[Intergalactic: Online 4]

Creed quickly cleaned up the battlefield after resetting his traps. He had been worried about how effective the traps would be, as they were of poor quality. However, after what he had just seen, Creed felt much safer.

"I'll keep adding spikes until it's a real, inescapable death trap!" Creed mumbled to himself as his attention was pulled back to the two lizardmen's carcasses.

"Let's see. Did the interface say they're called Reptilla?." Creed said while shrugging his shoulders. The [Intergalactic: Online] Wiki had thousands of alien species that Creed had memorized, including the reptilian variants, yet this one was utterly new to him.

Creed grabbed one of the makeshift knives he had fashioned from a sharp piece of metal and then turned to look at the creatures. He thought about skinning them as he would in the game, prompting the interface to appear over his eyes as a guide, showing him how and where he should cut and slice.

Creed was not experienced in skinning at all, but since the interface was just like it was in the game, he knew that all he had to do was simply follow the indicators. After an hour, Creed had successfully skinned the two creature's rough hides; however, the work was sloppy, and the leather was in terrible shape.

[1 Point added to the Way of the Gatherer]

[1 Point added to the Way of the Skinner]

Creed wasn't interested in following the path of the Gatherer since it needed one to find new and exciting materials continuously. Creed was rather more interested in getting the materials to craft, seeing as he could create hundreds of different items using the same materials. This was why many, including Creed, felt that the Craftsman path was one of the best main paths to follow.

"The stuff I can make using these materials should get me 100 points in the way of the Craftsman!" Creed said excitedly. He knew that he was subconsciously trying to forget about his situation by pretending that he was still in the game. However, Creed felt that deluding himself was OK as long as it kept him sane and alive.

"Good, that's two hides done!" Creed said to himself as he put them both onto a large table to dry. He knew that he had to use a tanning machine or let them dry naturally. Seeing as Creed didn't have a tanning machine, he let them dry naturally.

Creed planned on making himself some clothes with the hides. It would be strange for a modern man to wear lizard skin clothing, but he had no other choices.

"As for the meat...I'll just throw it away. I don't know if it's safe to eat, and I don't think I should be starting fires in here either", Creed said while looking at the pile of spikes and fangs.

Creed fashioned these into makeshift necklaces first, which earned him an additional two Craftsmanship points. After making the necklaces, Creed combined them to make a strange crown of teeth, which earned him an extra Craftsmanship point. Creed continued like this as he used all of his creativity and the information he had gathered over the countless years he scouted the game's forums. With this knowledge, Creed had created dozens of different items using just the beast's fangs and teeth, along with his other small creations.

Their quality was all poor, so he only got one point for each creation. However, Creed assembled so many different variations that it didn't matter. After a few hours of this, Creed lay on the ground with an exhausted look. Around his waist, he was wearing a belt made entirely from fangs and teeth.

'Interface!', Creed thought to himself.

[Interface]

[Name: Creed]

[HP: 14/15]

[Paths]:

[Way of the Craftsman (Novice): 101 pts]

"Haha, took long enough!" Creed said while sighing to himself in relief.

He knew that his Craftsmanship points had reached 100 when his body suddenly felt like he had just walked out of a spa. Creed had to admit that he felt ten years younger.

"This must be the work of increased HP. Who knew that it would feel like this!. And not only that..." Creed said while looking at another notification.

[Acquired Blueprint: (Craftsmanship) Basic Metal Tools]

When Creed saw the announcement, he couldn't help but smile. This was one of the best starter blueprints that a Craftsman could ask for, so he knew he had been lucky. This knowledge would allow Creed to create all essential tools necessary to make other, more complicated items and machinery.

However, after Creed calmed down, he instantly remembered that the next rank-up would only be at 10,000 Craftsmanship points. This was a ridiculous number that would take Creed months, if not years, to achieve if he only made poor-quality items.

"I'm better off going for my sub-paths while working on craftsmanship passively..." Creed said as he thought about the existence of paths that brought him back to the game's lore. In [Intergalactic: Online], paths were just like the universe's fundamental laws. Those who diligently followed a path would be awarded knowledge to further their chosen path. Those who stayed devoted to their paths would eventually receive power and longevity.

Some NPCs believed that this was the work of deities, while others barely questioned it, seeing as they had lived their entire lives with paths being the norm. Players simply saw it as the game's unique leveling system and hardly questioned it. However, everyone could agree that this universe rewarded those willing to explore uncharted lands handsomely. Those few pioneers who were not afraid to risk their lives to discover new paths. The Pathfinders.

Creed remembered a pro Pathfinder player who had found power, fame, and vast fortune by becoming a pioneer and discovering an entirely new path. It was said that the rewards he received for learning a new path were so unimaginable that they were practically game-breaking.

"But it's so hard to discover a new path. Only two players found entirely new paths in the game's ten years of existence..." Creed mumbled to himself as he sighed, but he quickly slapped himself on the cheeks with a determined look.

"I don't have time to waste. I need to find civilization as soon as possible and figure out my situation," He said while standing up. Now that he had tripled his health, Creed was confident that he wouldn't instantly die to something out there.

Once the leathers had dried, Creed crafted himself a Lizard-skin tunic set and a pair of boots and gloves. Creed had tried to reinforce the armor with pieces of metal. However that made it too heavy, so he settled on using multiple layers of leather to cover his vitals.

Creed's clothing was sturdy, albeit still very poorly made, thanks to his Novice-ranked Crafting ability.

Creed picked up his makeshift spear that he had now reinforced with strips of lizard hide, giving it a proper grip. Creed has also added a set of spikes at the base, making it an odd-looking two-sided spear.

Finally, Creed put on a mask made from a Lizardman skull and then equipped a small, oddly shaped shield made from a thin metal sheet. The inside of the shield was covered in hide, making it comfortable to hold and ensuring that Creed wouldn't hurt himself when he defended with it.

"This is probably as good as it gets," Creed said as he prepared to leave the lab. Creed felt good about his chances if the lizards were the apex creature in this area, so long as they didn't gang up on him...