Absolute Craft-Chapter 94: The Alliance (4)

Chapter 94: The Alliance (4)

Standing in the armor Blake had crafted for him, Joel couldn’t hold back his tears. He sobbed, overwhelmed by joy. He even lunged forward to hug Blake, but Blake’s quick reflexes helped him dodge this uncharacteristic show of affection.

"This is like getting an SPhone or a brand-new gaming PC with a 10420 GPU and a 69th Generation CPU!" he cried, admiring his hound-shaped helmet.

He had never received such a precious gift! It wasn’t that his family never gave him anything for Christmas or birthdays, but the sheer scope of what Blake had handed over was so astounding that Joel was moved to tears.

And this was just the armor!

Blake silently passed him a new spear.

Holding it, Joel checked its stats and nearly dropped it. The weapon was epic rank, far surpassing his old spear in damage. On top of that, it came with five skills!

<A Nail Of Netherworld (Spear)(Epic)(Attack: 98-264)(Durability: 200/200)(5 skills available)>

The spear’s blade resembled a beast’s blue nail. Its shaft was long and smooth to the touch, with a handle that practically demanded a firm grip. When Joel did a quick slash, a faint blue trail followed, accompanied by a chill in the air. The soft whoosh it made felt like music to his ears.

Joel burst into tears. "BIGH BWO!"

Blake ducked and rolled away like a startled turtle. Then he stood and raised a hand to keep Joel from tackling him again. Inside, Blake felt an indescribable warmth that lingered until Kyria arrived.

Perhaps this was why some people preferred giving gifts over receiving them. Joel’s heartfelt reaction was truly precious.

"I know you can wield this weapon and serve as our blade," Blake said. "Also, I want you to join us so the Tutorial Alliance believes your armor and spear come from the Eternal Winter Graveyard. We’ll fool them if we need to."

Given that things could go south between Anonymous House and the Tutorial Alliance, Blake had resorted to simple misinformation—something beta-testers like Cerberus often used. It would make Loot Order and the other allies believe Joel had Anonymous House’s top-tier gear.

"Okay," Joel replied with a nod. "Should I try to piss off The Hounds with my armor? If they come at me, I’ll beat them all!"

"We still need to handle a few of them... but if everyone chases you for your armor, we’ll show them they’re just The Hounds," Blake answered, prompting Joel to salute with excitement.

At that moment, Kyria joined them. It took him a second to notice that Joel, rather than Blake, wore full armor, while Blake stood there in just a mask. It wasn’t hard to figure out, though: Sol clung to Blake as usual, and Beatrix was right behind him.

Kyria nonetheless asked about Joel’s gear.

Blake said, "Introduce him as someone who wields items from the Eternal Winter Graveyard. I’ll stay in the shadows for now."

Kyria gave him a meaningful look, then nodded. "Sure."

He didn’t press the matter, likely realizing Blake would explain if it were crucial. With that settled, Kyria led everyone out of Birchshade Village.

They were on their way to meet the guild leader of Loot Order.

"As a result of the zombie apocalypse, all tutorial zones have been linked through the Eternal Winter Graveyard," Kyria explained while guiding his guildmates along the thoroughfare toward what was once The Abandoned Village. "Now players can meet each other without needing special items like the ticket."

"That’s awesome! I heard other tutorial zones have different enemies and environments, so we can train there before going to the mainland!" Joel exclaimed, practically glowing with excitement. "Staying behind was definitely worth it! We can meet everyone, fight even more enemies, and we’ve got that massive worldwide boss event too!"

It was hard not to share his enthusiasm.

Then Blake asked something that had been on his mind. "You fought Alex with your hands shaped like guns and said it was closest to your real self."

Joel chimed in while Kyria narrowed his eyes in mild disapproval. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"It’s normal to own a gun in North America these days!" Joel declared.

Blake responded, "I know. It’s just that he was so skilled with pistols that I wondered if he spends time at the shooting range."

Out of nowhere, Kyria laughed. He usually spoke in a deep, low voice, so this sudden melodic laughter felt out of character.

"If you’re curious," Kyria said, referencing the draw that left them owing each other favors, "I might indulge you—if you spend yours."

Blake shook his head. A favor was too valuable to waste on mere curiosity. Blake had been working with Anonymous House and had already clashed with The Hounds and their guild leader. It didn’t look like he’d cut ties with them anytime soon, so he was prepared to spend plenty of time dealing with them—especially their leader.

All of this went back to the favor Kyria had used on him. If Blake were to spend his own favor on something as trivial as idle curiosity, he’d be the most foolish player alive. Plus, Kyria showed tremendous potential, and it was entirely possible he and his guild would rise to the top in the future. Blake would be wise to hold onto his favor until that happened.

Time passed, and soon Blake and the others spotted a group of players who stood out. Under the dark forest’s canopy and the night sky, their white-and-blue armor seemed to glow. Their ice-sculpted weapons added an even more striking flair.

These six players from Loot Order, including their leader, wore top-tier equipment sure to shine in the upcoming boss event. The men looked like Ice Princes, the women like Snow Princesses.

Just then, flanked by two masked players, Joel stepped forward wearing his hound-themed helmet and knightly armor. Spear in hand, he resembled a knight poised to topple princes and win the favor of every Snow Princess.

Both groups sized each other up intently.

Then, the Guild Leader of Loot Order broke into applause.