Chapter 5 : Herd of Mountain Goats
It didn't take Axton long to make his decision.
The quest prompt floated in front of him, and without hesitation, he pressed [Yes].
In New Eden, getting an item or weapon was no easy feat.
Most players instinctively jumped at the first quest that offered even a hint of reward, so long as it was remotely doable.
Axton wasn't any different, though the moment he read the requirement, his expression stiffened.
[Quest : Gather 100 Horned Mountain Goat Horns]
A hundred horns.
Axton sucked in a breath.
That sounded like a nightmare of grinding, especially on the very first day of the game.
Nevertheless, he clenched his fist, determined to make it happen.
'It might be tough… but with my talent, I can manage.'
Thanks to the Battle God talent and its absurd critical hit bonus, he wasn't too worried about raw attack power.
Instead, he focused on increasing his survival chances.
Iron Buck, the NPC blacksmith, pulled out a sample of the ore he wanted Axton to find alongside the goat horns.
It shimmered faintly under the sunlight, a dull bluish-gray stone with streaks of silver running across it.
"Remember the shine and the texture," Iron Buck said.
"This ore lies only in the western mountains, where the goats roam. Bring enough back and you'll have your reward."
Axton studied the ore carefully, committing its color and shape to memory before tucking the quest away.
With a polite nod, he left the village and began walking west.
******
The trek to the mountains took around thirty to forty-five minutes.
He walked from farmlands demarcated with low fences, to rolling hills filled with low grasses, and finally, toward the rocky terrain that signaled the base of the mountain range.
But what caught him off guard was not the mountain itself—it was the chaos unfolding at its foot.
".What the hell?"
Axton stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening.
Players were everywhere.
Dozens of them, scattered around the rocky slope, clashing with animals that looked nothing like the harmless low-level mobs one would expect.
Instead, these were horned mountain goats, large creatures with muscular builds, curved black horns, and glowing yellow eyes.
They weren't normal wildlife.
They looked more like miniature bosses.
And right now, those goats were butchering the players.
"Protect the healer!"
"Damn it, I said we need a ranger!"
"Why are these goats so strong?!"
"Are you sure they're really level 1 monsters?!"
"Any mage want to join our party? We've got space!"
"We need a warrior! Our frontliner just got flattened!"
The shouts came from every direction.
Some players tried to fight in small groups.
Others were running away while being chased.
A few were sprawled on the ground, glowing faintly as their bodies dissolved into white light, signalling their death.
Axton swallowed hard, stunned by the sight.
At first, he thought this might be some kind of hidden quest, since Iron Buck had personally approached him rather than the other way around.
But after watching the chaos for a few minutes, he realized that wasn't the case.
This was just how the game worked.
Iron Buck's questline naturally directed players to the goats early on.
The problem was that nobody expected the monsters to fight like this.
The goats weren't terrifying because of their stats.
It was their numbers and behavior made them dangerous.
…
[Horned Mountain Goat]
Level : 1
Attack : 7
HP : 10
Defense : 4
Traits : Attacks in Herds
…
On paper, the Horned Mountain Goats were weak.
Their attack power, defense, and health points were all pitifully low compared to most starting players.
But their traits changed everything. They always fought in herds.
Instead of coming at players one by one like most beginner monsters, the goats grouped together, surrounding their targets and trampling them with horns and hooves.
One goat wasn't a threat.
Ten goats, attacking in perfect unison? That was enough to wipe out careless adventurers.
No wonder so many players had already been killed.
The respawn system had brought them back, of course, but the lesson was clear.
Soloing these things was almost suicidal.
That was why, after their second or third death, players started banding together and forming desperate, chaotic parties.
Axton narrowed his eyes.
He wasn't like them.
He had something they didn't.
"Status," he murmured.
A transparent screen appeared.
…
[Status]
Name : Khan
Race : Human
Class : Warrior
Level : 1
Attack : 8
Defense : 5
Agility : 9
HP : 50/50
Mana : 25/25
Talent : Battle God (SSS Rank)
Skill : Appraise (Basic)
Inventory : Axe (Common)
…
His stats were slightly higher than the goats, but not by much.
Under normal circumstances, he'd be just another rookie fighting for his life.
But with the Battle God talent that gave him scaling critical hit bonuses, numbers didn't tell the full story.
If there was ever a place to test its true potential, it was here.
******
Axton was just about to step into the battlefield when a voice called out.
"Hey, bro!"
He turned and saw a small group of players hurrying over.
The one in front, a thin guy wielding a short sword, eyed him up and down.
"What class are you?"
"Warrior," Axton replied.
The man's eyes lit up immediately.
He spun back toward his team. "Guys, we're saved! He's a warrior!"
The group cheered faintly, relief washing over their tired faces.
Then the man stepped closer to Axton with a hopeful grin.
"Join our party! We really need a frontliner, and with you, we can take these goats down. I promise, you won't regret it."
Axton raised an eyebrow.
His expression stayed calm, but inside, he was weighing his options.
Parties had their benefits.
Safety, shared aggro, faster quest clears amongst other things.
But they also split loot and rewards.
Axton needed one hundred horns.
If he teamed up, the drops would be divided and it would take him forever.
"I can't," Axton said simply, shaking his head.
The man blinked, taken aback. "Wait… what? Why not?"
"I'll go solo."
The man's jaw dropped.
"Solo?!" he practically shouted. "Bro, are you blind? Look at them! You can't fight that many goats alone!"
Another member of his team, a girl in leather armor holding a bow, stepped in to back him up. "Yeah, don't be reckless. You'll just die for nothing. Better to team up and survive."
The noise drew nearby attention.
Other players overheard, and soon whispers spread.
"Is he serious? Soloing the goats?"
"He's either insane or thinks he's some pro gamer."
"Bet he'll not last five minutes before respawning."
To them, Axton was either an idiot, a cheat, or a prideful fool.
Axton, however, didn't flinch under their stares.
"Is that so?" Axton said calmly.
He looked at the group, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "The way you all talk, you'd think you were veterans."
The man scowled. "We're just trying to help—"
"Don't worry about me." Axton cut him off, summoning his axe into his hand with a flash of light.
"I'll take my chances."
He turned away and began walking toward the nearest cluster of goats.
"Pompous brat," the swordsman muttered under his breath. "He really thinks he's better than us."
"Forget him," another player sneered. "Let him die. We'll see how long that arrogance lasts."
"Yeah," the archer smirked. "Let's watch him get flattened."
Axton didn't hear them.
His focus was on the battlefield.
He inhaled deeply, his senses sharpening as adrenaline surged through his body.
He exhaled slowly, steadying his grip on the axe.
"Alright," he whispered to himself.
His eyes shone with determination. "Let's see what the Battle God talent can really do."
And with that, he stepped forward into battle.