[You've got a new quest]
"What's this?" Broken exclaimed as he saw something appear before him when the dwarf shut the door.
[Become an Apprentice of Fokil the Blacksmith]
[Rating: B]
[Embark on a journey to become an apprentice of Fokil, the renowned blacksmith known for his exceptional skills in metalworking and forging. Immerse yourself in the intriguing art of transforming raw metal into magnificent tools, weapons, and other objects.
In order to gain Fokil's recognition, you must showcase your aptitude for the craft and prove your worthiness.]
[Clear Conditions: Gain Fokil's Acknowledgment]
[Clear Rewards: Raise in Affinity with Fokil the Blacksmith, Receive Blacksmith-related Class.]
[Quest Failure: Negative Affinity with Fokil the Blacksmith.]
He paused for a moment, reading the quest that appeared before him. "Huh?" he murmured. "B Rating quest? Is the Quest Advancement skill not working? Why can't I get a rating upgrade?" He exhaled slowly.
But then, a quest appeared just when Broken had tried to communicate with the blacksmith dwarf. This showed that he could indeed grant players the blacksmith class. It confirmed Broken's suspicion that learning the Blacksmith class directly from a dwarf would be more beneficial.
Knowing he had gotten the quest for the class he wanted, he just needed to focus and gain Fokil's acknowledgment to achieve the Blacksmith class.
"All right," he continued, "at least now I know what to do. Usually, there are many ways to complete a quest, but this time it seems I'm stuck with a quest that has clear conditions, yet it's not clear what I have to do to complete it."
Being asked to gain acknowledgement from someone he didn't know was certainly annoying. Therefore, he decided to explore the area first, looking for opinions from the locals about the blacksmith dwarf named Fokil.
In an RPG, if someone got a quest where it wasn't clear how to complete it, one way to proceed was to seek information from nearby NPCs, who might provide useful clues.
Broken quickly walked around the smithy, extending an invitation to each NPC he encountered along the way, hoping to collect enough information to finish the task given to him.
"Excuse me," he said to an adult woman strolling along the side of the road. "Can you tell me about Fokil, the Blacksmith?"
The woman glanced at Broken and then, appearing flustered, hastily departed. "Sorry, I can't help you," she replied.
"That's really useful information," Broken clicked his tongue.
As he strolled by a group of children snacking on candy next to a merchant. He approached them and asked, "Hey, kiddos, can you tell me about Fokil, the Blacksmith?"
"Fokil?" one of them snickered. "That grumpy, hot-headed dwarf? Ha ha ha!"
"Yeah, him," another child chimed in. "He's always drinking. Useless, hahaha."
"I heard his family abandoned him because he was so useless," the first child added. "They probably couldn't stand his short size."
"Um, excuse me," the third child interrupted. "Dwarves are naturally shorter than humans, you dummy—that's just how they are."
"Ah, I see, that is really very important information," Broken muttered, pretending to be interested. He took a few steps away from the children.
"Hey, buddy, don't you have something to say?" one of the children called out, holding out his hand. "We just gave you some valuable information."
Broken tossed three bronze coins onto the ground, then continued on his way. "Tsk, this game really makes the NPCs into robbers just to make the players even poorer," he grumbled under his breath.
Despite the unhelpful and somewhat infuriating interactions, Broken remained determined to complete his quest. He resolved to find another way to impress Fokil and gain his acknowledgement.
Broken continued to gather information about Fokil, conducting a diligent investigation. After much research, he began to conclude that Fokil was a blacksmith who seemed to have difficulty selling his products in this area. His items were expensive, and he did not use auctions for advertising. Broken wondered if it was the quality of the items or simply the fact that the players around here couldn't afford them.
Besides that, it seemed that Fokil lived alone, surrounded by the bustling crowds of humans in this area. Perhaps that's why he didn't seem to enjoy interacting with other people. He also had a habit of drinking too much and engaging in activities that garnered him a bad reputation.
Broken then walked to the center of the merchants' area and approached a stand selling ore and mineral raw materials for blacksmithing.
"Hey, you know Fokil, right?" he asked the merchant.
The merchant quickly replied, "Why, of course, I know Fokil—how could I not know a blacksmith as talented as him? Are you thinking of becoming a blacksmith too? Hahaha!" He continued without pause, "I think it was a wise decision to come to me. Hahaha. So, do you want to pursue a career in blacksmithing? If so, why don't you start by mining? I'm sure if you do a good job, Fokil will take notice of you!"
"What does mining have to do with blacksmithing? Mining is for miners, and blacksmithing is for crafting weapons," Broken replied.
"Then why bother asking about Fokil if you won't listen to my suggestion?" the merchant retorted.
"And your suggestion is to mine ores?"
"Here," the merchant said, gesturing to a pickaxe. "I can offer it to you at an affordable price. With it, you can start mining right away at the nearest cave near the forest. Once you're done, bring your results to me, and if I'm satisfied, I'll write you a letter of recommendation for Fokil. Sounds good, doesn't it? It's only 30 silver."
Broken considered the offer, weighing his options.
[Mine Iron Ores]
[Rating: C]
[In order to demonstrate your commitment to blacksmithing, it is necessary to gain the approval of the Irons. One way to do this is to obtain high-quality Iron Ore by mining.]
[Clear Conditions: Mine 30 Iron Ores.]
[Clear Rewards: Recommendation letter from the Mining Association.]
[Quest Failure: None]
Broken was given another quest that was connected to the one for Fokil. He had no other option but to accept the offer from the merchant. At least now, he had a new opportunity to move forward with his quest.
He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Mr. Merchant, why is the pickaxe so expensive? Can you give it to me for 5 silver? I'm still a beginner. I don't have that much money."
"For you, 10 silver! That's a good deal," the merchant replied.
Broken thought to himself, "I feel like I've been scammed." He then replied, "5 silver coins!"
"Okay, 5, take it," the merchant reluctantly accepted the offer and threw the pickaxe at Broken.
[Common Pickaxe]
[Grade: Common]
[Durability: 97/100]
[Weight: 45]
[Nothing too special. It's just for mining. So get to work, and don't read too much into the description.]
[Skills:]
[Increases the chance of getting higher quality ores by two percent.]
He let out a slow exhale after taking a deep breath. He had no choice but to make sacrifices in order to complete the quest, and money was one of them.
"Money's getting tighter and tighter," he grumbled as he turned away. "But you know what they say, no pain, no gain. Let's head to the mines, come on."
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Broken spent some time gathering information about the location of the mining cave. Once he knew where it was, he set off, exiting the city wall and crossing the grassy plains toward the mountains, passing through a forest.
He walked with Polly, trotting beside him, taking time to enjoy the journey through the grassy fields and savoring the beauty of the game that he couldn't find in the real world.
"How do the miners carry their ores, Master?" Polly asked in a soft voice as she ran through the grass, her small body nearly hidden by the tall grass and reeds.
"They bring their ores down from the mountain and then use carriages to transport them to the city. At least, that's what I learned after gathering information about the miners," Broken replied, reflecting on his newfound knowledge about their profession.
After some time, they reached the edge of the forest, where tall trees lined the path leading to the mountains. A well-trodden trail created by the locals, wound its way up into the forest. Fortunately, the forest in this area was free of high-level monsters, making it safe for the locals to mine, gather wood, or hunt for food.
"Come, Polly," Broken said. Polly responded by transforming into her larger form, running in circles with enthusiasm. Broken quickly mounted the fox, and they set off.
It had been a long and tiring trek to reach the mining cave. The winding paths of the mountains were not an easy feat to conquer, and it could take hours to reach the destination. Luckily, Broken had the luxury of riding Polly, and they swiftly made their way towards the cave concealed among the towering trees.
The route to the cave was a challenging one, with steep inclines that made it a difficult journey for those on foot. However, with Polly as his trusty steed, Broken was able to cover the distance in a fraction of the time. They soon arrived at the entrance of the cave, which was camouflaged by a small cluster of trees.
As he approached the cave, he noticed its wide entrance, spacious enough to accommodate a group of twenty people. The land surrounding the cave was sparsely vegetated, with rugged rocks and a few forest trees. The echoing reverberations of mining and the voices of chatty people filtered through the entrance, indicating the presence of both NPCs and players inside.
"There are many miners inside," he whispered.
"Let's go, Polly," he muttered. He immediately stepped into the cave, followed by Polly, who scampered around his footsteps.
The sunlight slowly thinned as he walked deeper. Several sparkling stones adorned the walls of the cave, along with stone lamps made from Monster Cores hanging at intervals on the cave walls. These provided illumination, making the interior of the cave easier to see. Someone had also placed torches to further light the room.
The cave was partially wet, with water dripping from the walls and pooling on the floor, making it slippery. However, when Broken looked at Polly, she seemed unaffected by the slick surface.
"Master, I can walk on any surface—slippery, sandy, hard... and... I'm sure I could even run on water one day," she said enthusiastically, seeking her master's attention.
"I trust you, Polly," Broken replied, smiling at the little fox.
"Hey, who's there?" one of the miners shouted as Broken walked closer to the source of the noise.
"Hey, sorry, I'm just here to do some mining," he replied.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a beginner in mining. This is my first time."
"A beginner?" they said, rolling their eyes. "Tsk, go to that section over there. Don't bother us here; you'll only slow us down."
"Okay, thanks!" Broken replied, walking past them and following the direction they had pointed.
The miners continued their noisy work, chatting randomly with each other.
"You know, my neighbor's husband just drowned in the sea, attacked by a monster, hahaha."
"Is that the young, pretty neighbor you mentioned?"
"Yeah... now I can easily woo that widow, and I'm free to take her."
"Man, don't you already have a wife? Leave her for me."
"You think I should tell my wife? No! I'll enjoy her myself, hahaha."
"Hey, beginner, hurry up and go over there. Don't bother us in this area."
"But isn't that area already mined out?"
"It doesn't matter. He's just a player probably doing a quest, not actually working like us," they said, answering each other.
Broken walked away, feeling a bit annoyed by their conversation and realizing they were giving him a mining spot they had already exhausted.
"Do they really think this cave is theirs?" he muttered to himself, not realizing his words echoed through the cave and could be heard by the others.
"You better watch your mouth, beginner," one of them spat menacingly. "Or I'll shut it for you with my pickaxe."
"Yes, sir," Broken replied casually. "You better keep the pickaxe for the ores," he added.
"Shut up and do your job quietly!" they replied.
"How can someone mine quietly?" one of them added.
"That's not my problem to answer, hahaha," another retorted.
Broken grabbed his pickaxe and examined it for a moment, pondering how to use it. "But this place has already been stripped of ores, right? Which part can still be mined?" he wondered.
"I think they just smash the pickaxe against the rocks on the cave wall. Let's give that a shot," he decided.
He began slamming his pickaxe against the wall, but after a few moments, he saw no results. He needed to look for sections of rock that were slightly shinier than the rest, indicating the presence of iron ores. The concept was simpler than in the real world, but it still required precision and hard work to succeed.
"Hahaha, look at that stupid novice. He doesn't know what he's doing," they snickered.
"I think he came here to mine without knowing how to use a pickaxe."
"He's holding the pickaxe like a sword, hahaha, what a stupid player."
"Hey, you'd better get out of here before you make a fool of yourself," they jeered.
"They think they're smart."
"Players?"
"A few of them are smart, but most are just fools who want to have fun and act irresponsibly."
"They treat this place like a game, so it's no wonder they act brainlessly, haha."
Broken paid no attention to the people chattering around him and continued striking the pickaxe blindly, hoping it would work somehow. He just needed to keep at it until he unlocked something.
After a while, he persisted, and finally, he received a notification alerting him to his new skill.
[You have unlocked a new Mining Technique skill.]
[Mining Technique (Passive Skill) Lv. 1]
[By regularly using a pickaxe, one can hone their mining skills, become more effective while mining, and increase their chances of success when mining, thus enabling them to obtain higher-quality resources.]
"Nice, this is exactly what I need," he said with a grin. "Hehe." He chuckled in satisfaction, finally having acquired the skill he needed.
After gaining the skill he needed, Broken began mining again with renewed enthusiasm. He smiled eagerly as he struck the pickaxe against the cave walls with more vigor, repeating the action over and over until his efforts were finally rewarded.
He brought his pickaxe down hard against the rocky walls of the cave one last time, and something new happened. The rock was dislodged and flew into the air, transforming into a dark, slightly shiny chunk.
[You obtained 1 low-quality Iron Ore.]
A notification chimed in his vision, making him smile broadly.
"Now, see how the Divine Sloth Champion does his mining!" he declared to himself, glancing over at the other miners.
Who else wants to teach those NPCs a lesson about respecting beginners?
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