Please Touch Me, Master

'I actually succeeded…'

Bi Chen was silent as his dark gaze rested on the Rank 2 Artifact that rested on his hand. It had the appearance of a very long white worm, wriggling in the air as if it was alive. This was Rank 2 Thread Rope Artifact.

Its rubbery sheen glistened in the darkness, and it moved very flexibly… like gum.

'Despite its appearance, it's actually very durable and it also has very good elasticity. It can grow longer and shorter according to my will, though its durability falls the further it stretches. Still, I can see it being useful in many ways.'

According to its name, Thread Rope could stretch until it had the breadth of a thread.

'At the moment, it's about one inch thick and twelve inches long. This seems like its base form… not bad.' Bi Chen chuckled softly, also sighing in relief. 'I actually succeeded in obtaining a Rank 2 Artifact on my first try.'

It was worth commending himself for, but Bi Chen decided not to waste time on such ceremonies.

After all, Ash's praise was more than enough for him.

"L-Lord Bi! Is that a Rank 2 Artifact! It's so beautiful! You truly succeeded! I had no doubt in my mind. Lord Bi is truly amazing!" The beautiful girl kept jumping and clapping as she let out excited shrieks.

Bi Chen nearly rolled his eyes at this, but he controlled himself.

'In the game, I have personally Refined a Rank 7 Artifact before. Compared to that… this is nothing.' He smiled bitterly. 'Still, considering my current circumstances… this Artifact will be a lifesaver.'

Abominations and Explorers were classified into Ranks.

So were Artifacts.

A Rank 1 Explorer could defeat a Rank 1 Abomination with little to no difficulty, and the same logic applied to higher-ranked Explorers and their opponent Abominations. 

In the same vein, Artifacts—depending on their Ranks—could be used against Abominations of the same Rank. Bi Chen's Rank 1 Thread Rope Artifacts were very effective against Rank 1 Abominations, and it was also one of the reasons he was able to kill so many of them in a relatively short period.

As for Rank 2 Threat Rope Artifact… it was sufficient to deal with Rank 2 Abominations.

In essence…

'I no longer need to fear doing battle with Rank 2 Abominations as long as I have this Artifact!'

He glanced at Ash, who was still singing his praise, and a complicated expression formed on his gray face. After pondering on the matter in his mind for a moment, he shook his head and let out a regretful sigh.

'Unfortunately, I don't have enough materials to Refine another Rank 2 Artifact. Even if I had another Rank 2 Essence Core right now, I can't obtain another Rank 2 Artifact. Such a shame… I would have liked it if she could also obtain one'

If Ash had a Rank 2 Artifact, she would be more useful to him.

Unfortunately, life wasn't that simple.

'Oh well… no use dwelling on such matters. I still have about three more tries based on the ingredients left behind. I still have to Craft a Rank 1 Skin Sack Artifact, and also at least one Rank 1 Artifact that she can use in battle.'

And so, despite the arduous task of Refining a Rank 2 Artifact, Bi Chen didn't leave the Crafting Stone. 

Instead, he resumed his tasks.

He had one more failure before successfully Crafting the Rank 1 Skin Sack Artifact. Afterward, he had instant success when Crafting Rank 1 Shield Artifact for Ash.

"Since you will be in my Rank 2 battles from this point on, you'll need extra defense for yourself. Plus, it can be used as a Frisbee, and it'll always return to you if you're within range, so it can be useful as an offensive tool. When fighting Rank 2 Abomination, it could at least be used to distract the enemies, so I get the window to finish them off." Bi Chen carefully explained everything to Ash, and she nodded in clear understanding.

'I wanted to make her a Rank 1 Bow Artifact, but the efficiency would be too low. My Thread Rope already has long-range abilities, and without Rank 1 Arrow Artifacts to create proper synergy, the effectiveness on our enemies would be drastically reduced.' No one but Bi Chen knew these thoughts he had within his mind, so he could only sigh quietly. 'If I wanted to go for defense, I would have crafted a Rank 1 armor Artifact, but the durability would not really be worth it against Rank 2 Abominations. Plus, it doesn't have much offensive power compared to the shield.'

In the end, the shield was the best he could do with what he had.

'If we get more materials down the line, I'll Craft clothing items and armor for us. But… I suppose we have basic gear needed to move forward for now.' Bi Chen finally rose to his feet, the Rank 2 Thread Rope Artifact still hovering around him.

He was practically naked at this point, since the recent Crafting Failure caused the last strand of his clothing to get blown away. Bi Chen controlled the Thread Rope and instantly created shorts for himself, protecting his most private region.

Naturally, he wasn't embarrassed to be naked, but he simply wanted to test out the malleability and versatility of the Artifact.

'It can take on the shape I want… as long as they are simple enough. Unfortunately, the more it stretches, the thinner it gets, reducing the strength. Still… not bad at all.'

Bi Chen decided to keep the shorts on as he watched Ash return the few remaining materials to [Pocket World] while he placed the Crafting Stone shards in the Skin Sack. It was only after they were in the sack that Ash placed everything in her special space.

Thankfully, it fit.

'I've almost run out of materials to sacrifice in order to create explosions that can harm Rank 2 Abominations, but that doesn't matter. As long as I have this Rank 2 Thread Rope Artifact, I won't need to be making such sacrificial calls for a while…'

With a gleam of brilliance in his eyes, Bi Chen patted Ash on the head and began advancing deeper into the Labyrinth's depths.

***********

"Everyone is ready?"

At the entrance of the Labyrinth, there were over a dozen individuals standing.

Five were Rank 2 Explorers, while the one who led them at the very front was none other than Lady Hilda, a Rank 3 Explorer. Behind the Rank 2 and Rank 3 Explorers were about ten Slaves, each belonging to a respective Race while possessing different battle strengths.

These sixteen individuals were armed with equipment of all sorts, including many kinds of Artifacts. 

Under Hilda's leadership, they were ready to embark on a rather unique mission in the Labyrinth.

'After half a month, I've finally made sufficient preparations. So get prepared to face your end…' Hilda smiled boldly, her short brown hair dancing softly with the stale wind as her serious eyes flashing with a fervent, dangerous light. 

'… Zombie.'