Chapter 76

Goodie seems to be following anxiously.

I haven’t even set up the party or used the Union yet.

There are some issues for both him and me.

For example, the range of healing and support spells becomes extremely short, which is a disadvantage.

Well, that can’t be helped.

If you want to distribute experience points fairly, you should also accept various inconveniences.

Besides, the target I’m expecting is an orc.

A single one isn’t that strong a monster.

The problem is the numbers.

Well, it seems we can manage somehow.

The forest atmosphere was getting deeper.

The trees were obstructive and very dark.

I returned Helix and summoned Jean.

I use Noctovision to ensure visibility.

Goodie, on the other hand, seems to be using a flashlight.

I thought about casting Noctovision on him too.

Well, it’s fine.

Let’s head into the depths of the forest right away.

We were targeting orcs, but the first thing we encountered was a parrot.

Moreover, it wasn’t even my turn to act.

The fire-eating parrot didn’t even have a chance to breathe fire.

I plucked its wings, but it wasn’t very satisfying.

Where are the orcs?

Seyo found the orcs.

It’s a group.

They haven’t noticed us yet.

We observe from the shade of the trees.

There are ten of them.

The number is large.

Now that Goodie is here, we shouldn’t take unnecessary risks, but I can’t calm down.

My body wants to fight.

Before I knew it, I was running towards the orcs.

This is in the middle of the forest.

Even if the numbers are large, it’s not necessarily a disadvantage.

I put the rod in the Item Box.

I was holding a tonfa on my back.

Hmm.

This one should be easier to fight with here.

I pressed the first one against a tree, kicked its stomach, and twisted its neck to break it.

The orcs trying to get close are obstructed by the trees and can’t approach immediately.

Of course, the fact that Seyo and Jean are restraining them from the air is also significant.

Next.

I slammed the tip of the tonfa into the orc’s mouth like a elbow strike.

When I hit the tonfa under its armpit, the orc dropped its club.

The club hit my foot directly.

What the heck.

It really hurts.

I’m glad I have boots on.

I kicked it in the groin as a retaliation.

It seemed to be in a lot of pain, almost exaggeratedly so.

I’ll make it stop hurting right away.

I made it lower its head with a front kick and then wrapped my arm around its neck, applying my weight.

Then I twisted it.

“Kyaa?”

It went to the other world with a pleasant-sounding voice.

Come on, next.

It’s still not enough.

Isn’t there a stronger one?

After beating the fourth one, the entire group of orcs was wiped out.

Goodie had also taken down about two of them.

Well, that’s fine.

There was a large shadow approaching at the end.

It was an orc.

But it was an orc.

It was more than a size larger than the previous orcs.

It didn’t have a weapon.

But its arms were long, and its fists were large and rough.

Its belly was protruding.

A metabolic syndrome body type.

What is this thing?

Orc Leader Lv.???

Monster Target Active

Wow.

The level is invisible.

So it’s definitely a higher rank.

I’m getting a bit excited.

“Goruu!”

The monster shouted and attacked me.

Because of its short legs, it looked like it was staggering.

I selected and cast a spell while facing the monster.

Something like a rock passed in front of my eyes.

It was the monster’s fist.

But I could see its trajectory clearly.

“Root Snare!”

I cast the spell as the monster and I crossed paths.

The monster, with uncertain footing, easily fell over.

I turned around and approached the monster.

I kicked the face of the monster that was trying to get up.

It didn’t budge.

The HP bar didn’t decrease much.

Then I’ll do this.

I swept up its right leg.

The upper body, which was halfway up, fell over again.

Is it because it’s fat, or does it have weak abdominal muscles?

I held the tonfa and locked its raised leg with a heel hold.

I pressed the orc’s left knee with my right foot and spread its legs.

I twisted its ankle.

“Gygygygygygygygygy!”

The monster started to thrash around, emitting a large and strange cry.

The more it thrashed, the more it should hurt.

But the sight of it thrashing around, drooling, was too ugly to look at.

By chance, the swinging fist hit my thigh.

Hey.

I got a bit angry?

I twisted its ankle even deeper.

I heard the sound of the knee joint and hip joint breaking.

At the same time, some tendons and muscles must have stretched to the limit.

I could feel something tearing throughout my body.

I kicked it in the groin with the leg I had spread.

When I released the broken right leg, I grabbed the orc’s left leg.

I twisted its ankle, and it couldn’t bear the pain and fell face down.

I locked its leg with my foot.

I applied my weight.

It’s an impromptu step-over toe hold.

Except that I’m holding a tonfa in my hand.

I can punch as much as I want without a face lock.

It didn’t work out.

The torso is too long to reach the head.

This isn’t it.

I used the tonfa to hook and twist the ankle.

The sound just now was a snap.

I released the orc’s leg and kicked it in the groin with a toe kick and stepped back.

The orc was thrashing around on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

It’s so dirty.

It was scratching the ground with both hands, suffering.

It was even peeling the bark of a tree with one hand.

Its power can’t be ignored yet.

I can’t let my guard down.

“Paralyze!”

I cast the spell from a safe distance.

The first one didn’t paralyze it, but the second one did.

It finally stopped thrashing.

Houki was approaching the orc, which was lying on its back.

I know what he’s expecting.

I gave him permission.

Houki slit the throat with the sickle in his hand.

Or should I say, crushed it?

Either way, the monster sank into a sea of blood.

Goodie was peeling a gemstone from the two orcs he had taken down.

It was an iolite, I think.

And from the eight orcs we took down, we got nothing.

The operators.

Is it a curse?

And from the Orc Leader, I got an item properly.

【Material Item】Tsavorite Quality C+ Rarity 3 Weight 0+

A green garnet. It is slightly more valuable than red garnets.

Highly transparent ones are popular for spell casting and can be quite expensive.

It’s better than iolite.

By the way, I also peeled a magic stone.

To get them as a set, what a considerate design?

I don’t understand the operators.

“Amazing!”

“Really?”

Goodie says so, but I have a bit of a complaint.

It would be more satisfying if the monsters were a bit stronger.

We head west in the forest, relying on the magnetic compass and the map.

Are there only orcs and parrots in this forest?

It can’t be that simple.

There’s also the night.

Yes, there’s the night.

We don’t know what happens at night in the new map we’ve been exploring.

The night is more troublesome in all five of the initial maps.

Of course, we should be suspicious.

I’m interested, but how do we resupply?

I haven’t even gathered the equipment for lodging.

Maybe I’ll go to Remto town tomorrow to get supplies?

Hmm?

Speaking of Remto town, I feel like I’m forgetting something.

What was it?

Ah, I remember.

The guild master told me to come and see him.

Maybe he’s moved to a new building and needs help?

I’ll find out when I go.

After that, we encountered two more groups of orcs.

Both were over ten in number.

It seems that while they are weak as individuals, they appear in larger numbers.

That’s the right understanding, I guess.

Of course, hunting them isn’t a problem.

The problem is that we still haven’t gotten any good items.

Goodie has peeled an iolite from the orcs he took down.

I’m feeling a bit sorry for myself.

The next place we reached seemed to be a plain.

There are clusters of trees here and there.

The terrain seems to be a bit hilly, but it shouldn’t be a problem to move with the crescent moon horse.

I’ll check the wide-area map to confirm our current location.

It’s the western edge of the S1W1 map.

If we’re going to stop, this is a good place.

The time is 1:30 PM.

It’s a bit early, but I’ll teleport.

“I think we’ll stop here. Is the time okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

I could see a hint of relief on his face.

Of course, he must be worried since we just met today.

I send a party formation request to Goodie.

After confirming that he accepted, I select and cast the Return Home spell.

“Return Home!”

The scenery in front of me disappeared in the next moment.

I’ll probably come back here someday.

There are still many places I haven’t seen.

I teleported in front of my master’s house.

It’s a familiar sight for me, but not for Goodie.

“Eh? It’s really near the village of Legias?”

He must be looking at the wide-area map.

He can’t believe we actually teleported.

He has that look on his face, doesn’t he?

“Yes, from here it’s about an hour’s walk to the village of Legias.”

“I’ve come here alone during the day before. I’m fine now.”

Is that so?

There are stray horses and wild horses, but is it really okay?

Well, since he says so, it might be fine.

Goodie’s name disappeared from the party formation screen.

That’s probably appropriate.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

Goodie said that and shook my hand with both of his.

I instinctively shook back with both hands.

I felt like I received something.

“I don’t know if this is enough as a thank you.”

I felt a gemstone in my hand.

It’s an iolite.

As a thank you, it’s a bit much.

“Sorry, I don’t have much time, so I’ll take my leave now.”

He said that and hurriedly headed down a narrow path in the forest.

Did he have a good reason to hurry?

Or is he just extremely shy?

In any case, it seems I lost the opportunity to refuse such an excessive thank you.

Chasing after him would be a bit much.

It’s a dilemma.

Well, what should I do?

I’ve used quite a bit of potion, so I’ll make some at my master’s house.

Also, I have some thoughts from this exploration.

The potion cooldown time.

In the future, it would be better to prepare as high-quality potions as possible.

While alchemy shortcuts are suitable for mass production, the number of potions needed isn’t that large.

I’ll make ten for now.

Of course, I want to aim for the highest quality possible.

If there’s time left, I might try to make even higher-quality potions.

I started making potions in the underground workshop.

I can’t forget to use Physical Enchantment Aqua to boost my dexterity.

I also use the alchemy Making skill to crush and extract the Wound Seal Grass.

I carefully made two potions.

【Recovery Item】Potion HP +13% recovery Quality B Rarity 1 Weight 1

A common potion. It slightly recovers HP.

It leaves a slight bitterness on the tongue when drunk.

*Cannot be used consecutively. Cooldown is approximately 5 minutes.

This is the best potion I’ve made so far.

But thinking about the higher Quality A, there’s still a long way to go.

What’s missing?

Or, what should I add?

I feel like something is lacking.

I repeated this four more times.

All of them were Quality B.

There’s no Quality B+.

I’m sure it exists, but it doesn’t seem to be something I can reach so easily.

【Recovery Item】Potion HP +14% recovery Quality B Rarity 1 Weight 1

A common potion. It slightly recovers HP.

It leaves a slight bitterness on the tongue when drunk.

*Cannot be used consecutively. Cooldown is approximately 5 minutes.

【Recovery Item】Potion HP +13% recovery Quality B Rarity 1 Weight 1

A common potion. It slightly recovers HP.

It leaves a slight bitterness on the tongue when drunk.

*Cannot be used consecutively. Cooldown is approximately 4 minutes.

However, there seems to be a slight but subtle difference in their effects.

It might not be something to worry about, but there seems to be some variation in performance.

I’ve never paid attention to it before.

I guess I’ll just accept it as it is.

【System Message】Your Water Magic has leveled up due to your recent actions!

My Water Magic leveled up after using Physical Enchantment Aqua for the third time.

I feel like I’ve leveled up quite a few skills in the past couple of days.

I guess that’s because I’ve been spending such intense time.

Oh.

I can’t forget this.

I also need to make two Recovery Pills with the filtered solid residue.

Both are Quality B+.

The highest quality I’ve made before was also Quality B+, so there’s no change.

That’s a bit disappointing.

I’ve finished making the potions I need for the exploration.

I thought about making some arrows, but I forgot something.

I haven’t even checked the new spells for Ice Magic and Plant Magic.

There were supposed to be six in total.

Resist Ice (Ice Magic)

Skating (Ice Magic)

Freeze Bullet (Ice Magic)

Resist Plant (Plant Magic)

Forest Walk (Plant Magic)

Branch Arrow (Plant Magic)

Well, I think it’s safe to consider Resist spells as enhancing resistance to each attribute.

Indeed, the descriptions confirmed that.

So, what’s Skating?

It’s a spell that allows you to move freely on smooth surfaces, not just ice.

Is it about controlling friction?

I don’t think I’ll have many opportunities to walk on ice.

Forest Walk?

What kind of spell is this for walking in the forest?

The description is vague.

I can’t really imagine what it does until I try it.

I’ll reserve judgment.

The remaining two are attack spells.

They are similar to other attribute attack spells.

Branch Arrow seems to have a slightly longer range.

However, it still doesn’t match the Wind Magic spell, Wind Cutter.

There’s a problem.

With too many attack spells, it’s becoming difficult to manage.

Even if I edit the list to only include attack spells, it’s quite long.

Can I really select them during combat?

I’m not sure.

While I’m at it, I’ll organize the spell list.

An idea came to me while looking at the spells.

The Dust Magic spell, Aging, gave me a hint.

It’s a spell that accelerates reactions.

In other words, it’s a spell that ages things.

However, from a different perspective, drying can also be a form of change.

It’s well known that drying vegetables and mushrooms changes their nutritional value.

There must be other possibilities.

Oxidation and reduction reactions, for example.

Freezing could be interesting.

Letting things rot could be an option.

What if I burn them to ashes?

Wow.

There are so many interesting methods to try.

The material is Wound Seal Grass.

The pre-treatment.

The water for extraction.

The temperature and duration of heating during extraction.

What other conditions can I add?

Can I directly and quickly remove water from the grass?

It’s possible.

The alchemy Making skill, Extraction, can do that.

The description states, “Extracting a specific substance from a mixed object.”

It seems possible based on the description.

Can I make the extraction water acidic or alkaline?

It’s possible.

The pharmacist’s Making skills, Acidification and Alkalization, can do that.

The magic spells, Acid Touch and Reduction Touch, from the Burn Magic can also be used.

The pharmacist’s Making skill, Deactivation, is also interesting.

It states, “Deactivating the active components to prevent reactions.”

It might be possible to pre-treat the material to prevent the active components from degrading when heated.

The Dust Magic spell, Aging, is also intriguing.

The active components might degrade, but it’s worth checking.

If I combine these and test them, I’ll have to conduct a vast number of experiments.

Testing them one by one would be a long process.

If I do it all at once, it would be an orthogonal array experiment.

It would be efficient as it would show the contribution of each condition.

But is it worth going that far?

Thinking about it is a hassle, so I’ll just take it one step at a time.

I have plenty of time.

There are convenient spells and Making skills to shorten the process.

It’s fine to go with the flow.

Well, I’ll just follow my interests and see what happens.

When I get absorbed in something, this always happens.

I realized it was already past 10 PM.

I skipped dinner and my body feels