In the school clinic, Luke sat on the bed. Across the room was the doctor and her fairy, tidying up.
"Remarkable recovery, Luke," the doctor said. "Physically, you’re okay now for practice, but just do me a favor and don’t make me put you back together twice. Be smart out there."
"I’ll do my best this time, doc. Thanks for the care."
"No recklessness. Avoid as many fights as you can, and stop being so handsome!" the fairy buzzed around.
"Understood, ma’am," Luke smiled.
Soon, he left the clinic, only to bump into someone. It was Vivian.
Vivian was walking to the clinic to make sure he was safe from her father. Seeing Luke healthy gladdened her.
"Luke, I’m so happy you’re okay!" Vivian cried, hugging him and kissing his cheeks.
Luke giggled as he patted her back. "You skipped class to check up on me?"
"Of course I did," Vivian replied. "Classes don’t matter compared to your safety. Listen, Luke. There is fire on the mountain. Father found out you’re back, and he lost his mind, swearing to end you. Worse, Adrian is loving this. He and his friends are also plotting your demise before the joint term even begins. You are in danger!"
Vivian braced herself for his panic, but it never came. How can Luke be so calm, she wondered.
"Is that all? Will Father throw me a welcome-back party?"
"No, Luke! He wants you gone!" Vivian protested, shaking his shoulders.
"Vivian, look at me," Luke said. "I told you I’m not the same brother who got thrown out. I can handle Father and whatever petty trap Adrian is setting up. Trust me."
"No, Luke. I won’t trust you this time," Vivian said stubbornly. "You must be on my team for the joint term. That way, I can keep you safe from anything they try to do."
Luke sighed.
Vivian always had his back like always.
"Thank you, I really appreciate it," he said. "But you might end up having a target on your back, too."
"Then I’ll make sure it’s a bullseye!"
"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Luke laughed. "Now come on, you’re going to be late for your next class."
Vivian warned him one last time before she walked away reluctantly.
Luke waited for her to disappear before he walked in the opposite direction. The plan was to leave the academy so he could focus on the insect army.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the academy.
Luke’s dorm’s hallway.
Adrian and co. were standing around waiting in front of Luke’s door. Three hours had passed, and he had yet to return.
"You swore this was the correct room," Adrian demanded impatiently. "So where is he?"
"Yes, this is the exact room my brother pointed out," Chloe replied. "Also, he said he saw the golden girl, Scarlett Trump, doing a walk of shame out this morning."
Silence.
"Uh-oh," Miquelon muttered, looking over at Adrian, whose face became paler than a rabbit’s butt.
Shock turned to jealousy, and jealousy to fury. Adrian’s fists vibrated. His breath fogged Miquelon’s glass.
This wasn’t just school gossip. This was a scandal.
Luke and Scarlett’s engagement had been cancelled after Luke summoned a glove. Therefore, Scarlett being inside his room was disrespectful to both families involved.
How could they go behind everyone’s back and hook up? What man is going to marry a plucked flower now?
"Maybe Luke is just sleeping over at the clinic," Mark suggested, trying to de-escalate.
"Hey, look, that’s him over there," Jax called out, pointing at the school’s yard.
Everyone gathered around the glass, looking around until they spotted Luke skipping school.
"Where is he going? Is he trying to get himself expelled on purpose?"
"Or maybe he’s meeting up with someone else’s fiancée again," Miquelon joked.
"Shut up and stop talking," Adrian growled. "We’re going after him. I want to see what my brother is up to."
"Are we seriously skipping class to tail him?" Chloe asked nervously.
"If you’re scared, stay here, Chloe," Adrian replied. "But if you want full vengeance for your elf, come with us.".
*********
Luke arrived at his shop and opened for the day.
He noticed that only five orders were submitted this time, a drop compared to his usual busy days.
But it was a blessing in disguise. This would give him ample time to forge the bulk of the insect army.
However, no true businessman would just shrug that off. So, Luke decided to cast a wider net by uploading his services online.
After that, he fixed his attention on the orders: a Shadow Hare Breastplate, Flame Lizard Pauldron, Fruit Parrot Wing Guards, Magnet Bull Greaves, and Vine Bear Helmet.
Luke auto-forged the first four easily, but an idea occurred to him before he forged the last.
He wondered if he was restricted to using the default materials provided by the system, or if he could substitute some.
For example, could he use the Insect Metal he was rewarded with by the Insect Princess to forge a piece meant for a species that was not an insect at all?
Luke tested this hypothesis as he entered his soul space.
Once inside, he caught a glimpse of the door leading to the Insect World, reminding him of Amigo. He wondered how his buddy was faring over there, but he forced himself to focus on the task at hand.
In his inventory, he retrieved x1 Insect Metal (Size 1) while he set aside the default metal that the system automatically provided—Carnivora Metal.
"Since the design will still fit a Vine Bear," Luke reasoned, "swapping the metal should only tweak its elements like durability, right?"
Size 1 was enough for a helmet, so Luke hammered away.
BAM!
〖Flame: 0.8〗
"The system accepted the substitution!" he exclaimed. "And at a very cheap cost?"
〖System Notice: Congratulations on successfully forging your first ’Crossbreed Armor’!〗
〖+1250 XP!〗
〖System Notice: You have leveled up to Level 12!〗
〖Item: Vine Bear Helmet (Crossbreed Edition)〗
〖Stock: Insect Metal〗
〖Buffs: +Tensile Strength +Flexibility〗
〖Nerfs: -Durability -Hardness -Retention〗
〖Grading: 2/10〗
"Haha, 2 star?" Luke laughed. "Cut me some slack, system. This was my first try, and the crossbreeding was a success after all!"
"So, Vine Bear Helmet, huh?"
Luke scooped the helmet off the anvil.
The first thing that hit him was the weight—or rather, the lack of it. It felt like holding a hollow shell because the armor now weighed half of what it was supposed to if he used the default metal.
Its finish and texture were also insect-like. When Luke squeezed its cheek guards, the armor flexed under the pressure and snapped back to shape the moment he let go.
"The system has a point," Luke said. "This is useless for protecting the bear from what the master has in store for it. But for that low of a Flame Point cost? It’s a fair trade-off."
He flashed out of his soul space and returned to his workshop, fascinated by the discovery.
The idea of crossbreeding forging materials opened his mind to possibilities.
If this same logic applied to more forging materials like Insect Leather, Insect Thread, Insect Cloth, Insect Wood, or Carnivora Leather, Carnivora Thread, etcetera, then Luke had infinite crossbreeding potential.
He could even employ Amphibia Metal, like in Amigo’s case, and he shouldn’t forget that Dragon Metal was possible as well!
Just like the Insect Metal had altered the Vine Bear Helmet, each and every material could alter another armor’s attributes for better or for worse.
For example, using Dragon Metal to forge a Vine Bear Helmet?
The beast might be unable to breathe out fire, but the armor would turn the bear into an indestructible force, maxing out helmet durability and granting fire immunity!
At the cost of more Flame Points.
"Superb," Luke thought. "If only I could maximise profits with this. Maybe I could establish a three-tier pricing structure for my customers."
"Firstly, a Budget Tier, where I use cheaper materials like Insect Metal for low-income summoners who just want something functional."
"Secondly, a Standard Tier, using the default blueprint materials, perfect for the average summoner."
"Lastly, a Premium Tier for wealthier customers, using rarer materials like Dragon Metal."
"A poor summoner shouldn’t pay steep prices anyway, and the rich will pay anything for something that separates them from the common crowd. Giving them a way to flex their status is just smart business."
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A/N: Thanks for reading!
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