“Caw.”
Dimensional crows were neutral monsters and NPCs, so they didn’t appear particularly strong on the surface.
Because of this, there was a time when players were swept up in a craze to hunt crows, but ninety-nine out of a hundred attempts ended in failure.
They’re ridiculously strong.
If ranked, they would be S-rank.
Even the Blood Cult Elder who we barely managed to defeat by teaming up with graduates in the Black Market was A-rank, and the Dimensional Crow could easily wipe the floor with him.
The fact that they were called “Dimensional” already hinted at “These guys are insanely strong”.
In any game, space-time magic was considered top-tier, and <Dragon Slayer Academy> was no exception.
The Dimensional Crows are so proficient in space-time magic that they move through isolated dungeons as if they were their own homes, so it would be stranger if they weren’t that powerful.
To such an incredible NPC, even a third-year club president like Dang Gyu-young would look like a mere small fry, and I would appear no more significant than a minnow.
If not for the [Monarch], that is.
A monarch, regardless of their rank, was a revered being.
Even at C-rank, a monarch is still a monarch.
As a result, the Crow Tailor and I were able to talk almost as equals.
“Caw, you say you’ve come to commission some tailoring?”
“Something like that.”
“It’s a shame, young monarch. I no longer make clothes.”
“I’m not here for clothes.”
“Caw? Then what is it?”
The tailor could create clothing-type equipment if provided with special materials and a hefty fee, but my inventory situation was a bit lacking for that.
That’s why I had come to see it today for a different purpose.
“I want you to use a skill.”
“What skill are you talking about?”
“Weaving.”
The Crow Tailor flapped its wings in surprise.
[Weaving] was an S-rank unique skill possessed only by the Crow Tailor in the world of <Dragon Slayer Academy>.
Its very existence is not well known, so it was no wonder the tailor was surprised when I brought it up out of nowhere.
“Young monarch, where did you hear about that?”
“A young monarch is still a monarch.”
“Caw, fair enough.”
The Crow Tailor was somewhat convinced and reasoned that it might be possible since I am a monarch.
The effect of [Weaving] is just one line.
▷ It weaves different targets into one.
Simply put, it’s a fusion skill.
And if I had to point out the most broken aspect that wasn’t mentioned in the description, it was that “anything” could be fused without any restrictions.
Not only could items be fused with other items, but also items with skills or even the specific options that items possessed.
Of course, that was from the perspective of the Crow, who owned the skill.
From the client’s perspective, however, it was a bit different.
There’s a labor cost.
The higher the quality or quantity of the materials being fused, the more labor costs one had to pay.
Fusing B-rank materials was more expensive than fusing D-rank ones, and combining three or four materials cost more than fusing just two.
Because of this, the materials I could afford to fuse at the moment were somewhat limited.
“Caw, where should I apply it?”
“Here.”
In response to the Crow’s question, I handed over Root I was holding.
[Root(A)]
▷ Very high mana conductivity
▷ Damage protection (A) applied
▷ Automatic durability recovery.
▷ Levitate zone (C) constantly activated
▷ Memorize (C)
▷ Upgradeable
▷ Upgradeable
“You’re asking me to combine the options?”
“Yes, [Levitate Zone] and [Memorize], and this one too.”
Next, I took out a small vial of reagent from my inventory.
[Mutant Reagent (C)]
It was something I had obtained through the material selection reward.
The effect of the Mutant Reagent was to increase the instability of the item being crafted.
If I simply combined the two options above, the result would likely be something that merged Levitate Zone’s “range of influence” with Memorize’s “magic storage”.
But with the addition of the Mutant Reagent,
Something entirely different might come out.
And that was well within my expectations.
The Crow glanced down at Root and the Mutant Reagent with an intrigued look then nodded up and down.
“Caw, alright. I’ll weave it for you. How will you pay the labor cost?”
“On the spot, in goods.”
By then, my hand was already holding a large ruby and emerald, both shimmering with red and green light.
The Crow Tailor got excited upon seeing them; he hopped in place a few times and flapped his wings.
“Caw! Young monarch, you brought something shiny!”
“You said you liked them, so I came prepared.”
“A monarch who knows how to trade, I see. I’ll take special care with this.”
Soon, the Crow Tailor lightly waved one wing as if gesturing.
Then Root and the Mutant Reagent began to float freely in the air.
▷ Levitate Zone (C) constantly active
▷ Memorize (C)
The two options drifted out of the system window, and the sentences were broken down into words, and the words into letters.
The glass bottle containing the reagent shattered on its own with a soft crack, and the contents spilled out, mingling chaotically with the letters.
Then the bag that the tailor had placed on one side opened on its own, and threads and needles made of mana came out of it.
The needles pierced through the letters floating in midair one by one, while the threads of mana wove them together.
I watched the scene unfold and thought to myself.
What a shame, I wish I could have it.
Another reason I had come to meet the Dimensional Crow.
Any S-rank monster would have something worth copying.
If it were possible, I would have prioritized acquiring [Weaving] without hesitation.
[Activate ‘Copy-Skill’]
[Copy failed.]
Unfortunately, that was something that couldn’t be copied.
It was a skill that ranked above copying.
Other examples include the Amplification and Enchantment skills I possess or the Monarch.
Even if I succeeded in copying, I wouldn’t be able to withstand the massive mana of S-rank magic.
Until I had a core capable of handling it, it was nothing more than a pie in the sky.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to give up.
I’ll just take something else instead.
I recalled the conversation I had with Dang Gyu-young before the Crow Tailor appeared.
– You know how to handle poison, at least a little, right?
– Of course, I’m a Dang after all.
Dang Gyu-young was a direct descendant of the Dang family.
Dang Gyu-young didn’t like being bound by her family, so she avoided learning their secret techniques, but she still mastered some poison arts to a certain extent.
The reason I confirmed this was simple.
– Just poison him once.
– You said he is S-rank. Will my attack even work?
– It will, as long as we time it right.
When the craze for crow hunting swept through the players, ninety-nine out of a hundred attempts ended in failure.
And I was the one in a hundred who succeeded.
Drawing from that experience, dimensional crows had their flaws despite being S-rank.
As neutral beings, they weren’t used to battle and were even more vulnerable to ambushes.
This vulnerability became most apparent when they were casting their main skill, particularly during [Weaving].
– But Kim Ho, poisoning aside, won’t he get mad if I suddenly stab him?
– He will. He’ll definitely retaliate.
– …I’m not going to get wiped out in one hit, am I?
– Leave the aftermath to me.
– …I trust you.
“Caw.”
From the moment the Crow Tailor had first appeared until now, he hadn’t paid the slightest attention to Dang Gyu-young.
He also completely ignored the shadow moving subtly beneath his feet.
He simply focused on the ongoing Weaving, threading, and stitching of letters in the air with threads and needles of mana.
And just as he was about to stitch the next letter,
Whoooosh—!
Arms of shadows suddenly shot up from the ground, swinging the weapons they held.
It was a sudden ambush, but after all, the Dimensional Crow was still an S-rank.
His only reaction was a brief glance at the incoming shadow weapons.
Then, countless dark purple hexagons appeared in front of him, linking together to form a wide wall.
[Hex Void]
The shadow weapons vanished the moment they touched the wall as if they were sucked into it.
It was perfect spatial magic defense, but—
That’s only talking about the front.
Thud.
A very thin needle flew in from behind and pierced the Crow Tailor’s wing joint.
Using the shadows, it had been secretly pulled back and then launched while attacking from the front.
“Caw.”
With a single flap of his wings, the poison needle disappeared without a trace.
Immediately after, a cone-shaped gust of wind gathered and shot out right in front of Dang Gyu-young.
The whole sequence happened in the blink of an eye. One could question if it could have been avoided even with prior preparation.
[Gale Thrust]
It was a wind magic that pierced the enemy with a spear of air, pushing them far away.
Though it was considered a basic wind magic, this one was ranked as high as S-rank.
If hit, the target wouldn’t just be pushed back; the struck area could very well explode.
Naturally, I couldn’t let Dang Gyu-young meet a tragic end.
[Activate ‘Enchantment’.]
[‘Distortion’ has been granted to the target.]
[Rank of granted ‘Distortion’: – ]
Before the cone of wind could strike Dang Gyu-young’s abdomen, it twisted and veered off course before flying in a completely wrong direction.
Booom-booom-boom—!
And it decimated everything in its path.
Good thing I deflected it with Distortion.
Seeing Dang Gyu-young unharmed, the Crow Tailor tried to cast his next spell, but—
“Enough, step back.”
I ordered Dang Gyu-young first.
This was to make it clear that everything had been on my command.
When Dang Gyu-young lowered her head and stepped back, the Tailor turned his gaze back to me while flapping his wings furiously.
“Caw, young monarch. What is the meaning of this?”
“I got carried away with my curiosity. I apologize.”
“I’ll let it slide once. But there won’t be a next time.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Since I had already gained everything I wanted, the game was over.
[Activate ‘Copy-Trait’.]
[Registering the target’s trait ‘Poison Resistance (S)’ in the slot.]
▷ Copy-Trait [2/2]
1. Poison Resistance (S)
2. The Sovereign’s Crown
[Weaving] couldn’t be copied in the first place, and while the skills [Hex Void] and [Gale Thrust] could be copied, I couldn’t use them due to insufficient mana.
It would have been the same even if I had copied other spells.
Having a low-rank core really was this frustrating.
Instead, I decided to take a trait that didn’t consume much mana, and I stealthily poisoned him to copy [Poison Resistance].
While learning [Hundred Poisons Immunity], I had become capable of blocking quite a variety of poisons, but the world was filled with countless poisons.
Additionally, one of the main scenario bosses I would inevitably face someday used poison as a main weapon, so it wouldn’t hurt to prepare for it when the opportunity arose.
“Caw.”
The Crow Tailor became engrossed in his weaving again, and Dang Gyu-young and I silently watched his work without further interruption.
Moments later, the scattered letters began to weave into words and those words formed sentences.
And as the completed sentences were sucked back into the system window,
Flash!
Root absorbed a faint light and slightly changed its form.
Originally, it had been a short staff with a golden magic dagger attached, but now, instead of being attached, they had completely fused into one.
A short spear with an overall dark glow.
[Deep Root (A)]
Success.
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