Chapter 25 Quest 3

Sorry, guys, for not uploading chapters. I was very busy with other work, so I hope you understand. Also, don't forget to give some stones!

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After returning to the forge, Arthur didn't have a chance to speak before the usually aloof blacksmith Sge greeted him warmly.

"Ah, if it isn't the mighty adventurer! You're finally back."

Arthur rolled his eyes at the sudden change in demeanor. This NPC is quite the opportunist, he thought.

"I've been waiting for you. When do you plan to escort me to the wasteland to collect the crystal ores?" Sge continued, sounding unusually familiar.

"Let's go today," Arthur replied.

"The sun is shining, perfect for an early start. Let's head out," Sge agreed, nodding.

Following Sge, Arthur set off towards the wasteland.

However, whether it was Sge's natural tendency to attract trouble or the nature of the quest, monsters frequently ambushed them along the way. Arthur dispatched them, but their progress was noticeably slow. Despite this, he managed to find a sense of peace, occasionally admiring the surrounding scenery.

After several hours, Arthur and Sge finally reached the wasteland.

Sge explained that the crystal ore vein was to the northwest, located in an open-air mine often guarded by crystal crabs that fed on the ore, deterring most people from approaching.

The monsters in the wasteland were considerably tougher than those in the plains, and with few players around to thin their numbers, Arthur and Sge soon encountered a herd of black-furred wild bulls.

Although individually weaker than the raging bulls of the canyons, their sheer numbers posed a challenge even for Arthur.

The bulls charged swiftly. Arthur acted quickly, shoving Sge behind a tree and leaping onto a branch, then hoisting the blacksmith up after him.

The ground shook with the bulls' stampede, surrounding the tree. Arthur observed their menacing eyes fixed on the terrified Sge and shook his head in resignation.

"Stay put!" Arthur instructed, placing Sge securely in the tree's branches. He donned the rare Midnight Cloak he had acquired from defeating the kobold lord Illfang, which offered some defense and a boost to his agility.

With a health potion in his mouth, Arthur drew the White Rose Star, leaping down to land on the back of a wild bull. The sudden attack caused the herd to erupt in chaos.

Arthur drove his sword into the bull beneath him, dealing massive damage and shattering it into fragments. As he landed, the remaining bulls aimed their sharp horns at him.

Arthur didn't flinch. With a quick step, he launched himself into the air, avoiding the bulls' charge as they collided with each other, causing significant mutual damage.

Landing gracefully, Arthur immediately initiated his sword technique. The White Rose Star's blade gleamed with a special light.

"Blood Rose!"

Arthur spun gracefully, his movements reminiscent of a blooming white rose. The dazzling yet deadly swordplay cut through the disoriented bulls, each strike claiming another victim.

In mere seconds, the area around Arthur was cleared. He glanced at the White Rose Star, noting a slight increase in its damage output. Despite its impressive abilities, even this weapon had its limits.

Still, for a weapon this powerful, it was astonishing to possess it on the first floor of the game. Though facing dozens of wild bulls, Arthur's mind wandered to other matters.

As more bulls charged from the rear, Arthur raised the White Rose Star once more. The beautiful but deadly Blood Rose bloomed again.

The fearless black bison obviously harbored no sense of fear or apprehension. Under Arthur's repeated blossoming of the white roses in his hands, the black bison herd gradually diminished until Arthur slew the last black bison, which took only a few minutes.

Although this herd of black bison had caused quite a bit of trouble, at least Arthur could take some solace in seeing his proficiency increase.

After bringing the blacksmith Sge down from the tree, the two continued on towards the crystal mine.

But it seemed that this wave of monsters was the final obstacle on the road. Arthur and Sge encountered no other monsters on the rest of their journey.

After spending over an hour, Arthur finally led Sge to the crystal mine.

Seeing the crystal ore scattered throughout the mine, Arthur couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. How much Kor could he get if he collected it all? However, without mining and smelting skills at the moment, it wouldn't be of much use.

"This is it, adventurer. All you need to do now is collect enough crystal ore. Your job is to drive away those annoying crystal crabs while I collect the ore," Sge said to Arthur.

Arthur nodded. However, he didn't seem to notice any traces of the so-called crystal crabs at the moment.

"These creatures usually disguise themselves as crystal ore, so be careful, adventurer, and don't let them get near me," Sge warned.

Disguise? Arthur nodded in understanding. Once prepared, they both descended into the crystal mine.

At the moment they entered, Arthur suddenly noticed a flurry of light in his field of vision. Then, the crystal ore around them started to move, revealing themselves as crystal crabs with crystals growing on their backs. They waved their sparkling and translucent pincers as they approached Arthur.

"These are the ones, adventurer. Drive them away quickly!" Sge said nervously.

Arthur didn't say a word. He drew the White Rose Star from his waist and with a light shout, swept away all the approaching crystal crabs. "Mr. Sge, you can collect the ore with peace of mind. I'll take care of these guys."

Arthur spared a glance at Sge, who was already collecting crystal ore, while the White Rose Star in his hand swept away the crystal crabs that approached.

One minute later, Sge's voice came from behind Arthur. "Adventurer, the crystal ore here has been collected. Let's move on to the next location."

Arthur checked the progress of the quest and found it was at twenty percent. They still needed to collect four more times, which wasn't too much of a waste of time.

Half an hour later, Arthur left the crystal mine with Sge. Although there were quite a few crystal crabs inhabiting it, their levels weren't high, similar to those of the black bison. The trouble lay in their higher defense compared to the black bison's. Arthur couldn't take them down with a single blow, so it took a bit longer.

When Arthur and Sge returned to Urbas, it was already night.

As soon as they returned to the blacksmith's shop, Sge threw out the next task.

"Adventurer, although I have obtained the crystal ore, I still need two things to forge the weapon."

"In the depths of the wilderness, there is a giant minotaur with sharp and hard horns. They are excellent materials. If you can kill it and obtain those valuable horns, it will prove that you can indeed complete my next task."

Arthur silently accepted the task in front of him and then left Sge's blacksmith shop.