Chapter 48: Veiled Shadows
"It seems the item you’re looking for is not here?" Farle stood up while saying those words, with his back facing Michael.
"En..I want a hidden crossbow attached to a bracer" Michael immediately answered, while his focus is still on that [Cursed of the Demon Wolf], a foot long Rare curved dagger made from the fangs of a creature, and it had a dark luster which made it even more domineering.
Farle didn’t mind being ignored, but instead, he has a bit of approval in his eyes when he saw how Michael is intently staring at one of his works.
"So, you’re a Chaser?" Farle suddenly said, which startled Michael as his attention immediately turned towards the big man beside him.
"How do you know?" Michael asked, as he took off his hood.
Farle just smiled mysteriously and then said, "You’re in luck, I just created my first hidden crossbow"
And when he said those words, Farle went to the back of his shop and came back holding a seven inch long mini crossbow, with black and while leather padding around it.
Farle put it on the counter where Michael started inspecting the item in front of his eyes.
[Veiled Shadows] [Rare]
A hidden small crossbow built around a bracer that covers the entire forearm of the user, created from the uncanny metal, Black Mithril.
[An equipment created by Master Blacksmith Farle]
Attack Damage: 37
Durability: 150/150
Additional Effects:
20% Armor Penetration
+5 Agility
Restrictions: Level 10, Chaser (Assassin)
"Ohh!" Michael exclaimed when he read the properties of the item in front of him, especially when he saw something new.
’It has durability?’ Michael thought, as that information was the one that really caught his attention, because every single one of his items right now never had the so called durability until seeing this one.
"Did you have a good look?" Farle’s voice immediately brought Michael’s attention towards him.
"Yeah"
"I see that you’re at least better than those new runts here. If you want that Item. then bring me 30 pieces of Mithril Ores from Augur Mines"
Ding!
[Master Blacksmith Farle has issued you a quest!]
[Accept / Decline]
"Accept!" Michael answered.
[Quest Accepted!]
Ding!
[Find the Mithril Ores]
Master Farle has given you the task to deliver him 30 pieces of Mithril Ore that can only be found inside the mines of Augur!
Difficulty: B
Rewards: +100 Fame, +300 Timor Village Reputation, Veiled Shadows
Failure: None
"Here" Farle said, as he handed Michael a pickaxe.
"I’ll get going then" Michael took the pickaxe and left the shop as he immediately made his way towards the Western Gate, where he saw the players who had mistaken him as NPC earlier.
And when he got there, there are still a few players around looking for parties, while Michael just passed by them and left the village through another gate as he arrived in front of a lush forest with a road that leads towards the mountainous region, surrounded by trees at both sides.
He continued walking forward for a few hundred meters before stopping at the roadside, as he checked his map, where there is an indicator where the Augur Mine is located.
"It seems this road isn’t frequented a lot" Michael said as he looked at the narrow road behind him, which is mostly covered in reeds that almost reach his knees.
Michael just shrugged off his shoulders and proceeded forward, ignoring the beginner monsters around him.
"I’m getting a lot of Rare items these days, is that normal, just my luck or is it because I’m one of the two players that’s able to travel outside the beginner zones and just lucky enough to be able to encounter the best quests with the best rewards?" Michael muttered to himself, where he squatted down and picked a fruit from the ground, cleaned it using a cloth and started munching on it.
A few minutes later.
Michael came to a stop, as he finally arrived at his destination.
He arrived in front of a wide clearing with huge rocks scattered everywhere and saw that there are a lot of high leveled NPCs doing their own things around, some of them are eating, cooking or just taking a rest as they chatted amongst themselves, and there are also people who are coming out from the entrance of the mining pit while pushing a wheelbarrow filled with ore and all of them either had combat axes, shovels or pickaxes beside them.
And there are at least over fifty of them, all rough looking rough with bulging muscles and bushy beards.
The moment he arrived there, their attention immediately shifted to him as they observed him with wary and glaring eyes, while some just glanced at him and went back to what they were doing.
But Michael wasn’t the least bit bothered about them as he just proceeded past them and entered the entrance to the mining pit from the base of the mountain where the entrance of the Augur Mine is located.
[You have entered and discovered the Dungeon - Augur Mine!]
[System Announcement: You are the very first player to discover Augur Mine.
Reward: Fame +100.
Every day for one week, double EXP and double item drops. The rarest items will drop from killing the first monster of each type. Subsequent kills will drop common items.]
The words floated in a message window the instant Michael entered the underground passage. He immediately froze on the spot.
[You are the first player to unlock the new option - Fame!]
[Rewards: 1 Gold and Fame +200!]
Michael immediately saw the new change in his character window, as the words Fame is now added among the rest.
"This is.."
"Wait...I’m actually the first visitor?" Michael suddenly had a floating question mark above his head, as he was confused why he was the first player to enter here, when this mine is the closest to the village, so he was sure that the players here would have already discovered this place.
His question was immediately answered when he walked deeper and deeper inside through the help of the illumination provided by the lamps attached at both sides of the passageway.
"Goblins?"
[Goblin]
Level: 11
Skills: Night Vision
Michael muttered as he stopped in his tracks when he spotted three goblins sitting along the ground, just he passed through the narrow passageway and arrived inside a spacious cave illuminated by the green moss attached at the sides and ceiling of the cave.