Chapter 78

He fell asleep as he was and woke up as usual.

After finishing breakfast, he reported to the two of them again that he would be going on another week-long expedition.

It had become routine, and they merely nodded in response.

He specifically asked Teisha to take extra care with the soap matter.

While packing his belongings, he hesitated but decided to leave one spear behind.

He had a hatchet as a backup, and if needed, he could make another makeshift grave.

He left the house and gathered in front of the guild. He asked the three of them to buy food and supplies, and I entered the guild.

I checked the request board, but the reward for the goblins remained unchanged. It seems the situation won't be resolved for a while...

I greeted the receptionist and asked her to relay a message to the viscount.

The message contained two points: to inform him that I would be available to hear the baron's story at a convenient time after ten days from today, and to request a meeting with the duke.

If the message is sent through the adventurer's guild, it will definitely reach the viscount in two days.

After confirming the recent situation and having a brief chat, I went outside.

All three of them had already finished shopping and were waiting.

However, upon closer inspection, the amount of luggage was considerable. Sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food, and various other supplies.

Since we would be returning for resupply, the food wasn't a big issue, but the sleeping bags for three people took up a lot of space. They were tied up, but still took up quite a bit of room.

Maybe we should develop something like a cart... But it might be a hindrance in the forest... But if it's small enough...

While thinking about this, Fia called out to me.

"What are you spacing out for? We're going to the forest, right? Since it's a regular thing, you should be more focused, Leader. What do you think, Rott?"

"Given that it's the Leader, I think he's considering various things. The forest isn't going anywhere. It's fine."

Rott defended me with a slightly gruff voice. This kid is really considerate and has a gentle demeanor; he's a good kid.

"Alright, alright. Sorry, sorry. For now, our plan is to go on a week-long expedition as usual. Is that okay?"

I thought about changing my tone when Rott joined, but decided it was fine to keep it the same. After all, they're all younger than me, so I don't worry too much about it.

Everyone nodded.

"Our ultimate goal is to reach the deep part of the forest and hunt a bear, which means reaching level 8. However, the current situation is still affected by the previous goblin battle, so dealing with that is our priority."

Again, everyone nodded.

"Regarding camping, it will be necessary when we go deeper into the forest, so please take it seriously. Gathering food on-site is also important, so let's do our best to avoid injuries."

After confirming that everyone nodded strongly, we started heading into the forest. Rott led the way, followed by Fia and Liz, while I brought up the rear, observing the situation.

While walking, I checked Rott's 'Recognition' skill. Thanks to the previous expedition, his 'Alertness' and 'Stealth' skills have exceeded 1.00. His 'Dagger' and 'Throwing' skills are also close to 1.00.

To put it bluntly, he's like a degraded Harthis. Given that Harthis is such a capable person, for Rott to reach this level at level 8 is truly impressive.

When I checked the parties during the command battle, almost no one had such a well-rounded set of skills.

While thinking about this, we arrived at the entrance of the forest. We change our campsite each time because it's impossible to always camp in the same place in the forest.

We moved along the forest and looked for a suitable spot.

"Is this area okay?"

Liz pointed to a slightly rocky area.

It has something to lean on, so it might be comfortable.

For now, we'll set up camp here and cautiously enter the forest.

The ecosystem at the entrance of the forest is completely out of balance. Even though wolves and apes should appear near the entrance, they are nowhere to be seen, possibly driven away by the goblins.

However, if we leave corpses lying around, they get scavenged, so the wolves must come out at night. We don't see them during the day.

Using the compass on the watch, we marked trees as we moved deeper into the forest.

As we progressed, the concentration of mana gradually increased, and we remained vigilant.

To be honest, Liz, Fia, and my 'Alertness' skills surpass those of mediocre scouts. However, we are not professionals.

"I've spotted a small group ahead. They're goblins. I'll lure them over."

He found them first, reported, and even lured them. This is a huge help since I used to do everything myself.

I positioned the two of them in the direction Rott ran and moved to the back. I kept an eye on the surroundings with 'Alertness' and watched for other groups. For now, everything is fine.

I could tell Rott was also paying attention to the surroundings, and as I was thinking this, the sounds of the approaching group grew louder.

"Spread out a bit. Let Rott run through the middle and intercept them. Just be careful not to get hurt."

The moment I gave the order, Rott burst through the bushes. He must have sensed the situation, as he ran between Liz and Fia.

The group consisted of five goblins. The two in front quickly dispatched two with a single strike and then retreated.

The moment they retreated, Rott threw a knife, which pierced the neck of one goblin, causing it to fall.

In the brief moment of shock, the two finished off the remaining goblins. I stabbed the fallen one with my spear.

To be honest, it was too easy... The increase in numbers helped, but after surviving that hellish battle, this feels anticlimactic. Well, it's good that it's not too challenging. I hate hellish battles.

"Great teamwork."

Rott praised us with a dramatic line, but from his expression, it seemed genuine.

"Thanks to Rott. I always rely on you."

Fia's tone was slightly fawning, which was a bit unsettling. When I looked at Liz, she had a resigned expression.

We repeated this process, systematically eliminating the goblins from the outer part of the forest, like peeling an onion.

There were no moments of danger, and we progressed steadily. I thought we might be a bit too cautious, but I decided to treat it as a warm-up and stick to this plan for the day.

By the time we counted 120, the sun had started to set.

"Let's start preparing for camping. Liz and Fia, go back to the campsite and gather firewood and prepare for cooking. Rott, you'll help me gather firewood and find ingredients. I'll be in charge of cooking today. Is that okay?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Gathering dry twigs and thin firewood takes time, and setting up the equipment to hang the pot also takes some time.

I collected thicker, dry twigs and checked wild plants with 'Recognition' to find ingredients.

As I walked around, picking wild plants one after another, Rott spoke to me with a tone of admiration.

"Amazing... You can find edible wild plants so accurately without much confirmation... And you're gathering firewood at the same time..."

"Well, I think it's just a matter of getting used to it. The other level 8 veterans were like this, right?"

"Food gathering was divided among specialists. Everyone knows common wild plants, but the rest are found by scouts or mages who consult books."

Hmm, I guess mages need a lot of knowledge to solidify their image, so they end up taking on roles like sages in games...

"In that case, don't you sometimes encounter poison?"

"It happens occasionally. It's a matter of luck."

While talking, I looked around the oak trees and fallen logs and found some shiitake mushrooms, which made me jump with joy. Wow, it's rare to find wild shiitake mushrooms. I'm so happy.

"Wait... You have knowledge about mushrooms too?"

Rott had a slightly tense expression. Maybe he had a bad experience with mushrooms? I have the 'Recognition' skill's approval.

"Yeah, these are fine. They're not poisonous. I guarantee it."

"...Okay."

Hmm, he doesn't seem to fully trust me. Well, he'll know once he tastes them. The shiitake mushrooms are a bit late for the season, but it's a good find.

We gathered the materials and returned to the campsite.

The fire was already lit, and the setup for the pot was complete. It's a simple setup with a thin iron rod through the center, supported by green wood. Hanging a pot with water requires some skill.

"I'm back. I found some good stuff."

When I showed the shiitake mushrooms, everyone had a slightly awkward expression. Hmm, I got carried away with the rare mushrooms, but they seem more concerned about the possibility of poison. I need to change their mindset, especially after the potato incident.

So, I'm in charge of cooking today. The main dish is a biscuit-like food made from wheat and mixed grains, which is hard and needs to be softened in soup.

I hung the pot and used water magic to create warm water, not quite boiling, to save firewood and prevent overcooking. It's important to always have some reserve, as nature is full of dangers.

While waiting for the water to boil, I chopped the wild plants, mushrooms, and dried meat. To be honest, the dried meat is more like salted wild boar, hardened with salt. I tried it once, and the taste was just "salt."

However, it's effective as a seasoning and flavoring for soup.

I put the chopped dried meat, mushrooms, and newly developed oil residue into the pot. I was more interested in the flavor than the texture of the mushrooms. When the aroma rose, I tasted it. Yes, it has a good umami flavor.

I added leafy vegetables and stirred them until they wilted. Finally, I adjusted the taste with pepper and a bit of salt. Mmm, it's delicious.

Everyone had their own cups and spoons, so I distributed the soup and the biscuit-like food.

"Alright, good work today. Thanks for your efforts. Let's eat."

We quietly said grace and sipped the soup, soaking the biscuit-like food.

"Delicious!? What is this, the mushrooms are so tasty!! And there's some squishy meat. What is this!?"

Hearing Fia's shout, I thought she was really getting into it. Liz was eating it with a satisfied look, and Rott had an impressed expression.

"The squishy part is a new product from Ast. Is it tasty?"

"Very tasty!!"

"Since it's not too expensive, you might want to try it."

I discussed it with Ast, and since the raw material was something they would have discarded, we settled on a reasonable price. The target market is households that can't afford meat regularly.

"I'm surprised. Camping food is usually bland or overly salty, but this is amazing..."

I usually let others handle cooking to give them a chance to grow. The results speak for themselves.

While everyone can cook, the cooking skills from my world are on a different level. No wonder they talk about the fifth taste.

As I served second helpings one after another, everyone had happy faces.