"I am not doing any job, so leave while I am asking nicely," Alex heard a deep voice before he even fully opened the blacksmith workshop door.
Alex just smiled, hearing the grumpy voice of the Dwarf, and entered the workshop, and the first thing he felt was the heat and smell of burning wood and iron before feeling killing intent targeted at him.
"You Immortal Fucker always like to test my patience," Thogrim said, looking toward Alex, his gaze filled with annoyance and pure rage.
Alex expected Thogrim to recognize him, but after a second of silence, he saw the dwarf appearing before him, ready to swing his fist.
"Master Thogrim, You gave me a quest," Alex said, as he easily avoided the punch, but Thogrim didn't say anything and just continued throwing punches.
"Do You remember telling me to bring you the core of Diamond Rhinoceros," Alex said as he took a shrimping white sphere.
Thogrim stopped throwing punches, seeing the core, and for a few seconds, he looked confused, looking toward Alex, but then the aura around him changed for a moment, making his eyes widen slightly in surprise.
Thogrim arched an eyebrow but said nothing and took the core from Alex's hand and placed it into his inventory.
"Kid, you changed quite a lot from our last meeting, and thanks for the Rhino core, but don't expect any rewards," Thogrim said, his aura returning to normal.
Alex maintained his composure, hiding his satisfaction at Thogrim's reaction, as he heard the system notification of successful quest completion while happy knowing that he had earned the respect and trust of Thogrim.
"I'm glad I could be of help to you, and I can also help you find materials you need for your Hammer," Alex replied humbly, his tone respectful.
"I know you are trying to gain my trust because you have doubts about my true status as a blacksmith, and as you have proven your resourcefulness, I will tell you that I am a Forge King," Thogrim said, with a faint smile.
"As for the material I need, the first is the Law core of an Ignis Phoenix, and to find it, you try your luck on the Ignisoria Plains in the graveyard of the eternal flames or somehow acquire it from the gold Kingdom as they have it stored in their treasury."
"The second material is a rare metal known as Mystium Ore, said to possess extraordinary properties, and as for where you can find it, I have no clue."
"If you can bring me both of these materials, I will pledge to complete one of your requests every month for the next five years," Thogrim said, flashing a bright smile.
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[Forge King Thogrim Brightstone Quest] (SSS)
Objective: Obtain Mystium Ore and an Ignis Phoenix Law Core
Time: ???
Reward: Thogrim Brightstone's Friendship and Five Years of Free Service.
Description: The Dwarven Forge King has presented you with a monumental challenge to find two extremely rare materials, but this gives you the opportunity to gain the trust and secure the services of an esteemed and elusive Blacksmith whose unparalleled craftsmanship is sought after by every kingdom.
Accept: [YES / NO]
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'He is generous with the number of requests, but the best thing is that he only wants the material revealed by the Ranker, and that saves me from unnecessary work,' Alex thought as he accepted the quest.
"Kid, use this signal talisman after you find any of the two materials, and don't bother coming to this workshop because I won't be available," Thogrim said, handing Alex a white talisman before vanishing into thin air.
Alex left the workshop toward the teleportation building to go to the Gold Kingdom to start working on the plan to acquire the materials.
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[Thirty Minutes Later]
Alex was in the Gold Kingdom's capital city Quivira navigating his way toward the Royal palace to acquire one of the three magic grimoires, which he would use to acquire the Law core of the Ignis Phoenix from the kingdom treasury and other items he wanted.
The Ranker in Alex's previous life acquired the Law core of the Ignis Phoenix from the yearly continental Auction, which was not an option for Alex as the auction was months away, and he needed the core as quickly as possible.
The Mystium Ore could only be acquired through extreme luck because it didn't exist in its truest form and came into existence after combining two materials.
There was no record of the Mystium Ore creation method, and if there was, then it was not available to even individuals like the Forge King Thogrim, let alone the public, and that was the reason that Mystium Ore only had demand and no supply.
The Ranker acquired the Mystium Ore because of a generous player obsessed with Alchemy, who created the Mystium Ore with sheer luck after combining random metal ores with mana essence crystals.
The player published the Mystium Ore creation method, making the legendary ore that most high Ranking Blacksmiths dreamt of working with available to anyone with the money to spend.
Alex could easily acquire the Mystium Ore as he knew the method, so he was first focussing on acquiring the Phoenix core from the Gold kingdom treasury, which he would do by first obtaining the Legacy of the Archmage Goldfridus.
After handing over the Archmage Goldfridus legacy to Darius Gold, the first Prince of the Gold family, Alex would acquire the Phoenix core and will also get the third heart of the Beast Monarch legacy and more if the Gold family was generous.
'The gates to the Illusion labyrinth are closed, which is to be expected seeing its popularity,' Alex thought, looking at the long line with hundreds of players and NPCs before a giant pitch-dark gate.
Alex didn't join the line and went straight to the front, and without saying anything, he took out a magic pouch with a thousand gold coins and handed it to the first player in line.
The player checked the magic bag, surprised at first, but his shock quickly turned to happiness, and after thanking Alex, he gave his position in the line to him and happily strolled toward the city while other players looked at him in envy, knowing what had happened.
Alex had come to the Illusion Labyrinth, a place under the control of the Gold Kingdom where any individual could demonstrate his capabilities to receive a reward and get the opportunity to directly join the kingdom army on a higher starting Rank.
The Illusion Labyrinth sealed the mana and strength of any individuals who entered, leaving them to rely only on their mental strength to pass through the highly complex labyrinth while facing realistic mind-bending illusions.
Those who could clear the labyrinth by reaching the end will receive extremely lucrative rewards and a position of power in the Gold Kingdom.
While even those who failed to reach the end will receive a reward depending on the distance they traveled in the labyrinth.
Alex's purpose for coming to the Illusion Labyrinth was to acquire one of the three magic grimoires (Whispering Codex) that, combined with the other two, would make the legacy magic grimoire that held the Archmage Goldfridus legacy.
After waiting for half an hour, The Labyrinth doors opened, and Alex walked inside, followed by other participants, and after the entry number reached the hundred, the door closed until the end of the session.
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