A young woman

The first work at the farm was with the animals, he was sent to feed pigs while John went to milk the cows. Ryu was expecting the system to trigger a quest, but it didn't happen.

After taking care of the animals, they ate breakfast and went to work with the soil, they had to remove weeds, plow the field with a hoe and scatter seeds. It was hard and tiring work still, there was no sign of quests.

Ryu was discouraged when he started the work without a quest, which means that there would be exp that day, in other words, he is really working without payment.

The sun hitting hard on his head making him sweat profusely, the hard soil resisting the hoe making his hands hurt in every punch the handle gives in recoil.

He was dirty from the top of the head to the sole of the feet, he lived in the city his whole life and this is the situation he hates the most.

He cursed Nura for sending him here and cursed himself for believing in his words so easily. He wanted to believe so bad that there is a shortcut that he ended falling in the first scam he heard.

'Nura must be rolling on the floor with laughter'.

His mood improved a lot when he got a bonus.

<< Stats point Strength +1, total 16. >>

<< Stats point Dexterity +1, total 15. >>

One point in Strenght increased when he was plowing the field, the point in Dexterity when selecting the seeds to scatter.

The work on the farm failed to provide the desired points in exp, but it was very suitable to raise stats points through field exercises. There should be a limit to these points gained this way, and the more points earned, the harder it must be to earn more.

When the last line batch of seeds was planted Ryu leaned against a fence to rest, the work of the day was done but he was not feeling something like the satisfaction of the workday.

He was there waiting to look at the field he had sown with his own hands when a young woman came from the house with something in her hands. She was John's daughter, her name is Mary, a sixteen years old woman of average stature round face, and brown hair.

Hardly she would be called a beauty, but the spirit of youth gives her a charm that can attract many gazes.

She approached Ryu and reached out her hand revealing a cup.

"I've prepared a lemonade for you."

He was following her with the eyes the whole time from the moment she left the house to the moment she handed the cup, when she extended her hands and said it was for him Ryu shifted his look to her eyes.

Their eyes crossed and a single moment later she shifted her eyes looking to the side and her cheeks turned red.

Because his hands were sore and lacking strength Ryu went to grab the cup with both hands, but in this process, he ended grabbing her small hand together. He was still looking at her face and saw the red on her cheeks raise all the way to her ears.

He retracted the cup releasing her hand and drank the lemonade in a single gulp.

"It was refreshing, thank you." he handled the cup for her and took the opportunity to speak.

"Have you lived here all your life? isn't it scary with all these beasts roaming?" since he doesn't know the girl he decided on a random topic to start a conversation.

She started to talk about life in the village and made a lot of questions about the life of a cultivator. Until John's wife called them from the house to have lunch.

They sat at the table for lunch, John and his wife on one side Ryu and Mary on the other. After lunch, they remained sitting talking in a relaxed tone for some time.

Ryu was bidding farewell and thanks for the lunch, he would go home take a shower, and rest when Mary said in a tone indicating she was slightly animated.

"Do you want to go the waterfall? I can take you there."

When she said this John and his wife's faces contracted in anger.

"It is dangerous to go to the waterfall, there is the risk to be attacked by beasts." John refused her on the spot.

"But dad, have you forgot Ryu is a cultivator? If a beast appear he can take care of it." Mary had a smile on her face arguing with her father, he on the other hand was struggling to not explode in fury.

He had to be respectful with Ryu, but it was not an easy feat when his own daughter is the one to put him on the line.

"I am certain that Ryu have something more important to do then act as a bodyguard to you in the waterfall." John's wife looked at Ryu seeking aid.

"No. Actually I have nothing to do for the rest of the day." but Ryu would not help her.

"It is decided then, we will go. I just need to prepare my things and we can leave." Mary raised from the table and went bouncing to her room. Leaving Ryu with two people with murderous eyes staring at him, they said nothing but there was no need.

When Mary came back 5 minutes later her mother said.

"Okay, you can go. But you will have to take Rose, Rick, Hellen and Kevin too, and Clark's son too.".

The thought of protesting passed throughout Mary's mind but when she looked at her mother and saw her face she decided to not do it.

Mary went to call the others, half an hour later the group of seven parted in direction of the so-called waterfall.

This group consists of people of different ages, the youngest being Clark's son of 8 years and the oldest Rose of 26. Ryu noticed they were really excited to go, even if it was a place very beautiful and relaxing they should not be so agitated.

He asked Rose the only one in the group that was composed, she explained that they don't have many opportunities to go since they would have to cross a place relatively dangerous, near a small river that beasts use to drink water.

So they can go there only when the men have free time and disposition to scout the area and keep watch which does not occur very often.

When Ryu collects all the information he understood that the villagers have put a lot of trust in him, they have basically delivered almost the entire younger generation in his hands trusting he will protect them.

It was the first time he was experiencing responsibility, he is a cultivator and this means he has a role to play. People trust him to act like a man when the time comes.

In fact, he felt touched by it, also he felt pressured.

He was acting carefree unknowing he had a task to fulfill, his behavior changed when they left the village, he was alert not to miss a single move on the jungle.

As if reading his mind a quest appeared.

*********************************

Quest: Guide the group to the waterfall and bring them back unharmed.

Reward: 450 exp