Chapter 5: The Black Bear of the Sacred Spring

Marcus picked up Fluffy Rabbit’s dropped items.

The two Rabbit Guards had dropped 4 pieces of equipment and 1 gold coin. Besides 2 pieces of level 5 equipment, there were actually 2 rings, both blue quality.

Big Rabbit Tooth Ring: Blue equipment, Requires Level 5, Agility +5, Additional: Defense +5.

’Nice.’ He equipped it.

Fluffy Rabbit turned out to be quite stingy, dropping only 2 gold coins and 2 pieces of equipment. But when Marcus saw one piece of equipment, his face lit up,it was actually a red-quality Artifact!

Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask: Red Artifact, effects unknown, cannot be equipped.

Items were categorized as White equipment, Blue equipment, Yellow equipment, Green sets, Red Artifacts, and Purple Divine items.

White equipment was the most basic, with only basic attributes. Blue equipment was one tier higher, adding 3-4 additional attributes to the white equipment’s base stats. Golden equipment was even higher tier, with 3-8 additional attributes and superior base stats.

Green sets, Red Artifacts, and Purple Divine items were naturally more powerful than Golden equipment, absolutely premium items, but much harder to obtain. Most players would be lucky to own Golden equipment.

Equipment above Golden quality would emit corresponding colored light to showcase their high tier and special properties, though players could hide the equipment’s glow.

Equipment above Golden quality required identification before attributes would appear and couldn’t be used without identification.

Marcus examined Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask repeatedly, estimating it was valuable. He really wanted to return to the village for identification, but the herbalist’s quest wasn’t complete yet. Going back would waste time and wasn’t cost-effective.

Looking at the other item, it was actually a treasure map.

Rabbit Path: Treasure map, effects unknown, cannot be used.

’Haha, a treasure map!’ Marcus loved those, definitely contained good stuff. Looked like it needed identification to use.

After organizing his items, he continued forward and spotted a pack of mountain wolves wandering the grasslands.

"Insight."

Corrupted Mountain Wolf: Level 8, 300 HP. Guards Healing Herbs.

The herbalist’s quest had the same setup as the blacksmith’s, just with different monsters. How boring.

Corrupted Mountain Wolf, exactly what he was looking for! They actually dared to steal the herbalist’s beloved Golden Pot. Well, it was time to get down to business.

Killing Fluffy Rabbit had leveled him up, and he’d equipped two Big Rabbit Tooth Rings, further boosting his abilities. So at level 6, facing level 8 Corrupted Mountain Wolves posed no difficulty.

After more than two hours of tedious monster grinding, Marcus had explored the entire territory of the Corrupted Mountain Wolves. He had long since completed the Herbalist’s quest, retrieving the Golden Pot and gathering ten Healing Herbs.

His level had climbed to 8, and his backpack was stuffed to the brim. It was time to head back and sort through his inventory. But before that, he had one more task to complete: the one given to him by the Village Chief.

To the right of the Corrupted Mountain Wolf area was a hilly region where groups of three to five tigers could be seen basking in the sun.

He used Insight to inspect them. Corrupted Tiger: Level 10, 500 HP, social.

’Only 500 HP?’

The level 10 Corrupted Tigers didn’t seem particularly tough. But what did "social" mean?

Marcus cautiously approached a group of three. As soon as he attacked one, the other two immediately turned on him. So that was it, they ganged up on you.

Insight was proving to be an invaluable skill, providing crucial information.

-30, -20. The damage was manageable. The Corrupted Tigers had an average attack of 25, which he could withstand. With his own damage output exceeding 100, he made short work of the three tigers.

The Corrupted Tigers attacked in groups. Although he was building his character towards a Knight, focusing on defense and health, dealing with three to five of them at once was no easy feat. If it weren’t for his powerful stats, decent attack, and skilled gameplay, taking on several tigers alone would have been a real struggle. No wonder the Village Chief had advised him to train up and improve his abilities before attempting this quest.

"Ding! Congratulations, Stonehaven, you have reached level 9. HP +10, MP +10. You have 5 attribute points to distribute."

Now at level 9, he had completed the Village Chief’s quest, collecting 20 Corrupted Tiger tails. Just one more level and he could choose his class. At this rate, being the first to do so seemed well within reach.

He had considered grinding to level 10 before returning to the village, but a quick look at his experience bar told him that the journey from level 9 to 10 was a significant leap, requiring more experience than leveling from 1 to 9 combined. Besides, his inventory was full.

Every new player started with 50 inventory slots.

He decided to head back.

On the way, the difference in player levels was becoming apparent. Players were now active in the level 8 Corrupted Mountain Wolf area, while the level 5 Corrupted Rat zone was a chaotic sea of people. The Corrupted Hedgehog and Corrupted Rabbit areas remained as crowded as ever.

’So many people!’ The small village was bustling with activity. Marcus pushed his way through the throng to turn in his quests.

"Blacksmith, I’m back. I’ve recovered your Golden Hammer."

"With the Golden Hammer, I can forge weapons much faster," the Blacksmith said, taking the hammer.

"Stonehaven has completed the Blacksmith’s Golden Hammer quest. Reputation +10, rewarded with 1 gold coin. The Blacksmith has granted Stonehaven the ’Forging’ skill. Stonehaven has acquired the secondary profession: Blacksmith."

"Herbalist, I’m back. I’ve found your Golden Pot."

"With the Golden Pot, I can brew potions much faster," the Herbalist said, accepting the Pot.

"Stonehaven has completed the Herbalist’s Golden Pot quest. Reputation +10, rewarded with 1 gold coin. The Herbalist has granted Stonehaven the ’Potion Making’ skill. Stonehaven has acquired the secondary profession: Herbalist."

"Village Chief, I’m back. I’ve completed the quest."

"Ah, Stonehaven. Finished already?" The Village Chief sounded a little skeptical.

"Here’s the proof. The tails of the Corrupted Tigers." He let his actions speak for themselves.

"These really are Corrupted Tiger tails! I didn’t expect you to be so gifted, Stonehaven. To complete this task so quickly... impressive, truly impressive."

The Village Chief’s surprised tone was music to his ears, and a wide grin spread across his face.

"Heh, you’re too kind, Village Chief. I was just doing my best to help out. You flatter me."

"Player Stonehaven has completed the Village Chief’s request to kill 20 Corrupted Tigers. Reward: 2 gold coins, Reputation +20. For completing the quest far faster than the Village Chief anticipated, player Stonehaven is awarded the ’Swift Blade’ skill."

Swift Blade: Level 1 (0/5000), Passive Skill. Attack Speed +1, Movement Speed +1.

"No way, you can get rewards like this?"

"Stonehaven, your ability to complete this task so quickly shows that you are no ordinary adventurer. I believe you are the hero I have been waiting for. Our village has a sacred spring, but three years ago, it was taken over by a black bear. Can you help us reclaim the spring and bring back nine jars of its sacred water?"

"Of course, no problem. You can count on me, Village Chief!"

"Stonehaven has accepted the ’Sacred Spring Water’ quest. You must kill the black bear and retrieve nine jars of sacred water."

He checked the quest details:

"Sacred Spring Water, Unique Hidden Quest, Intermediate difficulty. Kill the black bear and retrieve nine jars of sacred water. The spring is located in the forest northwest of the village. If the quest is failed, the player’s level will be reduced to 1."

’Haha, a Unique Hidden Quest! I finally got one!’ He could already imagine the amazing rewards.

’Wait, what?’ The penalty for failure was huge.

But the word "failure" wasn’t in his dictionary. Besides, the greater the penalty, the greater the reward, right?

"Village Chief, this quest sounds quite dangerous. Do you have any information on this black bear? Any hints to help me prepare?" He wasn’t one to rush in blindly. Preparation was key.

"Since the black bear took our sacred spring, we’ve sent several of our bravest warriors, but none have returned. We know nothing of its abilities. You must be thoroughly prepared, Stonehaven."

’No wonder there are only three old men in this village. Did they all get killed by the black bear?’ He thought to himself. ’This bear is not to be underestimated.’

"Village Chief, since this bear is so powerful, do you have anything you could give me, or perhaps lend me, to boost my strength and give me a better chance?" he asked shamelessly, trying to get some extra help.

"I have nothing for you," the Village Chief replied flatly, not giving him any face at all.

’Seriously...’

"Well, could you at least help me identify these two items?" He took out the Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask and the treasure map for the Rabbit Path.

In the Newbie Village, the Village Chief could identify items. In cities, there were dedicated Appraisers.

"You’ve obtained a Red Artifact so soon? While the drop rate for equipment is higher in the Newbie Village, items above Golden quality are rare due to the low level of the monsters. To think you’ve found a Red Artifact, and this treasure map... It seems my judgment was not mistaken. Stonehaven, I am confident you can complete this quest."

It seemed he had surprised the Village Chief yet again.

’Your judgment wasn’t mistaken? It was your mistaken judgment that just got me the ’Swift Blade’ skill,’ he thought, but kept a smiling facade as he handed the two items to the Village Chief.

"Indeed, both are fine items. It will cost 100 gold coins to identify them."

’Are you kidding me? That’s robbery!’ He only had 15 gold coins in total, and 10 of those were from killing the Fluffy Rabbit. Gold was not easy to come by.

"Stonehaven, I will identify these two items for you free of charge. It will increase your strength and help you defeat that wretched black bear." The Village Chief’s generosity was a pleasant surprise. He was so relieved about the gold that he felt like giving the old man a kiss.

The Village Chief ran his hand over the Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask. A red glow enveloped it, revealing an exquisitely crafted rabbit mask. It was delicate and beautiful, with two large, adorable eyes.

Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask: Red Artifact. A precious gift from the Golden Rabbit King to the Fluffy Rabbit. Requirements: None. Agility +50, Movement Speed +3, Attack Speed +2. Skill: Run for Your Life: Allows the use of a Town Portal Scroll while in combat.

It was an amazing item. Red Artifacts didn’t usually have many stats, but the ones they had were incredibly powerful. Used correctly, they could be almost as good as Purple Divine items.

"I can’t believe the Rabbit Path treasure map actually exists. When I saw you take it out with the Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask, I had my doubts, but to think it’s real..."

What was he so excited about? Marcus quickly examined the map. It was a simple drawing of some scenery and landmarks.

Rabbit’s Path: Unique Treasure Map. Shows the path to the Golden Rabbit King’s lair. The Fluffy Rabbit used this map for its dates with the Golden Rabbit King. This item cannot be dropped.

It didn’t seem like much. He looked at the Village Chief, confused. It was just a map to the boss, the Golden Rabbit King, right?

"You are still young, Stonehaven. You don’t know how formidable the Golden Rabbit King is. It is the most terrifying enemy in the Newbie Village," the Village Chief explained, seeing his confusion.