A flash of white light deposited Kael back in Starting Zone #9999. He immediately opened his character sheet.

  Player: Dawnbreaker

  Class: Archer

  Level: 1

  Health: 20

  Mana: 10

  Strength: 1

  Constitution: 1

  Agility: 1

  Intelligence: 1

  Spirit: 1

  Unspent Points: 0

  Luck: 999 (MAX)

  Innate Skill:

  Marksman’s Instinct: Your attacks deal bonus damage equal to Agility * 0.5.

  Kael stared at the shimmering, golden ‘MAX’ indicator next to his Luck stat, his hand tightening into a fist.

  It was real. All of it.

  In that moment, Kael finally understood Bloodshadow’s secret. He hadn’t become the strongest human player through raw skill alone; he had pushed his Luck stat to the limit. No wonder his gear drops and skill procs had always been leagues ahead of everyone else’s.

  “Hahaha… HAHAHAHA!”

  Kael threw his head back and laughed.

  Players in the safe zone stared at him, murmuring.

  “Is that guy insane?”

  “Probably. He’s not even wearing starter gear. Total noob. Must have died so many times he dropped everything.”

  “Wait, you drop gear when you die?”

  “Yeah. I got killed by an NPC earlier and lost my starter weapon. Do you know where I can buy a new one?”

  “Oh, yeah, the weapon merchant is over there…”

  Once the high faded, Kael made his way to the northeast corner of the village and entered the blacksmith shop.

  Inside, a shirtless blacksmith wasn’t forging equipment; he was attempting to bake. His movements were clumsy, and as Kael stepped inside, the smell of burning filled the air.

  Kael approached the man. “Mr. Garrick, do you need some help?”

  Garrick looked up, a relieved smile breaking out. “Yes, actually. I can’t leave the oven. Could you go to the back room and fetch me some honey?”

  Kael smiled faintly, then refused the request.

  “This cake is already a failure. I suggest we start over. I know a thing or two about baking. Shall I handle it for you?”

  Garrick paused, stunned. Then, his eyes widened with gratitude. “Oh, thank you! Honestly, baking is harder than hammering steel.”

  A system notification popped into Kael's vision.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  [System: Your Affinity with Garrick has increased by 1.]

  The message didn’t stop him. He set to work, preparing the batter. Ten minutes later, Garrick returned with a small jar of honey and two tankards of ale.

  “Dawnbreaker, this ale is excellent. You should try it.”

  Kael took the tankard and drained it, nodding in appreciation. “It is excellent. Definitely the work of a Dwarf.”

  “Exactly! It’s brewed by a Master Brewer from the Bronzebeard Clan!” Garrick’s voice rose with excitement. “The best part is, Mara gave me this. She sends me some every month.”

  As he mentioned Mara, Garrick looked shy, rubbing the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment.

  Mara was the proprietress of the village tavern. A Half-Elf of striking beauty, her bloodline meant that even though she was over fifty, she still looked like a woman in her prime.

  Once the topic turned to Mara, Garrick couldn’t stop talking. He eagerly shared stories about her with Kael.

  Kael listened patiently. He knew that Garrick and Mara had harbored feelings for each other for a long time.

  [System: Your Affinity with Garrick has increased by 1.]

  [System: Your Affinity with Garrick has increased by 1.]

  As they chatted, their affinity continued to climb, and Garrick began to trust Kael implicitly.

  Today was Mara’s birthday, and Garrick wanted to bake a cake for her. However, he was too shy to deliver it himself. His original plan was to have his apprentice deliver it, but now he had a better idea: ask Kael to be the messenger.

  An hour later, the cake was finished. Kael’s affinity with Garrick had reached 10.

  [Quest Complete: Helping Garrick. You have received Honey Cake x 1.]

  [System: Lucky Bonus triggered! You have received an additional Lucky Honey Cake x 1.]

  The moment the cake was done, two notifications appeared.

  [Honey Cake]

  [Description: Deliver this cake to Mara at the tavern to receive an extra quest reward.]

  This was the quest item. The second cake, however, was a gift from his Luck.

  [Lucky Honey Cake]

  [Effect: Grants a permanent +5 bonus to all five core stats (Strength, Constitution, Agility, Intelligence, Spirit). This effect can only be applied once.]

  +5 to all core stats. It was an incredible reward—equivalent to multiple levels of attribute points. Yet, Kael didn’t eat it immediately.

  After bidding Garrick farewell, Kael headed straight for the village’s main street. It was a bustling market lined with shops.

  He entered the Starbloom Tavern. A waiter was wiping down tables. Seeing a customer, he flashed a practiced smile. “Welcome! How can I help you?”

  “Is Mara here? My friend Garrick asked me to bring her a gift,” Kael said.

  Hearing Garrick’s name, the waiter’s expression softened with understanding. “Please wait a moment.”

  A few minutes later, the enchanting Mara walked out. Kael retrieved the Honey Cake from his inventory and handed it to her.

  “Garrick said today is your birthday. He asked me to bring this to you and hopes you like it.”

  Mara’s eyes lit up instantly. She accepted the cake, took a small bite, and closed her eyes, a look of pure bliss spreading across her face.

  [System: Your Affinity with Mara has increased by 5.]

  “Mmm… delicious,” she murmured. “Receiving a gift from Garrick today makes me so happy. Please wait here, I’ll fetch your reward.”

  “It was just a small favor.”

  Kael waved his hand, politely declining the reward.

  Mara paused, surprised, before a smile played on her lips. “Interesting young man.”

  She placed the rest of the cake on a tray and headed into the back room. Kael didn’t follow; he waited.

  Moments later, Mara returned holding a delicate gift box.

  “Please, give this to Garrick for me.”

  “No problem,” Kael agreed, turning to leave the tavern and return to the blacksmith shop.

  The forge was now a blast of heat and noise. Garrick was hammering a steel blade on the anvil, sparks flying with every deafening strike.

  Seeing he was busy, Kael didn’t interrupt. He found a stool in the corner and sat down to wait.

  Five minutes later, Garrick plunged the glowing blade into a water trough with a hiss, then grabbed a mug and downed it. Only then did he notice Kael.

  “I’m so sorry, I was too focused and didn’t see you there,” Garrick said, wiping his sweaty chest with a towel. “Did you give the Honey Cake to Mara? Did she like it?”

  Kael smiled. “Mara loved your gift. She also gave me something to bring back to you.”

  Kael stood and handed the gift box to the blacksmith.

  Garrick took the box and opened it to find a letter inside. He scanned it quickly, and his face lit up.

  “This is amazing. Mara invited me over for dinner tonight. I should get ready—maybe get a haircut and change into something decent.”

  Garrick carefully tucked the letter away, then opened an old chest beside him and pulled out a bow.

  Kael’s pulse quickened. This is it!

  He recognized the weapon. It was an Epic-tier bow, an absolute godsend this early in the game.

  Garrick held the bow out to him. “Found this a while back. Took me a month to restore it. It’s yours now.”

  Kael’s heart pounded as he took the bow. “Thank you, Garrick.”

  The moment his fingers closed around the weapon, two system prompts appeared.

  [You have completed the Hidden Quest [A Romantic Evening] and received the item Whisperwind (Epic).]

  [System: Lucky Bonus triggered! Your reward has been upgraded to Whisperwind (Legendary).]

  Kael’s jaw dropped.

  Are you fucking kidding me? Max Luck can do that?