Hector had never been one to get overly excited, but the idea of crafting was making that happen. He had not been an avid video gamer, but when he did play, he always enjoyed the crafting elements. The idea of making things and selling them brought him joy, perhaps if this worked out, he could even open a shop of his own someday. He even remembered the time he spent an entire day crafting just to sell everything on the auction house in-game. That was a rush for him, different from combat but still satisfying. Surely a deviant crafting skill could make sought after items worth some cash or credits...he wasn't really sure on that one, he hadn't seen any evidence of currency yet.

  In his excitement, he failed to notice that the Room of Deviation held more than just one bookshelf. Looking around he saw several rows lining one of the walls. Labels attached to the top advised him this was not a crafting section, history, science, math, ya, that was one he was going to avoid, he really hated math. As with the rest of the library, books lined the shelves. He reached out and grabbed one, a leather tome covered in dust. Wiping away the dust he read, "Deviants Guide to the Galaxy”, he pocketed that one for later reading. Most of the books though involved boring sounding topics, the history of various kings and large number of biographies filled most of the shelves.

  "I wonder why such boring books are here. Could this be like a forbidden history of the multiverse section?"

  He browsed several of the history books, none really grabbing his interest. Surprisingly the multiverse was kind of boring, lots of fallen kingdoms, backstabbing, cheating, it sounded eerily similar to earth. The major difference he found was the use of magic and the creative ways it was used to cause destruction. Warfare was fascinating to read about, some stories were simple, large fireballs caused big boom kind of simple. Others referred to complicated rituals that drained the souls out of an entire planet, he could see why that one would be forbidden.

  He continued to rifle through the shelves; he was pretty sure he would not get to come back here so might as well check it out while he could. The Pantheon hadn't exactly been spoon-feeding him useful information, maybe something here could help. Out of curiosity he even browsed the math section, turns out, intellect does not help when the math starts turning complicated, like multi-page formula complicated

  One story really piqued his interest, the cover was worn, hard to read, the only words he could make out were "Paths Diverge" and "Rowan", the rest of the title was worn off. The cover had a man in robes drinking from a mug. Most of the pages were torn out but what he gathered about this Rowan character was quite interesting, he had a heavy drinking habit and unusual magic, the book did not go into detail, but one theme remained the same, most feared him. The book mentioned that his power was so strong that even the Pantheon didn't dare mess with him, as if he had overcome the system itself.

  "If this story is true, I would love to develop that kind of power someday. " Thoughts of grandeur and freedom raced through his mind as he skimmed the pages.

  Near the back of the Room of Deviation was another door. Hector entered it and found himself inside a studio filled to the brim with materials. He assumed this workshop was meant for those who followed deviant crafting paths. Unlike the other crafting studios he had passed through earlier, this one felt far more varied and alive. As he stepped fully inside, the room began to change.

  Looms pushed up from the stone floor, their wooden frames forming as if grown rather than built. The ceiling unraveled and reformed, covering itself in an ocean of threads of every color and thickness imaginable. Rolls of cloth lined the walls, while neatly folded bolts appeared on shelves that had not existed moments earlier. Animal parts stocked themselves along nearby countertops: horns, claws, paws, hides, scales, and stranger things he did not immediately recognize. Circles etched with unfamiliar patterns briefly burned themselves into the floor and walls. They pulsed once with soft light, then vanished. Taking a moment he tried to process all that was going on, but he was stunned by the transformation that took place before him. The room had restructured itself around him, providing everything he could possibly need to practice his craft. Quickly, he opened his book. Several new sections had appeared; most of them focused on the skills the crafting discipline had unlocked. He skimmed through them, eyes widening slightly at the depth of options laid out before him.

  He let out a slow sigh. “All of this is great, but where do I even start? I guess step one is always the hardest part.”

  He sat down on the stone floor, staring at the materials around him. He had never really been that handy; work and life had kept him busy. He was capable when he needed to be, but being handy had never been something he pursued for his own sake. Still, something about this felt different; he just couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Thinking back the only true crafting experience he had was bush crafting while in the field, and he is not even sure if he would call that experience or just a general interest in the topic. He had spent hours watching videos online learning how to create primitive shelters using paracord and surviving with nothing but your skills and the gear you had on-hand. He had never really built much of any of these things, a crude shelter here and there when he was bored, and he most certainly never drank his own urine like some survival experts suggested, but this was the closest thing he had to craft experiences.

  He looked back at the book. Each skill supported a different aspect of creation. Some items required only one, but others required multiple skills to work together. If he wanted to clear this dungeon properly, the item he crafted needed to use everything he had just gained. Maybe he was wrong, but an instinct inside him pushed the thought to the forefront of his mind.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Alright, let me give Living Weave a try first.”

  He read the description again. From what he understood, it allowed him to bind healing aligned energy into cloth and fibers. How that worked exactly he wasn’t sure, the only way to truly know would be to test the skill out and see for himself

  “Well, it seems simple enough...,” he said, though he was not fully convinced.

  He grabbed the nearest bolt of cloth and sat with it across his legs.

  [Analyze: Bolt of Eden Sheep Wool]

  Wool derived from sheep found in Eden.

  The fur has been processed into a usable bolt of cloth.

  Warm, comfortable, and highly resistant to moisture.

  Highly prized among crafters for its flexibility.

  He activated Living Weave and a dull green light bloomed in his hands. It gave off a warm and comforting feeling as he continued to use the skill. He placed both palms against the cloth and let the energy flow. The light surged into the fabric in a quick burst. He frowned, studying it. The cloth glowed faintly green, but the light quickly faded. He was not sure if the material was absorbing the energy or if it was simply bleeding away. He tried again, this time, he did not release the skill immediately. He kept it running and this time the glow did not disappear this time, allowing the cloth to maintain a steady glow as a soft system chime sounded.

  [Bolt of Eden Sheep Wool has been crafted into Eden Sheep Healer’s Wool]

  “Yes, that works” he said quietly, a grin spreading across his face.

  He set the bolt aside.

  “So I can change base materials into something usable for my craft, good to know.”

  He turned his attention to the next skill.

  “Thread Sense,” he read aloud.

  He stood and walked over to a shelf stacked with claws, talons, and other assorted monster parts. His eyes caught on something familiar, Wampus Claws. He sat cross-legged on the floor and opened his inventory. With a thought, he pulled out every Wampus claw he had collected so far and added them to the pile.

  "Thread Sense"

  [Thread Sense (F) Activated]

  His view of the world shifted. It was subtle at first, but the longer the skill remained active, the more detail he could see. Faint threads clung to each claw like ghostly filaments. Some glowed softly, while others were frayed, dim, or tangled. Once he noticed the differences, he could not unsee them. Picking up the first claw, he could see thin green strands that ran cleanly along its curve, flowing smoothly from base to tip.

  “High vitality retention and low internal stress?” he murmured, not entirely sure how he knew.

  He set it aside carefully, picking up the next claw, he could tell something felt wrong. Its threads twisted unevenly, and there were gaps where vitality simply stopped, and the structure was brittle like it was damaged somehow, but it looked no different than the rest. One by one, he examined them all, some carried faint echoes of scarring from past fights while some remained pristine looking, like they had never seen use. Not all materials were equal; some were clearly of a higher quality than the others. From his best guess he selected a mid-grade claw, it was not perfect, but it would make for a perfect test piece.

  “Alright, time to see what happens” he said quietly.

  Again he activated thread sense, weak points revealed themselves immediately, areas where tension would snap under stress. Carefully, he activated Adaptive Stitching. There was no surge of power or magical flash, the process was slow and methodical. He stitched where resistance formed and eased pressure where tension built, then the claw responded. The internal threads shifted, and the quality of the claw grew noticeably higher. When he finished, he leaned back, exhausted. He checked again and the difference was clear. When viewing the claw through thread sense he could definitely tell the quality had increased slightly. It felt like knowledge of these new crafting skills had became natural for him, quite different from his combat skills that he had been using. The best way he could describe it, was it felt like he was almost running on auto-pilot like just learning the skill allowed him to manipulate it, not with practiced efficiency yet though, but he hoped that would come in time.

  Looking at the claw in his hand he muttered to himself. “Hm, that didn’t make it stronger, but the material definitely seems to be of a higher quality now.”

  He was starting to understand the craft a little. It was not about brute force or rushing results. It was about understanding what something needed and then providing that to the object, and the thing appeared to be the power he held within his healing spells.

  “Yeah, I think I am going to enjoy this.”

  One thing did strike him as odd though, when he thought of threads cloth and clothing came to mind. After using Thread Sense, threads could be seen in just about everything, as if the world itself was bound together by these threads.

  "Thoughts for another day, right now I need to figure out what to make."

  His thoughts turned to what he should craft first. Bandages, garments, trinkets, artifacts the options were endless, but one thing stood out. The Stabilization Wraps he had received early on. These were important to him, because they provided him with his first glimpse into understanding how his healing skills functioned. The structure they provided during one of his first healing sessions was vital. He returned to the book and flipped through the pages until he found a simple heading.

  Foundational Pattern: Living Bandage

  The text was straightforward.

  A living bandage is not meant to heal by force.

  It exists to support the body while healing occurs.

  Required Materials:

  Flexible cloth capable of holding low-grade vitality

  Organic binding thread

  Minor, sustained healing output

  Method:

  Lay the cloth flat and introduce a gentle healing flow. Do not saturate.

  Identify stress points using Thread Sense.

  Stitch slowly. Uneven intent results in uneven binding.

  Allow the weave to settle before use.

  Expected Results:

  Stabilizes wounds

  Reduces bleeding

  Improves efficiency of healing effects

  Adjusts tension as movement or swelling occurs

  Common Failures:

  Overcharging causes rigidity

  Rushed stitching leads to energy drift

  Incompatible materials decay or reject the weave

  Hector set the cloth down and let Living Weave flow. The material warmed beneath his fingers as the first stitch took hold, he did not stop.