Chapter 7

This time, it's a bit longer at over 5,000 characters.

I've heard that around 7,000 characters per chapter is best, so I want to be able to write that much consistently...

Nodo, who had recently acquired a set of armor as his personal property, enjoyed his first break in about a month while waiting for his sword to be sharpened.

However, even though he had bought a cheap set of armor, his pockets were nearly empty. To reduce the burden on the Felis family's finances, he took on quests from the Adventurer's Guild even during his break.

Without his sword, he took on tasks like helping out in the capital and gathering herbs, which didn't pay much, but it was the first time in a while he had spent his days doing something other than monster hunting.

A few days later, a beautifully polished sword hung from Nodo's waist. The longsword, free of even the tiniest nick, gleamed alongside his leather armor.

Finally equipped with proper adventurer gear, Nodo walked to the Adventurer's Guild with a slightly lighter step.

While waiting for his sword to return, Nodo wasn't just completing quests mindlessly. He was carefully evaluating which quests to take to achieve his next goal.

Nodo set his next goal as further enhancing his equipment. First, he planned to buy a chainmail shirt to wear under his armor. He also thought about buying another sword, even if it was a cheap one.

After all, defense was the most important thing. Chainmail was expensive, even more so than the set of leather armor he had bought. Excluding poor quality items, chainmail, made by linking small rings, was a time-consuming and labor-intensive piece of equipment, which naturally made it more expensive.

It was so expensive that it could buy several sets of leather armor.

However, as it was worn under the armor, its defensive power added to the outer armor, and it could be reused even if the outer armor was replaced.

In the long run, it was a piece of equipment that was worth buying, even if it was a bit expensive.

To achieve this, Nodo picked up a quest, went through the procedures, and headed to the guild counter.

§

Having completed the quest procedures, Nodo headed to the location specified in the quest document.

The location was the plaza in front of the nearest city gate to the guild.

The cobblestone plaza was bustling with various people from morning, filled with the sounds of the city.

In one corner of the plaza, there was what Nodo was looking for.

A carriage was parked in the parking area. It was a covered carriage pulled by two horses, with the emblem of the Alchemy Guild on the cover.

Nearby, a few people who looked like adventurers could be seen. They were likely other adventurers who had taken the same quest as Nodo.

As he approached the carriage, he was called by someone who looked like the driver.

"Ah, you there. Are you an adventurer who has taken the collection quest?"

When Nodo replied, "Yes," the driver instructed him, "Then there's a staff member over there. Please show them your guild card."

Following the instructions, the staff member wrote down the name on the guild card that Nodo presented.

It seemed to be a check to ensure that the adventurers who had taken the quest hadn't been replaced by others.

After the procedures, he was instructed to board the carriage. When he did, other adventurers were already inside.

Nodo nodded lightly and sat down at the back.

Inside the carriage, a male and female adventurer around Nodo's age were having a conversation. The conversation itself wasn't much, just things like, "Did you bring all the items?" and "Change your stance so your weapon doesn't hit." The adventurer sitting next to them also joined in or interjected, so they might be a party.

However, not everyone was chatting, and most were just sitting and waiting for the carriage to start.

Another adventurer sat next to Nodo, and as the carriage seats—there were no actual chairs, just the carriage bed—filled up, the driver cracked the whip, and the carriage started moving.

The quest Nodo had taken from the Adventurer's Guild was to gather herbs.

However, it wasn't low-grade herbs, but high-efficacy herbs that could be found about half a day's carriage ride from the capital.

They were apparently the raw materials for potions and were in the harvesting season, which is why the Alchemy Guild had issued the quest.

The reward for the collection quest was a base reward plus a commission, but since the collection site also had monsters, the pay wasn't bad.

It wasn't enough to buy chainmail in one go, but with several days of continuous collection, it would be a decent earning even with travel days included.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, adventurers were supposed to prepare their own food and supplies, so Nodo had brought preserved food and other items. He also brought bags, ropes, and lanterns, which he thought would be necessary for camping, to make herb collection easier.

Most other adventurers seemed to have similar items.

One thing that caught his attention was that, despite the quest warning about monsters, there were few adventurers like Nodo who were fully armored.

Most only wore a chest plate, and if they had any protection for their legs or arms, it was a good thing. Their heads were mostly exposed.

Well, since the main task was herb collection, there might not be much combat...

Is it really okay? Nodo started to worry but quickly changed his mind. While adventurers help each other, the basic principle is personal responsibility.

If they judged that their equipment was sufficient, he shouldn't interfere.

With that thought, Nodo let himself be swayed by the carriage's rhythmic creaking and jolting. The cobblestone rhythm had already changed to the uneven road.

§

With a break and a night's camp, the carriage arrived at the destination by midday the next day.

One of the young adventurers in a party-like group shouted, "My butt hurts!" while holding his bottom, and Nodo agreed.

The Alchemy Guild's carriage had no shock absorbers, so even a small bump would cause a jolt, making the journey quite unpleasant. However, a high-level adventurer might have a different experience, but a low-level adventurer like Nodo would not be transported in a carriage with such features.

The Alchemy Guild's carriages, including the one Nodo and the others were in, had two more. In total, three carriages had arrived at the collection site, and from the other two, guild members with the Alchemy Guild emblem on their shoulders were unloading barrels from the covered carriages.

As they watched, a guild member who wasn't unloading barrels gathered the adventurers to start the explanation.

Nodo immediately switched his focus and walked over to the guild member.

The explanation included showing samples of the herbs to be collected, the schedule for the stay, the method for delivering the collected herbs, and the location for the camp.

After receiving the explanation, they were instructed to start work immediately, and the more than ten gathered adventurers formed groups with their companions or familiar faces and entered the forest where the herbs grew in clusters.

Adventurers who acted alone were in the minority, and Nodo was one of them.

The forest was dense with trees, and the high branches blocked the sunlight, making it slightly dark inside.

However, the soil seemed rich, and the undergrowth was lush. At first, there were paths like animal trails, but soon Nodo was walking through areas without a clear path.

Pushing through the vegetation and walking on the uneven ground, he soon found the herbs he had been shown earlier.

Nodo, while keeping an eye on his surroundings, immediately started collecting the herbs.

He had been told that the medicinal properties were concentrated in the leaves and stems, so he collected them carefully, leaving a bit of the stem to avoid damaging the roots. This way, the herbs would grow back in the same spot.

Nodo worked diligently and quickly collected the target herbs. He then moved on to find the next cluster. In about an hour, he had gathered a decent amount.

This was the first time Nodo had taken a quest far from the capital, but it seemed to be going well. He had chosen a collection quest because he thought it would be a safe and steady choice with a low risk of failure.

His experience gathering herbs around the capital came in handy. While the types of herbs were different, the basic techniques were the same. Remembering the locations of the clusters would be useful if the same collection quest came up again.

With these thoughts, Nodo moved on to find the next cluster of herbs.

§

Along the way, he occasionally engaged in battles with monsters (though they weren't serious threats) and continued to collect herbs smoothly. Carrying a bag bulging with herbs, he left the forest before sunset and completed his first day's delivery. Compared to other adventurers who had also returned to deliver, his results were not inferior.

The delivered herbs were loaded into the carriage, and the Alchemy Guild members were working on something.

It seemed to be the preliminary work for potion-making.

Unfortunately, the entrance to the carriage was covered with a curtain, so the specific work couldn't be seen. Since it might contain confidential techniques of the Alchemy Guild, Nodo didn't get too close to the carriage and focused on preparing the camp.

After delivering the herbs, he stuffed the now much smaller bag into his tool pouch and, feeling lighter, returned to the forest.

However, it wasn't to resume herb collection but to gather firewood for the camp. He efficiently collected fallen branches and, once he had enough, moved on to gather food.

He saw mushrooms in the forest, but unfortunately, having grown up in the capital, Nodo couldn't tell which were edible. If he continued to go on expeditions, such knowledge—survival skills—could be a matter of life and death. Besides, filling his stomach without spending money was always a good thing.

The preserved food sold in stores and food shops for adventurers was mostly hardtack or dried meat. While it lasted, it wasn't very tasty and was expensive.

After completing the quest, he thought about asking an adventurer with scout skills at the guild's tavern. Thinking of the faces of the always-drunk adventurers in the tavern at night, he considered that if he bought them a drink, they might share their knowledge. People tend to talk more when they're drunk.

Though he couldn't eat the mushrooms, Nodo had other food in mind.

Nodo had come to a river a short walk from the base.

It was a place he had been told was suitable for water collection.

There, he took out a fishing line from his tool pouch. He tied it securely to a suitable stick he had picked up while gathering firewood and lowered it into the river. The line had a hook with a bug he had caught as bait.

Fishing was a skill Nodo could be proud of, besides his sword skills honed at the Felis knight's manor.

Since there was a river near the capital, he often went fishing.

He had been fishing for years and was quite skilled. Of course, his fishing skills had improved because he needed to catch fish to fill his stomach due to poverty.

Nodo's fishing skills were impressive, and they were put to good use even in a different location from the familiar river in the capital.

The line he cast into the river quickly got a bite, and with skillful handling, he soon had several fish in his hands.

Using a suitable stone from the riverbank as a cutting board, he expertly cleaned the fish and skewered them on sticks he had made from branches he had collected in the forest. All that was left was to cook them, and a fine dinner was ready.

Holding the skewered fish in one hand and carrying firewood under the other, Nodo returned to the campsite, where the other adventurers had already started a fire and were gathered around it.

A fire was essential for camping. While Nodo had the tools and skills to start a fire, it was more convenient to use an existing one.

He asked one of the adventurers around the fire if he could borrow it, and the adventurer readily agreed.

Nodo thanked him and started cooking the skewered fish. It was as simple as sticking the skewers in the ground and waiting for the fish to cook over the fire.

He had caught three fish, so he had three skewers of grilled fish.

He offered one to the adventurer who had lent him the fire as a thank you.

The adventurer said, "Really? Thanks," and started eating the fish without hesitation.

Nodo also started eating the fish.

It was a simple seasoning of just salt, but it was satisfying after a day of work.

He munched on the hardtack he had brought as preserved food and enjoyed a slightly more luxurious camping meal in the dark forest.

So, it turns out that fishing is one of Nodo's skills.