In his mind, a brand new title attribute clearly emerged.
[Unique Title: Warrior in Desperation]
[Special Title, not displayed in equipment slot]
[Effect: Greatly reduces sword skill stun. The lower the HP, the higher all attributes and damage.]
This effect was simply tailor-made for extreme operations.
[System: Other functions will be gradually opened...]
"Chen Mo, the transaction is over."
A young girl's voice, suppressing a tremble, sounded in his ear.
"See you next time... remember, don't die."
Before Chen Mo could turn around, the petite figure, with resolute determination, squeezed into the chaotic crowd and disappeared.
Immediately after, a friend request popped up.
[Argo, requests to add you as a friend]
[Accept]
Chen Mo clicked on it.
He understood that for that shrewd and life-loving rat, he, a player with unknown information, was an insurance policy that she had to hold onto.
And he himself also needed to think about his next path.
Just then, another system prompt sounded at the perfect moment.
[Ding! Hidden Quest: The Blacksmith's Wish has been completed!]
[Please go to the Old Blacksmith's shop to collect the quest reward]
In the square, cries and curses merged into a symphony of despair.
Chen Mo, expressionless, walked against the flow of people, directly towards the commercial district of the Town of Beginning.
Panic was the epitaph of the weak, and he had no time to waste on emotions.
The Old Blacksmith's shop was in the most secluded corner of the commercial street, with few customers.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, a hot breath mixed with the smell of scorched metal and charcoal rushed over him.
"Customer, now... is not a good time to forge iron."
The white-haired Old Blacksmith sat by the furnace, his eyes bloodshot. Clearly, Akihiko Kayaba's death declaration had also destroyed the worldview of NPCs.
"I'm here to complete your commission."
Chen Mo didn't waste words, directly taking out the [Level 1 Enhancement Stone] from his backpack.
The moment he saw the enhancement stone, a glimmer of light suddenly burst forth in the Old Blacksmith's originally dead eyes.
He trembling took it, as if holding a rare treasure.
"Good! So good! Young man, you really found it! I thought... I thought I would never see it again."
"You seem to have a special attachment to it," Chen Mo subtly guided the conversation.
The Old Blacksmith's face instantly darkened. He put down the enhancement stone, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames deep within the furnace.
"I once... had a very talented apprentice."
His voice became incredibly low.
"He always wanted to forge the most perfect weapon, and to find the legendary [Dragon Scale Ore], he went deep into the dangerous labyrinth alone..."
"And then?"
"He never came back."
Turbid tears slid down the Old Blacksmith's eyes, "I only found this unfinished sword embryo he left behind... From that day on, I never touched the forging table again."
The system prompt arrived as expected.
[Ding! Hidden Quest Triggered: Master's Regret]
[Quest Description: Help the Old Blacksmith complete his apprentice's unfinished work]
[Quest Reward: [Master-level Enhancement Skill], 1000 experience points, 2000 col]
[Master-level Enhancement Skill]—this was one of his true goals for this trip, a heaven-defying skill that would save him a massive amount of resources in the later stages of the game.
"Old master, if that's the case, why not complete his unfinished work?"
Chen Mo's words struck the Old Blacksmith's heart like a heavy hammer.
"No... I can't do it anymore, my hands are no longer steady..."
"But your skill is still there," Chen Mo interrupted him, "I can help you. First, forge the quenching longsword for me, and then, we'll complete it together."
The Old Blacksmith was silent for a long time. Finally, as if he had made some kind of decision, he hobbled towards a dusty wooden box in the corner.
The box opened, and he carefully took out a strangely shaped sword embryo.
The sword body glowed with a deep blue luster, and even though it was not yet finished, the sense of power contained within it almost overflowed.
"This is the blade of fortitude's sword embryo."
The Old Blacksmith gently stroked the sword body, his eyes complex.
"My apprentice wanted to forge a sword that could release his will, but unfortunately, the most crucial [Metal Core] hasn't been found yet."
[Metal Core], a drop from the second floor's field BOSS.
Chen Mo understood.
"First, complete my quenching longsword." He handed over the enhancement stone, "As for the [Metal Core], I will get it."
The Old Blacksmith nodded heavily and rekindled the furnace fire.
Clang! Bang!
Amidst the crisp hammering sounds, a longsword shimmering with sharp silver light gradually took shape.
[Ding! Obtained Equipment: quenching longsword]
[Equipment Level: 1]
[Quality: Blue]
[Attack Power: 45-52]
[Special Effect: 15% chance to deal additional damage]
[Requires One-Handed Sword Proficiency: 50]
Chen Mo took the longsword, feeling the heavy texture in his hand. Compared to the starting weapon, this was a qualitative leap.
"Young man, about my apprentice's matter..."
"I will fulfill his dying wish," Chen Mo put away the longsword, "Give me some time."
Just then, the shop door was pushed open again.
A figure walked in.
It was a tall young girl with waist-length purple hair, holding a massive scythe that contrasted sharply with her slender figure.
The aura she exuded was cold and dangerous.
Chen Mo's gaze froze.
This figure highly overlapped with a character in his memory, but that cold, frosty demeanor was completely different.
"Old man, I'm here to complete the commission."
The girl's voice was as crisp as striking ice, without any emotional fluctuations.
She placed a piece of ore emanating a dark glow on the counter.
The moment the ore appeared, Chen Mo's breathing hitched for a moment.
[Shadow Ore]!
The exclusive drop from the first floor's hidden monster [Shadow Wolf King]!
The location of that monster was extremely secretive, and its attack patterns were bizarre. Even top players during the closed beta period needed some time to find it.
This purple-haired girl, was she alone? Or did she have someone with her?
"This is... [Shadow Ore]?" The Old Blacksmith also recognized this rare material, his face full of surprise, "Girl, where did you get..."
"That's not important."
The girl directly interrupted him.
"What's important is, can it be used to forge the weapon I want?"
The Old Blacksmith nodded, then shook his head.
"The material is top-grade, but to forge the [Shadow Scythe], you also need the ghost essence as a catalyst."
"How much?" the girl asked.
"It's not a matter of money," the Old Blacksmith smiled bitterly, "The ghost essence only has an extremely low chance of dropping from ghost-type monsters. There are no ghosts on the first floor at all."
The purple-haired girl fell silent.
The air seemed to drop a few degrees because of her silence.
A moment later, she turned to leave without a word.
"Wait."
Chen Mo's voice was not loud, but it clearly echoed in the blacksmith shop.
The girl's footsteps paused, and she slowly turned sideways, her cold gaze falling on Chen Mo, with inquiry and wariness.
Chen Mo met her gaze and spoke calmly.
"I know where to find the ghost essence."