Chapter 7 : First Quest Completed
The herd of goats finally fled into the distance, leaving only dust and silence behind.
Axton stood still for a moment, breathing out slowly.
The battlefield was littered with evidence of his victory—horns and patches of dirt torn up by hooves.
At last, he had done it.
He bent down, carefully checking his inventory to confirm.
[Horned Mountain Goat Horn x100]
[Blacksmith's Ore x1]
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
With both quest requirements complete, he could finally return to the village and exchange them for the promised rewards from Iron Buck.
"Three items… not a bad deal," he muttered under his breath.
Axton turned around and started walking back toward the village, but he quickly noticed that the other players had begun murmuring among themselves.
Their eyes followed him with disbelief and, in some cases, envy.
"H-H-How…?" one stammered.
"How did he do that?!" another cried out.
"Are you sure he's also level 1 like us?"
"Impossible. No level 1 can slay that many goats so easily."
"There's no way. He must have an A or S-rank talent to pull this off at this stage."
The air was filled with confusion, awe, and suspicion.
Axton had already proven himself with his overwhelming display, forcing the very same players who mocked him earlier to eat their words.
Some who had insulted him now scrambled to change their attitude, suddenly eager to get close to him.
A random player from earlier pushed through the crowd, bowing his head slightly. "Forgive me. I was wrong. Let us join your team."
This time his tone was humble, almost desperate.
He wasn't trying to recruit Axton anymore. Instead, he wanted Axton to recruit him.
But Axton simply glanced at him and kept walking.
His silence was answer enough.
"Tch!" the player hissed under his breath, his face turning red with embarrassment as others around him chuckled.
More requests came, each one dressed differently but carrying the same meaning.
"Take me with you. Make things easier for me."
But Axton rejected them all.
He wasn't a fool.
He knew exactly why they wanted to ally with him now, because they had seen his strength.
They wanted a free ride through New Eden while he did all the hard work.
Axton had no intention of carrying dead weight.
Just as he thought about the irony of it all, a familiar notification sound rang in his ears.
*Ding*
[For killing a Horned Mountain Goat, you have earned +1 Exp and +1 copper coin per goat.]
[Congratulations!]
*Ding*
[Critical hit effect initiated!]
[You have gained 100 Exp and 100 copper coins per goat (equivalent to 1 silver coin).]
Without wasting any time, Axton levelled up.
*Ding*
[Level Up!]
[You have leveled up to Level 2.]
[Congratulations!]
Axton stopped in his tracks, his shoulders trembling slightly. Then a low laugh escaped his lips.
"Heh… hahaha!"
He couldn't contain his excitement as he read the prompts again.
'Level 2… already?'
What surprised him most wasn't the level-up itself but the fact that the critical hit multiplier also affected experience points.
That fact changed everything.
In New Eden, leveling was notoriously difficult because even skills and equipment level ups used Exps.
While other players would need to grind for hours just to reach level 2, Axton had managed it with a single quest.
It was absurd.
Broken. And yet… it was real.
[You have gained +5 stat points.]
[Stat points can be distributed as you wish.]
His smile widened.
The points were valuable.
They determined the growth of every player, influencing combat ability, survivability, and overall progression.
Without hesitation, Axton assigned his points into Attack and Defense.
He ignored Agility for now.
'If an opponent's strike can't pierce my defense, then speed doesn't matter,' he thought confidently.
Of course, he knew he couldn't neglect the other stats forever.
Stronger enemies would force him to diversify.
His privilege was powerful, but it came with a weakness.
Prolonged one-on-one battles weren't ideal.
That was when his "100x critical hit effect" showed its limits.
Regardless, that weakness wouldn't matter when he has overtaken everybody.
He pushed the thought aside.
For now, relying on items, and his multiplier would carry him further than most players could dream of.
Axton returned to the village and headed straight for Iron Buck's smithy.
The clang of a hammer against the anvil greeted him as he stepped inside.
Sparks flew in the dim light while the blacksmith worked on a piece of glowing iron.
"Three common-grade items might not be so bad after all," Axton murmured to himself as he approached.
Iron Buck finally noticed him and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You're back already?"
The disbelief in his tone was clear.
Most players took long hours, and even days to complete the Horned Goat quest.
Yet here Axton was, returning after only a short while.
"Did you really find the Horned Mountain Goats?" the blacksmith asked, suspicion lacing his words.
Axton glanced around and saw several other players nearby, browsing wares and chatting.
He didn't want unnecessary attention.
"Can we talk inside?" he asked calmly.
Iron Buck studied him for a moment before nodding. "Alright. Follow me."
He led Axton into a private room behind the smithy.
It was simple.
A sturdy wooden table, a few chairs, and shelves stacked with tools.
The blacksmith leaned against the table, arms crossed, waiting to hear what Axton had to say.
To Axton, it was uncanny.
Iron Buck didn't feel like a rigid, pre-programmed NPC.
His movements, his expressions, even the way he hesitated… everything felt alive.
'This world… it's too real,' Axton thought, momentarily lost in wonder.
"I'm impressed," Iron Buck finally said, breaking his thoughts. "To complete a task like that so quickly… it seems it was easy for you."
Axton only shrugged with a modest smile.
Easy? Not exactly.
However, compared to the others, it had been effortless.
"Let's see what you've brought, then," the blacksmith said, gesturing toward the table.
Axton stepped forward, opened his inventory, and released the quest items.
One by one, the goat horns piled onto the wooden surface, followed by the dull but heavy ore Iron Buck had requested.
The blacksmith's eyes widened slightly.
His hand unconsciously reached out to touch the horns, as if confirming they were real.
"Impressive…" he whispered under his breath. "Really impressive. You actually did it."
But then, as the final horn landed with a soft thud, Iron Buck froze.
His eyes went wide.
"What! A hundred horns?!" he exclaimed, nearly dropping the piece of ore he was holding.
The outburst echoed in the room, startling even Axton a little.
Iron Buck looked back at him with shock and disbelief, his mouth hanging open. "You… you didn't just complete the quest, you fulfilled the maximum requirement for the highest reward tier!"
His stare lingered, filled with curiosity and suspicion.
But Axton simply shrugged again, expressing nonchalance.