Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

"Hack Jaw," Jett blurted out without realizing it.

Before him stood an old man, no taller than himself, with hair turning grey. Despite his age, his impressive, muscular build spoke of a man who had reached his physical peak.

"Impressive. You know this weapon?" The old man's eyes twinkled with curiosity. "You must be one of those craftsmen born with a high-tier appraisal skill."

'Craftsmen? Dude, don't you see the weapon I'm carrying with me?' Jett thought, feeling a twinge of annoyance. "Can I touch it?"

"Ha ha ha! Even if I were to agree, you don't have what it takes to lift this weapon." The old man laughed heartily, pointing to the axe-like weapon on his back.

'Damn, he's right. I don't have the perfect class or strength stats to wield it. Back then, the only character who could use it to its full potential was Matthew.' Jett scrutinized the man, 'He must be really strong and ancient too.'

[Gluttony]

"What's the matter, child?"

====

Level: 1500

HP: 25,008

MP: 10,560

Strength: 20,000

Agility: 9375

Intelligence: 500

Perception: 8,000

Skills:

[Longevity SS]

[Raging Bull S]

[Adamantium Body A]

[Adamantium Cage A]

[Spin Tornado A]

[Light Weapon C]

See more×

=====

'I knew it. Good thing I still have one more slot. Just look at these skills and stats, strength over 20,000.? These stats aren't from a normal NPC. This guy must be a legend himself. But what's someone like him doing in a place like this?' Jett tried to hide his shocked expression, but failed.

The old man left Jett and walked to his table to enjoy his drink. Something about him being there didn't make sense to Jett, so he walked up to the man.

"What do you want, kid? If it's the beer, I have no intention of giving any to an underage human child," the old man stated, gesturing for Jett to leave.

"You're a dwarf, aren't you?" Jett asked.

"Really? I had no idea. What part gave it away, genius? Was it the height or the grey hair?" the old man replied with a sarcastic expression.

'I guess it was already obvious, but still…' Jett felt embarrassed, realizing it was common knowledge. He only acted like that because he'd only seen dwarves in books and on screens in his past life.

"Even so, you're definitely over a thousand years old by now. What could you possibly be looking for in a place like this? The only thing I can think of would be the Vermin Labyrinth." He was thinking out loud, but it didn't matter when he saw the old man's expression.

"Alright, I get it. You're a smart kid. Now run along, this beer won't drink itself," the old man tried to dismiss him again.

"The fact that you didn't means I got it right. But the only thing valuable there would be a Serpentine Queen's Tear, which cures all corroding curses. But that should be merely a myth, right?" Jett continued regardless.

The dwarf dropped his mug and turned away without uttering a word.

"But if someone like you is here, then you must be desperate. Somebody close to you really needs it, someone very special to you. But even with your overwhelming strength, you still haven't gotten it, no matter how many times you've tried," Jett continued, even though the old man acted like he wasn't listening.

The old man drew Jett closer and said, "Knowing too much can be a crime too, kid. You better watch what you say."

"I can help you get it," Jett boldly stated with a confident smile.

"Hahaha! Hey everyone, this kid here says he can get the Serpentine Queen's Tear!" The old man yelled for everyone at the pub to hear.

The entire pub erupted in laughter, with people shouting, "That's impossible!" and "This kid sure can dream!"

Jett felt a wave of embarrassment and annoyance wash over him, his cheeks flushing red as he clenched his fists.

"I swear on the name Grift, it can be done," Jett declared firmly, his voice cutting through the laughter.

"Quiet, everyone!" The old man shouted, causing the laughter to subside. "So, you're that bastard Jerry's kid? Now that I think about it, you do kind of look like him, minus the hair thing going on. Is that some kind of condition?" he asked Jett jokingly.

"How can you pick on a child? You're supposed to be the mature one. And how do you know my father?" Jett retorted, covering his hair with the hood of his cloak. 'I knew something like this would happen. How annoying,' he thought.

"That's a long story, kiddo, but I'm willing to see if you can help me since you've brought your family name into this."

Just then, a notification popped up in front of Jett.

[New Quest]

[Help Durin find the Serpentine Queen's Tear]

[Duration: 3 Days]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: Lose Durin's Trust]

[Do you accept? Y/N]

'A random quest? I only have a week before the entrance ceremony, but luckily the destinations are in the same direction.' Jett smiled, feeling good about himself. "I'll do it."

At that moment, Jett spotted Cormac just entering the pub. He ran off to meet him and explained what had transpired without revealing too many details about the mission.

"No way, we're not going," Cormac firmly stated, leaving no room for excuses from Jett.

"Come on, he really needs my help," Jett begged, pointing at the old man while trying to make puppy eyes.

"Any more delays could make us miss your entrance ceremony," Cormac explained.

"I already thought about that, and we're in the clear. It's in the same direction as the academy, so it's not like we're taking any unnecessary detours," Jett countered with a convincing argument.

"Ahh, alright, but you better not slow us down," Cormac finally agreed.

"Score!" Jett celebrated.

*****

The next day, the two waited for the old man at the town exit.

Cormac kept giving Jett that "I told you so" look, making him uncomfortable.

After a long time of waiting, Durin finally appeared, carrying a large sack.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to get something for Betsy," Durin apologized as he met up with them.

"Who's Betsy?" Cormac asked, feeling suspicious.

Durin made a whistling sound and said, "Hey Betsy, you can come out now."

Suddenly, a creature jumped out of his shadow and landed in front of them.

The shadow wyvern had sleek, black scales that shimmered in the sunlight, with piercing red eyes and powerful wings folded neatly against its body.

"Incredible," Cormac blurted out without realizing it.

"Damn! Is that a…" Jett was amazed.

"Yes, Betsy's a Shadow Wyvern. Got a problem with that?" Durin asked, faking annoyance.

"No, not at all…" Cormac replied.

"It's amazing! Even getting dark attribute mounts in WAR BOUND was like looking for a needle in a haystack; next to impossible. But I'm looking at one right now," Jett couldn't hold his excitement and proceeded to pet Betsy.

"You be careful. She's very picky about who pets her," Durin warned.

'A real wyvern mount. I'm actually getting jealous,' Cormac thought to himself as he tried to get closer.

The wyvern snarled at Cormac, showing her sharp teeth, until Durin calmed her down so they could start their journey.

"Alright, we best be on our way. Let's go, girl," Durin said to Betsy, making her flap her wings. Before they knew it, they were in the air, heading to their destination.

Somewhere far from Torra, two luxurious carriages made their way to the academy.

"Two more days and we'll be at the academy," Ray said as he stretched.

"Y… yeah. I wonder what we're going to learn there," Cedric added enthusiastically.

"How to get stronger, of course. What else would we be learning, huh?" Matthew replied, flexing his muscles.

Feeling suffocated by Matthew, Aiden tried to push his arm away, "Take your crime of a muscle out of my face."

"I'm more worried about my financial situation at this so-called academy. I heard money is obsolete once we enter the academy," Finn sighed, counting some gold coins to pass the time.

"Quiet down, you guys. I'm trying to get some shut-eye. I can't believe I'm stuck with you for two more days," Asher lamented, craving peace and quiet.

"Come on, we should be relishing this moment. How could you be asleep at a time like this?" Matthew asked, still showing off his muscles and causing the carriage to wobble.

"Hey, quit it, meathead. That Jett kid definitely has it better. He doesn't have to travel with you guys," Aiden said.

"You know, I wonder what he's up to right now," Ray mused, trying to relax.

"Yeah, I'd like to see him again. Those tips he gave me on crafting really helped a lot. I even got a family heirloom as a gift because of that," Cedric smiled, showing off his hammer.

"Whatever. I can't wait to see the look on his face when my pet finally hatches. I'll be sure to flaunt it in front of him," Finn grinned, thinking of all the creative ways to make Jett feel jealous.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Ray chuckled.

*****

In the second carriage, where the girls were seated:

"Two more days and we'll finally be able to move around. I brought a lot of money so we can take our time shopping once we get there," Morrigan said.

"Count me in! We're going to have so much fun," Evelina added.

"Don't bother. I hear the academy has its own kind of currency, making gold, silver, and copper coins useless," Elora said.

"This is injustice," Evelina sighed.

"What? So how are we supposed to go shopping?" Morrigan wailed.

"There, there, this would be a good time to learn one of life's lessons," Marcella said, trying to console them.

"That life isn't fair?" Morrigan asked mid-sob.

"No, that impulse shopping isn't a viable survival skill," Marcella smirked.

"You're such a meanie, where did that even come from?" Morrigan replied.

"Look on the bright side, we'll get a lot stronger at the academy," Seraphina said, feeling optimistic and energetic.

"Exactly. I'll crush anyone who stands in my way," Elora said with a devilish smirk, letting her killing intent flow out of excitement.

Everyone retreated to the opposite corner to seek refuge from her suffocating aura.

Throughout the trip, Freya had been quiet, rarely saying a word.

"What's the matter, Fey Fey?" Rosa asked.

"It's my fault we're traveling like this. I'm really sorry," Freya replied before realizing what Rosa said. "And stop calling me Fey Fey."

"You seem to like it when he calls you that, though," Rosa smiled. "But honestly, you have nothing to apologize for. We're with you no matter what, and we'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"We have your back; you don't have to worry," Elora added.

"Yeah, what prickly princess said," Evelina interrupted.

"You can count on us," Seraphina added.

"Thanks, guys. You're the best," Freya felt more relieved.

"Plus, I'm more worried about the boys. They might actually kill themselves if this goes on," Rosa said with a grin.

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