When John arrived back at his shelter, he found Bobo diligently continuing his leveling cycle, growing stronger even while staying at low levels. The pet’s steady progress filled John with quiet pride.

  Although the dome of the shelter hadn’t changed much in outside appearance, John noticed that the interior space had subtly expanded, granting more room and comfort within the glowing structure.

  A short distance away from where he was standing, set slightly apart from the tent, was a newly constructed open-air forge.

  The forge was a simple but efficient setup designed to aid crafting and metalwork. A sturdy anvil stood prominently at its center, its solid steel body worn smooth from repeated hammer strikes.

  Nearby was a smelter—a furnace built from heat-resistant bricks, capable of reaching intense temperatures needed to melt and shape metal.

  A wooden table was lined with various hammers, tongs, and other blacksmithing tools arranged neatly for easy access.

  A large water barrel sat beside the anvil, used for cooling heated metal quickly, tempering it for strength and durability.

  This forge was both functional and inviting, promising to become a vital part of John’s shelter and journey ahead.

  But this was not all; scattered around the forge were several large, sharp knives specifically designed for dismembering beasts. Their blades gleamed ominously under the light, prepared for the difficult task ahead.

  John admitted to himself that he lacked experience in butchering and processing such large creatures. However, the necessity was clear—he would have to learn quickly how to efficiently craft useful items from these carcasses.

  His mind began turning over possibilities: weapons, armor components, tools, and perhaps even trade goods. The forge and these knives represented an important step forward in his survival and growth within this parallel world.

  John picked up one of the sharp knives and began carefully working on the wyvern's massive carcass. As he delicately sliced and separated the tough hide and muscles, a system notification pulsed in front of him.

  He recalled that normally, one could only hold three crafts at a time. Yet, to his surprise, this was his fifth craft unlock.

  This anomaly hinted at something unique about his abilities and paradoxical dual classes challenging the system governing this world, giving John an unexpected edge as he continued his work.

  John's initial butchering efforts were clumsy and inefficient. He quickly realized he was doing a poor job and that this massacre had to end.

  Turning away from the messy work on the wyvern, he focused on the bones of the Jara, which had already been pre-processed in the village. The bones looked somewhat metallic, gleaming faintly under the light.

  A thought struck him—could he heat these bones in the forge and shape them with his hammer, much like metal?

  Motivated by the mission, John decided to put this theory to the test. He resolved to try crafting the three shovels ordered by the elder, hoping to turn these beastly remains into useful tools and fulfill his task.

  John approached the bones of the Jara, their metallic shine intriguing him. He carefully placed a large piece into the smelter, the intense heat causing it to glow faintly red. Gripping a hammer, he lifted the heated bone onto the anvil.

  His first few hammer strikes were a bit uncoordinated, the bone bouncing under his hands as it was harder to hold in place than true metal with which he had at least some experience. Cracks started appearing in unintended places. The awkwardness of shaping a material that wasn’t quite metal nor simple bone quickly became apparent.

  Undeterred, John adjusted his method, applying measured force with each blow, trying to coax the bone into the rough shape of a shovel blade. The edges were uneven, and the handle attachments were far from perfect, but progress was made.

  He cooled the piece in the water barrel, then reheated and hammered again, repeating this cycle multiple times to increase malleability and strength.

  For the handles, John fashioned long, sturdy bone shafts, cleaning them roughly with a butchering knife before attaching them to the bone blades with heated strips of the scaly Jara hide, acting like makeshift bindings.

  Each shovel was lopsided and rough but functional. The process was exhausting and required patience, yet finally, John held three crude but serviceable shovels in his hands—the fulfillment of his mission.

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  Though clumsy, his craftsmanship had succeeded through perseverance and trial, opening the door to mastering the forge and crafting in this new world.

  He would bring these shovels to the elder the next day during his visit.

  His more or less successful crafting was recognized by the shelter and it levelled up.

  It allowed him to unlock some new feature and after scrolling through a list of options, John decided, he needed a place to store these carcasses before they would start smelling. So, he picked the Cold chamber. Soon, a large storage room emerged from the ground shocking Bobo and John at the same time.

  After calming down, he looked at his shelter’s stat window.

  There it was again, the description of his shelter stating that no monsters could enter. That was not in line with what he had read in the purchased guide.

  John settled down with his book once again, eager to absorb more knowledge. As he turned the pages, he found a chapter dedicated to the dungeon—a place of trials and rewards central to the dragons’ journey.

  The dungeon was described as located next to village number 001, the starting point and hub for many dragons. The significance of village 001 was clear: it was the closest village to the dungeon, offering the best access to gather rare and powerful materials necessary for enhancing the dragon form in the real world.

  Dragons that spawned in villages with higher numbers were farther away from village 001. The further the village's number, the more distance separated the dragon from this vital dungeon. For those who emerged close to other villages, the advice was to train and build strength locally before attempting the journey toward village 001 and the dungeon.

  However, the system imposing a strict time limit—the infamous 30 days—meant that dragons spawning too far from village 001 would likely find the trip impractical within this period. In such cases, these dragons were encouraged to focus on survival and growth in the vicinity of their spawning village, making the best of the resources and challenges nearby.

  The dungeon remained the ultimate destination for those who could reach it, promising untold opportunities for progression and power acquisition essential for crossing into the real world as stronger, more capable dragons.

  John closed the book, deep in thought about what this new knowledge meant for his journey ahead.

  John contemplated the information he had just read. He realized that he was likely quite far from village 001, the famed location next to the dungeon. He wondered where exactly this important village might be in relation to his current position.

  Despite this distance, John was struck by the notable exception that the usual 30-day time restriction seemingly did not apply to him, unlike other visitors of this world. This anomaly gave him some hope and a sense of advantage.

  However, practicality soon took hold. Traveling far from his shelter seemed unwise, as the shelter was both a base of operations and a sanctuary. Venturing too far away could leave him vulnerable and cut off from the resources and protection he had started to carefully build up.

  John weighed these factors thoughtfully, understanding that while reaching village 001 and the dungeon might be ideal, he needed to balance risk, time, and preparedness carefully on this complex journey.

  John reopened the book, intent on finding more details about village 001. He pored over the descriptions and realized the village was reminiscent of Golddeep. Could it be that young dragons who spent all their lives in Golddeep would spawn near village 001? That might explain why he, who had not done so, found himself so far away.

  At least, these clues provided him with some orientation. But the sheer distance remained daunting. In the real world, he’d relied on carriages, the passageways beneath the earth gifted by the roots of the World Tree which had transported him, and even flight on a dragon to traverse vast lands. Here, cut off from those means and without a clear map, he felt the weight of not knowing the way.

  John realized how much finding village 001 would require not only courage and strength, but also a leap of faith into the unknown. For now, the prospect left him reflective and deep in thought.

  He did not find any information on village 105 in the book. John thought that he would need something like the Stone of Recall but better. Something that would work in two directions.

  John decided, it was time to start training himself. Even if only barely so, supported by the mana regeneration skill of the shelter, he should have enough mana to summon the Trial through his skill.

  In an instant, the world around him vanished.

  Just like the last time he had used the skill, he found himself standing alone in an expanse of pure, blinding white—an empty room without walls, floor, or ceiling as he knew them.

  This was a strange situation. While time did not pass for him in the real world while he was in the parallel world, time would not pass in the parallel world either while he was in this trial world.

  John decided to summon beasts he had fought against in the vicinity of village 105 but he set their levels higher and fought against Jaras and Wyverns. Soon he would reach an edge of his levels and would join Bobo in drinking from the negative XP potion which regenerated inside the pot to start again with his own loop of leveling up and down.

  He felt like he had a lot of time and it was time to exploit his XP trick. One feeling made him bitter though. He could certainly reach new heights training here but this would be useless when he would return to the real world as he would again be restricted by the collar.

  The following days and weeks saw John diving deep into a cycle of relentless effort. He alternated between hunting missions assigned by the village elder and honing his skills in the art of dismembering monsters. Each carcass offered new materials, serving as the foundation for his developing smithing techniques.

  John practiced shaping weapons and tools from these monstrous remains, gradually gaining proficiency and confidence at his forge. Later he even tried his hands at armor smithing.

  Training sessions inside the trial subworld were split between summoning creatures he had encountered in the parallel world and in the real world. He faced progressively stronger versions of monsters he had previously encountered. Each battle refined his combat skills and tactical instincts while increasing his XP.

  In between these challenges, John managed his leveling cycle using potions to level down, maintaining the loop that allowed for maximum stat growth.

  Meanwhile, Bobo remained steadfast on his own training regimen, steadily becoming stronger and more capable.

  Together, they prepared for the increasing difficulties the unknown future held, their bond and skills growing with each passing day.