Chapter 80. Collecting Leather (6)

Once Yurie started laughing, she couldn't stop.

No, she now openly pointed at Theresa and burst into loud laughter.

"Hehehehehe!"

"......"

Theresa's delicate eyebrows distorted in frustration.

'This is the worst.'

As expected, it was just as she had predicted.

She had deliberately not told her, knowing that this kid would definitely react this way.

But to be found out on the first day...

Theresa's white neck and ears turned red with embarrassment.

Seeing this, Yurie smirked.

"Oh, so that's why you didn't tell me what collecting leather was all about?"

"......"

"But if you were going to get caught anyway, you could have just told me, right?"

"......"

"Come on, did you really think you could avoid me and not run into me?"

Yurie's words hit the mark every time she spoke, and Theresa's shoulders remained tense.

Her worries deepened.

'Can I really suppress this kid?'

I wish I could give her a good whack on the back of the head.

Just as she was thinking this,

Yurie, as if reading Theresa's mind, drew her sword and said,

"Why? Do you want to fight? I'm fine with it. Hmm... Since Tetsuya-senpai is a wolf, it seems only those at the public 1st dan level can become wolves, right?"

"......"

"But that's not all; there must be restrictions on the wolf role, right? Isn't that so? If we fight now, I'm completely welcoming it! Come on! Bring it on!"

Seeing Yurie's finger wagging arrogantly at her, Theresa let out a faint sigh.

'...This kid has already figured out the rules of this quest to some extent.'

Actually, she might as well know almost everything.

The restrictions on each animal.

Knowing this makes it easier to tackle the animals.

It's amazing how she found out so quickly after the quest started.

Moreover, Theresa was pondering how to break this situation.

'Should I just give up the leather instead of forcing a fight?'

While she was thinking this,

a voice penetrated Theresa's ears.

"I'll let you go if you tell me a few things."

Theresa's eyes flashed with distrust.

"Really? You? What's the occasion?"

"Your 'What's the occasion?' is quite annoying... But, since we're neighbors, I'll let you go this time. Just answer well."

"...Neighbors? We have that kind of relationship?"

"No, we don't. Since we don't, let's just fight."

"Actually, now that I think about it, we do."

"......"

"What do you want to know? I'm busy, so ask quickly."

Theresa's eyes, looking at Yurie, turned sleepy.

'Is this person usually like this?'

She had thought Yurie would be proud and haughty.

Initially, that was the case.

But now, it's completely different.

'She's quick-witted and somewhat cunning. She knows how to take care of herself to some extent.'

Was this her true nature that came out as they got closer?

Or did she become like this because of me?

Whatever the reason, it wasn't a good change for Yurie.

'Sigh, it's easier to take advantage of someone who's innocent...'

Sighing inwardly, Yurie continued.

"From what I can see, it looks like the areas are clearly defined, right? The outermost area is for rabbits, then deer, followed by wolves, bears, and tigers? Is that correct?"

"Yes, that's correct."

Smiling slightly at the confirmation of her hypothesis, Yurie asked the next question.

"How many pieces of leather does a wolf receive?"

"How did you...? Ah, well, you would have found out somehow. Wolves receive 10 pieces of leather."

"Then what are the restrictions for wolves? What are the attack conditions?"

"Wolves can take the first move, but the total number of attacks and defenses cannot exceed 200. If it exceeds 200, they must only dodge for 30 minutes."

"Hmm?"

Yurie's eyes changed.

'Interesting.'

In other words, if the wolf attacks 200 times, they can only beat themselves up.

Of course, most people would finish the fight within 200 attacks.

'200 attacks'—Yurie etched this into her mind and asked the next question.

"Then, lastly, who is the bear?"

Theresa hesitated for a moment.

She sighed and answered.

"I don't really know who the bear is. But..."

"......?"

"Among the animals we, the existing riders, can choose, only rabbits, deer, and wolves were available. That's all I can tell you. Can I go now?"

"Sure, sure, thank you for your hard work. Go ahead!"

"Thanks for letting me go."

Theresa left with a slightly pouting expression.

Yurie, who let Theresa go, stroked her chin.

'No problem up to the wolves.'

If she could endure 200 attacks, it would be her world from then on.

Actually, she didn't need to go that far.

A public 1st dan level should be able to handle it before then.

'Wolf territory? Now I'm the king here!'

She didn't know how many wolves there were, but if she could take them all out, she could earn a lot of points.

She was already getting excited.

But that excitement subsided when she looked deeper into the forest.

'Bear...'

Theresa had given her enough clues.

'The roles for the riders are only rabbits, deer, and wolves?'

Then the bear is obvious.

"Black Sword Corps."

The only ones who could take the role of the bear were the Black Sword Corps.

Yurie laughed in disbelief.

"Wow, are you really raising the difficulty so suddenly?"

The Black Sword Corps were at least public 3rd dan level.

So, the bear must also be at least public 3rd dan level.

Hiding or running from them might be possible,

but challenging them head-on would be too much for Yurie.

'I shouldn't enter the bear territory recklessly.'

Well, it didn't matter.

She didn't need to enter the bear territory.

She just needed to stay in the wolf territory and take the leather from anyone who came her way.

"Hehehe, how much will that be?"

The thought of the massive points ahead made Yurie's eyes gleam with madness.

She smiled, looking at where Theresa had disappeared.

"See you again."

The next time they met, there would be no talk of neighbors.

With that thought, Yurie immediately moved.

* * *

Night fell in the Animal Forest.

In the forest, a bonfire burned in the deer area.

Crackling.

Sitting next to the bright bonfire, Yurie was chewing on dried meat while checking her day's harvest.

"One, two, three, four, five..."

Her hands carefully counted each piece of leather.

As the number of leather pieces increased, the corners of Yurie's mouth gradually turned upward.

Finally, when the corners of her mouth reached her ears, she finished the day's tally.

"32 rabbit skins, 12 deer skins, 2 wolf skins."

If she exchanged all of these, she would get 192,000 points.

It was a considerable amount for a day's work.

'If I can do this much every day, or even a bit more, in ten days...'

A faint madness flickered in Yurie's eyes.

It was her obsession with points.

If Johann saw her, he would say, 'She's always been like that.'

He wouldn't be wrong.

She had always been obsessed with wealth.

But it had become more intense recently.

Her madness for points.

It started when Yurie realized her weakness: 'lack of mana and magic power.'

'I can accept losing due to my lack of skill... a hundred times over.'

But to lose because of a sudden lack of mana while fighting well?

'I'd rather die by my own sword!'

It was a terrifying thought.

And it was a worry that had been simmering in her heart.

She had anticipated it.

One day, she might really lose due to a lack of mana.

Just as this worry was consuming her mind,

Yurie, who had taken a low-grade mana enhancement potion, experienced a new world.

Boom!

The fullness!

The freshness!

The sense of achievement!

'Just a low-grade enhancement potion can do this...?'

After experiencing the effects of the potion, Yurie became obsessed with earning points to buy more potions.

Then, something that fueled her obsession fell into her hands.

It was none other than her treasure, the elixir.

[Sigh, you ignorant one. Listen well. The elixir is a potion that appears in legends, and the elixir of the Bone Clan has the same effects.]

Its effect was to replenish an enormous amount of life force, extending one's lifespan and even rejuvenating one.

But the most important effect,

the true reason all mana and magic users dream of the elixir,

[The elixir filters out the impurities in the mana stored in the body. It can purify the body's mana to over 90% purity. Theoretically, 100% purity is possible, but I've never heard of anyone achieving it, so just consider it over 90%.]

Over 90% purity.

When Yurie, who didn't understand how significant this was, made a puzzled expression, Johann told her that his mana purity was about 90%.