Solus left the Ironroot Forge with the newly triggered quest quietly resting in his quest log.
He didn't head straight for the Blackroots Mine.
Not yet.
Master Bromm had reforged his sword, but the weapon was meant for a Level 5 adventurer. In Solus' hands, it was nothing more than extra weight. He was still Level 1, and charging recklessly into a mine filled with Rockhide Goblins would be no different from throwing himself to the wolves.
He needed to prepare.
Just across from the forge stood The Verdant Cauldron, a cozy alchemy shop where the scent of herbs, burning charcoal, and bubbling concoctions drifted into the street. The shop buzzed with activity as players crowded around shelves lined with colorful bottles.
"Three Minor Healing Potions!"
"I need Mana Recovery Flasks!"
"Do you have Antidotes?"
The voices of players overlapped with the clinking of glass bottles and the rhythmic bubbling of alchemical cauldrons. Apprentices hurried back and forth carrying trays of potions while several alchemists barked instructions behind the counters.
Unlike the noisy front hall, however, one corner of the shop remained eerily quiet.
A lone wooden stall sat untouched.
Behind it stood a young woman with fiery crimson hair tied into a loose braid. Freckles dotted her fair face, and amber eyes lazily scanned a thick alchemy journal as if the sea of customers didn't exist.
Above her head floated a familiar name.
《Lysa Emberbrew》
Level 12 Expert Alchemist
No players gathered around her.
Not because she lacked skill, but because she refused to acknowledge almost everyone.
Solus walked toward the secluded stall but stopped a few steps away.
Timing matters as one player has approached Lysa.
It was a girl dressed in green leather armor with an elegant longbow slung across her back. Judging from her equipment, she had chosen the Elf race.
She smiled brightly.
"Hello! Miss Lysa! I heard you're an Expert Alchemist."
No response. Lysa slowly flipped another page of her book. The archer forced another smile.
"I'd like to buy some potions."
Silence.
"...Maybe you have a quest?"
Nothing. She awkwardly scratched her cheek.
"I can help gather herbs..."
Still ignored.
"...Beautiful weather today?"
Only the sound of pages turning answered her. The girl's smile twitched.
"Seriously?"
She leaned over the counter.
"Can you at least say no?"
Lysa calmly turned another page.
"I've been talking to myself this whole time..."
Defeated, the archer sighed and turned away. As she passed Solus, she shook her head.
"Don't waste your time."
She folded her arms with an annoyed pout.
"She won't even look at you, let alone sell you anything. I tried everything."
"Thanks."
Solus gave a faint smile.
"But I'll manage."
The girl blinked.
Manage?
Was this Level 1 player serious?
Curiosity got the better of her, and instead of leaving, she quietly stood nearby to watch.
Solus stepped toward the counter. Lysa didn't lift her head. Without hesitation, Solus spoke.
"I need flames hot enough to make a Rockhide Goblin scream."
The words echoed softly through the quiet corner. The surrounding players paid no attention. But Lysa stopped turning the page.
For the first time...
She looked up.
Her sharp amber eyes studied Solus for a brief moment. Then she asked only two words.
"How many?"
The archer's eyes widened.
'She... talked?'
Her mouth slowly fell open.
That's impossible...
She had spent nearly ten minutes trying every conversation she could think of, yet this Level 1 player had gotten a response with a single sentence.
Was that some kind of hidden password?
A secret dialogue?
Or was this NPC hiding an undiscovered mechanic?
Before she could process it further, Solus answered calmly.
"Two Minor Incendiary Flask."
He paused before adding,
"And a spear. I only have ten copper left after the potions."
Lysa closed her book.
"Wait."
She disappeared into the storage room behind the stall.
Moments later, she returned carrying two crimson-glass bottles that shimmered like liquid fire, along with a plain iron spear.
She placed them on the counter.
"Two Minor Incendiary Flask."
Then she tapped the spear with a finger.
"This is the only Common spear I've got left."
She looked directly at Solus.
"Forty copper coins."
Without hesitation, Solus counted out the coins.
Clink.
Clink.
Clink.
The last coin landed on the counter.
Lysa swept them away with practiced hands before sliding the items toward him.
"Pleasure doing business."
Solus stored the spear and the two potions into his inventory. Everything had gone exactly as planned. As he turned to leave—
"Wait!"
The archer hurried after him.
She stepped in front of him, blocking his path with an embarrassed smile.
"Can we... add each other as friends?"
Solus raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't it a little rude to ask someone before introducing yourself?"
The girl froze.
"...Right."
She laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck.
"My bad."
She extended a hand.
"I'm SilentWind."
She proudly patted the elegant longbow on her back.
"Elf Archer."
Solus nodded once.
"Solus."
A brief pause.
"Level 1."
That was all. He walked past her without another word.
SilentWind watched his retreating figure disappear into the busy streets of Mistveil Outpost.
"Interesting..."
She smiled to herself.
Her curiosity had been thoroughly piqued. Meanwhile, Solus couldn't hide the faint excitement in his eyes.
With his preparations complete, there was only one destination left.
Blackroots Mine.
The Rockhide Goblins were waiting.
[ Blackroots Mine ]
The first thing Solus noticed was the smell, damp earth, rusting metal and something else. Something faintly rotten.
He stood before the entrance of the Blackroots Mine, staring into the darkness beyond.
Thick, twisted roots covered the mouth of the mine, their blackened surfaces winding through the stone like enormous veins beneath the skin of some ancient beast. Some plunged deep into cracks in the earth, disappearing into the darkness below. Others wrapped themselves around the abandoned wooden support beams, their relentless growth slowly crushing the old structures beneath their weight.
It was difficult to tell where the mountain ended, and the roots began.
Solus stepped forward.
The moment he crossed the entrance, the temperature dropped. A cold draft brushed against his face.
Whoosh...
His dark hair fluttered slightly. Solus narrowed his eyes. The wind wasn't coming from outside. It was flowing from deeper within the mine.
Something inside was breathing. At least, that's what it felt like.
He continued forward.
The faint sunlight behind him quickly disappeared, replaced by the weak orange glow of ancient lanterns mounted along the walls.
Dozens of abandoned mine carts rested on rusted rails, their wheels frozen in place after years of neglect. Some had tipped over, spilling chunks of dull-colored ore across the ground.
Others simply sat there.
Waiting.
Solus glanced at one of them. The metal was covered in rust. He wondered how many times miners had pushed those carts through these tunnels.
How many had entered the mine believing they would return home at the end of the day?
And how many never did?
His eyes shifted toward the ceiling. Broken pulleys hung from the wooden beams. Torn ropes swayed gently in the cold wind. There was no reason for them to move.
Yet they did.
Creaaaak...
Solus stopped.
The rope continued swaying. He stared at it for a moment before continuing. It's probably just the wind.
Probably.
Clang!
Solus suddenly stopped. The sound echoed through the mine. Metal striking stone.
His eyes narrowed.
Clang!
There it was again.
Far deeper underground. Solus slowly turned his head toward the darkness.
The sound was unmistakable.
Someone—or something—was mining.
But according to the information available to players, Blackroots Mine had been abandoned for years.
There shouldn't have been anyone down here.
Another gust of wind swept through the tunnel.
This time, Solus thought he heard something within it.
A whisper.
He couldn't make out the words. He stood still for several seconds. Then he continued walking.
I'm not here to investigate strange noises. His objective was simple.
Five Rockhide Goblins.
That was all.
Near the entrance of the main mining site, several old warning boards remained nailed to wooden posts.
Most of the letters had faded with age, but they were still readable.
«DANGER
MINE CLOSED BY ORDER OF MISTVEIL HALL.
INCREASING MONSTER ACTIVITY REPORTED.
ENTRY BEYOND THIS POINT IS AT YOUR OWN RISK.»
Solus glanced at the final sentence.
At your own risk.
A rather polite way of saying don't come back alive. He stepped beyond the warning boards. The atmosphere immediately changed.
The wooden supports were covered in deep gouges.
Claw marks.
Some were so deep that pieces of wood had been torn completely away. Broken stones littered the floor.
Solus lowered his gaze.
There were footprints.
Small ones.
And large ones.
The larger tracks were especially concerning. He had seen the information about Rockhide Goblins before coming here.
Level 5 monsters.
High Lifepoints.
High defense.
Low mobility.
For ordinary Level 5 players, they were already troublesome opponents.
For a Level 1 player?
They were practically walking walls.
Solus continued deeper into the mine.
Scrape...
He stopped. Something dragged itself across stone.
Scrape... scrape...
Then came a low growl.
"Grhhhh..."
Solus' grip tightened around the spear in his hand. There was no mistaking it. He had found them.
From between the scattered piles of ore, something slowly emerged from the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
Hulking figures lumbered into view.
Rockhide Goblins.
Their bodies were short and broad, but their muscles were thick beneath their rough, gray-brown skin. Their hides resembled cracked stone, with jagged patches covering their shoulders, backs, and arms.
Even under the dim lantern light, their bodies seemed to glint faintly.
So that's a Rockhide Goblin.
Solus studied the monster carefully.
Its movements were slow.
Painfully slow.
But the moment the goblin stepped forward—
Thud.
Pebbles scattered beneath its feet.
Solus' expression became serious.
'Such high defense.'
He already knew what would happen if he tried to fight it normally. His spear would barely scratch it.
The Rockhide Goblin raised its head.
Its yellowish eyes locked onto him.
A moment later, a translucent status panel appeared before Solus.
《 ROCKHIDE GOBLIN 》
Level: 5
Lifepoints: 450
Solus stared at the number.
450.
He compared it to his own Lifepoints. The difference was absurd.
Four hundred and fifty LP for a Level 5 monster.
Even a normal Level 5 player wouldn't have an easy time dealing with that much health, especially against a monster whose defense was naturally high.
And Solus?
He was only Level 1.
He didn't even have proper equipment. If he fought this thing head-on, there was only one possible outcome.
I'd die.
Fortunately, he hadn't come here intending to fight fairly.
Solus reached into his inventory.
A small glass bottle appeared in his hand. Inside, a crimson liquid swirled slowly. The liquid looked almost like molten fire.
The Minor Incendiary Flask.
He had purchased two from Lysa Emberbrew. And he had spent almost all of his remaining money to get them.
Solus examined the item description.
《 Minor Incendiary Flask 》
Grade: Common
Type: Throwable Alchemical Weapon
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Range: 15 meters
Effect:
• Deals 30 Fire Damage on impact.
• Has a 60% chance to inflict Burn for 5 seconds.
Burn: Deals 4.0% of the target'⁰s Maximum LP per second.
Burn damage cannot exceed 50 LP per second.
Bosses receive only 30% of the Burn effect.
Solus quickly did the math in his head.
Four percent.
Eighteen LP per second.
Five seconds.
'That's only 90 LP.'
Then the initial impact damage.
30.
One flask could potentially deal...
120 LP.
Solus glanced at the Rockhide Goblin.
450 LP.
One flask.
120 damage at best.
That meant a single potion wouldn't even remove one-third of the monster's total Lifepoints.
And he only had two.
Even if both Burn effects triggered and he managed to deal maximum damage with both...
240 LP.
The goblin would still have 210 LP remaining.
Solus stared at the monster. The Rockhide Goblin stared back. For a brief moment, neither moved.
Then Solus quietly sighed.
This is ridiculous.
He was Level 1.
His opponent was Level 5.
The monster had 450 LP and high defense.
He possessed two Common-grade incendiary flasks and a Common spear.
And his quest required him to kill...
Five.
Five Rockhide Goblins.
Solus almost wanted to laugh.
What kind of beginner quest is this?
If another Level 1 player saw the quest requirements, they would probably abandon it immediately.
Even if they somehow managed to kill one Rockhide Goblin using expensive consumables, killing five would be completely out of the question.
Yet Solus wasn't worried.
Not even a little.
Because there was something the other players didn't have. Something that had been given to him at the Ascendant Pillar.
Memories.
Knowledge.
Information that shouldn't have existed.
The Pillar had shown him things that no ordinary player could possibly know. Solus didn't fully understand where those memories came from.
He didn't know why they were inside his head.
But he knew one thing.
They were real.
And he had no intention of wasting them.
A faint smile appeared on Solus' face.
If I only needed these potions to kill the goblins, then this quest really would be impossible.
He looked at the Rockhide Goblin.
But that's not what I came here for.
Solus placed the Minor Incendiary Flask back into his inventory.
Instead, he reached for the spear.
The weapon Master Bromm had reforged for him was still unusable at his current level.
So, for now, he had to make do with what he could buy.
A simple weapon.
A Common spear.
《 Common Spear 》
Quality: Common
Attack Power: +5
Durability: 30/30
Required Level: 1
Solus tightened his grip. The spear was nothing special. It wasn't a rare weapon. It wasn't an extraordinary weapon.
It didn't possess a hidden ability.
But it was enough.
For now.
Solus took a slow breath.
The cold air filled his lungs.
His eyes never left the Rockhide Goblin.
The monster let out a deep, guttural growl.
"GRRRAAAH!"
It stomped one foot against the ground.
Thud!
Dust fell from the ceiling. Solus didn't flinch. He stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
The Rockhide Goblin's eyes narrowed.
Its body shifted.
Solus stopped just outside its attack range.
The monster roared.
And then—
It charged.
Or at least, it attempted to.
Its enormous body lumbered forward with all the speed of a heavily loaded mine cart.
Solus' lips curved upward.
Just as I expected.
Low mobility.
The most important weakness of a Rockhide Goblin.
Solus lowered his spear. His body leaned forward. For the first time since entering Blackroots Mine, the nervousness disappeared from his eyes.
What replaced it was something else.
Confidence.
The memories inside his mind had already told him how to deal with this monster.
He didn't need to overpower the Rockhide Goblin. He didn't need better equipment. He didn't need more damage. He only needed to exploit one weakness.
Solus took another step forward.
Then he sprinted.
The Rockhide Goblin raised its massive arm.
Solus moved sideways. He slipped past the monster's attack. The heavy fist smashed into the ground behind him.
BOOM!
Stone fragments exploded across the tunnel. Solus glanced over his shoulder. The goblin was already struggling to turn around.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Too slow.
He tightened his grip on the spear. The first battle of his journey had officially begun.
And this time...
Solus was the hunter.
Not the prey.