Greg was already working on the next thing. He had taken a big pot from someone's kitchen and some copper wire. He thought about sound, how the Behemoth's roar had made him feel, and how to make something that could confuse people without killing them.
"Alright... let's see how much more of this I can handle before I pass out!" Greg raised his hammer with a smile that he rarely showed when he enjoyed forging many tools.
[NEW ITEM MADE: Thunder Cauldron]
[Rank: SSS]
[Properties: Sends sonic blasts in a certain direction that stun and confuse monsters within a 100-foot cone. The device emits a sonic frequency that specifically targets and harms aggressive animals. Needs 30 seconds between blasts.]
[Note: You turned a soup pot into a weapon.]
[The absurdity meter is far too high.]
He put it at the main gate and taught a confused militia member how to use it. The first blast knocked a pack of charging wolves back, making them whimper and lose their way.
But it wasn't enough. The monsters kept coming in waves. Greg could see Marina coming from the west, and her frying pan was expertly blocking attacks. Denna's axe moved up and down in time, holding a choke point with pure willpower.
And on the other side, Kael's arrows hit eyes and joints with deadly accuracy. Ryn's barrier spells flickered and held, using up her mana at a scary rate.
"I've seen worse than this... and I'd rather fight a monster with packs than humans with packs because of how greedy they are!!!" Greg raised his hammer even higher until sweat started dropping on his forehead.
Greg worked faster, making more things and giving them to the defenders. A shield that took in kinetic energy and let it out as a shockwave. A rope that can hold someone's legs and wouldn't let go. The bell, when rung, temporarily calmed monsters.
When Greg keeps on crafting and forging non-stop, a system bar appears in front of his face, and he doesn't have time to be surprised.
[Achievement Unlocked: Crisis Crafter]
[You have made more than 10 legendary items while fighting]
[New Skill Available: Rapid Forge - Crafting time is cut in half during emergencies]
"About fucking damn time," Greg said under his breath as the new skill kicked in.
"Let's fucking cook all of this shit, shall we!?" His hands moved even faster now, and the hammer strikes were more effective. The materials shaped themselves almost before he touched them.
An hour went by. Thereafter, two hours passed. The defenders were holding on, but just barely. Greg was getting worn out, and the monsters didn't seem to be stopping. Greg's mana was running low and his arms ached from all the hammering.
That's when he heard it. A sound that sent chills down his spine.
A roar that was deeper and more basic than anything else they'd heard. The ground shook so hard that it broke stones.
The other monsters, the ones that had been attacking the village, suddenly turned around. They weren't running away anymore, but they were running out in fear.
"What the hell is that?" Denna yelled.
Something that belonged in nightmares came out of the woods. It was thirty feet tall and looked like a bear crossed with a dragon and bathed in pure rage. Its fur was matted with scars, its eyes glowed red with rage, and when it roared again, the sound was so loud that it brought down several buildings.
"No way... no fucking way!!! A Berserk Titan," Ryn said, her voice empty.
"Monster of Class S!!!" Ryn screamed loudly.
"A Berserk titan?! There's no fucking way that beast existed here. They supposedly went extinct years ago!!!" Some of the guards protested with fear.
"Well, this one didn't get the memo," Kael said as he nocked his strongest arrows.
The Titan looked at the village and started to charge. It charged not with the mindless rage of smaller monsters, but with a frightening intelligence and a clear goal. It pushed the walls of the earth aside like they were made of paper. It appeared to be affected only by the Thunder Cauldron's sonic blast.
"Everyone get back!" Marina yelled. "Get the villagers out of here now!"
But there wasn't enough time. The Titan was too strong and too fast. It would get to the village square, where most of the civilians were, in less than thirty seconds.
Greg looked at the hammer, the things he was working on, and the mess around him. He thought about everything he had made, every silly thing, and tried to find something that could stop this.
He starts to breathe hard and loud because his PTSD from his past starts coming in—all the screams he can imagine from those dead people who got killed. He wants to make weapons, but his mind is in conflict with two decisions.
"Fuck...!"
"System," he said in a hurry. "Please give me something! Anything!"
"What can I make that will stop that?
[Warning: Your mana reserves are very low. Any more crafting is very risky.]
[But there is one choice.]
[You have enough materials and mana for one last creation. Make it worth it.]
Greg looked around like a madman and grabbed everything he could find. Iron bars, broken weapons, a church bell that fell during the chaos, chains, a wagon wheel, and even a cast-iron bathtub. He put everything in a pile that didn't make sense from a structural perspective.
His hands moved almost on their own because the new Rapid Forge skill pushed him past his normal limits. He wasn't thinking about what he was making, he was just thinking about what he needed.
Something to stop the Titan.
Something that will keep everyone safe.
The hammer fell over and over again, and with each hit, the pile of junk that seemed impossible to make began to take shape. It got bigger and clearer, coming together into something that didn't make sense but made perfect sense to Greg's enhanced instincts.
Marina came up to him, her frying pan still glowing from the fight. "What are you doing, Greg?"
"Something dumb," Greg said through his teeth.
"No... more like something that could kill us all or save us all."
"I won't know until it's done."
Marina noticed many veins starting to pop out from Greg's arms, and she could even see all the veins ripped until blood started coming out. "Stop it, Greg...! You'll hurt yourself!"
"I can't stop...! Arrrggghhhhhh!!!" Greg keeps on hammering with a loud shout.
The Titan was now only twenty feet away. Greg could see each tooth, which was the size of a sword. Could smell its stinky breath. It felt like it was full of hate, like heat.
Ten feet....
Greg's hammer fell for the last time.
[NEW ITEM MADE: ???]
[Rank: UNKNOWN]
[Properties: CALCULATING...]
[WARNING: The power of this item is higher than what is normally considered safe]
[WARNING: Must be activated right away]
The pile of metal and chaos burst into light so bright that it felt like looking into the sun. When Greg's vision got better, he saw something that shouldn't be there between them and the Titan.
And that's when everything went completely crazy. "What the fuck..."
"...is that!?"