I, Stone Golem, only want to forge.

Murphy carefully held the stone, examining it from all angles.

But he didn't actually give in to his desires and swallow the stone whole.

Instead, it was through this stone that a very bold idea suddenly came to him.

This stone can be transformed into a plant-like entity by those rune-like markings.

So, can it also be copied?

Because the runes marked on it are so blurry and tiny, it is impossible to fully recognize them.

Even with its current level of skill and craftsmanship, it would be difficult to carve such fine and dense runes.

So what it's trying to imitate now is more like enlarging those markings made up of tiny runes and copying them again.

And like filling in blanks, they filled in those vague and minute details with their own ideas.

However, Murphy was unsure whether it would actually be effective.

Its rune level is sufficient, but its magical knowledge is lacking.

It's like asking a highly skilled artist to draw up a design.

It can make the picture clear and express everything that needs to be expressed.

However, the most crucial design stage is where the lack of knowledge leads, so for now, we can only copy existing work.

After Murphy roughly memorized the runes on the stone, he returned it.

The stone's owner immediately took it back, while the other three just watched Murphy.

Hoping that this unfathomable stone man might utter a single useful word.

However, they were not answered with words.

Murphy bent down.

In order to magnify the rune to a greater extent, it specifically chose a stone the size of a human head.

Then, with a wave of its hand, an extremely fine awl appeared in its hand.

Murphy, completely oblivious to everyone else, began engraving.

"What are you doing?"

Haigan was completely bewildered when he saw the stone man inexplicably pick up a chisel and start chiseling at the stone.

"Hey, you bumpkin! I told you not to keep carving that piece of wood all day long, and now you have no knowledge at all!"

This is clearly rune engraving!

Diaz, on the other hand, was more insightful and immediately pointed out what Murphy had done.

However, his level is only that of someone who's half-baked and half-knowledgeable.

Those with even greater knowledge, if they had actually seen runes engraved on them...

Seeing Murphy's casual demeanor, one wouldn't even think about the engraved runes.

After all, their skills are very sophisticated, while Murphy's are just playing around. It's impossible to understand why he's doing that.

Siri ignored the conversation between the two crew members next to him, focusing instead on the movements of Murphy's hands.

It's reasonable to guess that Murphy might be trying to replicate the stone using runes.

However, this time, even though he trusted Murphy, he still had considerable doubts.

Once someone becomes an epic, they are already able to access matters at the level of rules.

The more he came into contact with it, the more he realized how terrifying and powerful the Blood Sea was.

It also fills me with awe for those blood-soaked creatures whose very rules have been altered.

He believed that if a few more years passed, and Murphy advanced to the Epic level or reached the pinnacle of Lordship, he would be able to achieve great things.

It's possible to achieve roughly the same level.

But now, he just can't quite believe it.

……

This time, Murphy did not exceed his expectations.

Even if Murphy's skills are superb and his thinking is clear,

However, the differences in levels will always exist.

Murphy's engraving actually went very smoothly.

But it always felt that what it carved lacked something compared to the original.

The engraved areas are correct, and it should understand and fill in the blurry areas without any problems.

But something just doesn't feel right.

In a more mystical way, it means... it has no soul.

When Murphy's Craftsman level was upgraded from Common to Elite, the Craftsman's Hammer gave him a hint.

It is said that an elite craftsman should understand the principle that all things have a spirit.

However, so far...

It has created so many things, but it seems that only one of them has a spirit.

And it seems that nothing else is there.

Perhaps in terms of technical and technological content, it would be higher.

But... actually, Murphy could have made those things even when he was a regular craftsman.

It seems that upgrading to elite craftsman is not necessary.

In other words, Murphy's improvement from ordinary to elite is almost zero.

If it's been improved, then it's been improved.

Aside from gaining some abilities, its forging skills did not undergo any qualitative change.

So what exactly is the difference between ordinary people and elites?

Murphy only remembered this question at this moment.

The Craftsman's Hammer has an upgrade path; it's clearly not something that was just placed there as a decoration.

All things have a spirit...?

Murphy silently repeated the prompt to himself.

Then he used his vision ability to look at the stone he had carved.

The stone was covered with runes, but it remained there quietly.

Unlike the previous dark green stone, it did not sprout tentacles and dance wildly in the sunlight.

Murphy turned to look at Sri and asked a seemingly unrelated question.

"Do all things have a spirit?"

"Um?"

Siri responded with a puzzled sound, unsure whether Murphy was talking to him.

Only after realizing that Murphy had been staring at him did he become certain. After thinking for a moment, he answered Murphy's guess.

"Do all things have a spirit? Theoretically speaking, there is such a concept, based on the knowledge I have learned."

If this world is classified according to spirit, it can be divided into four layers, but these four layers are more like…”

Srica paused for a moment, unsure how to describe it, before finally coming up with a similar analogy after much thought.

"These four floors don't resemble the four floors of a house, but rather the relationship between a forest and trees, or between trees and leaves."

After he finished speaking, he still felt that he had not expressed himself clearly, but he really didn't know how to teach, so he could only bite the bullet and continue to explain.

"The most fundamental layer seems to be the level where those rules reside."

Then come the three most primordial elements: essence, energy, and spirit, located on the second level, which is also known as the spirit.

The third layer is the essence and spirit, which is the area where magic and the soul reside.

The fourth layer is the material world we inhabit.

After listening, Murphy paused briefly, then asked a question that was as strange as ever.

"Can you see the third level?"

Siri nodded, but then added a sentence.

"Any professional with a slightly higher level can see the third level, but the second level requires some opportunity."

Murphy continued to ask.

"That dark green stone, did you notice anything different about it?"

Sri shook his head.

Murphy then pointed to the three people beside him and asked:

"Can you see any difference in their souls?"

For a normal life.

Siri usually turns off these abilities that allow her to see magic and souls.

So he deliberately activated his vision ability, took another look, and then answered.

"The two souls are somewhat mixed and strange in color, but overall they are normal. The friend who suffers from frostbite has a slightly colder soul texture."

Upon hearing this, Murphy did not reply, but simply nodded.

It finally realized that it had misunderstood something.

It always thought that the spirit in "all things have a spirit" referred to the soul.

But it seems that's not actually the case now.

Siri could see souls, but he couldn't see the strangeness on that dark green stone.

This only proves one thing!

The changes on that stone occurred at the second level.

This second level of change is what is meant by "animism"!

In other words, this is the spirit that Murphy will create after becoming an elite craftsman.

It doesn't refer to the soul.

Rather, it is an existence that is close to the rule, but not entirely equal to the rule.