Chapter 9

"Phew, we've finally made it."

"Is there something here?"

"This hill is where the materials the old lady needs can be relatively easily gathered. Although, many of them are only needed by the old lady and not by the guild."

"You seem to know a lot about it."

After about two hours of walking, we finally arrived at our destination.

The <Western Hill> is a place where monsters rarely appear in groups, making it safe even for beginners. It's easy to gather materials for alchemy, but it's unpopular among adventurers.

The reason it's unpopular is that there's not much money to be made. While the monsters are easy to defeat individually, they aren't rare, so they have little value. The alchemy materials are also difficult to handle, and if you're not skilled at gathering, you can't submit them.

If there were escort missions for experts to gather materials, it would be more profitable, but otherwise, adventurers rarely come here.

"Well, there's still no one around."

"Hehe, if you only make the same recipes, you don't need the materials from here. The current alchemists lack ambition."

They walked deeper into the area, talking happily and looking familiar. By the way, what's the relationship between these two? They seem to get along well, but they don't seem to be grandmother and grandson.

"Um, what's the relationship between the two of you?"

"This one was reckless in his youth. I saved his life with the potions I made. Since then, he occasionally asks me to gather materials."

"I see..."

I heard that Mr. Leonis, even though he's retired, was an A-rank adventurer. To have an A-rank adventurer do your bidding... that's pretty impressive... maybe because he saved his life. Mr. Leonis is a very loyal person. However, the enemies here aren't strong, so I should be fine... A-rank adventurers shouldn't come to a place like this. They should be going to more dangerous places and fighting more dangerous monsters.

"Rookie. Let's start gathering. This bitter kudzu, both the stem and the fruit need to be dried. The difficult part is the drying process. You have to peel it carefully without tearing it, or it will fail to dry properly."

I see. I thought it was just the stem, but the fruit was higher up. It was wrapped around a tree, so I had to peel it off carefully, cut it to the right length, and then cast a spell.

"Drying... Drying <Dry>. Is this how it's done?"

"...What did you do? ...It's dried. ...The quality is good."

"Well, I used a composite spell to remove the water while shining light on it... It feels like it's been dried... I think."

The dried stem was handed over, and Lady Pamela carefully examined it. Her face was a mix of surprise and seriousness, carefully checking for any abnormalities.

I used a composite spell to dry it because I heard it was difficult to dry. Maybe I shouldn't have revealed that I can use composite spells. But... drying it normally is difficult. If the quality can be stabilized with magic, it's not a bad thing. I'm sure someone skilled in magic can do it. Mr. Leonis couldn't do it because he's a warrior.

"What! You can do that? Rookie, can you dry all the bitter kudzu here?"

"Um? I think I'll run out of MP if I do all of it."

I used the spell on just one stem, so I have some MP left... but there's a lot of it, including the trees around us... I can see that Mr. Leonis is also gathering. There's too much to do all at once.

"Alright. Do as much as you can. Start right away."

"Yes."

Lady Pamela's mood was really high. Drying must have been a big hassle for her. I've seen her dry fish before... thinking about sudden rain... if there's an easy way to get dried materials, I can understand why she wants it. She said drying is difficult, so she probably wants to get as much as possible.

"Old lady... don't be so demanding. There are other things you need to teach. We don't have any MP potions, so if we run out of MP, we have to go back."

"Hmm... then do as much as you can. Even experienced gatherers struggle with drying. Especially during this season, half of the dried materials are ruined, causing a shortage."

"Right... Crain. You need to keep track of your MP. How much do you have now?"

"Um... I have 49 MP now. I leveled up twice on the way here, so my max is 60. I recovered some MP on the way, and the spell just now cost 4 MP."

"You haven't used much magic up to this point, right?"

"Yes. I mostly used my sword... I still have some SP left."

"Well, we haven't had much trouble with monsters so far. You should be fine for about six uses, half of your max. However, when you're alone, try to conserve your MP. If you use more than half, consider retreating or taking a break to recover."

"Understood. So, six times... like this... Drying <Dry>."

Since I have a guide today, I guess it's okay. He's been an adventurer for a long time, so he knows when to stop. Managing MP is important. Don't overdo it... but he's a good person, willing to help his savior. I should return the favor properly.

With permission, I'll dry the bitter kudzu. I'll combine it with what Mr. Leonis has gathered and cast the spell.

"If this amount is enough for six times, we won't have any problems for a while. It's a lucky find."

"Old lady... pay properly. Based on your standards, we might sell to the guild in the future."

"I understand... I need to teach you properly. That spell shouldn't be used lightly... but for someone of your low level who isn't even a mage, you have a lot of MP. Who are you?"

"Who knows. Don't get involved in that."

"Boy. Don't overdo it. You have a wife now."

"I know. But... it's... it's... concerning... and there are risks."

Huh?

They seem to be having a serious conversation... something must have happened.

I divided the drying into six parts and had it checked. It was well done. I was also taught about other plants that should be dried, so I took notes and explored the area to gather them. I'll dry them when I recover my MP on the way back. The magic bag also reduces the weight, so I'll try to make it lighter by removing water.

The Western Hill has many rocks, making it difficult to walk. However, the plants that grow on the rocks are resistant to drying, making it easy to gather rare materials. The enemies are easy to defeat, and there are no monsters that live in groups, so it might be a good place to visit for a while.

While I was thinking about this, I encountered a dangerous enemy.

"Ugh... it's heavy..."

"Don't let your guard down. It's not fast. Watch it and deal with it."

I thought one enemy would be easy.

A large red lizard-like monster charged at me.

Since Lady Pamela was directly in the path of the charge, I raised my shield to defend. I received a heavy impact, and my HP was reduced by about one-fifth. This must be a monster with a high recommended level.

"Light Healing <Heal>... Mr. Leonis, please stay away from Lady Pamela."

"Alright. Are you okay?"

"I'll try."

If it has high attack power but low speed, I can avoid it and attack when it's vulnerable.

I timed my attacks and used <Counter> to slash it with my sword.

"Hard... if so..."

The scales were only slightly damaged, and it wasn't very effective.

I should attack the parts not covered by scales... the legs and the lower part of the neck.

I avoided the attacks and targeted the soft, scale-less parts. It was still tough, but as long as I didn't take damage, I wouldn't lose.

I dodged the charges and repeatedly attacked the scale-less parts. It took a few minutes, but I managed to defeat it.

"Good job."

"Sorry to keep you waiting... the scales were hard, and it was difficult to land attacks..."

"I saw. Your sword skills are not bad, but in your case, using magic to attack would be better. High-defense enemies like that lizard are often weak to magic."

"I see..."

"Assess your opponents carefully when you first encounter them. Also, avoiding prolonged battles is a key to survival. At your level, it's a tough opponent either way."

Indeed... while fighting, I was so focused on avoiding the hard parts that I didn't even think about using magic... magic, huh.

Mr. Leonis is smiling, which means he knew but didn't give advice. He probably thought I could defeat it with effort.

For the future, I need to be more creative in battle. I need to use all the skills I have to the fullest. I should practice using water magic in real situations.

"Let's head back. It's getting dark."

"Ugh... I couldn't find the sweet grass and dan moss."

"Old lady, give up. We didn't prepare for camping. We're going back."

"Can't be helped... Rookie. I'll show you the real thing at my place tomorrow, so bring your notes. When you find them next time, you should be able to gather them."

"Understood. I'll come."

Lady Pamela couldn't find the materials she wanted. From the looks of it, they are rare and lucky finds. At least, I've secured a customer for gathering materials. Adventurers can take on requests without going through the guild, but without trust, there's a risk of non-payment. The guild can't help in such cases, and there's no compensation for injuries.

If you take on guild-issued requests, and if you don't return after a few days, the guild will search for you and provide some compensation.

I was advised to take on guild-issued monster hunting requests and gather materials to sell to the guild and Lady Pamela individually... is that okay, a current guild staff member?

"You'll be coming regularly, so remember this."

Today, I learned over 30 types of materials. I took notes, but I'll organize them more clearly later.

The first step towards a stable life is going well. If I can learn alchemy and alchemy, I can live as planned.

"Leon, let's go back. We've gathered enough materials for now, and we won't run out for a while."

"Old lady... remember that I asked you to teach him alchemy?"

"I remember! I'll start teaching him properly from tomorrow."

"Thank you, Lady Pamela."

"Call me Master, not Lady. You seem to have some determination, rookie. If you can gather materials for me, I'll take you as a disciple."

"Um... then, Master. I'm inexperienced, but please guide and discipline me."

Instead of a customer, I became a disciple.

Yes. This way, I can become an alchemist, and even if I can't work as an adventurer when I get older, I'll be secure.

In exchange for gathering materials, this is a huge benefit for me.

"It's a bit stiff, but that's fine. I'll train you properly. How about this... I'll teach you on odd days, starting when the noon bell rings. You can do what you want at other times, but I'll also ask you to gather materials for your studies. You won't have to do alchemy every time, so don't worry. Let's start tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes. Thank you."

...And so, my path as an alchemist began.

Considering the financial aspect, it seems better to specialize in gathering materials as an adventurer and earn money as an alchemist.

Mr. Leonis seems to have this in mind. Master... I think he was asked by Mr. Leonis. I hope he didn't take me as a disciple just to get a dryer.