Reputation and Relationship ranks.
Both systems were crucial aspects of the game-like world Riley now found himself in, and while they were similar on the surface, he understood the nuances that separated them.
Reputation was broad—it referred to how he was perceived by an entire group, be it a guild, a race, or a faction.
The more positive deeds he did in front of a collective group, the better his standing.
Likewise, any wrong move, any offense committed in full view of a crowd or to the leader of the ground, could swiftly plummet it.
Relationship Rank, however, was different.
That was personal.
It dealt with how a single NPC viewed him—based on individual interactions, words spoken, and even combat prowess displayed in private.
And so, while Reputation could crumble from one public incident, Relationship was more intimate, more nuanced… and far more flexible when handled one-on-one.
Riley's eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced back at Burus, who was still trembling like a wet mutt caught in a storm.
'Since he's the only one who saw me,' Riley thought, 'This won't affect my Reputation with the rest of the novice village. They don't know what happened here. They didn't see me consume those monsters.'
He was right.
Had this happened in the center of the village—say, in the marketplace or near the quest board—he might've faced consequences far more troublesome.
One wrong look at a crowd of NPCs, and his Reputation with them could've fallen from "Neutral" to "Hostile" in a heartbeat.
There were stories in the forums about players being blacklisted from towns altogether, unable to shop or take quests because of some slip-up with the system.
But here?
This was different.
Only Burus saw what had happened. And though the man looked terrified out of his mind, the notification that appeared moments ago had confirmed something unexpected.
[Relationship with "Burus Cornhead" has shifted: Neutral —> Respected!]
That shift spoke volumes.
It meant that Burus wasn't just afraid. He was intimidated to the point that he dared not even speak against Riley.
Instead of recoiling or growing suspicious, he'd chosen to submit. That wasn't just respect—it was fear-born reverence.
Riley's lip curled slightly, the smirk returning to his face.
He turned slowly, his gaze locking onto the farmer with unsettling calm.
"But there's something you do know though," Riley said, his tone quiet—but sharp like a blade sliding from its sheath.
Burus froze mid-step, clearly caught trying to edge away from the encounter. His entire body tensed like a hunted animal suddenly realizing the predator still had it in its sights.
He reluctantly turned to face Riley, his eyes flicking down to the bloody spot where the rats had been devoured only moments ago.
"W-what?" He croaked out. The stutter in his voice was clear. His hands twitched at his sides.
Riley narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The boss monster," He said plainly. "Don't tell me you didn't know about that one too?"
Burus's throat moved, the visible gulp loud in the sudden silence. He tried to step back again, but Riley shifted forward—just a single step—and that was enough to lock him in place.
The man looked like he was about to lie. Riley could see it in the way his lips parted, in the instinctive glance downward.
"I didn't—"
"Huh?"
The word was barely a sound, just a quiet exhalation from Riley's mouth. But the way it dropped into the space between them felt like a weight slamming to the ground.
Burus flinched.
"I-I mean!" He said quickly, the stutter worse now, "I only did that because I believed in your great strength!"
Riley raised a brow.
Burus began nodding furiously, his entire demeanour shifting completely, and he started singing songs of praises instead.
"Y-yes, yes! From the moment I first saw you, I knew you weren't like the others! I felt it in my bones, that aura of greatness! Of command! You were destined to survive the impossible!"
Riley resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
'What an asshole,' He thought dryly. 'Lying this hard just to curry favor. As if I'd believe that sudden praise wasn't just fear talking.'
Burus was still going, his words tripping over one another like a child making up a story to avoid punishment.
"Yes, yes! I—I may not have told you about the boss monster, but that's only because… because I didn't want to discourage you! You looked so determined, so full of fire! I couldn't bear to snuff that out!"
'Seriously?' Riley internally grimaced. 'Does he think I'm stupid?'
Still, despite the disgust curling in his gut, he said nothing—just let the man keep talking.
This was better.
He'd already gained Relationship points just from Burus's fear. No reason not to milk it further.
Meanwhile, Burus kept sweating uncontrollably as he stared at Riley.
He couldn't help but feel like any little slip-up, and he would end up like those rat currently resting in Riley's stomach.
But at the same time, he felt like this could be a god-sent opportunity.
'I thought he was just a stupid weakling… but I never knew he was this strong, to take down the boss monster on his own…' He thought, his perception of Riley already taking a drastic change.
He had expected Riley to die to the boss rat.
In fact, he never even believed Riley could take it down in the first place.
One of the reasons he accepted his proposal was because he felt like the situation would be a win-win for him.
He was so sure Riley wouldn't be able to kill the boss rat, but at least he would help whittle down a few of the rats, and at the end of the day, he wouldn't even have to pay a dime!
But remembering what he saw a few minutes ago, he felt like the most stupid man on earth.
'But someone as strong as this, if I manage to befriend him, then…' He thought, his eyes shining with a sharp glint.
Riley simply stared at him, already knowing what kind of thoughts were going through the farmer's mind.
'Whatever though, this favours me anyway.' He thought, his eyes shining with a sharp glint as he stared at the bracelet on the man's hand.
The last time, he only had the ring on, but now, he had two more rings, and one thin, black bracelet.
'Just how many treasures does this guy have?' Riley wondered.
"The reward?"
"Y-yeah… that…" Burus stuttered, seemingly pulling out a small, circular gold coin from thin air.
Riley's eyes shone when he saw this, and he finally realized what the third ring was meant for.
'He even has a storage device.' He thought.
He collected the gold coin, his eyes shining with glee as he stared at it, before pocketing it.
He was still somewhat in disbelief that he had gotten a gold coin, just like that, something which he was barely able to achieve in his past life.
However, the edges of his lips curled up slightly, and he slowly turned back to the farmer.
"But the quest wasn't exactly what you said it would be you know?" He said, slowly moving closer to the man.
The farmer stumbled back, his mouth parting slightly, but no words came out.
"I never expected a boss rat to show up; you hid that from me… shouldn't you compensate for it?" Riley said, narrowing his eyes at the man.
Burus felt chills crawl down his spine at his gaze alone, the image of Riley devouring those rats playing over and over again in his mind.
Before he knew it, he started stepping back, beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks.
"Huh?" Riley muttered, raising a brow at him. "Or woukd you rath—"
"A-anything! I'll compensate you, just name your price…"
"Deal." Riley said, his lips curling into a warm smile as he placed a hand on Burus' shoulder.
As for the latter, he felt his heart sink, and the hand on his shoulder felt more like that of a devil not human.