The First Clear announcement for the Grove of Screams had sent a seismic shockwave through the entire starting zone.
While Jason had chosen to remain anonymous, the sheer fact that a party had conquered Hell Mode this early sent every major and minor guild into a frantic scramble.
Who was this mysterious 'Aethel'?
What kind of god-tier equipment did they possess to pull off such an impossible feat?
For Jason, the wild speculation was just entertaining background noise.
His mind was laser-focused on a single, powerful objective: transforming the [Garrison Armor Forging Design] into a mountain of gold and influence.
"Alright team," Jason said, as they arrived back in the bustling square of Crimsonleaf Village, the envious and curious stares of other players tracking their every move like a spotlight.
"You've all earned a break. And a bonus."
He opened his trade window and, one by one, gave each party member, Jay, Solitary Blade, Tank, Dreamer, and Munch, a full Silver coin.
Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
For players who were struggling to save up coppers just a day ago, a whole Silver coin felt like a king's ransom.
"A-a whole Silver?!" Munch stammered, his hands trembling as he accepted the coin, his usual bread-nibbling forgotten.
"That's… that's enough to buy a lifetime supply of the good bread! The kind with raisins!"
"Don't spend it all on food," Jason said with a light chuckle.
"Get your gear repaired, stock up on potions. We'll be busy later. I have some… business to attend to."
Leaving his awestruck team to celebrate their newfound wealth, Jason headed straight for the Forging Association, a large, soot-stained building that perpetually smelled of coal smoke and hot metal.
Inside, the air was a cacophony of ringing hammers, roaring furnaces, and the boisterous shouts of NPC blacksmiths.
Jason completely ignored the basic, public forges.
He walked directly to the administrator at the main counter, a stern-looking dwarf with a beard so long it was braided with iron rings.
"I'd like to rent an Intermediate Forging Room for two hours."
The dwarf grunted, barely looking up from his ledger.
"That'll be two Silver coins. Upfront."
It was a price so exorbitant it would make any normal player's heart stop, but Jason paid it without flinching, the coins clinking on the counter with a sound of pure confidence.
He was led to a private room in the back, a space that was to the public stations what a palace was to a mud hut.
In the center stood a massive, perfectly smooth anvil and a special forge that burned with a deep, controlled red flame.
This was the [Crimsonflame Forge], which provided a small but crucial boost to forging success.
On a nearby rack hung a set of masterfully crafted tools, including the [Hundred Refinement Hammer], a Bronze-ranked hammer that further increased the chance of success.
This room was the secret to mass-producing quality gear.
But Jason had advantages that went far beyond mere tools.
He took out the worn leather book he had received from his unique quest: the [Book of Forging].
A golden light enveloped his hands as he learned it, and a flood of complex forging techniques, metal properties, and arcane smithing secrets filled his mind.
System: You have learned from the Book of Forging.
Your understanding of forging techniques has greatly increased.
Success rate for forging all equipment is permanently increased.
Then, from the deepest pocket of his bag, he produced the five jagged pieces of the Philosopher's Stone.
The fragmented epic item pulsed with a faint, magical light, a silent promise of miracles.
"Let's get to work."
He began the process.
He had bought stacks of common Iron Ore earlier.
Normally, a forger would have to smelt this into Iron Ingots, a tedious, time-consuming process with a high chance of creating impure materials.
Jason, however, simply placed a stack of the raw, dull ore on the anvil and activated the Philosopher's Stone.
The shards glowed with a soft, rainbow light, and in an instant, the ore transformed.
The impurities within it were visibly purged, turning to fine gray dust that blew away, leaving behind a stack of perfectly pure, glistening Iron Ingots.
This single step, a feat of impossible alchemy, saved him hours of work.
Next, he activated the Garrison Armor Forging Design.
A holographic image of the chest plate appeared before him, rotating slowly.
The system calculated his odds.
[Garrison Armor (Bronze Rank)]
Base Success Rate: 5%
Intermediate Forging Room Bonus: +5%
Crimsonflame Forge Bonus: +2%
Hundred Refinement Hammer Bonus: +3%
Book of Forging Bonus: +15%
Total Success Rate: 30%
A 30% success rate was already considered insanely high for Bronze equipment this early in the game.
Most players were struggling with less than 10%.
But Jason wasn't done.
He wasn't just a player; he was a legend reborn.
He focused his mind, drawing on the muscle memory and techniques from ten years of being a top-tier strategist, a role that required absolute precision and flawless execution.
His hands moved in a blur, hammering the glowing metal with a perfect, rhythmic cadence that was less like work and more like art.
Each strike landed on the most optimal point, conserving heat and shaping the metal with an efficiency that no other player in the world could hope to match.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
His hammering was like music, a symphony of creation.
He was no longer just a player following a system prompt; he was an artisan, a master at work, bending the very rules of the game to his will.
[System: Your technique is flawless. Forging success rate increased by an additional 30%.]
Total Success Rate: 60%
He smiled.
This was his true advantage.
Not just knowledge, but skill that transcended the system itself.
He worked tirelessly, a whirlwind of focused energy.
For every ten attempts, six new pieces of gleaming Garrison Armor materialized in his inventory.
But on his third successful forging, something different happened.
A piece of armor emerged that glowed with a slightly brighter, more resilient light.
[Garrison Armor] (Bronze Rank)
DEF +45
END +4,
STR +2
Additional Ability: Impact Dampening - Reduces physical damage taken by 5%.
"Jackpot," Jason whispered.
This was it.
An additional ability on a Bronze item made it comparable to, or even better than, some Mysterious-Iron pieces.
It was a game-changer for any guild's main tank.
He then took out the Hundred Refinement Steel he had acquired earlier.
By adding this rare material into the forging process, he pushed the boundaries even further.
[Garrison Heavy Armor] (Bronze Rank)
DEF +60
END +6,
STR +3
Additional Ability: Impact Dampening - Reduces physical damage taken by 8%.
In two hours, he had forged over twenty pieces of Garrison Armor.
He kept the five pieces with the Impact Dampening a ability and the two Heavy Armors.
The rest, the standard versions, he immediately sold to an NPC merchant for a quick 4 Silver each, instantly recouping his costs and turning a hefty profit.
He then walked to the Auction House and placed the seven special armors up for sale.
He set the starting bid for the regular Garrison Armors at 8 Silver each, and the Garrison Heavy Armors at a staggering 15 Silver.
The moment they appeared, the Auction House chat channels exploded.
WHAT?!
A Level 3 Bronze chest plate with an additional ability?!
HOW?!
"15 Silver for a starting bid? Is this guy crazy? That's more than 10,000 real-world Credits!"
Crazy or not, the guild leaders are going to fight to the death for this.
This could give their main tank the edge they need to clear Hard Mode!
Jason watched the bidding frenzy begin, a satisfied smirk on his face.
He was no longer just a player; he was a one-man arms dealer, and in the world of Aethelgard's Echo, war was very, very good for business.
With his pockets heavy with coin and his Forging proficiency skyrocketing, he felt another surge of power.
System: Your Forging has reached Basic Apprentice Level.
You have gained 5,000 EXP.
[System: You have leveled up!]
He was now Level 3.
Without a moment of hesitation, he allocated his new attribute points into Agility, bringing his total to a clean 20.
A new skill icon lit up in his menu.
System: Agility has reached 20 points.
You have unlocked the hidden skill Fast and Nimble.
This passive skill granted him a higher degree of control over his body, improving his reaction speed and coordination.
It was a cornerstone skill for top-tier melee players, and he had unlocked it weeks, if not months, ahead of schedule.
Feeling accomplished, he met back up with his party at the town square tavern.
They were still celebrating, their mood jubilant.
When they saw Jason walk in, now Level 3, they were speechless.
"You leveled up… from blacksmithing?"
Solitary Blade asked, his mind struggling to comprehend what he was seeing.
Jason just smiled and started a group trade, distributing another five Silver to each of them.
"This is from the first batch of sales. There's more to come."
The party was floored.
They had never imagined earning so much money so quickly.
Their loyalty to Jason, already strong, was now being forged in silver and gold.
"To Aethel, the richest, baddest, blacksmithing-est leader in all of Aethelgard!" Jay toasted, raising his mug of cheap ale.
The group erupted in cheers.
But as they celebrated, the tavern door was kicked open with a loud BANG, splintering the wood.
A group of players, their faces grim and their guild emblems showing a crimson dagger dripping blood, strode in.
Their leader, a menacing-looking Ranger with a scar across one eye, pointed a finger directly at Jason.
"You're Aethel?" the Ranger snarled, his voice cold and sharp.
"I'm Blade, leader of the Crimson Mercenaries. Someone has paid a very, very high price for your head. And my guild always delivers."
Outside, more Crimson Mercenaries began to surround the tavern, their weapons drawn, blocking all exits.
They were trapped.
Jay and the others scrambled to their feet, drawing their weapons.
But they were outnumbered two to one, and the mercenaries were all Level 2 and 3, clearly a veteran hit squad.
Jason, however, remained seated, calmly taking one last sip of his ale.
He looked at the Ranger, a glint of cold amusement in his eyes.
He slowly placed his mug on the table with a soft click that seemed to echo in the sudden silence.
"You should have asked for a bigger down payment," Jason said, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.
"Because you're not going to live to collect the rest."