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After Ragnar and his son Magnus left to gather wood and stone, Brunhild, her mother, her sister, and her friend decided to prepare thoroughly for the coming battle. They agreed that crafting special equipment would give them the best chance of surviving the ordeal ahead.
"Let's see..."
Brunhild opened her inventory and carefully dropped a large pile of valuable materials onto the ground. Blood Cores glowed with a deep crimson light. Blood Thrall and Dhampir Bones clattered together with a hollow sound. The heavy Alistair Blood Metal Exoskeleton lay in pieces, left behind after the man had been almost completely consumed. Next came the tough scales, dense bones, sharp fangs, and deadly claws of the Hydra Boss she had defeated earlier. Mithril Claws from the Mithril Moles glittered with a cold silver sheen, and several vials of Spirit Mercury harvested from the Mercury Slimes shimmered like liquid starlight.
These were all precious materials she had gathered through the past weeks of struggle in these new lands. Dungeons had proven to be an excellent way to collect high-quality resources quickly, and she still had plenty stored from her earlier visit to the Spirit Root Dungeon.
Aside from the Hydra remains, she also possessed scales, claws, and fangs from the Wyvern she had fought some time ago. Those could still serve a useful purpose. In addition, there were the giant mushrooms whose inedible flesh was surprisingly tough—harder than most leather—and could become excellent material if properly treated and prepared beforehand.
"There's plenty of ingredients here...!" Astrid said, her eyes lighting up as her mind raced with sudden inspiration at the sight of so many rare components.
"What do you think, Astrid?" Brunhild asked with a kind, encouraging smile. "Are these enough?"
"More than enough! I can already feel the ideas flooding my mind," Astrid nodded eagerly, picking up a large fang and then a matching claw to examine them closely. "I don't know why, but I suddenly feel really inspired..."
"It probably has to do with your Skills," her mother said. "You've been improving them steadily over time."
"Maybe the higher their level, the more positively they influence you," Brunhild suggested. "You've been crafting things since before I was even born, right?"
"Yep," Astrid confirmed with a small nod. "Huh, okay... I think we should focus on making some new armor, boots, and gloves first. As for weapons, I'm not sure if I can handle all of them by myself."
"You're not making anything on your own. We'll all help," Frigga said firmly. "Brunhild, you're joining us too, right?"
"Yeah!" Brunhild nodded with determination. "Actually, I wanted to show you something. It's one of my Talents... I obtained it back then when I used that Talent Awakening Scroll..."
Brunhild opened her system window and displayed the detailed information of the Talent she was referring to for her mother, sister, and friend to see.
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[Soul Spirit Forge (S)]
Your soul has become a Soul Spirit Forge, capable of absorbing souls and spirits to create powerful weapons, accessories, items, and relics. You may combine them with additional materials or existing equipment for greater results. Enchantments can grant special effects, abilities, or skills drawn from the spirits and souls used. The more you forge and enchant, the stronger and more powerful your own soul grows.
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"Soul Spirit Forge?" her mother muttered, studying the description carefully. "Wow, it sounds strong. But it requires Souls and Spirits? Where are we going to get those?"
"From me, of course!" Brunhild answered with a confident nod. "My Spirits and also my Physique can generate and imbue Spiritual Energy into equipment, so we can use that as an ingredient. Also, by using the Souls I gather with my Soul Orb, it should be possible to enchant the equipment we create with special effects."
"I see. So you're planning to use this Talent to enchant what I make, or are you going to make things from scratch by relying on it completely?" Astrid asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow with a slight competitive edge in her voice.
"I'm not trying to replace you or anything, okay? So don't get mad, big sis..." Brunhild sighed softly. "The plan is pretty simple. We'll make the equipment first and then reinforce it with this Talent. Put everything more... together, you know? Because we don't have much time to craft something more refined, we'll use magic and skills to speed up the entire process."
"I can help with my Alchemy too," Sigrid offered, wanting to contribute however she could. She knew they were running out of time, and the longer they spent on preparation, the greater the danger that might already be approaching. "Big sis Astrid, let's do this!"
Astrid smiled and nodded confidently, clearly feeling valued because her crafting skills were so essential right now.
Her mother gently patted her shoulders with pride. "You've become a great crafter and leatherworker," she said warmly. "I believe you surpassed me a few years ago already, honey. So have confidence in yourself."
"I do," Astrid replied with a cocky yet genuine smile. "Alright, can't be helped~ If you're all so desperate for my help, sure!"
Thus, they began working together without delay.
Frigga started carefully cutting and preparing the tough leather-like materials. Astrid focused on polishing the bones, claws, and fangs until they shone with a clean, deadly edge. Sigrid prepared a bubbling mixture of concentrated liquid mana inside Brunhild's cauldron, ready to apply her Alchemy skills.
As for Brunhild, she sat cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed.
She was not slacking while the others worked. Instead, she was tapping into the powers of the Soul Orb and carefully infusing her consciousness into it.
There, she entered the strange Soul Realm she had visited a few times before, the one centered around the familiar altar.
And...
"Wow."
This time the realm was filled with hundreds of glowing souls of various sizes and intensities. Among them floated several very large, immense souls that clearly belonged to the stronger foes she had defeated in recent battles.
And even...
"Alistair?!"
She spotted the Soul of Alistair drifting among the others. She could have sworn she had completely eaten it, yet it seemed that the act had also transferred his essence here, though in a noticeably weakened state.
He looked fragmented, covered in deep cracks across his form. There was no reaction when she approached. He resembled a hollow zombie, his mind completely broken.
"Huh, looks like he's completely mind-broken," Brunhild sighed. "Well, that's for the best... Freyja, are you there?"
Freyja quickly manifested from a bright point of white, gold, and red light, floating silently by her side.
"Yes, Brunhild, I'm here," she said with a calm nod. "What are you planning to do? Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention... I was resting."
"That's alright," Brunhild replied. "I want to know how to really use this Talent properly... Should I convert the Souls into Soul Points first?"
"Oh, no! Don't do that," Freyja stopped her gently before she could act. The small spirit placed her tiny hands over Brunhild's larger ones. "If you do, their essence will disappear as they ascend, and you will only receive their raw energy as Soul Points. You need a whole soul for the Talent's abilities to work properly."
"So that's how it is..." Brunhild nodded in understanding. "Heh, then I think I know who I'm using first..."
Brunhild grinned and reached out, grabbing Alistair's struggling soul. The moment she touched it, the fragmented spirit seemed to snap back to a faint awareness of life. She then rubbed her chin thoughtfully, considering her next step.
"But what should be his recipient?"
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