Absolute Craft-Chapter 61: An Abandoned Village (1)

Chapter 61: An Abandoned Village (1)

’Wolfang,’ Blake thought as he recognized a familiar figure approaching with an awkward smile.

Wolfang was Kyria’s right-hand man—and someone who knew Blake in real life. He had also dueled Blake one-on-one, earning his respect. However, Wolfang’s guild had once ganged up on Blake with more than thirty members, so he couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at him.

If Blake chose to forget the past and focus solely on Wolfang’s strengths, he would view him in a positive light. After all, Wolfang’s swordsmanship was already at a high level—something he shouldn’t have been able to master so quickly in the game world.

He must have spent countless hours with Kyria, suggesting he had a wealth of knowledge about the world’s mechanics. That made him a valuable teammate...

But before either could speak, Joel suddenly shouted, "The dishwasher!"

Sure enough, a woman whom Joel had once called a "dishwasher"—who had killed him for it—walked toward them. She wore flexible leather armor over a red cotton shirt and pants, her rebellious expression indicating she wasn’t one to welcome others easily.

Hearing that insulting term—which Joel rarely used, since women usually tempered his positivity and energy—the woman snapped. She rushed at him like a charging minotaur.

Facing this furious opponent intent on pummeling him, Joel took a proper stance and repeated his mantra. He also anticipated her next move, a swift dash that would breach his reach advantage.

Many spear users struggled once their reach advantage vanished, but not the current Joel. He stepped back deliberately and slashed at her armor, drawing a surprised look from the rebellious woman. He thrust forward, trying to push her away.

However, the woman caught the shaft of his spear and turned it into a tug-of-war, inching closer to Joel to deliver a low kick.

Blake saw what was coming and stepped in. Placing a hand on her shoulder before she noticed him, he said, "Enough."

"Oh, so he’s got another sexist friend!" she snapped.

Blake winced. He knew how such accusations could sting; his former guild mates had always warned him away from controversial topics. For him, the insult was just one more example of heated words spoken in the moment—he wouldn’t dwell on it. But some people did take it seriously, and he didn’t know how to respond.

Just then, Wolfang intervened. "Let’s resolve this calmly and without fists, okay? Mr. The Chosen One, do you call every lady like that?"

"O-Of course not!" Joel stammered.

He hadn’t expected things to escalate just because he impulsively reacted to a woman who had once killed him. She had a memorable face, a mocking laugh, and a condescending stare that frustrated him more than he could say. Even so, he regretted causing trouble for Blake.

Wolfang nodded. "There’s obviously bad blood between you two, but that doesn’t excuse you. Swallow your pride and apologize."

Joel bowed his head in front of the assembled players, his voice echoing. "I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have called you that! My bro is not a sexist!"

"I take that back, too," the brazen woman said. She then glanced at Blake. "Sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"It’s fine," Blake replied, turning to Wolfang. "Thanks for handling this."

Wolfang shook his head. "We’ve got a few loud types who say the first thing that comes to mind. I’m used to it. A couple of slips and impulsive reactions don’t define a person. But I have to admit, I didn’t expect us to meet under these circumstances. Your helmet’s different, but I’d recognize that armor anywhere." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Wolfang had spent the last few days offline, avoiding everyone. He hadn’t spoken to Kyria yet. Instead, he’d been practicing swordsmanship in real life. Now, he felt a strong desire to apply the game’s skills to fill gaps in his technique in ways unique to this virtual world.

The Abandoned Village was a special zone, ideal for that. There would be no shortage of monsters and far fewer onlookers. Also, coming here in person let him scope out potential teammates and join them rather than relying solely on matchmaking.

This intrigued Blake.

It seemed that once you cleared a dungeon—or any zone—you could queue for matchmaking from anywhere and without a key, at least for common zones like the Abandoned Village.

"Matchmaking can be a hassle," Wolfang said. "With the wrong or incompetent teammates, you waste a lot of time—and time’s precious. They really should update it... I’ve still got some work to do at home, so a fun, casual expedition here would be perfect."

Seamlessly changing the subject, Wolfang asked, "Mind if I join you two?"

Blake tilted his head. "I’m planning to use this zone to teach Joel and help Sol level up. I don’t intend to level up or clear it the ’proper’ way."

Wolfang smiled. "That’s even better. I want to loosen up my avatar and try out a few moves."

After recent events, Blake saw no reason to turn Wolfang down. The man had already helped him and didn’t give off any negative vibes.

At that moment, Wolfang excused himself and stood motionless, tapping the air in front of him—clearly interacting with his game system no one else could see.

A moment later, he asked, "What about Kyria joining us? I don’t want to miss the opportunity, and he seems interested, too."

"...Sure." Blake wasn’t sure what Kyria found so intriguing about their little expedition, but he gave in. Kyria, after all, was even more fascinating than Wolfang—his epic class might spark fresh inspiration.

Soon, Kyria joined them.

Standing off to the side, the woman sized up the team and whispered to Joel, "Where’d you meet these guys? Another one hiding his identity... what’s the point? They’re not hotshots like Feather Butterfly, Koros, or even The Humbled Dog."

"My bro is better than all of them!" Joel declared, crossing his arms. He stood as resolutely as his words suggested, ready to defend his claim with anything that came to mind.