Chapter 6: Goblin Tomahawk

After leaving the village, I looked around and saw that the vast forest was full of small green monsters, but not a single player in sight. When I turned back, I saw that players had already swarmed the starting village!

I immediately set off, ready to begin my work, but then I noticed a girl in rough linen clothes standing nearby, looking around as though she were searching for someone to help!

"Huh? Looks like there's a quest!"

Since I was the first to leave the village, I didn't hesitate and quickly ran over.

When I reached the NPC girl, she said, "My grandfather lost his axe while chopping firewood. I heard it was taken by those nasty goblins! Can you help me get it back?"

"Ding~!"

System prompt: Do you accept the quest[Collect Goblin Battle Axes]?

...

Such a good opportunity, who could possibly refuse?!

I immediately accepted, and another system notification sounded—

"Ding~!"

System prompt: You have accepted the quest[Collect Goblin Battle Axes]! (Beginner Quest, Difficulty: 10)

Quest details: Help the girl, Xiaohua, find the lost axe. The axe should be with the goblins outside the village. Kill the goblins and collect 10 battle axes!

I was slightly surprised. Xiaohua clearly said that her grandfather only lost one axe, but now I was being asked to collect 10—talk about a nice little trick, just like me, playing a game of "getting something for nothing"!

After talking to me, Xiaohua sat under a large tree, looking like she couldn't accept any more quests.

I gathered my things and decided to take care of the goblins first!

At that moment, a goblin, not far from me, spotted the "outsider" and quickly charged at me with its axe, its small body looking like a little winter melon, complete with a ridiculous green helmet!

I looked at it and realized that this low-level monster's stats would be easy to assess—

[Little Goblin](Common Monster)

Level: 1

Attack: 1-3

Defense: 1

Health: 100

...

With the goblin's attack ranging from 1 to 3, and my defense of 2, it shouldn't be too difficult to handle!

So, I quickly moved forward and swung my club, landing a solid blow on the goblin's head!

"Bang!"

A crisp sound echoed, and the damage number "12" floated above the goblin's head!

The goblin's axe struck my shoulder with a slight pain, causing me to lose 5 health points!

Thankfully, my health was still comparable to the goblin's, so I could take it!

The key point was that my attack speed was much faster than the goblin's. As a low-level monster, it was unlikely to take me down in one hit!

After several more blows with the club, the goblin let out a loud wail and collapsed to the ground. Several copper coins shone on the ground!

"Ding!"

Combat notification: You have killed the Little Goblin and gained 10 experience points!

I quickly bent down and picked up the copper coins—3 in total—and added them to my inventory!

However, after killing this goblin, my health had dropped below half. If I fought another one, it could be dangerous!

I quickly checked my personal attributes and realized that the 5 attribute points provided by the system at account creation hadn't been allocated yet!

Damn! How could I call myself a pro with this kind of gear?!

Feeling ashamed, I immediately allocated all 5 points to Strength. In the early stages, attack power was crucial, especially since I was planning to choose a combat class!

With 5 more points in Strength, my attack range increased from 0-3 to 0-8. Now, dealing with a goblin should be much easier!

I quickly targeted a nearby wandering goblin and struck it with my club. The damage number immediately popped up above its head—

"34!"

I was slightly taken aback. I hadn't expected my damage to jump that much!

I swung two more powerful blows, and the poor goblin let out a final cry before collapsing. A rusted axe and a few copper coins fell to the ground.

[Goblin Battle Axe](Quest Item)

...

Looking at the axe, I saw it had no attributes, which was a bit disappointing, but I quickly tossed it into my inventory and continued hunting monsters!

The drop rate for axes wasn't very high. On average, I had to kill about 5 goblins to get one axe. Moreover, as more players arrived, when I got my 9th axe, the area was already swarming with players. Every goblin I encountered was quickly struck in the head by multiple clubs!

It seemed that farming here was no longer viable, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to outpace these ordinary players!

At that moment, a fresh goblin appeared nearby, sneaking around, looking for its next victim.

Without hesitation, I swung my club, and just as it appeared, the other four players around me also swung their clubs!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

In a flash, the goblin was slain, and a battle axe dropped with a thud.

I confidently picked it up and tossed it into my inventory, completing the quest and collecting all 10 axes!

The other players stared at me, seemingly wanting to say something, but I had no time to waste. I turned around and returned to Xiaohua.

I handed her the 10 axes, and a smile spread across her face. She said, "Thank you! You found my grandfather's axe! Here's your reward!"

"Ding~!"

System prompt: Congratulations! You have completed the quest[Goblin Battle Axe]. You gained 500 experience points, 2 silver coins, +1 reputation, and the reward item[Rough Iron Sword]!

"Ding~!"

System prompt: You leveled up!

"Hey, new equipment!"

I was overjoyed and quickly opened my inventory, where a rough iron sword lay quietly!

[Rough Iron Sword](Rough Quality)

Attack: 1-4

Required Level: 2

...

Haha, it was a level 2 item! While it was still the lowest quality gear, its attack power was far superior to the basic club I had been using! (In the game, the equipment quality levels are: Rough, White, Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Dark Gold, Ghost, Earth, and Divine Equipment. There are even rumored super-god items, though who knows if they'll ever appear in this lifetime.)

I quickly equipped the iron sword and instantly became the only player in the village wielding one!

Many players cast envious glances at me. In their eyes, I was undoubtedly the most formidable person in the village!

Now at level 3, the little goblins were no longer enough to challenge me. Plus, with my new weapon, I put all my 5 attribute points into Strength, bringing my attack to an impressive 1-17. Such a powerful attack would be wasted on low-level monsters!

I quickly returned to the village, bought 10 health potions from the apothecary (each healing 100 health points), though they were ridiculously expensive at 20 copper coins each. Luckily, I'd earned 2 silver coins from the quest, so I bought them all!

Big investment, big return—that's a simple principle I understand!

As I was leaving the village, I noticed a new armored soldier standing at the entrance, holding a steel sword and looking around.

I walked over, and as expected, he was the village militia captain. He glanced at me and said, "Brave young one, you're strong enough now. Would you be willing to help me with a small task?"

I immediately nodded.

The militia captain said loudly, "Recently, a group of fiery bats has appeared to the south of the village. They're toxic, and several of my soldiers have been poisoned. I need you to kill these fiery bats and collect some bat blood to cure them!"

I was slightly startled, but quickly clicked the confirmation button!

"Ding~!"

System prompt: You have accepted the quest[Clear the Fields]! (Beginner Quest. Difficulty: 50)

Quest details: Kill the fiery bats to the south of the village and collect 20 bat blood to deliver to the militia captain, Masu!

...

I was taken aback. The goblin quest had a difficulty of 10, but now this quest was 50! Looking at the militia captain, I felt like the scene from the old poem, "The wind howls and the river freezes; the hero goes and never returns!"

A chill ran down my spine, but I quickly packed my things and headed south of the village!