Demerits of Being a Rank G Adventurer
825 Words
My body was too stiff with the armour on, however, I was far too tired to remove the armour off of my body. I took a power nap and woke up a while later.
With all my items equipped, I walked out of the hotel and walked back to the guild house. To internally destroy the human empire, maintaining a reputation was necessary. And the easiest way to earn a reputation, was to work as an adventurer. I could use my money to progress fast in the human empire as a noble, however, such a progress would come to the attention of officials pretty fast.
After entering the guild house, I looked through the tasks to find an optimal one.
"Kill a dragon..Rank A... Kill Goblins..Rank E... Kill a Horned Rabbit...Rank F ...Pluck Weeds...Rank G..."
What?! No matter what task I saw, according to my rank, I could only do menial tasks. For a demon lord to perform such tasks... This is preposterous!
I no longer wished to pursue such baseless tasks, but for the sake of earning a reputation...Damn it.
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Task: Plucking Weeds
Minimum Rank Required: G
[Temporary: Will be removed after task completion]
Pluck weeds in a garden located at the corner of the town. After task completion, a letter of proof is necessary from the owner of the field. Timing doesn't matter.
Money gained after completion: 2 bronze.
Proof of completion: A letter.
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After reading through the task, I walked towards a counter and stood in a line. A moment later, I spoke to Dave, "I'll be taking the task of plucking weed."
All the adventurers stopped for a moment and looked towards me. Some laughed, while others quietly giggled. As a ruler, I could bear this no longer. Just as I was about to take action, Dave stood up straight and yelled while banging his hands on the desk. "Quiet! Another sound, and I'll PERSONALLY end your miserable lives."
Everyone fell silent. For a moment, Dave's hands sparked with lightning. I built a sense of admiration for Dave in this moment. After the temporary silence, the adventurers returned back to what they were previously doing. Dave changed his expression and spoke, "If there's anything you need, don't shy away. Other than that, here's the address of the field." Dave handed me a chit.
After retrieving the necessary information, I walked out of the guild house, and began my first adventure. It took me a while to find the field. I somehow managed by asking people along the way. I walked all the way to a garden in the corner of town, where an old man stood in the middle of a field.
As soon as I walked closer, the old man spoke, "Oh son, you've reached. The guild told me you'd come soon and so I kept waiting."
The old man wore commoner's clothing, and had wrinkles all over his eyes. His tan complexion showed that he had been working in the sun for quite some time. He kept a towel around his neck, possibly to wipe of his sweaty face. His eyes were barely open, due to the heat of the sun, and he stood still while leaning on a shovel in front of him.
The old man continued, "I expected a younger boy to come here, but its better that you came. I have several weeds in my garden, because of which my flowers keep rotting. If you'd be kind enough to remove them for this old man, I'd be grateful."
I nodded, while looking at the frail body of the old man. I took my own sweet time to pluck the decaying flowers, the weeds, and the other unnecessary plants, as I too, had a vast garden back in the demon empire. During the duration I was working in the garden, the old man spoke, "When I was young, all I was after was the riches. I plundered, looted and killed just for something materialistic. And then one day, after my bloodthirsty mind calmed, I had nothing but a garden. My two sons grew up to be useless, just like their father."
While plucking the weed, I replied, "It happens sometimes. If you need anything, you can call me."
The old man smiled as I said those words. Over the course of the next 2 hours, he didn't speak.
I straightened my back and cracked the bones in my hand and spoke, "There you go old man, its all done."
The old man bowed down and spoke, "Thank you for helping me."
A minute later, he handed me a letter as I left.
And so, a fully equipped demon lord, battle ready, spent 2 hours, plucking weeds in a garden. To be honest, even though the task was humiliating, it was felt good to help an old man. A part of my conscious as a human was revived. The sun set, inviting the darkness, and I walked back to the guild house, thriving in it. I had a lot more to work on, however, this was just the first day of my journey.
- Writer
