my staff. However, there was one problem. None of them had any special attributes like the Frosted Axe. And I couldn’t understand why.
According to the System, if an object stayed long enough inside a dungeon, or in a place filled with SP, it would be affected by the environment. And that was happening in this case. There was something strange that made the wood colder to the touch, almost as if it emanated frost by itself. It wasn’t as if the wood was frozen; there was no water or any actual ice around the logs.
‘Sys, do you have any idea why this is just a log? It’s not giving me any extra information or some sort of skill or something.’
[System is unable to explain the reason why the object is unable to show any special attributes despite the clear presence of SP inside it.]
‘Do you have any theories?’
[There is not enough data for System to create a theory about this situation. More experiments or more information is required.]
I frowned, looking at the log. It was just that—a piece of wood, not even used to Continue reading more chapters on NovelHub for the best experience. Maybe if I wanted to bring out its attributes, I had to give it a purpose. After all, SP reacted to that kind of thing, at least with animals. And the System was anything, if not consistent.
‘Sys, I’m going to try something here. Let me know if you can see anything.’
Getting a silent acknowledgment, I started thinking about all the staff like weapons I’d seen in games, movies, and books. At least I had the Frosted Axe to help whittle the wood. First, I had to make it smaller, cutting just the edges to make them symmetrical. My idea was to keep it as big as possible and later use {Compression} to make it sturdier.
Thankfully, the System was able to help me measure it. But that didn’t help when it came time to actually cut it. The wood was hardy, and it took a lot of effort to cut it with the axe, even with my increased attributes. Next came rounding it out. From what I could remember, staffs were either a cylinder or a rounded rectangle when seen from above.
Actually, they were a mix. The really round parts were usually where you gripped it.
‘Sys, I have an idea in mind. Can you help me?’
[What does user require?]
‘I have a picture in my mind for the staff. Can you just put it on top of the one here so I can carve it?’
[System is able to do that. However, System is unable to access user’s internal thoughts to see the picture user has in mind. User can describe the idea; any supplementary information can be inferred from data already given to the system about user’s past memories.]
‘Okay then. My idea is to make it thinner, like a rounded rectangle when viewed from above, with three sections and two grip areas. I’m thinking of adding a pattern around the grips, something I can improve later and wrap with leather to make it more comfortable.’
As I spoke, an image appeared around the log, slowly shifting to match my description. There were even a couple of additions I hadn’t considered, like two pairs of protrusions near the tips that would allow me to scratch or pull an opponent closer. The only problem the hologram had for now was its width.
‘Can you make it thicker here?’ I asked, pointing to the profile of the weapon. If it was going to be a blunt instrument, it couldn’t be too flimsy. Aside from that, I also added more grooves around the grip, making a diamond-shaped pattern with rounded edges to prevent splinters.
With the entire design seemingly in place, I started working. Removing the necessary wood was easy. Even the protrusions on the edges, which looked like spikes, ended up being simple enough to make. The first problem came when rounding out the grip areas.
For one, blending it smoothly with the rest of the staff didn’t work, and instead, there was a harsh drop between sections. The diamond pattern also proved to be a waste—I couldn’t get the shape right with this massive axe. Trying to make simpler lines or a spiral didn’t work either, as splinters kept forming. In the end, the wood was thinner than I’d like on one side, throwing off the balance entirely.
Still, when I finally finished the staff, the System was able to identify something different from the weapon.
Cold Staff - Rank 1 (Fledgling)
The cold environment changed the wood used to create this weapon. Thanks to it, the staff is always cold to the touch and is sturdier than expected.
The wood used to create this weapon was frozen through the course of several decades. Its presence near such a deep freeze enhanced the material, making it harder than normal.
Created by Cassandra Ydorf.
‘Sys, does this mean it’s a passive that does not require Energy to upkeep?’
[That is correct. Skill present in the wood is simply the instruction present on the material to maintain its sturdiness.]
‘Soo… all this work was for nothing? Since it’s the same effect the wood already had?’
[Incorrect. While the ice wood had a similar effect, it did not possess a proper instruction for its use. As such, the staff created by user has an enhanced version of said effect.]
‘I see… and how about the thing saying I created it? Would anyone be able to see it?’
[Since user was the one who created the weapon, user can decide whether the item has user’s signature or not.]
‘Leave it for now. But can I remove it later?’
[User is unable to remove signature in the future. However, once user creates a new item, user can decide whether the new item has user’s signature or not.]
‘Signature… so could I have it say “Created by Cassandra, the first human user?”‘
‘What about using a different name? Like Astrid, or Pops?’
[Although it is possible to utilize a pseudonym for the signature when certain conditions are met, user is not allowed to lie in the signature. If user wishes to lie, a specific skill related to fraud would be required.]
‘A skill related to fraud?’ I chuckled. There really was a skill for everything.
After all that work, I was tired, and thankfully, it did not take long for Astrid to wake up. Once I made sure she was feeling better and could handle her own shift on watch, I laid down on top of my coat by the fire and went to sleep. Astrid was a bit curious about the staff I had just made, and I let her check it out. After all, she did the same with the Frosted Axe.
To me, it felt as if as soon as I closed my eyes, I opened them again with hours having gone by. But at least I was well-rested. Astrid was on her feet in the middle of the room, a bit farther away from the fire. She was waving the Frosted Axe around, testing the weight of the weapon.
“Are you sure you should be doing that?” Slowly getting to my feet, I tried to get up. It was too cold here, and if I turned around, it would be too easy to fall asleep again.
“I’m fine,” Astrid replied. She walked over to me and tapped me on the shoulder.
[User Astrid would like to share her status screen. Would user like to accept?]
A frown crossed my face. Why was she doing that?
Titles: Frosted Metabolism
Memory - 4 Energy - 3 (1 reserved)
Energy Storage - 1 Energy
Quick Tier 1 Evolution
Body Regeneration - 1 Energy/10 minutes.
Chop - 1 Energy/3 uses
Mind of Possibility - Unavailable
“Oh damn, you got to level 6 already? Did you drink all the Eater’s blood?” I turned to Astrid.
“No. Left some.” She gave me the waterskin back. There was a good third left inside.
“And how is the Energy Storage?”
“You have five or need five to fill it up?”
I nodded while starting my stretches. If we were fighting today, the last thing I needed was to pull a muscle. “That’s good. I would say to have the System add more to the storage, but since we are going out to fight, maybe it’s better to focus on the level. You are getting close to Tier 1 already.”
Astrid nodded with a satisfied smile. “Yeah.”
“And how are you feeling?”
I finished my arm stretches and was now going for the legs. Astrid started doing the same, likely to cool off after her exercise. This was another issue we would have soon. If we were not able to get out of here, our sweat would be a problem. The smell would get stronger, and that could show the bears to our location.
“That’s good. Think you can handle some fighting today? Not the Ice Devil. We still need you to get used to your new powers. And ideally, leave the mines. We can come back later and go after it.”
Astrid paused, thinking for a moment before nodding. She then gestured for me to wait and pulled some jerky from her own pouch. “Eat first.”
“Thank you. How about you?” I took the meat. It was a bit different than I was expecting. Likely from a different animal that lived in areas .
Once we made sure we were both ready, I took the little bit of oil that was still left in the lamp and put it in my pouch while still inside a piece of metal. Maybe it would be enough to start another fire. If not… then I don’t know. The bears might have thick enough fur to make us survive through the night.
I slowly moved over to the boulder blocking the door, my new weapon already in hand and Astrid just behind me. We waited, trying to hear anything from outside, but got nothing. Once we felt confident the coast was clear, I triggered {Compression} to open the door, and we peeked outside. On one side, there was nothing. Only the long tunnel heading deeper into the mines. On the other, the Ice Devil was in full view, its ice-covered body, the fangs coming out of its nose, and the massive claws of black ice underneath its massive head as the creature slept.
For a moment, I was worried Astrid was about to rush out and attack the creature. Honestly, I could not even blame her. If someone did that to Pops, I would be thirsty for revenge. Yet, she just stared the monster down for a few moments before gesturing for us to head to the opposite end of the tunnel. Despite all the rage clearly bubbling under the surface, she was still aware of her strength, and of the fact that the creature was stronger.
But that was okay. We would leave, level up, and come back with a vengeance.