27. Hard Workers

I had a theory.

(What if… by consuming the Powerstone, he’s gaining Experience Points? And when his Experience is high enough, he levels up?)

Since Gopuro’s status screen did not display an EXP bar, I had no way to verify it. Still, it felt like the most likely explanation. Even if he was gaining EXP, maybe it simply was not enough for a level up yet, which was why I could not see any noticeable changes in his stats.

(Then, it’s easy! I just need to have Gopuro do the quest a few more times!)

I had assumed they would need to sit down and recover, maybe rest for an hour or more before regaining their strength.

But in less than ten minutes, they were already back on their feet, walking toward the Quest Board to accept another Wood Gathering Quest with eager steps.

(Woah! These guys are insanely hardworking!)

And just like that, they worked and worked, chopping trees like there was no tomorrow. The sun climbed higher into the sky, casting shifting patterns of light across the clearing. Sweat poured down their green skin, making it glisten under the bright rays, while their arms moved in steady, rhythmic motions.

Swing, pull, swing, pull.

The sharp sound of axes biting into wood echoed through the clearing like a steady heartbeat, accompanied by the occasional crack of splitting timber and the rustle of falling branches.

Eventually, as the last ray of sunlight vanished behind the trees and the forest grew dim with twilight, their work for the day finally came to an end. They ended up completing the quest four times each.

Since each run took around three hours, they had worked for nearly twelve hours in total, stopping only briefly to eat the simple snacks they carried.

I could not help feeling a little bad. It almost felt like I was some villain boss exploiting my own citizens.

(Am I overworking these guys now?)

(But… well… these goblins seem to really enjoy doing the quest…)

(And it’s not like I’m forcing them to work or anything…)

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Yeah, all I had done was post the quest on the board. Whether they accepted it or not was entirely up to them.

The two goblins even tried to take the quest for a fifth time, reaching for the poster with tired but determined hands, but I quickly took it down before they could grab it.

(Come on! It’s already night! I can’t have you two go outside and work in the dark! It’s too dangerous!)

Yeah, what if the wolves came back?

(Seriously, have you guys already forgotten what happened yesterday?)

The moment the quest disappeared, however, both goblins froze and stared at the now empty wall. Their expressions immediately turned disappointed. Their ears drooped low, Gopuro’s shoulders slumped heavily, while Gopuran tilted her head at the blank stone as if sheer willpower alone might make the paper magically reappear.

(Hey hey, don’t worry. I will give you the quest again tomorrow! But now, you guys need to rest!)

Deciding that these two deserved some extra reward for their super hard work, I materialized a few thick cuts of steak before them.

The goblins immediately cheered up and accepted the steak! They didn’t even forget to bow to me!