When the old blacksmith saw Jiang Bai, his expression looked as if he'd just seen a ghost.
He carefully inspected the quest items Jiang Bai handed over, and his face grew increasingly shocked.
"You're truly surprising... far beyond my expectations."The old blacksmith looked up. His gaze was a complex mix of surprise, curiosity, and an undeniable hint of admiration.
"Cut the crap. Just hand over the reward already, old man."
"This is your reward."
As he spoke, the old blacksmith pointed to the longbow on Jiang Bai's back, then turned and headed into his shop.
Jiang Bai quickly followed.
From the outside, the blacksmith's shop looked ordinary. But when the old man lifted a hidden trapdoor in the floor, Jiang Bai immediately realized there was more than met the eye.
Beneath the trapdoor was a deep stone corridor. Flickering candlelight lined both sides, illuminating walls covered in weapons—clearly the blacksmith's life's work.
These weapons were of far higher quality than the trash sold out front.
At the end of the hallway, it opened into a room the size of a basketball court.
The walls were lined with even more complex weapons, and in the center stood a furnace as tall as a person. Flames crackled within it, and hanging above the furnace was an ancient, ornate hammer.
"That thing... is that the Ancestral Hammer?"
Jiang Bai pointed at the hammer, which radiated an aura of authority, and asked seriously.
"Leave the items here. You can go now."
The old blacksmith turned and suddenly said this out of nowhere.
"Huh?"
Jiang Bai froze for a second, his expression puzzled. "Are you messing with me, old man? If I wasn't allowed in here, you could've said so earlier!"
The old blacksmith turned back, his eyes reverently fixed on the suspended hammer. He spoke solemnly, "I brought you here just to show you that I wasn't cheating you."
"Damn it..."
Jiang Bai almost coughed up blood.
The wait was torturous.
Jiang Bai paced back and forth inside the blacksmith's shop, feeling like he'd waited an eternity before finally hearing the sound of approaching footsteps.
"He's back!"
When the trapdoor opened from below, Jiang Bai's full attention locked onto the longbow in the old blacksmith's hands.
It was a beautifully crafted light-blue longbow with glowing, flowing patterns on its limbs.
Snowflake-like designs decorated both ends of the bow, clearly echoing the theme of Frost.
Strange runes were etched into the bow limbs, and a cross-shaped arrow symbol was engraved on the grip.
"Just from the looks of it, this thing screams expensive."
As Jiang Bai took the bow, its attributes immediately appeared before his eyes:
[Ancestral Frostfang Longbow] (Ancient)
Physical Attack: 57
Agility: +10
Strength: +8
Crit Rate: +3%
[Rend]: Attacks deal an additional 60 true damage
[Frost]: Frost-based attacks slow the target by 21% and have a 1.5% chance to freeze for 3 seconds
Equip Level: 5
"Nice!"
Jiang Bai calmed a bit after reading the stats.
As a level 5 Ancient-grade weapon, it was far superior to what he'd had at level 1.
But he wasn't overly excited—he had expected this. After all, it was just an upgrade of his existing weapon. Aside from the stat boosts, the special effects remained largely the same.
He was satisfied with it, though not particularly surprised. What would surprise him was if the old blacksmith could help him upgrade the bow to level 10...
So he asked, since he was almost level 10, and the level 5 bow would soon be a bit of a bottleneck.
"Of course it's possible. With the power of the Ancestral Hammer, that's not difficult," the old blacksmith replied without hesitation. "But not yet. Your level's too low, and you'll need a lot of materials."
"Then tell me what I need—I'll go get them now," Jiang Bai said casually.
"Ask me again when you're level 10, kid."
The old man rolled his eyes. Just then, the long-delayed system prompt finally rang out:
You have completed the hidden chain quest [The Blacksmith's Trial (II)]. You gained 8000 EXP, 100 Reputation, and have earned the recognition of Blacksmith Brent. Final chapter of the hidden chain quest unlocked.
"The final chapter!"
Jiang Bai looked up sharply—and noticed the NPC name of the blacksmith had changed.
"Guardian of the Ancestral Hammer – Brent!"
"So this is your true identity, old man. That's a pretty epic title."
"Enough talking."
For some reason, the blacksmith now exuded an aura of authority. He continued:
"Congratulations, adventurer. You're the first in thousands of years to pass my trial. But one final challenge remains. Do you have the courage to face it?"
"Heh, old man, you know that's exactly why I'm here."
"Very well."
The blacksmith nodded approvingly. "Follow me."
Without another word, he turned and walked out the door, ignoring other players hoping to hand in quests, and led Jiang Bai to the village elder's home.
Inside the wooden cabin, the elder—white-bearded and wise-looking—greeted them with a warm smile.
"Village Chief, this guy… he's the one we've been looking for."
The blacksmith pointed at Jiang Bai.
"Good."
The village elder didn't waste time. After a quick glance at Jiang Bai, a quest window popped up.
You have triggered the final chapter of the hidden chain quest: [Open the Gate of Hope: Hunt the Hellhound Cerberus]. Accept?
"Accept."
Jiang Bai accepted without hesitation and checked the quest details:
[Open the Gate of Hope: Hunt the Hellhound Cerberus]
Quest Description:As survivors of the ancient war, the villagers of Eastan Town have guarded the Ancestral Hammer for generations. But the evil Demon Legion, led by Cerberus the Hellhound, has always coveted the Hammer. To protect the hammer and the town's survivors, the great Archmage Rubick transformed his own body into a barrier that kept the demons out for millennia.
But as long as the Demon Legion lives, the people of Eastan Town remain trapped, unable to leave or open the gateway to the outside world.
Great adventurer, you are the town's last hope. Slay Cerberus. Destroy the Demon Legion. Open the gate that leads to the second-tier capital city!
Objective:Kill Cerberus the Hellhound. Destroy the Demon Legion. Open the passage to the secondary main city.
Rewards:Extremely generous rewards: ???
"Damn—what kind of vague reward description is that? 'Extremely generous'? Generous how?!"