Chapter 4

In front of the small house, an old man stood.

In his right hand was a staff, typical of a magician.

At the twisted tip of the staff, the owl from earlier perched.

The inverted triangular marker on its head was yellow.

I tried to focus my mind, but I couldn't read any information.

It seems tough.

"Really. Is the Adventurer's Guild short of people?"

I walked up to the old man and bowed, and so did Volfg. Oh, smart.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Keith, a novice adventurer. This is my partner, Volfg."

"Hmm."

The old man in the robe was tall and slender.

His chin was neatly trimmed with short white whiskers.

His face was gentle, but his eyes were sharp and unsmiling.

"Embarrassingly, I consulted the guild about being guided by a senior summoner, and they introduced me to you."

"Hmm. I've already confirmed it."

Huh.

Already?

When did he do it?

"It shows on your face."

He laughed as if he found it amusing.

"The guild staff you spoke to is an acquaintance of mine. I recognized the handwriting on the note."

He took another step closer and peered into my eyes.

"So, why do you need guidance?"

The pressure from the old man is intense.

"I only have this one companion, who was summoned. I'm inexperienced as both an adventurer and a summoner."

"That's obvious from your appearance."

For some reason, the old man started circling around me.

"Average build, average height. Black hair, black eyes. A very ordinary appearance. Your equipment is poor for an adventurer, but you can summon, right?"

I'm being evaluated.

I remember that the character creation was automatic, and the appearance was random.

Maybe I should have tweaked it a bit to make a better impression.

"Well, it's fine. Since you were introduced by the guild, I'll take you under my wing for a while. However—"

The old man turned grandly to face me after taking a few steps back.

"You're asking to be taught by this summoner, Orenu. Do you have the resolve for it?"

At that moment, information flowed into my mind.

《The event "Apprenticeship to a Summoner" has been initiated. Do you want to proceed with the event?》

At the same time, a small virtual window appeared in front of me with two options: 《Yes》 and 《No》.

The answer is already decided.

"Though I'm a novice, please take care of me."

"Hmm."

It seems I automatically chose 《Yes》. The 《Yes》 option was emphasized and blinking, while the 《No》 option disappeared.

《The event "Apprenticeship to a Summoner" has begun.》

"Alright, I have something to tell you first."

"Yes, what is it?"

I thought it might be some kind of lecture.

"First, can you help me with my work? I've delivered magic potions to the town of Remto on a request from the Adventurer's Guild, and I need to make more."

"Yes."

"Yesterday, I suddenly received a request. It seems there's a shortage of potions."

Ah, probably because of the influx of novice adventurers like me, who are buying them up.

This old man makes potions too?

It seems the guild sent me here to help with the workload.

I don't think I was tricked, but the guild can be quite underhanded.

The house, though small, seemed to have the minimum essentials for living.

However, there were very few things.

It felt like only the bare necessities were selected.

Is he really making potions here?

I didn't see any items related to alchemy.

"First, we need to gather herbs."

He muttered something in the middle of the room.

A part of the floor sank down, revealing a spiral staircase leading underground.

Wow.

"We have some herbs, but our stock is running low. Let's go gather more."

I followed him down the stairs, with Volfg trailing behind, looking interested.

At the bottom of the spiral staircase was a spacious area.

Actually, it was a deep, round hole.

Looking closely, the spiral staircase continued along the walls of the hole.

There was light, but the bottom was dark and out of sight.

How deep is it?

Surely we're not going to walk all the way down, right?

That worry was unfounded.

About thirty steps down, there was a landing that circled the hole, with several doors.

The old man entered one of the doors, and I followed with Volfg.

"This is also necessary."

On the only table in the warehouse were various items.

Several burlap bags, a spade, what looked like work gloves, a wide leather belt, and a pouch.

"These are for you. Do you know how to use this?"

He pointed to the pouch.

"No."

"It's an 《Item Box》. You'll need it for gathering herbs. I'll lend it to you."

He pushed the belt and pouch into my hands.

I fastened the belt around my waist, with the pouch on the back.

"Just wear it. At first, it won't hold much, so you'll need to use your backpack as well."

I tried putting the burlap bags into the pouch.

After four bags, it was full.

"Four burlap bags and it's already full."

"Hmm. It's understandable for a novice adventurer."

Since it wouldn't fit, I put the remaining two burlap bags, the spade, and the gloves into my backpack.

It won't fit.

There are already dropped items in it.

"It won't fit in the backpack."

"Hmm? Is there already something in it?"

"Yes."

"Then put the contents in this."

He handed me a bag.

"This is a spare 《Item Box》 of mine. Move the contents here and leave it here."

As I placed the contents of my backpack into the open bag, they disappeared as if by magic.

It felt like a magic trick.

I put the two burlap bags, the spade, and the gloves back into my backpack.

"Let's go, then."

When we stepped outside, the old man started muttering a spell.

"Summon Monster!"

The area surrounded by stone walls was much larger than the house, but a huge presence made it seem smaller.

It was a bird, right?

Just to be sure, I used 《Identify》.

Rock Bird Lv.???

Summoned Monster - On Standby

Honestly, it's scary.

Volfg also looked frightened.

"Is this—"

"The gathering place is far. We'll ride this one."

Can we really use a summoned monster as a mount?

And a Rock Bird, no less. It seems the old man is quite skilled, but how skilled, I can't tell.

I'll call him Master.

The old man, despite his age, climbed onto the Rock Bird's back.

Volfg and I followed.

"Let's go, then."

I immediately regretted it.

It's cold.

My lower body is buried in the Rock Bird's feathers, which is good, but my upper body is exposed.

I wanted to check the terrain from the air, but it's impossible in this state.

I tried to sink my body into the feathers as much as possible.

It's still cold, and my teeth are chattering.

Is there anything I can do?

"Ah, this cold is too much for you. I'll lower the altitude, so wait a moment."

It's a relief, but this is unbearable.

Is there any way to fix it?

I mentally searched for "cold" and "skills" in my mind.

【Auxiliary Skill】Cold Resistance - Not Acquired - Acquirable - 2 Bonus Points Required

A skill that improves resistance to cold.

As the level increases, the penalty from cold is significantly reduced.

《You have 21 bonus points remaining. Do you want to acquire it?》

《Yes》 or 《No》

It might be a waste of bonus points, but I can't stand it anymore.

I chose to acquire it.

《Do you want to activate it?》

The system might be designed to confirm my intentions, but I'm in a tight spot.

Even if I'm criticized later for being poor, I chose 《Yes》.

After a short while, I felt much better.

It might be because the Rock Bird lowered its altitude.

"Thank you. I feel much better now."

"I'm sorry for not thinking of that."

"No, I'm in a position to learn from you."

"Ah, right. I have a lot to teach you."

The old man seemed to be thinking.

"You don't have any companions to adventure with, correct?"

"Yes."

"And the summoned monsters are your companions?"

"Yes."

"Then, in battle, do you plan to have the summoned monsters in the front and you in the back, providing support?"

Well.

That's a bit different from my image.

"At first, I thought that would be fine, but now I think differently."

"Hmm."

There was a moment of silence.

The old man's face looked a bit stern.

"Even if you can fight that way, adventuring isn't just about fighting, you know?"

That's true.

Fighting is still manageable.

If I form a party, each member can take on a role, but I have to do everything alone.

I'll probably have to rely on items to some extent.

"Being able to do everything yourself is an ideal, but it's not realistic."

"I'm prepared for that to some extent."

"Hmm."

I then honestly explained what I'm good at.

Basically, I explained the skills I have to the NPC in a plausible way.

I received several pieces of advice. Here's a summary:

First, weapons.

Using a staff or rod for striking is fine, but it's better to be able to use another weapon.

Weapons can be knocked away by monsters or break during battle.

Next, magic.

Focusing only on wind magic isn't a good strategy.

The top priority should be either light or dark magic, followed by at least one of fire, earth, or water.

If you plan to explore dungeons or be active at night, light or dark magic is useful.

Wind magic can be resisted, so it's good to have other elemental magic to cover it.

Next, production.

You can't always rely on what you earn from adventuring.

You should have a way to earn money.

Since summoners need alchemy, you can use that to your advantage.

Next, auxiliary skills.

Auxiliary skills don't include combat techniques or spells, but they are effective in subtle ways.

Acquire them as needed, but choose based on what you want to do in the future.

As a summoner and magician, you should also pursue knowledge, even as an adventurer.

Finally, a note.

Imagine what kind of adventurer you want to be.

Keep thinking about it.

"We should be arriving soon."

By the time we received this advice, we were close to the gathering spot.

What skills should I acquire?

I decided to quickly acquire the magic skills that didn't require much thought.

I acquired light and earth magic.

The bonus points required were 3 for light and 2 for earth, leaving me with 14 points.

Dark magic requires 3 points, and fire and water each require 2, so I could acquire all of them, but I'll skip them for now.

The weapon skills felt off.

The number of bonus points required seemed unusually high.

Here's a rough breakdown:

Striking (2), Kicking (2), Two-handed Spear (5), Club (5), Mace (7)

Short Sword (6), Sword (8), Hand Axe (6), Dagger (6), Katana (8)

Bow (9), Thrusting Sword (8), Flail (8)

Striking and Kicking are relatively light, while the others are generally more expensive compared to magic.

Two-handed Spear and Club seem to require fewer points, but I can't imagine using them.

I'll acquire Striking and Kicking.

If I lose my weapon, I can still fight to some extent.

I acquired and activated Striking and Kicking just as the Rock Bird was about to land.

"There's a herb cluster in this forest."

The landing spot was a plateau-like area.

Looking in all directions, I saw mountain scenery.

The air was thin.

In front of me was a forest on the shadow side of the mountain.

"The most common herb used for potions is Wound Grass, which can be found in any forest."

"Really?"

"Yes. Even in the forest where I live, there's a small amount that can be gathered."

The old man entered the forest, and I followed with Volfg.

"This is one of several herb clusters in the forest. It's one of my secret spots."

The Rock Bird flew away after dropping us off, and the wind from its departure stung my face.

The forest seemed to be composed of relatively tall trees.

There were many fallen logs, making it difficult to walk, but the old man didn't seem to mind.

I picked up a fallen branch that was the right length and thickness to hold.

It was quite heavy. I tried to identify it.

【Material Item】Maple Branch - Raw Material - Quality E - Rarity 2 - Weight 2

A maple branch. As wood, it is relatively hard and heavy.

The low quality is probably because it's starting to rot.

I shouldn't use it for anything.

The name "maple" is familiar.

Didn't it produce maple syrup?

The leaves on the ground indeed looked like maple leaves.

I recognized the shape from the Canadian flag.

The old man was digging up a plant with a spade at the base of a tree.

"This is Wound Grass."

He handed me a plant with pointed leaves similar to a sago palm.

I identified it.

【Material Item】Wound Grass - Raw Material - Quality C - Rarity 2 - Weight 0+

Herb. Generally used for health recovery.

Eating it raw is effective, but it has a side effect of reducing agility.

"There's one thing to be careful about. This."

He handed me another plant that looked similar to Wound Grass.

"Check the underside of the leaves."

When I flipped the leaves over, I saw purple veins.

I identified it.

【Material Item】Agony Grass - Raw Material - Quality C - Rarity 3 - Weight 0+

Poisonous herb. Not lethal, but eating it raw can cause breathing difficulties.

It looks similar to Wound Grass, so be careful not to confuse them.

What a troublesome herb!

"This is Agony Grass. You might accidentally gather it, but don't throw it away. Keep it separate."

"Separate?"

"Yes. It's a poisonous herb, but it has unexpected uses."

"?"

"Just gather it casually. It should mix in about one in ten times."

"If it mixes in, it's scary."

The old man started chanting a spell.

It was a summoning spell.

"Summon Monster!"

A magic circle appeared on the ground for a moment and then disappeared.

Two summoned monsters appeared.

Automaton Lv.???

Summoned Monster - On Standby

Two human-sized automatons.

They were indistinguishable from each other.

They had no faces, so there was no way to tell them apart.

They had a slender human build, and their skin looked like a mix of wood and metal, a dark brown color.

They had ball joints, and their fingers moved skillfully, which was a bit creepy.

They moved too smoothly.

"Let's start gathering."

By the time I had gathered half a burlap bag of Wound Grass, the automatons had already filled their bags.

The automatons are amazing!

They used their hands like shovels to dig up the ground.

The old man had Volfg sit beside him and watched the work.

I'll do my best!

By the time I filled a burlap bag, the automatons had already filled another one.

"That's enough."

When the old man said that, information rang in my mind.

《Your racial level has increased due to your actions! Please add 1 point to any of your base stats.》

Base Stats

Dexterity: 15

Agility: 15

Intelligence: 18

Strength: 13

Vitality: 15

Spirit: 19

I decided to increase my Strength.

《2 bonus points have been added to your bonus points. You now have a total of 12 points.》

《The defensive skill 【Evasion】 has been added to your available skills.》

《The auxiliary skill 【Carry】 has been added to your available skills.》

《Do you want to go to the skill acquisition screen?》

I'll pass on skill acquisition for now.

《Your identification level has increased due to your actions!》

I also increased my identification to level 3.

I was careful to identify and gather the herbs to avoid mistakes.

《Your cooperation level has increased due to your actions!》