Chapter 4: Rewards

"Uhmmm... Guide, how many days had passed since I woke up here?"

[ 54:16:23 ]

"Oh... so it is more than two days, huh."

Reiji asked this question because bags of trash had just arrived. It was brought by several people wearing tattered clothes. They were using a large wheelbarrow to transfer the trash from this place that most likely came from the nearest town.

Well, they were the first people he saw in this new world he was living at. It may not be a good sample since they look like someone living in the bottom of the society but it was still pleasant to find that the humans here were really human-looking.

"Urgh... When will the fated one arrive?~"

Reiji was truly getting bored at this. He was only basking under the warm sunlight, hearing the insects buzz around, and gaze around the trees a little bit away from this garbage dump. Well, it was also to relax his eyes and admire the scenery.

As he observed this place, it was actually a huge pit dug by people. But due to the excessive garbages over the years, it already formed a little mountain where he was currently staying at.

Luckily, the place they dump the new garbages was opposite to his direction. He was probably thrown from a different town in his direction or perhaps there were just many paths from a single town.

That's right, there might be a huge city behind him where there were several gates to leave the place and this garbage dump was a hidden intersection somewhere.

Buzzzzz...

A sound of an insect was heard as he was contemplating.

Well, there was nothing to do. He couldn't move or even talk to someone else except to the guide!

He could only try to have fun by imagining some things or by guessing this land's structure. Aside from that, he could only wait to get miraculously drenched by blood or find someone who will notice him. In any case that this didn't happen, he'll complete the Untouchable mission instead.

Another two days had passed and still, no one saved him from this place. Fortunately or maybe, unfortunately, the garbage collectors from the nearby town had thrown the trashes again opposite to his current place.

It means that they will not notice him since he was a bit far away.

"They won't see the beautiful feature here! Tsk... How can they pick me up if they can't even find me here..."

Reiji was getting a bit worried that no one will actually find him. He doesn't have enough Skill Points to purchase the Sword Kinesis.

Based on the rules confirmed by the Guide, after completing any of his current mission, he will receive a new random mission. That mission may not be similar to Untouchable. So... what if he didn't get a mission like Untouchable that didn't require him to do anything? Thinking about it made him shudder.

As he was trying to scare himself by imagining such things, he started to hear some footsteps together with a dragging sound coming from a wheel.

"Oh! A garbage collector from where I was thrown and collected!"

Reiji was delighted at this realization but unlike from his opposite direction where there was a group of people throwing at the time, this one seems to be working alone.

'Are they only collecting trash every four days? That's not healthy!'

He couldn't help but comment at this. Anyway, he was hoping to be taken away soon.

As long as he was grabbed by this person, it would be possible to communicate with him, and anyway, completing Untouchable can also be done by making an agreement not to get touched after completing the other missions. It will be easier and less stressful as long as someone was aware that he was there.

Right now, he just wanted to leave this mountain of garbage.

He clearly understood that he can only rely on others for now until he strengthened himself and learn the Sword Kinesis to freely roam the world.

Soon, he had a better view of the garbage man.

"Eh? Isn't he too young? Eight? No, about ten years old..."

With his superb vision, he could see that although this young man's clothes were dirty, it was good in quality itself. The cloth used wasn't something that can be compared to the previous garbage men he saw.

He observed the kid as he was struggling to unload the garbage on his wheelbarrow. The kid was sweating profusely and even Reiji wanted to cheer him on...

"You can do it! Just a little bit more..."

Craasshhh!

The collection of trash piled up as the young man successfully tilted the wheelbarrow. It was thrown on farther left of Reiji's side.

A smile on the kid's face can be seen after he did it. The previous men who were throwing garbage in the other direction were looking lifeless as their eyes don't have any trace of hope.

They seem to have given up on their lives, unlike this kid.

Reiji even remembers his small students at the dojo.

Anyway, the kid was small and Reiji was sure that he wasn't someone who had gotten used to working on this kind of job. There were no blisters on his hands and seems like his hands were even from a girl.

After resting for a bit, the kid stood up and accidentally glance at a bamboo sword nearby. It was due to a broken glass beside it that reflected the sunlight catching his attention.

He looked at the bamboo sword for a moment before continuing his stride back to the town.

"Hey! Wait! Don't leave me here!"

Unfortunately, he can't be heard by the young man as he continued to walk away.

"N-no! Come back!"

Reiji could only wait for another chance.

On that night, it rained heavily and Reiji was luckily unable to feel the cold night.

'Sigh~ Just how long...'

After several days...

Ding!

[ Congratulations! You have completed the Untouchable Mission! ]

[ You have received 20 Skill Points ]

[ New Mission Created ]

[ Untouchable ]

[ The host must remain untouched for 10 straight days. If you were touched by any living person, the timer will restart.

Reward: 25 SP ]

"No! Don't tell me..."

***

It happened. Ten uneventful days had passed as he saw the same young man coming here thrice more. His visit seems to be erratic and had no pattern.

He was only glancing at his location from time to time but he never bothers to pick up the sword. He was even trying to avoid the sword from being covered by trash.

"What a good kid..."

Ding!

[ Congratulations! You have completed the Untouchable Mission! ]

[ You have received 25 Skill Points ]

Reiji didn't make the same mistake as he just saved his previous Skill Points and now making a total of 45 SP.

"Tsk! If I didn't waste my free 10 Skill Points, I could have purchased the Sword Kinesis!"

He was regretting his previous excitement as he was now short of 5 SP to acquire the Level 1 Sword Kinesis and the new mission was no longer Untouchable.

[ Teacher ]

[ The host must teach one sword technique to its wielder.

Requirements: Level 1 Take Over, Level 1 Sense Link

Reward: 25 SP ]

"This..."

Reiji could only resign to his fate.

In the next couple of days, something that could change his goal of roaming the world alone has arrived.

It was now his time. He saw the young kid was now bruised and bleeding as he struggled to find a place to hide.

Reiji noticed that he was being followed by several men and realized that they were also the garbage collectors since he remembers each one of them.

Then, the kid struggled as he tried to crawl on his location.

He was trying to reach the sword!

"Oh! Nice one kid. Good decision!"

The garbage collectors were just looking coldly at the kid. They know that they had cornered him and with his bleeding, they were sure that he will die even if they let him go.

Unfortunately, they were paid to present his little head to their employer.