Crafting Gear From Monster Genes

Another night passed at Crooked Horn, but this time, it was a completely different town.

News of what happened reached all the residents, and they had no choice but to accept the new state of affairs.

No one was going to seek revenge for Leora or Hargod. They kept people in fear rather than winning their hearts.

However, Garius would have to work hard to win the people’s trust. He was ready for this as the new leader.

Step. Step. Step.

Heavy footsteps sounded from the side as a man with a thick beard and a mug of beer in his hand came around the corner.

"Leaving already?"

Kreyn turned around, locking eyes with Gukard.

"Glad to see you, old man."

He took a sip and shrugged.

"Yeah, me too. Maybe I should voice my opinion about what you did, just like the others. But, you know what? I don’t give a fuck. You did what you thought was right. The mines are still running, so I’m happy."

Kreyn smiled sincerely.

"Glad to hear it. Now that all the mines are open, you’ve got a lot of work on your hands, don’t you?"

"Hahaha! Yeah, but that’s a good thing. If I don’t work, I’ll drink myself to death in no time. Life here isn’t easy."

"I can’t argue with you there."

Tap. Tap.

Groza checked her bag as she looked at Kreyn.

"Are you ready?"

In response, he slung his bag onto his back and nodded.

"Sure. Do we really need this much stuff? I’d be fine with just clothes, water, and some dry food for a couple of days."

Groza frowned. "I’m actually worried about both of us! We’re heading into the wasteland. There’s no such thing as unnecessary stuff."

"Hahaha! Women!" Gukard laughed, taking another swig.

Kreyn just shrugged.

They were actually well-prepared.

They’d thrown away their old military uniforms and kept only their Badges. Garius gave them an outfit tailored from the hide of a rare beast. It consisted of a long jacket with a high collar and loose-fitting pants. The outfit was gray, with red threads running along the edges of the jacket and down the sides of the pants. The set also included gloves and heavy black boots.

They were given plenty of food and water, maps, anomaly activity radars, and other gear that Kreyn immediately tossed into Groza’s bag. Also, each of them had a deck of 10 chips, each worth 1,000 credits. Even for Crooked Horn, 20,000 node credits was a significant amount, so Garius clearly wasn’t holding back.

He offered them a couple of guns, but the two Hunters had no use for them.

Kreyn turned around. The sun hadn’t even risen yet. Only the night sky was growing lighter near the horizon.

It was the best time to head out into the wasteland.

"Alright, good luck, Gukard. I hope that the next time we see each other, this place will be beyond recognition." Kreyn waved his hand in farewell as the guards opened the gates for them.

"Hahahahaha!"

Gukard laughed heartily.

"I hope everything goes well for you and you don’t have to come back to this dump. Good luck!"

Then, he turned and headed toward the mines. The workday was about to begin, and he was already drunk.

Before the gates had a chance to close, Kreyn turned and took one last look at Crooked Horn.

Even if only for a short time, this place became part of his journey. He learned and discovered a lot here, but it was time to move on.

"Let’s go, Kreyn." Groza nodded. "It’s time to go home."

He turned around as a slight smile spread across his face.

"Sure. Let’s do it."

...

Their path lay through the southern passage. It wasn’t the one that brought them to Crooked Horn, but it was the closest to the wastelands, and there was another reason for that.

Click.

Groza pulled out the remote as the line pulsed. The 3D holographic map opened before them with pre-marked points.

"Garius said our best chance of running into a merchant is to head to Deadbloom Lake. It’s not far."

Kreyn raised an eyebrow. "Deadbloom Lake? Doesn’t sound very safe. I’d even say it’s downright dangerous."

"Relax. While you were filling your stomach, I was putting together a plan. It’s the best place for us. Unlike other lakes or rivers, ordinary monsters have no business there. The water’s poisoned, so they can’t drink it, which means there’s no reason for them to go there."

Kreyn narrowed his eyes. He already had a feeling it couldn’t be that simple.

"What’s the catch?"

"There isn’t one. We have water, so we won’t have any problems with that. Well... yeah, there’s a chance we’ll run into a monster interested in the lake’s flowers. But it’s a small chance."

"I see. And how long will we have to wait? When might the merchant show up there?"

She waved her hand.

"Between six and twelve hours. Maybe sooner if we’re lucky. By the way, the merchant might pass right by this lake because he thinks it’s safe."

"Or maybe he has good guards who are stronger than both of us, so he’s not afraid of anything. How about that?" Kreyn grumbled.

Groza frowned.

"Tsk. Do you have to be such a pessimist? It all turned out fine, after all!"

Flick.

Without warning, he flicked her forehead, making her eyes go wide.

"Ouch!"

She clutched her forehead.

"What was that for?!"

"Wake up. We’re not at Crooked Horn anymore. Just because we won there doesn’t mean anything yet. I don’t know about you, but on my first mission, I almost died twice. So, it’s better to stay on guard."

Groza lowered her gaze.

"Yeah... I guess you’re right. Sorry, I just want to go home. Our mission has dragged on."

"Sure."

So, they set off straight for Deadbloom Lake.

They followed the paths the map laid out for them, taking into account the terrain and even areas like quicksand or loose soil.

On this side of the stone plateau, the terrain was mostly rocky and desolate - no trees or grass, just steep slopes and sandy, dry soil.

Kalysa hadn’t lied. There really weren’t many monsters at dawn.

The reason was that the night monsters were already asleep, and the daytime monsters hadn’t gone out hunting yet. There was a similar "quiet hour" late in the evening, but it was better to run into daytime monsters that had just woken up than to face the hungry, bloodthirsty nighttime ones.

’Come to think of it, Arstar must have left town sometime in the evening, right? For some reason, when I think of him, I do not doubt that the bastard is alive. I wonder where he went?’

Step by step, they reached their destination, where in the distance they could see a gray shore of jagged rock and purple water that didn’t look safe at all.

This was the beginning of Deadbloom Lake and the spot where they planned to set up camp and wait.

"Alright, I’ll put up the tent. Can you start a fire?"

"No."

"Huh?"

Kreyn shrugged.

"I don’t know how, and why do we need a fire—it’s morning, isn’t it?"

"It’s standard, and it keeps us warm, damn it!"

She was about to say something else when she noticed that Kreyn was looking off to the side.

Groza spun around abruptly as her face turned as pale as a sheet of paper.

The massive spider-like creature was approaching them from afar. Because of the sunlight, only its dark silhouette was visible.

She immediately braced for battle, but Kreyn stopped her by touching her shoulder.

"Relax. We won’t have to fight."

For some reason, there was a smile on his face.

They were in luck today.

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