The small village named Reiperite welcomed strangers.
However, this village was quite unique.
As soon as Alexander and his companions entered the village, they were astounded by its walls. Honestly, it was the first time Alexander had seen a village built like a castle.
The village was filled with grain, and the village chief guarded a large granary.
As the saying goes, "Build high walls, stockpile grain," Chief, are you planning something big?
"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?" the village chief asked, noticing Alexander observing him.
"Uh, hello, I want to recruit some soldiers here," Alexander said straightforwardly.
The village chief sized up Alexander and said disdainfully, "There happen to be eight young men in the village eager to make their mark, but you need to pay them a handsome salary."
Alexander knew that his shabby appearance made him look like he couldn't afford to hire these villagers.
He took out a document from the House of Lion and showed it briefly. The village chief's attitude changed dramatically, "Wait a moment, esteemed sir."
Soon, eight young men dressed in simple clothes were called over, holding training sticks in their hands.
According to the old rules of the Kingdom of Saint Martin, Alexander paid each of them a commission of 10 dinars and hired them.
Afterward, he had to pay a weekly salary of 1 dinar to each of these young men, who then became new recruits under Alexander's command in the Kingdom of Saint Martin.
Alexander could either purchase standardized equipment for them or provide his own.
Obviously, Alexander chose the latter; buying standardized equipment from the kingdom would definitely be expensive.
It was better for him to provide the equipment for the soldiers.
[Congratulations to the Chosen One for taking the first step on the path of a lord, completing the task objective—Forming a Team]
[Experience +500, System Coins +500]
The system's voice sounded in his ears, and he now had the system coins to buy equipment.
At this moment, his data panel changed to:
- **Level**: 4
- **Strength**: 8
- **Agility**: 10
- **Intelligence**: 6
- **Charisma**: 5
- **Available Attribute Points**: 0
- **Experience**: 500/800
- **System Coins**: 500
He spent 400 system coins to buy 10 iron swords and distributed them.
The remaining system coins were used to purchase a leather cap for himself (50 system coins), which added +3 to defense.
He also bought a pair of leather gloves (50 system coins), adding another +3 to defense.
Now, Alexander was fully armed—even if this equipment was quite low-level.
Others didn't even have this level of gear, but they were still very happy since their leader had given each of them an iron sword.
They all tacitly refrained from asking where Alexander got the equipment. Knowing too much could get you killed quickly; having equipment to use was already fortunate enough.
Next, they were heading to the art capital, Lisbon.
Before they even left the village, the village chief, who had hurried over, stopped them: "Honorable sir, I would like to request your help in return for payment."
"Uh, what kind of help?" Alexander asked.
"Recently, a group of bandits has been robbing villagers on the roads near the village. I hope you can help clear them out, and I will pay you 100 dinars," the village chief explained.
After he finished speaking, the system's voice also sounded.
[Quest Triggered: Clear the Bandits around Reiperite]
[Quest Reward: Experience +100, System Coins +100]
Alexander promptly agreed to the village chief's request. After all, tasks that offered both dinars and experience with system coins were rare.
Without delay, Alexander, who had just recruited warriors and wanted to test their combat abilities, led his ten warriors along the path outside the village.
They hadn't gone far when they saw several raggedly dressed individuals standing by the roadside. Upon seeing Alexander and his group, the individuals quickly turned and walked away in a hurry.
However, the sharp-eyed Alexander still noticed the weapons hidden under their clothes.
"Don't run!"
Alexander shouted and took the lead in chasing after them.
With an agility score of 10, he moved like a robust athlete, striding quickly.
Seeing that they couldn't escape, the bandits turned around, hurriedly drawing their weapons to fight.
They numbered only seven and their weapons were quite crude.
But they had an inherited battle tactic—throwing stones.
Several stones were hurled towards Alexander.
He quickly raised his oak shield to protect his head, neck, and other vital areas.
After the bandits had thrown their stones, Alexander thrust his longsword into the ground, drew throwing knives from his waist, and hurled them at the bandits.
Three throwing knives were thrown, two of which missed, but one accurately struck a bandit's arm.
"Heh heh... Ow!"
Alexander smiled in satisfaction, as long as he could wound the enemy. He peeked out from behind his shield to check the result, only to be struck squarely on the head by a stone.
"Damn it!" Alexander's head instantly swelled with a large bump. "Attack!"
The new recruits from Saint Martin quickly drew their iron swords and charged, and soon both sides were entangled in a melee.
A spectacular chicken fight ensued, with the bandits and recruits wildly hacking at each other, their hits landing more by luck than skill.
In contrast, Alexander, Otto, and Viktor appeared far more professional. Their unified combat method involved first blocking the enemy's slash with their shields, then taking advantage of the enemy's recoil to thrust their swords, often yielding significant results. This was a standard defensive counterattack technique.
Alexander, in particular, excelled due to his high agility, allowing him to react swiftly. From his perspective, the opponents' slashes seemed to move in slow motion, while his thrusts were so fast that they were impossible to defend against.
[Killed a bandit, experience +10]
[Killed a bandit, experience +10]
[Killed a bandit, experience +10]
...
The situation quickly turned one-sided. Alexander's side not only outnumbered the bandits, but they also had three seasoned "veterans" with multiple battles under their belts.
[Saint Martin recruit killed by bandit leader.]
Suddenly, the system's notification shocked Alexander, who turned to see a burly man with disheveled hair wielding a large machete. The bandit leader was engaged in combat with the others, and a fallen Saint Martin recruit lay in a pool of blood at his feet.
Seeing this, Alexander quickly raised his shield and charged forward. The bandit leader sensed something and turned to see Alexander charging with an oak shield.
"Shield bash!"
Alexander shouted, swinging his oak shield with full force. The heavy shield flew through the air and smashed into the bandit leader's jaw, sending him flying. Before hitting the ground, he blacked out and fell unconscious.
When the bandit leader awoke, he found himself tightly bound, along with two of his subordinates. The group that had attacked him was looting their belongings and burying their fallen comrades.
"Boss, what should we do with these guys?" Viktor asked, his face covered in blood.
"Sell them to slavers or ransom brokers," Alexander replied, glancing at the three captives.
While looting, Alexander also checked his experience panel.
- **Level**: 4
- **Strength**: 8
- **Agility**: 10
- **Intelligence**: 6
- **Charisma**: 5
- **Available Attribute Points**: 0
- **Experience**: 590/800
- **System Coins**: 0
The experience had only increased from killing or capturing the bandits and their leader. It seemed that simply clearing out the bandits didn't complete the quest; he needed to return to the village chief to officially complete it.