Chapter 8

Then, we are given baskets and sickles and sent out from the training school.

It seems we will be given various jobs, but apparently, I and Blue will be doing weed pulling together.

"Well, the job is to gather medicinal herbs. You will be collecting Aero and Rian in the Salason grassland near the training school. These are the herbs."

...Correction, it was medicinal herb gathering.

I was shown samples and even checked in a book, but I can't seem to remember them all.

Moreover, all the grass in the prairie looks the same to me.

"Also, be careful of the low-level monsters. Sleep Rabbits and Elec Jellies appear around here."

Monsters appear too?

Am I supposed to fight with the sickle?

"Dismissed!"

The eyes of the trainees are dead.

The energetic ones walk off quickly, though.

"Boo"

"Yeah, yeah. I can't tell the herbs apart, what should I do?"

When I say this to Blue, he just goes ahead as if to say, "Leave it to me."

...Truffles are found by pigs, right?

While thinking of such a rude comparison, we walked through the grassland, visible to the horizon, cutting the grass.

Then, Blue starts finding and gathering the herbs.

It seems that for Aero, only the leaves are needed, and for Rian, the stems are required.

I managed to remember that.

Then, Sleep Rabbits and Elec Jellies appear from time to time.

The first time I saw them, I was surprised to see their names above them.

"Boo!"

With a loud noise, Blue attacks the two types of monsters as soon as he spots them.

It seems he doesn't even need to use his weapon.

Well, sometimes the monsters come at me, so I hit them with the sickle.

"――!?"

Ugh... That doesn't feel good.

I still don't understand how to fight properly.

Ouch! I got bitten!

It really hurts!

While writhing in pain, Blue grabs the head of the Sleep Rabbit I was fighting and crushes it, then throws it away.

The limp, dead face of the rabbit is going to be a trauma.

Then, he crushes the Aero and Rian in his hand and applies it to my wound.

The pain subsides with a cool sensation.

Then, he bandages me with a long piece of grass.

Oh... Thank you.

"Thank you."

"Boo"

After saying that, Blue goes back to gathering herbs.

Ugh... I'm completely in the way.

After the herb gathering is done, we are made to peel potato-like ingredients in the kitchen.

Blue is assigned to fetch water from the well and fill the facility's bath.

Until the sun sets, we are made to do such jobs.

"Ugh..."

When free time comes, I lean against the bed.

I'm so tired! But...

"Trainees! Bath time! Hurry up!"

The trainees quickly start preparing for the bath, holding their toiletries.

It seems that soldiers are supposed to do everything quickly.

I thought about joining, but Blue was doing push-ups and squats the whole time.

"Is Blue not going to the bath?"

"Bo?"

I ask him.

Then, I feel the faces of the others around me darken.

"Hey, hey, you're joking, right? Bathing with an orc?"

"Hmm..."

Well, at first glance, he looks like a pig... but since he's here, he must be categorized as a human, right?

Kobolds and werewolves also go to the bath as a matter of course.

"Just don't come."

While being told such cold words, the other trainees went to the bath.

Is that... racial discrimination?

"Hmm... Then, can we get some hot water and wash at the well?"

"Boo"

Blue seems to be saying something to me, but I don't understand the words.

He's following me, so I want to think he's not refusing.

Maybe I need to level up my understanding of the foreign language a bit more.

I got some slightly cooled bath water in a bucket and washed with a towel near the well with Blue.

For the past two or three days, I've been sweating a lot, so just wiping down feels refreshing.

As for Blue... is that a scrub brush? He's rubbing his body with a strangely hard washing tool.

"Can I help? You helped me earlier."

"Bo?"

I borrow the scrub brush from Blue and rub his back.

I had a lot of questions about this pig-like mascot, but he's a bit dirty.

So, I tried to clean him up by rubbing him.

"Boo"

He shivers and makes a sound that seems to indicate he's enjoying it.

I'm glad he's not uncomfortable.

Finally, I rinse him with the warm water and finish up! I dry off with a towel and return to the room.

At the end of the day, I check my status on the terminal.

Rabbit Bundle Yukiichi Lv3 Infiltration Rate 0.96%

Skills: Foreign Language Understanding 1, Foreign Script Understanding 1, No: L Charge, HP Recovery Rate Increase 1, Stamina Recovery Rate Increase 4, Throwing Training 2, Cat Eye 2, Gathering Bonus 1

Skill Points: 6

...?

My level must have gone up because I fought monsters with Blue, but I got more skill points than I expected.

Isn't it supposed to be one per level 1?

My stats have also increased slightly.

It's supposed to be unrelated to level.

Maybe I gained a bit of health.

However, it feels too much like a game where skills can be easily acquired... It doesn't quite sit right with me.

Hmm... Still, it would be a waste not to use them.

I'll take a bit of HP Recovery Rate Increase.

Since the effect depends on the injury, I'll start with 1 and see how it goes. The rest should be used to learn some kind of attack skill.

I have to return the weapons that are provided, so it would be a waste to take a sword and only use that one.

At first, it's better to take something versatile without limiting my options.

So... maybe a throwing skill.

Even a stone can become a weapon if you throw it, and any weapon can be thrown to maximize its potential, so it's not a loss.

So, I took Throwing Training 2.

Any more... and I can't meet the learning conditions.

Oh? There are techniques included in the training.

I'm starting to get a vague idea of what kind of techniques they are.

However, it seems I need to allocate more skills to use them properly.

There also seems to be a learning condition to practice.

Hooray for the foreign world.

Next time, I won't be late.

The rest... I remember that during the lecture today, they recommended getting Cat Eye, which is a skill like Eagle Eye.

Well, Eagle Eye is better for vision and accuracy, and Owl Eye is better for night vision, but Cat Eye is a balanced skill that can improve both.

Ultimately, you can get all of them and upgrade to a higher skill, so it's good to get Cat Eye, which has an immediate effect.

The rest... I could take something like Strength Up, which isn't mentioned in the lectures or books, but if it's said to be a loss like Stamina Recovery Rate Increase, I'll hold off.

I read up on it in books, but it's mostly anecdotal about the required level and training period, so there doesn't seem to be a clear answer.

Rabbit Bundle Yukiichi Lv3 Infiltration Rate 0.96%

Skills: Foreign Language Understanding 1, Foreign Script Understanding 1, No: L Charge, HP Recovery Rate Increase 1, Stamina Recovery Rate Increase 4, Throwing Training 2, Cat Eye 2, Gathering Bonus 1

Skill Points: 6

After that, I went to sleep, but I woke up after a short time.

The skills have made me a short sleeper.

I'll try to get used to it and practice the effect of getting Cat Eye.

Hmm... I can see the dark room a bit better than yesterday.

It's still too dark to read a book.

It's bad for my eyes, so I'll read in a well-lit place.

That night, I woke up similarly, ran around the schoolyard, and then read a book.

Did my legs get a bit faster? It's impossible in just two days.