Chapter 25. The Bonus Reward

"YUCK! So disgusting. This guy definitely hadn't cleaned his ears since birth," After retrieving his mission object, Ash quickly moved away from the dead goblin, who smelled like shit, and hurriedly took out water from his inventory to clean his hands, which now had a lot of earwax and blood on them.

"Ready to go back, little buddy?"

After cleaning his hands, Ash, the seasoned gamer, couldn't resist his old habit and checked under the goblin bed to see if there was any loot, but the reality is very cruel, he found nothing but soil. Sighing, he approached the kidnapped sheep, untied it, and began the trek back to the farm.

"At least I made 20 coins, plus 50 from the quest. Although it was a very painful process, it was worth it. No pain, no gain," Ash muttered cheerfully, glancing at his status window. His experience points had finally crept up, inching him closer to a level up, which is great news, finally, get rid of that damn zero.

A booming voice shattered the peace. "Boy! Why the hell did you run into the forest? Haven't I warned you not to mess around? Do you have any idea how scared I got when I heard that scream and couldn't find you anywhere? I thought something terrible had happened to you!" Jacob, who was standing amidst the sheep, seeing Ash coming out of the forest, hurriedly approached him and started scolding furiously.

Now, if someone saw us, they might misunderstand that I'm his son or grandson. It seems like Grandma Linda left a deep impression on his heart, instilling a healthy dose of fear in him," Ash's mouth twisted seeing Jacob scolding him like a child as if he cared a lot about him.

But the truth is that although Jacob himself didn't care a little bit about his new temporary worker, even if he died somewhere else, he might not even blink hearing this news. But if that happened while he worked for him, that would be a different story. After all, who made Ash have such a strong backing? Jacob, not in any circumstances, wanted to see that crazy old lady coming behind his ass with an axe in her hand.

"That thief came here again and stole a sheep," Ash calmly replied while pointing at the sheep behind him, who was casually walking and grazing as if it were in the park, not in a dangerous forest, and continued.

I chased him and, after a hard-fought battle, managed to take him down. It was a lone Armored Goblin who was passing by but got interested in your sheep. He seemed to have made a permanent residence inside the forest, seeing how easily he could get food."

"He'd even set traps along his path, probably so that even if one day something went wrong and he got noticed, he had enough time to flee. You don't know, I literally almost died because of those traps, but thankfully my eyes are very sharp, and I noticed them at a critical moment," Ash mixed a little lie with Ash skillfully blended truth with embellishment for better review or extra reward and spoke seriously. He didn't forget to take out the blood-stained goblin ear from his pants pocket (Inventory) and show it for evidence. The fresh blood on them left no room for doubt.

To secure a handsome bonus, Ash embellished his tale. He weaves his own bravery into the narrative, portraying himself as a typical fearless hero who charged after realizing that one sheep is missing, disregarding his safety, or thinking normally. He battled a formidable Armored Goblin clad in iron armor, wielding a long sword and shield, but emerged victorious through wit, courage, and a smidge of luck.

To make the story look more believable, he also said that at the moment when he was about to take the Armored Goblin's equipment, he saw a few more goblins coming toward him, which forced him to flee with the sheep, life being more precious than riches.

Jacob, unfazed by Ash's nonsense, listened calmly, a single eyebrow raised in skepticism. "Good, good," he finally conceded, his expression remaining cold and emotionless. "Though I tasked you with watching for poachers, I didn't expect much. Seems I underestimated you. Sigh, anyway, thanks for your hard work. Now, help me move the sheep back, and then you can go home and rest properly. Today, you have done more than enough work."

Ash, who was more than happy to get back with a bulky pocket early, of course, didn't complain and energetically helped Jacob move the sheep.

"Wait a minute, I brought you today's wage and reward," Said Jacob as he headed back to his home. He soon returned with a small leather pouch and a sturdy brown leather jacket with a hood.

"While I only promised you 50 coins for dealing with the thief, seeing you suffered so much and risked your life for my sake, I won't exploit you. Consider this jacket a bonus reward. Although it is a little old, it is made from bear skin, quality and hardness guaranteed. It has served me for a long time, protecting me from the outbreaks of nature to sneak attacks of goblins. Also, winter is not too far, and it has already started showing signs of coming early this year. It will be very helpful for you," Jacob said emotionally but his face remained the same while observing Ash wearing his old brown leather jacket, which surprisingly fit him perfectly as if it were custom-made for him.

A pang of regret washed over him. "If Nariam were alive, he should also be at his age and look like him, right? Sigh, only if I hadn't gone out that day, then maybe..."

[ *Ding! Quest: 'Find The Poacher' is complete.

Reward:-

*50 coins.

*10 Exp Point.

Bonus Reward:- A Fine Quality Leather Jacket. ]

Nodding in satisfaction, Ash closed the notification window. "Thanks a lot, Uncle Jacob! This will help me a lot. Now I don't have to worry about freezing to death in winter," he interrupted Jacob's negative train of thought filled with sorrow and regret, which was heading toward a flashback, and showed his genuine gratitude before taking the money pouch from him.

"No need to say thanks. You earned it. Now go back and remember my doors are always open for you. Whenever you need work, just come to me. No need to hesitate... By the way, if possible, please don't tell Aunt Linda about this matter. You might only make her extra worried," Jacob said with his trademark expressionless cold face as if just reminding Ash to take care of his elderly before turning around and hurriedly running back to his house.

Now I am more curious as to why he fears Grandma Linda so much. I will ask about it tonight. Also, is there any need to say those nice emotional dialogues with that wretched cold face? Can't he smile a bit? I risked my life for his sheep, and it is not like he would lose his property if he smiled a bit, Ash thought with a helpless sigh. But he quickly threw this matter out of his mind and started walking toward Ronald's shop.

"Hmm, he gave me a total of 70 coins, 5 extra than the original. Maybe he was really moved by my story. No wonder I always felt that I had talent in acting. So, my inner voice was right. Sigh, I should have given it a try back then. But alas, now it is too late. By the way, if I had some wound on my body, would he give me extra money to close my mouth? The way he was scared of Grandma Linda, it was definitely possible to earn hundreds or so extra coins. Damn it, I should have thought about it before. F*ck, what a big loss."

"Still... 130 coins, or 110 if I minus the goblin bounty before I could be able to buy leather armor and gloves. Looks like our journey was just this far, Uncle Jacob. I hope you understand my situation and won't take it to heart."

"Sigh, maybe I should have informed him that I won't be going back to work," Ash pondered, conflicted. Although Jacob had a cold face, he was a soft-hearted uncle. But working for him could only provide him a comfortable lazy life and a few coins, which might be good for a normal poor guy in this world. However, Ash, a traveler with a cheat-like system, couldn't accept such mediocrity. 

He wanted to become powerful, with Milfs in each arm, raiding a dragon or maybe some other dangerous-looking flying creature, and leaving his name on everyone's tongue just like legendary heroes or villains. Preferably the latter, as history seemed to remember villains them better heroes. But to accomplish this dream of his, he needed more money, which meant becoming a powerful goblin hunter. And that meant gathering tons of Experience Points and leveling up as much as possible.