Strategy posts on the Epoch forums weren’t exactly rare—but they weren’t all that trustworthy, either. Most of them, despite flashy titles, simply recycled common knowledge or detailed mundane quests anyone could find.
Worse, some posts were outright scams, filled with false leads meant to trick gullible players.
So Lost Skies had always scoffed at them. But today, she was idle—and admittedly, a bit intrigued by the mention of hidden quest clues. Curiosity got the better of her.
She figured she’d skim the post at most—until her eyes caught a phrase she knew all too well:
“Baptism of Fireseed.”
Wasn’t that the name of the advanced quest she had just accepted?
Immediately, Lost Skies sat up straighter, her casual interest sharpening into focus. She reread the section closely.
The post outlined the exact same quest she had triggered—including the right objectives, and even details she hadn’t yet discovered herself.
One line especially caught her eye: it claimed that monsters near a specific coordinate in Norman Hills had a higher drop rate for the required quest item.
Feeling skeptical but intrigued, she tabbed back into the game and made her way to the stated location.
The wandering slimes in the area became her test subjects.
She fully expected to kill four or five with no results, confirming her suspicions that the guide was fake.
Instead, the first slime she killed dropped the elusive quest material.
“…Wait. It’s real?” she muttered, blinking as she picked it up.
Sure, she could chalk it up to luck—but she didn’t believe in coincidences that neat.
Then she remembered: hadn’t the guide also mentioned treasure chest locations?
Initially, she’d dismissed that part as a joke. After all, who would just share such lucrative info with strangers?
But now, after this clear proof, it didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore.
She glanced around.
“There should be one nearby…”
To her surprise, she really did find a hidden chest at one of the listed coordinates. Just a normal one—but still!
Excited, she temporarily set her quest aside and began checking the other chest locations listed in the post.
The first few had already been opened, which snapped her out of her excitement. Of course, she wasn’t the only person reading that guide.
Still, she didn’t blame the poster. After all, if this was just a trap, why bother leaving any unopened chests at all?
What she didn’t realize was that she had walked right into a carefully crafted mental trap.
“…Wasn’t there a hidden quest clue mentioned near the end?”
She reopened the thread and scrolled to the bottom.
[🔒 This content requires 50 credits to unlock.]
Honestly, the value she’d already gotten from the guide far exceeded that amount. She didn’t even hesitate—just clicked ‘Pay’ and unlocked the post.
Immediately after reading it, she returned to the game and sprinted back to Soma Town.
“Here it is…”
She slipped through the town’s lively streets, turning corner after corner, until she arrived at a tucked-away little apothecary just like the guide had described.
It looked completely unremarkable—exactly how a hidden quest location should look.
“Hello, esteemed apothecary Miss Hill,” she greeted carefully upon entering.
Behind the counter sat a tall, elegant figure casually sipping tea.
Hill had expected peace and quiet on her rare day off. She certainly hadn’t expected someone to show up this quickly. But her face betrayed nothing as she looked up.
“…What do you want?”
Despite her pleasant appearance, her tone was distinctly unwelcoming. But Lost Skies, feeling oddly anxious, pressed forward.
“I heard you’re in need of ingredients for a new potion. I was wondering if I could help?”
Hill eyed her for a moment, then finally responded.
“I need a large quantity of Bat Claws and Bat Venom Sacs. Bring them to me and I’ll compensate you.”
System Prompt:
You have received a quest: [Miss Hill’s Request]
Success!
Lost Skies beamed inwardly, though her expression stayed composed. “I won’t disappoint you.”
The reward was only 2 copper coins for 40 claws and 20 sacs—but that didn’t matter. She had a plan.
She would buy claws for 1 copper per 50, and venom sacs for 1 copper per 25. That was dirt cheap—people would flock to sell to her. Then, she’d turn it all in to Hill for a neat profit. It was basically printing money.
Buzzing with excitement, she left the shop and headed straight to the Dark Bat grinding area, ready to start buying in bulk.
What she didn’t notice was the apothecary’s faint smirk as she watched the girl leave.
“Poor kid,” Hill murmured. “Doesn’t even realize she’s being used.”
Forest Ruins – Dark Bat Grinding Zone
The once-quiet forest had turned into a chaotic hub of activity.
Shouts and chatter filled the air as players hawked gear, recruited for parties, or shouted guild slogans.
“Need Fire Mage or Holy Mage for elite monster grinding!”
“Trading white-tier leather armor for gauntlets, any takers?”
“Sunset Fortress recruiting female players! Male players with gear and skill may be considered!”
With most players still hovering around level 3 or 4, and Dark Bats having low defense, this area had naturally become the top grinding zone around Soma Town.
Exactly what Lost Skies needed.
She found a secure spot and planted her sign:
Buying:
Bat Claws – 1 stack for 2 copper
Venom Sacs – 1 stack for 4 copper
Within moments, she was swarmed by players. Most had spent hours farming bats and accumulated tons of the stuff. They’d been planning to dump it on NPCs for peanuts—but here was a girl offering twice the rate!
“Hey girl, trade with me first! I’ve got a stack of claws and one of venom sacs!”
“I’ve got two claw stacks!”
“Alright, alright, one at a time~”
As players traded with her one after another, others who’d already sold their stock to NPCs began to deeply regret it.
Before long, her inventory had ballooned to over a hundred stacks—nearly 10,000 bat materials in total.
Seeing that her coin pouch was nearly empty, she raised a hand. “Hold on! I’ve run out of money. I’m heading to the bank to get more—I’ll be right back and continue buying!”
Truthfully, she had liquidated almost all her gear and loot just to scrape together five silver coins to fund this.
Just as she turned to go, someone finally asked the question.
“Hey, why are you buying so many bat materials anyway?”
She smiled and delivered the lie she’d rehearsed perfectly:
“Oh, a friend of mine just became a guild apothecary. I’m helping her level up her crafting skill.”
The crowd nodded in understanding. Her price wasn’t unreasonable, and the explanation made sense. No one suspected a thing.