Construction Mage - Chapter 57: Recipe

AN: Start of another new week. As always, thank you each and every one of you for your support!

Google Docs Link

Clay squinted his eyes as he examined the parchment stuck onto the carcass of the lizard. It appeared as if it was partly embedded in the flesh rather than having landed on the remains. That was confirmed when he had to tug on it to loosen it, and when he did, a system prompt appeared.

[Recipe(Staffmaker) - Ironspine: Teaches how to craft a humble conduit of magic. Though far from mighty, using appropriately aged Ironbark in its construction can grant it‌ unexpected sturdiness, making it a reliable melee weapon. Materials required: Ironbark, Mana Crystal, Infused Bone Ash, Mana Dew. Learn now? (Yes/No)]

A recipe? And for a class I have as well? Is this pure luck, or are the drop rates dependent on what classes I have, too?

Grasping onto his spoils tightly, he glanced back to find Dorgan slapping Malik on the back while pushing him forward at the same time.

“Now it’s your turn, lad. Get at it!” he heartily shouted.

“Um, Dorgan,” Clay asked. “Do you happen to get recipe drops for the Weaponsmith and Jeweler classes more often since you have those classes?”

“Hmm? Maybe? I don’t keep track! I leave it to the others to take care of the loot.”

An exasperated sigh sounded out from beside the man

“Don’t bother asking him if you want a proper answer, Clay. He’s used his brain so little that he’s going senile already,” Sylphira cut into the conversation. “I take it that recipe you got there is something you can use? What you’re thinking is mostly correct. Many Delvers have noticed that the drop rate is skewed toward their classes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a dud, either. If that happens, you can just sell it, though.”

“I see—thanks.”

Clay diverted his attention back to the recipe in his hand. He couldn’t help but let out a wry smile at the irony of the situation. He had come to the second layer seeking materials, but had gotten a recipe first. Now he had double the reason to gather ‌Ironbark and whatever Staffmaker or Alchemy material he would come across.

For a short moment, he debated whether he really should use the recipe himself. He never saw himself as someone who would specialize in combat, and the Ironspine seemed exactly meant for that purpose. However, he knew he couldn’t completely avoid combat either, and right now, he was under-equipped if he intended to continue delving into the deeper layers without recruiting a full party.

The only hesitation that remained was switching from using the shovel he had gotten so used to, to what sounded like a boring staff. It was hard not to think that it would weaken his melee attacks.

I am a mage, so it’ll probably enhance my magic, and it’s something I’ll switch to sooner or later, but right now I rely on my shovel just as much as my spells. Is it worth prioritizing magic?

His gaze alternated between his current weapon and the piece of parchment.

No, who said I had to choose? A shovel is basically just a staff with a metal scoop on the end, right? Delver equipment shouldn’t stop working just because it’s attached to something.

With a brilliant idea fresh on his mind, he immediately turned back to the two veteran Delvers.

“Did either of you ever have your equipment severely damaged?”

“Yes, a few times actually,” the dark-haired woman answered. “Why?”

“Does the stat bonus it gives remain even when damaged?”

“Hmm, it depends on how damaged. I’d say if it still resembles the weapon it should be, it’ll still work. Only when it’s truly beyond repair does it cease to grant you power.”

“Then, perfect!”

No longer hesitating, Clay selected the option to learn the recipe. He didn’t feel anything, but he did confirm that the entry was there on the screen after he selected Staffmaker within his status.

His sudden inquiries and actions made question marks pop up above his companions’ heads, but before they could press for answers, Malik cheerfully called to them.

“I’m done!”

Not wanting to linger around the scent of blood for long, the veterans swallowed down their questions and got moving.

As if the Goddess was smiling down upon Clay, they only walked for another five minutes before he felt something akin to a radar going off in his head. It came from straight ahead. From his conversations with Malik and other Delvers, he could tell that meant he could sense a material he could harvest nearby. With every step he took, he could feel the presence grow closer. Soon, he stopped moving right before one of the many trees within the forest.

At first glance, it didn’t appear any different from the hundreds he had passed, but he instinctively felt it was different. To be precise, he felt two presences that called out to him.

“Sir?” Malik asked, confused as to why his boss and mentor was staring at a tree.

“Leave him be,” Dorgan’s gruff voice resounded. “It seems like he found something useful. I’ll keep watch over the area; you can take a break until he’s finished.”

Hearing that his allies had his back, Clay didn’t waste any time and went over to retrieve the skinning knife from Malik’s pack. He then carefully climbed up the tree and made his way over to one of the thick branches filled with leaves. His eyes zeroed in on one of the offshoots. It was only when he got right before it that he could tell its color was slightly off compared to the rest.

Letting his instincts guide him, he allowed his hands to wander over to the stem, pinching it a few times, causing the color of the leaves to darken. Just as it got to what felt like the right color, he held the pinch down firmly and sliced the leaf at the stem in one smooth movement. He repeated this multiple times until he had harvested everything he could.

 After that, he jumped off the tree and turned to Dorgan.

“Um, do you think I can borrow that axe of yours?”

“What? This tree what you want? I can chop it down for you if you want.”

Harvesting materials shouldn’t do anything, seeing how Malik hasn’t benefited from skinning and butchering all the time. So why not?

“Sure. I’ll take you up on that.”

The party quickly retreated from the tree, and the moment they did, it instantly tumbled down. Clay hadn’t even been able to see what happened, and it fell. Not an uncontrolled fall, but gently placed down by the man known as Dorgan. The tree itself was twenty meters tall, dwarfing the Delver, making the scene almost unbelievable even when it happened before their eyes.

With a soft thud, dust was kicked up into the air as the tree landed. Then, Dorgan proceeded to trim off all the branches, shaping it into a proper log.

“You’ve done this before?” Clay asked as he approached the man from behind.

“Not really, but I’ve seen Faris—umm, a member of our party member do it from time to time. Hard not to when she always makes me lug it around after.”

“That sounds tough. Carrying something so bulky through the dungeon can’t be easy.”

“It’s not that bad. Fell way taller trees before. It helps that Faris usually only takes the heartwood. ‘The sapwood and cambium are no good,’ or so she says.”

His words caused Clay to do a double-take at the fallen log. He had felt like there was more he could do with the log, but he thought it was just because of the recipe he had learned, calling out to him.

It seems ‌I’m wrong.

“Do you know how to trim it down to the heartwood only? If not, I’ll have to borrow your axe, after all.”

“I can do it roughly. Won’t have the cleanest margins, though.”

“That’s fine. The time saved with you doing it is more than worth it.”

“Alrighty, then.”

As Dorgan hefted his axe up once more, Clay turned to the leaves he had harvested while he waited. The material so far hadn’t caused a prompt to appear, so he didn’t know exactly what it was, but he could sense it was used in alchemy. 

He caught Sylphira peering over at the leaves as well, but she didn’t say anything, so he couldn’t do much but save it until they exited the dungeon.

“How are you two feeling?” Sylphira asked as soon as he finished packing the leaves into Malik’s backpack. “Maybe we should take a break here and have some snacks?”

“What? We barely ‌got started!” Malik replied energetically.

“Yeah, we usually go until a bit before noon. We aren’t that fragile.”

“That’s not it. Here on the second layer, you don’t get to choose when you take a break. Conserving stamina is the key to surviving this layer and many of the deeper layers. Those who push themselves often find themselves exhausted in their dire moments.”

The two beginner Delvers shared a look and shrugged.

“If you say so,” Clay said. “We’ll trust your judgement, of course.”

Like that, the boys were persuaded to set up a makeshift camp. It was something new to them, as they had never really stayed in the dungeon long enough to warrant setting up camp. Exiting the first layer was easy enough whenever they needed. That was no longer the case on the second layer, where there were no landmarks to help mark the direction of where the white gazebos were.

They made use of the discarded sapwood as seats while Sylphira carefully set up a strange, small tent that could barely fit a rabbit.

“What is that?” Malik asked.

The woman brought a finger to her lip and then gestured for him to watch. She then brought out a fire crystal and carefully placed it in her mini-tent and ignited it.

“Smoke from campfires can draw monsters, and sometimes, so do bright lights. Fire crystals are smokeless, but you’ll need to create a cover like this to cover the light. Staying warm and dry is crucial to your conditioning. It’s a necessary trick to pick up unless you want to feel like a savage for days on end or worse—get sick. There’s no telling when you can find the exit, after all.”

“Oh, you guys sure got comfortable real quick,” Dorgan chimed in upon his return from his task.

“Took you long enough,” Sylphira quipped. ”Take a seat. I’ll reheat some soup.”

“Don’t mind if I do!”

“Can I use some of the lizard meat you packed, Malik?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

Just as the stout axe-wielder got settled in, the echo of a piercing cry faintly caught the veteran Delvers’ attention. The two of them froze in place and snapped toward the direction of the source. Their movements alerted Clay and Malik to something amiss, and they fell silent as well.

No one moved as they all focused on their ears for a full minute.

“That’s the sound of people, alright,” Dorgan commented with a frown before turning to Clay. “They’re quite far away, but let’s go check them out. Usually, meeting humans in the dungeon can mean trouble, so you should avoid them. However, when they’re so far away, it’s better to collect information on their movements so you can plan accordingly.”

“Sounds good. You two have the lead, so I’ll follow whatever you say.”

“Just stick close. Nothing bad will happen with us here, but it never hurts to be careful.”

With the matter decided, the group swiftly gathered their belongings, leaving the log behind, and trekked through the dense forest toward the sound. Sylphira skillfully stowed away the small pot of soup without having to pour the contents away, showcasing just how proficient she was at having to suddenly relocate.

As a result, it didn’t take long before they trekked through the foliage and emerged onto a cliff overlooking a large stretch of the landscape, where a view opened up before them.

The scenery was mostly just trees densely packed along the gentle hills, repeating as far as the eye could see. There was one particular point of interest, though. A river cut through the forest, its currents flowing toward them. They could see that it wasn’t that wide either. Two canoes could barely fit side by side on it. 

How did they know such detailed information from a distance, you might ask? It was thanks to the conveniently placed figures running along its banks that acted as a reference. To be precise, they were people fleeing from a group of monsters hot on their heels.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter