---Viktor's POV---

"You once praised my talent back then."

"You once praised my talent back then." The red-bearded dwarf described the details so vividly that an image finally formed in my mind... If I remembered correctly, his name was Hawkes.

"…Seems like I have a faint impression," I replied.

But, it wasn't a good impression. Back then, that brat relied on his talent and walked around with his nose in the air every day. Indirectly, he messed up something big for us.

The time I wasted back then, at least part of it was because of this guy.

I deliberately glanced at his beard.

Hmm, his nostrils were fully covered. No wonder I didn't recognize him at first.

His gaze was filled with sincere reverence. "Master Serkan's teachings back then benefited me immensely."

"Truth is infinite. Advancing even a little brings joy. Don't be greedy, but don't underestimate yourself either."

"Unfortunately, it wasn't until many years later that I truly understood the meaning of these words."

"Back then, you said my talent was only slightly inferior to Master Serkan's. Now that we meet again, have I disappointed you?"

I looked utterly confused: ???

Did I really say that? Oh, now I remembered!

Back then, he cursed The Watchers in front of us.

His talent for language was as remarkable as his smithing, with a top-tier ability to provoke people. He was so noisy that I had no choice but to "politely" remind him that Serkan joined the Melting Hammer Church at the age of 6, one year earlier than him.

The self-proclaimed invincible brat was utterly shattered and ran off on the spot.

And now, looking back, it turned into "praise"?

I gave an honest assessment. "The closest you and he ever came in skill was back then."

By the time Serkan was his age, he had already become a legendary smith with his own title. The only time their talents could be compared was during Serkan's formative years when he could barely lift a hammer.

The color on Hawkes' face changed slightly, then he smiled again, relaxed. "Well, he is Serkan…"

"If this is your condition, then I can't do it," I said.

Hawkes' smile froze instantly, anxiety written all over his face. "Why?"

"Because he's already dead."

Boom!

My simple and brutal words hit like a thunderclap, leaving him stunned in place.

"He was already 300 years old, far beyond the normal lifespan of a dwarf…"

"No! That's impossible!" He suddenly stood, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Where is his resting place?" His voice trembled slightly.

"I don't know." I gently shook my head. "To evade the pursuit of the churches, we had parted ways long ago. The news of his death was brought back by another member of The Watchers. If you want to find out where Serkan was buried, you'll have to rely on him."

But Edgar hadn't yet returned from Nari Town for some unknown reason!

I slowly stood up, my steps steady as I walked toward the door.

"But be mentally prepared. A Watcher's grave cannot bask in sunlight."

Until the church's bounty was resolved, a hidden grave was the only way to protect it from desecration.

Without turning back, I said, "If you're joining us only because of Serkan, you might as well rethink your plans. But if you truly acknowledge him, then you acknowledge his vision for the future of magical artifacts. Building a steam engine is destined to face resistance from both dwarves and sea folk. If it's for this…"

I turned and extended a hand toward him. "The Watchers will be your best companions."

The red-bearded dwarf stood there like a frozen sculpture, silent.

Just when I thought my persuasion had failed, he suddenly rose and strode toward me, grasping my robes with both hands.

"I believe in Master Serkan's choice and in you, Lord von Vinesse!" His gaze burned with stubbornness. "But perhaps you should consider a dwarf's height?"

I exhaled, finally relieved. Adjusting my posture, I patted him on the shoulder. "Welcome to the team, my friend from afar. And just a side note—I hate that name. Call me Viktor."

---

Even with the players' assistance, inventorying supplies and tallying losses after the battle dragged on until sunset, barely finishing in time.

Looking at the freshly printed report, I noted the ammunition consumption was within my expectations. After all, once firepower increased, some players inevitably got carried away and wasted ammo. After docking some contribution points as punishment, the matter was settled.

As for the spoils of war—aside from magical artifacts—there were various weapons, tools, about six tons of assorted dry food, spices like salt, pepper, ginger, and cinnamon, and nearly a hundred intact animal hides. That small report filled me with excitement.

"Finally, the granary has more than just potatoes and sweetfruits."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Goblins weren't vegetarians. Stockpiling this much dry food was thanks to the adventurers' thorough preparations. Of course, now all of it belonged to me.

The increased variety of spices would finally address players' complaints about the bland in-game food. Most importantly, those hundred animal hides would greatly ease their struggle to stay warm. Whether we could survive the winter depended not on the Cloth Cuckoo Workshop's cloth output but on the autumn hunting season.

"When winter comes, even at 100 magicoins each, they'll sell out in no time."

Due to the abundance of beasts in the forest, almost every player had sold their bulky hides to the shop. New players underestimated the winter temperatures in the Great Oak Forest.

How would their faces look when they realized the lingering divine power of the God of Snow could freeze their urine into icicles mid-stream?

As a skeleton, I'd forgotten what it meant to feel cold... or relief, for that matter. But I still remembered enough about having flesh to know that nothing taught respect for winter quite like the shocking realization that your most basic bodily function had become an impromptu ice sculpture competition.

Perhaps I'd set up a little gallery of the most impressive "natural sculptures" near the church. After all, nothing builds community like shared trauma and frozen embarrassment.

"Another great way to recycle magicoins!" I jotted it down with satisfaction.

Every day, players were fervently completing quests to earn magiccoins. The in-game financial pressure was, in fact, significant. As the game designer, I had to rack their brains to "squeeze money" from the players.

"Once Hawkes' Magic Workshop starts producing, the income and expenditure of players' magiccoins will naturally balance out. Just wait a little longer. And since we have pepper and cinnamon…"

"A victory banquet... let's make it a hearty feast with stew that warms the body."

Although there weren't many fancy spices, the forest did have plenty of aromatic herbs that could make a decent savory stew.

After all, how could they not celebrate after a victorious battle? Considering the high number of player casualties and the sweltering daytime heat, the banquet was cautiously scheduled for the next evening.

---Third POV---

During the banquet: All food and drinks will be sold at 20% off. Condiments will no longer have purchase limits. No tickets are required, and participation is voluntary for all players.

---

When this announcement was sent out to all players, it sparked cheers and lively discussions.

"Whoa! Lux predicted it right!"

"I'm going hunting!"

"I saw some colorful mushrooms on my way!"

Some players immediately rushed out to gather supplies, while others were occupied with another matter:

The resurrection penalty had been relaxed for two weeks.

During this period, players had died and been resurrected repeatedly, often forgetting to save progress and wasting a lot of extra experience points. However, their additional experience gains were still growing rapidly.

Engaging in combat and exploring the unknown were the best ways for these "Chosen Ones" to accelerate their growth.

From killing goblins to witnessing massive beasts being defeated, they had gained a significant surge in experience points.

Several players had already reached Level 10, unlocking access to their third skill slot and the opportunity to choose advanced classes.

For instance, LootGoblin and the Lucky Stars Team, who had been a step ahead of others, had all survived until the end of the battle. Thus, they agreed to undergo their third advancement together that evening.

---

"Ha ha! I finally made it here first!" Standing proudly in front of the statue, LootGoblin laughed with hands on his hips.

"I'll be the first player to reach Level 10!"

ProGamer_Daddy leaned against a stone pillar, unimpressed. "No one's competing with you."

They had purposely waited until night to give him the chance to catch up.

For dwarves, learning non-fire-based magic came with a built-in 50% debuff, making their new skill choices extremely limited.

It was fitting for LootGoblin to be the first to "test the waters." Observing him could help the others avoid wasting time during the selection process and maintain their favorability with Luminaris.

Leaning on another pillar, Hedgehog crossed his arms. "Let him have his moment… but tell me, how did a support player like you level up so fast?"

He tilted his head, puzzled.

They had been earning experience points by slaying goblins on the front lines, so their rapid progression made sense. But how had ProGamer_Daddy, who only joined the battlefield to spectate on the last day, also reached Level 10?

For a moment, Hedgehog had thought he could surpass the progress of the first group of players.

ProGamer_Daddy gave a sly smile. "Heh! Don't underestimate the power of technology. And hey, I'm not just support—I'm an arms dealer!"

Luminaris descended from the statue's hand and landed a short distance in front of LootGoblin.

A white light enveloped both of them.

---

[Please select the advanced skill you want to learn: - Fireball Technique - Wind Manipulation Technique - Holy Light Technique - Water Arrow Technique - Upgrade existing skill by one level → Fireball Lv. 2 → Blazing Barrier Lv. 1]

---

LootGoblin already had Fireball and Blazing Barrier.

The Fireball skill had mysteriously leveled up to 2 the previous night while he was chatting with Hawkes and roasting potatoes. He wasn't sure why, but the fireball's temperature had noticeably increased, and its color had brightened from dark red.

---

[Blazing Barrier: Creates a flame shield that absorbs a certain amount of damage and reflects fire damage to nearby enemies.]

---

Blazing Barrier was a skill he had learned at Level 5. True to its description, it generated a shield around him that continuously drained mana. However, the so-called "reflected fire damage" had turned out to be a minor inconvenience during tests with other players—it was just a bit hot to the touch, not even enough to cause burns.

As such, LootGoblin had never used it.

Rubbing his hands excitedly, he skipped over the other elemental skills and went straight to the fire-related class options.

---

[Fire Wizard: Focuses on precise mana control for unpredictable, versatile attacks. Pure strength, pure power. (Requirement: Learn any fire magic.)]

[Forgemaster: Combines magic with smithing to craft victory through enchanted equipment. (Requirement: Learn any magic that condenses fire into a single point.)]

[Fire Spirit Summoner: Specializes in summoning and controlling fiery creatures in battle. (Requirement: Be able to condense fire into a physical object.)]

[Fire Warrior]

[Fire Ranger]

[Fire Knight]

---

LootGoblin was overwhelmed by the variety.

Beyond the familiar classes, there were countless quirky specializations—crafting fire spirits, transforming into a fire being, using musical instruments to control fire… Unfortunately, most of them were grayed out and unavailable.

Are they unfinished? But the descriptions are so detailed—it doesn't seem like they're incomplete!

Could it be that they hadn't yet met the unlocking conditions?

"Whatever. If I can't unlock them, I can't unlock them," he murmured.

Once again, he shrugged off his doubts. He wasn't interested in trying any of those unconventional classes anyway—traditional ones suited him better.

Among the six unlocked options:

Knight required a divine role. Ranger required using fire as a physical extension. Warrior required proficiency with a specific weapon…

After deliberating, he was horrified to realize, "I can only choose between Wizard and Forgemaster?!"

His inability to perfectly condense a fireball had disqualified him from becoming a Fire Spirit Summoner.

After seeing so many options, being stuck with the two most basic ones felt like a letdown...

Wizard was self-explanatory—fire magic's power was widely understood. Forgemaster, on the other hand, sounded like a life-skill class that required time, materials, and money—a slow, resource-intensive process.

"Why is my life so tragic?!" he shouted dramatically.

As the timer for his decision ran out, he gritted his teeth and chose Forgemaster.

Sticking to pure mage gameplay would only lead to frustration.

No matter how slow or labor-intensive Forgemaster was, it couldn't be worse than the time-consuming development of fire mages.

As soon as LootGoblin made his choice, the white light shattered into countless fragments, rushing into his body…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.