Chapter 112: Crafting
After a long day of coaching his fellow survivors on skirmish battles, Alan returned to meet his crafting group, eager to put his newly acquired loot to good use. He had decided to entrust them with a batch of items he had scavenged the previous night, hopeful that their skills could turn these materials into valuable assets.
This morning, Alan handed over 15 pieces of common clothing items to Marie and her tailor crafting team. They swiftly got to work, cutting and preparing these garments into small strips, a crucial step in the crafting process.
Armed with the antiseptics and alcohols he had collected from the houses, Alan began crafting the same items he had mastered during the first round
[Your (Science - Expert) allows you to successfully create a common item]
[Name: Medicated Bandage]
[Type: Medicine]
[Rarity: Common]
[Attributes: Recovers 55 HP within 2 minutes]
[Effects: Suppresses Bleeding]
[Able to Bring Outside the Game: No] [Remarks: It's smelly but effective]
Thanks to his increased skill from Novice to Expert, Alan managed to produce a higher quality item, offering a modest improvement of 10 additional HP compared to his previous attempts. However, Alan was not one to settle for mediocrity. Driven by his pursuit of perfection, he continued to craft the same item repeatedly, hoping for a breakthrough.
To his delight, after several attempts, a different product emerged from his crafting efforts – a rare find.
[Your (Science - Expert) allows you to successfully create an uncommon item]
[Name: Medical Bandage]
[Type: Medicine]
[Rarity: Uncommon]
[Attributes: Recovers 80 HP within 2 minutes]
[Effects: Suppresses Bleeding]
[Able to Bring Outside the Game: No]
[Remarks: High-grade healing item ]
This high-grade healing item could recover a substantial 80 HP within 2 minutes, making it a significant upgrade from the common version.
Alan's triumphant exclamation echoed through the room as he celebrated his newfound success. Of the 15 marked clothing items he had provided, the crafters had transformed them into 110 cloth strips. Among these, 95 were crafted into the common Medicated Bandages, while the remaining 15 became the coveted Medical Bandages of uncommon rarity. Alan decided to keep the uncommon bandages for his personal use, recognizing their potential value. The common ones were distributed among the group to bolster their medical supplies, ensuring everyone had access to these crucial items.
Alan's next destination was Gus and his team of wood crafters, who had undertaken the task Alan had assigned them: crafting bows and arrows. These weapons could prove invaluable in the upcoming skirmish battles. The key challenge lay in creating a durable bowstring to complement the bows.
To address this challenge, Alan diligently collected various types of string during his scavenging tasks. Some were sourced from shoes, others from bags, and a few were thick threads he had come across in the town. Armed with this assortment of materials, Gus and his team set to work.
Upon Alan's inquiry about their progress, Gus expressed his regret, "I'm sorry, Alan, but we've managed to create only six of these."
[Name: Primitive Bow]
[Type: Weapon (Bow)]
[Rarity: Common]
[Attributes: Firepower 10-28]
[Effects: None]
[Able to Bring Outside the Game: No]
[Remarks: At least it is not a toy bow]
Alan contemplated the situation and concluded that having six Primitive Bows was still a valuable addition to their arsenal. He recognized that their group might not have six individuals experienced in archery, but the availability of these bows would nonetheless bolster their capabilities in skirmish battles.
Alan's final stop for the day was Shamus and his team of metal crafters. Today, Alan had an unconventional task in mind. He had gathered several disused items, including laptops, mobile phones, and small electronics. His objective was to dismantle these gadgets and salvage a specific light metal – magnesium – used within them.
Magnesium possessed qualities that made it a valuable material for various applications. It was not only lightweight but also remarkably strong. However, what Alan's needed the most was its highly flammable nature. The salvaging process yielded approximately 200 grams of magnesium, which was a modest quantity but enough to use it for now.
Curious about Alan's intentions, Shamus inquired,
"What are you planning to do with them, Alan?"
Acknowledging the flammable nature of magnesium and its limitations in comparison to traditional explosives or grenades, Shamus couldn't help but wonder about Alan's motive.
With a cryptic smile, Alan responded, "Just a little science project."
As dinner time approached, everyone gathered for a hearty meal. Alan quickly finished his meal, driven by eagerness to embark on his experiments. He selected one of the farmhouse rooms to serve as his makeshift laboratory, where he would start with his little project.
Alan began by taking out his trusty [Sawed-off Shotguns] and the stash of [12 gauge rounds] he had collected. He knew the shotgun had proven its worth thus far and would continue to be a vital asset in the future. With this in mind, he was determined to enhance its capabilities.
First, he retrieved the [Repair kit], a valuable item that had the power to automatically repair any [Broken] status item up to an uncommon rarity. Alan wasted no time as he opened the red box, and a message promptly appeared in his [gamelink].
[Choose an item to repair]
Without hesitation, Alan designated his shotgun as the target for repair. In an instant, both the repair kit and the weapon began to emit a soft glow, signifying the repair process. A subsequent notification confirmed the success of the repair.
[Repair is successful]
[Name: Sawed-off Shotgun]
[Type: Weapon (small firearm)]
[Rarity: uncommon]
[Attributes: Firepower 62-78 (10 meters), 52-66 (up to 30 meters)]
[Magazine: 2 rounds (12 Gauge)]
[Fire Rate: up to 1 round/second]
[Equipment Rating: 22]
[Remarks: Great to blow up heads like watermelon]
The outcome of the repair was a modest increase in the weapon's damage potential. However, the most significant improvement was the removal of the [Broken] status, which had previously imposed a severe penalty on both damage and accuracy. With the repair completed, Alan's shotgun could now unleash devastating attacks, capable of dealing up to 300 damage when combined with his [small arm (expert)] proficiency, sneak attack, and lethality bonus.
Alan couldn't deny the raw power of his shotgun, capable of delivering a devastating 300 points of damage. However, his satisfaction was tempered by the realization that this level of damage might not suffice against some of the high-level adversaries he would inevitably face. The game was fraught with formidable foes, especially adversaries like the Elite SS, who possessed superior defensive capabilities that could absorb a substantial portion of his shotgun's power. It was clear that he needed to find a way to further enhance the weapon's destructive potential.
With this determination in mind, Alan embarked on a mission to upgrade his ammunition, recognizing that it held the key to unlocking the shotgun's true potential. His resourcefulness and strategic thinking had already secured him two boxes of [12 gauge shells] during the warehouse raid, a valuable cache that provided him with a total of 40 rounds to work with.
Carefully, Alan began the meticulous process of dismantling each shotgun shell one by one. He gingerly extracted the tiny pellets and powder, the core components that made these rounds lethal. But Alan's true innovation lay in the incorporation of the 100 grams of magnesium he had salvaged. The lightweight, yet highly flammable metal was shaved into razor-thin slices, each sliver holding the potential for fiery destruction.
With the final piece of magnesium in place, Alan felt a sense of accomplishment wash over him as another crafting notification appeared before him, validating his efforts:
[Your (Science - Expert) allows you to successfully create an uncommon item]
[Name: 12 gauge shells - incendiary]
[Type: Ammo]
[Rarity: Uncommon]
[Attributes: None]
[Effects: 10 Fire damage]
[Able to Bring Outside the Game: No]
[Remarks: See your target burned!]
While the extra damage provided by these incendiary shotgun shells might seem relatively modest on its own, it was the synergistic effect they would have with Alan's unique [Title: Pyromaniac] that truly transformed his shotgun into a new level of deadly. The prospect of unleashing this upgraded weapon on his late-night excursions filled him with a renewed sense of anticipation and determination.
Armed with his enhanced shotgun and a cache of high-quality medical gauze, Alan was poised for his next venture into the town. This time with a more ambitious target in mind.