Chapter 9: Battle at the Spring of Polaris

Dreamland Gem: A rare gem from the Dreamland Continent. Used in Forging to enhance equipment quality. Each gem increases equipment level by 1, up to a maximum of 10.

Levels 1–7: +10 to base attributes

Levels 8–10: +20 to base attributes

Success rate for Levels 1–5: 80% (failure destroys the gem, equipment unchanged)

Success rate for Levels 6–7: 40% (failure destroys the gem and resets equipment level to 0)

Success rate for Levels 8–10: 30% (failure destroys both the gem and equipment)

Blessing Gem: A gem blessed by the Goddess of Dreams. Increases forging success rate by 5%.

—

’Nice. The gem system’s actually pretty good,’ Marcus thought with satisfaction. Players will go nuts for something like this.

He quickly removed the Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask, pulled out his hammer, and used his Forging skill to embed a Dreamland Gem into it. Blessing Gems were too rare, those would be saved for equipment upgrades at higher levels.

The hammer had been a gift from the blacksmith when he unlocked the Forging skill and became a Blacksmith. He could use it anywhere, anytime. Likewise, when he became a Herbalist, he’d been given a pot for potion-making. Convenient perks.

“Ding! Forging successful. Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask level +1. Forging skill proficiency increased.”

Marcus checked the mask again:

Fluffy Rabbit’s Mask: Red Artifact, Level 1. A precious gift from the Golden Rabbit King to the Fluffy Rabbit.

Requirements: None

Agility +50

Movement Speed +3

Attack Speed +2

Skill: Run for Your Life: Allows the use of a Town Portal Scroll while in combat.

Additional: Agility +10

Not bad. The extra Agility would make him even faster.

He examined the other two equipment pieces dropped by the Mountain Wolf King:

Iron Longsword: Blue rarity, two-handed weapon.

Requirement: Level 10 Fighter

Attack: 25

Additional: Attack +10, Critical Rate +5%

Mountain Wolf Boots: Blue rarity.

Requirement: Level 10, Fighter-class branches

Defense: 20

Additional: Agility +5

The last item gleamed with a faint golden light, a bow.

Wolf’s Edge: Golden weapon. Effects unknown. Cannot be equipped.

Marcus whistled softly. ’Heh, a good haul.’ The Wolf’s Edge had a perfect curve and fine craftsmanship; even without identifying its effects, he could tell it was valuable. A shame he couldn’t use bows. Still, he wasn’t complaining.

As he gathered everything, his eyes fell on the item Blaze001 had dropped earlier.

’No way…’

He picked it up and laughed out loud. ’Those Firewind idiots are going to cry when they find out.’

Newbie Village Treasure: Treasure Map – One of the ten great treasure maps of the Newbie Village. The path ahead is perilous; excavation requires sufficient strength. Failure will permanently destroy the treasure.

’Ha! Talk about karma.’

He studied the map’s markings. The treasure was located near the cliff by the forest, the same place the Firewind trio had come chasing after.

So that was why they were here. They must have found this treasure map and thought they’d strike it rich. Instead, they’d run into him, tried to steal his BOSS, got wiped, and lost their prize.

’See? What goes around comes around.’ Marcus chuckled as he made his way toward the cliff, with the map in his hand.

“Stonehaven has discovered one of the ten great treasures of the Newbie Village. Do you wish to enter? Once entered, the treasure map will disappear, and the treasure will permanently disappear regardless of success or failure.”

He grinned. ’Enter.’

He’d come here to hunt the Black Bear BOSS anyway, and he was more than ready.

The space Marcus stepped into felt like a dark cave, it wasn’t wide, only a narrow throat of stone. He walked about ten meters and was nearly at the end when a huge black rat materialized from the shadows and charged.

He glanced at the floating status window out of habit. Insight: Black Rat King, Level 13 BOSS, 1500 HP. Skills: Shadow Attack; prefers darkness; weakened by sunlight.

Because this was marked a Newbie Village Treasure, Marcus assumed the quest couldn’t be impossible; otherwise how could a new player finish it? That said, the cramped cave made the rat’s attacks more dangerous, he pictured the Firewind Squad trying to fight here and knew they’d have a hard time.

Marcus, however, was not an ordinary player. He had already soloed the Mountain Wolf King, a far more dangerous foe than this Black Rat King; this rat stood little chance.

Numbers appeared as he struck: -130, -150. The Black Rat King was practically daring him, so Marcus stopped wasting thought and started moving. He unleashed a series of Slash strikes, his Level 2 skill, rapid and relentless, like a sudden storm. Two Small Health Potions later, the Black Rat King lay defeated. Its Shadow Attack had been troublesome; it caused temporary blindness and reduced accuracy for three seconds, but it had not been enough.

A system message chimed, in a bright and celebratory manner. “Congratulations, Stonehaven, for defeating the BOSS Black Rat King! Reputation +10.”

Marcus frowned. The rat had dropped nothing. This was a Newbie Village Treasure quest, it felt stingy.

Then something at the back of the cave caught his eye, a faint, unusual shimmer. He hurried over and found a ring glowing with a deep red light, dazzling against the darkness.

An Artifact. Not bad at all. He picked it up and inspected it carefully.

Ring of Greed: Red Artifact; effects unknown; cannot be equipped.

The name alone, Greed, suggested the ring was no ordinary bauble. Marcus liked that. It might be useful later; for now, it was a curiosity he tucked away.

Another system prompt blinked into being. “Congratulations, Stonehaven, for completing the Newbie Village Treasure quest. You will now be transported from the quest area.”

A soft flash of light wrapped around him. In an instant he stood again at the cliff where he had first entered the cave; the dark tunnel itself was gone as if it had never been there.

Marcus considered going back to identify the artifact; it could increase his power. But then he thought about time. Running back from the Newbie Village would cost at least twenty minutes; that was time he could use to hunt the Black Bear. Besides, by his own measure he was ready for the Black Bear, wasting time on a detour didn’t make sense.

The forest around him was maple, the kind that made a show of autumn. A gentle breeze set the leaves whispering and sent a few red and gold maple leaves drifting down, for a moment the scene was almost beautiful.

However, Marcus was in no mood to appreciate it. He had almost searched the entire maple forest, and apart from groups of Level 10 Corrupted Tigers, there was no sign of the Black Bear.

“Stonehaven, you’re here! Are you ready to hunt the Black Bear?”

A tall figure leapt down from the branches above, landing with the easy lightness of someone used to trees. He wore a tiger-striped coat and carried a longbow slung across his back, his posture and movements marked him as a seasoned hunter.

“You are?”

“I am Hunter Wayne of the Newbie Village. I’ve been tracking the Black Bear’s movements. The Village Chief told me you’d volunteered to help. I’ve been waiting.”

Marcus realized this was an NPC and let out a short, dry laugh. He’d been startled for nothing.

“Where is the Black Bear? I haven’t found it.”

Hunter Wayne’s expression hardened, his voice held an urgency that bordered on wounded pride. “Our Newbie Village’s Sacred Spring is the Spring of Polaris. It’s more than our greatest treasure; it’s one of the five great Sacred Springs on the Dreamland Continent. The Spring of Polaris lies inside a sealed domain, reachable only through secret rites known to our village. Three years ago a Black Bear appeared and invaded that domain, taking the Spring for itself. Our people tried to retake it and failed; we’ve been shamed ever since.”

There was bitterness in his words and a tremor of sorrow. Marcus could feel the weight of the village’s humiliation in Hunter Wayne’s tone.

“Stonehaven, we need you to reclaim the Spring of Polaris and wash away three years of shame. Are you ready? I will now teleport you into the spring’s domain.”

The Black Bear sounded like a serious problem. Failure meant dropping back to Level 1. But having come this far, he couldn’t back down. Retreating in the face of danger wasn’t his style.

“Hunter Wayne, I’m ready. I won’t let you down, I’ll kill the Black Bear.”

“Good.”

Hunter Wayne clasped his hands and intoned in a careful, reverent whisper, “O revered Goddess of Dreams, grant your blessing of natural wind to your people; Polaris Secret Art!”

A soft light wrapped Marcus again, his vision swam and then cleared. He had been transported into the domain of the Spring of Polaris.

Just as Marcus was teleported into the domain of the Spring of Polaris, three figures, panting heavily, arrived at the spot where he had previously fought the Firewind Squad. They looked around, searching, but couldn’t find the person they were looking for, and collapsed to the ground.

“Damn him!” one of them spat with blazing eyes.

“I swear, if I ever see that guy again I’ll tear him apart!” another snarled.

“Just you wait, kid,” the third said, a tight promise bubbling in his voice; “We won’t let you get away with this.”

The three figures were indeed the members of the Firewind Squad, the same ones Marcus had fought earlier. They had returned in pursuit of the Newbie Village’s treasure map, but it was already too late. Marcus was long gone. All they could do now was curse his name and vent their frustration into the empty air.

Still, that might’ve been their one stroke of luck. If Marcus had still been around, they would have kept losing levels until none of them had any left. Whether they knew it or not, Marcus and the Firewind Squad were now bound by a grudge that wouldn’t be easily forgotten.

—

The domain of the Spring of Polaris stretched no more than fifty meters across, surrounded by a few large trees spaced far apart. In the very center stood the Sacred Spring itself, a small circular pool of crystal-clear water that shimmered faintly under the dappled light.

Marcus scanned the area carefully. Where was the Black Bear? He was standing out in the open, and if the creature was hidden somewhere, it could easily ambush him.

Then he spotted it, and realized he’d been worrying for nothing.

The Black Bear, named Charla, was lying comfortably under a huge tree beside the spring, basking in the sunlight like a lazy cat. Its snoring echoed faintly across the clearing.

Marcus activated Insight:

Black Bear Charla: Level 20 Silver BOSS, 5000 HP.

Likes: honey, sleeping.

Skills: Bear Hug, Earth’s Fury (stun effect).

He frowned. BOSSes were ranked as Normal, Silver, and Golden. Each tier made them significantly more powerful; Golden BOSSes were described as being nearly impossible to beat without multiple Divine items. Above even those were the mythical beasts under the command of the demon lords, the so-called Super BOSSes, creatures of absurd power that ordinary players couldn’t even dream of facing.

But right now, Marcus had to deal with Charla.

“Damn,” he muttered, eyeing its stats. “Five thousand HP? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

When he’d fought the Level 15 Mountain Wolf King, he’d only dealt around a hundred damage per hit. This bear’s defense was obviously higher. It was going to be a brutal fight.

Luckily, he’d been smart enough to stock up before coming. He’d splurged on ten Medium Health Potions, a costly but wise investment. Without them, relying on his meager twenty-three Small Health Potions would have been hopeless.

He had acquired some Small Health Potions while fighting Corrupted Tigers in the maple forest earlier.

Whatever the odds, he wouldn’t know until he tried. At worst, he’d die, drop to Level 1, and start over. That was the game.

He exhaled slowly and tightened his grip on his weapon.

“Fight!”

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