Three days later, Leonard and Anika were seen walking down the narrow road toward Old Marrek's wood workshop. From a distance, they could already hear the sound of wood being hammered.

When they stepped into the workshop, the scent of wood greeted them. They were here because Old Marrek requested that they visit and see the barrels before he could seal them with stain to add extra protection to them.

"Hello? Old Marrek! Are you here?" Leonard loudly called out on the door.

"I'm over here, boy!" the old man's rough but cheerful voice came at the end of the workshop.

Anika and Leonard glanced at each other before walking further. Leonard went first, while Anika followed inside. The two of them looked around the place.

The shop was full of wooden planks, tools, and piles of wood scraps in the corner. However, what caught their eyes were the large barrels standing on the side of the room that were lined up neatly.

"Whoa…" Anika gasped. It was her first time seeing such things. "They're huge!"

"I know, right?" Leonard whistled as he walked closer. "Old Marrek really did it."

From the back, Marek chuckled proudly. He stepped out of his corner and greeted the two after hearing them talking. He wiped his hands on a rag and smiled.

"Of course I did. Just like what I said, I used strong wood on this one. Even stronger than the wood I used on the furniture you asked me to do. And also, as you can see, I used double iron rings and a tight cover. You could roll these all the way down the hill and they wouldn't break."

Leonard chuckled. He touched the barrel and knocked on it. "Whoa, this is really a quality one."

Anika also ran her fingers along the side of one barrel. The wood was smooth and smelled fresh and of quality.

"They look amazing, Sir." She muttered to Old Marrek. "I can tell that you worked hard on them."

"That's because I did," Marrek uttered confidently, followed by a small laugh. "But it was worth it. These will last you a long time. As long as you take care and not destroy them."

Leonard laughed. "Oh well, I'll try not to." He looked around at all the barrels before showing a big thumbs up. He could already tell that the coins he paid for these barrels were all worth it.

"They're perfect. You outdid yourself, Old Marrek."

"I told you you'd get your money's worth." Marrek crossed his arms proudly.

"Yeah, yeah," Leonard said with a grin before turning to Anika. "Looks like we're finally ready to start my new business."

Anika smiled brightly. "So we'll move these to the den after Old Marrek stains them?

'Oh right…' Leonard's grin faded a little when he realized that. He rubbed the back of his neck. "We might have a small problem."

"What problem?" Marrek raised a brow, also intrigued by what they were talking about.

"I just realized that there's no space in the den... The back room is already full of fruits, grains, sugar, everything. I didn't expect the barrels to be this big…" Leonard sighed as he problematically looked at it.

That thought had slipped into his mind because he had gotten too busy and also… excited.

"Oh no… you're right. We can't even fit one through the back door." Anika blinked, her jaw slightly dropping.

"Well, you wanted them large and tight-sealed, didn't you? That's what you got." Marrek scratched his beard, nodding slowly.

"Yeah… that's on me." Leonard let out a helpless laugh.

"So what do we do now?" Anika crossed her arms and looked at the barrels again. She was also getting problematic now that she thought of it.

'Hmm..." Marrek appeared to be thinking. "You could rent a small place or build a shed near your den. But don't store them out in the open as rain and moisture will ruin the wood." He suggested.

Leonard thought for a moment before slowly nodding.

"A shed, huh…" He paused and realized that it does make sense. "I think we need to look for a place…"

Anika smiled. "It's fine, Leonard! We can look at it for today. After all, the gambling den is being taken care of by Gareth and the others.

"I guess that's our only chance." Leonard sighed.

"That will do," Marrek uttered. "It will take 1 day to stain and dry this, so you need to move quickly. Once it's ready, I'll deliver this to the place. I don't want my work collecting dust here."

"Are you sure on that?"

"Of course," Marrek said with a proud smile. "You paid for good barrels. I'll make sure they reach you safely."

"You're a good man, Old Marrek." Leonard's lips curved into a smile as he complimented the man jokingly.

"You fool," Marrek waved him off. "Save the talk and go find a place."

Leonard couldn't help but laugh at Marrek's grumpy tone. "Alright, alright! We'll get going now," he said, still smiling.

Anika also chuckled softly as she followed him toward the door.

"Thank you again, Sir Marrek! We'll come back once we've found a place for the barrels!"

"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure it's a safe one!" Marrek waved them off with his rag.

As they stepped outside, the cool morning air greeted them. The sun was now higher in the sky, and the sound of carts and merchants rolling down the street sounded.

Leonard stretched his arms and took a deep breath.

"Well," he said, glancing at Anika with a small smile, "looks like we have another thing to take care of."

"Yup! Let's hurry before Marrek finishes staining those barrels." Anika grinned.

Leonard nodded, ready to start walking down the road. But then, suddenly, a familiar ringing sound echoed inside his head.

[Ding!]

A blue window appeared in front of his eyes, glowing faintly.

[New Bonus Mission Generated!]

[Mission: Find a Suitable Storage Place.]

[Details: The barrels made by Old Marrek need a proper space for storage. Find or build asafe area within 24 hours before delivery day.]

[Reward: 10 Gold Coins.]

Leonard blinked and stopped in his tracks.

"…You've got to be kidding me."

Anika turned to him, confused. "What's wrong?"

"Ah, nothing! Just… remembered something." Leonard quickly shook his head and smiled awkwardly.

But in his head, he sighed deeply.

'Another mission already, huh… Guess there's no rest for me.'

He rubbed his temple before walking again. "Come on, Anika. Let's get this done before I go crazy."

"Right behind you, boss!" Anika smiled brightly.

As they walked down the road, Leonard couldn't help but sigh again.

'It's been a while since the system gave me a mission,' he thought. 'It's been a week, maybe?'

And now that he was thinking about it, he realized that his 30-day training would end soon. Tomorrow, to be exact!

A small smile tugged at his lips. "Good," he muttered under his breath. "I'm finally going to be done with that shit."

Still, he had to admit that the mission was pretty helpful since it enabled him to be more disciplined, especially in the morning. There were really just lazy days sometimes, but he pushed through by forcing himself even if he didn't want to.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

Leonard blinked and quickly shook his head. "No, nothing! Just… talking to myself." But deep inside, he couldn't help but feel a bit proud.

'I can't believe I've been working out for a month already…' he thought as he flexed his arm a little. 'At first, I couldn't even finish one set of push-ups without gasping for air. Now I can do double that.'

He even recalled that embarrassing moment when he passed out in front of Anika.

'That shit is really embarrassing…' he almost cringed at himself.

For a moment, he allowed himself to feel proud. All the running, the early mornings, the push-ups that used to make him curse under his breath—it all paid off somehow. He could feel the difference now, not just in his body but in the way he carried himself.

"Yeah…" he whispered to himself with a faint smirk. "This is progress."

After a second, he mentally closed the glowing blue window in front of his eyes. The faint light disappeared, and he exhaled softly, pushing his thoughts about the system aside.

He turned to Anika, who was walking beside him while humming a light tune.

"Hey," he called out. "Do you have any idea where we can look for an empty place to store the barrels?"

Anika slowed her steps a bit and looked thoughtful.

"Hmm… wouldn't it be better if we found one near Alder Street?" she suggested after a moment. "That way, it's just close to the gambling den. We can move the barrels easily, and it'll be simpler to check on both businesses."

Leonard tilted his head slightly, considering her words. "Alder Street, huh… that's actually not a bad idea."

She smiled and nodded eagerly. "Right? Plus, that area's not too crowded. I remember there are a few old stalls and sheds for rent around the corner. Maybe we can ask around."

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