Lucian hummed as he worked on the pair of moccasins. The tune and the creepy lyrics wouldn't leave his mind, and he found himself humming the bizarre song any time he wasn't forcing himself not to do so. After almost a whole day, Lucian simply started humming without putting up resistance. There was too much on his mind, so he adjusted the initial melody into a more upbeat sound, and his irritation with the poem quickly faded.

The moccasins he crafted were simple, and now that sweat was no longer running in his eyes thanks to the heat reduction properties of the kilt, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Lucian stacked three layers of leather to form the soles before sewing them together. He would have preferred to make them thicker, but he could only afford to use so much leather at the moment. It took him well over an hour, but once he tied the final stitch, a prompt once again appeared before him.

[Unawakened Treasure detected. Does Host wish to activate Treasure using I Psyon?]

"Pretty please?" Lucian asked, batting his eyelids.

....

Lucian waited for a response, but the system never replied. He heaved a deep sigh, "Yes, Ed."

[Initiating Awakening Sequence]

A surge of yellow pixels fell into reality from the upper left corner of his screen and began to rush into the pair of moccasins beside him. Unlike the sheath, he didn't feel any danger coming from the pixels gliding toward the makeshift shoes. At most, the slight static coming from them felt like he'd rubbed a balloon on his arm.

[6%]

[23%]

[49%]

The Awakening Sequence passed by swiftly, causing him to frown slightly. In his opinion, the blazing download speed only confirmed that the Properties of the moccasins would have lower Grades. Not that it mattered to Lucian since he would take anything that he could get.

"Alright, Ed. What've we got?"

[Moccasins]

[Artisan: Lucian]

[Grade: 2]

[Properties: I]

[Shock Resistance: F]

"So... If that tiger were to try electrocuting me again, I would have to block its tail with my feet?" Lucian asked warily. The sabercat's attack had been swift, and he could barely keep up with it, let alone kick it!

[Resistance Properties of Treasures are transferred directly to Host while donning equipment. Like Properties do not stack. The higher Grade Property takes precedence]

"So... as long as I'm wearing these shoes, I'm shock resistant?" He asked curiously. Before Ed could even respond, he shook his head. This was an answer that he should have already known since he'd experienced similar effects with the apron and kilt.

[If Host is wearing Moccasins, Host will gain F Grade Shock Resistance]

"Thank you, Ed," Lucian smiled, looking at the final bits of leather that he had access to. The more he stared at the pieces, the less he felt that a glove would do him any good. There were two square sections that he hadn't finished cutting and a few scrap leather strips.

Lucian picked up the two leather pieces and began sewing them together, creating a small pouch. Once he was done, he cut a few small holes and ran one of the scrap pieces through like a belt to use as a drawstring. It wasn't spacious, but it would hold a handful of tiger claws and rocks from the [Vorikan] Tile. The kit would be convenient in case he needed to start a fire multiple Tiles away in the future. Lucian even decided to throw in some wood shavings for good measure, giving him a proper firestarter kit.

After finishing the kit, he looked at the sheath's progress. The pouch hadn't received a prompt from Ed, and Lucian was fine with holding onto his last Psyon. The sheath still had six percent to go, so he spent the remaining half hour doing light exercises while becoming acquainted with the weight of the moccasins and kilt.

Funnily enough, he quite liked the feel of the leather skirt and the freedom of movement that it afforded him. Lucian dove this way and that. He jumped, kicked, climbed, and sprinted, but he didn't feel any discomfort.

"This doesn't look terrible either..." Lucian mumbled. The thought that he was wearing a woman's garment didn't escape him, but the more Lucian looked at the thick leather, the more he felt he looked like an ancient Roman soldier. He chuckled, thinking about the Tournament and how he was essentially a Gladiator in a massive colosseum. "It's fitting."

"Hm. Hmmmm. Hmm."

Lucian continued to dodge around the trees and practice in the lower gravity of the [Vorikan] Tile until a prompt finally interrupted him. He jogged over to the apron he'd left back near his shack and inspected it. A sense of danger still lurked in the air, but it was sparse, and it didn't seem to come from the sheath. "Alright, Ed. What have we got?"

[Sheath of Paralysis I] [II]

[Artisan: Lucian]

[Grade: 23]

[Properties: I]

[Imbue Paralysis: F]

[Charge: 02:30]

"Ed... I'm going to need you to break this down for me. Can you give me the details of this sheath?" Lucian asked.

[Sheath of Paralysis I: Can be upgraded to Sheath of Paralysis II with 5 Psyons. Crafted by Lucian Lane. Equipment Grade of 23. Equipment holds 1 Property, Imbue Paralysis, at F Rank. Imbue Paralysis requires 02:30 to charge]

"What is Imbue Paralysis, and what is the charge?" He asked, hoping Ed would give him something more specific. Lucian was already excited about the idea of upgrading equipment, though he wasn't sure what that would entail.

[Imbue Paralysis: Weapon is imbued with a Charge of Paralysis after a certain amount of time in its scabbard. First strike after unsheathing weapon will contain a Charge that can render an enemy immobile briefly. Effect determined by enemy Endurance and Shock Resistance. Must sit in Sheath for 02:30 to gain one Charge. Maximum of one Charge]

Lucian felt a spark of excitement for the first time since being brought into this strange, game-like world. For a brief moment, there was no fear of what lurked within the shadows. He pictured the heroes that he and his son once admired, and he found a part of him itching for the danger that would soon be approaching...