---Third POV---

Alyanne quietly whispered an apology to herself for the bias she had held in her heart earlier. At first glance, seeing the frail appearance of the other person, she thought, Here we go again, a wizard locked away in their tower.

The type that, without magical talent, couldn't even lift a chair and has utterly abysmal social skills. Unexpectedly, however, while he truly lacked strength, his intellect was exceptional.

Faced with her praise, Cobb smiled shyly.

"The Watchers saved me, this is all just what I should do."

Alyanne glanced at the sky outside.

"There's still time; they won't come to hand in their missions this early. For now, I'll leave this place to you. I'll step out for a while."

The tools at the mission point were less useful than the ones confiscated from the goblin warehouse. There wasn't anything particularly valuable, and the prisoners bore Viktor's mental imprint, so she wasn't worried about any tricks.

But for Cobb, her trust was deeply meaningful. He immediately straightened his back and nodded solemnly.

"Don't worry, Lady Alyanne!"

Reassured, Alyanne left.

---

Walking southwest from the mission point, it wasn't long before the "Daddy's Weapons Factory" came into view.

The factory was perpetually shrouded in black smoke, and as Alyanne approached, she heard arguing voices.

"Hey, ProGamer_Daddy, the main storyline is already over, and you're still burning your ores?"

"Our game's air quality dropped from excellent to good, and it's all thanks to your solo efforts!"

ProGamer_Daddy rolled his eyes at LootGoblin that had come to confront him.

"What do you know? This is called military strategic reserves. Without explosives, how are you going to break through early-game content, using your little fireworks sparks? Besides, the item order came from Viktor last night. If you've got a problem, go talk to him directly!"

After leaving LootGoblin momentarily speechless, he turned around and spotted Alyanne. A joyful expression appeared on his face.

"The usual, right?"

Viktor hadn't assigned NPC workers to the weapons factory, and grinding ores was hard labor. ProGamer_Daddy was just fretting over finding someone to help.

Alyanne nodded slightly. The conversation had happened many times before. She didn't even need the translator Viktor had provided to understand him.

She cared little about the peculiar disputes and concerns of the players. After nodding at the two who had been arguing, she headed straight to her usual workstation.

The fireworks-producing stones, which created wonderfully blended effects, were clearly much more interesting to her.

LootGoblin gawked in astonishment.

"No way, she is still coming here? Are you turning this NPC into an arms dealer?"

"Exactly!" ProGamer_Daddy proudly put his hands on his hips. "See that? Even the NPCs are on my side."

At that moment, the Lucky Stars Team appeared outside

"Hey, ProGamer_Daddy." Hedgehog waved from afar.

They had also come to protest the black smoke from the factory. If this kept up, the freshly washed linen would turn from white to black in no time!

With three more allies, LootGoblin regained some confidence. "See? I'm not the only one affected!"

ProGamer_Daddy spread his hands helplessly. "What do you want me to do, shut down the factory?"

"We think your factory is just too close to the city," Garble suggested. "Have you considered relocating?"

Although the riverside area had been designated an industrial zone, industries still needed to distinguish between light and heavy operations. And clearly, the weapons factory belonged much further out. Otherwise, if the weapons stockpile exploded, wouldn't the surrounding factories and houses be reduced to rubble?

ProGamer_Daddy rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I've actually been considering that."

Viktor had already stopped offering free mineral transportation services, and the sheer volume of ores was straining the underdeveloped local transport network.

If possible, he wanted to move, too.

"But we'll need a plan for where to go. Otherwise, if it doesn't work out, we'll just have to move again."

"The Giant Pit Ruins would be perfect!" LootGoblin suggested.

"I refuse!"

That was way too far! What, were they going to use teleportation circles every day, didn't they know those cost magic power and money?

At the very least, they'd have to wait until Viktor finished planning for the ruins before considering it.

For now, the discussion reached no conclusion.

ProGamer_Daddy waved them off impatiently. "Do you guys have anything else? If not, I need to get back to Alyanne."

"Oh, we do!" Hedgehog finally remembered their main reason for coming.

"We've all changed professions, and daily missions don't suit us anymore. How about joining us for some frontier exploration?"

Daily missions offered limited bonus experience and little money. Monster hunting and leveling up in the wild seemed much more rewarding! ProGamer_Daddy had originally claimed to be a combat-focused player, but ever since starting his weapons factory, he'd been obsessed with logistics and research. Still, since they were part of the same team, they had to ask.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

As expected, he declined almost immediately. "I'm working on ball bearings and sliding wheels to improve the precision of primitive bows. I probably won't have time for the frontlines."

Then he asked curiously, "What about your workshop? Can you even leave it?"

At this, NeverShowOff's eyes lit up with amusement.

"The NPCs Viktor gave us are fantastic, they picked up weaving in no time, and they're great at needlework, too. We're completely free."

Garble nodded in agreement. "We just drop by occasionally to check progress."

Textile production had far less technical difficulty than weapon crafting. They could easily pull popular clothing designs from the internet, adapt them for the game, and call it innovation.

Money rolled in effortlessly, even finding dye materials wasn't necessary.

ProGamer_Daddy was envious.

Weapons were too restricted by regulations online. Even if he found blueprints, it took forever to adapt them into usable in-game versions.

As they chatted, two more figures approached, panting heavily.

"Hey, you're here too!" Lux, accompanied by a female player with twin braids, called out, first glancing at NeverShowOff.

"You're looking for me?" NeverShowOff asked.

"Of course! Didn't you ask me to find a workshop agent for you?"

If anyone knew the players well, it was Lux, who had been throwing money around during the goblin mission.

NeverShowOff trusted her enough to leave this problem in her hands.

Lux pushed the braided girl forward, placing her hands on her shoulders as if presenting a treasure.

"Ta-da! Here she is! I'm telling you, this girl's embroidery skills are perfect for your workshop. You should see her real-life work, I'm telling you…"

Embarrassed, the girl covered her face and begged Lux to stop. "Enough! Let me speak for myself!"

Clearing her throat, she looked up with bright, eager eyes. "Guess who I am!"

NeverShowOff frowned slightly. "You're…"

ProGamer_Daddy tilted his head and instinctively said, "You guess if I'll guess!"

"..."

The female player pulled an iron rod from her backpack and began chasing after ProGamer_Daddy, swinging it furiously.

"I said five days ago in the group chat that I had beta access, and none of you noticed, huh?"

Her voice successfully jogged NeverShowOff's memory. His brows relaxed instantly, and his tone was filled with disbelief.

"GameLord420?!"

She actually got assigned a loli avatar?!

"You finally remember your fan?"

GameLord420 tilted her chin up, resting the iron rod on her shoulder. There were only 50 players in the game right now, and she had been playing for 10 days.

Yet he hadn't noticed!

He even had to commission other players to help him find a replacement workshop manager.

"Ahem, your in-game appearance is quite different from reality," NeverShowOff awkwardly covered his mouth.

"Haha! Isn't this character adorable?" GameLord420 instantly forgot her earlier complaints and spun around happily. "The skirt is modified from linen cloth. I'm super satisfied with this character's height and figure in the game."

She sighed blissfully.

"This light, floaty feeling while running, it's heaven!"

"…"

NeverShowOff broke the silence again.

"In that case, I'll leave the workshop to you for the time being."

As a crafting expert from his fan group, he was genuinely glad to welcome her. Professional tasks were best left to professionals.

GameLord420 made an "OK" gesture.

"Don't worry, leave it to me. Oh, by the way, can I add a custom clothing feature to the workshop?"

The others, of course, had no objections. The word "custom" alone meant the clothing prices wouldn't be cheap.

Why not make money when there's an opportunity?

The only reason they hadn't done it before was their lack of technical skills.

"By the way, MemeKnight also got beta access. Aren't you teaming up with him?" NeverShowOff asked.

"He just took on a massive building commission from Viktor to construct a blacksmith's shop. I can't help with that, so I'm just playing on my own."

Though she sounded pitiful, the smug lilt in her tone was unmistakable.

"…"

The others shifted their gazes to NeverShowOff in silent reproach.

Why'd you have to bring up MemeKnight? Now everyone was subjected to this sugary display!

"By the way!" Lux clicked around on her game panel.

Using the new mission-sharing feature from the update, he sent a specific task to LootGoblin.

"Since you are here, I'll hand over this delivery quest I picked up. Just confirm it."

"For me?" LootGoblin was surprised and opened their panel as well.

His face immediately darkened. "Blacksmith's shop helper? I've been avoiding him, and he still hasn't given up?"

Lux shrugged. "Maybe it's the bond of your shared race?"

Ever since LootGoblin was rescued, Hawkes had been insisting that their blacksmithing talent was exceptional and had been trying to take them on as an apprentice.

Unfortunately, while LootGoblin had chosen the blacksmith class, he didn't plan to stay in the starter village forever, like ProGamer_Daddy.

He also couldn't tolerate Hawkes' grueling 4 AM to 10 PM training schedule.

So he were strongly resistant.

Hedgehog bumped into LootGoblin's shoulder. "The blacksmith's shop won't be finished for a while. You don't need to forge anything yet. They're practically handing you a free skill tutor. Why not learn a bit?"

LootGoblin snorted. "If it were that simple, I'd be fine with it!"

The NPCs in this game were too lifelike. Even after just five days with Hawkes, he knew that becoming his apprentice wouldn't just bring perks, it'd come with a ton of responsibilities.

It might even be something like the usual wuxia trope: "One day as a master, a lifetime as a father," involving endless meddling and unresolved vendettas… This shit was not something he wanted.

Viktor was also a blacksmith. As long as he was paid, he never lacked skill books to upgrade!

ProGamer_Daddy frowned.

"Speaking of which, we don't even have a stable source of iron ore. Are we really suited to build a blacksmith's shop?"

At most, his ore scraps might contain traces of iron.

That wasn't nearly enough!

---Viktor's POV---

This issue was already on my mind.

Hawkes and I traveled to the edge of town's magical array, heading into an iron ore mining tunnel. The narrow tunnel still carried the damp stench of mold and rust, with occasionally dripping sounds.

At the end of the path, we finally stopped.

"This is it," I said.

Hawkes carefully examined the wall, his expression serious.

First, he listened closely. Then, he dug out a bit of soil with his finger, rubbed it, and tasted it. After a while, he solemnly concluded, "There's definitely a magical creature incubation chamber inside. Or rather, this was originally a depleted mine. The soil, newly formed ore veins… All of it has become part of a magical creature's nest. When it hatches, the entire mountain will 'come alive,' turning into an indestructible fortress."

I nodded lightly. This matched my earlier conclusions.

"You dwarves are most knowledgeable about subterranean magical creatures. Can you identify its species?" I asked.

"I only have a vague idea for now," Hawkes said gravely. "But for it to create phenomena like this before even hatching, it's no ordinary magical creature from the forest outskirts."

I understood. That meant its level was at least four or higher.

While newborn magical creatures wouldn't reach full maturity instantly, the incubation chamber left by its parent was itself a powerful magical artifact. It could compensate for the creature's vulnerabilities during its early stages.

A level-four magical creature... I estimated I'd need to regain some of my strength to handle it.

I glanced at my current level, 36 after half a day of grinding. Close to level 40, but not quite there.

Burning divine power to heal myself further would just be wasteful.

I spoke candidly. "I can't beat it. I need a way to resolve this before it hatches."

Hawkes' expression briefly cracked.

"…"

"There's actually a way. Different magical creatures feed on different aspects of sentient species."

"As long as we identify its type and counteract its feeding preferences, we might avoid triggering premature hatching."

For example: Terror beasts feeded on fear and terror. Two-headed howling wolves ate dread.

By suppressing those emotions, the magical creature's growth could... slow down. Without proper nourishment, the players could deal with it before it hatched.

"From my knowledge, there aren't many magical creatures that would choose an iron ore mine for nesting. But most of them are massive and rely on telekinesis or brute strength to move…"

I nodded as I listened. What a coincidence, I happened to struggle against strength-based creatures.

"Except for one particular Level-4 magical creature…" Hawkes continued. "By the way, are there any rare magical creatures nearby?"

Normally, Level-4 magical creatures in the forest outskirts attracted lower-level ones to guard the area due to instinct and divine-era hierarchy.

This could provide clues about the hatchling's identity.

I pondered briefly.

Violent snakes, forest turtles, two-headed howling wolves... All common magical creatures found everywhere. Nothing stood out.

Except…

"Thread Spiders."

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