The gates of Mine Lane Town stood tall before us, made of thick iron and wood, guarded by two knights in full plate armor. It wasn’t as massive as the Empire’s capital, but compared to the small village I just saved, this place felt like a kingdom.

"Welcome to Mine Lane," the village chief said, leading me and the villagers inside. "A place famous for its weapons, ores, and ale!"

I barely paid attention to his words. My mind was elsewhere.

[Status Update]

[EXP Gained: 750]
[Total EXP: 850]

I pulled up my status window, my eyes scanning the screen.

"Alright, let’s see how this works…"

I tapped on my level bar—

Ding!

[Level Up!]

[Level 3 → 4]

A rush of energy surged through me. My body felt stronger, lighter, faster. It was like someone just removed invisible chains off my limbs.

[+5 Strength]
[+3 Agility]
[+2 Stamina]

But more importantly—

[You have 2 Skill Points available.]

"Hell yeah."

Time to upgrade my skills.

Skill Upgrade Time!

I scrolled through my skills and focused on Mana Sphere.

[Would you like to upgrade Mana Sphere? Cost: 1 Skill Point]

"Yes!"

Ding!

[Mana Sphere → Mana Shot]

**Mana Shot (Lv.2) – Now fires two mana bullets at once, with a cooldown reduced to 2 seconds.]

"Oh, that's actually useful!"

Next up, I tapped on Swordplay.

[Would you like to upgrade Swordplay? Cost: 1 Skill Point]

"Yep, do it."

Ding!

[Swordplay (Low-tier) → Sword Mastery (Basic)]

[Sword Mastery (Basic) – Increases attack speed by 10% and improves sword handling.]

A grin spread across my face. Now we're talking.

Time to Get Paid

After a short walk, we arrived at the Knight’s Guild, a building made of gray stone with a banner displaying a golden sword and shield.

The village chief stepped forward, handing over the bandit leader’s badge to a knight.

"These are the bandits that attacked our village. We’ve captured some survivors, and this young man here—" the chief pointed at me, "—was the one who defeated them."

The knight, a serious-looking guy with a trimmed beard, examined me from head to toe before nodding. "Impressive. You saved a lot of lives."

Then, he pulled out a heavy bag of coins and handed it to me. Clink.

[You received 500 Gold.]

I stared at the money. "Wait… this much?"

The knight smirked. "Bandits have high bounties. The Empire likes to keep the roads clean. You did us a favor."

500 gold. That was more than enough to buy some serious gear.

"Alright," I muttered, "time to go shopping."

Exploring Mine Lane

The streets of Mine Lane were lively. Merchants shouted from their stalls, kids ran around laughing, and the smell of grilled meat filled the air.

I passed by potion shops, armor stores, and even a magic shop selling enchanted scrolls. But I had one goal—

A new sword.

After asking around, one name kept coming up:

Grimthar Ironfist.

"The best blacksmith in town," a merchant told me. "If you need a real weapon, he’s the guy."

Alright. Time to meet this Grimthar guy.

Meeting the Dwarf

The forge was hard to miss.

It was a large stone workshop, covered in layers of black soot, with the constant sound of metal clashing against metal. Sparks flew from within, and the heat was intense.

I walked in and was immediately greeted by a loud, booming voice.

“Oi! If ye ain’t buying, get out! Ain’t got time for window shoppers!”

I turned to see a short, muscular dwarf with a thick gray beard. His arms were as thick as tree trunks, and his apron was covered in burn marks.

“Relax, old man,” I smirked. “I’m here to buy a sword.”

The dwarf narrowed his eyes, then grinned. “Heh. Now that’s what I like to hear.”

He gestured to the weapons displayed on the racks. “Pick whatever ye like. Just don’t touch the legendary ones, unless ye got a death wish.”

I took a deep breath and activated [Absolute Eyes.]

Immediately, the world shifted.

The swords around me glowed, showing their stats, durability, and enchantments.

Most were decent. But then—

One sword stood out.

It was a black steel blade, forged with mithril traces, increasing its durability and sharpness. The name was engraved on its hilt: “Lupine Fang.”

I turned to the dwarf and pointed at it. “This one.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh-ho? Ye got some good eyes on ye, lad.”

I smirked. “Of course, sir.”

The dwarf laughed. “Hah! ‘Sir,’ he says. Ye got a sharp tongue too.”

He pulled the sword down and handed it to me. The moment I gripped it, a notification appeared.

🔹 [You have acquired Lupine Fang!] 🔹
(Attack Power: +15, Speed: +10%, Durability: High)

Oh yeah, this was perfect.

I looked at the dwarf. “How much?”

He scratched his beard. “For a keen-eyed brat like ye? 40 Silver.”

I didn’t even hesitate.

I dropped 40 Silver on the counter.

The dwarf grinned, crossing his arms. “Yer gonna be interesting to watch, lad. Don’t go dyin’ too soon.”

I smirked. “Not planning to.”

And with that, I left the forge, Night Fang strapped to my side.

I stepped out of the shop, my new blade strapped to my side.

[Quest Updated: Equip a proper weapon ✅]

Now that I had better gear, what was next?

As if answering my question, a new notification popped up.

[New Quest: Escort a merchant caravan to the Empire.]

A smirk formed on my lips.

"Looks like my next adventure just found me."