Nitish waved goodbye to Killshot and quickly started heading toward the Red Mist Forest. In his estimation, by now Aaryan and the others must've leveled up comfortably.
He was still on the path when he suddenly sensed something unusual in the atmosphere around him. Without wasting a second, Nitish swiftly drew his sword.
GHHHHHRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrr!
He looked around and saw about eight Grey Wolves surrounding him. They had completely encircled him. Nitish immediately shifted into a combat stance.
GREY WOLF (LEVEL 4)HP: 1200/1200
Nitish began carefully observing their every movement. It was strange—they were growling at him, but none of them had made a move to attack.
"What is it you're trying to tell me?" Nitish asked, clearly confused."What do you all want from me?"
GHHHHHRRrrrrrr! AAAAuuuuuu!
The wolves looked frightened... and almost heartbroken.
Just as Nitish was trying to make sense of the situation, one of the wolves slowly approached him and gently tugged at his glove, trying to pull him in a particular direction.
"Where are you taking me?" Nitish asked, but the wolf kept pulling him along.
As the wolf led him forward, Nitish soon found himself in front of a large tree—and what he saw next made his eyes widen in shock.
Beneath the tree lay the corpse of another wolf, its body swarmed by insects feeding off it. A thick, black-colored liquid was smeared over the carcass.
"Corrupted creatures…"That was the first thought that shot through Nitish's mind the moment he saw the black substance—and in that instant, he understood what was going on here.
Corrupted creatures were the living embodiment of fear within the Celestial Domain. Unlike other beings—which were either ordinary creatures or wild beasts—corrupted creatures were something entirely different. They attacked humans and all other life forms indiscriminately.
These monsters were terrifying beyond measure. Their attacks didn't just injure the body—they harmed the very soul of the target. And when a soul was damaged, the victim would be denied access to the afterlife. To make things worse, corrupted creatures were completely devoid of mercy.
"So, it's been hunting you all..." Nitish looked at the wolves with genuine sympathy. He could tell they were in serious trouble. These weren't beasts he could kill without a second thought—they were just normal animals, caught in a nightmare.
Just then, a notification popped up before him:
Quest Available!Wolves in Trouble!Rank: NormalDo you wish to accept?
Seeing the quest, Nitish immediately tapped Accept—not for the rewards, but because he truly wanted to help these wolves.
"Alright then, let's save you all."
He walked up to the dead wolf's body and began examining it for clues.
"This one was killed recently... which means the killer must still be nearby."
Nitish moved forward cautiously, scanning the surroundings. If that corrupted monster was lurking close, he wanted to stay alert. If he got killed by it, he wouldn't just lose a level—he'd be unable to log into the game for several real-world days.
But no matter how hard he searched, there was no trace of the monster anywhere.
"Where did it vanish to? Swallowed by the earth or snatched up by the sky?"Frustrated, Nitish sat under a tree.
That's when he noticed it—a tree nearby, stained with the same black substance he had seen on the wolf's corpse.
Judging by that, the monster must have passed through that direction. Without wasting time, Nitish got back on his feet and started following the trail.
And then—
"What...?"His eyes widened at the sight in front of him.
"GIRAVI'S WORKSHOP?" Nitish was stunned.
Giravi was a legendary Grandmaster Forger—and he had been killed by his own son. The master craftsman had left behind numerous workshops scattered across the land, each one holding unimaginable secrets. Every single workshop was unique, filled with rare and precious items. But each was also sealed, requiring a special key to gain entry.
"I can't believe I actually found Giravi's workshop… How is this even possible?"Nitish was in disbelief. In the middle of trying to complete a basic quest, he had stumbled upon something truly extraordinary—an ancient treasure lost to time.
AAAAARGHHHHhhhhhhh!
A loud roar snapped him out of his thoughts.
He turned around—and there it was.
A massive black bear, standing tall behind him. Its body was only half-alive, grotesque and twisted, but its size had grown far beyond normal. The moment Nitish laid eyes on it, he knew without a doubt—
It was here to kill him.
CORRUPTED BEAR (LEVEL 5) [RARE ELITE]HP: 8000 / 8000
The bear charged straight at Nitish, roaring with bloodlust. Its claws were nearly as long as daggers, gleaming with a deadly sheen.
FWOOOSH!
Nitish blocked the incoming strike using his Parry skill, but the sheer force of the impact sent him flying backward. Rolling mid-air, he landed near a tree, used it for support, and launched himself straight back at the beast.
"DRACONIC STRIKE!"
Nitish's blade slammed into the bear, sending it flying several feet and eliciting a guttural scream from the creature.
GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
–350 HP, –12 HP, –12 HP
The bear's eyes were now filled with blind rage. Thanks to Nitish's sword, a Bleeding Effect had been inflicted, and its health was starting to tick down.
"It's so fast... damn."Nitish was taken aback by the creature's speed as it rushed toward him again.
BOOM!
The corrupted bear slammed Nitish into the ground with brutal force. His health dropped rapidly—now down to barely 40%.
"I'm not letting you win that easily!"
Without thinking twice, Nitish pulled a throwing knife from his ring and hurled it at the bear.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOOOM!
One after another, Nitish threw five throwing knives in rapid succession. Each one struck the bear with staggering power—so much so that even Nitish was surprised at the numbers popping up on his screen.
–311 HP, –323 HP, –329 HP, –332 HP, –341 HP
Seeing over 1,500 HP melt away from just five knives lit a spark of excitement in Nitish.
"I should've brought more of these."He smiled, then activated the Guruden Aura from his breastplate. With that energy surging through him, he dashed forward and resumed his assault on the bear.
DODGE! ATTACK! DODGE! ATTACK!
Despite the bear's massive size, Nitish wasn't struggling much to evade its attacks. No matter how fast the beast was—he had his Agility Ring.
"Alright, let me show you something insane."With a swift motion, Nitish unleashed Harakiri Slash, tearing through the corrupted bear's flesh. His blade carved deep into the creature's body, leaving it screaming in agony.
AAAAAUGHHHHH!
Moments later, with one final roar, the beast collapsed—dead.
Nitish, panting heavily, walked up to the bear's corpse to inspect it.
Corrupted Bear (Level 5) [Rare Elite] has been killed!You have gained 1000 experience points!
A large amount of loot had spilled around the corpse, and without hesitation, Nitish began collecting everything he could get his hands on.
"Whoa! I didn't think I'd get a Corrupted Nodule this easily."
A smile spread across Nitish's face as he picked up the rare material. The Corrupted Nodule was one of the best crafting components for making corrupted weapons—and now he had one in his hands.
As he gathered the rest of the loot, Nitish felt completely satisfied.
Item Acquired: Corrupt Bear Hide Gloves (Iron Rank)Defense: 35Strength: 60Agility: 25
(Passive Ability) Corrupt Aura: Grants additional defense and strength when fighting corrupted creatures.(Active Skill) Corrupt Maul: Allows the user to unleash a corruptive punch, dealing 20% bonus area damage within 2 meters and granting a 5-second strength boost.
The gloves were pitch black and radiated a menacing aura. Nitish immediately equipped them. The moment they were on his hands, he could feel a significant surge in power. These gloves were heavily focused on strength-based stats—something Nitish had been lacking. Though his speed was exceptional, his strength had always been a weak point.
Now, not anymore.
Congratulations!You have completed the Normal Quest: Wolves in Trouble!Rewards:– Title: Jungle Saviour– 3,000 EXP– Key Blueprint: Red Mist Forest – Giravi's Workshop
Nitish's eyes widened—not because of the title, but because he couldn't believe what he had just received.
He had acquired the blueprint for Giravi's Workshop key.
Nitish was so stunned he could barely breathe. His hands trembled as he stared at the notification.
"Did I really just get the method to craft the key...?"
Without wasting a second, Nitish opened the blueprint to inspect it. And just like he hoped—it was real. A full, detailed crafting plan.
But the moment he scrolled down to check the required materials, his excitement crashed into a wall.
For a second, Nitish genuinely felt like slamming his head into a wall.
"You know what? I should just set myself on fire and jump into it. Or maybe stab this sword straight into my own gut! WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE?!"Nitish's temper flared as he read the crafting requirements.
And honestly, who could blame him?
The first ingredient required to forge the so-called "key" was something called Gradient Ore. When Nitish looked it up, the guide told him it only dropped from monsters in level 30 to level 40 zones.
Considering the amount of effort it had just taken him to defeat a level 5 corrupted bear, the idea of fighting monsters six times stronger than that felt like pure suicide. Monsters in those areas wouldn't just kill him—they'd probably use him as a toothpick afterward.
Frustrated, Nitish stored the blueprint inside his ring and shelved the idea—for now. There was no way he could craft that key or access the workshop at his current level. Still, he took some comfort in knowing that if he couldn't enter, then no one else could either.
As he mulled over the situation, his call interface lit up. It was Aaryan.
Nitish answered, "What's up, Aaryan?"
"Nothing much, bro," Aaryan replied. "It's just... some of the guys were wondering if we could go a bit deeper into Red Mist Forest. Especially Bear—he's super hyped about it."
"Absolutely not."Nitish's voice was firm. "You're not going into the inner zone. That place has level 10 creatures. If you all want to die, sure—go ahead."
Aaryan's confidence instantly vanished. "Oh. Damn... Thanks for telling us. That could've been a really bad move."
"Yeah," Nitish said, his tone softening slightly. "I'll be joining you all soon. Just stay where you are."
Nitish ended the call and quickly began making his way toward his group's location.
Within a few minutes, he arrived. The moment the others saw him, their faces lit up. They surrounded him in excitement, happy to see their leader again.
"Boss! This place is amazing! Look how much loot we've already collected!"Bear was grinning from ear to ear as he proudly held up a new shield. But as he admired his own equipment, he quickly noticed something else—Nitish himself was also wearing brand-new gear.
"Boss, did you get new armor?" Jade asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Yeah," Nitish replied with a smile.
Aaryan stepped forward. "So, what do we do next? You can see we've all reached level 5. Tell us what's next."
Nitish nodded. "Now it's time for all of you to start focusing not just on your levels, but on your skills as well. Just fighting monsters won't teach you enough anymore. You need to head back to town and start training."
"Training grounds? What's that?"Everyone looked confused.
"Training Grounds are special areas where, for a small payment, you can train under fighting masters—and they teach you based on your class. Actually, the whole reason I sent you here to hunt goblins was so you could gather enough Kynate Gems. With what you've collected, you'll easily be able to afford beginner-level sessions back at the training grounds."
"BOSS! How do you know all this?!"Sparky was clearly impressed. "Most people don't even know Training Grounds exist. You're seriously incredible!"
Nitish gave them all the order to head back to town.
Before they left, Aaryan handed Nitish 500 Kynate Gems—after all, he would need them too when he decided to start skill training. Aaryan also gave him all the coins they'd earned from killing goblins—a total of 78 copper coins.
With that, Nitish's coin pouch once again held 1 silver coin.
"Well... I really did miss this silver coin," Nitish said with a grin.
He began walking deeper into the Red Mist Forest. Now, you might be wondering—if Nitish had told his team not to venture further into the forest, why was he doing exactly that himself?
The answer was simple: chests.
The deeper sections of the Red Mist Forest were home to multiple goblin camps and secret treasure chests, and looting them could bring Nitish some serious rewards. On top of that, since no one else even knew about this forest, he'd have access to all those chests uncontested.
Nitish had no intention of letting that kind of opportunity slip through his fingers.
As he continued forward, his system suddenly bombarded him with a series of notifications. Annoyed, he opened the message panel to check what the commotion was about.
"Now what is it this time?!" Nitish muttered.
But the moment he saw the first notification, he fell silent.
"What...?"
His eyes stayed locked on the messages, disbelief growing with every line he read.