Five days have passed since Naruto killed the first boar.
At first he was cautious because he didn't want to get hurt by oversight as he did on the previous floor, but as soon as he noticed they couldn't follow his steps he went on a rampage and started to run a few hours per day trying to gather the pieces.
In those days he only got another piece, but he didn't notice what was the difference between it and the others and even now he didn't know which one of the boars has a piece.
The fact that he was using chakra in a more extended way trying to develop a better use of it was exhausting his stamina faster than before. The fights were easy, but he has to be on guard and using all his power every time.
The dog in the previous floor left a shadow on him that would take long to dissipate.
He tried to use a weapon to attack from distance but he wasn't used to it and it took way longer to kill a single enemy and only that fact discouraged him to continue doing it.
It was already hard enough to learn chakra and adding something that couldn't help him in a long time would be a waste of time and effort.
Annoyed because nothing goes like he wanted, Naruto got sulked and doubled his efforts training in the safe zone after the day ended.
The only thing that gave him a bit of joy was his conversations with the Dwarf, even though it was just asking how was going on the hunting that was enough for the kid.
Thinking of talking with him put a smile on his face as he was ready to return.
Today's hunt got nothing, but at least the amount of enemies was decreasing and in a maximum of a month he was sure that he would get anything in there.
That confidence comes from the fact that nothing could stop him in this place as long as he's careful and doesn't act overconfident.
Confident but cautious at the same time, Naruto went running to the safe zone.
In the silent space, the kid's footsteps sounded as the only one who was exploring the danger outside. He was running to rest, but even in that situation he didn't stop his training.
His legs were injured and had several bruises on them from the brute usage of chakra. The energy called Chakra is life and using it at a dangerous extent will cause trauma in the body.
Naruto feels like his legs were beaten every time he took a step, but he continued.
This auto destructive method has helped him to improve more in these 5 days than 2 entire weeks. He didn't know the consequences of doing it, but his instincts told him that he would regret it if he took long to heal it.
Fortunately, he always had some potions to recover his HP and a bottle with fountain water in case that he didn't manage to arrive in time.
After a few minutes, he could see the stash and the Dwarf sleeping on it. Entering the zone, he stopped the channeling and went to the fountain.
Submerging his legs on the water, Naruto could feel the immediate relief through his whole body.
Humming comfortably, Naruto greeted his friend.
"Good afternoon!"
The sleepy man yawned while he scratched his back.
"Hello, kid. Have you got another piece or the same as always?"
"Nop, it's still two pieces..."He said disappointed, but immediately regained spirits. "But I'm sure that in less than a month I can clear it!"
The Dwarf measured him with his gaze before he nodded.
"Yes, you're right. You have made good progress-"He looked at his legs-"But don't forget the meditation, that thing is your core and whoever who created it probably thinks the same."
"Mm! I think soon I will throw chakra to hit anyone who annoys me! And yes, I still do it whenever I have time, but do you know who created it?" Naruto replied with confidence, who could stop him with his laser beams when he managed to use his chakra?
"Pff, if you want to give them a massage then use it as you want. Just wait until you can learn more and no, I don't think I know him." The Dwarf mocked him, breaking the kid's fantasy.
"Hehe, it couldn't be that bad, right? Anyway, then how do you know that I need it?" Giving him a shy smile, Naruto tried to deny it before he remembered who was in front of him and changed the topic.
"Isn't that obvious? Your whole self is covered with a bunch of trash." He looked at the kid with disgust.
"Trash? What do you mean? Are you telling me that I stink?!" Annoyed because of his expression, Naruto got angry.
"Hah... stop thinking like an idiot. It's obvious, I already told you that you have problems and yes, you stink. Take a bath, you brat."
Without bothering to give him more attention, the Dwarf ended the conversation and covered himself with his blanket once more.
...
Naruto was speechless.
"I do not stink... Do I?" His voice lost confidence at the end as he doubted it.
Carefully, he smelled his shirt and... didn't notice anything. For him it smells normal.
"Bah, he just wants to bother me... but, just in case, who knows..." Naruto whispered but didn't refuse to take a bath, so he took out the things to make an improvised shower with the things he bought from the Dwarf.
Taking a bowl of water, began to clean himself.
----20 minutes later----
Once clean and feeling renovated, Naruto wanted to wear his clothes only to notice that they didn't fit him as well as before.
"Ugh, can't he just sell me it? Why is he so strict?!" He was mad but he knew that no matter how much he begged for it, the Dwarf wouldn't sell him clothes. He didn't understand why that stupid rule existed.
Looking at his tiny clothes, his mood got worse.
"This looks so stupid, why doesn't he tell me about that?" Covered with only a towel, Naruto struggled if his dignity had enough value or not...
While he was resigning himself to his sad fate, a material name appeared in Naruto's mind.
Fabric
Of course.
He could make his own clothes.
Why would he need to buy it from him? Hmph.
Filled with confidence and disdain for the man in the stash, Naruto awoke him again.
"Sir, sir, are you awake?" Naruto moved his hand in front of his face, trying to notice any change.
He continued doing it for a straight minute until the annoyed voice of the Dwarf sounded.
"Argh, what do you want?! Don't bother me when I'm sleeping!"
"Ahem, you see. I want to buy fabric and a sewing needle, can you sell it to me?" Naruto coughed and explained to him.
"Hah? Why do you want that?" The Dwarf looked at him with suspicion.
"Well, you don't sell me clothes and didn't tell me how ridiculous I looked wearing that! Of course to make clothes!" At first, his voice was lower but as he continued talking and remembered for how long he was wearing it, the resentment filled his voice.
"Ah- haha, but it was fun. Fine, take this then and choose the color you want." The Dwarf laughed and gave him a small screen.
"That's better. Now, let me see..."
-[Magic sewing needle][Created by a beginner magician artisan to assist the tailors correcting the stitches][500G]
-[1m fabric(chose the color)][Common fabric, it work to make clothes in hands of a skillful tailor][50G]
-[Sewing thread][Common thread, it work to make clothes in hands of a skillful tailor][75G]
-[Sewing scissors][Isn't enough with a needle, fabric and thread. You need to cut them or it won't work][150G]
It has a lot of options to customize the items, but it didn't appear more than that. Naruto supposed it was like the other materials where he could only see a few options and every time he climbed a floor, it unlocked more things.
With nothing more than money on his hands, Naruto immediately bought the tools and some meters of fabric.
After he chooses the things he needs, he leaves the gold in the stash and returns to his place.
With the magic needle in hand, Naruto was ready.
He wanted to make new clothes, but he knew that he was completely ignorant in those fields, so he chose to add pieces of fabric to his existing clothes.
Taking a deep breath, Naruto took the needle and began his creative process.
Flashes lights shone in the silent room as the kid was creating his first masterpiece. The sensation of his hands moving as they should gives the kid the confidence to continue with his hard work.
The Dwarf didn't sleep as he was watching the kid's hard work.
Minutes passed and once he was sure that it was finished, Naruto stopped and took the shirt (?). It has a badly added piece of fabric trying to add long to the piece.
The stitches were poorly done, and anyone who saw them could tell that they had been done by someone who knew nothing about that field of work.
Naruto was satisfied the first time he saw it, but as he noticed the piece that even a homeless person would find embarrassing to use, his confidence was shattered and only shame remained in his eyes.
"...I know you're awake, you can laugh if you want." Grumpy, Naruto said in a sour voice.
"Well, it's fun but I won't laugh at you, you're trying your best. Just try it again next time and at some point it will be fine." The Dwarf shrugged and went back to sleep.
Naruto expected to be laughed off, not to receive that reply. The confidence that was cruelly shattered by the fabric returned and filled him with determination.
Yes, he could try again. Why should he stop? One day, he will make his own clothes.
With a new objective, Naruto did the same with his pants and wore the armor again. It doesn't look good but it was enough to cover the worst parts of the new clothes.
Satisfied, Naruto continued his training and in the next morning he finally got the third wooden piece.
He didn't know how many he needed, but he guessed it would be 5.
Things went well so far, and soon another week has passed.
--------------
I continue to write, but since it's just a hobby and I don't earn anything from it, I spend most of my time doing other things. Like practicing my drawing skills and playing Slay the Spire.
I think if I'm in a good mood, I'll draw Naruto's appearance on the tower.
And I've added small talks to the chapters, I think it's necessary. Naruto need to talk to people, otherwise his already bad mental state would get worse.
Thank you for reading, and please consider leaving a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts.
Have a nice day