Adam walked quickly out of the forest. The shadows of the tall trees fell behind him as he stepped onto a dirt path.
Sunlight, which had been mostly blocked by the thick leaves overhead, now shone down, warming his face. A big, happy smile spread across his lips. He felt really good about what he had just done 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, was still buzzing inside him, like leftover energy. 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 to himself. His voice was full of surprise and happiness.
He remembered the tough fights, the close calls, and especially how he managed to beat that 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 and maybe a little lucky. 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 down from people walking on it.
The air smelled different too – less like damp earth and leaves, and more like woodsmoke from chimneys, food cooking somewhere nearby, and the faint smell of farm animals.
He passed by the edge of the village fields. A few other players were still there, working hard. One player was trying to carry a big, heavy sack of grain towards a barn, stumbling a bit.
Another player looked annoyed while trying to fix a broken wooden fence.
Adam glanced at them quickly as he jogged past without stopping. They were probably still doing the basic, slow jobs to earn their first few copper coins. Jobs like picking digital potatoes or chasing runaway virtual chickens.
He felt a tiny bit bad for them, stuck doing boring work, but mostly he felt relieved that he wasn't one of them. Mister Being's mission, and his surprising 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 of the village. People walked by, carrying baskets or tools, or just chatting with each other. Nobody paid much attention to Adam.
To them, he just looked like another new adventurer, maybe coming back from a small hunt. They had no idea he had just faced a powerful boss monster that most players wouldn't even see for days or weeks.
They didn't know his inventory was packed with valuable wolf meat and fangs – enough to really help the village.
Soon, he reached the place he was looking for: the Adventure Mart. It looked just like he remembered it from earlier – a small but strong-looking shop made of dark wood.
The wooden sign hanging above the door swayed a little in the gentle afternoon breeze. The warm sun lit up the front of the shop, making it look inviting.
Adam pushed the wooden door open. It made the same familiar creak sound as he stepped inside.
The air inside felt cooler than the sunny afternoon outside. It was filled with the shop's unique smell – a mix of old wood, dried herbs hanging from the ceiling rafters, stacks of leather armor and bags, and maybe just a little bit of dust floating in the sunbeams coming through the small window. It smelled like a place where adventures started.
Behind the long, worn wooden counter stood the shopkeeper, Mister Being. The old man was bent over slightly, carefully arranging some rolled-up maps or scrolls on a shelf behind him.
He moved with the slow, careful movements of an old person, his wrinkled hands placing each item precisely. He hadn't noticed Adam enter yet.
Adam walked further into the quiet shop. His boots made soft thump-thump sounds on the sturdy wooden floor. The sound made Mister Being pause his work.
The old shopkeeper slowly turned around. His eyes, which seemed sharp and missed nothing, looked Adam up and down.
Then, his eyes opened wide. A look of pure surprise spread across his wrinkled face. He straightened up a bit, looking shocked.
"You… you're back?" Mister Being asked, his voice shaky with surprise. It wasn't the calm, steady voice Adam remembered from before.
"Already?" The old man clearly couldn't believe someone could have finished the difficult task he had given out so incredibly fast. He probably thought it would take days.
Adam walked right up to the counter until he was standing directly in front of the shopkeeper. He felt a surge of pride, but kept his face calm.
He placed one hand gently on the smooth, worn surface of the wooden counter. 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 was steady and sure. "I've completed your request."
Mister Being blinked, looking confused for a second. It was like his brain needed a moment to catch up with what Adam just said.
"Completed? The whole thing? So soon? But the Fang Wolves... there were so many needed..." he stammered, still finding it hard to believe.
Adam didn't need to argue or explain further. Actions spoke louder than words. With a quick mental command, he opened his inventory screen – the game menu only he could see.
He focused on the items he had collected: the huge amount of meat and the pile of sharp fangs. Then, he started pulling them out of his invisible storage and placing them onto the counter for the shopkeeper to see.
First, he brought out the raw Fang Wolf meat. It wasn't just a few small scraps.
These were thick, heavy slabs of dark red meat, still looking fresh. He placed pile after pile onto the wooden counter.
The stack grew quickly, taking up a large amount of space. A faint, slightly metallic smell of fresh meat rose from the pile.
Mister Being leaned forward over the counter, his eyes glued to the growing mountain of meat. His mouth hung open just a little bit.
He looked like he had never seen so much wolf meat brought in at once, especially not by a single adventurer who had only been gone for a short while.
Next, Adam started placing the fangs down carefully next to the meat. These were sharp, curved teeth, white and dangerous-looking. Each one looked like it could tear through thick leather easily.
He laid them out in neat groups – ten, then twenty, then thirty, then the full forty fangs that the mission required. He even added the extra ones he'd gotten from the Alpha and its pack, making the collection even more impressive.
They made little click, click sounds as they touched the wood.
The old shopkeeper stared at everything spread out on his counter – the huge pile of meat on one side, the neat rows of deadly fangs on the other. His eyes moved back and forth between the two, taking it all in.
He slowly reached out a slightly trembling hand and gently touched the tip of one of the fangs, maybe just to make sure it was real. He seemed completely stunned into silence.
For a long moment, the shop was quiet except for the distant sounds of the village outside and the soft buzzing of a fly near the windowpane.
Finally, the surprised look on Mister Being's face started to fade. It was replaced by a look of huge relief, which then turned into a wide, genuine smile.
The deep worry lines on his forehead seemed to smooth out. His eyes crinkled up at the corners with real happiness and thankfulness. He stood up taller, looking much less worried than before.
"Amazing…" the old shopkeeper finally said, his voice filled with wonder and respect.
"Simply amazing. Young man, I… I truly didn't think anyone could finish this task for several days, maybe even a full week! Those Fang Wolves are not easy prey, and getting this much… it's a very dangerous job." He shook his head slowly, still looking impressed.
"Thank you, adventurer," he said again, his voice warm and sincere as he looked Adam in the eye.
"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 as he thought for a moment.
"Because you finished this important task so quickly, showing such great skill and bravery, you deserve more than just the payment we agreed on. For getting this done so fast, 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. It floated in the air, and only Adam could see it. The words inside glowed softly:
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. An extra reward from the shopkeeper himself? That was cool. Free stuff was always good.
But before he could even think about what it might be, a second window appeared right below the first one.
This one seemed to shine even brighter, and it made a soft, pleasant ding! sound that only Adam heard:
System Announcement:Congratulations, Player Alpha Boss! You are the FIRST player in 'Row Online' to complete the mission 'Fang Wolf Supplies'! Not only that, but 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? First to do anything like this so fast? This was huge news! In games like this, being the first to achieve something often gave you special rewards or advantages that other players couldn't get later.
This was exactly the kind of big head start he wanted! His heart started beating faster. This was way better than he had dared to hope.
And then, things got even more exciting. A third window appeared. This one was different from the others.
It didn't just have words; it showed three clear choices, each with a little picture next to it. The options seemed to glow softly, 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, perfect for how you fight now.
[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 (like Strength or Agility) forever, making you better at fighting AND become much more friendly with Mister Being and maybe even the whole village.
Adam stared at the three choices, his mind working fast. Each one sounded amazing, especially for someone just starting out in the game.
He read each option carefully again, thinking about what would help him the most right now, and what might help him later. His eyebrows pushed together slightly as he thought hard.
"Whoa," he thought, truly impressed. "These are all really good choices. Much better than the usual rewards for a village mission, even with being the first."
He looked at the first option: a new skill. "A rare dagger skill could be awesome," he thought. "It might let me beat monsters faster, or fight tougher enemies."
Skills were definitely important for getting stronger in the game. But, he didn't know exactly what skill it was. Would it be useful? Would it take time to learn? It felt like a bit of a gamble.
Then he looked at the third option: stats and friendship. "More points in Strength or Agility would make me hit harder and move faster right away," he considered. "And those boosts last forever.
That's really valuable." And making friends with the shopkeeper and the village? "That could mean special quests later, or maybe getting discounts when I buy things." It was a smart choice for the long game, for building his character slowly and making connections.
But then, his eyes went back to the second option. The simple, direct offer of money. A lot of money. Twenty times the original reward. He did the math quickly in his head.
The mission was supposed to pay 25 Silver and 50 Copper. Twenty times that amount would be 500 Silver coins and 1000 Copper coins! That was an unbelievable fortune this early in the game.
Most players would be struggling to earn even one Silver coin right now.
"I don't really need a brand new skill right this second," he whispered to himself, so quietly nobody else could hear. "My daggers and the way I fight worked okay, even against that huge Alpha wolf after it was hurt."
He shook his head slightly. "And getting stronger stats or making friends... those are good, but they happen over time anyway. I can work on that later."
He looked straight at the second option again. His decision became crystal clear in his mind. "What I need most right now is cash. Money to spend." He imagined all the things he could buy with 500 Silver.
"I can buy all the good potions Mister Being has, all his sharpening stones, maybe even that better cloak I saw on the shelf earlier before anyone else can afford it. I can buy materials for crafting things before the prices go way up when all the new players log in tomorrow. Maybe I can even buy rare items from other players who don't know how valuable they really are yet."
Money meant power right now. It meant 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 displayed in the glowing blue window. He mentally pushed the 'Select' button next to the picture of coins.
Instantly, a final message window flashed before him, confirming his choice. The words inside were big, bold, and seemed to shine 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 smoothly. Adam was left standing there in the quiet Adventure Mart, facing the smiling, grateful shopkeeper. And suddenly, Adam felt incredibly, wonderfully rich.