Chapter 78

After Alpha revealed the true relationship between the large iron hammer and [Heraldic Mares], as well as the blacksmith and the Halifchek family, Old John immediately threw himself into the restoration work of [Heraldic Mares], or at least it seemed that way:

"I think I can start by cleaning its surface with a strong acid—can you [Acid Splash]?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, you can't cast any spells—hey, cheer up, what I actually mean is: I've always thought this hammer was extraordinary, just like you are extraordinary, you're amazing, little Alpha..."

Old John, as he had in the past, cleverly covered up his slip of the tongue, which had inadvertently hurt Alpha, a Northshire slacker.

And regarding the notorious traitor in his family's history, who had betrayed the entire Northshire, the entire Silvermoon Alliance, and even the entire Azeroth continent, Old John seemed completely unfazed.

Alpha had originally planned to comfort Old John, who claimed to have "fought for justice and goodness all his life" but was now disheartened by the blacksmith's affair. He wanted to tell him that one blacksmith couldn't represent the entire family, let alone everything Old John had fought for.

—Isn't this the normal reaction an old man should have in such a situation? The "normal" reaction when the faith one has fought for all one's life collapses?

But Old John's "normal" reaction, which seemed a bit "abnormal," left Alpha feeling uneasy...

Seeing Old John's enthusiastic demeanor, Alpha couldn't help but scratch his head and stammer:

"Sorry, actually... I... I didn't intentionally pry into your family history, you know... the blacksmith's identity is too sensitive... in fact... I was really just looking for the real [Heraldic Mares], I didn't know you didn't know..."

"Who didn't know, you or me?"

Old John teased with a smile, and Alpha sighed:

"Alright, I hope you don't..."

"...feel disappointed by the evil blacksmith in the camp? As if all your efforts have been destroyed?"

Still smiling, Old John bent his back, his eyes filled with the weight of years:

"Dear Alpha, I know you're a kind person, like how you're willing to help an old man fulfill his lifelong wish—though there is a reward involved, but in fact, you don't understand old people, especially an old man like me who is in his twilight years."

Old John patted Alpha's shoulder:

"As the 508th Halifchek, I am old. I have no son, only a nephew who has already inherited the most troublesome aspects of the Halifchek family. I have a healthy body, a loving Nancy, and the 'Silver Hammer.' Do I need the intangible family reputation?"

"No, I don't need to dwell on it..."

"..."

Alpha didn't know how to respond to Old John's words.

"Old John is a blacksmith, not a beautiful high mage in Silvermoon City or a wicked red-robed mage king in Sear. I don't need to cover up my family's scandals like a politician."

—An old man's pursuits are always simple: to cling to life, do what one should do, and love everything one loves.

Saying this, Old John stood up and took a bottle of light yellow liquid from the cabinet. It was hydrochloric acid, and it seemed Old John intended to clean the hammer.

The old man's back made Alpha feel a bit moved, but he didn't know what to say, just quietly watching Old John move back and forth, occasionally dripping a few drops of hydrochloric acid on the hammer, and sometimes tapping it with a small silver hammer.

"It doesn't seem to be going well—I believe this is [Heraldic Mares], but unfortunately, bringing it back to its former glory seems to be beyond the capabilities of an old blacksmith."

"Perhaps a true scholar needs to be involved? I might visit the Great Prophet Deckard Cain after some time."

"Oh, that would be great, the Great Prophet is a big figure—hey, little guy, thank you."

Old John placed [Heraldic Mares] back on the anvil and nodded at Alpha:

"It's my honor."

Alpha smiled, and at the same time, a system notification softly sounded in his ear:

"Mission 'Find [Heraldic Mares]' Stage 1 completed, earned 100 honor points. Complete Stage 2 to earn more honor points."

Honor points!!!

"Uh... thank you, but—I don't seem to have done much."

"Everything you've done is worth it, but you need to continue, little guy—your workshop will be kept for you."

...

...

Upon reaching level 20, Alpha first put on a pair of exceptional quality loot boots, yes, the ones from the PK with the 'League of Legends' small team:

[Nashal's Shadow Boots (Exceptional Boots):

Durability: 280/280;

Level Requirement: 20;

Class Requirement: None;

Faction Requirement: None;

Defense: 17-20;

Movement Speed: 3 yards/second

Equipped: +3 yards/second movement speed;

Equipped: +11 health;

Equipped: +1 health regeneration per second;

Charged Spell: [Shadow Step] 1/1 (use);

Shadow Step: Enter the shadows, instantly becoming invisible and undetectable by enemies, lasting 2 minutes.

Movement or casting will end the [Shadow Step] state. During [Shadow Step], there is no volume or collision, and being attacked will not reveal you. Recharge time: 10 minutes.]

These were the boots dropped by the monk Kobe Invincible in the camp, and the attributes were quite good.

This pair of level 20 exceptional boots was quite a small treasure, not only increasing Alpha's speed by 6 yards/second and health-related attributes, but also granting him a long-duration invisibility spell [Shadow Step].

This charged spell was quite powerful—"[Shadow Step] has no volume or collision during its duration."

Alpha specifically checked the Rogue's skill [Stealth]. Although [Stealth] had a longer duration and shorter cooldown, it could be detected by collision—how could you not notice something you bumped into? In terms of stealth, [Shadow Step] had the upper hand.

And "not revealing when attacked" was something [Stealth] didn't have.

For mages and warlocks, who often use area spells to force Rogues out of stealth, [Shadow Step] was much more effective, making it superior to [Stealth].

Of course, [Shadow Step] had the disadvantages of not being able to move, a short duration, and a long recharge time, which was understandable, given that it was just a charged spell on an exceptional item. However, the significance of its pros and cons depended on the user. For Alpha, [Shadow Step] gave him another way to ambush.

—Lurking in the air, waiting for the "prey" to expose their vital points, and then striking with a single finger... the advantages clearly outweighed the disadvantages.

The attack glove [Fiery Fist] dropped in the Blackwater Murloc beach could also be equipped now.

It was no easy task for Alpha to find suitable equipment, or rather, it was a bit frustrating.

His unique attribute requirements made him compete for equipment with monks, whether it was the [Nashal's Shadow Boots] dropped by Kobe Invincible or the [Fiery Fist] contributed by the Blackwater Murloc Warrior.

But it was normal, after all, he and the monk only differed by one word. There would be more competition for willpower attributes in the future...

Adding a new, level 20, fine-quality mage robe—granting 15 health and an additional 8 defense—Alpha's appearance had changed somewhat, no longer looking like a newbie.

At least the [Chestnut Robe] was clearly better in appearance than the previous [Traveler's Robe]...

Taking advantage of the inactivity of the [Demon Beacon] and Lancelot's need to handle some guild affairs for a few days, Alpha decided to continue leveling up and improving his martial arts skills in the camp.

—Lancelot was the captain of the law enforcement team in Maple Snow Capital, a somewhat important position.

He didn't explicitly say what he was going to do in Maple Snow Capital, and the others, including the Necromancer, didn't ask, just expressing their support and allowing Lancelot to take a "long leave," as he might not come out after entering the Forgotten Tower.

Alpha then threw himself into practicing his martial arts:

After two days, [Sleeve Arrow] and [Pressure Point Strike] were still at level 8, but they were about to break through to level 9. Even the newly learned 2nd-grade light skill [Crane Dance on White Sand] had reached level 2—light skills were much faster to train.

The most significant improvement was [Solidifying Essence Technique], which Alpha was eager to enhance. With his relentless efforts, it had also reached level 8.

Solo grinding the blacksmith, Alpha found that using [Internal Energy Shield] while being beaten by monsters also increased his skill proficiency, though it was a bit painful. Although there wasn't much pain, the impact felt very uncomfortable. Fortunately, with his long health and ample internal energy, he had some protection, which slightly alleviated the discomfort...

As usual, he used a full internal energy [Pressure Point Strike] to knock out the blacksmith, and his martial arts bar suddenly flashed:

"Do you accept [Red Flower Plunder], to protect Fang Shiyu's mother and son and save Li Guobang? Task level B-, no use of any Azeroth spells or items during the task."

It seemed [Pressure Point Strike] had reached level 9, just like last time, triggering the martial arts advancement task [Red Flower Plunder]. However, the B- difficulty was lower than the previous [Crane Wing Flight].

—Perhaps because there were too many unarmed martial arts and only one light skill?

Just as he was about to take the task while no one was around, someone coughed behind him, followed by a deep, magnetic baritone:

"Excuse me, are you Alpha?"

Alpha turned around:

"Yes, who are you... Holy cow!!!"

The person in front of him made Alpha jump in surprise...

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