Adrenaline Junkie [Book 2 Complete]

"Listen," Archie sighed as he sank deeper into the sofa with a defeated look on his face. "I don't know why they're throwing gang signs."

"I just found them doing it one day when they were rifling through my stuff and found them having used the Information Crystal – USL Language and reading through 'Major Factions and Pantheons in the Multiverse', and then they just began throwing them up."

Bralmir smirked as he watched Volos and Arsenic locked in an intense standoff atop two towers made entirely of toothpicks, each of them throwing increasingly elaborate gang signs that countered the one the other threw up as though they were playing some dueling card game.

"I don't think I've ever seen a scene like this before in my life," Bralmir chuckled, glancing at a potted plant in the corner of the room for a fraction of a second before letting out a whistle that stopped Volos and Arsenic. "The Drogoon Fangs are no longer the stronger gang against the Mechanica Dogs. They horribly lost the last fight they were in two months back."

Arsenic looked at Bralmir with narrowed eyes, only for Bralmir to produce a hologram from his own advanced-looking Aetherglass and show a news article that displayed the title: "THE MECHANICA DOGS STRIKED BACK, TAKING OVER 14 OF THE PLANETS OWNED BY THE DROGOON FANGS, SLAUGHTERING ALL THE ENFORCERS ON SAID PLANETS!"

Arsenic shifted the gang sign for the Drogoon Fangs into the one belonging to the Crystal Legion, to which Bralmir nodded in approval. "Yes, that would work here."

"Bralmir," Archie sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You shouldn't be encouraging them to throw up gang signs like they're some sort of dueling card game."

"Bah," Bralmir dismissed as he put away his advanced-looking Aetherglass. "Let kids be kids. Besides, there's no point in stopping them."

"What do you mean?" Archie asked, taking another sip of his beer.

"They already created their own gang, with us already being members inside it," Bralmir smirked, creating a hologram appeared atop his palm and tossing it Archie's way. "It's official too, by the way."

Within the hologram were the photos of himself, Volos, Arsenic, and Bralmir, with the titles being: Giver of Food, Co-leader, Co-leader, R&D specialist. And smack dab in the middle of it all were the words: THE GLENWYN GANG.

"What?" Archie shouted, leaping from the sofa and turning to look at Volos and Arsenic, only to find them having vanished from atop their towers and rushing out of the Lounge.

"…"

Archie let out a loud groan as he flopped back onto the sofa. "I know they couldn't have done it by themselves… Why did you help?"

Chuckling at Archie's reaction, he answered, "Why not? Besides this way, it gives some protection when they decide to go and explore the Multiverse."

Archie's eyes slowly traced back to the empty tower tops that Volos and Arsenic stood on.

"Also, when I mentioned how in order to be a gang, they had to register their gang to make it official, they all but gave me no choice but to give them the opportunity to register them so you could continue healing and they could leave the med bay."

"… You know what," Archie let out, downing the rest of his mug of beer. "I'm just gonna look through my Profession Evolution options and forget about this whole thing."

Bralmir smirked at his response and shrugged. "If you say so, fellow gang member."

Archie tightly closed his eyes before opening them again and clicking the Evolution Pending button beside his Profession on his Status Page.

D-Grade Profession Evolution
You have shown a high amount of talent in forging. Your ability to consistently improve your runework and try to integrate newly gained knowledge into your craft has been permanently etched into your Records. You have shown notable proficiency in both your runework and forging abilities, being able to craft items that reach the Epic rarity all on your own while under immense pressure as an E-Grade. As a result of all you have accomplished within E-Grade, you are presented with 5 Profession Evolutions.

Reading through the System Notification, Archie's mood lifted ever so slightly. I created another item that was Epic tier?

"Was my teleporter Epic rarity?" He asked Bralmir, who nodded and said, "It just about made the cut off… but to be fair, kudos to you with how you were still able to forge after your first teleporter model exploded. Your stamina almost bottomed out four times during your reforging and rebuilding."

"I honestly couldn't tell you what I did during that time," Archie said as he tried to remember what had happened during that time. "Everything's a blur for me when I try to recall what I did to build the teleporter."

Looking back at the System Notification, he dismissed it, only to receive five more appearing in front of his face.

Advanced Forgesmith:
An Advanced Forgesmith is a Novice Forgesmith who has surpassed the basic forging techniques and runic literacy they had when they first began their Forgesmithing Journey. With their advanced skills, they are able to reinforce, modify, and optimize forged items to their limit. Allowing them to reach their peak potential, enhancing performance, durability, and functionality with ease. Their crafts prioritize both toughness and quality. Stats per level: +15 Vit, +12 Str, +10 End, +8 Per, +6 Int, +4 Wis, +10 Free Points.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The generic, straightforward upgrade for the Forgesmithing Profession, Archie mused as he read through its description. It offers 65 stat points per level, which is 15 above the minimum.

Reading through it once more, he pushed it off to the side, keeping it as a worse case option to select if all the other options were shitty ones.

Corebound Artificer:
A Corebound Artificer has refined their forging skills and emphasizes the importance and utility of using cores in their forged items, allowing their tools, weapons, and devices to exhibit far more diverse functions than what they had would have had without them. Provides Skill: Core Integration (Initiate). Crafts require properly attuned cores to function. Incompatible materials or improperly carved channels may lead to core rejection or destruction of the item along with the core. Cores must be used for an item to be considered a truly completed item. Stats per level: +15 Vit, +13 Per, +12 Str, +10 End, +10 Will, +6 Int, +4 Wis, +12 Free Points.

"Oh, baby," Archie muttered as he looked at the 82 stat points being offered to him. "I just got offered a Profession called Corebound Artificer."

"Ah," Bralmir said in recognition. "A decent Profession option, and a pretty good Evolutionary Journey, if only reliant on the use of cores, of which they run through quite fast. So, if you do end up selecting that Profession, I recommend you fill up on as many cores as your spatial storages could carry."

"It's a really nice option," Archie admitted while shifting the Notification off to the side and above the Advanced Forgesmith option. "While the restriction of the cores potentially destroying the entire item if I fuck up on them and constantly using cores on everything might be a bit of a pain in the ass, it really does sound pretty good."

But, onto the next one, he thought to himself as he was greeted with his third option.

Battlecraft Smith:
A Battlecraft Smith is a smith that hones their craft to their limit to produce highly functional, durable equipment designed specifically for combat for others as well as themselves. Their work emphasizes balance, reinforcement, and practical utility on the battlefield. Every craft forged is optimized for maximum performance under pressure, with no room for aesthetic or ceremonial features. Provides knowledge on: Combat Efficiency Design & Beginner's Metallurgy. Stats per level: +12 Str, +11 End, +10 Vit, +8 Per, +8 Agi, +4 Int,+5 Will, +12 Free Points.

"This one is also pretty good," Archie said out loud. Most of the items I forge are for combat, be it armor or weapons, but I don't like that it just focuses on weapons and armor for combat. I'd rather not be limited to just doing that.

While Corebound Artificer all but tells me to use cores in what I create, I do that anyways, and it doesn't restrict me to only craft certain items, only that I have to use cores.

So, all in all, I guess, this one just gets dismissed because of how much better Corebound Artificer is.

Warforger of the Unknown:
A Warforger is not remembered by the tools they built, rather, they are remembered for what their tools set in motion. What began as budding intrigue in the mastery of metal and flame now stands as the reason entire borders burned. For it was your craft and by your own hands, that had ignited the first global war in decades on a planet that had not seen war in decades. From that moment, war became a direct consequence of your forging. Your expertise lies in building implements of destruction – forged with precision, built for devastation, and designed to destabilize. You do not wait for war to come. You make it. With hammer and ingenuity, you plant the roots of ruin, all the while remaining unknown. Stat bonuses per level: +15 Str, +13 Will, +13 Vit, + 12 Per, +10 End, +7 Agi, +5 Int, +10 Free Points.

"Ah for fuck's sake," Archie groaned as he read through the Warforger of the Unknown's Class description. "Not this again."

"What did you get to elicit such a reaction?" Bralmir asked, his attention grabbed by the sheer annoyance that laced Archie's words. "Did you get offered a shaman-related Class?"

"I wish," Archie groaned. "That would have been infinitely better than what I have in front of me."

"Which is?" Bralmir inquired, head tilting slightly to the side as he brought his mug to his mouth.

"… Warforger of the Unknown," Archie answered, eyes closed as he braced himself for what was coming.

"Ah," Bralmir said with a small smirk growing across his face.

Archie slowly opened an eye, confused as to why no smart alec response was coming his way. "What, nothing to say about me getting that Profession Evolutionary Option?"

"I mean, I wasn't the one who caused a war with the items I created, not this time at least," Bralmir shrugged, dodging a pillow launched at his head with his eyes closed. "Besides, being offered 85 stat points per level is quite something, even if you have to constantly cause and be a part of wars to gain levels."

"Fuck you," Archie grumbled. "There literally was no other way for Aoife and me to escape the Netharim Sovereignty. I just didn't expect an all-out war to be created by it. I just thought it was just a couple of E-Grade ants."

"Whatever you say," Bralmir shrugged as he continued to drink from his mug.

Archie held back his tongue as he dismissed the Warforger of the Unknown option from his face and went to see the fifth and final option he was offered.

Spiritforging Engineer:
A Spiritforging Engineer advances and builds atop the foundational skills of a Novice Forgesmith, growing in tandem with the development of your Spirit Link. You now pursue the path of an engineer and the integration of spiritual essence into your craft – experimenting and testing to your heart's content. You are no longer a simple smith who crafts simple armor, tools, and equipment – you are an engineer of the art of Spiritforging. Provides knowledge on: embedding, mapping, and routing spiritual pathways as you forge. Stats per level: +15 Vit, +12 Per, +10 Str, +10 End, +5 Will, +4 Wis, +4 Int, +15 Free Points.

"Oh, thank god," Archie let out as he read through the Profession's description. "Not you," he said almost instantly as he saw the Bralmir about to respond.

75 stat points per level without any restrictions tied onto him and connected to spiritualism, just like his Class was just what he had wanted. The System was truly a benevolent one.

With that, he had selected Spiritforging Engineer as his D-Grade Profession of choice, dismissing the other options he kept on the side without a second thought.

Profession Selection D-Grade:
You have selected Spiritforging Engineer as your D-Grade Profession. To unlock this Profession, you must complete the trials presented to you and fulfill all the given requirements. Only when these are fully completed will your D-Grade Profession Trials be marked as complete, and you will be granted Spiritforging Engineer as your D-Grade Profession.

Do you wish to begin your trial?

However, before Archie could even answer, Bralmir interrupted him. "Ah, before you accept to take those trials, there's something that you really need to know."