121 Tunnel Created, Mind Transfer ?

[Skill Generated: Aura Strike]

Skill: Aura Strike

Skill Level: 1/10

Rank: C (SSS)

Cost: 5% and up HP/MP/EP

Skill Creator/Generator: Kirou

Description: A skill created by player [Kirou]. This skill allows its user to focus their energy on a body part or weapon and release the built-up energy in a concentrated blast on a single point. The damage ranges from anywhere between 100% - 3000%, based on the amount of energy and number of energy sources used (health, mana, and energy). This skill comes with the downside of the energy used to activate this skill will take five times as long to regenerate naturally and items used for its recovery will only be one-fifth as effective, so caution is HIGHLY advised when choosing the power source of this skill. Also, should the user sacrifice all three energy types in activating this skill, the user will be left with just 1 point across all power sources.

Looking over the skill currently being displayed, Kirou was between laughter and tears. His unintentional action of attacking the twenty-meter tall stone block with a charged attack, similar to what his gunblade tonfa utilizes, resulted in the creation of such a messed up skill. If it wasn't for the shortcomings that were attached to the skill, this skill would be classified as a game-breaking skill that should be immediately blacklisted by the system.

Having thought up to here, Kirou closed the menu window and looked over at the various NPCs now busying themselves with work. Although it hasn't even been ten minutes since he sat down to rest, Kirou could see that these former bandits were inspired in their work. Kirou looked at this with a smile on his face as he can already envision the formation of his own \u003cPhantom Palace\u003e.

Taking a deep breath, Kirou removed some tools from his inventory and started working on concocting a medicinal mixture. Although Kirou didn't have the use of his dominant arm in this procedure, it didn't matter too much as he was a person who made sure to practice everything important with both hands, just in case a similar situation to now ends up happening. That being said, he was out of practice so he had to use careful movements with all the procedures he had to go through.

Off to the side, both Reya and Navi saw Kirou concocting what looked like it would turn out to be a medicinal solution. The duo wanted to stop him but seeing the level of concentration on his face, along with his careful movements, they decided to stay their hands and just watch over his work. After all, it wasn't every day that one gets to witness someone concocting something with such a serious bearing, especially so for Navi since she was someone of the same profession. She especially looked on at Kirou's actions as if it was a learning moment.

This concocting process took roughly half an hour for Kirou to complete. While the procedure itself wasn't anything new, just from seeing how meticulous Kirou was in his movements allowed a flash of inspiration to go off in Navi's mind. When Kirou was done, he was left holding a strange medicinal liquid within a vial in his left hand.

Kirou looked over the medicinal liquid in the vial for a few moments with a blank expression on his face. Seeing this, both Navi and Reya moved their equipment closer to Kirou's location.

When they were close enough, Reya spoke up, "What's the matter, Mr. Wolf? Did the concoction fail somewhere or is it something else that's bothering you?"

Navi also looked at Kirou in curiosity when Reya asked this, trying to gauge Kirou's reaction to the whole thing. In the end, she failed to notice any changes to Kirou's expression and could only wait for Kirou to speak for himself.

After staring at the vial in his hand for a bit longer, Kirou released a sigh before speaking, "It's not like this mixture is a failure or anything like that. It's just that..."

"Just what, Mr. Wolf?" Navi asked this with an anticipatory expression on her face. She wanting to know just what it was that resulted from such a meticulous concocting procedure.

Shaking his head, Kirou could only give up on the strange thoughts in his mind as he spoke, "This mixture was done perfectly, but the result isn't the same as to what I am used to, is all."

Although Kirou said it like this, neither of the elves truly understood the deeper meaning behind Kirou's words. While both merely misunderstood Kirou's words to mean that his current concoction was either better or worse than what Kirou would usually make while playing Immortal Era, what Kirou was truly hinting at was the fact that this mixture came out looking vastly different from the very same mixture he was used to making back on the Grand Desolate Continent.

Understanding that this wasn't a topic he could or should bring up, Kirou released a sigh before speaking, "Regardless of what I'm used to, the concoction has already been make so I might as well put it to use."

Following his words, Kirou poured the entire contents of the vial on the bloody mess that was his right arm. The two elf women watched in amazement as Kirou's right arm heal at a pace completely visible to their eyes. Even though this was a game, this was their first time seeing such a medicinal solution with their own eyes, and this was saying something since both were related in some way to a famous gaming studio.

Roughly a minute later, Kirou's injured right arm was restored to its perfect state. In fact, Kirou had the feeling that his arm was in a much better shape than before he had originally injured it. Of course, this was only a feeling for him and not something represented by the system. After flexing his repaired arm a few times, Kirou nodded in satisfaction before raising to his feet, completely ignoring the shocked expressions on the faces of both women.

As soon as Kirou was about to walk away, he felt something tugging on both of his pants' feet. When he turned around to take a look, he noticed that both women were looking at him with feverish and hungry gazes. Kirou was naturally startled at this sight as he never expected to be on the receiving end of such gazes while in-game.

Just as he was about to say something, however, Navi spoke up, "Brother Kirou, would you mind explaining to me what that medicinal solution you just created is? If possible, would you mind sharing the recipe for it as well?"

On the side, Reya had her eyes locked on Kirou's every movement, giving him the impression that she'd pounce on him the moment he tried to flee so long as he didn't give them some information.

Kirou could only release a light chuckle before returning to a seated position between both women. Just as he was about to speak up, Kirou noticed that someone else was walking over to his group. When he turned around to see who it was, he noticed that it was the bandit archer, Moon Lily.

After Moon Lily joined the group, Kirou was now sandwiched between three girls, two of them looking at him with predatory eyes while the third had a serious expression on her face. If this wasn't a setting in a game where they were placed outside, next to a construction site, and was in a more private setting, Kirou wouldn't have minded making a dirty joke or two. Alas, even he knew that doing so in his current setting would result in him getting jumped by at least two of the girls.

Without even batting an eye at the girls giving him predatory looks, Kirou turned to face Moon Lily as he spoke, "Was there something that you needed for you to head directly here after returning, young miss?"

Moon Lily could see the looks that both elves were giving Kirou but she wisely chose to avoid that landmine as she spoke, "I managed to secure quite a few rare and unique herbs on my outing earlier. Since I lack a proper storage kit for these plants, I thought it best that I return here quickly and hand them over before their quality deteriorates."

Kirou nodded at this as he sent Moon Lily a trade request. After accepting the trade request, Moon Lily immediately added all the herbs she harvested into the trade window. On Kirou sides, he placed the bow he had promised her originally along with a dagger and a plant storage kit. Moon Lily raised an eyebrow at the sight of the two other items but she just shrugged before confirming the trade on her end, finalizing the trade between both parties.

Now that she was done with her business with him, Moon Lily got up. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to bite the bullet as she spoke, "Do I even want to know why those two are staring at you like that?"

Kirou just gave her a wry smile as he spoke up, "It's best that you don't know, preferably for my safety."

At those words, Moon Lily just gave Kirou a shrug before walking away, returning to the forests to continue her hunt for usable plants. Watching as Moon Lily left, Kirou slightly shook his head before sending both the recipe and description of the medicinal solution he had just crafted for his injured arm. The moment that both women were distracted by both the recipe and item description, Kirou quickly escaped from their respectively gazes quickly, with Asura trailing behind him.

By the time that both women finished examining both the recipe and description, Kirou and Asura were already long gone and all that they could see were the various bandit NPCs now moving about. They could only turn to stare at each other before the duo started to giggle at Kirou's antics.

This continued for a few seconds before the duo regained their composure and were now busying their hands, concocting medicinal solutions, and crafting pills for the NPCs currently busying themselves with digging. As they worked, Reya spoke up, "Was it really necessary for Mr. Wolf to sneak away so quickly after sending us the information? It's not like we were going to eat him or something, right?"

Reya was pouting as she said those words. Navi chuckled as she listened to Reya's words. While Reya may have said that, Navi was pretty sure that if either were to ask Moon Lily what kind of expressions both elves were wearing at the time she saw them, the answer would contradict her words splendidly.

With that thought in mind, Navi never bothered answering Reya's question and Reya knew better than to push for an answer from Navi when she was acting like that. Like that, both women focused on their respective jobs, producing pill after pill and healing potion after healing potion. For now, they wanted to make sure they had enough provisions ready in case any emergencies pop up.

While both women were busy on the surface, Kirou and Asura were currently underground. Asura was currently making a path in a downward spiral stairway between each floor going by the design of Kirou's early sketch while Kirou himself was making adjustments for each floor, along with digging out a starting area for each floor that they stopped by.

After doing this for roughly two hours, Kirou and Asura had finally dug a path that led directly to the underground cavern with the pier. By the time that both man and his pet had arrived, they were now too exhausted to even care about their appearances and just directly collapsed at the mouth of the path leading from the surface to the cavern.

Luckily for them, there were two shadow clones already in the cavern, waiting for them to arrive. The moment that both collapsed, the two shadow clones trodded over to their creator and carried him away from the entrance and placed him inside a stone hut they constructed out of boredom while waiting. After dealing with their creator, both clones returned and did the same for the badger mole cub, placing him at the foot of the bed where their creator now rested.

Having completed their objectives, both clones were about to go back to doing random things until their creator awoke when one of them immediately stood in place and stared back in the direction of the stone hut. This caught the attention of the other clone who was now looking at it in curiosity.

This continued for a few seconds before the first clone spoke up, "Keep an eye on both bodies while I head back to the top."

As if understanding what had transpired, the clone nodded before going to sit in front of the stone hut where it took out its wires. Seeing this, the first clone entered the recently created tunnel, disappearing into the darkness.