Chapter 19

I cast Wind Blade at the Poison Toad, cleanly splitting it in two.

Unlike Fireball, this allows me to collect materials, which is convenient.

It’s been four days since I started traveling with this self-proclaimed genius magician, Rena. While hunting and training, I’ve been adjusting to Rena’s pace, so we’re a bit behind schedule.

"…You’re learning too quickly. There’s another genius like me here."

"You learned Fireball pretty quickly too. And I’m about to start an experiment, so don’t get in the way."

"…Not you. Rena."

"Ugh…"

Ignoring Rena, I look at Nina, who’s standing to the side with a frown. She’s against the experiment I’m about to do.

I’m going to deliberately ingest the poison from the Poison Toad to see how much my combat ability decreases while poisoned, and to test the new white magic I’ve learned to remove the poison. I check the status of the remaining Poison Toad.

Name: ***

Race: Poison Toad

Rank: 1

Level: 8

HP: 73

MP: 2

Strength: 31

Agility: 12

Vitality: 22

Intelligence: 6

Magic: 2

Luck: 2

Passive Skill:

Poison Attack (Tongue) Level 1

Active Skill:

None

Unique Skill:

None

(The poison is in its tongue…)

*Whoosh!*

The tongue moves faster than I would have expected from its appearance, but it’s not so fast that I can’t dodge it. I deliberately take the hit a few times, and my body starts to feel uncomfortable.

It seems I’m poisoned. Nina immediately notices my status change and kills the Poison Toad.

"Yu, are you okay?"

"A bit uncomfortable, but I’m fine. But I’d rather avoid this state during combat."

"…Should I heal you?"

"I just learned the spell, so I’ll heal myself. Nina, can you skin the toad while I do this?"

I activate the poison removal spell Rena taught me. A greenish light envelops my body, and the poison is successfully removed.

"Yu, our supplies are almost at their limit."

While we’ve been collecting materials from the monsters we’ve killed, our food supplies are dwindling, and our luggage is increasing.

"…You can put them in this."

Rena pulls out a small bag. I look at it, surprised.

Item Pouch (Grade 5): Can hold up to 200 kilograms of items. However, items larger than the bag’s opening cannot be inserted.

"You have an Item Pouch?"

"Yes! Rena is amazing~ Even the cheapest Item Pouch costs 10 gold coins."

"…A gift from my parents."

I remember, her parents are adventurers, a magician and a priest. Her equipment is also a gift from them. That’s why her gear is better than what her level would suggest.

"Who would entrust their entire fortune to someone else?"

Nina is complaining on the side, but I don’t trust her, so I don’t intend to hand over the materials. However, Rena hands me the Item Pouch.

"…It’s better if Yu has it."

"But your stuff is in there too. What if I run off with it?"

"…I trust Yu and Nina. I can’t give away this Item Pouch because it’s a gift from my parents, but I can lend it to you until we reach Kama."

(What a strange person…)

The Item Pouch is made of a rubber-like material. By widening the opening, I can fit all the materials I’ve collected, and the weight remains the same, making it an incredible item.

I was about to take the night watch, but Nina is adamantly against it…

"Yu hasn’t slept much in the past five days, right?"

"…With three of us, we can take turns."

Before I can argue, Nina wraps us both in a piece of cloth to use as a blanket.

"Hehe~ This way, it’s warm and safe~"

"…Logical, Nina is a genius."

Rena says this as she squeezes between me and Nina. It’s cramped and stuffy, and she’s sniffing around.

"…Yu smells good."

"Stop sniffing! And Nina, stop touching my butt."

"Once a day, just once a day!"

She’s saying something ridiculous again.

Even though I can heal wounds and restore stamina with Heal, after not sleeping for five days and feeling the warmth and comfort from Nina and Rena, I fall asleep without realizing it.

"Finally, he’s asleep."

"…Nina, have you known Yu for a long time?"

"I haven’t even been with him for a year~ Are you really going to be an adventurer in Kama, Rena?"

"…I want to become a sage. To become a sage, I need to raise both white magic and black magic to Level 5. I also need to enter a magic school to learn various spells and pass the kingdom’s exam. The tuition for the magic school is 100 gold coins…"

"100 gold coins! School is expensive. But if we hunt with Yu, we can save up quickly."

"…Yes, Nina and Yu are good people. I haven’t been wrong about you two."

That night, the girls talked late into the night, sharing their dreams with each other.