There were many more quests which I completed, but I won't dwell on them quite so much, unless they happen to be particularly interesting. This quest happened to be a rather challenging one: Chopping firewood. Still, it could have been a lot worse. It's rather serendipitous how everything seems to fall into place... had I not gotten the sword, I wouldn't have had nearly as much experience at swinging tools around using my mouth, and while the axe was, admittedly, a little more unwieldy, the principle largely worked the same.
The fact that the logs required a downward swing in order to cut them, whereas I had always swung the sword horizontally for both attacks and practice swings did make things harder, but I appreciated the extra practice in using tools with my mouth. The axe might not have quite the same balance as the sword, but in principle it worked the same, and training in striking downwards would surely prove helpful in the future. After a lot of trial and error, I was handsomely rewarded.
--- Quest completed! 40 Experience Point(s)! 10 Gold(s)! Adventurer's Sachel! ---
---- Squire has become a level 3 Paladin (rank 1)! ----
There were a bunch more exciting numbers which followed this, which I didn't really understand, but there was something else that particularly caught my attention. 10 Gold(s)! I had earned some in the past, of course, but wasn't able to carry it, so I just had to leave it on the ground. I wonder if the money that dropped from defeating FrontDoor is still there? No, unfortunately it seems to be gone. Items dropped on the ground start to blink and eventually fade out of existence after a while. I guess it's a way to make sure that the world doesn't get overfilled with stuff.
It's not as though I have any real need for money, either, much less any ability to spend it, but still, it's always a treat to be given something shiny.
There were quite a few quests which followed this one. None of them were particularly challenging, or represented anything that I considered overly heroic, but hey! Grunt work is important, too! Usually they involved carrying objects short distances, often incredibly short, hardly more than an arms reach, with a few more involving simple hunting or gathering tasks which, thankfully, never lead me too far into the heavily wooded forest which surrounded the small town. These jobs usually involved claiming a certain number of monster parts, and even with those that required collecting roots or herbs, I would often find myself attacked during them. It turns out that the biome is home to a lot more than just slimes, but none of the monsters I had encountered proved to be even close to a threat.
I even gained another experience level! For some strange reason, there was something oddly satisfying about watching the numbers keep going up. I have no idea why. I found myself rather confused as to the nature of the quests, however. Each one seemed to offer rewards of significant value compared to the level of work required, to the extent that it hardly felt like me being helpful, and more these good folks being charitable. I suppose it makes sense when you think about it: Everyone benefits when a good deed goes rewarded, thus it only makes sense for such deeds to be encouraged.
Sadly, most of the quest rewards I had no use for. I had high hopes for the helmet, as it was just a simple cap which I felt might fit my head well enough, and it sort of did. The problem was that it didn't seem to want to stay on. No surprise, being designed for a human and all that. It might have been technically usable, but I imagine the amount of focus required to keep it from falling off would more than outweigh the minimal defensive gains that it would have offered.
I considered simply storing such items away in my inventory, but such would be quite wasteful, and the quest givers didn't appear to take any offense at my leaving them behind to hopefully be reclaimed by someone who could put them to better use.
At last, the final glowing exclamation point had vanished, I had earned myself many pleasant pats on the head as reward for a job well done, and it was finally time to continue my quest! ...or so I had thought.
One more had appeared, above the head of an armored man who, up to this point, had simply stood at the center of town, offering a 'Good day' to any who passed by. The bulk of the village population was made up of hunters, and while there were regular adventurers who had come by, they were usually younger and lightly equiped. This man was older, with a long blade across his back, wearing a heavy, plated body which bore the nicks and scratches of countless battles, his face looking no less worn. He very much stood out as a trained warrior amongst a population of laborers and amateurs.
As for the quest marker, it similar stood out. It was larger, fiery red and even from my own limited understanding, I could feel a distinct sense of urgency from it.
"A terrible monster has been attacking the local hunters, and already taken several lives. If only a brave hero could face and destroy this foul beast!"
I felt another wave of shame pass over me. This was serious business, and innocent people were dead as a result of this monster. It was an important, even if solemn and necessary duty in order to keep the people safe. Still, I just couldn't keep my tail from wagging.
A proper quest, and a real chance to test my abilities! Conveniently, there was even a convenient light from above, showing the location of my objective.
Unfortunately, it was much deeper into the woods. I wish I could claim that I didn't know just how deep, but I could not. I was intimately aware, having been there once before.