Steve kept experimenting at the crafting table, trying to figure out new recipes.
He arranged planks and sticks in every possible pattern, hoping maybe he'd get a Wooden Shield out of it.
Then he tried wolf fangs with sticks—maybe that'd make a Wolf Fang Sword.
No luck. None of it worked.
With a sigh, he decided to give it a rest. Looked like he wouldn't be trying out any new mod gear until he got his hands on some Iron Ingots and unlocked the JEI mod.
Just Enough Items—that mod let you view every item's recipe directly. For him right now, it would be one of the most useful mods in existence.
Thinking of that reminded him of other favorites—Sophisticated Backpacks and Journey Map. Classic mods every Player loved to use… and so did he.
Hopefully, the next quest reward would be one of those.
He built another furnace, left a few planks aside, and burned the rest of his wood into charcoal.
Some of it went into making torches for his next mining trip. The rest, he used to cook Wind Wolf meat.
Enough food to last him a while.
As he waited, a thin trail of dust rose in the distance.
A carriage was coming down the road.
A traveling merchant? he wondered, stepping forward to intercept it.
The driver nearly jumped out of his seat at the sight of him—but to his credit, he didn't panic. He pulled the reins, bringing the carriage to a stop, then knocked on the side of the wagon.
"Uh, folks—we've got a situation."
Two heads poked out from inside. One of them was Jack, the young man Edmund had sent out earlier. The other was a man with long blond hair and a pair of gauntlets strapped to his hands.
"That's it!" Jack pointed at Steve, heart pounding.
He'd followed the chief's advice and sprinted all the way to the nearest town—Badley Town.
Worried sick about his fellow villagers, he had burst straight into the Adventurer's Guild and posted a commission to eliminate the threat to the village. He'd even offered a generous reward.
The price caught the attention of two adventurers right away. They didn't ask many questions—just hired a carriage and came rushing back with him.
The warrior-sized one gave Steve a quick once-over, then smirked and shook his head.
"That's your monster? Looks like a Magical Golem to me."
He'd imagined something much more dangerous—a high-level creature tearing through a village. He'd even thought this commission might earn him enough points for a promotion to Silver Adventurer.
Now, disappointment filled his voice. So that's it? These clueless villagers freak out over anything.
"Golem?" Jack blinked, startled by his tone. That wasn't the reaction he'd expected.
Another man, dressed like a hunter, leaned out beside him. He glanced at Steve and couldn't hold back a snort.
"Yeah, it's a magical construct all right. And this guy's terrified of it? What a joke."
"Hah. Golems always have mages pulling their strings. We'll just have to talk it out with whoever made it."
"Actually," the hunter added with a grin, pointing toward the village, "that side looks more interesting."
The warrior hopped off the carriage, while the hunter looked on eagerly, clearly curious to see if anyone had died.
Jack caught sight of the blood-soaked scene ahead. His stomach turned, and he bolted from the carriage, sprinting toward the village.
Steve didn't stop him. He was more focused on the three newcomers.
Bodyguards, maybe? he thought, checking the driver first.
He opened the driver's Trading Interface—nothing special. A quick glance, then he closed it.
The driver, however, broke into a cold sweat as the invisible restraint of the interface seized him for a second.
Fortunately, he was experienced enough to recover quickly.
The warrior frowned, noticing the driver suddenly stiffen at attention.
He was just about to ask what was wrong—when something cold crept up his spine.
His whole body froze.
He tried to draw his sword, but his arms wouldn't move.
He tried to back away, but his legs were rooted to the ground.
"What the hell are you doing?!" the warrior barked.
The hunter jumped down, bow at the ready. "Let him go!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Steve released the connection.
He studied the warrior's Trading Interface, but his excitement faded instantly.
No weapons. No armor. Just overpriced bottles of alcohol and other luxuries.
What a greedy bastard.
Suddenly, Steve's vision flashed red—he grunted as his health dropped by two hearts.
He snapped the interface closed just in time to see the warrior spring backward, sword drawn, while the hunter was already reloading, glaring at him like he wanted to turn him into a pincushion.
So these bandits and villagers are on the same side now? Steve thought, confused—but his hands moved on instinct.
He switched to his stone sword and charged.
He'd never liked ranged attackers.
"You okay?" the hunter called, but before the warrior could answer, Steve was already rushing at them, sword raised.
The hunter drew another arrow, fired, and backed away around the carriage, trying to keep distance.
Steve slammed a block down mid-run, the arrow thunking harmlessly into it. Then he vaulted off the carriage roof and came down hard.
The hunter barely had time to look up before the shadow fell over him—just in time to see the gleam of the blade.
"Watch out!" the warrior shouted, swinging his sword to block—but Steve's strength was monstrous.
The clash sent him stumbling, nearly dropping his weapon.
"Ah—!" The hunter flinched, trying to parry with a dagger hidden in his sleeve, but Steve's raw power overwhelmed him.
He staggered backward, boots sliding across the dirt.
He's too strong!
They both realized it at once.
The warrior steadied himself and shouted, "We don't mean any harm!"
A golem with strength like that… its creator had to be a powerful mage.
And no sane adventurer wanted to pick a fight with a mage.
Everyone knew—mages trumped knights.
And he knew exactly how far his own skill reached.
But Steve wasn't listening.
He kept advancing, sword flashing.
The hunter cursed under his breath, gathering mana into his legs. A burst of dust shot up as he slid backward, loosing a glowing arrow as he moved.
The arrow never reached its mark.
A square block of dirt suddenly rose from the ground, stopping it dead.
Steve dropped down from above again, blade first.
This time, the hunter wasn't so lucky.
He hit the ground hard, took a few more slashes—and his screams faded quickly.
When the fight ended, Steve just stood there for a moment, dazed.
Nothing dropped. Not even a single item.
Did I just kill a villager by mistake?
He turned toward the warrior, confused. The man threw down his sword and raised both hands high.
"I swear I mean no harm! I'm not with him!"
He didn't look like he wanted to fight. Weird.
Whatever. Dead's dead.
Steve tried to open the body's Trading Interface—but it was locked.
He gave up, turned around, and jogged back toward the mine.
After two long-range ambushes in a row, one thing was crystal clear.
He really, really needed a shield.