Chương 32

Port Nereus was absolutely huge. The white stone walls went on forever, and the inside of the city was a total madhouse. The streets were packed with shouting merchants, marching guards, and tons of players running around trying to grab quests. Rudra yanked his heavy brown hood down.

"Ugh. Too many people. Why does everyone have to be in the exact same spot?" He walked straight into the thick of the market crowd. Normally, walking through a mob like this meant bumping shoulders or getting cut off every two seconds. But right now, his feet just knew exactly where to go. His body moved on its own, tilting an inch to slide past a rowdy merchant, then slipping through a tiny gap between two arguing players. His reflexes were basically working on autopilot.

Man, this new dexterity is awesome, he thought, twisting his wrist just to watch his fingers move smoothly. Suddenly, a rich, smoky smell hit his nose. He stopped dead in his tracks. A nearby food stall was grilling thick pork skewers over open charcoal. His stomach let out a ferocious growl. Oh, come on, Rudra groaned internally, staring at the dripping grease. That smells incredible. Just one skewer wouldn't hurt, right? No, no. Shut up, stomach. Gear first. Meat later.

He forced his eyes away and kept moving toward the back alleys. He purposefully avoided the massive, flashy blacksmith shops near the main plaza. Those places were always full of loud guild members bragging about their loot, and the noise was giving him a headache. Instead, he kept walking until the streets became quiet, dusty, and completely empty. At the very end of a dead-end alley, he found a tiny stone workshop. A rusty anvil sign hung crookedly over the wooden door, and a deep CLANG echoed from inside.

Rudra pushed the door open and stepped into the heat. The room was hot enough to make him sweat instantly. Racks of half-finished swords lined the walls. Behind a big furnace stood a broad-shouldered blacksmith covered in soot. He had a permanent scowl on his face. The man didn't even look up from his anvil.

"Shop's closed to tourists, kid. Go buy your basic iron swords at the plaza." Rudra didn't mind the attitude. Grumpy NPCs meant no annoying small talk.

"I don't want a basic sword," Rudra said, stepping up to the wooden counter.

"I brought my own stuff. I need a custom job." The blacksmith snorted, still hammering away.

"Every beginner brings me wolf teeth and copper ore, thinking they're going to get a masterpiece. I don't waste my time on trash." Rudra didn't argue. He just reached into his cloak and pulled out his loot from the Level 85 Trench Horror. Thud. He dropped a heavy chunk of pulsing black coral and a handful of thick, glowing purple scales right onto the wood. The faint, cold aura of the deep sea rolled off the materials, instantly cooling the hot air in the room. The blacksmith froze mid-swing.

He slowly lowered his hammer and stared at the counter. His scowl completely vanished. He picked up one of the purple scales, turning it over under the lantern light.

"This... this is deep-sea coral," the blacksmith muttered, his voice suddenly dropping its rough edge. He looked up, staring hard at Rudra's leather mask.

"And these scales are from a high-level apex predator. How the hell did a solo traveler get your hands on this?"

"It was a really long night," Rudra said simply.

"Can you make a staff and a vest out of it?" You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The blacksmith ran a thick thumb over the coral, a spark of excitement in his eyes.

"Can I? Kid, any real smith would kill to work with materials this pure. I can forge you a staff that shatters magic defenses, and a vest that can take a serious beating." He tapped the coral against the table, his scowl returning.

"But there's a problem. These deep-sea materials are too volatile on land. If I hit them with my hammer right now, they'll just crack and turn into dust. I need a binding agent to stabilize the energy." Rudra tilted his head.

"Like what?"

"A pristine branch from an Ironwood Treant," the blacksmith said, pointing out the window toward the northern hills.

"There's a cursed grove outside the city. The monsters out there are nasty, and that wood is as tough as iron. Bring me a clean branch, and I'll make you the best gear you've ever seen." A system window popped up in front of Rudra's eyes. [Quest "Epic Item Creation" has been triggered!] [The Blacksmith Gary has agreed to forge custom Epic-grade equipment. Collect one 'Pristine Ironwood Branch' from the Cursed Grove and return to him. Quest Clear Condition: Obtain a Pristine Ironwood Branch, 100 Gold Quest Clear Reward: An Epic rated staff and armor] Rudra grinned under his mask. An Epic-grade weapon and armor just for cutting down a tree?

"Alright," Rudra said, turning back toward the door.

"Sounds like a quick trip. I'll be back before lunch." Rudra left the blacksmith's shop and marched straight toward the northern gates of the city. His stomach let out another miserable growl.

"Dammit, I can still smell those pork skewers," Rudra muttered, rubbing his belly.

"If I don't eat in the next hour, I'm going to start chewing on my own cloak. Let's do this fast." He jogged down the dirt path leading out of the city and into the rolling hills. A few miles later, the bright green landscape turned a sickly, dark grey. The trees looked dead, their thick branches twisted like clawed hands. A gloomy, eerie fog crawled across the damp grass. [You have entered the Cursed Grove.]"Spooky," Rudra said, not caring at all.

"Alright, where are the angry plants? I'm on a schedule here." He pulled his heavy oak staff off his back. The ground suddenly gave a violent shudder. A massive oak tree right in front of him groaned loudly. Its roots ripped out of the dirt like tangled ropes, and a pair of glowing red eyes snapped open in its hollow trunk. [Ironwood Treant - Lv. 65] The tree monster let out a scraping roar and swung a massive, heavy branch right at his chest. The wooden arm moved fast, whistling through the foggy air.

A normal player would have panicked, but Rudra just blinked. With his upgraded reflexes, the giant branch looked like it was moving in slow motion. He didn't even drop his relaxed posture. He just bent backward, letting the massive wooden arm sweep right over his nose.

"Too slow," Rudra grinned under his mask. He snapped back up and swung his staff horizontally. THWACK. The blunt end of his oak staff smashed into the Treant's side. It felt like hitting a solid wall of metal. Rudra's hands stung from the vibrations, and the tree barely even wobbled.

"Ouch! Okay, yeah, that is definitely ironwood," Rudra cursed, shaking his tingling wrists.

"Fine. Let's try harder." The Treant stomped its roots, trying to flatten him. Rudra scrambled backward, kicking up dead leaves as he dodged the heavy stomps. It wasn't a pretty, choreographed dance. It was just a messy, fast brawl. He ducked, dove under a sweeping branch, and actively smacked away smaller twigs with his staff. The monster raised both of its massive arms to completely crush him into the dirt. Rudra didn't run away. He ran straight into its personal space.

He channeled mana into his boots and leaped right off the ground. [Abyssal Step] Crack. An invisible foothold formed in mid-air. Rudra kicked off it, launching himself higher into the branches. His new dexterity made him feel incredibly light. He spun smoothly in the air, bringing his staff back with both hands.

"Crushing Strike!" He slammed the heavy staff right down on the Treant's main trunk. BOOM. The heavy impact split the tough bark right down the middle. Splinters exploded everywhere as the massive tree monster groaned, its red eyes flickering out before it collapsed into a pile of woodchips. Rudra landed flat on his feet, panting a little. He wiped a stray leaf off his leather mask.

"Phew. That was a solid workout," he muttered. Sitting right in the middle of the woodchips was a single, flawless wooden branch. It was perfectly smooth, heavy, and gleamed with a faint, metallic grey light. [Item Acquired: Pristine Ironwood Branch (Quest Item)] Rudra scooped it up and tossed it into his inventory with a huge smile.

"Hell yeah," Rudra cheered, slinging his staff back over his shoulder. He turned back toward the path to Port Nereus, his legs already moving into a fast jog.

"New gear, here I come. And those pork skewers are definitely next."