Souls Online: Mythic Ascension
Chapter 207: Planning for the Future

Chapter 207: Planning for the Future

The more Adam spoke about fighting in the game, the more Penny came to realize one thing: She was not going to do very well on that aspect.

While she was good at using her head and hands, it did not translate well into hand eye coordination in the heat of the moment.

Putting it nicely, she was creative, not destructive. Being realistic though, she was a klutz in action.

Instead her focus shifted to another aspect of the game: Crafting.

From what she gathered from grilling Adam with a series of questions, the most common types of drops from monsters had been accessories, weapons and materials.

Only on one occasion had they received a piece of armor. That information made Penny’s eyes gleam.

She had always been interested in commerce and fashion so it was as if the stars were aligning for her.

Even after Adam took the plates back to the kitchen, Penny was once again absorbed into her notebook, already sketching out designs that she planned to implement as soon as she could.

Adam, seeing his niece enter what he could only describe as her creative zone, paused at the threshold of the kitchen. She was hunched over the table, brow furrowed in concentration, her tongue poking slightly out of the corner of her mouth as her pencil scratched furiously across the paper. Her fingers were already smudged with graphite, and her notes were a chaotic mix of sketches, arrows, and bullet points that probably only made sense to her.

He quietly set the plates in the sink, not wanting to break her flow. He had seen that look before many a time over the years.

Like the time when she was younger and made her own costume for a school play, when she tried to sell homemade bracelets online, when she stayed up all night redesigning her planner because none of the store-bought ones felt "right."

When Penny got like this, it was best to just let her cook.

"You know the monsters don’t care how pretty your armor is, right?" he finally said, leaning against the doorframe with a crooked grin.

Penny didn’t even look up. "That’s where you’re wrong. I care."

Adam snorted. "As long as it doesn’t fall apart the first time you get hit."

"It won’t," she said quickly, flipping to a fresh page and beginning to label the parts of a pauldron. "Because I’ll test the materials, learn the patternsand adjust for weak points. This isn’t just for style, you know. I want to make functional fashion. If I can’t fight well, I can still make others look good and survive."

He had to admit, she had a point. There was real passion in her voice now. More than that, there was a plan forming. She wasn’t trying to copy what others were doing she was earnestly carving out a space for herself, using what she was good at.

"Alright," he said, raising his hands in surrender. "Just don’t forget to actually get materials. That means fighting something at some point."

Penny finally tore her eyes away from her notebook to shoot her Uncle a dubious smirk.

"That’s what I have you for right~?"

Adam chuckled and shook his head, walking back toward the table. "I should’ve seen that coming."

Penny grinned and leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms over her head with a satisfied sigh. "Think of it this way. You get to do the thing you’re good at, and I get to avoid being a liability. It’s a win-win."

"Yeah, yeah," Adam said, ruffling her hair as he passed. "Until you start demanding rare drops that only spawn once every blue moon guarded by some eldritch horror."

"Oh, please," Penny scoffed, smoothing her hair back down. "That would only be after I make you a full set of personalized armor. You know, as payment."

Adam blinked. "Wait, really?"

"If you survive the grind, you deserve to look good doing it."

For a moment, he just stood there, arms crossed, watching her as she returned to her sketches with renewed focus. It was strange seeing her so enthusiastic about a game that was, in many ways, brutal and punishing.

But instead of being discouraged, she had simply looked at the parts she didn’t like and rerouted her energy toward something she could turn into her own strength.

Maybe she wouldn’t be slaying monsters on the front lines, but Adam had a feeling Penny was going to leave her mark on the game in a very different way.

He gave a small nod to himself, then turned back toward the kitchen, deciding to give her space to work. The clatter of dishes and running water filled the background as Penny flipped another page in her notebook.

Her pencil moved fast, forming rough shapes that slowly sharpened into ideas. Boots with reinforced soles. Gloves that protected without restricting movement. A hooded cloak that could double as camouflage in dense environments.

Each piece had notes scribbled beside it. Durability. Weight balance. Aesthetic appeal. Penny wasn’t just drawing randomly, she was planning. Strategizing.

She was preparing to bring something new to the game world, something that wasn’t about brute force but about expression and utility.

Minutes passed. Then more. Eventually Adam came back out with a mug of tea, setting it down quietly beside her.

"Don’t stay up all night working on that," he said with a knowing glance.

Penny looked up, eyes slightly glazed from focusing so long. "I won’t."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay maybe just a little," she added sheepishly, then gave a short laugh.

Adam shook his head with a faint smile and went to the couch, grabbing his phone. As he scrolled through the game’s forums, checking updates and strategies, something caught his eye.

It was a post on the ’official’ game website that had just been released and was alrrady blowing up with replies.

The first patch notes had been released!

Adam didn’t even bother to check it out yet, instead opening up his contacts and made a call to Leo.

An exhausted voice on the other end picked up after the 4th ring.

"Hey Adam...what’s up?"

Swallowing his curiousity on what was made his friend sound so tired, Adam kept his tone steady as he replied

"The patch notes have been released...."

There was silence on the other end for a few moments before Leo spoke with a solemn tone.

"We’re on our way back now."