Chapter 18

By the way, I now know what the current possible requests are and have a grasp on the reward amounts.

First, I’ll check the TODO list.

[x] Confirm the difficulty and reward amount of each request

It was more like the difficulty was clearly divided by levels.

The path to the northern forest was somewhat trodden from the village. There seems to be a fair amount of traffic due to the requests. However, given the time, I haven’t encountered anyone. Everyone starts their activities much earlier.

As I absentmindedly look at the road, I see familiar and unfamiliar herbs growing sparsely by the roadside.

"Sure enough, the vegetation is strange. Maybe the god of plants brought them from another world and they started growing from there."

Thinking that they might end up like the Japanese knotweed, I trudge along. After about an hour, the trees start to thin out.

"Hmm. This area is mainly coniferous forest. Is the land poor or is it a matter of divine protection? Japanese red pine, Japanese black pine... There are also cedars and cypresses."

The creatures living in the northern forest probably mainly eat pine nuts and mushrooms.

Ah, they might also strip tree bark.

"Ah, there are also trees I’ve never seen before. They bear fruit, but I don’t know if they’re edible."

I decide to ask Rizathia when I get back and start putting a few of the unfamiliar fruits into a sack. I walk while checking my footing but don’t see any Vaz grass.

"Probably all gone near the entrance."

I check the compass on my smartphone and veer off the path, heading north. I carve a 1 and a north-pointing arrow on the surface of the trees every 5 meters or so with a machete.

"Even with a compass, getting lost is no joke."

The forest isn’t that lush; it doesn’t feel rich enough to be called a forest. Maybe the southern forest was just abnormally dense. As I get deeper into the forest, I start to feel something indescribable.

<Notice. The sensation you are currently feeling is the recognition of mana.>

Mr. 'Scholar' promptly informs me.

This sensation gets stronger, making it harder to sense other things. Honestly, as just a regular person, the sensation of sensing auras is only through the five senses, so it gets blocked when other senses get stronger.

After about an hour, the terrain starts to resemble a swamp.

"From what I can see, there doesn’t seem to be a river. Maybe it’s a spring?"

Before the footing gets bad, I look around and finally see some Vaz grass.

"Hmm. It seems they can’t survive without a water source nearby. Maybe the concentration of mana also affects it."

As the girl at the reception said, I pull out the roots of the plants that are clearly over 20 cm. I work silently for about two hours, checking with Mr. 'Recognition' as I go.

Since this body can’t maintain a half-squat for long, I take breaks by slumping against nearby rocks.

"Phew. 100 done. Any more and my back will die."

I tie the Vaz grass in bundles of five, making 20 bundles in total. I’m quite exhausted, and it’s past 1 PM.

"Let’s have lunch, but I’m fine with leeches, right?"

I roll up my pant legs and check under my socks but find nothing. I also touch my neck and shoulders but find no issues.

"Let’s call it a mission accomplished. I’ll have lunch after I get out of the forest."

I check the compass and head south, seeing the trees I marked. I just need to keep heading south to get back to the path.

"The income is better than I thought. Maybe being an adventurer is actually profitable? Well, without a compass, there’s a risk of getting lost, so it’s not that great."

I’m walking a bit more relaxed when I notice a rustling in the distance.

"Huh? An animal?"

The area isn’t densely forested, so I have a good view. For safety, I ready the makeshift grave I’ve been using as a staff and hide in the bushes.

A gray, bipedal creature emerges, making rustling sounds. It has long ears, almost entirely black eyes, a pig-like nose, and thin lips. Two fangs are visible in its upper jaw. It’s about 130 cm tall, with no hair on its head. It’s wearing a piece of animal skin around its waist and holding a spear-like object, about 1 meter long, with a sharpened tip.

"Whoa. So that’s a goblin. I thought it would be more like a servant fairy, but it’s quite grotesque."

It starts patrolling the area, looking around.

"Hmm. From its movements, it seems like a scout. It would be bad if more show up."

It’s making grunting sounds and gradually getting closer.

"If I retreat and get found, there’s a high chance they’ll increase in number and chase me. I need to take the initiative here."

Honestly, I’ve hunted quadrupedal creatures before, but this is my first time facing a bipedal one.

I circle around behind the bushes, moving quietly to the goblin’s back.

"Surprise!"

I leap out of the bushes and swing the makeshift grave at the goblin’s right thigh. Even if the blade doesn’t hit, the momentum of the iron block is meant to cripple the leg, but the machete part cut halfway through the bone.

"Kee, keeaa!"

The goblin lets out a scream.

I wrench the makeshift grave up and down to free it from the bone. The goblin, shocked and in pain, freezes and can’t check behind, trying to crouch.

"Here, stop!"

I rotate the freed makeshift grave and swing it to the left, aiming for the left side of the head. I wanted to cause a concussion with a strike, but the blade cut through from the left side of the head to halfway down the face. The sensation of the impact gradually weakens until it stops completely.

<Skill 'Acquisition' notice. The conditions for Skill 'Acquisition' have been met. The target’s skills 'Spear Mastery' 0.16 and 'Vigilance' 0.08 have been transferred to you.>

I always thought that in anime and period dramas, characters shout during attacks, but I realized that to kill something close to a human, you need momentum and spirit.

But I didn’t feel as much fear or disgust as I thought I would. I thought it would be different from hunting animals for food.

<Notice. The ability of Skill 'Bravery' is to nullify up to twice the effect of fear-based skills. It also affects the state 'Cowardice.'>

<Currently, Skill 'Bravery' is at 0.2, so it hasn’t fully manifested, but it is having some effect.>

Mr. 'Scholar' explained. As always, he’s calm and precise.

After my first battle with a bipedal creature, I was a bit at a loss for what to do next.