Chapter 9 : Grade 3 Equipment
'A follow-up quest?'
Axton tilted his head slightly, staring at the blacksmith in surprise.
His curiosity was instantly piqued and he nodded.
"Who wouldn't be interested?"
How else was he going to grow stronger in this world called New Eden?
Iron Buck gave a deep chuckle, clearly pleased at Axton's reaction.
"I'm glad you're interested. The hunter in the outskirts needs help with a problem that has been disturbing him for quite some time."
'The hunter?' Axton frowned inwardly.
He had no idea who this mysterious man was supposed to be.
"Since you've accepted, I'll contact him on your behalf," Iron Buck continued with certainty, as if this step was already decided from the moment Axton nodded.
The blacksmith kept speaking, yet half of his words sounded vague.
Axton couldn't piece them together.
It was as though the quest itself was deliberately shrouded in mystery.
For a second, he even regretted nodding so quickly—yet it was far too late to change his mind.
Iron Buck excused himself briefly and disappeared into the back of his forge.
The clanging of tools echoed for several minutes before he returned with a folded piece of parchment.
"Here," he said, handing it over.
On the paper were rough directions, notes about terrain, and the exact location where this so-called hunter lived.
Axton tucked the parchment carefully into his inventory and bowed his head. "Thanks."
The blacksmith gave him a final nod before returning to his blazing forge.
******
The moment Axton stepped out of Iron Buck's shop, the sunlight hit his face, making him squint.
His first instinct was not to rush off toward the hunter, but to find a quiet place.
He quickly slipped into a secluded alley behind a row of small wooden houses and sat down on a stack of empty crates.
His heart thumped faster.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
Time to see what Grade 3 gear looks like.
One by one, Axton retrieved the shimmering items from his backpack.
Each radiated a faint glow as though announcing their superiority over ordinary items.
The first piece he inspected was the enchantment armor.
…
[Enchantment Armour]
Grade : 3
Perk : Defense +10
Skill : Enchantment
…
Axton's eyes widened so much they almost popped out of his head.
Another skill.
Not just any minor buff, but an actual combat skill—something beyond the basic starter ability every player had been given.
His chest tightened in excitement as he saw the word glaring at him.
Without hesitation, he tapped the skill description.
…
[Enchantment]
Skill Grade : 3 Star (Lv. 1)
Description : Releases mana across a 5-meter radius, enchanting anyone caught within it. Enchanted victims are immobilized for 30 seconds. (Cooldown : 1 minute)
Drawback : Consumes 5 mana points.
…
"Immobilize for thirty seconds? That's insane!" he muttered. "That's a good skill… as long as I have mana, that is."
He was excited.
With this alone, he had already gained a massive advantage over other players.
In New Eden, control abilities were priceless.
To lock an enemy in place for half a minute?
That was practically overpowered.
His mind raced with the possibilities.
Even if his enemies were stronger or faster, one cast of [Enchantment] could turn the tide.
******
There were three known ways to acquire skills in New Eden.
The first was through quest rewards.
Players could complete quests and sometimes receive skill books.
The second was through skill-granting Items.
Only Grade 3 items or higher could possibly grant skills, like his Enchantment Armour, though even then it wasn't guaranteed.
Thirdly, the last of the known methods was through monster drops. This was the hardest since it involved actually defeating the monster in question but powerful ones dropped skills and sometimes, skill books.
Skills, much like items, were divided into twelve ranks:
Basic → 1-star → 2-star → 3-star → 4-star → 5-star → 6-star → 7-star → Legendary → Mythical → Sacred → Divine.
The stronger the item, the higher the chance of gaining a high-ranked skill.
For example, a Legendary weapon might grant a Legendary skill. Though luck still played its role.
Axton reread the skill description and laughed softly. "Thirty seconds of paralysis. No wonder they call this world a second life. Jackpot indeed."
[Battle God], his earlier acquired talent, was powerful in increasing his offensive power, but it lacked any defensive edge.
One solid strike from an enemy still put his life at risk.
Now, with [Enchantment], he finally had a countermeasure.
"Step one, freeze them. Step two, crush them," Axton whispered with a smirk.
The next equipment he pulled out was the sword.
…
[Flash Sword]
Grade : 3
Perks : Attack +15, Agility +1 (Additional Agility when using sword skills)
Skill : Flash Sword Attack
…
[Flash Sword Attack]
Skill Grade : 3 Star (Lv. 1)
Description : Attack a target at three times your base agility for 30 seconds with the Flash Sword. (Cooldown: 1 minute)
Drawback : Consumes 5 mana points.
…
"Now this… this is pure slaughter," Axton commented.
His base attack had already climbed to around 11 points at level 2.
With the sword adding 15 points on top of that, his attack nearly doubled.
And that was before activating [Flash Sword Attack].
He could already imagine dashing past monsters and players alike, cutting them down before they even realized he'd moved.
The final piece was a pair of boots.
…
[Speed Boots]
Level : 1
Perk : Agility +10
Skill : Flash Step
…
[Flash Step]
Skill Grade : 3 Star (Lv. 1)
Description : Increases agility by 200% for 30 seconds. (Cooldown : 1 minute)
Drawback : Consumes 5 mana points.
…
This time Axton nearly choked on his own breath.
"Two hundred percent?! That's basically teleportation!" he exclaimed.
Doing a quick calculation in his head, Axton realized that with the perks stacked, his agility could soar to 24 points.
That was outrageous for someone only at level 2.
With these boots alone, he could challenge players above him in level and come out victorious.
He leaned back against the crate, clutching the boots to his chest as he laughed.
"This… this isn't legal. If anyone sees my build right now, they'll scream that I hacked the system."
The thought of how envious other players would be made him chuckle even more.
******
While he rejoiced, something clicked in his head.
Mana.
That was his true enemy.
Warrior class players weren't meant to depend heavily on mana.
Unlike mages, their natural mana pools were pitifully low.
Almost every one of his new skills demanded 5 mana points.
Chaining them together in a single battle would burn his reserves dry within moments.
Without enough mana, all of these powerful abilities were just flashy ornaments.
Axton exhaled deeply, rubbing his temples. "I'll need to find a way around this… potions, items, maybe skills that increase mana."
Even with the glaring limitation, he couldn't suppress the overwhelming excitement boiling in his chest.
With [Enchantment], [Flash Sword Attack], and [Flash Step], he wasn't just a regular player anymore.