Second World Online

The breeze sweeping across the Whispering Plains carried the scent of fresh grass and dry earth. Under the bright virtual sunlight, this Area 2.5 zone looked like a peaceful paradise. Yet for me, who had just experienced the extreme tension of the battle against the Wyvern Monarch and nearly been beheaded by a Terror Bird on the border of Area 3, this peace felt... too bland.

The string of the Whispering Ash bow in my hand creaked softly again. I drew it to maximum tension, focusing my gaze on an [Iron-Horned Wild Cow – Level 18] that was grazing about thirty meters from my position.

Without using any skills, I released my grip on the arrow nock.

Whoosh! Thud!

[Critical Hit! – 390 Physical Damage!]

The wooden arrow shot through the wind and embedded itself precisely at the base of the wild cow’s neck, the area where its skin and muscle layers were thinnest. The giant herbivore let out a loud bellow, its HP bar immediately drained by more than half. Provoked by the pain, its eyes turned red and it lowered its head, aiming its sturdy iron horns straight at me, then charged like a furry locomotive.

Its speed was decent, and its body weight would certainly be able to send a novice Knight flying. But in my eyes, its movements were far too easy to read.

I did not shift from my position. Calmly, I drew a second arrow, synchronizing my breathing with the rhythm of its hoofbeats that shook the ground. Exactly when the distance remaining was ten meters, I released my second arrow.

Thud!

[Weakness Exploited! – 450 Physical Damage!]

[You have defeated Iron-Horned Wild Cow (Level 18). Gained 420 EXP.]

The giant cow collapsed instantly, its body sliding several meters across the grass due to the momentum of its charge, before finally shattering into a swirl of blue light particles, leaving several pieces of loot on the ground.

I walked over leisurely and picked up the items. My system interface immediately displayed the standard notifications.

[Item obtained: Raw Wild Cow Meat x3]

[Item obtained: Thick Cowhide x2]

[Item obtained: 15 Copper Coins]

I exhaled a long breath and clicked my tongue softly. "Meat again, and hide again."

I had already spent nearly one and a half hours in this grassland. After retreating from the Area 3 border, I had decided to fill the time by hunting the herds of herbivorous monsters here. I had taken down more than a dozen Wild Cows, felled several [Plains Mustangs], and even hunted a herd of [Giant Grassland Bison] that roamed near the river.

However, the results were far from satisfying.

These monsters had extremely monotonous attack patterns: charging straight, ramming, or kicking with their hind legs. There was no elemental magic variation, no surprising speed, and no ambush tactics like the monsters in the forest. For an Archer who could maintain distance, they were nothing more than walking practice dummies.

Even worse, the drop items they provided were completely useless for my main profession. This abundant raw meat was a treasure for players with the Sub-skill Cooking, and their thick hides were highly sought after by Tailors or Blacksmiths for making mid-tier leather armor.

But for me, an Alchemist, these items were just junk filling up my inventory. There were no poisonous organs, no magic glands, no elemental blood that I could extract into potion bottles.

I opened my inventory panel and stared at the rows of slots now filled with icons of red meat and animal hide rolls.

"Boring," I muttered while sheathing my bow onto my back. "The challenge is zero. It feels like working in a slaughterhouse instead of adventuring in a magic world."

I had sent a message to Arthur and Alya, asking about their positions. Arthur replied that the two of them were busy training party coordination on the eastern side of the grassland, fighting a group of giant bison. Seeing that they seemed to be enjoying the grinding process and adjusting to the new area, I did not want to ruin their mood with my complaints.

"Better I go back," I finally decided. "The economy is fluctuating, and I have plenty of gold coins. Wasting time in this grassland is inefficient."

With a firm decision, I turned on my heel and walked away from the Whispering Plains, heading back toward the gate of Silvergrass Village.

The moment I re-entered the safe boundary of Silvergrass Village, the busy village atmosphere with food ingredient merchants greeted me once again. I did not stop to look around further. My steps were directed straight to the center of the square, toward the giant Waypoint Crystal that floated statically there.

Several players could be seen queuing to touch the crystal. I stood behind a shabby-looking Mage who seemed hesitant while holding his silver coin.

When my turn arrived, I stepped forward and placed my palm against the cold, smooth surface of the crystal. A holographic panel immediately appeared in front of my face.

[Connected Waypoint: Temple of Resurrection – StoneBrook City]

[Teleportation Fee: 5 Silver Coins. Proceed?]

Without hesitation, I pressed the [Yes] button.

Instantly, the silver coins in my inventory decreased. The giant crystal responded by releasing a dazzling bluish glow that enveloped my entire avatar body.

The teleportation sensation in Second World Online always amazed me. There was no nausea or extreme gravitational pull. It felt as if your body was disassembled into millions of extremely light light-dust particles, floating through an invisible time corridor, then reassembled in the blink of an eye.

It took less than two seconds. The blue light faded, and the fresh grassland breeze was immediately replaced by the city air that smelled of wet bricks and wood-fire smoke. The view of thatched huts changed into the white marble pillars of StoneBrook’s Temple of Resurrection.

I stepped down from the crystal altar inside the temple, greeted by the never-sleeping bustle of the city center. Players walked back and forth, shouting the names of items they were selling or looking for party members to conquer dungeons.

However, instead of heading to the Auction House or the apothecary, my feet carried me in a different direction. Somehow, seeing the trees in the Forest of Death earlier and holding my wooden bow all day had stirred a small longing in my hands.

Not a longing to kill monsters or brew deadly poisons, but a longing for the sensation of sawdust, the scent of pine resin, and the pure precision of handicraft.

I missed my first profession: Carpenter.

"It’s been a while since I tinkered with wood," I muttered to myself. "With so many new types of wood appearing after the event, this is the perfect time to make something new."

I walked along the cobblestone street toward the Crafting District. If previously I had entered the Alchemist’s shop filled with the smell of sulfur, this time I stopped in front of a building dominated by sturdy stacks of oak logs. Its nameplate was shaped like a giant saw with the carved words: "Master Geppetto’s Wood Workshop".

Pushing open the wooden door that creaked amicably, my ears were immediately greeted by a pleasant symphony: the sound of wood-planing machines, the clinking of chisels striking hard grain, and the friction of sandpaper. The air inside the room was filled with the characteristic aroma of dry wood, varnish, and natural resin that, to me, was far more calming than any perfume.

A sturdy-bodied NPC with muscular arms covered in wood shavings greeted me. He wore a thick leather apron and protective goggles.

"Welcome to the best wood creation center on the Beginner Continent!" Master Geppetto greeted me with a booming, friendly voice. "Need new planks for your shield? Or a magic staff that won’t break easily?"

"I need a workspace, Master. An advanced production room, along with access to the rare wood catalog you just obtained from yesterday’s event," I answered straight to the point.

The NPC’s eyes sparkled in appreciation. "A craftsman! Of course. Room rental is 20 Copper Coins per hour. For the catalog, please check the board on your workbench later."

I paid 60 Copper Coins upfront to rent the room for the next three hours, then took the bronze key he offered. I walked toward workspace number four located in the right-hand corridor.

Once inside, I immediately locked the door. This woodworking room was different from the sterile and cold alchemy room. This room felt warm, illuminated by crystal oil lamps. In the center stood a giant wooden workbench equipped with various carpentry tools: cutting saws, chisels of various pure steel sizes, wooden mallets, planes, and iron clamps for holding materials.

I stretched my fingers, feeling a real "itch" to immediately create something. In the real world, with my damaged nerves, lifting a hammer let alone carving wood was impossible. But here, I had absolute freedom over my motor skills.

I opened the Woodworking catalog on the workbench interface. My eyes scanned the various types of wood now available.

[Ironbark Wood] – Wood as hard as iron, heavy, suitable for axe handles or shields.

[Crimson Pine] – Reddish pine that is light and has high flexibility.

[Whispering Ash (Refined)] – A refined version of my bow’s wood, highly attuned to the wind magic element.

[Blood Oak] – A rare wood resistant to corrosion and curse magic, extremely difficult to carve.

Seeing the description of [Blood Oak], a brilliant idea immediately struck my mind.

Previously, I had been worried about my new poison, [Corrosive Wyvern Toxin]. That Epic-tier poison was too strong; its corrosion effect that ignored the enemy’s physical defense also carried the risk of melting the ordinary wooden arrows I used as a medium. If I dripped that poison onto a standard arrow, the arrow might disintegrate even before I could release it from my bow.

I needed a vessel and projectile that was immune to the melting effect. Blood Oak was the answer.

I bought ten blocks of Blood Oak and several sticks of Crimson Pine, spending two Silver Coins from my inventory. The wood blocks immediately spawned materially on my workbench. The Blood Oak blocks had a dark red color like dried blood, with tightly coiled black grain.

I took a pure steel chisel and a wooden mallet, then clamped one Blood Oak block into the holding vise.

"Let’s see how hard you are," I whispered.

Takk!

My strike landed. The haptic feedback sensation from this game was truly insane. I could feel the hard vibration traveling from the steel chisel into the palm of my hand. This wood was extraordinarily dense, far harder than ordinary oak. It required perfect strength and chisel angle so the blade would not slip.

I took a deep breath, pushing aside all thoughts about levels, battles, and game economy. I entered a Flow State, a condition where concentration, skill, and passion merged into one harmonious rhythm.

Takk. Takk. Srekkk.

The sound of the chisel splitting the wood grain began to echo inside the room. During the first hour, I purely focused on splitting the Blood Oak blocks into small cylindrical shafts the size of arrows. Dark red wood shavings flew through the air, sticking to my cloak and Elf hair. I paid them no mind. There was an intrinsic satisfaction in watching the rough form of the wood slowly transform into something precise.

After the shafts were formed, I switched to using a small plane. I carefully ran it along each arrow shaft, ensuring the surface was perfectly cylindrical and aerodynamic. These Blood Oak shafts were slightly heavier than ordinary arrows, which meant their penetration power would increase, although the shooting range might decrease slightly.

Entering the second hour, I focused on the most crucial details: the arrow tip and the poison storage grooves. Using a needle-sized chisel, I carved microscopic spiral grooves at the tip of the Blood Oak arrows. These grooves not only helped the arrow spin in the air, but were also specially designed so that the [Corrosive Wyvern Toxin] liquid could adhere firmly in the gaps without dripping wastefully before being fired.

Ding!

[System: Your Woodworker Profession Level has increased! Current: Carpenter Level 11.]

A series of profession level-up notifications appeared periodically in the corner of my vision, but I ignored them. My hands kept working.

In the third hour, I combined the finished Blood Oak shafts with wing feathers from [Sturdy Strider Feather] feathers from the Terror Bird I had successfully killed earlier. Those Area 3 monster feathers had the perfect stiffness to stabilize the weight of the Blood Oak arrows. I bound them using thin yet extraordinarily strong spider silk thread, then soaked the binding ends with a little pine resin as a natural adhesive.

I lifted one finished arrow from the table and examined it under the crystal lamp light.

The arrow was a glossy dark red, with elegant brown wing feathers at the tail. There was no iron arrowhead, because the Blood Oak tip itself had been sharpened by me to the sharpness of a needle, and the poison storage grooves looked extremely precise.

I used the identification skill.

[Corrosion-Resistant Blood Oak Arrow – Rarity: Rare]

A special arrow hand-carved from Blood Oak wood and finished with Strider feathers. Has extra weight for high penetration power. Special Effect: Resistant to all types of high-tier poison coatings without suffering durability loss. Base Damage: 45 Physical Damage. Crafted by: Syl.

I smiled in satisfaction, wiping the virtual sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. "A masterpiece."

I had successfully produced a total of thirty Blood Oak arrows during three full uninterrupted hours. This was elite ammunition that I would only use against Boss monsters or players who dared to look for trouble with me.

Besides the arrows, from the leftover Crimson Pine and Blood Oak wood, I took the time to make a small wooden storage box with an elegant dragon carving. I polished it with protective oil and lined it with leftover velvet. This box was dedicated specifically as a storage container for my five bottles of [Corrosive Wyvern Toxin] so they would not rub against other messy items in my inventory.

Looking at my finished works neatly arranged on the workbench, an extraordinary sense of satisfaction filled my chest. This was not the satisfaction of gaining EXP or money, but the pride of pure creation.

Exactly when I was cleaning up the wood chips and putting my creations into the inventory, the visual interface around me suddenly flickered with a thin red glow.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

A very familiar electronic alarm sound, yet completely unsuitable for the fantasy theme of Second World Online, rang softly yet firmly in my ears. It was not a sound from inside the game, but a sound from the Game Capsule in the real world that was channeled directly into my VR headset.

A large red warning floated in the center of my vision:

[MEDICAL SYSTEM WARNING: PLAY SESSION TIME ALMOST EXPIRED]

[Total Connected Time: 3 Hours 50 Minutes.]

[You have 10 Minutes before the system performs an automatic Force Log-Out to maintain the stability of your nerves.]

I sighed softly. "Ah, it’s already four hours. Time really flies when you’re having fun."

Doctor Karin’s rules were very strict. Four hours per day was the maximum tolerance limit for my nerves at present. If I forced myself, the medical capsule would forcibly disconnect the connection, and I could receive a game penalty in the form of EXP loss or character death if I was in a danger zone.

Fortunately I was already finished. I made sure my workbench was clean, then walked out of crafting room number four. Master Geppetto waved his hand as I passed the cashier counter, and I returned it with a respectful nod.

I stepped out of the wood workshop. The virtual afternoon sky began painting StoneBrook City with orange hues. The city was still just as crowded, yet I no longer had time to interact.

With hurried steps, I headed toward my usual wooden inn located not far from the district. I rented a standard room, locked the door, and immediately sat on the edge of the wooden bed that creaked softly.

I opened my communication panel for the last time today.

[Syl]: Yuuki, Arthur, my medical time is almost up. I’m going to Log Out now. You two continue leveling; don’t force yourselves into Area 3. We’ll meet again tomorrow afternoon.

In just a few seconds, the replies appeared.

[Yuuki]: Roger, Big Brother! Rest well! Arthur sends his regards.

I smiled faintly reading the message from my always-enthusiastic little sister. I turned off all message interfaces, called up the main system menu, and directed my finger to the red button labeled [Log Out].

"See you tomorrow, Second World," I whispered softly.

My finger pressed the button. The fantasy world of StoneBrook City, the scent of oak wood, and the orange color of dusk slowly faded into pixel fragments that were pulled away from my consciousness. A calming darkness took over, bringing me back toward my original body that was lying inside the game capsule in the real world.