When Liam stepped out of the portal, he found himself in a forest again.
He was expecting to return to the dungeon at the location where he last stopped but surprisingly he was at the entrance of the dungeon.
"I guess I don't have to go inside this again?" He turned to leave when he noticed that there was also someone else waiting for him there.
"Fuck." Liam did a double-take, surprised by this guy again. His stalker was back.
'Now what does he want from me?'
There was no doubt that the soul sword was an insanely powerful weapon but ever since he accepted that quest he had been haunted by these two old men.
At this rate, Liam was not sure if he would be once again visited by these guys when he completely reforged the sword.
Would it then be stolen from him forcibly?
Perhaps he needed to not complete it and always leave it just a step shy of completion?
Several thoughts circled in his brain and Liam sighed, greeting this guy. This person was the blacksmith association elder.
"Eh? I see you didn't accept the heritage!" The old man exclaimed, his words brimming with joy. "That's good. That's good."
"Aha ha ha ha! That goat's face must be unsightly right about now. He must have tried to pressure you, right? It's good that you didn't still accept it."
Liam silently listened as he continued ranting on in happiness for a couple of minutes. Did these two elders hate each other or something? What the hell is happening here?
"May I know why you rejected the heritage?"
Liam understood that he was talking about the hidden class, so he tactfully replied. "I think I am not fated to learn it, senior."
"Fated huh? Ba ha ha ha! Good. Good." The old man's eyes fell on the sword that was hanging around Liam's waist in a tattered sheath.
And as he did, he suddenly stopped laughing. This time he was genuinely shocked. "That guy actually gave you the sword even though you rejected him?!"
"Quick. Quick. Let me take a look at the sword."
Liam silently nodded and gave him the weapon.
The weapon had a 'bound to player' tag on it, so it was probably impossible to be stolen or dropped. So he handed it to him.
Besides, the other person was exponentially stronger than him, so even if he wanted to refuse, could he really refuse?
He watched the old man eyeing the sword up and down in awe.
This was the third time he was meeting with this guy and all three times, they had
The last time around he was running around like a dog trying to catch the attention of any and every NPC that he could, but now they were coming behind him on their own!
This was how the game created chaos. It made the strong stronger and the weak weaker.
"Kid, do you know what this sword is made of?" The old man asked, still holding it in his hand, unwilling to let go.
"Black dragon souls?" Liam muttered. He had already read the description of the weapon.
"Hmmm. That's right. Black dragon souls, but do you know what are they also called as?" He asked again with a twinkle in his eyes.
Liam shook his head.
"Heh. They are also known as nether dragons."
Hmm? Liam stared questioningly at the old man. He was more and more piqued by him and wondered where he was going with this.
"Do you see now, lad? Everything is as it should be."
"I am failing to grasp the meaning behind your words, senior. Please explain it to me."
"What more should I explain? Didn't you say it yourself? You are not fated to get that legacy. You are fated to follow a different path."
"But this sword was all along destined to be yours."
Liam shook his head apologetically. He was still confused.
"Heh? Still acting like you don't know anything? Don't think that I can't see through you, kid. Your body has the unmistakeable stink of the devious nether energy."
"You possess the same magic as these nether dragons do. Only you can bring this weapon back to its full glory without suffering any consequences."
He was talking about this! Liam knitted his brows together, finally understanding what the hell this conversation was about.
Perhaps another hidden class quest awaited him?
"Hmm? You don't look convinced? You don't believe me, huh?"
"No, senior. I trust your words. I will do my best to nurture this weapon." Liam quickly responded.
"It's alright, kid. Fate magic is very mysterious. Not everyone has an aptitude for it. In fact, those without the ability to understand it will never understand it at all."
"Yes, senior. Perhaps I don't understand it, but I will give it my all regardless." Liam answered back vaguely. He wanted to bait the old man into spilling out more clues.
But…
"Ha Ha Ha. Alright. I will let you go now."
"Lad, you have wisdom beyond your age. I like you. I really like you. Visit the elven settlement as soon as you can. Or rather you have to. You have no other choice."
"You will hit a wall and when that time comes, you can only find the answer there. Maybe then you will be finally ready to talk to me."
The old man did not wait for Liam to answer him and disappeared once again, leaving behind the very perplexed guy.
Liam stared blankly for a while, unable to make heads or tails out of his words, after which he shook his head as if he was physically tossing out everything that confused him.
"Alright. No need to think too much. I should first focus on what I can and what I am able to."
He steadied his thoughts and then activated stealth before walking back to the stream where his two pets were waiting for him.
He once again took the safe path, not coming into contact with any of the level 50 creatures.
And when he finally arrived at the place and spotted the two, Liam's eyebrows shot up in surprise!