novelraw Chapter 28 : Chopping Trees for God-Tier Loot
Chapter 28 : Chopping Trees for God-Tier Loot
Rozelite frowned as she flipped through the stack of commission slips, with Russell of course looking on as well.
Clear the sewers. Shovel the snow.
Just like the receptionist said, these were all “anyone can do them” commissions—tedious, yes, but not dangerous. Perfect for greenhorn adventurers. And judging from the local prices, finishing just one of them would at least guarantee a full meal for the day.
But Rozelite and Russell weren’t here just to earn enough for dinner.
These tasks, while simple, were far too time-consuming. For someone inexperienced, it could take an entire day to finish one.
That clearly wasn’t going to meet their needs.
“Isn’t there some kind of monster subjugation with really low difficulty? Something even an E-rank could accept?” Rozelite pressed.
She thought a moment, then ventured timidly, “For example… uh, slimes?”
The receptionist shook her head.
“Sorry, even the lowest monster subjugation requires D-rank or higher.”
“As for slimes, those are so weak a farmer with a hoe could swat them down. They only spawn in damp, dark places, pose no threat to humans, and drop practically nothing of value. They’re complete trash mobs—so naturally, no one would ever post a commission for them.”
Russell: “…”
Why did that feel like a personal insult?
Rozelite kept scanning the slips, unwilling to give up.
“Isn’t there at least something that pays a little faster… huh?”
Her eyes landed on one particular notice.
【Ongoing Firewood Procurement】
【1 copper coin / 10 catties】
“You’re considering a logging commission?” the receptionist tilted her head.
“Well, yes, that’s fairly common. There are plenty of trees in Dieppe Forest to cut. A tree that’s grown for about ten years weighs around 500 catties. If you can haul it back, you’ll earn 50 copper coins.”
On the frigid northern continent, firewood was essential for every household. That made it expensive—always in steady demand.
“This one!”
Rozelite’s eyes lit up.
“Little miss, you…”
The receptionist gave her a once-over.
When her gaze lingered on Rozelite’s thin arms and legs, she couldn’t help but caution:
“It sounds simple, but cutting and splitting wood is hard labor. And the forest isn’t always safe—there are monsters, too…”
“No problem! Don’t worry, big sister!”
Rozelite patted her chest.
It was only tree chopping. She’d done it before.
Back when they had camped in the forest, it was thanks to Russell’s lumbering that they made it through the night.
But just as she was about to bound off in excitement, Russell’s voice echoed in her mind.
“Hold up. Cutting the wood’s fine—but how are you planning to carry it back?”
“Eh?”
Rozelite froze.
Right.
If one tree weighed 500 catties, was she supposed to haul the whole thing back to town on her own spindly arms?
Not a chance.
“Then… can’t Mr. Slime do it?” she asked hopefully.
“….”
Russell was speechless.
Sure, he could probably move 500 catties himself. That wasn’t the issue.
The problem was—he could only act through Rozelite’s body. And in her current [Severely Injured] state, every time he controlled her movements he had to be extremely careful not to push too hard and burst past her fragile limits.
Physics just didn’t allow for it.
When the receptionist saw Rozelite shuffle back with her head down, she sighed.
“Big sister,” Rozelite asked meekly, “if someone takes a firewood commission, how do they usually transport it back?”
“No need to worry. The Guild rents out flatbed carts.”
“Rents… them?”
“Five copper coins per day.”
The receptionist held up five fingers with a smile.
Rozelite’s vision darkened.
Russell sighed.
“Pay it. It’s a necessary expense.”
“Oh, and,” the receptionist added cheerfully, “besides carts, we also rent horses and wagons. Axes for chopping, too—they’re not expensive, just—”
“I-I’ll just take the cart!”
Rozelite blurted.
Her hands trembled as she counted out the copper coins from her pocket.
Half an hour later.
Rozelite was trudging down the snowy road toward the forest, dragging a flatbed cart behind her.
She counted her remaining money.
There really wasn’t much left.
“Ugh… at this rate, we won’t even have enough for food, let alone travel expenses.”
Her face was scrunched in misery, her steps heavy.
Life was hard. Even a little girl had to sigh.
“Don’t be discouraged. Firewood is just a stopgap.”
Russell tried to comfort her.
“Didn’t you hear what the receptionist said? E-ranks level up quickly. Work hard for two or three days and you’ll reach D-rank. This whole setup is just to weed out newbies. Once you’re D-rank, you’ll be able to accept monster subjugations. Then the money will come in fast.”
“…I hope so.”
After about two hours trekking across snow-covered wilderness, the edge of the Dieppe Forest came into view.
In the kingdom’s northern climate, the forest was filled with hardy evergreens, difficult to cut.
That was precisely why firewood prices remained high—genuine hard currency.
Rozelite stopped before a tree that didn’t look too thick. By her rough estimate, it weighed at least 400 catties. She marked it as her target.
“Stand back a little. I’ll handle it,” Russell said.
He was planning to use 【Wind Magic】 to bring it down in one stroke, then split it afterward.
But before he could act, Rozelite bent down and pulled an axe from under the cart.
Back at the Guild, after much hesitation, she had rented one.
The cost: 3 copper coins per day. Painful, but she’d done it anyway.
“Thinking about it… I’ve left everything to you until now, Mr. Slime. That doesn’t feel right. I don’t know how much I can do, but at least when it comes to chopping trees—let me contribute too!” she declared, gripping the axe tightly.
Russell: “…You really don’t need to prove yourself this way.”
“Yaaahhh!”
Rozelite shouted, mustering all her strength as she swung the axe hard into the trunk.
Thump—!
The dull sound rang out.
The tree gave the faintest little wobble.
The axe blade left only the shallowest hairline scratch on the dark bark.
Then, the recoil jolted straight up the handle, numbing her arms so badly she nearly dropped the axe entirely.
Russell sighed.
“Alright, enough. You should just—”
But before he could finish—
A flash of silver dropped straight from the branches above!
Thud!
It struck Rozelite squarely on the head before bouncing to the ground.
Russell turned.
There, lying quietly in the snow, was a dainty silver short sword, gleaming faintly under the winter light.
“Oww! That hurt!”
Rozelite clutched her head, face scrunched in pain.
“Mr. Slime, what just fell down?”
“…Mr. Slime?”
Russell didn’t answer.
His eyes were wide, staring at the short sword in disbelief, thunder booming in his mind.
No way.
Could it be—those mobile games from his past life were right all along?
Chop a tree, drop a god-tier weapon?!