Chapter 8
“…A spear? You know how to use a spear too?”
“I can handle most weapons.”
“My word! You’re a true jack-of-all-weapons! But more importantly—what is that spear? It’s radiating such a sinister aura!”
A sinister aura, huh?
That made sense.
Gáe Bolg, after all, was a weapon famously known as the cursed blood-red spear, bristling with sharp barbs beneath the spearhead.
“It might look that way, but it’s the perfect weapon for a monster like that.”
I held the spear at its center with my right hand and leaned my shoulder back.
It wasn’t a standard spear-wielding stance.
This was the basic posture for javelin throwing—a stance meant to throw the spear.
‘One shot. That’s all I’ll get.’
Just like with Astrafe, weapons that didn’t suit my stats or level could only be used once at most—and even then, their power would be far below normal.
But I was confident.
If it was Gáe Bolg, I could take down even the hidden boss monster of the City of Beginnings—the Big Slime—in one blow.
Grrrrllkk!
The Big Slime sensed my hostility and began approaching.
Surprisingly fast for its massive size.
Meanwhile, Gáe Bolg shook violently in my grip, as if it refused to accept someone with such mismatched stats, skills, and level as its master.
I tightened my grip to suppress the tremors and faced the charging Big Slime.
Swoosh!
I hurled Gáe Bolg.
As if happy to finally leave my hand, the spear vibrated even more violently, emitting a dreadful aura.
And then—
Thud!!
Grrruuughh…
The spear embedded itself deep into the Big Slime.
Its penetration was so intense that the entire shaft, from tip to end, was buried inside its body.
But then—
“Damn! So close! If it had been just a bit closer, it would’ve pierced the core!”
Unfortunately, Gáe Bolg had narrowly missed the Big Slime’s nucleus.
The core was constantly shifting due to the Big Slime’s fluid movements, making it hard to aim for.
Plus, the spear had resisted my grip the whole time, making proper aiming nearly impossible.
Given it even trembled mid-flight, the fact that it landed anywhere near the core was a miracle.
Still, I wasn’t disappointed.
“It’s fine.”
“Fine? It missed the core! Hurry, run! Put some distance between you and try another arrow!”
“No need. It’s already over.”
I was certain.
To me, it was as good as having pierced the core.
And then—
Vwooom!!
Gáe Bolg began to tremble violently inside the Big Slime.
Sensing something was wrong, the Big Slime thrashed even harder as it charged at me.
The guard behind me screamed and tugged at my clothes, but I didn’t budge.
And then, just as the Big Slime was right in front of me—
POP-POP-POP-POP!
Thirty blood-red barbs burst forth from Gáe Bolg, skewering the Big Slime from within.
The spikes protruded outward, long enough to break through the surface.
Naturally, one of those spikes pierced the Big Slime’s core.
“Grrrrkk…”
The creature let out a bubbling noise and collapsed into a puddle.
“H-Holy…!”
The guard behind me gasped, nearly choking on his breath.
Well, could you blame him?
Would a mere city guard NPC in the City of Beginnings have ever seen a level 750 legendary weapon?
Of course he was shocked.
Even I had been so thrilled by Gáe Bolg’s abilities the first time I saw them that I used it exclusively for a while.
“You really… took down the Big Slime? In one shot?”
“Yep. As you saw for yourself.”
– Thank you for the meal, Master.
Whoosh.
Without any command, Luke began devouring the Big Slime.
Since it was a hidden boss monster far stronger than regular ones, once he finished consuming it:
[Luke has consumed ‘Big Slime’.]
[Luke’s stats have increased by 20.]
His stat gain was four times what he usually got from a standard monster.
Sure, it was Luke’s stat boost, not mine.
But since I could borrow his stats at will using Dark Flame Incarnation, it was essentially like my stats had gone up too.
And on top of that, I obtained the Big Slime’s Core again.
Since that was also the quest objective, I turned to hand it over to the guard—
But he waved it off.
“No need to hand it over. This is your accomplishment, after all!”
“Shouldn’t I report it?”
“I saw it with my own eyes, didn’t I? I’ll make sure you’re properly rewarded. Ah, and take this too.”
[You’ve completed the linked quest: ‘Slime Hunt 6’.]
[You’ve obtained the Guard’s Seal.]
“This is…?”
“A medal awarded to adventurers who have made great contributions to the City of Beginnings. Everyone in the city will recognize it.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you! We’ve been struggling with the rising number of slimes and the decreasing number of adventurers. Taking down the Big Slime means we can finally relax a bit.”
Originally, I was supposed to hand over the core.
But thanks to the guard being right there with me, that step was skipped—and I got to keep it.
I already had all the items that existed in First, but even so, the Big Slime’s Core was among the best materials obtainable in the City of Beginnings.
No reason not to keep it.
“I’ll report your achievement to the Guard HQ in detail. You’ll probably hear from them soon.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks! You have the aura of a hero! As a humble guard, the least I can do is help clear the path for you—please, just remember my name.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Hans, the guard at the West Gate of the City of Beginnings.”
“I’ll remember it, Sir Hans.”
“Haha! When you get back, leave me an autograph, would you? I’ll keep it as a family heirloom—you’re going to be big, I can feel it.”
“I doubt it’s worth—”
“No, I’m certain of it. You’ll become someone truly…”
Hans’ eyes sparkled.
“…great.”
* * *
After barely managing to decline Hans’ offer to treat me to a meal, I returned to the inn.
I’d already maxed out my affinity with him, and as far as I remembered, there were no more hidden pieces to get from him.
After a quick meal, I summoned Luke again.
“Luke, take out a level 10 elixir.”
– Understood, Master.
I had hit level 10, so it was time for an elixir.
There weren’t many level 10 elixirs, but hey—many grains make a mountain.
I maximized their effects through alchemy before consuming them.
[You consumed ‘Sprout Elixir’.]
[All stats have increased by 5.]
[Fire affinity slightly increased.]
As expected, all my stats increased again.
Thanks to alchemy achievements, the success rate of crafting had increased.
Once I actually acquired the Alchemy skill, creating elixirs would be even easier.
After drinking it, I spotted the Big Slime’s Core in my inventory.
“Hmm…”
As I said earlier, this was among the top five materials in the city.
It could be used to craft elite gear or potent elixirs.
But since I had just used an elixir made from a Big Slime Core, there was no point in taking another—the same kind of elixir doesn’t stack.
Otherwise, people could endlessly boost their stats with easy-to-make elixirs.
“So, I should just sell this one, huh?”
To someone like me who already had gear and elixirs for every level, this item was useless.
Which meant: perfect for selling.
Sure, I wanted to try the sequel game Second, but I had originally started this game to make money.
“Elixir over gear sounds better.”
Even if I crafted high-quality gear, it would still be level 10 gear.
Two years after Second launched, high-quality level 10 gear wouldn’t be worth much.
Elixirs, though?
“Anyone who hasn’t taken one of these would want it, regardless of level.”
Unlike gear, elixirs are in universal demand.
By now, players understood how precious each stat point was.
Especially with such a rare material exclusive to the City of Beginnings, barely anyone had tasted such an elixir.
Even if its effects were minor due to its level, it was still an elixir.
Plenty of demand.
“Luke, hand me the secondary reagents.”
– Yes, Master.
I jumped straight into alchemy.
Even without the skill, with a rare-tier kit, my experience, and achievement buffs, I could alchemize the Big Slime Core.
“With only a single core, the result probably won’t be amazing…”
It was a top-tier ingredient, yes, but compared to what I had just consumed, it didn’t match.
Even with secondary reagents, creating synergy was hard.
Well, can’t expect perfection on the first try.
Even if it didn’t sell well, I just wanted enough to cover a meal.
The result:
[Alchemy successful.]
[Result: Great Success!]
“Oh, lucky!”
Another great success.
Not an easy result without the alchemy skill.
It was probably thanks to the rare-tier kit boosting success rates.
Once I got the alchemy skill and better tools, great success would become routine.
I checked the potion info.
[Gelatinous Elixir]
Type: Potion
Grade: Rare
Requirement: Level 10+
Description: An elixir that amplifies the slime power within the Big Slime’s Core. Increases max HP and health regeneration.
“Solid.”
A well-rounded result.
A rare-grade potion.
Boosts max HP and regeneration—ideal for melee users, and even non-melee users would benefit.
Honestly, I was hoping for a heroic-tier potion given the great success, but this seemed to be the upper limit with City-level materials.
“It’s a low-tier potion, but it should sell, right?”
Without much expectation, I listed it at the auction house.
Second, unlike other games, had a built-in real-money trading system from the start.
Since item trading would become unavoidable anyway, they monetized it directly.
Thanks to that, it was easy to list potions via the in-game system.
Later, as I lay on the inn bed logging out, I had no idea—
That this unassuming Gelatinous Elixir would cause a major stir in the auction house.
