I Refuse the Tragic Ending

Gwar!

The goblin charged forward.

Kael stepped aside.

The crude blade passed harmlessly beside him.

He grabbed the goblin’s wrist, redirected its momentum, and struck it with the pommel of his sword.

Gyak—!

The goblin collapsed.

The other two rushed him simultaneously. Kael moved backward. His breathing immediately settled into the rhythm of the 4-2-6 Breathing Technique. His movements became smoother.

The second goblin swung wildly. Kael redirected the attack with his blade and stepped inside its guard.

The Returning Tide Sword Manual flowed naturally through his movements. His sword struck the goblin’s shoulder. The creature stumbled backward.

The third goblin attacked from behind. Kael sensed it and twisted his body. The blade narrowly missed. He kicked the goblin’s knee and sent it crashing into the dirt. Kael didn’t give it time to recover. One clean strike ended the fight.

Seeing its companion lose consciousness, the second goblin immediately tried to flee. Kael stared after it. He could chase it. But there was no reason to. He didn’t come here to hunt down goblins. Besides, chasing after it would only take more time. His priority was the herbs.

The goblin disappeared into the forest.

Seeing it, Kael lowered his sword. He looked at the two unconscious goblins. Curiosity was apparent in his eyes.

’Interesting.’

The beta quest never mentioned goblins near the Frostleaf Blossom.

On top of that...

Kael glanced toward the direction the surviving goblin had fled.

’They weren’t supposed to flee in battle.’

”Games and reality are truly way too different.”

However...

’Goblins are not supposed to be here,’ Kael thought. ”Probably another deviation...” he muttered.

Or perhaps they had always been there, and the game simply hadn’t shown them. Either way, Kael wasn’t going to investigate. He had what he came for.

He returned to Eldoris.

By the time he reached the commercial district, the sun had already begun to descend. The old man was still beside his carriage. The moment Benn noticed Kael, he immediately stood.

”You’re back!”

Kael raised a hand.

”Move aside.”

Benn immediately stepped away.

Kael crouched beside the injured creature. Its condition had worsened. The dark coloration around the wound had spread.

Kael frowned.

’It progressed faster than in the game.’

He crushed the Frostleaf Blossom between his fingers and mixed it with a small amount of water. The resulting paste was applied carefully around the wound.

Benn and his daughter watched anxiously.

”What happens now?”

”Let’s just wait.”

Kael stood.

”Give it about ten minutes.”

”Okay.”

Those ten minutes felt longer than they should have. The creature’s breathing remained shallow.

Benn kept staring at it.

His daughter stood nearby, nervously holding her hands together.

Then the creature’s ears twitched. Its eyes opened. The dark coloration around the wound gradually disappeared. The little beast slowly lifted its head.

Benn released a breath he had apparently been holding the entire time.

”Snowbell...”

His daughter immediately rushed forward. The creature weakly licked her hand. Kael watched silently.

Then he said, ”Looks like it’s fine now.”

After Snowbell had finally recovered, Benn looked genuinely relieved.

The old merchant carefully stroked the small magical beast’s head, watching as Snowbell peacefully rested against his daughter’s arm. The frost-like markings across its white fur had regained their faint blue glow, and the exhaustion that had plagued it earlier was almost completely gone.

Benn approached him. Relief was evident on his face.

”I don’t know how to thank you,” Benn said.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small pouch.

”Please, take this. It’s the least I can do.”

Kael glanced at the pouch in Benn’s hand.

He already knew what was inside.

Gold coins.

In the game, this was the normal conclusion to the quest. Players who chose the appropriate dialogue option could receive an even better reward, including an Enhancement Stone and several pieces of low-grade ore in addition to the gold.

And that was it. The quest would normally end there. The player accepted Benn’s gratitude, collected the gold, ores, and Enhancement Stone, and the side quest would be marked as complete.

Kael had intended to do the same. At least, that was what he had originally planned. His hand paused before reaching for the pouch.

Then he reconsidered.

This wasn’t a game anymore.

There was no quest notification waiting to appear in front of him. No predetermined rewards. No invisible system deciding whether an NPC had become an ally.

Benn was a real person. And more importantly, he was a merchant from the North. Kael’s gaze briefly fell toward the pouch.

He remembered Benn’s character from the game. Benn was straightforward and valued those who treated him sincerely. He also wasn’t the sort of person who could accept someone’s kindness without repaying it.

If Kael simply accepted the gold and left, their interaction would probably end there.

But if he handled this properly, he could gain something much more valuable than a handful of coins.

Connection and a long-term shop. In the future, he would be needing more of those materials, especially high-grade ones.

Kael quietly pushed the pouch back.

”You don’t have to give me a reward.”

Benn blinked.

”Why not?”

Kael rubbed the back of his head.

”I only did what I felt was right.” He paused, then casually added, ”Besides, I was just looking for something when I came to the market.”

Benn tilted his head.

”What were you looking for?”

”Some low-grade ores and Enhancement Stones.”

Kael shrugged.

”I need them for upgrading my equipment, but I couldn’t find any suitable ones in the market.”

Benn’s expression suddenly changed.

His eyes lit up.

”Low-grade ores and Enhancement Stones?”

Kael looked at him.

’This is it,’ he thought.

”Yes.”

Benn stared at Kael for a moment before suddenly laughing.

”Hahaha. Then you’ve come to the right person!” He patted his chest proudly. ”I’m a merchant, after all.”

Kael raised an eyebrow.

”A merchant?”

”Didn’t I mention that?”

”No.”

”Hahaha. I must have forgotten.”

Benn looked considerably more enthusiastic now.

”As it happens, I have both low-grade ores and Enhancement Stones with me. They’re not particularly valuable, so I keep them as spare stock whenever I travel.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly. That was convenient. But he wasn’t about to complain.

Benn immediately reached for the pouch.

”If you need them, I’ll give them to you as your reward.”

Kael shook his head.

”No.”

Benn froze.

”No?”

His jaw almost dropped.

Kael smiled.

”Instead of giving them to me for free, can you sell them to me instead?”

Benn stared at him

”You want to buy them?”

”Yes.”

”But I was going to give them to you.”

Kael smiled faintly and glanced at the pouch of gold Benn had offered earlier.

”But I’d rather pay for them,” he said.

There was no reason for Kael to pretend otherwise. Money wasn’t something he needed to worry about. As the heir of the Grayford household, having enough money to purchase a few low-grade ores and Enhancement Stones was hardly a concern.

What mattered to him was establishing a relationship with Benn. If Benn sold him the materials, it would be a normal business transaction.

Neither of them would owe the other anything. And more importantly, it gave Kael a reason to interact with Benn again in the future.

Benn looked at him strangely.

”You really don’t want a reward?”

”I’d rather purchase something I actually need.”

Kael gave him a small smile.

”That way, you get paid for your goods, and I get the materials I came here looking for. Seems fair to me.”

Benn was silent for a moment. Then he laughed.

”Hahaha. You really are an unusual young man.”

Kael merely shrugged.

”I’ve been told that before.”

Benn shook his head with a smile.

”Fine. Since you insist on buying them, I’ll sell them to you.”

Kael nodded.

”Then we have a deal.”

”But you saved Snowbell’s life. So if you want some of my stock, I’ll be happy to sell it to you in the future.”

Kael’s eyes lit up. This time, he didn’t bother hiding his excitement. He couldn’t help but think that perhaps this was one of the biggest differences between the game and reality.

In the game, completing a quest meant receiving a reward. In reality, sometimes the greatest reward was simply making sure the right person remembered you.

Now this was interesting.

”Really?”

”Really.”

Benn laughed.

”That sounds good to me.”

Kael was genuinely happy.

”I have low-grade iron ore, copper ore, a few pieces of moonstone, and several enhancement stones. Nothing particularly valuable, but they should be suitable for what you’re looking for.”

Kael almost smiled.

Moonstone too?

The outcome was more than he wished for.

Or perhaps...

Kael’s knowledge of the game was simply becoming more useful than he had anticipated. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

”Then I’ll take a look at everything you have.”

”Certainly.”

Benn happily gestured toward the road.

”My goods are stored at the inn nearby. We can go there and take a look.”

Kael nodded.

”Let’s go.”

As they began walking, Kael glanced at Snowbell.

The little white beast walked alongside Benn’s daughter, its fluffy tail swaying gently.

Kael looked ahead.

A side quest that should have ended with a simple reward had unexpectedly turned into a long-term business connection.

’Not bad.’

Once again, the game knowledge in his head had paid off exactly as expected. But if there was one thing Kael had learned since arriving in this world, it was this:

Knowing the game didn’t mean he could blindly follow its script. It meant he could recognize opportunities before everyone else did.

And Benn had just handed him one.