Chapter 8

Leaving the town. Walking along the road that extends from the gate.

This road is not a grand one, but merely a path of compacted earth. It’s only free of grass; if it rains, it turns into a muddy mess and becomes impossible to walk on.

It seems that if you go to the capital or more developed cities, the roads are better. Also, it depends a lot on whether the lord of the region maintains the roads.

The lord of this region is said to have done a decent job of maintaining the roads to each village and the dungeon.

However, the place we are heading to is neither in the direction of the town nor the dungeon, so it seems the road will be difficult to walk on.

"Mr. Leonis! There's something in front of us!"

"Ah, that's a Horn Rabbit. There's only one, so you can handle it alone. Try to take it down."

"Yes!"

Approaching the rabbit that had poked its head out of the grass, I got into a stance with my sword. It tried to charge at me, so I moved a bit to the side to avoid Leonis and Pamela being in the line of fire.

"What, can you fight?"

"Old lady, if you can't fight, you can't be an adventurer."

"You don't seem like an adventurer. You look serious and seem to understand the conversation, so you might be useful as an apprentice pharmacist."

"That's true, but he can also fight decently. He might not be suited for it in terms of personality, though."

"Hmm... Indeed, it doesn't seem to be a problem in a one-on-one fight."

The Horn Rabbit isn't very fast. It charges with its horn, so I avoided it and attacked from behind, taking it down without a scratch.

I'm glad I didn't get hurt, but it might be tough in a group. The copper sword isn't very sharp, so I need to think of a way to handle it on my own to avoid getting hurt...

"Hey, Clayne. You were spacing out. That's dangerous. What's wrong?"

"Mr. Leonis! I took it down. I was a bit surprised because it was my first time."

"Good job. Be careful, though. You never know when monsters will appear outside."

"Yes, I will."

As I was wondering what to do with the Horn Rabbit I had taken down, the two of them approached.

There don't seem to be any monsters around, but what should I do with this Horn Rabbit I just took down?

"Your fighting isn't bad, but you need to be more aware of your surroundings, especially when they come in groups."

"I'll try harder. Um... What should I do with the one I took down?"

"Kid, take the horn of the Horn Rabbit."

"Huh? The horn?"

Lady Pamela lifted the corpse and showed the head. I can tell it was the horn it used to attack when it charged, but what is it used for? It seems too small to be a decoration.

"Look closely... See, this part of the forehead... The base is hardened, right? This is where magic power accumulates... When mixed into intermediate-level potions, it slightly enhances the effect. A more impressive horn would have an even greater effect. It's a basic practice to take useful parts."

"Right. You should also extract the magic stone... Do you have the 'Disassemble' ability?"

"Um..."

The 'Disassemble' ability... Yeah.

I want to learn it, but can I learn it just by disassembling monster corpses casually?

"If you don't have it, it's fine for now. Just put this in a bag. The meat is edible, and you can also have the guild disassemble it."

"Let me see. Kid, to take the horn, you do it like this. Place the blade at the base and do this. Remember this. If the guild disassembles it, you won't get the horn, so take it first."

Lady Pamela took out a knife from somewhere and placed it next to the hardened part of the forehead, using the principle of a lever to easily peel off the horn.

She did it quite easily, but she's a pharmacist, right? I wonder if this is a common thing, even if it's not the 'Disassemble' ability.

"Hey, old lady."

"Yes, thank you. It's easy to take off."

"It's a matter of getting used to it. You'll figure out the tricks as you do it. You should remember the parts that are necessary for effective use of materials. Each monster has different parts where magic power accumulates. These materials can be used to enhance the effects of potions, but they make the mixing process more difficult, so beginners can't handle them. However, they don't go bad quickly, so it's good to keep them."

Indeed. Effective use is important. If it's a useful material, I should take it. It's very important for enhancing the effects of potions.

The Horn Rabbit is a weak monster, easy to hunt, and its meat is edible, and the horn is useful. I should hunt it actively from now on.

"Yes, thank you. I should learn 'Disassemble' too."

"No, most adventurers don't learn it. If you want to earn money by hunting nearby monsters without taking risks, it's better to learn it."

Mr. Leonis also said he has learned 'Disassemble'.

Yeah. Even if you learn the ability, you can still have the guild do it. If the fur or something is valuable, it's better to have the guild do it. If the meat is the goal, doing it yourself is enough.

I understand. It's a problem if it's disassembled poorly, so I nod.

"There's a slime ahead. Multiple ones."

"Yes! ...Huh?"

"One hit, huh."

"Well, I expected that."

"Um... It burst?"

It burst more like a soap bubble than being cut with a sword.

I didn't hit it that hard, so it's strange.

"Small slimes are weak. See, this squishy part is the slime's core. For a quest, you need to bring back a part that confirms the kill, so you need to bring this back."

"I see. Lady Pamela, are there any useful parts on slimes?"

"They are often used in alchemy but not in potion mixing. Slime jelly is also an alchemy material. If you get it, just turn it in. Here, keep this magic stone."

If it's used in alchemy, I want to learn how to use it...

Since slimes can be taken down easily, I can learn when I need to.

"Magic stone...?"

It's a small, purple grain. Is it a stone?

It's not that big. Smaller than a BB pellet. It's a grain. It's shiny and beautiful.

"Every monster has a magic stone. When you take this stone out of the body, the monster's corpse will disappear in about an hour. After collecting the materials, you should remove the magic stone from the body. If it's a B-rank or higher monster, it can turn into a zombie if not properly disposed of, so you should check the magic stone. You can also exchange it for money. The bigger it is, the more valuable it is."

"This small one won't be worth much, so just keep it for now... If you sell them in bulk, the guild will give you some money."

"I see. What about the Horn Rabbit from earlier?"

"That one can be used for its skin and meat, so it's better to bring it back without removing the magic stone. Of course, only if you have room in your inventory. If you have a slime hunting quest, you should hunt about 20. You only get 20G for 10, so not many people take it."

"I see... But if it can earn money, I'll hunt a few."

I'm not sure if I need to hunt slimes.

If the goal is to collect materials, I need a minimum level of strength. I can't get stronger without practical experience.

According to Mr. Leonis, a stampede happens once or twice a year. I need to be able to fight by then, or I might get caught and die.

"Since the old lady is here, we can avoid most monsters, but if there are slimes, you should hunt them."

"Don't worry about the old lady. If you don't take down the monsters, you'll have problems later."

"Um... What should I do?"

"...Avoid them if there are multiple. If there's one, go for it."

"Yes."

While fighting and heading towards our destination, my level increased.

I reached LV2, learned 'MP Deficiency,' and my stats increased. They increased more than I expected... but my defense is still low. My strength is also low... I'll note the increased values and verify them later.

But what is this new 'MP Deficiency' ability?

Yesterday, I used purification and my MP was almost depleted after using it. Today, I haven't used it at all, so it's fully recovered... Was yesterday the trigger?

"Hmm..."

"Clayne? What's wrong?"

"Oh, um, when my level increased, it seems I learned a new ability."

"Oh, I see. I didn't explain it. First, new skills, magic, and abilities are learned when your level increases."

So, there are chances to learn abilities even if you don't have them.

It's not just 'MP Deficiency.' There might be 'SP Deficiency' too... but I can't test it now. I'll try it when I'm alone. I'm afraid to test HP deficiency because I might die.

"I see. Do you know what kinds of abilities there are?"

"It varies from person to person... It also determines their strength, so the types of abilities are not publicly disclosed. If you're a noble, they might manage that information."

"Right. Kid, it's better not to disclose your stats and abilities. Just knowing you can mix potions has already drawn attention from the adventurer guild. You might be used, so it's better to think about it."

"Yes."

Stats and abilities should not be disclosed.

I want to ask more because of my lack of knowledge, but it might be a bad idea.

Being targeted because I can mix potions... I see. When they introduced my house, they mentioned a shortage of pharmacists, which seems to be true.

"To explain, abilities are learned based on conditions that vary from person to person. Sometimes, you can't learn them no matter what. ...Basically, it's said that your stats and the skills you've learned, as well as your proficiency, influence whether you can learn them. Even if you have high stats, you might not learn them. Conversely, you might learn them quickly with low stats and unrelated skills. It's said that luck is involved, but it hasn't been proven."

"Wow... So, if I learn them, it's lucky?"

"Yes. Proficiency increases more easily when you fight strong enemies. For example, fighting a level 3 enemy at level 1 is different from fighting a level 3 enemy at level 10. Also, it increases more easily when you get critical hits or hit weak points."

"Proficiency increases when you make difficult items... However, if you fail, you lose materials and gain less proficiency, so it's not always good to make difficult items."

"I see..."

If I can level up by producing, I might level up by producing instead of fighting strong enemies. Making difficult items requires valuable materials, so I need to balance it.

If I focus on production, I might have a more stable life... but if I collect materials myself, I need to level up... It's complicated.

"It's good to learn many skills and abilities. Your stats increase more easily. If you do various things repeatedly, you'll learn many things. Solo players tend to learn more naturally."

"Huh? So, it's better to learn a variety of things instead of specializing?"

"No, that's the tricky part. In reality, if you specialize in necessary areas, you get bonuses. It's also said that if you learn many things, your proficiency distribution decreases. First, it's common for adventurers to specialize in necessary areas."

Learning many things can distribute your proficiency, making it harder to level up the skills you want. Yeah. I might not level up the skills I want.

If I specialize and master them... The bonus is in terms of stats, right? There might be other benefits, but they don't seem to want to explain.

"Hehe... Do what you like. Try and error, and grow on your own. That's the privilege of the young. Don't just try to enjoy it from the start; it's best to try and figure things out on your own."

"I see... Since I'm going solo, I'll try to do a variety of things without specializing."

"Yes. It's good for you to learn many things. 'Gathering' and 'Observation' are essential. Try to learn them today?"

"What!?"

Can I learn 'Gathering' and 'Observation' in just one day?

It's easy to say, but I want to know how to learn them.

"Don't worry. Even Leon can learn them. You have the motivation, and if you pick 100 herbs, you'll learn them."

"100 times?"

"Yes. The general guideline for learning abilities is 100 times of proficiency. However, it can take 200 or 300 times, depending on the person. Just make sure to approach the task with purpose."

"Yes, I'll try."

Magic uses MP, and skills use SP, but many abilities don't require chanting or using MP or SP. It's important to be aware of using them properly since it's often hard to tell if you're using them correctly.

The key to learning 'Observation' is to observe carefully when hunting monsters or gathering plants. For 'Gathering,' picking herbs is enough, but if you focus on making the materials usable, you'll learn it quickly.

I see. Since Mr. Leonis learned them, I want to try hard and learn them today. Let's do it!