Crafting Gear From Monster Genes

Kreyn stood alone on the runway as powerful gusts of wind sweeping along the walls rushed past him, fluttering his clothes.

Soldiers in the distance cast curious glances his way, but no one dared to approach, since he was now a matter for the government and higher authorities.

Step. Step. Step.

With powerful strides, a middle-aged man with a broad chest, a sharp beard, and green eyes full of excitement led the way. To his left was a girl with light hair and intelligent blue eyes, and to his right, an unremarkable-looking guy with large glasses.

"Hey, is that you, Kreyn?" The man waved his hand in greeting.

"And are you the one Prima was talking about?"

The man touched his beard.

"Oh, so she’s already warned you, good. Then you know why we’re here. My name is Grad, but if we become friends, you can call me Old Grad."

He pointed at the girl.

"This is Ophelia, our analyst, and she’s way too smart to have any fun in my company. Hahahahaha!" Grad laughed heartily.

Ophelia sighed heavily as her eyes fixed on Kreyn.

"I’ve heard about what happened to you. It’s a miracle that you’re still alive."

Kreyn smiled. "Yeah, I guess you’re right."

He didn’t argue, but in his mind, he was already part of Grad’s team.

"The last member of our team is Artis." Grad pointed to a brown-haired guy with glasses.

"Nice to meet you!" Artis said energetically, somewhat awkwardly.

Grad smirked. "He’s our engineer, well, not exactly, but you’ll understand everything soon."

"And? Where are we headed now?"

"Straight to the research facility!"

...

In many ways, the Hunter Hub, the military, and the government were intertwined, functioning as a single mechanism, and research facilities were one such example. They were usually located near the city walls, and there were reasons for that.

Crack!

The door opened as Grad walked into a room full of medical equipment. In his hand was a cup of coffee the size of his head.

"How are we doing?" he asked, looking at Ophelia.

At the same time, several doctors in white coats were reviewing test results. Kreyn walked past a few machines as blue light rings swept over his body.

Ophelia checked her tablet.

"Things aren’t as good as we’d like. To be honest, his body is in pretty bad shape, almost emaciated, and he looks malnourished. But the problem is his energy. For some reason, it keeps draining away, and I can’t figure out why."

"Well, he signed up for the test as a ’free one,’ so he’s not rich. No offense, Kreyn, just a logical conclusion."

Grad shrugged as his eyes fell on Kreyn’s arms.

Sip.

He took a sip, pointing at them. "What about these? Did you check them?"

"Hmm? His gauntlets? Mr. Grad, if his gear were absorbing energy, I would have noticed it."

However, Grad didn’t even bother to listen to her as he walked over to Kreyn and examined his arms.

"I see."

Sip.

"I kept wondering why they looked strange to me. These gauntlets, they’re not gauntlets at all, but your arms, aren’t they?" Grad asked.

Kreyn hid it from Prima, but it couldn’t escape Grad’s eyes. After all, of the three of them, only Grad was a Hunter.

"No, it’s not armor. These are my arms, for now, it’s an effect of my ability."

Ophelia’s eyes widened.

"What? He can transform parts of his body?"

Artis adjusted his glasses. "But... Prima said he’s a blacksmith. He made those boots right in front of her, and they’re definitely not part of his body!"

"Hahahahah!" Grad laughed as the coffee in his cup nearly spilled over the rim. "That’s exactly why he survived. A mere rookie could never pull that off."

After that, a glint flashed across his eyes.

"So, am I right in thinking that all you need is a monster’s gene?"

"I guess so." Kreyn nodded. "I’ve only used this ability once, so I don’t know everything."

Grad turned to Artis.

"Huh, Artis, this is pretty convenient. We were going to do this anyway."

’Agh? Were we going to do what here? What are they talking about?’

From the medical bay, they headed to another one. Passing through numerous gates through a long corridor, they soon reached a spacious hall that was essentially a white box with spectator platforms above.

Clap.

Grad patted Kreyn encouragingly on the shoulder.

"This is the arena, buddy. Based on your results, we’re going to give you your Badge. I think you know what that is."

Before Kreyn could answer, Grad shoved him forward. Taken by surprise, he stumbled forward just as the platform began to move, lowering him down.

"Damn it!" Kreyn shouted from below. "Why couldn’t you have just explained everything?"

Grad shrugged. "I’ve done this hundreds of times, I’ve got to mix up my routine a little, right?"

Ophelia rolled her eyes. "That’s extremely unprofessional, Mr. Grad."

"Sue me."

Then, he looked at Artis.

"Everything ready?"

Artis was standing in front of the control panel, finishing up the setup.

"Yes, I just wanted to double-check. Which difficulty level should I select?"

Ophelia waved her hand. "Of course it has to be the Initial Level!"

Sip.

Grad took a sip of coffee, staring at Kreyn for a moment.

"Send a One-Star Monster against him. He should be able to handle it."

"Sir!" Ophelia exclaimed. "That’s too dangerous! Creator types are already quite rare!"

He nodded deeply.

"Indeed. It’s much rarer to meet a Hunter who can create gear than one who slashes monsters with a sword. But do you know what’s even rarer?"

Grad turned toward her as a shadow fell across his face, leaving only his bright green eyes visible.

"A rookie who wasn’t afraid to face a Renegade, and who was the very reason they survived, not Prima. Now that’s a rarity. Artis, show me the available options."

"Yes!"

He showed Grad the panel.

"Here, I think these two are the best options for understanding Kreyn’s potential, both in terms of combat and equipment creation."

Grad scratched his beard thoughtfully.

"Kreyn, what do you choose, fire or earth?"

"Hmm? What kind of question is that?" Kreyn tilted his head. "I guess fire?"

’If I can get the fire monster’s gene, then through the Gene Forge I’ll definitely be able to create something cool!’

Hearing his answer, Grad nodded.

"Alright, Artis, run the earth one."

"ARGH?" Kreyn protested. "Why did you even ask if you were just going to do the opposite anyway?!"

"You were just unlucky. You had to choose earth, and then everything would have lined up."

Artis, in turn, nodded and reached for the control panel.

Tremble!

The eastern wall rose, revealing another hall hidden behind it. The hatch in the floor opened as a robotic arm slowly lifted a heavy object.

With a dull thud, the massive cage landed in front of the arena, and inside was the very One Star Earth Monster that Artis and Grad had been talking about.

"Gha..."

Hot steam swirled in front of the monster’s face with every breath it took, and its green, deep-set eyes resembled ghostly lanterns. Its massive body was covered with a thick layer of stone slabs. Its hind legs were heavy and flat, while its front legs were essentially two long stone blades with jagged edges.

Click!

The cage opened as the monster stepped out, moving toward Kreyn, who was supposed to be preparing for battle.

But, for some reason, he stood frozen in place, his eyes trembling as he touched his head.

Ophelia frowned.

"Is he already trembling in fear?"

Kreyn didn’t hear her, for all he could hear at that moment was the sound of a hammer striking an anvil.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

[The Gene Forge made its wish known. It detected a suitable gene.]

[Obtain this monster’s gene to upgrade the Gene Forge.]

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