Chapter 18: Rewards

Chapter 18: Rewards As the final embers of magic faded from the air and the dust settled over the battlefield, silence reigned. Corpses of Orcs lay scattered, burned or broken, while the shattered remains of tents and war banners flapped weakly in the wind. I stood at the center of the chaos, the ground beneath me still warm from the detonations. My breathing was steady. Controlled. Victory—hard-earned—felt almost quiet in its arrival. Then the notifications began to pour in, one after another. [Quest Updated: Path of Hero – Complete] [You have acquired: Field Trophy – Orc Lord’s Head] [You have acquired: Field Trophy – Troll Lord’s Head] [You have obtained: Unique Item – Orc Lord’s Halberd] [You have obtained: Rare Weapon – Troll Bone Club] [You have learned a new skill: Warlord’s Command (Orc Lord)] [You have learned a new skill: Frenzied Charge (Orc Lord)] [You have learned a new skill: Regenerator’s Wrath (Troll Lord)] [You have learned a new skill: Savage Quake (Troll Lord)] I blinked as each notification flashed bright before my eyes, then faded with satisfying chimes. "Puddle, we hit the jackpot," I muttered with a grin, kneeling beside the massive fallen form of the Troll Lord. My slime companion jiggled happily in response. The heads were grotesque trophies, but essential. The questline had specifically required them as proof of victory over the local war leaders. The Orc Lord’s head, with its cracked tusks and battle-worn face, looked menacing even in death. The Troll Lord’s, by comparison, was heavier and monstrous, its features twisted in a frozen mask of rage. I dismissed the heads into my inventory, where they turned into shimmering quest tokens. Just seeing them there felt satisfying. Next were the weapons. The Orc Lord’s Halberd was massive—nearly taller than me—with a jagged obsidian blade and veins of glowing red magic etched along its shaft. Orc Lord’s Halberd Type: Polearm – Unique Attack Power: 690 Strength requirement: 1,000 Dextrity Requirement : 600 Special Effect: Executioner’s Edge: Increases damage by 50% against enemies below 30% HP Battle Roar: Temporarily boosts nearby allies’ attack by 20% (Cooldown: 60 seconds) Durability: 800/800 I couldn’t equip it—it required absurd Strength—but it would sell for a fortune or make the perfect trade chip later. Next came the Troll Bone Club—brutal and thick, made from what looked like fossilized spine segments and metal bindings. Troll Bone Club Type: Blunt Weapon – Rare Attack Power: 580 Strength requirement: 800 Dextrity Requirement : 500 Special Effect: Bonecrush: Chance to stun on heavy hits Flesh Memory: Slight health regen with every kill Durability: 700/700 "Another one for the vault," I muttered. It would also require a Strength-focused build—not my style. Then came the real rewards: the skills. Two from each boss. I quickly opened my status and scrolled to the new entries. [Warlord’s Command] Type: Active – Support Shout a command that boosts the Attack Power and Movement Speed of allies within range by 20% for 10 seconds. Mana Cost : 200 Cooldown: 60 seconds (Source: Orc Lord) [Frenzied Charge] Type: Active – Physical Charge forward in a straight line, dealing damage and knocking back enemies in your path. Gains increased power if user is below 50% HP. Cooldown: 2 minute Mana Cost: 180 (Source: Orc Lord) [Regenerator’s Wrath] Type: Passive When health falls below 30%, gain a burst of healing equal to 10% max HP every 5 seconds for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes (Source: Troll Lord) [Savage Quake] Type: Active – Magic/Physical Hybrid Slam the ground with amplified strength, creating a localized shockwave that stuns enemies for 3 seconds and deals area damage. Mana Cost: 380 Cooldown: 3 minute (Source: Troll Lord) "Good haul," I murmured, a grin tugging at the corners of my lips. I couldn’t help it. Everything about the rewards—the trophies, the weapons, the boss-grade skills—was beyond what I expected. But it was Warlord’s Command that truly made my pulse quicken. For someone like me... someone with the Ancient Tamer class... this skill was a godsend. Just before arriving at this battlefield, I’d been silently brooding over how I wasn’t able to buy an tamer skill. And then fate handed me Warlord’s Command—granted, it wasn’t purely a tamer-exclusive skill, but it was close enough. It gave me something that is really useful to me. Buffing every summon within range? That meant my entire beast team, can be Amplified by an Single Skill. I clenched my fist, feeling the magic still flickering at my fingertips. This was just the beginning. "Now," I muttered, voice low and thoughtful, "only two more Tribe Lords remain..." My eyes turned toward the distant edge of the Black Forest, where the mist ran thicker and shadows crept deeper. "The Dire Wolf Alpha... and the Goblin Twin Lords." If the Orc Lord was brute strength and the Troll Lord was unkillable regeneration, these next two were something else entirely. They moved in packs. Dire Wolves didn’t fight alone—they surrounded, harassed, flanked. Their Alpha didn’t just lead from the front; it coordinated like a tactician, using terrain and timing like a seasoned commander. The Goblins, on the other hand... were chaos. Individually weak, but their Twin Lords were intelligent and cunning. One commanded goblin mages. The other? Warrior. A deadly combo—Close and Ranged one. "No poison weakness this time," I murmured, pacing slowly past the broken battlefield. "No brute I can bait. They’ll move, coordinate... swarm." Still, I wasn’t discouraged. "Quest’s already marked complete, sure," I thought, recalling the blinking confirmation notification that had long faded from my vision. "But I know this game. Bring more than the objective? Bring trophies no one expects? There’s always a bonus. Always hidden content." And if anyone deserved it right now, it was me. I’d killed not one, but two Field Bosses back-to-back. Unlocked multiple boss-tier skills. Acquired elite gear. My stats—enhanced by the Magic Swordsman Set—were sitting comfortably above the curve. My mana regeneration had improved. My damage—both magical and physical—was amplified. My survivability was up thanks to Mana Shield and Regenerator’s Wrath. And I wasn’t alone. "Puddle," I called softly. Kyuu~ the slime chirped from its perch on my shoulder, glowing faintly. "Skills are ready. Gear’s upgraded. And with you at my side?" I smirked. "We’re good. More than good."