Chapter 11

Wearing gloves, holding a shovel, and carrying a burlap sack, Min-seok dug up the wound-sealing grass by its roots.

This task, even on the second day, might have already entered the realm of a professional.

Moreover, considering the need to collect again in the future, he carefully thinned out the clumps of wound-sealing grass as he harvested them.

It was a considerate and gentlemanly act.

Indeed, he had acquired various skills to overcome hardships and complete this beautiful task.

Look at this! Look at this harvest!

A burlap sack, and it was full in just an hour!

Furthermore, he had also mastered the technique of distinguishing between wound-sealing grass and agony grass!

The key is the same as in kendo's judgment.

Look straight at the opponent.

However, it's not about observing them in detail.

Instead, take in the entire figure of the opponent within your field of vision.

And don't stare.

Like seeing the forest for the trees.

Like seeing the trees for the forest.

Do not miss even the slightest anomaly.

The agony grass... it's youuuuuu!!

Well, most of the time, it's a miss.

He silently and steadily continued the task, inducing a kind of unique natural high within himself.

Even a master wouldn't know what was happening in his mind.

When it comes to monotonous tasks, the mood inevitably relaxes, and mistakes can happen.

But it's necessary to do it.

This is a technique.

Actually, being bored and getting tired is a secret.

Even if it looks like he's taking dangerous drugs, it doesn't matter.

It's hard to be insincere.

Isn't it okay to have this kind of enjoyment?

Well.

Despite all his efforts, the harvest of the two automatons was almost twice as efficient as his.

Damn, in this kind of work, there's no way to beat the machines.

"Hey, let's take a break and have lunch."

At the master's words, the two automatons stopped their movements.

No, you guys can't eat physically!

Volf and Helix also reacted to the master's voice.

It seemed they were reacting to something descending from above.

The Rock Bird was approaching with something clutched in its legs.

What did it hunt this time?

I'll try to [Identify] it.

Hunter Bear Lv.???

Monster Target Dead Body

Again, it's bringing a large bear with an ominous name, and it's holding it with just one leg.

The hunter was hunted.

How powerful is this Rock Bird?

The size of this bear easily surpasses the adult polar bear I've seen at the zoo.

The master happily skinned it with a knife, getting two pieces of fur and meat.

"This is my favorite."

When I touched it, the meat felt very soft, or rather, it felt like my whole wrist was in it.

[Material Item] Hunter Bear's Palm Raw Material Quality B- Rarity 5 Weight 1

Hunter Bear's palm meat. Soft and tasty, it is a rare item that fetches a high price.

[Material Item] Hunter Bear's Meat Raw Material Quality C Rarity 3 Weight 5

Hunter Bear's meat. It has a unique odor but is rich in nutrients.

[Material Item] Hunter Bear's Fur Raw Material Quality C Rarity 3 Weight 3

Hunter Bear's fur. It is thick and has a decent insulating effect, but it will be difficult to process due to its thickness.

The palm meat has a rarity I've never seen before.

When the master chanted a new summoning spell, another puppet appeared.

It looked similar to Metal Skin and the automaton, but its surface was clearly more shiny than Metal Skin.

Silver Skin Lv.???

Summoned Monster ???

This is another mysterious puppet-type summoned monster.

But, Master, for what purpose did you summon it?

Then, Silver Skin started taking various tools out of the master's [Item Box].

They were cooking utensils.

It sliced the bones out of the Hunter Bear's meat, cut it with a knife, and made cuts on both sides with the knife, sprinkled salt, pepper, and some brown herb-like powder, and grilled it on a grid.

The meat, without being bled, was grilled boldly.

The master started steaming the Hunter Bear's palm after removing the hair and soaking it in water he had prepared.

It was done very efficiently.

It seems the master often does this kind of outdoor cooking.

"And the agony grass, if you cook it thoroughly, it can be eaten. It's quite delicious."

Silver Skin made a soup with the bones of the Hunter Bear and added chopped agony grass.

There was also bread and cheese, which were apparently prepared earlier.

We had a proper lunch unexpectedly.

As the master said, the cooked agony grass was edible.

I could see the cooking information through [Appraisal].

[Food Item] Hunter Bear Steak Fullness +15% Quality C- Rarity 3 Weight 1

Temporary effect: Slight increase in strength for about 1 hour

A simple dish of Hunter Bear's meat cooked with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

The buff effect is there.

I had heard from Saki that there are items that have temporary effects similar to spell enchantments.

When I asked her what a buff was, she explained it to me with a sigh.

Even though it's treated as a food item, it seems you can aim for such effects through cooking.

[Food Item] Hunter Bear's Palm Clear Soup Fullness +10% Quality B- Rarity 5 Weight 1

Temporary effect: Slight increase in intelligence for about 2 hours

A dish made by steaming the Hunter Bear's palm in a light broth.

It is the most common method for preparing the Hunter Bear's palm, which is considered a delicacy.

This one too.

The effect of the Hunter Bear's palm dish would be desirable for any mage.

I'll take a screenshot and save it for both.

[Food Item] Agony Grass and Hunter Bear Soup Fullness +30% Quality C Rarity 3 Weight 1

A dish made by cooking agony grass in a soup made from the bones of the Hunter Bear. It is characterized by its high fullness.

This dish doesn't seem to have any strange effects.

Still, the fullness is quite high!

With the steak, bread, cheese, and soup, the fullness exceeded 50% slightly.

I only got to taste a small bite of the Hunter Bear's palm.

Yeah, it's delicious.

I can't find the right words to describe how it's delicious, which is frustrating.

What I can say for sure is that the meat is very soft and easy to eat.

The master must like that aspect too.

Volf got the bones used for the soup broth, and Helix got a piece of raw bear meat from the master.

Just to confirm, you guys' master is me, so don't forget that.

After the meal, Silver Skin took care of all the cleanup.

I didn't even have a chance to help.

It was done without any delay, accurately and quickly.

The automaton seems to be a higher-level replacement for the Wood Puppet, but Silver Skin might be even higher.

The master dismissed Silver Skin.

Actually, he dismissed the two automatons at the same time.

Indeed, we had five burlap sacks full, the same amount as yesterday.

So, the next step is to return to the master's house and make potions.

"Is the collection done?"

"Yes."

"Then the next step is potion making, right?"

"Hmm? There's still something to do."

What?

Um.

Master, please don't make that face.

"Let's have one more battle. This time, let's try it from the beginning with bare hands."

Currently, my HP bar is full, but my MP bar is about 70%.

Yes, some skills have leveled up, but are you really going to make the disciple walk a tightrope?

"It's fine, I'll help if it gets dangerous. Get your mind ready."

The master started chanting a spell without waiting for my "Yes."

It's tough.

Is this also a loving whip?

Or is it abuse?

"Call Monster!"

After a while, my opponent arrived.

It was another Snow Ape coming from the direction of the forest.

The ape is approaching slowly, but something is different from before.

It was holding something in its hand.

It had a bone handle with a stone tied to the end.

A stone axe, right?

I have a bad feeling, so I'll try to [Identify] it.

Snow Ape Lv.5

Monster Target Active Induction

It's one level higher than the previous one, Master.

"I'm sorry, but this monster seems to be definitely stronger than the previous one."

"Is that so? Hmm... I might have made a mistake. Well, let's have a battle anyway."

Master, you definitely did that on purpose, didn't you?

I feel like crying a little.

The result was a crushing defeat.

The master intervened within a minute of the battle starting, and the Snow Ape was dispatched with a single spell from the master.

I couldn't even see what spell it was, no matter how hard I tried.

My skills were all unusable due to a temporary status anomaly, and my field of vision was like looking through frosted glass.

I wasn't careless.

The Snow Ape was a strong enemy even at level 4.

I was definitely being cautious.

This ape was only one level higher.

It only had one weapon.

I was telling myself that, but the difference was so great that it didn't even seem like the same ape.

I managed to dodge the first attack.

The second one caught me off guard.

It threw the stone axe it was holding.

I dodged the stone axe, but I couldn't avoid the tackle that came with it.

Even though it wasn't a direct hit, I think my HP bar dropped by about 70%.

This was because I was hit with a condition that felt like intoxication.

Later, I read about the critical hit causing a status anomaly.

According to that, if a physical attack reduces your HP by more than half in one hit, there is a possibility of a status penalty.

The condition I experienced was called "Dazed."

It seems there are penalties that temporarily lower each of your stats.

You can recover by using magic or potions, and if you succeed in a mental resistance check, but that doesn't resolve the status anomaly.

The worst condition is "Fainting," which even gives a negative modifier to the mental resistance check.

The lightest condition is "Dizziness," which gives a negative modifier to all skill-dependent actions.

In other words.

A big hit can be very bad.

I experienced it firsthand, including the pain.

I feel like I'm going to vomit, Master.

"Is that clear? If you can't fight, the summoned monsters become powerless. Do you understand the meaning?"

I understand, Master.

If the summoner is defeated first, it's meaningless.

It's most reasonable for the summoner to stay in the back