Chapter 405: The Crow Tailor Part 2

From the perspective of the Crow Tailor, I must have seemed like a truly strange human.

The first time we met, I was still a clumsy C-rank Monarch, but in just a few short months, I had leapt all the way to A-rank.

I was just lucky.

Extremely lucky, in fact.

Who could’ve predicted I’d get two random rank-ups and that both would boost my Monarch rank?

Still, when dealing with the Dimensional Crows, a little confidence worked better than humility.

So I spoke in a conceited tone.

“This much is only natural.”

“Caw, next time we meet, you might not be young anymore.”

Whether I’d reach Monarch S-rank by then was anyone’s guess, but I chose not to mention that and got straight to the point.

“I’m here for another request.”

“You want me to make clothes again?”

“No, something else.”

The Crow Tailor’s unique S-rank skill Weaving.

It can synthesize almost anything: items, skills, traits, and even other stats.

“Caw, very well. Show me the materials first.”

“Of course.”

He needed to know exactly what I wanted to synthesize in order to name his price.

I began pulling out the items one by one.

First, the base weapon [Deep Root Sapling (A)].

Then, the attachable but incomplete [Crow Branch (S+)].

As soon as he saw it, he commented,

“Is this the great sage’s mana? It also bears the touch of a master craftsman.”

“I received investments and made a few trades.”

“Caw, now that you mention it, I did hear something about you. Quite well-connected, aren’t you, young Monarch?”

“It’s good to stay on friendly terms with everyone.”

“You speak the truth!”

The Crow Tailor nodded enthusiastically, clearly pleased.

Then, I pulled out two more items from my inventory:

[Leaf of Chaos (S)]

[Flower of Order (S)]

“All four…what do you think?”

“Caw, it’s possible. But I suspect it won’t be easy.”

Combining one A-rank and three S-rank materials was bound to be difficult.

And expensive.

But I’d come fully prepared, so I answered without hesitation.

“It’ll be a hassle, but it’ll be worth your while.”

“What have you brought for payment?”

“Something you’ll love.”

Eventually, I pulled the Crow Sculpture from my inventory.

Sterling black mithril and onyx shimmered with a mysterious dark gleam.

Just as expected, the Tailor got incredibly excited and started fluttering his wings and hopping in place.

“Caw!! A shining kin!! This kind of sculpture actually exists?!”

“You can take a closer look.”

I set the sculpture down beside him, and he spent quite a while circling around it, completely mesmerized.

“Magnificent! Magnificent!”

“That’s not all.”

The Sculptor Club president’s secret finishing touch was still left.

I grabbed the sculpture and gently pulled it sideways.

The wings immediately spread wide like it might take flight at any moment.

Even I had been a little surprised the first time I saw it.

Naturally, the Tailor’s excitement reached its peak.

“Caa—aaw—!!”

He spun around the statue like a whirlwind.

“Caw!”

Then spread his own wings right next to it, mimicking the sculpture.

“Caw!”

“Looks like you really like it.”

“Of course I do! To think you brought me something like this….I’m truly moved, young Monarch!”

“That should be enough for your fee, right?”

“Caw, more than enough! I’ll begin the synthesis at once!”

A subspace opened and swallowed the sculpture whole.

But after just a few seconds, the Tailor sneakily cracked the subspace open again, peeked at the sculpture, admired it a bit longer, and then put it back in.

I knew he’d like it, but not this much.

Still, once the process began, he quickly shifted into a serious mode.

The four materials floated in the air, and threads of mana pierced and wove through them.

Fwoooosh—

At first, it was just a loosely formed lump of light.

But as the mana threads moved, it gradually began to take shape.

A little more time passed, the light faded, and its true form became clearer.

Originally, the [Deep Root Sapling] had the look of multiple short rods joined together, ending in a spear-like tip.

Now, what floated before me resembled a long, slender wooden staff.

Where the dagger used to be, gnarled, spiky roots had taken its place.

[Deep Root Crow Tree (S+)]

▷ A powerful dimensional energy radiates from it.

▷ Caaaw—! (S)

▷ Caw? (S)

▷ Indestructible

▷ Octopus Limbs

▷ Upgradable

S+ rank weapon.

It was the result of dumping in all kinds of top-tier materials.

The [Earth Line] option had disappeared, but two powerful new skills had taken its place.

No longer unstable like before. It was now in perfect condition.

[Caaaw—!] was a trump card skill I’d once used in a dungeon ruled by the Witch of Corruption.

Its effect was to twist and open space.

It still had that same overwhelming utility, despite some ambiguous limitations. Some things it can do, others it can’t.

The effect of [Caw?] was the exact opposite.

It temporarily blocked the activation of spatial magic.

The range was extremely narrow, and it guzzled mana like crazy, among other restrictions. But with the right usage, it could be effective.

And [Octopus Limbs], which I’d been using reliably all this time, remained unchanged.

Now I don’t have to worry about my weapon for a while.

Of course, one upgrade slot was still left.

Depending on what I attach there, it will either remain at S+ rank or break through to EX.

Naturally, I was aiming for the latter, so I would have to find something insanely powerful. But at the moment, I have no idea what that might be. Even if I did, getting it would be next to impossible.

So, for now, I’ll put the weapon on hold and turn my attention toward armor or accessories.

Anyway, the objective is complete.

I was about to send the Crow Tailor back and resume the dungeon raid.

But then, the tailor noticed Seo Ye-in.

At first, he had been completely focused on me, then the Crow Branch, and after that, the sculptor. So he probably hadn’t realized she was there.

But the startled reaction he showed was just like that of the other dimensional crows.

“Caaaw!! Young monarch, something that must not exist is here!”

I didn’t know what they were making a fuss about and neither did Seo Ye-in herself.

One thing was certain. In moments like this, acting confident pays off.

“You’re overreacting. Don’t worry….I just brought her along.”

“Is that so? Understood! Still, make her look somewhere else!”

“Why?”

“Her eyes are too intense! Caaaw!”

“I can do that much.”

It wasn’t a difficult request anyway, and we’d be parting ways soon.

But just as I was about to give her a subtle signal—

Flaaaash—!

Seo Ye-in’s body began to shine brightly.

The rest of the party, caught off guard, simply watched in silence.

“……?”

Seo Ye-in tilted her head, just as confused as the rest of us.

Then, as if something came to mind, she dug into the pocket of her school uniform and pulled out a card that shone with a dazzling golden light.

It was the card from that event boss in the downtown area. The one the fortune-teller had given her.

[??? (?)]

The name, the rank…..everything was a question mark, so I had wondered when I’d ever get to use it. Apparently, that time had come.

As if it had never found her intimidating, the crow tailor bounced over to Seo Ye-in with little hops.

“Caw! Shiny card! I want it!”

“……?”

Seo Ye-in turned her head to look at me.

She was leaving the decision up to me.

It was unexpected, but since things had come to this, I figured I might as well make the most of the situation.

Naturally, in a way that benefited us.

Let’s try playing hard to get first.

I needed to gauge just how valuable the golden card was.

So, I deliberately spoke in a disinterested tone.

“Hmm, I wasn’t planning to use it right now. Didn’t we already finish the tailoring anyway?”

“Caw! Do you not have more to entrust? I can weave again or even make new clothes!”

Originally, I was planning to save it for later or use it with a different crow, but the crow tailor turned out to be far more eager than expected.

It clearly meant the golden card was something he really wanted.

Too bad we don’t have any armor materials right now.

If we did, I would’ve asked for an immediate craft.

Of course, using [Weaving] one more time was still a perfectly good option.

I gave Seo Ye-in a command.

“Take that out. That thing.”

“…….”

Without even asking what exactly I meant by “that”, Seo Ye-in rummaged through her inventory and pulled out [Night of Severance].

Looks like she got it on the first try.

Pleased, I turned to the crow tailor and explained.

“I want to tweak the effects a little.”

The skill imbued in Night of Severance was Severed Space.

Its effect was to drag a target within range into an isolated space.

To escape, one would need to cast a more powerful space magic, wait for the skill to end, or subdue the caster.

Until then, they’d be trapped inside.

As a stalling skill, nothing really beat it.

Though it did come with one fatal flaw—

The caster goes in too.

Maintaining the space consumed a huge amount of mana and focus, and on top of that, you had to withstand enemy attacks from inside.

Anyone lacking enough skill would end up having the space break down almost immediately.

Even Choi Han-gil, a high-ranking member of his club, could barely last a few minutes against two members of the disciplinary committee. In the end, he couldn’t handle it and had to put it up for auction.

But what if I could slightly change the effect of the skill?

What if the Severed Space skill could be limited to trap only the enemy?

That would greatly increase its duration and stability.

Mana and concentration drain would still be an issue, of course.

After I explained everything up to that point, the crow tailor eagerly nodded.

“Caw! That’s not hard at all! What other item are you going to use?”

Even if the goal was to modify the skill’s options, [Weaving] was still a fusion skill.

It required another item to function properly.

The higher the grade, the better the effect.

“…….”

I exchanged a quick glance with Seo Ye-in.

She’d received more than a few items from the Hye-seong Group, so using one of those would be fine.

But when I saw what she was holding next, I couldn’t help but ask again for confirmation.

“You’re seriously going to use that?”

“Mhmm.”

It was none other than the S+ rank cooking utensil, weapon, and armor…it was the Immortal Kim Ho-Kim Ho Pot.

After thinking it over for a moment, I realized it actually wasn’t a bad choice.

[Immortal Kim Ho Kim Ho Pot (S)]

▷ Indestructible (S)

▷ Energy Blocking (S)

▷ Impact Nullification (A+)

▷ Upgradeable

▷ Upgradeable

There just happened to be two unused upgrade slots.

I pointed first at the dagger, then at the pot.

“Change the skill like I said, and fuse it into one of the pot’s upgrade slots.”

“Got it. Any other requests?”

“That’s it.”

“Caw! Understood! Just wait a moment!”

The tailor took the golden card, gave a light flap of one wing, and—

Both Night of Severance and the Immortal Pot floated up and glided over in front of him.

Then, just like when he fused the Crow Tree, threads and needles of mana began stitching the two items together.

The dagger seemed to melt away as its form collapsed, then got absorbed right into the pot.

The light radiating from the pot grew more and more intense until it filled the entire hall.

Flaaaaaaash—!