Solus checked the status of his ongoing quest one last time.
[Quest: The Ironheart's Dilemma]
Recommended Level: 5
Quest Giver: Bromm Ironhand
Level: 15 — Expert Forger
Objective 1: Enter the abandoned Blackroot Mine.
[Completed]
Objective 2: Defeat 5 Rockhide Goblins.
[Completed]
Objective 3: Retrieve 3 pieces of Blackroot Ore.
[Completed]
Objective 4: Return the ore to Bromm Ironhand.
Reward: Unknown
Only one objective remained. Return the Blackroot Ore.
Once he handed it over, the reward he had been waiting for would finally be his.
Solus approached one of the apprentices working near the forge.
"Excuse me. I have the quest materials that need to be handed to Master Bromm."
The apprentice didn't respond.
He simply continued hammering the glowing piece of metal before him.
Clang!
The hammer descended again.
Clang!
Again.
Solus frowned.
Was the apprentice ignoring him?
He was about to speak again when a familiar voice came from above.
"Kid. Over here."
Solus looked up.
Bromm was standing halfway down the staircase, one hand resting against the railing.
The old dwarf gestured toward a private room on the upper floor.
"Come."
Solus followed.
As soon as he stepped inside, Bromm closed the door behind them. His sharp eyes immediately settled on Solus.
"What is with the getup, kid?"
Solus froze.Only then did he remember.
The Veil of the Nameless.
He was still wearing it.
The legendary cloak concealed his identity so thoroughly that ordinary players and NPCs couldn't see through its effects. Even his appearance had been altered enough to make recognition difficult.
Yet Bromm had seen through it almost instantly. Solus narrowed his eyes. That alone told him something.
Bromm Ironhand was not an ordinary NPC.
"Oh."
Solus casually touched the edge of the cloak.
"I forgot I was wearing a disguise. It's just some random equipment I received while fighting monsters and gathering materials."
Bromm stared at him. For several seconds, the old dwarf said nothing.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted.
"Right."
His eyes gleamed.
"You're calling a legendary piece of equipment 'some random equipment.'"
Solus's expression changed.
He had expected Bromm to notice something unusual about the cloak, but he hadn't expected him to identify its rarity so easily.
"You can tell what it is?"
Bromm snorted.
"Don't waste your questions on things like that, kid."
He raised one hand.
For the briefest moment, a strange light flickered within his eyes.
"I have a Divine Eye. There aren't many things in this world that can hide from me."
Solus became even more cautious.
A Divine Eye.
That was not an ability an ordinary Expert Forger should possess. Before Solus could investigate further, Bromm's expression returned to normal.
"Now," he said, folding his arms, "have you completed the tasks I gave you?"
Solus smiled.
This was the question he had been waiting for.
He opened his inventory and retrieved the three pieces of ordinary Blackroot Ore.
"Master Bromm, I have the materials you requested."
He held them out.
"But before you accept them..."
Solus paused.
"...I have something better."
His hand moved again. A dark object appeared in his palm. He placed it gently on the table.
[Blackroot Core]
The room went silent. Bromm's eyes widened. The old dwarf leaned forward.
For the first time since Solus had met him, the confident expression disappeared from Bromm's face.
What replaced it was something far more genuine.
Shock.
Excitement.
Disbelief.
His hands trembled slightly as he reached toward the Blackroot Core.
"Where..."
His voice became quieter.
"...did you get this?"
Solus remained silent. Bromm didn't wait for an answer. He carefully picked up the core.
The instant his fingers touched it, a faint pulse of energy spread through the room.
The flames inside the nearby forge suddenly surged.
Whoosh!
The temperature rose.
The metal tools hanging on the walls began to vibrate softly, responding to the powerful material in Bromm's hand.
Bromm stared at the Blackroot Core as if he were looking at a treasure from a forgotten age.
"Impossible..."
He slowly clenched his hand around it.
"Do you understand what you've brought me, kid?"
His voice was no longer playful.
"This isn't merely Blackroot Ore."
"This is the heart of the Blackroot Mine."
Bromm's breathing became heavier.
"For years, I've remained stuck at the boundary of the Expert realm. No matter how much I studied, no matter how many weapons I forged, I couldn't take that final step."
He looked down at the core.
"But this..."
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"This may be enough."
He suddenly laughed. It was a deep, booming laugh that shook the room.
"Hahaha!"
The pressure surrounding him changed. Solus immediately felt it. The air itself seemed heavier.
The old dwarf who had appeared like an ordinary craftsman moments ago suddenly felt like an entirely different person.
The energy around his body became denser. His presence sharpened. The wrinkles on his face seemed to carry the weight of countless years spent standing before a forge.
Even without activating any skill, Bromm's aura alone made Solus instinctively straighten his posture.
Ding!
System: The Quest — [The Ironheart's Dilemma] has been completed.
Experience Points Received: 1,000.
System: Bromm Ironhand's relationship toward you has increased.
[Stranger → Friend]
System: You have received 1 Gratitude Point from Bromm Ironhand.
Solus blinked.
A Gratitude Point?
That sounded almost insignificant.
One point.
Yet when he opened the description, his expression changed.
[Gratitude Point — Bromm Ironhand]
A token of genuine gratitude from an individual.
May be exchanged for one unconditional favor from the individual who granted it.
Solus's eyes narrowed. One unconditional favor. Now that was different. A favor from a Master Forger could be worth far more than any ordinary quest reward.
He opened his friend list.
Sure enough, a new name had appeared.
[Bromm Ironhand — Friend]
Bromm placed the Blackroot Core carefully onto the table. Then he looked toward Solus.
"Young friend..."
There was a different weight to those words now.
"This material came at the perfect time."
He clenched his fist.
"I can feel it."
His eyes burned with determination.
"The path I've been searching for all these years is finally within reach."
System: Quest Reward — 1 Gratitude Point from Bromm Ironhand and 1 Item forged by a Master Forger.
Bromm's expression became solemn.
"As for the first item forged after my ascension, it will belong to you."
Solus raised an eyebrow.
"Consider it my gift."
"Now, tell me. What do you want me to forge?"
Solus didn't hesitate.
"A spear."
Bromm blinked.
Then he laughed.
"A spear?"
He stroked his beard.
"Very well."
His eyes suddenly became fierce.
"I'll make you one worthy of the material that brought me into the Master realm."
He turned toward the forge.
"Give me thirty minutes."
Solus nodded.
"I'll wait."
Bromm disappeared into the forge room.
The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere changed. The hammer in his hand felt completely different from before.
He didn't merely strike the metal. He commanded it.
Clang!
The sound echoed through the workshop.
A spark flew.
Clang!
Another strike.
The flames roared higher.
Solus watched for a moment before deciding there was nothing more he could do. He opened his status panel.
His current experience was almost at the next threshold.
Experience: 1000 / 1,013
Only 13 EXP remained.
Just thirteen points. He was almost Level 11. Solus then opened another interface.
The game's financial system.
He had been curious about it for some time.
To his surprise, connecting his personal bank account to his character was far simpler than he expected.
After entering a few pieces of personal information and completing the verification process, the connection was established.
[Personal Bank Account Successfully Linked]
Solus stared at the message.
"So that's it?"
He opened the currency exchange panel. His eyes widened slightly. The exchange rate was far higher than he had expected.
1 Gold Coin = 1,000 RMG
Gold coins were extremely difficult to obtain in Ascension Online, making their real-world value surprisingly high.
Solus checked his current balance.
Gold: 1
Silver: 60
That meant his current currency could be exchanged for approximately:
1,600 RMG.
Solus leaned back.
One day. He had only played for one day. And he had already earned enough in-game currency to convert into real-world money.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
If this was the beginning, how much would he be able to earn once he truly entered the game?
Before he could think further—
Ding!
A notification appeared in his inbox.
System: Aurielle has accepted your friend request.
Solus opened the message.
From: Aurielle
"Oh, you better. If you have it, meet me at the Silverleaf Inn."
Solus couldn't help but smile. Everything was progressing according to plan.
The quest was complete. He had gained a powerful connection. Bromm was about to become a Master Forger.
And now Aurielle had taken the bait. There was only one thing left to do.
Meet her, and see what would happen next.
Solus closed the system panel.
"I'll be there in thirty minutes."
He had barely finished speaking when the workshop doors opened. Bromm walked out.
Solus looked up.
And immediately noticed something different. The dwarf's clothes were still covered in soot. His beard was singed at the tips. Sweat ran down his forehead.
Yet his posture had changed completely.
His back was straighter. His shoulders were broader. The tiredness that had once lingered in his eyes was gone.
In its place burned an almost frightening confidence. Even the air around him seemed to tremble.
Bromm held something in his hand.
"Kid."
He grinned.
"It turned out better than I expected."
He tossed the weapon. Solus caught it instinctively. The moment his fingers closed around the shaft, a faint metallic hum traveled through his arm.
He looked down.
The spear was magnificent.
Its dark shaft was perfectly balanced, while black metallic veins ran along the weapon's surface like roots spreading through ancient stone.
The spearhead was sharp enough to make the air around its edge distort.
But Solus's attention soon shifted away from the weapon.
He looked at Bromm.
There was no doubt anymore.
The person standing before him was no longer merely an Expert Forger.
He could feel it.
The difference between the two realms was enormous.
Solus smiled.
"Congratulations, Master Bromm."
Bromm's grin widened.
"No."
He turned toward the roaring forge behind him.
"Don't congratulate me yet."
His eyes burned with renewed ambition.
"This is only the beginning."
System: A Master Forger has been born.
System: The influence of [Bromm Ironhand] within Mistveil has increased.
System: Hidden changes have occurred within [Mistveil].