Ian sat on that wooden bench for ten minutes, staring at the village square with his thoughts racing.
Kill slimes, get cores, but cores can't be sold directly for money. No quests have appeared yet. Sell items? I don't have items.
His eyes swept the area. Players passing by, NPCs walking back and forth, merchants shouting their wares.
Then something clicked.
Wait. If I don't have items to sell... why don't I just sell my labor?
Ian stood up from the bench quickly. His eyes shone—not from a genius idea, but from a desperate one that made sense.
He ran toward the general supply shop at the corner of the square and went inside.
Five minutes later, Ian came out with a small wooden board in hand, about 30x40 cm, and a piece of charcoal for writing.
He crouched by the roadside, placed the board on the ground, then started writing in big letters:
READY FOR ANYTHING
CHEAP! NEGOTIABLE!
Ian stared at his writing briefly, then nodded with satisfaction.
Okay. This is crazy. But I have no other choice.
He stood, lifted the board high above his head, then started shouting.
"READY FOR ANYTHING! CHEAP! NEED HELP? COME HERE!"
His voice was loud, cutting through the square's bustle. Several players turned with confused looks.
Ian didn't care. He kept shouting while walking back and forth around the busy area.
"READY FOR ANYTHING! CARRY STUFF, FIND ITEMS, WHATEVER! CHEAP!"
An hour passed without anyone approaching.
Some players just passed by while laughing quietly. Some pointed while whispering to their friends.
"Look at that," said a long-haired player with shiny armor while nudging his friend. "Poor person trying to play the game."
His friend, a mage with an expensive staff, laughed too. "That's what happens when you don't have money to buy equipment. End up as a laborer."
They both walked away still laughing.
Ian heard everything. His hands holding the board trembled slightly, not from exhaustion, but from shame.
But he didn't stop.
No. I've come this far. I won't stop just because of mockery.
He took a deep breath and shouted again. "READY FOR ANYTHING! CHEAAAP!"
Two hours passed.
The virtual sun began tilting westward. Shadows started lengthening on the village roads. Ian still stood there with the board in hand. His voice was getting hoarse. His arms ached.
Maybe this is a stupid idea. Maybe I should just go back to hunting.
But just as Ian was about to give up, two large shadows blocked the sunlight in front of him.
Ian looked up.
Two tall, sturdy NPCs with heavy plate armor stood before him. Their faces were expressionless, their gazes sharp, like seasoned bodyguards.
Ian swallowed. What... did I do?
But then, from behind the two bodyguards, an old man appeared. White hair, neat beard, clothes made of high-quality silk with gold embroidery at the edges. In his hand was a walking stick made of polished mahogany.
The old man smiled thinly while looking at Ian.
"You said ready for anything?" the old man asked in a calm but authoritative voice.
Ian paused briefly, then nodded quickly. "Y-yes, sir! Anything! Cheap!"
The old man laughed softly, not mocking, but amused. "Very well. I have a task for you."
One bodyguard pulled out two small folding chairs from his inventory and placed them on the ground. The other pulled out a small table. Then finally, a chess board with wooden pieces already arranged neatly.
Ian stared at all this with his mouth open.
"Your task," the old man said while sitting in one of the chairs, "is to keep me company playing chess."
Ian blinked several times, making sure he heard correctly. "Chess?"
"Yes. Chess." The old man pointed to the empty chair in front of him. "Sit down."
Ian was still confused, but sat anyway. His hand hovered over the chess board, still not believing his first customer was an NPC who wanted to play chess.
"You can play chess, right?" the old man asked while moving his first pawn.
Ian nodded slowly. "I can, sir. Often play with friends at work."
"Good." The old man smiled broadly. "Then don't hold back. Play seriously."
The game began.
Ian moved his pawn carefully. In the real world, he often played chess with laborers during lunch breaks, on cardboard boxes, with pieces made from bottle caps marked with marker. But his skill was decent.
Pawn forward. Knight jump. Rook slide.
The old man played casually but sharply. Every move Ian made was immediately read, immediately countered. But Ian didn't give up, started thinking deeper, started setting up small traps.
Ten minutes passed, then twenty minutes.
Players started gathering around them. At first just curious, but gradually started watching seriously.
"Hey, that NPC..." whispered a player in red armor. "That's Aldric, right? The richest merchant in this village?"
The player beside him, a female archer, nodded quickly. "Yeah! I got a quest from his subordinate yesterday. He owns the big warehouse at the edge of the village. They say he has connections to the big city."
"Seriously?!"
The news spread quickly among the watching players.
Another player, a warrior with a large sword on his back, suddenly stepped forward toward the table. "Excuse me, Master Aldric," he said with a too-friendly wide smile. "I greatly admire your wisdom. May I..."
One bodyguard immediately stepped forward, blocking the player with a large hand like a wall. "Move," the bodyguard said in a low, rumbling voice.
"B-but..."
"MOVE."
The player backed away with a pale face. Several other players who were about to try flattering immediately backed down.
Ian, seeing this from the corner of his eye, suppressed a small smile while moving his rook. Yeah, back off.
An hour passed without notice. Ian and Aldric were still playing seriously. Sweat started running down Ian's forehead, not from heat, but from total concentration.
The chess board was now full with few remaining pieces. The position was balanced. One wrong move could mean defeat.
Ian moved his queen carefully, but Aldric immediately checkmated with his knight.
Ian froze, then laughed quietly while shaking his head. "I lost."
Aldric smiled broadly while leaning back in his chair. "You played well. Very well. It's been a long time since I found an exciting opponent."
He raised his hand, and one bodyguard handed over a small cloth pouch. Aldric tossed the pouch toward Ian.
Ian caught it reflexively. The pouch felt heavy in his hand.
"That's your payment," Aldric said while standing from the chair. "Thank you for the game."
Ian opened the pouch with trembling hands. Inside was a pile of gleaming gold coins.
[Gold Coins x300]
Ian froze. His eyes stared at the gleaming gold coins inside the pouch like someone seeing treasure.
Three hundred... gold?!
The watching players immediately erupted.
"HOLY SHIT THREE HUNDRED GOLD?!"
"JUST FROM PLAYING CHESS?!"
"I CAN PLAY CHESS TOO WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THIS?!"
But Ian didn't hear any of it. Just stared at the pouch with a wide smile he couldn't hold back, a smile so wide his cheeks hurt.
Then he stood and ran with all his might across the square like a kid who just got his first allowance.
Players who saw Ian running with a wide smile while laughing quietly to himself could only shake their heads.
"That guy's crazy," one player said while laughing. "But I get how he feels."
***
Ian stopped right in front of the bread cart. The old NPC with the white apron was still there, still busy with his stone oven.
Ian stood in front of the cart with ragged breathing, wide smile still plastered on his face.
"Sir," he said in a voice almost trembling. "I... I want to buy bread."
The NPC turned and smiled warmly. "How many?"
Ian opened his coin pouch, stared at it briefly, then answered in a voice full of victory. "All of them."
Five minutes later, Ian sat on the same wooden bench, in the place he'd sat frustrated earlier, with a warm wheat bread in his hand.
He stared at it for a long time. Golden brown crust, slightly puffed, still hot with thin steam rising from its surface.
The aroma reminded Ian of the bread his mother used to buy when he was young, before everything got difficult.
Ian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This is it. The moment I've been waiting for.
He bit into the bread slowly.
The texture was soft but slightly chewy. The taste was sweet with a hint of salt from the butter spread on top. The bread was truly warm. Steam escaped as he tore it open, not much different from bread in the real world he'd eaten before.
Ian continued chewing slowly, savoring each bite like someone eating for the first time after days of starvation. His eyes almost watered, not from sadness, but from relief.
Finally. Finally I can taste something good without having to think about price or debt or anything.
He finished the bread to the last bite, then leaned back on the bench with a satisfied smile on his face.
[Gold remaining: 285]
Still plenty. But Ian didn't immediately spend it. He closed his inventory and stared at the evening sky beginning to turn orange.
Later. I'll try other things again.
***
Ian walked leisurely around the square, enjoying the village atmosphere growing quiet as some players had already logged out. His hand still held the remaining coin pouch. It felt heavy, but a pleasant heaviness.
Three hundred gold from playing chess. Who would've thought.
He smiled faintly while passing rows of shops.
But then his eyes caught something.
At the end of the road, near the village gate, there was a small child, maybe ten years old, dragging a large bag. The bag looked too heavy for his small body. The child dragged it with difficulty, feet stumbling slightly, breathing hard.
Ian stopped. His eyes stared at the child with a curious look.
NPC? Or quest trigger?
The child stopped briefly, caught his breath, then dragged again with a frustrated-looking face.
Ian stood there, hand still on the coin pouch.
If I help, will I get a reward? Or will it become a quest chain? Or maybe just a regular kid who needs help?
Ian stared at the child for a long time, then his feet began to move, slowly but surely, approaching the child.