Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 11: Stability Plummeting

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Stability Plummeting

Of course, in a society built on sword and Magic, wealth and risk were like twin brothers, forever intertwined.

The great merchants renowned across the continent were often powerful Professionals themselves.

Only with enough Power to protect one’s coffers did wealth truly belong to them.

Lance knew this principle well.

That was why he would never pass up an opportunity to strengthen himself, as long as the risks were manageable.

...

It was another day off.

Lance once again stood at the entrance to Copper Creek Forest, fully armed.

This time, he had accepted a commission to gather Silver Leaf Vine Juice.

This was a basic material used to create Ash Leaf Tincture, the raw material for the most common antidote Potion on the market.

The plant had strict humidity requirements for its growing environment and typically only grew on the Ancient Oak Trees near Whispering Falls.

Because of the huge demand for this material from Potion shops, the Guild would usually send people to clear the route to the gathering area every so often.

In theory, it was a completely safe zone, with no need to worry about encountering Demons.

But that was just in theory.

A recent Magic Power surge within Copper Creek Forest had caused the environment in the outer regions to become unpredictable and treacherous.

The most sought-after Copper Hat Mushroom gathering quests had been snatched up long ago. After careful consideration, Lance had picked this seemingly safest option from a pile of quests.

This was the optimal solution he had calculated after comparing seven or eight different gathering quests.

After all, since he had chosen to be an Adventurer, it was impossible to avoid all risks completely.

As long as the risk was within a manageable range, it was worth a try.

Besides, he had his system ’cheat’ that could monitor the environmental stability.

However, the moment Lance’s feet crossed into Copper Creek Forest, a system entry popped up and gave him a rude awakening.

[Current Area: Restless (Green) Outer Copper Creek Forest]

[Restless (Green): The environmental stability of this area now fluctuates by up to 5%. There is a 20% chance of an extra harvest when gathering. Stamina consumption is increased by 10%.]

[Current Commission: Gather Silver Leaf Vine Juice (0/10), Reward: 10 Skill Experience, 10 Knowledge Experience]

Lance immediately ignored the part about increased stamina consumption.

For someone like him who possessed [Hevagmir’s Boiling], a stamina bar was practically infinite.

What truly unsettled him was the fluctuation range.

The previously stable 1% variation had now jumped to a massive 5%.

This meant that danger could arrive without any warning, drastically shortening his reaction time.

It seemed the reports circulating within the Guild hadn’t been exaggerating.

The forest was currently in a period of Magic Power instability. Although its resources had become more abundant, the Demons’ activities had also grown more frenzied.

This also explained the recent, horrifying incident of a joint Gnoll and Goblin attack.

At the thought of Goblins, an expression of undisguised disgust appeared on Lance’s face.

Those Demons were nothing short of a cancer on the ecosystem.

According to the Copper Creek Forest Monster Manual, the Goblin race relied on an astonishing, almost terrifying, reproductive rate to counter their natural predators and harsh environments.

A female Goblin’s gestation period was absurdly short—only two to three months—and each litter could produce around eight offspring.

What was even more frightening was that these young only needed three years to reach adulthood and gain the ability to reproduce.

In the pyramid of all intelligent species, this reproductive efficiency was undoubtedly at the very top.

Compared to them, the human rate of reproduction seemed as slow as a tortoise’s.

Adventurers would often wipe out a tribe, only for a new clan to spring up like weeds in some other dark corner less than a year later.

Furthermore, the Goblins’ largest lairs were never on the surface.

They lived in the dark, labyrinthine world underground, a sprawling Maze of tunnels.

All humans could do was periodically clear out the stragglers on the surface to prevent them from overrunning the place.

’What a disgusting and troublesome race.’

Lance cursed inwardly.

Not only that, but Goblins had extremely poor genetic stability and frequently mutated into terrifying subspecies.

These variants were an absolutely lethal threat to Ordinary Adventurers.

Lance cautiously observed his surroundings while mentally reviewing the Knowledge he had been cramming recently.

He casually gathered some low-value herbs he encountered along the way, keeping a constant eye on the fluctuating number on his retina.

Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.

When he arrived near the gathering point, the area was silent.

Not many Adventurers dared to venture this deep during this period. Today in particular, he hadn’t seen a single soul the entire way.

The more capable teams had all taken on higher-paying subjugation quests to hunt down the rampaging Demons.

Lance stopped in front of an Ancient Oak Tree so wide it would take three people to encircle it.

Several thick, dark green vines coiled tightly around the trunk like snakes. Under the sunlight filtering through the canopy, the veins of their unique heart-shaped leaves shimmered with a silver light.

This was precisely the origin of the Silver Leaf Vine’s name.

Lance drew his Short Sword and gently sliced open the vine’s outer layer.

A slightly viscous, transparent sap slowly trickled out, and a faint, sour stench immediately filled the air.

He immediately took out a prepared glass vial to catch it.

While waiting for the vial to fill, his eyes flicked to the environmental stability reading every few seconds.

His luck was good.

Nothing unusual happened by the time all ten small vials were full.

[Commission Complete: Gather Silver Leaf Vine Juice (10/10)]

[Reward Gained: 10 Skill Experience, 10 Knowledge Experience]

Lance carefully wrapped each glass vial in cotton cloth to prevent them from bumping into each other and shattering during vigorous movement.

After stuffing the spoils into the pouch at his waist, he didn’t leave right away.

’Since I’m already here, I might as well check out the nearby waterfall.’

For one, his hands were sticky from gathering the juice and needed a wash.

For another, he remembered that a plant called Blood Coagulation Moss loved to grow on the rotting wood around waterfalls.

He glanced at the number.

72%.

While not high, it was still a safe enough level for a Restless area.

Lance walked briskly to the edge of Whispering Falls.

The air here was thick with mist, and many moss-covered dead tree trunks lay scattered haphazardly along the bank.

He applied his newly learned Botany Knowledge, carefully distinguishing between the types of moss.

Soon.

He found a patch of what looked like red fluff growing on the shaded side of a huge piece of rotting wood.

When scraped off, it felt viscous and was connected at the base to a fine network of white mycelium. Leaning closer, he could smell a faint odor of rust.

It was the core ingredient for making hemostatic ointment.

[Knowledge: Botany +1]

’An unexpected gain.’

’Practice really is the best teacher.’

Lance rejoiced inwardly and was about to start gathering it all up.

But just then, he subconsciously glanced at the corner of his retina.

The number, which had been a relatively safe green, had now suddenly dropped to 67% without any warning.

Lance’s expression changed in an instant.

He forgot about gathering more, grabbed the moss he had just scraped off, stuffed it into his bag, and turned to leave.

’Greed is an Adventurer’s greatest sin.’

’The moment that number started to fluctuate, leaving was the only way to survive.’

But he had only run about ten meters back the way he came.

Not only did the number fail to rise, but it began to plummet like an out-of-control elevator.

62%.

57%.

52%.

Lance stopped dead in his tracks, a layer of cold sweat instantly breaking out on his back.

’If I’d wandered into a dangerous area, the number should have risen as soon as I backed away.’

’But now, no matter which direction I move, the number keeps falling.’

This could only mean one thing.

It wasn’t that he had run into danger.

It was that danger was closing in on him.

He was surrounded.