Second World Online

Chapter 21: Chapter 20: THE BIRTH OF THE SILK-LAMINATED BOW AND BREACHING THE GOBLIN LAIR

The workbench in the corner of the public woodworking shop in StoneBrook’s Crafter’s District once again became a silent witness to my passion for creation. The midday sunlight streaming through the workshop window illuminated the array of materials I had now prepared so thoroughly: dense, jet-black pieces of Ironwood, golden-brown strips of mature Oak, flexible pine wood, and a silvery-shining Refined Spider-Silk Bowstring.

I was no longer in a rush or filled with tension like yesterday afternoon. With proficiency flowing calmly within my visual nervous system, my hands moved with absolute smoothness and certainty. I cut a layer of ironwood for the back of the bow to provide strong kinetic thrust, then laminated it with layers of oak and pine on the belly using natural resin adhesive under the pressure of iron clamps.

As soon as the composite wood structure bonded perfectly without a single air gap, I picked up a whittling knife and began carving the contours of the grip and both limb tips with micrometer precision. There were no erroneous scratches, no excessive wood fibers peeling off. Everything flowed like the finger dance of a veteran artist.

When I strung the silvery spider-silk bowstring into the notches at both ends of the bow, the flexibility of the wood responded beautifully. A perfect arc was formed without emitting any creaking sounds of tension that risked triggering a fracture.

Ting!

A brilliant glow of silvery-gold light erupted from the workbench, illuminating the entire quiet workshop room.

[System: You have successfully crafted a masterpiece item via lamination method: ’Laminated Ironwood Longbow (Silk Ver.)’ (Rare)!]

[System: Craftsmanship quality reached Perfect level (100%)! Items gained hidden bonus attributes!]

"Success on the very first try," I muttered with a wide, satisfied smile blooming on my face.

I immediately lifted the longbow with both hands. Its weight felt much more balanced and lighter compared to my first experiment using the monster-tendon string. Without wasting time, I opened the system information panel to dissect the technical specifications of this new weapon.

====================================================================

[Laminated Ironwood Longbow (Silk Ver.)] - Rank: RARE

Type: Long-Range Longbow / Elemental Conduction Weapon

Quality: Perfect (Masterwork)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Physical Attack: 32 - 38

Magic Penetration: +15%

Arrow Velocity: +10%

Attribute Bonus: DEX +5, INT +2

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Minimum Requirements: Level 10, DEX 25, STR 3

Description: A longbow created by combining three high-resilience wood types and pure spider-silk string. Highly elastic and deadly in the hands of a magical archer.

====================================================================

My red eyes sparkled brightly reading the minimum requirements line. "Sure enough... its minimum stat requirement dropped drastically from 5 STR to just 3 STR!"

I leaned the new bow against the edge of the table, then summoned back the specification panel of my first laminated bow using the monster-tendon string from my dimensional storage to compare the two objectively.

The first version of the bow that I failed to equip yesterday did indeed have an advantage in raw strength; its Physical ATK figure reached 45 points due to the exceptionally rigid tension of the monster tendon string. However, that bow had zero elemental conduction bonuses or arrow velocity enhancements, and of course, it burdened my character’s physical muscles with the 5 STR requirement.

For a moment, I analyzed the two weapons. Both clearly had their own pros and cons. The monster-tendon bow was perfect for pure physical-type archers who relied on muscle strength and heavy armor-piercing shots. Meanwhile, my new spider-silk version bow had a slightly lower base physical attack, but in return, it provided a 15% elemental magic penetration bonus, 10% arrow velocity, as well as an additional +5 DEX and +2 INT stats.

"For my combat style that always relies on Wind-infused Power Shot techniques and magical conduction, this new bow is clearly a hundred times more suitable," I decided firmly, realizing that this weapon was truly designed specifically for me.

Although its strength requirement had dropped to 3 STR, a minor reality still blocked my path. Currently, my raw STR stat is still stuck at 2 points. I was still short exactly 1 STR point to be able to draw this silk bowstring without triggering a rejection warning from the game system.

I tapped my fingers on the workbench, staring at the 9 Attribute Points (AP) safely saved in my status pool. "Should I sacrifice my AP to increase STR right now? Or should I just craft STR-boosting accessories again?"

In my heart, the reluctance and regret to spend AP on a physical strength attribute was truly overwhelming. The memory of the cruel rules of my innate Trait: [Albinism] echoed in my mind once again: every STR or AGI attribute point I allocated manually would suffer a 50% penalty deduction. If I wasted 2 AP into the STR slot, the system would only grant me a net addition of 1 STR. That would be an exceptionally fatal waste of growth capital for a top-tier character.

"No, I mustn’t waste AP on STR. It’s better if I just craft accessories," I decided, taking the most logical way out.

However, as a craftsman, I knew full well the basic rules of jewelry crafting in Second World Online. To be able to create high-ranking bracelets, necklaces, or rings capable of providing massive stat bonuses like +3 or +5 STR without suffering heavy penalties, a craftsman required special catalytic materials in the form of Elemental Gemstones or Monster Cores.

The problem was, both of those precious materials had an extraordinarily difficult drop rate in the early game, only about 0.5% from elite monsters or area bosses. Hunting for gems and monster cores right now was tantamount to wasting my precious time.

"Forget it, I’ll just craft simple wooden accessories like this morning," I muttered, sighing resignedly. "Even though the accumulation will only increase by 1.5 STR due to the Albinism penalty, that addition is already more than enough to meet my new bow’s requirement."

Without further delay, I grabbed the leftover pieces of oak and pine wood on the table. Using the whittling knife, I carved three functional jewelry pieces once again to fill the maximum limit of 3 active accessory slots allowed by the system: [Oak Ring of Strength] (Common), [Pine Beaded Bracelet] (Common), and [Carved Wooden Earrings] (Common).

As soon as those three wooden pieces of jewelry were finished being carved and sanded smooth, I immediately equipped them onto my Elf body’s wrist, ring finger, and ears.

Ting!

[System: Active Accessory Calculation: +3 STR (Reduced by 50% due to [Albinism] Trait) -> Net Bonus: +1.5 STR (Total character STR: 3.5 Points).]

A subtle warm sensation instantly flowed through the digital muscle tissues in both my arms. My physical strength had now surpassed the minimum threshold. I reached out my right hand, then grasped the grip of the Laminated Ironwood Longbow (Silk Ver.). This time, no red warning text flashed before my eyes. The masterpiece weapon had now officially merged with my character!

Driven by a soaring curiosity to test my new weapon’s performance, I stepped out through the back door of the public woodworking shop. In the area behind the workshop, the game developers provided an enclosed grassy field equipped with rows of training wooden dummies at various distances to make it easier for craftsmen to test their crafted weapons.

I stood at the shooting boundary line, positioning myself about thirty meters from the farthest wooden dummy. I took a self-made pine wood arrow from the quiver at my waist, nocked it onto the spider-silk string, and began drawing the bowstring backward.

Sreeek...

The sensation of pulling this silk bowstring felt exceptionally smooth and elastic, vastly different from my rigid beginner wooden bow. When I adjusted the draw until it approached my right cheek, I channeled the [Wind Element] skill into the arrow shaft. A green vortex of wind spun very stably and densely, absorbed perfectly by the high conductivity of the silk string and the ironwood layer.

I activated the passive skill [Vital Shot], locked onto the red dot that appeared right in the middle of the wooden dummy’s head, and released my bowstring.

Swiss... Swuss!

The whistling sound of the arrow cleaving the air sounded completely different than usual. It was no longer a rough whirring noise, but a high-frequency sharp whistle that moved incredibly fast like a flash of green light!

THWACK!

The arrow embedded itself with such tremendous impact force that the solid wooden dummy’s head exploded and vibrated violently backward. My arrow pierced right through the dead center of the forehead until it almost exited the back of the wooden skull!

I didn’t stop at just one shot. My hands moved like shadows. I drew a second, third, and fourth arrow in quick succession at an extraordinarily fast pace!

Swiss... Swuss! Thwack!

Swiss... Swuss! Thwack!

Swiss... Swuss! Thwack!

The next three arrows shot out in a matter of seconds and all of them struck true, packed tightly together in the exact center of the same wooden dummy’s head! The vibrational stability of this laminated bow was truly at an absurd level; there was almost no recoil to ruin my aim after the string was released.

"Hmm, this is pretty decent... No, this is truly incredible," I muttered while lowering the bow with an amazed smile. The combination of arrow velocity, absolute accuracy, and wind penetration made my attack’s destructive power leap to a completely new level. "Let’s go hunting for experience points and new materials. But which area should I go to?"

As I stood holding the bow and contemplating my next hunting direction considering I had already cleared the Eastern Forest yesterday suddenly a global silver bell echoed with a majestic chime across every corner of the Second World Online server.

Ding!

[System Notification: Congratulations! Party ’Arcana’ has successfully defeated the West Gate Area Boss: [Stone Golem] (Level 20) for the first time!]

Ding!

[System Notification: The west gate seal has been broken! The Iron and Silver Metal Mines in the western area are now officially open to all players!]

Ding!

[System Notification: A new hunting area in the western region [Rocky Canyon] can now be accessed by all adventurers!]

Hearing those three consecutive global announcements, I was stunned for a moment before a thoroughly unrestrained, satisfied laugh finally erupted from my lips. "Hahaha! Party Arcana? How amazing of them!"

I laughed not only out of admiration that a group of non-clan players managed to conquer the western area boss, but because I knew full well what a catastrophic impact this announcement would bring upon the greedy clans in the StoneBrook market!

Since dawn today, large clans like Golden Lion, DragonSlayer, and the middleman merchants had thrown away dozens of gold coins to buy up and hoard the entire supply of crude iron ore in the market to monopolize metal weapon production in anticipation of the five thousand new players next week.

But now? With the defeat of the Stone Golem and the opening of access to the Western Metal Mines, thousands of independent miner players would surely flock immediately to storm the mining area! Over the next few hours, an unlimited amount of fresh iron ore would begin to be harvested and flooded into the market!

The fate of the raw iron market was guaranteed to suffer a price collapse just as tragic as the wood market earlier this afternoon! Those hoarding clans were truly, officially bankrupted; their golden investment capital was completely shattered after being hit by two crushing blows in succession from the wood market and the metal market on the exact same day!

"Just let those middlemen weep tears of blood in the town square," I laughed while sheathing my laminated bow across my back. "Since the Eastern area is already open and the Western area is being swarmed by metal miners, the Northern region will definitely be relatively quieter. Time to head north!"

I stepped out, leaving the woodworking shop, crossed the streets of StoneBrook which were once again in an uproar over the news of the western mine’s opening, and then exited through the North Gate facing toward the foothills of rugged mountains.

Unlike the Eastern Forest that was leafy and warm with sunlight, the northern region of StoneBrook bordered a pine forest that was cold, thinly fogged, and filled with hilly, rocky terrain contours. This area was famous as the territory of Humanoid-type monsters: packs of Goblins, Hobgoblins, and Orc mercenaries.

As soon as I stepped into the outskirts of the northern forest about five hundred meters from the NPC guardpost, my pair of pointed Elf ears immediately caught a rough rustling sound and an ear-grating giggling laugh from behind thorny bushes.

Kikiki! Kiek!

Three short, moss-green-skinned creatures leaped out, blocking my path. They were [Green Goblin - Level 8], hunched-over monsters wearing only filthy leather loincloths and armed with rusted bone knives. Despite their small stature, they were notoriously aggressive and always attacked in groups.

Seeing their arrival, I didn’t feel the slightest bit intimidated nor did I intend to retreat to seek tree cover. This was the perfect opportunity to test my laminated bow’s raw damage in real combat.

I drew the spider-silk bowstring, targeting the foremost Goblin running toward me with a bone knife. This time, I deliberately did not activate wind element magic or any special skills; I only used a basic shot powered by the [Bow Mastery] passive skill.

Swiss... THWACK!

Kieeeek!

My pine wood arrow shot out like lightning and embedded itself right in the center of the Goblin’s chest. A glowing red damage number floated in the air: [- 145 Damage!].

Because ordinary Goblin-class monsters only possessed a health capacity of around 120 HP, my basic physical shot instantly pierced right through its life limit! The creature’s green body was hurled backward and exploded into a pile of golden particles before it even touched the ground.

"A one-hit kill with just a basic arrow? Incredible," I hissed in admiration. The two remaining Goblins, seeing their comrade obliterated in the blink of an eye, momentarily froze in panic, but in the next two seconds, two of my other arrows followed and dispatched them to the afterlife with the same absolute ease.

I continued striding across the northern forest paths at a much faster tempo than my previous hunts. Every patrol pack of Goblins that tried to ambush me from behind trees or boulders always ended up turning into golden particles in a matter of seconds. For thin-blooded mob monsters like them, my new bow’s physical strength was already an unresistible death curse.

However, about ten minutes later, as I began entering the much deeper and hillier pine forest zone, the quality of enemy threats began to experience a significant upgrade.

GRUUOMPH!

A heavy growl echoed from behind a large boulder. A monster figure twice as tall and more muscular than a regular Goblin stepped out. The creature had dark green skin covered in scars, wore rusted iron plate armor on its chest and shoulders, and gripped a massive wooden club studded with iron spikes.

Above its head floated a dark yellow ID tag: [Armored Hobgoblin - Level 12].

This creature was an evolution of a standard Goblin. The thickness of its skin and the rusted iron armor it wore caused their physical resistance to skyrocket dramatically, with a total health capacity reaching around 350 HP.

I drew my bowstring and released a single basic arrow shot at its chest to gauge its defense.

CLANG!

My arrow struck the rusted iron plate on the Hobgoblin’s chest, sparking small flames before finally bouncing off and falling to the ground. The damage number that appeared was pitiful: [Resisted! - 28 Damage!].

"Its iron armor is thick enough to withstand a normal arrow, huh? If that’s the case, let’s use a little magic," I muttered calmly while lowering my body posture into a standard archery stance.

I drew the next arrow to my right cheek, then activated my full skill combination: [Power Shot] combined with [Wind Element] and the passive [Vital Shot]. A green wind vortex spun ferociously at the arrowhead, creating the sharp whirring sound of a magical drill. My albino red eyes locked onto the exposed gap at the Hobgoblin’s neck that wasn’t covered by iron armor.

Swiss... Swuss! THWACK!

GROOOAAR!

The wind-infused arrow shot out, slicing through the air, and struck dead on, piercing through the Hobgoblin’s throat, twisting and destroying its vital tissues from within.

[Critical Hit! - 390 Damage!]

With that single devastating combo attack, the Hobgoblin’s thick health bar instantly evaporated without a trace! The large-bodied monster dropped its club, its knees slammed into the ground, and it then shattered into an abundant stream of golden light particles. It was proven: for mid-tier monsters like Hobgoblins, the combination of Power Shot and Vital Shot still guaranteed an absolute One-Hit Kill result.

The farther I stepped through the northern forest fog, the hunting challenge transformed into a true tactical testing arena. In the steep rocky hill area located about two kilometers from the city gates, I began confronting the top-tier monsters in this region: [Mercenary Orc - Level 14].

Unlike Goblins or Hobgoblins, Orc warriors were massive monsters standing nearly three meters tall with greenish-brown skin as thick as rhinoceros hide. They didn’t wear iron armor, but their muscle mass and natural resilience were extraordinarily high, with health capacities surpassing 600 HP alongside giant axe-swinging attacks capable of crushing hill boulders in a single blow.

Even when I unleashed a Wind-infused Power Shot combo that precisely hit a weak point on their shoulder or chest, the attack could only chip away around half of their total health. There was no one-hit kill for heavyweight monsters like these.

"If one shot isn’t enough to kill them, then I just need to make sure they never get a chance to counterattack me," I hissed coldly in the fog.

I began applying shadow hunting tactics, the hallmark of a High Elf Archer. Whenever I saw an Orc patrolling alone, I would hide atop a tall rock or behind a dense pine tree. I drew my laminated bow, unleashing a full-power wind-infused opening shot toward the Orc’s head or neck.

Swiss... THWACK! - 310 Damage!

ROOAAARR!

The Orc roared in fury, hoisted its giant axe, and turned toward the source of the arrow’s whistling sound with glowing red eyes. However, the exact millisecond after my arrow released from the bowstring, I had activated my [Stealth] skill combined with [Slow Walking].

Syuuutt...

My body’s silhouette faded instantly, blending completely into the shadows of the northern forest fog. My entire aura of presence and the sound of my footsteps vanished, swallowed by the wind.

The raging Orc charged toward the tree where I had shot from, slamming its axe until the trunk toppled, split in two. However, it found only empty silence. As the large creature stood bewildered, sniffing the air for its missing target, I had calmly sneaked to a new position atop a large boulder behind it, thanks to my high DEX stat movement speed.

I waited a few seconds until my stamina bar recovered thanks to my Level 10 [Stamina Regeneration] passive effect. Once my stamina was full, I nocked a second arrow, repeated the wind visualization ritual, and unleashed the finishing shot right into the unprotected back of the Orc’s head.

Swiss... THWACK! - 340 Damage!

GRAAAJJHH!

The giant Orc bellowed in pain for the last time before its massive body collapsed, slamming into the rocky ground, exploding into a pile of golden particles and leaving behind several silver coins and thick leather materials on the ground.

I repeated this shadow hit-and-run ritual shoot, vanish, relocate, shoot again over and over with absolute flawlessness in execution. For nearly an hour of slaughtering dozens of Orcs and Hobgoblins in the northern hills, not a single monster managed to touch the hem of my leather cloak, let alone scratch my health bar which remained pristine at 100%.

As the pile of loot in my inventory grew, my footsteps led me down a steep rocky gorge that narrowed and descended sharply into the northern valley. The pine needles around this gorge appeared withered and blackened, replaced by rows of bone torches emitting an eerie, dark green fiery glow.

When I set foot on the edge of the gorge cliff and brushed aside the thorny brambles blocking my view, an extraordinarily massive and astonishing sight unfolded directly below.

At the bottom of the valley a vast, giant stone crater lay a primitive-grade military war camp covering an area the size of several football fields! Dozens of watchtowers constructed from rough wood stood tall at every corner of the crater, surrounded by hundreds of tents made from monster skins and giant bones.

However, what made my breath catch for a moment was not the size of the camp, but the monster population inhabiting it.

Inside that crater gathered hundreds, perhaps even thousands of Goblins, iron-armored Hobgoblins, and Orc mercenaries marching neatly around giant bonfires! The pounding sounds of war drums reverberated with a terrifying rhythm, creating minor earthquake tremors that traveled all the way up to the cliff where I stood.

In the center of the camp, surrounded by the densest swarm of monsters, fluttered a giant blood-red banner bearing the emblem of a horned skull with a golden crown engraved on its forehead.

My albino eyes narrowed sharply through the green valley fog, staring at the crowned skull banner fluttering arrogantly amidst that sea of monsters. A smile full of enthusiasm and tension suddenly etched onto my thin lips.

"Make no mistake..." I whispered softly while stroking the ironwood grip on my laminated bow that gleamed in the dark. "An assembly of monsters this massive and organized... This place is definitely the main lair of the northern region’s ruler: [Area Boss: Goblin King]!"