Before Dave could knock out Bob, he heard a ping sound. He was surprised but also curious. He quickly took out his phone and clicked on the new notification.
Quest Updated:
Monster Extermination:
Defeat all the Shabs: 0/?
Guaranteed Reward: 1,000 coins
Optional Reward: 7,000 coins (or) one mystery chest ticket
Dave was surprised by this sudden quest, and the rewards were good as well. He didn't know what the mystery chest ticket did, but if the system compares it with 7,000 coins, it should be beneficial. He then looked at Bob, who was trembling in fear, and asked, "Tell me, Bob, how many Shabs are inside?"
Bob looked at the gun pointed at him and stammered, "I-I don't know. I saw two of them together, but I can't say that's all of them." Dave was conflicted; even the quest didn't specify how many Shabs were inside, and he wasn't going to head inside with just a gun.
He wondered what to do next, then noticed some trees near the cave's entrance, and an idea came to him. "Tell me, Bob, how big is the cave, and does it have any other entrances?"
"It's about 250 meters, as far as I know; there are no other entrances," Bob replied. Hearing this, Dave wore a wicked grin. Of course, Bob couldn't see it because of the mask, but he had a bad feeling.
"Alright, Bob, do you have an axe and firewood? Bring all of them here, and don't even think about running away," Dave said threateningly. Bob nodded and ran off. Soon, he returned with a woodcutter's axe and a large pile of firewood. Dave told Bob to pile the firewood at the cave's entrance while he went to chop nearby trees.
A few hours later, Dave was exhausted and breathing heavily. In front of the cave, several large trees were stacked up, forming a barrier about three meters high. Various plants were mixed in among the logs. Dave was surprised by his own strength; he could lift the massive trees with ease, but he quickly learned that super strength didn't mean super stamina. He tired fast, so piling the trees took longer than he expected.
After catching his breath, he set the entrance on fire. His plan was simple: no matter how strong a creature is, it needs to breathe. By burning the cave, he aimed to suffocate the nightmares inside. He also used green plants, because their moisture would produce more smoke.
Initially, nothing happened, but after a while, he heard painful screeches from inside and saw vague figures moving behind the flames. The Shabs probably tried to break the trees to escape, but the strong fire thwarted them. If they stayed near the fire too long, they could burn rather than suffocate. Soon, the figures retreated inside, unable to do anything about the fire. The screeches continued, echoing through the cave.
Bob, standing near Dave, trembled with fear. To him, the monster's screams sounded like a death knell. He glanced at Dave, trying to read his expression, but the mask hid everything. Dave stood there, listening to the screams as if they were beautiful music.
Bob realized he had made a serious mistake. One more mistake was enough for him to end up on the other side of the fire.
He wondered who the real monster was: the beasts that killed to survive, or the man who killed them for fun. The thought sent a chill down his spine.
A few hours later, the fire was out. Dave waited until all the smoke cleared so he wouldn't suffer the same fate as the Shabs. He remembered hearing many ping sounds, so he decided to check what they were.
-You have slain a Shab.
-You have slain a Shab.
-You have slain a Shab.
-Quest Completed.
There were twelve such notifications, and at the very bottom, there was the quest completion screen, indicating that the dozen Shabs inside were dead. It's good he didn't try to fight them directly. Instead of going inside, he decided to call the community center. He got their number from John before leaving for this job.
After calling, he heard ringing for a few minutes before someone answered, "Hello, this is the community center. How can we help you?" a woman's voice said, but he didn't recognize it. "Hello, can I speak with Emily for a moment?" he asked. The woman told him to wait, and after a few moments, he heard a familiar voice, "Hello, this is Emily. May I know who I am speaking to?"
Dave introduced himself and explained everything that had happened so far. "What a dozen Shabs?" Emily exclaimed, shocked, then sighed heavily. "These kinds of incidents happen sometimes. People who don't want to pay the required fees tend to downplay the danger of the job; most of the time, the wanderers end up dead. It's a good thing you're still alive, and I'm surprised by how you handled it. I'll send some police there. Wait until they arrive, then you can leave, and make sure the farmers don't run away."
Dave was still curious about a few things. "What will happen to the farmer now? And what about my reward?"
"The farmer will face heavy fines and imprisonment for attempted murder. As for your rewards, you'll get the standard 1,000 coins, and you can choose between 7,000 coins or one mystery chest ticket," Emily explained.
Dave was surprised, thinking, 'So this is how the quest reward is given, so they don't magically appear in front of me?' He was a little disappointed but moved on. He was curious about the mystery chest ticket, but he also knew that 7,000 coins could really help him. In the end, his curiosity won.
"Emily, I'd like the mystery chest ticket," Dave said.
"All right. I'll inform the officers; you can collect it from them. Also, do you want us to handle the corpses? We can sell them for you, but there's a ten percent commission."
"Yeah, that's fine. Please take care of it."
"All right, if that's everything, I'll end the call." Emily hung up, and now all Dave had to do was wait.
Within a few hours, the officers arrived, and thankfully, John was among them. He soon saw Dave and approached him, "Hey, I heard what happened, it's too bad something like this happened on your very first job. And I also heard what you did from Emily. I was quite surprised by how you handled the situation. Oh, right, Emily told me to give this to you."
John then took out a small pouch and a purple piece of paper. John tucked the money in his pocket and studied the ticket curiously. He then remembered something. "John, where exactly do I use this ticket?"
"Well, there are many certified random box distributors, and as far as I remember, there is only one of them in Peach Island. Give me your phone, I will mark it for you." Dave gave his phone to John, and he soon marked something on the map.
When Dave saw it, he realized it was nearby; it was also on the outskirts of the Ur village, and he could get there within a few minutes. Since he's already here, he decided to go claim his random chest first before heading back.
Then he heard a commotion. When he looked, he saw farmer Bob being handcuffed and dragged around by another officer. He had a lost look on his face; it seemed as if he had just given up resisting and accepted his fate.
John also saw him and commented, "Because of people like him, many end up dead, and the worst part is that in most cases, the nightmares become very aggressive after being provoked by wanderers, going on a rampage, and affecting others nearby. This is why misidentifying the job is considered a crime." John gave him a brief explanation.
"Well, do you want a ride? I can take you back to town if you want," John offered, but Dave declined because he wanted to check out the mystery chest first. Then, Dave parted ways with John and set off to find the mystery shop.
The journey was pretty straightforward, but then he came across the forest where he had met the strangers yesterday, and it made him uncomfortable. Suddenly, he heard a roar. John was startled and hid behind a tree. There, he saw the same monster from yesterday. He froze with fear, but luckily, the monster didn't notice him.
Something strange was happening in front of him: a small patch of grass was parted, and some area was squeezed as if something heavy was on top of it. However, when he looked closer, there was nothing there. The Spizara appeared to be chasing something invisible. It opened its mouth and spat web at the unseen creature, catching it in the web, which seemed to float in the air.
Then suddenly, he heard an ear-piercing scream, and something heavy slammed against the Spizara.