The moment Alex saw the fragment, a chill ran down his spine.
He remembered this thing.
In his previous life, when this mysterious item first appeared, it caused a storm across the entire Arcana World Online world. Hundreds of guilds fought over it. His own Assassin Alliance joined the chaos, but someone else got it in the end.
Even after the Alliance rose to power and eventually collapsed, they never discovered who had secured the fragment.
Yet here it was. Hanging casually in a tiny novice village blacksmith shop.
Moving his finger slightly, Alex said quietly. "I want that. The piece next to the bronze longbow."
The white-bearded grandfather's eyes flickered with an odd light as if he had been waiting for someone to choose it. But the glimmer faded a second later, replaced by calmness.
"Oh? You want that one?" He chuckled softly. "Well… fate comes on its own schedule. If it wants to be born, no one can stop it. Take it then. Good luck, young one."
He lifted his hand, and the fragment floated from the hook, drifting gently into his palm. He then passed it to Alex with a casual flick.
The shard felt rough in Alex's grip. It doesn't seem like metal or even like stone. It felt something different. And there was also a faint scene lingering on it.
He immediately submitted it to system detection.
Five seconds later
*Ding!
[System: Unknown item. Insufficient pieces. At least two fragments are required for identification.]
A rare smile tugged at Alex's lips.
If the system couldn't detect it, then it was definitely valuable.
He stored it safely in his backpack.
*
"Grandpa," Alex then said casually, "do you have any more tasks?"
The white-bearded grandfather's expression changed immediately. His eyes dimmed, seemingly heavy with something buried deep. Sadness? Worry? It was hard to tell.
Alex's heart skipped. He could feel that there was a hidden quest here.
He leaned forward quickly. "If something's troubling you… Maybe I can help?"
The old man hesitated. His fingers tightened around the arm of his rocking chair. Then, slowly, he began explaining his story.
His grandson had disappeared a month ago while collecting frost elemental stones in an ice cave. The old man couldn't leave the village for certain reasons (which he refused to reveal to Alex). All he could do was wait… and hope someone powerful enough would pass by and search.
The reward he promised was a family heirloom, a space ring.
*Ding!
[You stumble upon a hidden quest.]
Alex accepted before the old man finished speaking.
The grandfather handed him a detailed map. Not only the route to the ice cave, but every notable spot around the novice village, like safe zones, monster nests, and hidden corners. It was also a treasure by itself, atleast in the eyes of players.
While the map was a quest item, which would disappear once the quest is over, the Quest didn't have any time limit or penalty either. Hence, there is no demerit for Alex either.
Tucking it away with a smile, he then started his preparations.
He sold extra loot of low-tier items, spare skins, and teeth to the blacksmith at 80% of market price. Painful, but necessary. His coin pouch jumped to fifty silver, which can be considered a small fortune at this stage.
Then a place popped in his head, Broken Wind Valley, a secret training ground which could be dangerous, but filled with treasure chests.
Those treasure chests will definitely contain an experience book. In the early game, nothing leveled players faster than experience books.
Very risky, but worth it.
He bought kite materials from the white-bearded grandfather. Kites were expensive, and he couldn't afford pre-made ones. That left him with 20 silver.
He then asked: "Grandpa… do you sell treasure chest keys here?"
As if luck nudged him again, the grandfather's eyes brightened when Alex spoke those words. The old man nodded, "Yes, I do have two keys, one black iron, one bronze. I'll give both to you for fifteen silver."
Alex's mouth twitched. "A very generous price," he thought sarcastically.
Normally, a black iron key costs 1 silver. Bronze keys, 5 silver at most. Paying 15 silver for both of them is like he was being robbed, but Alex needed them. He wasn't a thief class yet, and so, chests required keys to open.
So he paid.
The old man, perhaps remembering his conscience or the fact that Alex's familiarity increased with him due to a quest's completion or the hidden quest trigger, tossed in one more key, a rusted bronze key with a 50% success rate.
Alex accepted it gratefully.
*
Next, he went to the medical shop.
Here, the black-bearded grandfather was humming lazily on his rocking chair. He opened one eye as Alex approached. "Came to turn in the task?"
"Yes," Alex said, placing all the rat skins down. Including the Rat King's.
The old man raised a brow at the Rat King skin but showed no surprise… only mild interest.
"Since you over-completed the task," he said calmly, "I'll increase the reward. High-level poison for you."
System:
"Task completed. Reward: 1 High-Level Poison.
EXP +600.
Alchemist Grandfather's Favorability: 20."
*Ding! [You leveled up]
Alex leveled up immediately to Level 4.
Two free attributes were given, and he put both into Luck.
Luck: 13.
His luck has reached thirteen points, which is equivalent to wearing two pieces of top-tier luck gear.
"Not bad," Alex murmured. "This alone could change everything."
He spent 2 silver to buy four Intermediate Poisons. Then the remaining 3 silver coins on 30 loaves of bread. Bread restored hunger and 2 HP each.
His money pouch was empty again.
"Back to being broke," Alex sighed. "Typical."
No matter.
Time to farm.
*
Forty minutes later, Alex reached the edge of a towering cliff. The winds over there were quite fast. This was Broken Cliff, a barren ledge with nothing to hunt.
But at the bottom of the cliff lies the location that Alex wants to go, The Broken Wind Valley, a treasure chest paradise, one that is filled with death traps, and a place for the desperate players or the bold ones.
Alex crouched down and began assembling the kite. It took more than ten minutes to tie the frame, secure the cloth, and prepare the rope.
When he finished, he stood at the cliff edge. As the powerful winds tried to push him down, he tightened his grip on the kite.
"Time to fly."
Alex stood at the edge of the cliff and stared down. The bottom of the valley couldn't even be seen clearly from the top. All he could see were shadows, enormous trees, and the faint glitter of treasure chests scattered like stars across the terrain.
"Okay… take a deep breath."
He gripped the kite's frame with both hands, steadying his breath.
Now.
He jumped at once.
Wind slammed against his back, twisting his cheeks, pushing him forward. And the Kite sped up, gliding forward like a plane.
Soon, as he descended, the valley opened beneath him.
And it was nothing short of a treasure trove.
At least five treasure chests sparkled in his expanded field of view thanks to Primary Detective. But surrounding them were herds of level 8 to 10 monsters, dozens in every pack. This was no beginner's playground indeed.
But first, he needed a clean landing.
Alex scanned the ground quickly.
There, a giant tree was seen slanted against another trunk near the cliff base. Beneath it, an enormous Lazy Pig was sleeping, snoring with its belly rising and falling steadily.
Perfect.
He angled the kite down, skimming its frame along the top of the tree. At the exact moment he passed overhead, he released it and jumped.
He landed with a soft thud on the thick branch, grabbing the trunk before he could slip. From there, he crawled slowly, inch by inch, toward the nearest treasure chest.
It took ten whole minutes to reach it without alerting anything.
A black iron treasure chest.
A very good start indeed.
Alex pulled out a black iron key, inserted it carefully, and twisted.
With a crisp click, the lock was opened. And inside...
There were two experience books, one black iron Flame Staff, and a handful of silver coins.
He didn't waste a second in claiming the books.
"Consume Experience Book +2000 EXP"
"Consume Experience Book +2000 EXP"
Four thousand EXP lifted him to nearly level 5. One more book, and he would level instantly.
He inspected the staff. It was excellent, but useless to him.
[Flame Staff Black Iron, Top Tier]
+10% casting speed
Skill: [Small Flame] 22 fire damage + 5 burn per second for 5 seconds
Consumes 5 MP, cooldown 3s
Any mage who saw this would lose their mind.
But Alex's attention was elsewhere.
Because beneath the tree, the Lazy Piggy was still sleeping. And if he dropped down now, he'd have to get past it to reach other chests.
He studied it from above:
[Lazy Pig Level 8]
Attack: 12
HP: 2000
Agility: 35
Note: High-decibel scream can call nearby monsters within hundreds of meters.
For a normal level 4 player, killing this thing was next to impossible.
For Alex, it wasn't impossible, but killing it before it screamed was the real challenge.
Because once it screamed… every monster in the valley would come.
And that would be instant death.
He sat on the branch, thinking. Maybe… instead of trying to make a surprise attack and hope to kill it before it alerts the other monsters, he could sneak past while it slept.
"Let's try."
Taking a deep breath, he slowly slid down the trunk, touching the ground softly. He bent low and moved like a stalking cat, creeping closer and closer to the sleeping monster.
So far, so good.
Five meters away.
And it was still sleeping. Good...
He exhaled silently and turned toward another chest…
Just then...
Snap
His foot crushed something hiding in the grass.
A plant popped loudly like a firecracker.
[Blue Sage Grass]
An ordinary plant. Emits a loud popping sound when stepped on.
Alex froze. *F*ck*