Chương 28: A Hand of Gratitude

The battle did not take a long time. Coburn was, after all, an Expert status. With its speed, the Hunk Boar was completely unable to evade the deadly fatal attacks forever, even if its senses were superior to Coburn's. Within a minute, Coburn's sword pierced the ribs of the Boar, fatally wounding the heart of the Boar. Meanwhile, the [Fortress Breaker] attacks continued without pause. It was a brutal scene to watch as the heavy shield landed continuously onto the head of the Boar.

Maan's shield was like a fortress gate; it landed like a ram every time. After the seventh attack landed, the Boar lay flat on the ground, unmoving. In quick succession, both skeletons had finished the job without any issue. The party had long since fled successfully. Arthur, who stood in the forest, quickly walked towards the clearing. He felt lucky that he had simply achieved his quest, even though he had only aimed for a small Hunk Boar.

"Very good job, Coburn," Arthur praised the skeleton. It stood calmly, without any exhaustion that would normally be shown on humans. It was a true miracle he had obtained these skeletons. If he were to get any other class, he would have had no choice but to do these jobs personally. Although he felt a sinister vibe from the notebook, it was undeniably a very convenient class.

"Coburn, see if you can carry the Boar." Since the job was thoroughly done, he needed to leave this spot quickly. This was because a lot of noises had occurred earlier; other beasts would have definitely heard the commotion and might come rushing to this spot. Following the order, Coburn lifted the Boar, which would easily weigh at least 400 to 500 kilograms. There was no struggle whatsoever. Arthur was truly shellshocked.

He had asked Coburn just to check if it could lift the beast; never did he imagine it would lift the Boar without any struggle. They moved towards the other location where Maan had battled. When they reached the location, Maan stood near the unmoving Boar. Its shield was stained with blood. Arthur was surprised by this revelation. His full concentration was on Coburn, so he did not witness the battle of Maan. Originally, he thought that, as a Shield Warrior, Maan would struggle to contain the Boar.

In reality, however, the beast was killed by Maan. The skeleton was strong; moreover, it possessed Innate Abilities. Thinking about it now, such a result was bound to happen.

"Well done, Maan. You are really strong for an Intermediate Status," Arthur complimented. Suddenly, however, Arthur noticed a small head movement on the skeleton. Did the skeleton acknowledge the praise? Arthur thought. Since it was not a communicative skeleton, he quickly dismissed that thought. Currently, his quest was completed, but in an overwhelming way. The quest requirement was only 100 kilograms of meat. Now, however, he possessed at least a ton of meat. Would the restaurant buy all the meat?

If they were to buy it, he could earn extra Credits. Arthur's mind madly raced, thinking about what to do with the extra meat. However, first he needed to skin the Boar. Once he separated the meat, only then could he look for a buyer. He did not think he could do it alone. Although he felt Coburn could do it since it was a 'Jack of all Trades', it would be absolutely perfect if he were to hire a proper Butcher Skeleton. After all, he might take a lot of quests similar to this one in the future.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Maan, carry the Boar," Arthur commanded. Within moments, the skeleton lifted the big Boar without any difficulty, similar to Coburn. While the two skeletons were holding the Boars, he dismissed both of them. Instantly, they disappeared from the place. It was a truly great ability where the skeletons could carry things with them, bringing the items back whenever they were summoned again. Otherwise, he might need to hire a truck for transport. Most importantly, it helped to avoid the gazes of people.

If people were to witness two skeletons carrying big Boars, his name would rapidly spread throughout the city. At that time, he would definitely become prey to the people of the High Sectors. With that, he started to walk back out of the forest. The sun still hung low; it was perhaps around 4 or 5 in the evening. Soon, darkness would arrive, and he needed to exit the forest before then. He swiftly reached the dirt path he walked on before, starting to follow the same path back.

Since he did not face any danger earlier, he naturally hoped he would be safe while going back as well. Arthur reached near the gate. Fortunately, he did not face any danger while coming back as well. Although he had sprinted through the spot where it was dangerous, he finally exited the forest. It was a successful first quest, and it was a relatively safe quest as well. If every quest were to be this simple, he would complete his system quest within 20 days. However, he doubted that would be the case.

What were the chances he would end up in a similar situation as today? Meanwhile, the party that escaped must have already reached the gate, or they were eaten by other beasts, since he did not meet them along the way. He soon found out it was the former scenario. He saw the party at the gate, where the people from the Union government were taking care of them. Arthur closely noticed the party; everyone seemed to be in good condition. Even the Sword affinity youth who was wounded on his ribs was sitting normally.

They must have reached here in perfect time and were healed by the Union Government officials, Arthur speculated. Without any reaction, Arthur exited the gate and started to walk away to pick up a taxi. If he could pick up a taxi right now, he would definitely deliver the meat at 8 pm, completing the quest.

"Arthur Purchase." However, before he could walk away, he suddenly heard someone calling his name. Arthur turned his head back to see who was calling him. It was the person who checked his identity while entering, a Union Government Officer. Arthur was confused by this sudden call. After all, there was no share to pay to the government.

"Do you have a minute?" the middle-aged man asked. His tone sounded like a request rather than an order. Hence, Arthur did not refuse. Even if it were an order, he would have no choice but to obey the command of the Union Government officer. Arthur nodded his head, walking towards the office room the person had entered. While walking, his eyes darted towards the party members that were currently resting.

Their faces were filled with sadness and sorrow; they might be regretting the loss of the prey they had worked so hard for. However, Arthur was not a generous person who would simply share his profit. Currently, however, only four members were sitting outside. One person was missing. Looking closely, the girl who used fire was not present. Arthur pushed open the door and entered the room. Instantly, he noticed the missing member; the girl was currently sitting inside the room. Arthur quickly steadied his demeanor.

Taking a few steps forward, he stood looking at the Union Government officer.

"Mr. Arthur Purchase, meet Susanne Gielgud," the officer introduced the sitting girl. At this moment, she was looking at him intently.

"Hello," Arthur said. Suddenly, a thought arose in his mind.

'Did they find out it was I who poached their prey?' However, when he thought deeply about it, it was definitely the case because of the officer. The officer had read his class details, [Skeleton Summoner]. The skeletons were the ones that had attacked the Boars. Hence, it was not a difficult matter to connect the dots.

'Dammit, will they ask for a share of the kill?' Arthur inwardly cursed. However, he did not worry too much; he could simply give them one Boar. In any case, he only needed 100 kilograms to complete his quest. While he was thinking about how much of a share he should give them, the girl stood up and took a step closer to Arthur.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Mr. Arthur," Susanne said, extending her hand for a handshake.