Chapter 80 of 100

Chapter 80

11 min read2,684 words

After refreshing myself, I called out to Rott and prepared a new bath.

"Thank you."

While we took turns keeping watch, I waved my hand to reassure him. With Rott cleaning himself behind me, I continued to be vigilant of the surroundings.

When there were three of us, it felt a bit awkward, and I thought it put a burden on Riz. After all, having a male presence is better than not having one.

I had a brief conversation with Hartis, but it turned out that our party is more trusted than we thought. Not only do we select our quests carefully, but our success rate is 100%. Moreover, we take the lead in completing the tasks the guild wants us to do. As other parties leave and choose more profitable quests, we stay and do our job.

Trust in work leads to trust in relationships. This intangible bond subtly follows us in everything we do. I thought it was a good trend. If we can advance to the 8th rank and take on small-scale escort missions, our trust and rewards will increase.

Even if we decide to become barons, it won't happen immediately. We need to properly carry out our profession.

While I was lost in thought, it seemed Rott had finished as well.

"Really, it helps a lot. Being able to clean up during camping keeps our motivation up."

I understood what he meant, even if it was a paraphrase. In harsh living conditions, people tend to seek the easier path. Creating a good environment makes people feel grateful and less averse to hard work. Building a good environment and fostering a positive atmosphere is a crucial skill for a party leader to maintain morale.

"No, it's fine. I'm glad you're happy."

Saying that, I returned to Riz and the others.

"Let's do a quick debrief before we sleep."

We sat in a circle by the campfire. Wild beasts don't fear fire, so maintaining it is for the warmth of the watch and to ensure visibility.

"It's too easy. I'm worried this will become a bad habit."

This came from Riz, who doesn't usually speak up much.

"I think the same. If we get too used to this, we might run into trouble somewhere."

Fia agreed.

"Once you get used to a certain environment, it becomes hard to adapt. I feel we need to change things up a bit."

Rott also agreed. We had already spent two weeks in the same environment. If we continue like this, complaints will pile up.

"I was planning to observe for one more day, but let's change it. We'll head deeper tomorrow. While goblin extermination is important, fighting a variety of opponents is also crucial."

Apart from goblins, which have a bonus, other enemies don't offer much in terms of rewards. However, in this case, we can make up for it with the intangible asset of experience.

"I want to push a bit and reach the area where slimes appear."

While not as large as the huge slimes I encountered with Deed, regular-sized slimes can be found in shallow areas. Personally, I want to learn fire and earth magic skills. While not essential, they could be useful if there are elemental resistances. Additionally, Riz and Fia lack experience fighting amorphous creatures, so it's better to gain that experience early.

"Let's be careful not to get hurt. Then, let's switch watch. Dismissed."

With that, I entered a deep sleep. Some might think it's too early to go into a deep sleep, but considering what comes next, it's necessary. Since no one else will choose to do it, I take the lead.

Wrapped in a blanket, I sat leaning against a rock with the other three. The order was me, Riz, and Fia. Rott was on the first watch. When it was Fia's turn, Rott would sit next to me. We arranged it so that males and females were grouped together. While there's no real danger, it's troublesome to worry about unnecessary things, so we decided on this arrangement.

With that, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the light. Since Riz was on the last watch, I waved to let her know I was awake. I poured warm water into a bucket, washed my face, and wiped it with a large piece of cloth. Riz followed.

"I'll go gather materials for breakfast."

Normally, it's best to go with the watch, but I wanted them to get as much rest as possible. The more rested they are, the more efficient they'll be during the day. Riz also mentioned that if there are any prey within the watch's range, she would catch them. Since we started our expedition, she has been carrying a bow and arrows. While it adds to the luggage, it's essential for gathering food.

I entered the forest and collected edible wild herbs one after another. The shiitake mushrooms from yesterday were still there. Even though they would overlap, I thought the soup from yesterday would be fine.

While I was on guard, I noticed a lot of wild birds. I returned to Riz, switched watches, and told her about the bird locations.

I added more firewood and increased the fire while waiting for the pot to heat up. After a while, I heard a high-pitched voice from deep in the forest. Soon, Riz returned with a plump bird, which was probably fat from the autumn. I couldn't tell what kind of bird it was from its pattern, but the 'Recognition' teacher confirmed it was non-toxic.

Riz started to prepare the bird, and I used water magic to provide the necessary water. I couldn't understand why water magic was only used for drinking water. It was too convenient.

After she finished preparing the bird, I asked her to cut it up. I transferred the small amount of soup I made into cups. I washed the empty pot and started to grill the skin to extract the oil. When the skin became crispy, I placed it on a wooden plate and added the meat and organs, cooking them one by one. Meanwhile, I chopped the skin and sprinkled it over the soup. The smell of the cooking meat woke up the other two.

"Did I wake you up?"

"It's time to wake up anyway. The smell is so good, I couldn't resist. It's rare for the leader to make consecutive meals."

"It's because you need to work hard today. It's a special treat."

While saying that, I added strong-smelling wild herbs to the stir-fried bird, seasoned with salt and pepper, and tasted a small piece to confirm it was fine. I served it on a communal wooden plate and prepared the soup and main dish. Rott was already up, and everyone was washing their faces.

"Breakfast is ready."

I called out and prepared the food. Everyone gathered.

"Today, things will be a bit different. Let's be careful not to get hurt. Let's eat."

We dipped the main dish in the soup and scooped up the bird Riz caught. It tasted different from chicken but was delicious. It had a rich flavor, and everyone enjoyed it.

"Being able to have a warm and delicious breakfast is a blessing."

Rott was smiling, and Fia was smiling too. Well, these two are fine. When I looked at Riz, she was smiling, so I was satisfied.

After finishing the meal and cleaning up, we prepared to depart.

When everyone was ready, we set off.

Today, we headed straight deeper into the forest, marking our path carefully. We walked deeper while checking the compass. We could sense the goblins in clusters, but they weren't moving. They were probably still sleeping. Once they wake up, their presence will spread out, so we need to be careful on the way back.

We bypassed the goblin presence and continued deeper. After about two hours of walking through the forest, we noticed the mana concentration had increased significantly. I sensed an unfamiliar presence above us. It was a warning call, like "gya gya." It must be a green monkey. There's no constant extermination limit for them. The 'Recognition' teacher showed that it had 'Stealth' and 'Acrobatics,' a skill I hadn't seen before.

Since I recognized the presence, I used wind magic to pierce its abdomen.

Acrobatics? According to the 'Scholar' teacher, it makes dodging and adjusting attack trajectories easier. Combined with 'Strength,' it makes heavy attacks easier to land, which is desirable.

As it fell from the tree, I scraped its nose and threw it into a bag.

However, I always think the bag is a nuisance. The nose from yesterday alone took up a whole bag and was quite heavy. The inside is coated with oil-soaked cloth, but blood still drips. I hang it on a stick behind me, but it's a nuisance. In hot weather, it would probably smell terrible.

"Magic isn't a problem. Since it's a monkey, you need to be careful of its claws and bites."

We might have entered their territory, as the warnings continued, and some even attacked. Rott gave precise instructions, and Riz and Fia used their shields to knock them down and finish them off. Once they fell to the ground, they couldn't move.

Occasionally, I used a spear to finish them off, and eventually, 'Acrobatics' increased to 0.18.

"Hmm, it's easier without weapons... compared to goblins..."

Riz muttered, and I understood. This was too easy.

The only creature we hadn't encountered in the adventurer guild was the monocorn rabbit. However, we hadn't seen any. I suspected they were being eaten by goblins.

We continued to process the monkeys without much trouble and advanced, bypassing the goblin groups that couldn't be avoided. Suddenly, I felt a familiar presence, and Rott and I nodded. We approached, and a small blue slime was moving slowly.

It's a water attribute. I can't do much by defeating it.

"Fia, there's a slime. For that size, use your sword to extract the core."

Fia approached the slime, quickly cut the surrounding material with her sword, and extracted the core.

"I've never seen a slime before. The leader defeated a large one, right?"

"At that time, I wasn't used to it, and it was a terrible experience. It's an unforgettable memory."

Once I noticed, there were more in the area. The presence of each one was slightly different, probably due to their attributes. When I approached a rarer presence, I found a small gray slime.

"I'll try it."

It didn't react as I approached. From a distance, I used a spear to scrape around the core and extracted it with my hand. Since it wasn't a strong acid or anything, there was no problem.

Yeah, gray is an earth attribute. I washed the spear tip and my hand with water from water magic. Next, I needed fire. I continued to follow the presence. The blue slime was water, the green slime was wind, and the gray slime was earth. I applied their presences to the radar. Riz was crushing the surrounding material with a hammer and extracting the core.

We continued to hunt the remaining slimes we hadn't encountered. We found one. It was a reddish slime.

"I'll defeat it."

I had been careless until now, not paying much attention to 'Stealth.' As I approached, a small fireball flew at me. I quickly dodged and wasn't affected. I thought 'Agility' might have played a role in dodging the fireball.

"Whoa, that was a surprise."

Unlike other slimes, it felt heat and attacked any approaching creatures. I cautiously approached and used a spear to scrape and extract the core.

The proficiency was higher than I expected. It might have survived for a long time.

We continued to hunt the slimes in the area. Occasionally, green monkeys and goblins mixed in, but we proceeded with a focus on hunting.

I tried to avoid being noticed and stabbed the gray slimes and green monkeys. In the end, 'Acrobatics' increased to 0.19, and 'Attribute Control (Earth)' increased to 0.13. It's inefficient to gain skills by defeating enemies. This skill is definitely a trigger.

The slime cores, depending on their size, were worth more than the bonus-attached goblins, even if they were small. Fia was also happy.

We were hunting like this when Rott's expression suddenly became serious.

"It's a bear. It's still far, but we're downwind. It will notice us soon."

We were still in a relatively shallow part of the forest. Bears usually appear much deeper.

"The goblins might have caused changes in the deeper territories. In any case, we need to report this to the guild."

If the bear's territory has changed, it's a significant issue. If it's a lone bear, it's fine, but if a group has moved, it's dangerous for adventurers.

"It's a single presence. What do we do?"

"We have to deal with it eventually. Let's take it down here. Focus on defense with shields. The two of you aim for the legs. If it stands up, retreat immediately."

As we approached the bear, there were no other creatures or monsters around. We took up a position in an open space nearby, and Rott went to lure it.

"Front line, stay close. It's strong, so don't take a direct hit with the shield. You can attack when it's on all fours, but retreat immediately if it stands up."

The front paws, with the weight of the bear, are extremely dangerous. They can break or pierce through shields.

As Rott and the presence approached,

"It's coming. Be careful."

Rott approached from a distance, and the two of them met it with shields, striking its nose to slow it down. I moved to the side and used a spear to keep it at bay.

It was about 2.5 meters tall, smaller than I had heard but still intimidating. It's a large, wild carnivore, and fear is natural.

After being hit on the nose, the bear took a few steps forward and turned around. It stood up and roared, making the air vibrate.

It tried to come at us on all fours again, but Fia cut into its hind legs from the side.

It let out a small cry of pain but continued to come at us, not showing any signs of being affected.

I decided to act as a decoy and kept thrusting my spear at its nose. It turned its head away, but I was looking for an opening.

Meanwhile, Riz and Fia continued to damage its hind legs. Occasionally, it swung its front paws at them, but they deflected them with their shields.

I maintained my distance and retreated using hover when it showed signs of moving.

After a while, with a dull thud, the bear lost its balance. It seemed Riz's hammer hit a joint at the right moment.

It let out a cry, dragging its injured leg and swinging its front paw, but it lacked the energy it had before.

After a while, Fia cut the tendon or muscle in the opposite hind leg, completely disabling it. From a distance where its front paws couldn't reach, we looked for an opening and thrust our spears at its neck. Seeing the increased bleeding and weakened state, I thrust my spear deeply into its neck. After confirming it had stopped moving, I let out a sigh of relief.

I tried to use magic to restrain it, but I didn't want to do such a scary thing again. Honestly, I thought.

Rott, while keeping watch, threw throwing knives at the bear's face to keep it at bay. Without that, it would have continued to charge, and I might have fallen.