I Thought It Was a Healing Farming Game Chapter 11

There were various kinds of part-time jobs related to the ranch, and they were a great way to level up different skills and build up creditworthiness.

“This is my way of thanking you for pulling my cart. I’m trusting you with this, so do your best.”

Even though my failure would lower Grandma Mael’s recommendation-based credit rating, she had readily entrusted me with work at her farm.

“Thank you! I’ll do my very best not to let you down! I know I can do it.”

“What a good girl. Keep it up. Then I’ll see you again at the farm.”

Milk Delivery Part-Time Job: Deliver milk to the tavern, general store, and bakery, then collect stamps on the receipts and submit them.

Deadline: 4:00 p.m. today

Job Requirements: (Removed) None

Pay: 5 gold, Creditworthiness +3

“Here are the receipts. Take the appropriate amount of milk from the cart for each shop and have them stamp these for you.”

There were three receipts in total, one for each shop: the tavern, general store, and bakery.

I took out my map, unfolded it, and calculated the distances between the three locations.

I’ll go to the general store first, then the tavern, and finally the bakery at the far end!

Miel. Level 1

Beneath my precious little Level 1 indicator, an hourglass icon appeared.

Milk Delivery Part-Time Job: Receipt Stamps 0/3

The deadline was 4:00 p.m., when the Town Hall closed.

If I failed to submit the receipts today, not only would I lose my day’s wages, but my creditworthiness would also drop even further.

Then Grandma Mael’s kindness would all go to waste.

I can’t disappoint her.

I steeled myself and grabbed the cart.

Stamina: 75/100

My stamina was in pretty decent shape.

Without wasting a moment, I started pulling the milk cart toward the delivery locations.

The problem was that the shortcut to the general store was incredibly narrow.

If someone comes from the opposite direction, we’ll block each other and I’ll lose time.

After a brief moment of deliberation, I turned the cart around and headed for the wider main road instead.

“Ugh. It’s fine. I can handle this much…!”

I am Patrasche!

Sweating buckets, I pulled the cart along for quite some time.

“Phew, the weath, er’s nice!”

It should have been about a fifteen-minute walk, but with the heavy load, it took a good thirty minutes.

Jingle—!

“Welco— Oh, you’re the milk delivery person.”

The general store owner greeted me with wide eyes.

“Hello! The milk deliv— huff— ery is here… Where should I put it?”

“Hmm, come this way first.”

He looked at me suspiciously as I panted for breath, but he still led me to the storage room behind the general store.

“Each one holds five or ten liters. Can you really carry them by yourself? Let me help you.”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. This is my job, so…!”

“Enough. Just move aside for now.”

The man passed me and walked up to the cart.

Then he easily lifted two of the milk cans, one in each arm.

Seeing him do that, I hurried over to the cart, not wanting to fall behind.

But my stats were still so low that the moment I lifted a can, its weight made my whole body sway.

“Urgh…”

Grinding my teeth out of sheer stubbornness, I followed the general store owner.

I tried to put the milk cans in the cold-storage room, but he waved his hand as if telling me to leave it alone.

“Judging by the look of you, you haven’t been in the village long. Just leave it. You’ve got more than one or two places to deliver to, haven’t you?”

I no longer had the strength to keep stubbornly insisting, so I staggered and set the can down.

“T-thank you…”

I rotated my aching wrists, then crouched down to catch my breath.

If my skill level went up or my strength improved, it probably wouldn’t be this exhausting.

I should work every day until I get used to it. And exercise, too.

Strength +1

Pulling the cart had increased my strength a little. Just a tiny bit.

Of course, the amount of stamina I used up was far greater.

“You’re a new face. Is this your first time doing milk deliveries?”

“Yes. Just for today, at least…! Grandma Mael entrusted me with the job.”

“Really? That old lady did?”

“I saw her pulling a cart this morning, so I helped her, and she gave me the job.”

“Hmm.”

Affection +2

His gruff, guarded attitude softened a little.

“How long have you been here?”

“Just since yesterday! I registered as a resident at Town Hall today.”

I smiled as I took the receipt out of my inventory and showed it to him.

“Here’s the receipt. Oh, my name is Miel! I look forward to working with you!”

I should always make a proper effort to greet people.

I bowed politely.

“You only arrived yesterday, and you’ve already got Grandma Mael vouching for you. Not bad.”

The general store owner stamped the receipt with a loud thump and offered me some encouragement.

“Keep it up, kid. We’ve got pretty much everything you might need here, so stop by if there’s anything you’re looking for.”

“Yes, sir! I’ll see you again!”

I took the stamped receipt and left the general store with a bright smile.

Milk Delivery: Receipt Stamps 1/3

I’d finished the first one.

Feeling even more excited, I pulled the cart energetically toward the tavern.

Just then, a notification window suddenly popped up.

Ding!

-Tutorial-

Another window appeared beside it with a cheerful chime.

Managing Your Stamina Is Essential!

The stamina value displayed beside your profile plays a very important role.

When your stamina is high, you can carry out all activities with ease. When it’s low, your overall efficiency decreases.

When your stamina drops below 50, your body begins to feel fatigued. If it falls below 30, your efficiency and skill-learning speed decrease.

When your stamina falls below 20, negative effects will occur that interfere with your activities the following day.

When your stamina reaches 0, you will collapse on the spot.

Please manage your stamina through adequate rest, meals, and potions!

If you overexerted yourself doing something during the day, you’d suffer minor ailments like muscle soreness or body aches the next day.

“I, huff, know that too…”

But I couldn’t afford to waste such a precious part-time job I’d managed to get on my very first day!

“Urgh…”

Stamina: 53/100

Still, looking at my stamina bar, I could manage a little longer.

Determined not to disappoint Grandma Mael, I squeezed every last bit of strength out of my body and kept going until the very end.

Jingle—.

I soon arrived at the tavern.

“Milk delivery, here…!”

The same employee I’d seen yesterday came out from the back of the shop carrying a large glass bottle.

“Yes. Please pour it in here.”

As the employee went back inside to fetch more glass bottles, I glanced at the milk cans in the cart.

I swallowed hard, wrapped both arms around a can, and lifted it.

Holding my breath against its considerable weight, I tilted the can and began pouring the milk into the glass bottle the employee had brought over.

“You ordered fifteen liters of milk, right? It’ll all fit into these three bottles.”

“Yeees.”

I answered with difficulty as I filled the glass bottles to the brim.

With the employee watching, I couldn’t exactly let on how much I was struggling.

Stamina: 33/100

I’m going to die.

I picked up the last milk can and tilted it toward the bottle.

My hands were trembling so badly that I thought I was about to drop it, when suddenly, the weight in my arms grew lighter.

“Well, well. Who do we have here?”

At the voice calling from behind me, I raised my head.

“Hello, valued customer.”

My eyes met Kais’s smiling face.

At some point, he’d taken the milk can from my hands and was pouring the milk into the bottle in one smooth motion.

“Gasp…!”

When I nearly had a heart attack, Kais spoke calmly, as if to reassure me.

“I’m not spilling it, I’m not spilling it.”

Despite the milk gushing out as though it would all splash right over the sides, not a single drop spilled.

The task was over in an instant. Overwhelmed with gratitude, I was just about to bow and thank him when—

I spotted someone sprawled out on the floor nearby and let out a startled cry.

“Eek!”

“You’re a regular little crow, aren’t you?”

I was too shocked to even hear Kais’s casual teasing.

Kais reached out, grabbed the man lying on the floor by the back of his neck, and lifted him up.