Chapter 8 : Space Stone
"You really did kill a hundred mountain goats in such a short time?! How did you do it?"
Iron Buck, the village blacksmith, could barely contain his excitement.
His hands trembled slightly as he spoke, and his face glowed with the same admiration a fan would show their favorite celebrity.
His gaze on Axton was filled with awe.
Axton, who had only just arrived in the world of New Eden, was already being looked at with respect.
For someone who had entered not long ago, to already be seen as a figure of strength… it was hard even for him to believe.
"Ahem," Axton cleared his throat, his expression calm but his tone carrying weight.
It was a reminder that he hadn't come here for small talk.
"Ah! Right… the rewards!" Iron Buck blurted out, snapping his fingers as if he had only just remembered the true reason for Axton's visit.
Axton gave him a curt nod.
*Snap*
With another sharp snap of his thick fingers, the rewards manifested before Axton, floating gently in the air as glowing projections before solidifying into tangible items.
…
[Silk Cloth Armor]
Grade : Common
Level : 1
Perk : Defense +2
…
[Pair of Shoes]
Grade : Common
Level : 1
Perk : Agility +1
…
The cloth armor wasn't much to look at.
It was plain, stitched together with average thread, and offered only a minor defense boost.
The shoes looked even more disappointing.
They weren't ugly, but their effect barely scratched the surface of usefulness.
Axton's lips twitched. '+1 Agility… at least my feet will be comfortable.'
He couldn't complain too much, though.
Rewards were rewards, and in this world, beggars couldn't be choosers.
Finally, his eyes landed on the last reward—the one he had actually been anticipating.
…
[Steel Sword]
Grade : Common
Level : 1
Perk : Attack +2, Defense +1
[Note : Requires Level 2 of Warrior class to use]
…
Axton let out a sigh in his heart. "As expected… common grade."
In New Eden, equipment was classified into twelve distinct ranks, starting from the lowest:
Common → 1st Grade → 2nd Grade → 3rd Grade → 4th Grade → 5th Grade → Unique → Epic → Legendary → Mythical → Sacred → Divine.
These were the only ones revealed to the public.
If anything existed beyond Divine, Axton had no clue.
For perspective, the difficulty of the game was cruel.
Killing one hundred horned mountain goats barely earned him common grade gear—the lowest rank.
This spoke volumes about how hard it would be to obtain truly powerful items.
Just as he was reflecting on this, a familiar sound echoed in his head.
*Ding*
[Congratulations!]
[Critical Hit Effect Initiated!]
[Your rewards have been multiplied and upgraded!]
[You've gained a Grade 3 Enchanted Armor!]
[You've gained a Grade 3 Flash Sword!]
[You've gained a pair of Grade 3 Speed Boots!]
"Hm." Axton blinked, barely able to contain his growing joy.
He was starting to understand the nature of his mysterious 100x Critical Hit Bonus.
The bonus seemed to work in two possible ways:
The first was an increase in quantity.
Second, upgrade in quality.
He recalled the incident with the goat horns.
He'd been given a choice between a hundred ordinary horns or a single Great Goat horn.
One was quantity.
The other, quality.
This time, the system had skipped all the intermediary grades, boosting his rewards straight to Grade 3.
It was absurd.
Barely an hour into the game, while most players were still struggling with ragged shirts and wooden items, Axton now had Grade 3 equipment, the kind of items most would kill for.
"I suppose… this is the real power of critical hit."
Before Axton could bask in his fortune, Iron Buck leaned forward with a broad grin.
"Thank you, Mister Khan," the blacksmith said, calling Axton by his in-game name. "For helping me, I would like to give you an extra reward."
"…Extra reward?" Axton froze.
This wasn't part of the original quest description.
Iron Buck didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned to one of the shelves cluttered with materials and carefully picked up a sleek, obsidian-like stone.
The stone gleamed faintly under the light, pulsing with a mysterious energy.
"You can have this."
Axton's brows furrowed. "What's this?"
The blacksmith extended the rock toward him. "It's called a Space Stone. A simple item, but a useful one. Place it inside your bag, and it will expand the carrying capacity."
Axton's eyes widened slightly.
For a moment, he hesitated.
An item like this, though labeled as simple, sounded far too valuable to be handed over so casually.
…
[Space Stone]
Category : Special Item (Low Grade)
Perk : Expands carrying capacity of any bag it is placed in.
…
"Just insert it into your satchel, and it will do the rest," Iron Buck added, smiling.
Axton bowed politely. "Thank you for such a priceless gift."
"The pleasure is mine," Iron Buck said firmly. "You've earned my respect. It's only proper that I honor you."
*Ding*
[Congratulations!]
[100x Critical Hit Effect Initiated!]
[You have two options:]
– 100 Low Grade Space Stones
– 1 Mid Grade Space Stone
…
The choice was obvious.
Having a hundred low-grade stones was meaningless.
Their effects didn't stack.
"Quality," Axton muttered.
He selected the Mid Grade Space Stone.
Instantly, the stone vanished into his satchel.
The bag trembled violently, glowing with white light.
"W-What the—?!" Axton panicked, tossing the satchel away in fear it might explode.
Iron Buck burst into hearty laughter, slapping his thigh. "Hahaha! Don't be such a coward, Khan!"
Axton grimaced, embarrassed, as he cautiously approached the bag.
The satchel had transformed into a sleek, durable-looking backpack.
The system notification confirmed it:
[Your carrying capacity has been increased by 100x.]
"…This is insane." Axton picked up the backpack, inspecting it from every angle.
For someone who planned to grind and loot endlessly, this was good fortune.
He slung the backpack over his shoulders.
"Thank you again, Mr. Iron Buck. You've been too kind."
The blacksmith waved off his gratitude with a chuckle. "Don't mention it."
Axton was just about to leave when Iron Buck's deep voice stopped him.
"Khan."
Axton turned.
The blacksmith's eyes narrowed, his tone more serious now. "I'd like you to meet someone. Someone who could use your help."
*Ding*
[You have triggered a follow-up quest.]
[Are you interested?]
[Yes / No]