The task of the village elder

Because of the generous rewards, Jake was eager to complete this task. However, he knew that the more generous the rewards, the higher the difficulty of the task. It wouldn't be easy to complete this task. He didn't even know if Tianshan truly existed, let alone where it was located or what dangers awaited him. Overall, although the task rewards were rich and Jake was eager to complete it, he couldn't rush it because rushing wouldn't help.

After bidding farewell to Clark, Jake originally intended to leave the village, but he was called over by the village elder.

"Village Elder, you needed something from me?" Jake looked at the village elder with some confusion.

Except for the task the village elder assigned him when he first arrived here, Jake usually had to take the initiative to seek him out. Why was the village elder looking for him today out of the blue?

"There's something, something good!" the village elder said mysteriously.

"A task?" Jake's face brightened.

What day was it today? It was usually difficult to receive a task, yet why did he encounter consecutive tasks today? There were only a few people in the village, and usually, it was hard to receive tasks. Jake could understand that. However, he didn't expect to receive two tasks in a row today.

"A task? Sort of," the village elder said, "You should know about the invasion of demonic energy, right?"

"I've heard about it from you," Jake said.

The village elder nodded and continued, "The Demon Realm is actually a world similar to ours. They have their own civilization, but their world is filled with demonic energy, causing the people and creatures there to be extremely bloodthirsty. Since last year, some of the demonic energy leaked into our world, resulting in the mutation of certain animals and their becoming abnormally bloodthirsty. In the forest in front of the village, there are animals infected by the demonic energy."

Jake nodded. The first monster he killed in this world was a demonic rabbit, a rabbit infected by demonic energy.

"This situation has become more severe recently," the village elder continued, "Not only does the demonic energy come over, but also people from the Demon Realm. They have come to our world, building cities and seeking to expand further."

"What does this have to do with me? You don't want me to attack the cities occupied by people from the Demon Realm, do you? Even if I wanted to, I don't have the ability," Jake said.

Jake was well aware of his own strength. He was just a Level 3 newbie. If even the animals infected by demonic energy were so dangerous, not to mention the people from the Demon Realm who had lived in an environment saturated with demonic energy. They would be "monsters" of at least dozens of levels. That was beyond what he could handle at the moment.

"I know, of course, that you don't have that ability," the village elder sneered at Jake and said, "That is the task for the imperial army. However, due to the invasion from the Demon Realm, our strength is constantly increasing, and the imperial authorities want to recruit soldiers."

"Are you suggesting that I join the army?" Jake pointed to himself and said, "Isn't that still sending me to fight against the people from the Demon Realm? I won't go."

Jake wasn't foolish. He knew that he didn't have any real power at the moment. If he went to the battlefield, he would just be cannon fodder. He would be better off farming and hunting here, rather than going off to battle.

"You have no choice! I've already signed you up," the village elder said with a smile.

"What? How can you do that? You didn't even ask for my opinion. If you want to go, you go. I won't," Jake said.

"If you don't go, then I won't rent you the land behind the mountain. After all, you haven't paid any rent yet. It's up to you to decide," the village elder said leisurely.

"You..." Jake was frustrated.

The land behind the mountain was important to Jake. Not only did it cultivate various vegetables, fruits, and meat that he could use in reality, but it also had the invaluable "Metal Wall." Whatever happened, he wouldn't give up on it.

The village elder looked as if he had Jake figured out and showed no fear that Jake would refuse. "According to the imperial regulations, one person is drawn from every ten households. Our village has fewer than ten households, so we have to send someone to join the army. Just think about it, besides you, are there any other young people in our village? If you don't go, then who will?"

Jake thought about it. The situation in the village was indeed as the village elder described. Besides himself, there were no suitable candidates for military service. However, being forced to join the army like this made Jake extremely reluctant.

"You don't have to make that expression," the village elder said, "Soldiers like you, who haven't undergone much training, won't be sent to the battlefield. At most, you'll be logistics personnel, transporting supplies and doing manual labor."

"But there's still danger involved. How can staying here be comfortable and safe?" Jake said unhappily.

"By joining the army, you will represent our village. We won't mistreat you," the village elder said. "I can allow you to postpone paying the rent for the land behind the mountain. You just need to pay the full amount within six months. And, it's only 2,500 gold coins per year. Additionally, before you go, I'll have Glen and the others prepare you with appropriate equipment to ensure your safety."

"Really?" Jake's face showed a surprised expression.

The rent for the land behind the mountain was reduced by half, and the payment deadline was extended. This reduced the pressure on Jake to pay. Moreover, Glen was a Grandmaster blacksmith, and anything he crafted would be top-notch. Although Jake could also craft items and had been doing so recently, the items he crafted were much inferior to what Glen could produce. If he could have a set of equipment crafted by a Grandmaster, it would provide him with an additional guarantee of safety.

"Of course, would I lie to you?" the village elder said.

After hesitating for a moment, Jake said, "Fine, I'll go. When do we depart?"

In reality, when the village elder threatened Jake with the land behind the mountain, Jake didn't have any other choice. He had to go, and now he could even gain some benefits from it. Furthermore, he was a "player" and wouldn't truly die. Going on this journey would still be profitable.

"Report to the county office in three days," the village elder said.

"Okay, got it," Jake said. "How long will this military service last?" For conscripts like them, who were temporarily recruited and not part of a professional army, there must be a limited time for service. Once the time was up, they could return.

"Three months," the village elder said. "Of course, there may be changes during that time. The duration could be extended or shortened."

"Three months? That's acceptable," Jake said.Three months was neither too long nor too short. He could still accept it. Of course, at this point, he had no choice but to accept it.