Chapter 76

Two days later, perhaps about an hour after entering the tributary marked by a distinctive rock, the narrow stream was covered with moss-like growth, and the surroundings were a dense, lush forest. The strong sunlight did not reach where Al and the others were, and despite it being around mid-morning, it was somewhat dim. However, the area was filled with a stifling heat. Orson, who was sitting on a chair created by a transportation spell right behind Al, who was leading the way, pointed to the upper right.

"There it is, those fruits. No doubt about it."

In the direction Orson pointed, about twenty oval-shaped lumps, each about ten centimeters long, hung from a single tree. They were generally gray-green in color and covered with thorns.

"Is that our destination?"

"Yeah, that's it. That's a Jibechinus tree. Jibechinus trees are supposed to grow only in the eastern forest of the capital, but for some reason, they also grow around here. I was looking for one of these."

Al tilted his head at Orson's answer. Weren't they here to find Raindrops? Why were they looking for a Jibechinus tree?

"Don't look at me like that. Raindrops can only be found in the soil around Jibechinus trees. And I'm talking about the ones that grow naturally, not those planted by humans. Since Raindrops were discovered, many people have tried planting Jibechinus trees in their fields, but they couldn't get Raindrops to grow."

"Does that mean we can find Raindrops here too?"

Orson smiled and nodded.

"How did you know all that?"

Madoc said, impressed.

"Back in the capital, there used to be a stall selling Jibechinus fruits. I heard it from the old lady there. I'll tell you the full story later. Let's go."

Orson urged them impatiently. The four of them hurried toward the Jibechinus tree.

"Wait a moment..."

When they were about thirty meters from the tree, Al held out his hand to stop everyone. Something covered in brown fur was on a nearby branch. It might be an Ishinagebongo, but it was hard to see clearly because of the dense green foliage. If it was part of a group, it could be troublesome. They had encountered one in the forest the day before and had to hide and wait for it to pass. A group of over fifty moving together was quite intimidating. Al quietly informed the others and they moved to the shade of a nearby tree.

"Wait a moment."

*Enhanced Perception*

*Floating Eye*

Al moved the floating eye to confirm the identity of the brown-furred creature. The transparent eye approached without being detected. It was indeed a magic beast, an Ishinagebongo, about the size of an adult human. It seemed to have already noticed Al and the others and was staring intently at the tree where they were hiding. However, there was only one Ishinagebongo, and no sign of the rest of the group.

"It's just one. I'll check the surroundings."

Al raised the floating eye above the trees, about thirty meters high. There were only birds and small monkeys or rodents there. Larger creatures might not climb that high. He gradually lowered the height but found no other Ishinagebongo.

"It might be a straggler from the group. One shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you sure? It won't call for help or anything?"

Orson looked around while speaking. Madoc looked anxious.

"If there's no group nearby, we should be fine if we take it down quickly. If it starts making noise, we can just run. I don't think we need to overthink it."

Nijera nodded at Orson's words. Madoc also agreed.

"Alright, let's get closer. I've heard that one Ishinagebongo is about as strong as a lizardman. If it looks doable, Nijera and Al, you attack. Madoc, guard the two of us with your shield. I'll keep watch from the back."

Orson jumped off Al's chair and drew his sword. Nijera switched from her sword to her bow and nocked an arrow. Madoc held up his large shield and walked at the front. They could shoot from a distance, but for a one-hit kill, they needed to get closer.

They gradually approached. They were definitely less than thirty meters away. Al and Nijera nodded to each other. Nijera adjusted her stance and drew her bow. At the same time, Al cast a magic arrow spell.

Nijera's arrow and Al's glowing blue magic arrow struck the Ishinagebongo in quick succession. It fell to the ground with a thud without making a sound.

"Got it!" "Good job!"

After confirming that nothing else happened, Al and the others approached the fallen Ishinagebongo. The magic beast was clearly dead and didn't move at all.

"What do we do with the corpse? I don't really feel like eating a monkey, even if it is a magic beast. Should we bury it?"

Madoc, who seemed to eat anything, apparently had no appetite for monkeys.

"Yeah, there's no bounty on Ishinagebongo, and we haven't seen any barbarians around here. We can just cover it with some dirt. More importantly, let's find the Raindrops."

Magic beasts and barbarians that harm humans are rewarded by the rulers, but there was no such reward for Ishinagebongo. Orson started searching the ground. Al pulled out a knife and began cutting fur from the Ishinagebongo.

"What are you doing? Are you going to use the fur for something?"

Madoc asked curiously.

"Yeah, I can't use it yet, but I got a spell called 'Animal Transformation.' It seems that to transform, you need to have seen the creature and perform a registration ritual using a part of its body. Ishinagebongo is called a magic beast, but it looks like an animal, right? So, I thought I'd try the registration ritual when I can use the spell..."

"Wow, that's interesting."

"Hey, I found them!"

Orson pointed under a large rock he had flipped over. There were about twenty small, pale blue objects, each about the size of a bird's egg, neatly lined up in a row.

"Wow, these are Raindrops?"

"Yeah, we might not always find them, but this is a good start. Twenty of them. Before we left, I checked the price at the Adventurer's Guild, and they buy them for thirty silver coins each. That's six gold coins in total. There should be more Jibechinus trees around here. Let's keep looking."

Al and the others nodded in agreement.

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**Jibechinus (Dulio Jibechinus):** Imagine something like a durian. The tree can grow up to about twenty meters tall, so it's plausible that it could grow in a jungle.

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