Chapter 28

The party that hunts in the forest is quite common.

The Western Forest has an abundance of prey, so there has never been a shortage of hunting grounds.

However, there was a time when it was very crowded.

Currently, many players are hunting wild dogs on the grassland, so it should be relatively empty.

Now would be a good time to make some good earnings.

However, as we are basically following the road, encounters with rampaging silver hens (female) are rare.

I decided to leave the few opportunities for combat to them as much as possible.

Hunting with a 4-to-1 ratio is quite easy.

However, it seems impossible to avoid damage.

The summoned monsters in the front line inevitably have their HP bars reduced.

From what I can see, they are enhanced with Physical Enchantment Fire and Physical Enchantment Earth.

Even so, this is to be expected.

This is how it is at the beginning.

The damage can be recovered with potions, so there is no problem.

When they got used to fighting the rampaging silver hens (female), I let them move through the forest on their own.

This is also a matter of getting used to it.

The rear guards also started to take some damage, but they are enduring and continuing the hunt.

Their handling of the bow and arrow still seems unaccustomed, but they are managing to hit their targets.

This might work out.

The efforts of their summoned monsters are very reliable.

Miyachan, the tiger, has quite a formidable attack power.

Well, it's a tiger, so it's only natural.

Compared to my summoned monster, the wolf Voluf, it has a better build.

On the other hand, while it shows a good side in attacks, it doesn't seem as good as the wolf in terms of vigilance and exploration.

To put it simply, the tiger is more suited for combat than the wolf.

The snake Toguro has a unique way of fighting that stands out.

It silently crawls up to the rampaging silver hen (female), entangles its feet, and stops its movement, then bites its neck.

It prefers this kind of ambush and first strike attack.

However, due to its fighting style, it is not suitable for the role of a wall in the front line.

While the tiger Miyachan can control multiple monsters, it is difficult for the snake Toguro.

We also need to consider that some damage can reach the summoner, Irena.

Perhaps Irena herself should also develop the ability to approach enemies silently like Toguro.

When they had hunted a few more rampaging silver hens (female), a loud noise came from within the forest.

Again.

A stray horse appeared.

Well, it's good as prey, but the location of its appearance is not good.

It was charging towards Irena.

Will we make it in time?

No, we won't.

Even from my position, the spell won't reach in time.

"There's a horse coming! Run!"

I issued a warning via whisper and rushed towards the stray horse with Crescent.

There's still one last hope.

Helix.

Just as the stray horse reared up on its hind legs and was about to bring down its front hooves, Helix arrived in time.

Irena's body was not where the front hooves were about to come down.

No, Irena didn't move.

Helix's charge hit the stray horse, which was reluctant to be targeted.

As a result, the stray horse's attack did not reach Irena.

I fired the spell Wind Cutter at the flying stray horse to prevent it from getting up.

Then Crescent stomped at the stray horse with its front hooves.

The hooves hit the stray horse's belly.

While restraining the violently resisting stray horse with attack spells, I continued to stomp on it with Crescent's front hooves.

The stray horse's HP bar was more than half depleted, but it refused to stop struggling.

It's really tough.

Finally, Adel and the others joined in the attack.

Good, that's it.

I focused on preventing the stray horse from getting up and left the damage-dealing attacks to them.

【Your party's victory in this battle has increased the level of [Coordination]!】

【Your party's victory in this battle has increased the level of [Riding]!】

That was a bit of a shock.

From within the forest, even Helix's eyes can't reach.

Considering the vigilance, if we continue hunting in the forest, the pair of Voluf the wolf and Kuroyagi the owl would be better.

Let's go back to the village of Legias and regroup.

"Another wild horse skin has been stripped."

Oh, that's great.

It's getting more and more.

I'm not bald, though.

Grandpa was bald, so I'll probably become bald eventually.

"Also, there's some horse meat."

What?

Horse meat, huh.

【Material Item】Wild Horse Meat Raw Material Quality C+ Rarity 2 Weight 2

Wild horse meat. A high-quality meat with a tender texture and a moderate amount of fat.

This is it.

It's horse sashimi.

What else could it be?

"Let's go to the village first."

"Yes!"

It might be a good idea to go to Fina's place and strengthen our forces.

Especially arrows.

They are using both bronze arrows and beginner arrows, which are somewhat effective against rampaging silver hens (female) but not very reliable against stray horses.

I have the prey from last night's hunt and two wild horse skins.

Let's enhance the equipment first.

We arrived at the village of Legias.

It's a bit early for lunch, and most of the stalls are still in the setup stage.

Mio and Yuka were also in the setup stage.

"Hello."

"Oh, welcome."

Fina seems to be the one manning the store today.

There is also an unfamiliar male player.

His attire may not fit in, but he has a young man with a monk-like aura.

"Say hello."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Fudo from the Blacksmith."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Keith the Summoner."

Fina's gaze is on Adel and Irena.

Those two, however, are distracted by the good smell of the stir-fried noodles on the grill.

Hey, you two.

"You foodies. Greetings first."

"Sorry!"

They came to their senses.

But it seems that part of their true nature has already been revealed. Are they okay?

"Um, I'm Adel the Summoner! This is Miyachan!"

"I'm also a Summoner, Irena. This is my partner, Toguro."

"I'm a Merchant, Fina."

"I'm Fudo from the Blacksmith."

The two in the kitchen are still struggling with the stir-fried noodles and the setup.

"Sorry about this! As you can see, Mio is the cook!"

"Same here, Yuka."

After the greetings, well.

Adel and Irena are already drawn to the food.

Miyachan and Toguro, on the other hand, are calm and composed.

"It's rare to have three Summoners here."

"We're new today."

"We've been learning from Keith for a while now."

"Oh, really?"

Stop with that look.

I know, Fina.

You're thinking, what can a beginner like me teach them?

That's right.

"Keith is quite cunning, isn't he?"

"Is that a compliment?"

"If you understand, that's fine."

Fina had a resigned look on her face.

This is the moment to strike.

"So, right away, I have something to sell. I have some skins, but I also have a request."

"Skins?"

I show her two wild horse skins.

I also put out the items I plan to sell separately.

"Well, just selling them would be a bit boring, so I want to make some kind of equipment."

"Saki is busy making saddles all day, so she can't help right away. If you wait a bit, she'll come. Do you want to wait?"

"I'll wait. And I have another request."

"What is it?"

"It's about them. I want to enhance their equipment as much as possible."

"Hmm."

Stop with that look.

No, Fina.

I have no ulterior motives! It's a request!

As a substitute for the master!

"Hey! The stir-fried noodles are ready!"

Mio put a plate of stir-fried noodles in front of us.

It looks like stir-fried noodles.

But the smell is not soy sauce or sauce, but fish sauce.

The oil used seems to be olive oil.

There are small red circles, are they hawk claws?

There are plenty of long pieces of meat and what looks like cabbage.

It's a bit early for lunch!

But I'll eat it!

【Food Item】Wild Flavor Stir-Fried Noodles (Simulated) Fullness +25% Quality C+ Rarity 2 Weight 1

A simple dish of noodles, vegetables, and boiled striped boar meat cooked on a grill.

The meat's flavor is enhanced by the spiciness of the hawk claws and the aroma of the fried blood radish.

It seems she put a lot of effort into it.

No, she's really good at cooking.

You don't have to look so smug, I know!

"There's more burdock. And more meat. No, this is horse meat!"

"Ah, right. Adel, Irena, take out the contents of your backpacks and organize them."

"Yes."

Their prey is mainly wild rabbit meat, skin, and horns, and silver hen wings.

I separate the wild rabbit horns and silver hen wings.

From the prey I put out, I separate the evil ant needles, obsidian, bat fangs, and grassland hawk wings.

Fina is looking at my handiwork.

"Aren't you going to sell these?"

"Ah, you noticed?"

"Will the processing fee be offset by the items you sell?"

"I'd like to do that if possible. If it's not enough, I'll cover the difference with what I have."

"It will be quite different whether you commission the wild horse skins or sell them. But maybe the horse meat will cover it."

She seems to be doing some calculations, so I refrain from interrupting.

Let's focus on finishing the stir-fried noodles.

"Ah, Mio, give this to those two."

"I already did! They're eating!"

Hey! That's fast!

And Adel and Irena are eating faster than me!

"Fina, can you recalculate?"

"I already did."

Her smile gave me a little comfort.

Still, Adel and Irena are adapting to the atmosphere here too quickly.

Is this how girls are?

Fudo seems calm as his name suggests, but there's a smile on his lips.

Well, it's a heartwarming sight to watch.

"Hey! Here they come!"

Mio and Adel's machine-gun talk was joined by Reina, and it got out of control.

It's all girl talk.

Who could interrupt this?

The production party members of Fina's group, except for Saki, gathered for a meal.

Occasionally, NPC customers come, so Yuka and Rick leave their seats, but the conversation never stops.

I need to consult Reina about the bow and arrows, but maybe later.

"The deep part of the Western Forest is no good. We can't advance further."

"But the prey is good, and we harvested burdock."

"No, you don't call that harvesting."

I see, so you've been hunting in the forest.

Burdock means you've been hunting Bloody Wood.

Around the master's house, they only come out at night, but they come out during the day on this side.

"Reina! Mio! A moment!"

Fina called them over to the non-stop girl talk.

This is a big help.

I can't do it myself.

"First, Mio. Do you need ingredients?"

"Of course!"

"Then I'll buy the horse meat. Leave it to you?"

"Sure thing!"

Who is Mio's boss?

She quickly returned to the girl talk.

Rin-Rin is also quite talkative in this group.

Yuka and Irena seemed quiet, but they talk a lot among the women.

It's a mysterious world.

"Then, let's talk about the bow and arrows."

"Hmm? Keith doesn't use them, right?"

"For them."

"Hmm."

Oh no.

Reina has the same look as Fina earlier.

No, it's not like that!

"The arrow nocks and fletchings are bring-your-own. I'll try to prepare as much as possible."

"Okay. The processing fee will be on Keith?"

"For now, that's fine."

"I've already done the calculations. We'll offset it."

"Then let's get started."

Reina started making arrows right there.

Shinohara joined the work silently.

I remember, he's a carpenter too.

There was a bundle of arrow shafts behind the stall.

He quickly started working with the materials at hand.

It's just a matter of shaping the materials and combining them.

"Can you make them without a workshop?"

"Well, yeah. It's pretty flexible."

"Is the shaft material wood?"

"Yes. Any type of wood is fine, but bamboo is preferable. It's easier to process."

It doesn't seem to affect the work even while talking.

Reina continues working while chatting with Fina and Rick.

I also joined the conversation and appraised the arrows as they were completed.

They were all Quality C+.

Impressive.

Shinohara, also a carpenter, seems to be making them all Quality C+.

Reina is a bit faster, but he's impressive too.

I struggled with potion making and bottle making.

If you don't work for a while, you worry about whether you can maintain the quality.

We chat leisurely while waiting for Saki.

Occasionally, Fina has to attend to NPC customers, but sometimes player customers come too.

Most of them are archers buying arrows from Fina's stall.

It seems that the arrows made by Reina and Shinohara are quite popular.

They also actively buy arrow materials from players.

It's business, after all.

"Sorry, Fina, I'm a bit late."

"It's okay."

"Hmm? It's quite lively today."

"There are customers."

She finally noticed me.

"Oh, Keith, are you here to collect?"

"It's about moving the hunting grounds."

"Oh, I see. The skins are being prepared. I've already tanned and shaped them, so they should be ready by tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Fina pointed to the wild horse skins on the table.

"Oh, that's nice. What do you want to make?"

"Maybe boots for two people first."

"They seem to be for them."

Saki noticed Adel and Irena, who were engrossed in the conversation.

"Are they part of Keith's party?"

"No, just helping out. I'm more like a helper."

"Hey, isn't this considered a crime?"

"I thought the same. The suspicion hasn't cleared yet."

Fina and Saki are so mean!

It's a request, a request.

I can't argue here, my mental strength is too weak.

"Got it. At a glance, the skin is clearly more than enough. At least one more skin will be left over."

"Is that so? How about armor?"

"It's a bit short for that."

Oh.

It doesn't always go as planned.

"Can I leave it with you?"

"Sure. I'll prioritize this material. It seems good for leveling up too."

"Thank you."

"I'll take it. Let's measure their foot sizes."

Saki joined the girl talk.

To me, it just looks like she's chatting.

But somehow, she's measuring their foot sizes.

"Is this good?"

Meanwhile, Reina and Shinohara finished making the arrows.

"Be careful with the obsidian arrows! They're heavy, and the glue might not set properly and come off!"

"Understood."

"Well, we have a variety, so the obsidian arrows might not be necessary!"

"Ah, we can also take care of the bows. Please let them know."

"Understood. I'll pass it on."

I respond business-like to Shinohara's sales pitch.

Building a win-win relationship this way is not bad.

Adel and Irena should experience this too, but...

"By the way, Fina, I have something like this."

I took out a blue spinel.

It seems useful for enhancing the power of mages, but I don't know how to use it.

"Oh, you found a good one."

"Is it good?"

"Yes. It can be used to enhance magic attack power."

"Wow."

"But we don't have a lapidary in our player's guild. That's a shame."

"A lapidary?"

"Yes. Only a lapidary can process raw stones. They might be rarer than summoners."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. But you can have it processed by an NPC lapidary."

"Where are they?"

"I think they're in Remuto and the port town. But you need a letter of introduction to meet them."

Oh dear.

What a hassle.

"Players can't choose to be lapidaries unless their parents are lapidaries. Just like summoners."

"Is that so?"

"It's because they deal with high-value items in their business."

That's the situation.

It seems the blue spinel will have to be stored for now.

"So, how do I get an item box?"

"Huh? I thought Keith had one?"

"It's borrowed."

"You should have been able to get one by spending bonus points