“Old timer, turning in the quest!”

Jiang Bai appeared at the blacksmith shop as usual. The Old Blacksmith was currently bent over, clang clang, hammering a rough piece of iron. Sweat dripped down his bronze skin; he looked just like a red-skinned roast duck being grilled. Hearing Jiang Bai's voice, the blacksmith stopped his work, paused for a moment, then slowly raised his head. When the Old Blacksmith saw Jiang Bai, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.  

“You completed it again?” “I completed it again!” “That's impossible!” “Don't believe me? Check the quest progress yourself.” Jiang Bai couldn't be bothered to explain and directly showed his quest panel. Following this, the Old Blacksmith's face filled with disbelief. "This... This is too fast."

“I said, old timer, cut the crap. Hurry up, process the quest and give me the reward," Jiang Bai urged directly. “Fine.” The Old Blacksmith fell silent for a moment, then nodded. When he looked at Jiang Bai again, there was a different kind of light in his eyes.

[You have completed the hidden chain quest "The Blacksmith's Test (1)". Received 6000 EXP, 100 Reputation, 1 Gold Coin. Unlocked chain quest "The Blacksmith's Test (2)".]

“Yo?” Jiang Bai paused. "Unlocking the quest counts as a reward too?" Although the quest didn't reward any other items, overall, the rewards were already generous enough. The 6000 EXP allowed Jiang Bai to jump 2 levels straight to Level 6. This way, the levels suppressed by the previous quests were caught up; the top groups of players were likely around this level range currently. The 1 Gold Coin needed no further mention; it felt great.

“As for unlocking this chain quest...” Jiang Bai scratched his head. "Looking at it this way, this string of hidden chain quests is systematic, probably a complete storyline. The final link is bound to have a big Easter egg payoff. Anyone who plays MMOs frequently should be familiar with this pattern." “In terms of difficulty, aside from me, this quest chain is absolutely heaven-defying. Just triggering it by being underleveled is something few could probably do, and the prerequisite quest of soloing higher-level boars would stop 99.9% of players.” “So, the question is," Jiang Bai stared directly at the Old Blacksmith, "for such a complicated hidden quest chain, what will the final payoff be?”

The Old Blacksmith's gaze became unprecedentedly grave, meeting Jiang Bai's eyes. "Kid, having reached this step, surely you realize things aren't simple?" “Seems like it's not simple...” Jiang Bai nodded. "How many more links are there to this quest chain?"

The Old Blacksmith ignored Jiang Bai, his gaze fixed on the longbow on Jiang Bai's back. He spoke as if to himself, "You should let me see your weapon." This time, Jiang Bai didn't resist. He had a vague feeling that if he wanted the next part of the quest, perhaps he should let him look. Thinking this, Jiang Bai took off the longbow and carefully handed it to the Old Blacksmith. The moment the longbow entered his hands, the Old Blacksmith's expression changed dramatically. Oblivious to his surroundings, he stared infatuatedly at the Ancient longbow, as if his world contained only this weapon.

“I smell the aura of the God of Creation.” “But unfortunately...” The Old Blacksmith shook his head with slight regret and returned the longbow to Jiang Bai. "This divine artifact's level is too low. Sooner or later, it will become a burden to you. A pity... sigh..." Watching the sighing Old Blacksmith, Jiang Bai didn't lament; instead, he stared at him with pleasant surprise. Clearly, the Old Blacksmith's final sigh indicated he could upgrade this weapon's level, but something was still missing...

“Old timer, stop looking so distressed. Honestly, can you help me advance this weapon?” “There is a way...” The Old Blacksmith's brow furrowed deeply. "But it's not possible now. The Ancestor's Hammer cannot be repaired anymore." “Don't say that! Tell me, what's needed to repair it? I'll go get it for you! Whether it works or not, we can try first!” Jiang Bai immediately got enthusiastic. “Are you really willing to try? Kid, people could die," the Old Blacksmith said, staring worriedly at Jiang Bai. “Ha... Just tell me. I'll do the task. Whether it succeeds depends on fate. Don't you hesitate...” “Alright!”

As the Old Blacksmith's words fell, the familiar system voice sounded again. [You have triggered the hidden chain quest "The Blacksmith's Test (Repair Ancestor's Hammer)". Accept?]

“Yo? No forced acceptance this time?” Jiang Bai paused, then looked at the quest description.

[The Blacksmith's Test (Repair Ancestor's Hammer)] [Quest Description]: The mighty Ancestor's Hammer was crafted by the ancient race of Mountain Giants. It can temper all things and forge the world's strongest divine artifacts. Unfortunately, during the War of the Gods eighteen thousand years ago, the Ancestor's Hammer was damaged and remains unrepaired to this day. Young man, do you have the courage to seek out sufficient Soul Crystals and repair the Ancestor's Hammer? [Quest Objective]: Collect 200 Magic Crystal Ores, 100 portions of Demon Wolf Blood, and 3 Boss Soul Crystals. [Quest Reward]: ???

“These are all rare items.” Although Jiang Bai didn't fully understand the quest objectives immediately, he accepted the quest without hesitation. After all, this concerned the crucial matter of upgrading his weapon, and it was a link in the chain quest; to continue, he had to accept. “I really want to see what the final result of this quest chain will be.”

“Wait...” Jiang Bai suddenly thought of something. "Looking at the description, if the Ancestor's Hammer is a product of the ancient Mountain Giants, then this Old Blacksmith..." Jiang Bai's gaze fell upon the Old Blacksmith again. He had already bent down and resumed hammering, no longer answering any of Jiang Bai's questions. ...

“Magic Crystal Ore.” On his way out, Jiang Bai opened the item encyclopedia and found the entry on the third page. "Magic Crystal Ore is produced in the Magic Crystal Mine within Mist Valley. Inside the mine are Level 8-9 Demonized Dwarf Miners." “So that's how it is.” “As for Demon Wolf Blood, it comes from the Demonized Wild Wolves in Mist Forest, Level 8 monsters.” “Shouldn't be too difficult to farm.”

But before that, Jiang Bai didn't rush off to grind. Instead, he opened the Trading Market once more and directly sniped eight Level 5 Common necklaces, spending a total of 11 Gold Coins. Couldn't be helped; among all equipment slots, necklaces were the most expensive. Currently, Jiang Bai had 22.1 Gold Coins left in his bag. Although it pained him financially, this upgrade was essential. There was no need to spend a fortune fusing up to Ancient; Epic would be sufficient.

After some fussing [fusing], a brand-new Epic-quality item appeared before Jiang Bai.

[Fatal Nether Pendant] (Epic) Physical Attack: +20 Agility: +4 Strength: +2 [Fatal]: Critical Hit Chance +2%

“Not bad, not bad. This brings my Crit Chance to 7%.” Seeing these stats, Jiang Bai felt the nearly eleven Gold Coins spent were not wasted. Because during this launch phase, he had to widen the gap between himself and other players as much as possible. After all, Epic, Ancient, and even Legendary gear wouldn't be scarce later on. By then, his advantage would be erased. So, Jiang Bai needed to leverage this advantage now to build an even greater one. The better his stats, the faster he could AoE grind. The faster he ground, the more chances [Plunder] had to activate. And [Plunder] was the advantage other players couldn't overcome!

After putting on the pendant, the Level 6 Jiang Bai's stats underwent another earth-shattering transformation.

[Old Dream of Empty City] Level: 6 Class: Archer Race: Human HP: 900 MP: 200 P.ATK: 277+3 M.ATK: 11 Attack Power: 40 Defense: 74 Attributes: Constitution: 20 Spirit: 10 Strength: 20 Intelligence: 11 Agility: 46 Skills: [Concussive Shot], [Aimed Shot], [Multi Shot] Titles: [I Am Strong], [Ancient Will], [First Blood]

“Including Attack Power and the weapon's True Damage, against 0 Defense I can deal around 350 damage.” “Simply heaven-defying!”