Challenger Raul has offered you a personalized bonus reward for completing his quest: Ring Rescue Reward Offered: Sturdy Wrench x1 Do you Accept? Yes/No

Callum mentally selected the Yes option while lifting his hand, palm up. At that moment, the wrench dematerialized from Raul's hand and reappeared in Callum's hand. He grinned down at the wrench and then up at the larger man.

"I appreciate the apology, Smith. This wrench will make things much easier for me in my questing."

"Please, call me Raul. My apology doesn't end there. I skipped work in my shop this morning to speak with Niles. He gave me permission to offer you a three-step quest chain. If you accept, I can give you the first quest immediately." Raul continued to look at Callum, and the bigger man's brown eyes flicked back and forth across the elf's face. Searching.

Callum's lips curled upwards, revealing a set of pearly white teeth as his excitement grew at the prospect of embarking on a new quest chain. The allure of the unknown tasks and rewards was irresistible to him, especially since chain quests were known to grant amazing experience and rewards upon completion.

He eagerly accepted the offer, his mind already racing with the possibilities of what lay ahead. As he waited for further instructions, he couldn't help but ponder how much closer he would be to reaching Level-3 if he could complete this quest today.

As Raul fumbled with the System's menus, his eyes took on a distant, glassy look that Callum recognized all too well. It was a telltale sign of inexperience with the System. Those unfamiliar with its workings often required intense focus to navigate its menus, leaving them temporarily oblivious to their surroundings.

Well, well, well, look who's ready to tackle their first quest chain! And what's this? A kill quest, you say? Now we're talking! No more wasting time hunting down measly little rodents with cute little tails. It's time to step up and take down some goblins like a boss! So what are you waiting for?

Raul has offered you a quest: Quest Name: Goblins in the Mine

Description: Raul, the blacksmith, is in a bit of a bind. He's been having some trouble with those pesky goblins, causing all sorts of mayhem in the Ladrian Forest Mine. They've been stealing supplies and attacking poor, unsuspecting travelers. Not exactly the ideal situation for a bustling mining operation, am I right?

But fear not, dear adventurers! Raul is seeking some brave souls to take on this challenge and help clear out those pesky goblins. Venture into the mine and eliminate 10 of those sneaky little buggers. Just be warned, these goblins aren't going down without a fight. They're cunning little creatures, so you better bring your A-game if you want to come out on top.

Reward: Raul will show you how to smelt metals and will provide you with two basic equipment blueprints of your choice. Bonus Reward: Dependent on your method of completion. Do you accept? Yes/No

Again, Callum mentally selected Yes and nodded to Raul. "This is great. I appreciate you letting me do this."

Raul lifted his shoulders in a nonchalant gesture. His eyes were fixed on the distant woods. "It's not all selfless, mind you," he remarked. "Clearing out those mines will net me more metals to work with. The adventurers around here usually steer clear of the goblins until they become too much of a nuisance to ignore. According to the stories I've heard, those little green boogers are nothing short of devils."

Callum nodded, fully aware of the challenges that lay ahead. "Indeed they are," he replied, clutching the wrench. "Dealing with them can be quite tricky, as goblins and their kin are often spawned from rift overflows. This means they possess a level of intelligence that far surpasses most world-spawning creatures." He paused, then continued. "But this tool should make things a bit easier. I'll see what I can do."

With a nod of mutual agreement, the two men parted ways, and Callum made his way toward the village entrance. His plans had already shifted twice today, but this time felt different. For the first time in a while, he was looking forward to the changes ahead. In the world of adventurers, few things were more valuable than a quest chain. The one before Callum promised to be a veritable treasure trove of experience points. The kills alone would grant him a considerable boost in levels. The potential bonus for a job well done and the subsequent quests in the chain would only sweeten the deal.

As he pondered his next move, Callum's mind drifted to the possibility that the goblins were spawned from a dungeon rift. Such a circumstance would mean that there would be an abundance of creatures lurking in the local mine. This, in turn, would save him the arduous task of scouring the countryside for his prey like he'd needed to do with both the slugs and squirrels.

Despite the allure of the new opportunity, Callum hesitated at the thought of abandoning Frank's quest a second time. He knew that he would need to explain himself to the man if he were to salvage his reputation, which had taken a plummet due to his earlier decision to abandon the quest. However, the chance to embark on Raul's chain quest was too great to ignore, and Callum was willing to suffer the consequences of his actions. After all, he thought, I don't owe these humans anything. This is certainly the best option for my progression. Even as he attempted to think the way his siblings wanted him to, the thought didn't sit well with him.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

He nodded respectfully at the guards and inquired about the directions to the mine. They obliged him with a smile, grateful for the prospect of having the troublesome goblins cleared out of their territory. Saving them the effort altogether.

Callum strode into the verdant woods, his keen eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger. As he ventured further into the lush canopy, he felt a sense of anticipation building within him, eager to uncover whatever secrets his skill held. With a practiced motion, he withdrew Book from his pocket, holding the small, unassuming tome aloft. The book's pages began to flutter and writhe, the ink and paper coalescing into a magnificent parchment bird that soared upwards into the air.

"Book! Look at this!" Callum exclaimed, brandishing the sturdy wrench that he now held. Book swooped down gracefully, perching on Callum's shoulder as the elf retracted the wrench for closer inspection.

The tool was far from a work of art, the head crafted to a larger size than most, but this worked perfectly for its new purpose as a weapon. The handle was smooth and flat, fitting snug into Callum's grasp. It had a subtle ridge running along both sides, further improving the comfortable grip. As Callum admired his acquisition, Book tapped her beak rapidly against the indentation in the handle's center. Callum understood the message his feathered companion was trying to convey through their bond.

"I know, it would be a perfect spot. Wouldn't it? We'll have to test it out this evening." If he were in his old class, he'd stop immediately and attempt to enchant the makeshift weapon. Book was pointing it out because it was perfectly smooth, making for an excellent surface to lay a linear spell construct. "For now, we've got a skill to test! We can worry about the spell problem later."

He approached a nearby tree and swung at the tree. He felt the wrench thud against the tree's thick trunk, sending small reverberations through the metal and into his hand. He pulled up his combat log:

Callum: Deals 3 points of blunt damage

"Now for the moment of truth, Book. We'll see if all that drama was worth it!"

He hefted the wrench in his hand, feeling the weight of it and the power humming within. Callum's eyes narrowed as he focused on the tree before him. It was massive, with a trunk wider than two men standing shoulder to shoulder. Despite this, he was undeterred. He took a deep breath, centering himself, and then launched into action. With a powerful swing, he brought the wrench down towards the tree. He knew right away this was different than his first attempt. As the wrench descended, he activated [Wrench Strike]. The moment he activated the technique, he felt power surge through his right hand and into the wrench. The head of the wrench erupted in a shower of golden lightning, and he felt his swing speed up beyond what he had thought possible. With a fierce cry, he brought the wrench crashing into the tree.

The impact was incredible. The bark on the tree exploded away from the wrench, and the tool sank deep into the wood, leaving a small crater in its wake. Callum felt a thrill of excitement rush through him as he easily pulled the wrench free from the tree.

He consulted his combat log, scanning the data for signs of weakness or vulnerability.

Callum: Deals 9 points of blunt damage (lightning Affinity).

Callum whooped again, his manic grin stretching from ear to ear as he turned towards Book, his elfish canines on full display. "This changes everything, Book," he exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "The [Wrench Strike] costs only five mana, and it deals almost double the damage of the [Mana Imbue] punches that I've been relying on."

Book responded with several tight swirling circles overhead, sharing Callum's enthusiasm for this discovery.

Filled with a newfound sense of curiosity, Callum proposed another experiment. "Let's test one more thing, Book," he said, stepping up to the tree again. With a showy flick of his wrist, he imbued the wrench with mana, causing ethereal blue wisps to lazily drift away from the metal tool, contrasting beautifully with the golden lightning from moments before.

With a swing, Callum struck the tree, feeling a response that was somewhere in between the first two tests. While the [Mana Imbue] certainly dealt some damage, he could tell, even visually, that it hadn't matched the power of his [Wrench Strike].

Callum: Deals 6 points of blunt damage.

He found it intriguing that it continued to do the same damage as the standard mana-imbued punch, though it was increased based on the mana that he sent through the weapon. Unfortunately, this caused Callum to scratch his head in confusion.

"Why would I possibly want to use [Mana Imbue] if [Wrench Strike] just seemed better in all regards? [Wrench Strike] delivers affinity damage, packs a heavier punch, and is less demanding on my mana reserves."

As he held the wrench out, looking at the new weapon. Book flew down and perched on its end. She bobbed her head twice, signaling that she wanted to talk to him, so he held up his other hand and let her shift into her original form.

Whoa, Cal, slow down! We don't know enough yet! But you know I love the guessing game, so if you're playing- it's my turn!

if I had to guess, maybe those mana powers get even better over time. Like maybe [Mana Imbue] is way cooler and uses less mana than [Wrench Strike] as you evolve it. Or, once you get super good at [Mana Imbue], it might be way more flexible than [Wrench Strike].

Oh, and hey, smarty pants, [Mana Imbue] isn't about punching people with magic. Didn't you read the description all the way? It's about putting magic into items and stuff, duh! It seems like more of a crafting thingy than a fighting thingy.

Gosh, I know you're supposed to be this cool melee fighter now, but you're running around like a total dummy from the family army. Ha ha! Maybe we need to boost your Intelligence again, Cal.

-B

Callum grumbled but realized that she was likely right. Not that she'd give her the satisfaction of admitting it. Instead, he closed her pages and slid her into his pocket again.

"Let's go, Book! We've got some goblins to 'Thwonk'!" He felt her vibrate several times in protest, but through their bond, he could sense her amusement.