Chapter 17

Adam walked quickly out of the forest the shadows of the tall trees falling behind him. Sunlight now warmed his face. A big happy smile spread across his lips. He felt really good about what he had just accomplished deep in the woods. 

Leaves crunched under his simple leather boots with each step. The exciting feeling from his battles especially the fight against the huge wolf boss still buzzed inside him. But on the outside he looked calm and cool. 

There was a look of success in his eyes like he had just won something important.

"I got way more stuff than I thought I would," he whispered his voice full of surprise and happiness. He remembered the tough fights the close calls and especially how he managed to beat the giant Fang Wolf Alpha. 

"I didn't even know that trick with the stone would work so well." He let out a quiet laugh feeling proud. With fresh energy in his steps Adam started to jog lightly. The thick forest slowly changed as he got closer to the village. The trees became thinner and he could see more sky. The path became wider and more worn. The air smelled different less like damp earth and more like woodsmoke and cooking food.

He passed the edge of the village fields where a few other players were still hard at work. One player stumbled while carrying a heavy sack of grain. Another looked annoyed while trying to fix a broken fence. 

Adam glanced at them as he jogged past without stopping. They were probably still doing basic slow jobs to earn their first few copper coins. He felt a tiny bit bad for them stuck doing boring work but mostly he felt relieved that he was not one of them. Mister Being's mission and his success against the Alpha wolf had let him skip all that grinding. He had bigger goals.

He followed the winding dirt paths between the simple wooden houses. People walked by carrying baskets or tools. Nobody paid much attention to Adam. To them he just looked like another new adventurer. They had no idea he had just faced a powerful boss monster that most players would not see for days or weeks. They did not know his inventory was packed with valuable wolf meat and fangs enough to be a great help to the village.

Soon he reached the Adventure Mart. It looked just as he remembered it a small but sturdy shop made of dark wood. The wooden sign hanging above the door swayed a little in the afternoon breeze. 

Adam pushed the door open. It made the same familiar creak as he stepped inside. The air was cooler than the sunny afternoon filled with the shop's unique smell of old wood dried herbs and leather. Behind the long worn wooden counter stood the shopkeeper Mister Being. The old man was bent over carefully arranging some rolled-up maps on a shelf.

Adam walked further into the quiet shop his boots making soft thumps on the sturdy wooden floor. The sound made Mister Being pause. The old shopkeeper slowly turned around. His sharp eyes looked Adam up and down. Then his eyes opened wide. A look of pure surprise spread across his wrinkled face. "You… you're back?" Mister Being asked his voice shaky with disbelief. "Already?" The old man clearly thought the difficult task he had given would take days.

Adam walked right up to the counter. He felt a surge of pride but kept his face calm. He placed one hand gently on the smooth wooden surface. The small tap seemed to focus the old man's attention completely. Adam looked Mister Being directly in the eyes and gave him a small confident smile. "Yes," Adam said clearly his voice steady. "I've completed your request."

Mister Being blinked looking confused. "Completed? The whole thing? So soon? But the Fang Wolves... there were so many needed..." he stammered.

Adam did not need to argue. Actions spoke louder than words. With a quick mental command he opened his inventory screen and started placing the items he had collected onto the counter. First he brought out the raw Fang Wolf meat thick heavy slabs of dark red meat. He placed pile after pile onto the counter the stack growing quickly. 

A faint metallic smell of fresh meat rose from the pile. Mister Being leaned forward his eyes glued to the growing mountain of meat his mouth hanging open slightly.

Next Adam started placing the fangs down carefully beside the meat. They were sharp curved and dangerous-looking. He laid them out in neat groups ten twenty thirty then the full forty that the mission required. He even added the extra ones he had gotten. 

The old shopkeeper stared at everything spread out on his counter. He slowly reached out a slightly trembling hand and gently touched the tip of one of the fangs as if to make sure it was real. He seemed completely stunned into silence.

Finally the surprised look on Mister Being's face faded. It was replaced by a look of huge relief which then turned into a wide genuine smile. The worry lines on his forehead seemed to smooth out.

"Amazing…" the old shopkeeper finally said his voice filled with wonder and respect. 

"Simply amazing. Young man I truly didn't think anyone could finish this task for several days! Those Fang Wolves are not easy prey and getting this much is a very dangerous job." He shook his head slowly still looking impressed. 

"Thank you adventurer," he said his voice warm and sincere. "You've done a huge favor for our village today. And you did it faster than I ever dreamed possible. Your skill must be incredible." He paused tapping a finger on the counter. "Because you finished this important task so quickly you deserve more than just the payment we agreed on. I want to give you something extra as a thank you."

Right when Mister Being said that a bright blue window popped up in front of Adam's vision.

Congratulations! You completed the mission 'Fang Wolf Supplies' ahead of schedule. Your dedication has been noted. You are being granted an extra reward by the mission provider.

Adam felt a flicker of excitement. But before he could even think about what it might be a second window appeared shining even brighter and making a soft pleasant ding that only he heard.

System Announcement Congratulations Player Alpha Boss! You are the FIRST player in 'Row Online' to complete the mission 'Fang Wolf Supplies'! You are also the FIRST player to complete ANY mission this hard this quickly since the game started! This is a major achievement and has earned you a special system bonus!

Adam's eyes widened. First player? This was huge news! In games like this being first often gave you special rewards that other players could not get later. His heart started beating faster. This was way better than he had dared to hope. A third window appeared different from the others. It showed three clear choices each with a little picture inviting him to pick one.

System Bonus Reward Options (Choose One)

[Learn a New Fighting Skill] Get a special Skill Book. It teaches a rare fighting move for daggers.

[Get Lots of Money] Get 20 times the Silver and Copper coins you were supposed to get for finishing the mission.

[Get Stronger & Make Friends] Get points added to your main stats forever AND become much more friendly with Mister Being and the village.

Adam stared at the three choices his mind working fast. Each one sounded amazing. A new dagger skill could be awesome but it was a bit of a gamble. More stats and friendship was a smart choice for the long game. 

But then his eyes went back to the second option. A lot of money. Twenty times the original reward. He did the math quickly. 500 Silver coins and 1000 Copper coins. It was an unbelievable fortune this early in the game.

"I don't really need a brand new skill right this second," he whispered to himself. "And getting stronger stats or making friends happens over time anyway." He looked straight at the second option again. His decision became crystal clear. 

"What I need most right now is cash. Money to spend." He imagined all the things he could buy. He could get better gear prepare for the future and jump even further ahead of everyone else. It was the fastest way to make himself stronger immediately. 

"This is it. This will give me the biggest boost right now," he decided firmly.

Without waiting another second Adam focused his mind on the second choice and mentally selected it. A final message window flashed before him its words big bold and shining with a golden light.

Reward Selected Massive Monetary Reward.

Congratulations Player Alpha Boss! 500 Silver Coins and 1000 Copper Coins have been added directly to your inventory!

With that final satisfying confirmation all the glowing blue game windows faded away. Adam was left standing there in the quiet Adventure Mart facing the smiling grateful shopkeeper. And suddenly Adam felt incredibly wonderfully rich.