The following morning marked the end of the rest period in the Ivory Citadel.
Diana and Rhea left The Ivory Refuge inn early, wearing their reinforced leather armor and equipped for an open-field expedition.
The first stop was at the artisans' plaza in the north sector, where Diana purchased an entry-level Ivory Harvesting and Alchemy Kit, which included a set of precision pliers, reinforced glass vials, a silvered-steel harvesting knife, and a thermal pouch for herb preservation.
[CRAFTING TOOL EXPENSES]
- Ivory Harvesting and Alchemy Kit + Glass Vials: -1 Silver Coin (100 Bronze).
[TEMPORARY POCKET BALANCE: 8 SILVER COINS AND 60 BRONZE COINS (860 Bronze)]
The moment Diana stashed the alchemy kit into her pouch, the System emitted an audible crackle in her head. The interface flashed as a shiny new tab popped open beside her status panel.
[SYSTEM: ITEM CRAFTING TREE UNLOCKED!]
Diana opened the new tab.
And for the first time in a long while, Diana's icy composure froze in pure shock.
The Item Crafting Tree was no simple recipe list. It was a colossal, daunting, seemingly infinite three-dimensional web that branched into dozens of main categories, each divided into completely independent sub-branches and proficiency levels:
1. [Alchemy & Botany]: Herb Manipulation, Poisons, Healing Potions, Stat Elixirs, and Magic Gases. (Current Level: 0 / 100 Proficiency).
2. [Metallurgy & Smithing]: Infernal Ore Smelting, Weapon Forging, Plate Armor, and Enchanted Blades. (Current Level: 0 / 100 Proficiency).
3. [Leatherworking & Weaving]: Beast Hide Tanning, Arcane Fabrics, and Light Armor. (Current Level: 0 / 100 Proficiency).
4. [Mechanisms & Magitech Engineering]: Trap Creation, Steam Devices, and Automatons. (Current Level: 0 / 100 Proficiency).
5. [Enchanting & Runes]: Elemental Rune Engraving on Weapons and Jewelry. (Current Level: 0 / 100 Proficiency).
Each of these five main branches possessed hundreds of proficiency levels, requiring thousands of hours of practice, rare recipes, and materials unique to each Circle of Hell.
—Wow…
The System's voice echoed in Diana's head, the screen flashing with a tone of mock pity.
—Congratulations, my dear greedy one! You just unlocked the biggest bottomless pit of time and resources in this world. I hope you have two or three centuries free on your schedule to climb this entire tree to the top.
Diana stared at that infinite web of crafting options.
Instead of feeling discouraged by the crafting system's monumental scale, a flash of pure, ravenous euphoria ignited in the depths of her dark eyes.
Knowing how to craft my own items… Diana thought, her fingers tightening around the thermal pouch. It means not relying on any miserable merchant. It means crafting more potent healing potions at a third of the cost, deadly poisons for Rhea's daggers, and customized armor no one else can sell. This isn't a bottomless pit. It's a goldmine.
"We're heading to the forest." Diana declared to Rhea.
Rhea tilted her head, surprised. "The Ivory Mist Forest?"
"Yes." Diana said, adjusting the strap of the alchemy kit. "We need to level up, but hunting blind without support is amateurish. We're going to harvest medicinal plants, ores, and beast hides. I'm starting to build my proficiency in [Alchemy] and [Leatherworking] today."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
North Outskirts - The Ivory Mist Forest
The Ivory Mist Forest was a lush, dangerous ecosystem surrounding the northern zone of the Second Circle.
The massive trees had white trunks like ivory and glowing purple leaves that emitted a soft, silvery mist. The forest floor was carpeted with luminous moss, exotic mushrooms, and rare medicinal plants that didn't exist in the First Circle.
Yet the location's beauty concealed real dangers. The monsters inhabiting the forest ranged from Level 7 to 12.
Rhea used her 17 points of Agility and keen wolf senses to lead the way, moving silently among the high branches of the white trees.
"Diana!" Rhea whispered from atop a branch, pointing toward the base of a moss-covered rock. "There! An Infernal Bloodwort root!"
Diana approached slowly, using [Analysis Vision]:
[Infernal Bloodwort - Common Quality]
Use: Primary ingredient for Reinforced Healing Potions and Vitality Extracts.
Diana pulled the silvered harvesting knife from the kit and carefully sliced the root, preserving the bulb and the plant's reddish sap.
[Harvest Successful!]
[Proficiency Acquired: [Botany / Alchemy] Level 1 (10 / 100 EXP)]
For two hours, the routine was seamless. While Diana gathered medicinal plants and ore from the rocks, Rhea kept watch from the shadows, ensuring nothing surprised the pair.
That was when the first pack of forest monsters appeared.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Three silver shadows emerged from the thick mist. They resembled massive wolves, their coats covered in plates of bluish crystal, with razor-sharp teeth.
[Ivory Shadow Wolf]
Level: 7
HP: 110 / 110
Main Stat: Agility / Stealth Attack
Three Level 7 Wolves.
"Rhea!" Diana shouted, unsheathing her black steel dagger with her right hand and priming magic in her left. "The one on the left is yours! Don't let him flank us!"
"On it!"
Rhea leaped from the tree like a silver blur.
SHADOW STEP!
Rhea's Agility 17 speed allowed her to appear instantly beside the first wolf. Her twin iron daggers tore through the beast's eyes and throat before the monster could even reacquire its target.
CRUNCH! DAMAGE: 48!
Meanwhile, Diana engaged the remaining two wolves.
ARCANE ENERGY ARROW!
Diana fired her magic arrow point-blank into the second wolf's chest, blasting the beast against the trunk of a tree. Without breaking rhythm, she spun her body and delivered a [Predatory Strike] to the throat of the third wolf attempting to leap onto her back.
In less than three minutes of fluid combat, the three Level 7 wolves lay defeated in the forest dust.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
[BATTLE CONCLUDED!]
[Enemies Defeated: 3x Ivory Shadow Wolves (Level 7)]
[Experience Gained: 450 EXP (+90 Anomaly Bonus EXP)]
[Shared Experience: Diana +270 EXP / Rhea +270 EXP]
[SYSTEM: LEVEL EVOLUTION!]
[Diana: Level 6 -> 7!]
[Rhea: Level 5 -> 6!]
The golden glow of evolution enveloped both at once.
Level 7 for Diana. Level 6 for Rhea.
But Diana's work was just beginning. She knelt beside the wolves' corpses and used her crafting kit tools to skin the crystal pelts and extract the monsters' poison sacs.
[Harvest Loot Completed:]
- 3x Crystal Wolf Pelts (Leatherworking Material).
- 2x Paralysis Poison Sacs (Alchemical Material).
- Direct Coins: 40 Bronze.
Diana sat down on a clean rock, opened her alchemy kit, and began her first practical crafting test.
She mixed the sap of the Infernal Bloodwort with purified water and ground the poison sacs in a small stone mortar, following the visual prompts of the System interface.
Her fingers were nimble, precise, guided by her high focus capacity and Intelligence 10.
[CRAFTING PROCESS COMPLETED!]
- [2x Reinforced Healing Potion]: Instantly restores 60 HP. (Quality: Medium).
- [1x Minor Paralysis Poison Extract]: Can be applied to blades. Inflicts [40% Slow] status on the struck target for 10 seconds.
[SYSTEM: YOUR PROFICIENCY IN [ALCHEMY / BOTANY] ROSE TO LEVEL 1 (45 / 100 EXP)!]
Diana picked up the vial of paralysis poison and handed it to Rhea.
"Apply this to the edge of both your daggers." Diana ordered.
Rhea took the vial, her amber eyes gleaming with admiration. "You… you just crafted this…?"
"It's a basic poison." Diana said, feigning indifference, though the crafting success swelled her chest with pride. "With this, your surprise attacks will slow targets instantly. No Level 8 monster will be able to get away from you."
Rhea carefully coated her blades with the poison, watching the edges of her daggers emit a faint greenish glow.
"Thank you, Diana!" Rhea smiled with resolve. "With this, we can hunt much bigger targets!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Late in the afternoon, after gathering more rare herbs and hunting two more packs of monsters in the forest, Diana and Rhea returned to the Ivory Citadel.
They stopped by the Alchemists' Guild supply stall and sold off the excess raw materials and roots they wouldn't use immediately.
[FULL FINANCIAL AUDIT]
Previous Balance (After Kit Purchase): 8 Silver and 60 Bronze.
Forest Coin Loot: +40 Bronze.
Sale of Excess Herbs + Wolf Pelts: +80 Bronze.
EARNINGS SUM:
40 Bronze + 80 Bronze = 120 Bronze -> (1 Silver Coin and 20 Bronze).
[NEW ABSOLUTE POCKET BALANCE: 9 SILVER COINS AND 80 BRONZE COINS (980 Bronze!)]
Nine silver coins and eighty bronze in her pocket.
Level 7 reached. Rhea at Level 6. [Alchemy] proficiency successfully initiated.
Back in their comfortable room at The Ivory Refuge inn, Diana sat at the table and opened the colossal panel of the Crafting Tree.
The web was infinite, but the first seed had been planted.
Today it was healing potions and basic poisons… Diana thought, a predatory, focused smile creeping onto her lips. Tomorrow, metal forging and arcane enchantments. I am going to master every single branch of this tree until this entire world buys from my stock.
With 9 Silver and 80 Bronze in her pocket, Level 7 consolidated, new crafting skills in her arsenal, and Rhea perfectly equipped at her side, Diana closed the System window, ready to conquer the higher tiers of the Second Circle of Hell.
Final Notes:
Item Crafting!!! I love this, and yeah, the Item Crafting Tree is going to be a absolute MONSTER.
I love it when LitRPGs focus on this, it's sooooo good.
Thank you so much for reading this far! We also have a Patreon for anyone who wants to support us or get access to extra content! Unfortunately, we can't dedicate ourselves 100% to this just yet, but we're giving it our all. Writing is wonderful, and being able to make a living from it one day would truly be a dream come true. Our dream.