After I took everything I could get my grubby hands on, I made my way into the blacksmith.
It was the typical workshop and storefront you may expect.
Selling everything I didn't need, in the end, I was left with just my overpowered shovel and some food. I made around 12 silver from my commandeered goods, bringing my total wealth to 62 silver.
Also getting my shovel appraised, the blacksmith said he would give me an entire gold coin for it.
Logically, getting that gold coin and purchasing a weapon with a core would've been the smarter decision. However, I had already been sold on the idea of beating people with a shovel, so I refused the sale.
Looking around, I purchased some leather gloves and better footwear, costing 30 silver total.
After I exited, I went to other shops to purchase more clothes, drinks, and food.
I also took notice of my increasing xp from doing these menial things, now at 62/100 towards lv. 2.
In order to reach middle stage awakened, I would need to reach lv. 18 as every stage increments by 6 levels.
The xp grind may be slow currently, but I bet once I can leave the village and start slaying monsters, it will skyrocket.
Now, you may be wondering why there is no actual cultivation system in the game—well, there's two reasons.
Despite the incredibly advanced magitech, there are still limitations for the devs. The most predominant one is cultivation, it was simply too hard to faithfully emulate the exact process.
The other reason is simply game design.
If it were a game like Clash of Guilds, sure, players don't mind often waiting a couple hours or days to progress.
However, Path to Sagehood Online was a game where you are advised to explore the ancient and constantly fight monsters. So, being required to cultivate for 90 minutes every 2-3 in-game days (4 hours per in-game day) to progress doesn't sound appealing for the majority of people.
As a result, the main method of progression in the game is to slay monsters. And although I wanted to leave the village and start my adventure right now, I knew I probably had to complete the tutorial quest first.
So, begrudgingly, I made my way back to the old man who was surprised at my strange choice of weapon, wryly chuckling.
He yapped about some training, giving me an Awakened level combat art for spears. Wielding a shovel, I guess spears have the closest relation.
Skipping through the dialogue, I then asked him about leaving the village. He gave me a bunch of warnings, talking about the dangers, but after enough pestering, he gave in.
The ending objective of the tutorial was here.
Without further pretenses, I initiated the trial.
"I have taught you everything I can in this small village. Now, prove to me you can stand on your own," he solemnly spoke as he took a battle stance, drawing a wooden sword.
Ten paces away, I took out my Spiritwood shovel from my inventory and held it casually.
"Come! I shall grant you the first strike."
Summoning my Abyssal Hand behind me, out of his view and mana sense, I advanced with steady, measured steps until only three meters separated us.
Then I lunged, swinging my shovel in a wide diagonal arc toward his left shoulder.
My shovel collided loudly with his blade, pushing him back slightly due to the superior quality of my weapon. For a moment, we were in a dead lock—his sword wedged beneath the shovel's edge, neither of us yielding.
"Hehe… Not bad, young man."
Suddenly, I snapped my shovel forward in a sharp thrust toward his face. The edge wasn't sharp, but a solid hit would cave something in.
In response, my master merely smiled. With grace he sidestepped right while tilting his head out of danger, pushing my shovel aside.
Now, my arms were extended, guard wide open as his blade rose for the counter.
However, the blade never reached me.
My Abyssal Hand, previously in its phantom state, materialized beside him and shot a sharp punch straight toward his jaw.
With only a fraction of a second to react, he slightly tilted his head to avoid the full impact.
Though, he still suffered some loss of balance and an involuntary stumble, allowing me to dodge his blow easily by just moving to the side.
My shovel now back firmly in my grasp, I pressed forward with a flurry of strikes.
Still reeling from the disorienting punch and forced to split his focus between me and my Arcanum—he struggled to defend against the combined assault.
It wasn't long before I created the opening I needed. My Abyssal Hand shot low and clamped firmly around his left ankle.
His expression froze.
Slowly, his vigor and mana started draining, a shocked expression marring his face.
My master tried to shake the shadowy grip off, twisting his leg, kicking, shifting his weight, but it didn't budge. The hand carried my full A-ranked strength, brute force alone wasn't going to free him.
He attempted to create space, retreating to earn a moment to pry it loose. I pressed forward immediately, denying him any distance.
What he didn't realize was that if he moved just outside my two-meter radius, the hand would go limp and detach on its own. In fact, a single backward flick of his foot probably could have freed him.
But he didn't know that. And I had no intention of giving him time to figure it out.
As the moments passed, he visibly became sluggish and weaker. Our previous nearly equal strength was now evidently in my favor. His stance turned defensive, his movements tighter, unable to meet me blow for blow.
Then, he suddenly laughed and broke his long silence.
"Not bad at all, boy. But I won't be defeated by my disciple just yet, let's see how you handle this!"
With that, a strong wind pressure exploded outwards from him.
A flabbergasted expression soon adorned his face however, as he saw my hand still remained firmly grasping his ankle, my body standing without moving an inch.
At first, I was confused at what exactly transpired. Though quickly, I processed what had happened and laughed inwardly.
Hahaha, how unlucky…
Against me, most wind abilities were practically useless. They were as dispersed as magic could be, allowing my physique to absorb nearly all of it on contact. Only concentrated wind blades could probably pose a threat.
Ah, also… Isn't he too strong?
I can obviously defeat him along with many experienced warriors, but no way was the average player going to.
Did I fight him too early? I'm only lv. 1 after all, perhaps I could've gotten to lv. 2 with more looting. Maybe I didn't talk to a NPC who would help me get stronger?
I didn't let my amusement distract me for long as I closed in again, shovel raised, ready to finish the fight.
He was still in a slight daze, making landing attacks easy. Not to mention, my Abyssal Hand had been draining his stamina for quite a while. Now, he is just a weary old man struggling to stay upright.
A few clean strikes later, his sword slipped from his grasp. He let out a long breath, shoulders sinking.
"…Enough," he murmured. "I admit defeat."
He looked up at me with a mixture of disbelief and reluctant pride. "I only meant to test you. Show a little promise, and I would've let you leave the village. But to think you'd actually beat me…" He chuckled weakly. "You've surpassed my expectations, boy."
[Quest Complete!]
Completion Objective: Prove your worthiness to your master to depart the village.
Recommended level: 2 [Initial Stage Awakened Realm]
Rewards: 150 xp, 3 Attribute Points, 1 gold coin, map, low grade mana restoration potion (3), low grade stamina restoration potion (3), Amulet of Stamina
[Level Up!]
Lv. 1 → 3 [Initial Stage Awakened Realm]
12/100 xp → 4 [Initial Stage Awakened Realm]
+2 Attribute Points
[Material Grade: Initial Stage Awakened Realm]
[Core Grade: Awakened Realm]
[Description: An amulet adorned with a vibrant green jewel. Passively consumes a small amount of mana to replenish stamina]
Replenish stamina… Bruh…
However, before I could mull in my disappointment, something else popped which made my dopamine receptors flare.
[Hidden Quest Complete!?]
Completion Objective: Defeat your master in a duel when you only needed to show adequate strength.
Recommended level: 8 [Lower Stage Awakened Realm]
Rewards: 500 xp, 3 Attribute points, 5 gold coins, Crown of Supremacy
Huh?!