Wulfrin

"I actually just unlocked the ability to do so," Wulfrin said collecting the extra materials. "It will take me moment to craft the pieces since I don't have any blanks." Wulfrin went to his furnace and threw a handful of what looked like fish and bits of monsters into it. He didn't even seem to care, partly due to the crafting materials being universal in SAO made it easy. After a few minutes Wulfrin was flattening various pieces of metal into various shapes of shields. Eventually he lay two of them together and they merged into one. He put the finishing touches on them before returning t

"Fair enough," Wulfrin shrugged and focused his attention back on the last Warg. He charged the Warg at full force. His blade tearing through the beast's hide with ferocity. Wulfrin put way more into the hit than he usually did, mostly out of the need for revenge. He returned his blade back to its scabbard. As the warg shattered into fractal polygons, Wulfrin returned to his companion's side. "As I was saying, congratulations on the shard. You found that thing much quicker than I did. We still have a bit more time, you want to look for some more materials or do you want to head back?" He pulle

Wulfrin went on the offensive against the Wargs again. He completed his Horizontal Square Sword Art and turned at the sound of his companion. "I got one finally!!!" She had yelled excitedly. "Great I'm happy for you! You finished quicker than I d-" His congratulations was cut short by jaws sinking into his left arm. Wulfrin winced in pain. There wasn't much damage that made it through to his armor to his precious HP. This was the first bit of damage he had actually suffered in the game. There wasn't much pain to speak of, more just a tingling sensation in his arm. The pain absorber w

"I build weapons and armor out of fish," Wulfrin replied as he approached the wargs. "Yes, I catch fish. It doesn't matter though as crafting materials are universal." Wulfrin leapt into action. His plan of attack was the same as the Wolves back near Tolbana, stun then hit again. Wulfrin knew he couldn't one shot them, but this plan basically leads to the same outcome. Essentially, for slightly less energy drain he could take out both Wargs at once without them getting a chance to strike. His blade arched through the air with the same red glow it had during the fight with the wolves, sett

As if on cue, Wulfrin's line went taught. Finally a catch. Even better there were additional, items besides the fish, indicating a critical. "Just did," Wulfrin grinned. "Couple of of Unidentified Armors. They could be shields also, but they are Tier 2 so you can't use them yet." Wulfrin couldn't help but laugh hardily at the names Ciela was spouting off. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but one of genuine amusement. "Fondante's Inferno is my favorite," Wulfrin said trying desperately to compose himself. "Really though, any of those would be fantastic names for a bakery." Wulfrin's serious

"The crystal can teleport you to any of the cities," Wulfrin explained. "That includes the open floors. Basically you can go anywhere from floor one to floor twenty-eight from any location. Though I would advise against just using them to travel. Instead save them for when you need them, as they are quite pricey." Wulfrin recalled his line and recast it. This place was supposed to be a gold mine for items, according to Freyd. It just appeared to Wulfrin that he was not casting in the correct way. "I can't guarantee the stay away plan will work.", He said with a sigh. "If we get jumped, I'

"Focus on the battle ahead of us," Wulfrin said placing a hand on Nari's shoulder. "We need you to help keep it off of us. If you can do that, we'll get through this." He gave a reassuring thumbs up before turning towards the final hurdle. As the boss approached the group Wulfrin couldn't help but smile. He gripped his blade tight and prepared to charge. Better or worse, I fight with them. You might not do much, but this is your chance to show them what they've helped mold. Let's bring that thing down. Mental pep talk handled, Wulfrin took in a deep breath to center himself. One strike c

Fusing: 2 T1 Rare Shields [220398] + [220399] -> T1 Perfect Shield (Materials sent to banker during crafting process) New Item Result: T1 Shield | Thornforged Shield | Fusion ID: 220400 | MIT 1 | Thorns 1 | Rec 1 Just as every rose has its thorns, this shield embodies the dual nature of protection and peril. Its intricate design, reminiscent of the intertwining vines of a rose bush, offers unparalleled defense on the battlefield while serving as a poignant reminder of the adversities faced in life's journey. On the front face is a small phoenix with its wings outstretched i

DATE: [3/19/24] RANK 5 BLACKSMITH | [EXP: 161/319] | Daily Crafting Attempts: 6 CRAFTING BUFFS: Ambition Tool +1 EXP per craft Crafting Tier 1 [Shield]s: ID: 220394 | CD: 8 | Success | Uncommon ID: 220395 | CD: 8 | Success | Uncommon ID: 220396 | CD: 6 | Salvage | LD 5 | Material Lost ID: 220397 | CD: 4 | Salvage | LD 7 | Material Lost ID: 220398 | CD: 11 | Success | rare ID: 220399 | CD: 11 | Success | Rare RESULT: +26 XP (3+3+2+2+5+5+6) | [EXP: 187/319] Rank Up! -6 materials | sent to banker New Items: Uncommon T1 Shield [220394] [220395] Rare T1 S

DATE: [3/18/24] RANK 4 BLACKSMITH | [EXP: 134/159] | Daily Crafting Attempts: 5 CRAFTING BUFFS: Ambition Tool +1 EXP per craft Crafting Tier 4 [Straight Sword]s: ID: 220377 | CD: 8 | Success | Uncommon ID: 220378 | CD: 2 | Fail | Material Lost ID: 220379 | CD: 6 | Salvage LD 17 | Material Saved ID: 220380 | CD: 1 | Fail | Material Lost ID: 220381 | CD: 4 | Salvage | LD 20 | Material Saved RESULT: +14 XP (3+1+2+1+2+5) | [EXP: 161/319] Rank Up! -3 materials | sent to banker New Items: Uncommon T4 Straight Sword [220377]

"Dangerous decision to leave the name and description up to the crafter," Wulfrin said as he scribbled the information down on a small note pad. "Feel free to peruse the racks. I'll bring up the armor in just a few minutes. I have most of the materials already ready to go. Sit tight." Wulfrin returned to his anvil and quickly stowed away his current project. It was important this was done right, as this was his first custom order. It didn't take long for him to return to his small makeshift counter. "Here you are," Wulfrin said as he placed a full suit of plate armor on the counter. "Thor

"Then west we go," Wulfrin said as he followed Ciela and her magical compass. The two traveled a good ways before Ciela stopped and began rooting around for materials. Wulfrin did a quick scan of the area. They were near a what Wulfrin assumed to be the headwaters of the river that flows through the Stoney Valley. This place was one of the few places with mobs that would attack anyone and anything that passed through. Wulfrin remained vigilant, but cast his line into the water. The calm lake was rest majestically with a view of the floor bellow. "You keep searching for your shard," Wulfr

“I’m ready to watch you get a demonic shard,” Wulfrin replied. “I’m not giving up my progress fishing.” The two had just wrapped up at Zackariah’s a few hours ago. They had made a quick detour to floor twenty-two for Ciela to pick up a sword that Wulfrin had in his racks. Now the two were back just outside of Tolbana to start on some other starting quests while her first big quest cleared the system. That quest was the Earning A Living: Forager quest. “When you get the shard,” Wulfrin said as they started to travel into the fields of floor one. “Make sure you hold on to it. That shard ca

"Nope," Wulfrin replied. "Fishing is its own profession. Honestly since crafting materials are generic I probably should have gone the foraging route." Wulfrin shrugged. "I chose it for the unidentified items. They have a chance to have unique items, and fishing lets me get the Gleaming Scales I need to keep those unique enhancements when fusing them. As for swords, yes I have a couple in stock, including a Tier 1 Longsword with a Unique Enhancement on it. Shops up on Floor Twenty Two, just outside the main town of Coral. It has a fantastic view of the floor's prominent lake. There's also a go

"Sadly no," Wulfrin replied. "Each quest has to be completed individually. And yes it took me a while, especially since you can't do anything to influence the numbers. Who knows though with any luck you might be able to power through it with ease. I will say the gathering profession does make it easier to complete your respective crafting quest. When I was gathering the materials for my Blacksmithing one I would go fight a monster and fish while my energy regenerated. It made it a bit less arduous since I alternated it, but it was also super boring and lonely since I went solo. I can tag along

"Freyd was the first player I met on my journey," Wulfrin replied. "He will be the lead on Bloodstained Land quest. That's the one with the land shark called Tera Firma on floor five. He took me on that and it bumped me up quite a bit. That's why it's called the Shark Bait Training Program. Apparently he has a follow up lined up as well, so you and I can experience it for the first time together. First though we should focus on getting you settled into the game. You said you wanted to do cooking?" Wulfrin flicked through the menus and pulled up the info broker's page. He navigated to the

"Sounds like a plan," Wulfrin wrapped up his conversation with the cowled figure. "Later Freyd!" The shadowy figure had already exited the building as Ciela emerged form Zackariah's crafting room. "Alright," Wulfrin greeted his companion. "It might be a bit before the system fully registers the quest completion. Now is a good time to pick up some other simple quests. All of the profession quests start here in Tolbana, or we can go see if we can hunt down the traveling gypsy that gives out the familiar hunting quest." Wulfrin led them to the small town plaza and set them up at a table. "Ge

"It's not necessary," Wulfrin replied. "Besides, if you go through The Bloodstained Land, you'll likely skyrocket up several levels letting you grab a handful of skills all at once. i also wouldn't go without picking up a teleportation crystal or two. They are literal life savers." With nothing biting, Wulfrin recalled his fishing rod. "Sounds like a plan to me. Follow me." He guided the duo back to Tolbana and through the winding streets of Tolbana. He had a decent haul form his little fishing and hunting expedition. Eventually he led the duo to the small alchemy shop of Zackariah.

"So..." Wulfrin started. "There is a boss here on floor one that drops a reusable item. Said item has the ability to generate additional hate for you. If you can get a decent blade and some sword arts, I bet you could come along with me. It isn't much stronger than the wolves I fought, so it will be the perfect capstone for your second lesson. There is a downside, I will technically be no stronger than you as far as stats. It will cap me to Tier 1, and my Sword Arts will scale down from Rank 4 to Rank 2." Hearing the plan out loud, Wulfrin shook his head. He was stupid for even suggesting

"Your assumption is correct," Wulfrin affirmed. "I specialized in damage. I have ranks in light armor but that is mainly so I have some sort of buffer in case I get hit." Wulfrin pondered for a moment. He had fought along side some tanks in his travels. He had a decent idea of suggestions, but nothing for certain. Commonly they all had ways to focus monster aggression onto themselves and had ways of mitigating the damage they took. Often they used a shield and heavy armor with additional enhancements that dealt damage onto their attackers. "I have a few suggestions," Wulfrin said as

"My background is from like childhood years," Wulfrin replied. "But since the system makes up for the slack, a lot of the motions and forms have sort of returned. I'd call it muscle memory, but we don't exactly have those right now." Wulfrin pulled his fishing rod back out and cast it back into the river. He took the seat offered to him just as his companion bonked her head on the ground. Wulfrin let out a small chuckle as he watched the bobber dance along the waves. Floor One always had the right mix of danger and peace. Wulfrin guessed that was by design so that new players didn't run a

Fusing: 2 T1 Uncommon Heavy Armors [220125] & [220126] -> 1 T1 Rare Heavy Armor Fusing: 2 T1 Rare Heavy Armors [220128] + [Above Fusion] -> T1 Perfect Heavy Armor (Materials sent to banker during crafting process) New Item Result: Thornforged Plate Armor | Fusion ID: 220245 | MIT 2 | Thorns 1 Just as every rose has its thorns, this suit of armor embodies the dual nature of protection and peril. Its intricate design, reminiscent of the intertwining vines of a rose bush, offers unparalleled defense on the battlefield while serving as a poignant reminder of the advers

Wulfrin and the wolf had a stare down for a count of 3. Both charged each other with speed and ferocity. Wulfrin's blade began to glow with a green light as he prepared for a strike downward. The wolf jumped towards Wulfrin ready to tear into his virtual flesh as the sword cleaved through its form. Wulfrin continued his strike by swiping back upward sending the wolf flying backwards and up into the air. Before it could hit the ground, its HP hit zero and it shattered into a shower of fractal polygons like the wolves before it. Wulfrin was breathing heavily. His Energy gauge was almost empty an

DATE: [3/17/24] RANK 4 BLACKSMITH | [EXP: 134/159] | Daily Crafting Attempts: 5 CRAFTING BUFFS: Ambition Tool +1 EXP per craft Crafting Tier 4 [Straight Sword]s: ID: 220235 | CD: 6 | Salvage | LD 8 | Material Lost ID: 220237 | CD: 5 | Salvage | LD 11 | Material Saved ID: 220238 | CD: 2 | Fail | Material Lost ID: 220239 | CD: 3 | Fail | Material Lost ID: 220240 | CD: 6 | Salvage | LD 15 | Material Saved RESULT: +13 XP (2+2+1+1+2+5) | [EXP: 147/159] -3 materials | sent to banker New Items: none

Wulfrin rushed towards the pack of wolves once again. This time his blade shone with the brilliant blue of a different sword art. Each wolf recoiled from the strike of his sword. As the final strike landed a holographic square appeared to move outward from the group, the afterimage of Horizontal Square. Three of his targets burst into a shower of polygons as the fourth lunged at Wulfrin with fangs bared in retaliation. Wulfrin ducked to his left and rolls repositioning himself for what he hoped to be his final strike. He briefly looked back at his companion to ensure she wasn't in danger. Sati