Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 15: Biological Research Begins

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Biological Research Begins

The Ouroboros Ring had indeed given him the means for infinite trial and error, allowing him to face this world with confidence.

But this wasn’t just a blessing; it was also a gateway to the abyss.

Death is often the final safeguard for human sanity.

If a person no longer even feared death, then he was not far from being completely consumed by desire.

Precisely because Lance had died once, he understood the heavy weight and meaning of life better than anyone.

Therefore, he would never rely on his ability to resurrect to act recklessly.

To him, this Talent would always be just a final safety net, a trump card to turn the tides against impossible odds, and never a chip to squander his life with.

With these heavy thoughts weighing on him, Lance walked into the general store.

Then, clutching his chest, he paid 10 Copper Coins, his face a mask of agony over the expense.

A small jar of anti-rust grease and a coarse whetstone now sat on the table.

His Fine Steel Short Sword had pierced a Goblin’s face today and was now stained with corrosive Demon blood.

It had to be thoroughly cleaned and polished, then coated with a thick layer of grease to prevent rust and ensure it remained sharp the next time he drew it.

As for the Wooden Shield, although rocks had left a few shallow dents on its surface, the grip was still firm and steady, so it didn’t need repairs for the time being.

After finishing this basic maintenance, Lance turned and headed to the weapon shop next door.

He hadn’t forgotten the lesson he learned today.

For a solo adventurer, lacking a means of ranged attack was a fatal shortcoming.

"Excuse me, do you have any crossbows?"

Lance asked as soon as he walked in.

He was under the impression that crossbows were simple to operate, powerful, and the best choice for a beginner.

However, the thick-bearded shopkeeper shook his head and pointed to several longbows hanging on the wall.

"Listen, kid, take some advice from me. If you’re heading into the forest or the Underground City, you’re better off not using one of those things."

After the shopkeeper’s explanation, it dawned on Lance.

He finally understood why the vast majority of Adventurers he had seen in the Guild hall carried longbows.

Although crossbows were easy to use, maintaining them in the complex environments of an adventure was a nightmare.

Their complex mechanisms were prone to jamming from water, sand, or impacts.

If one broke in the middle of a fight, an ordinary person would have no way to repair it in the field.

In contrast, a bow’s structure was far simpler.

A piece of flexible wood and a tough bowstring were enough to withstand the vast majority of harsh conditions.

Furthermore, in the hands of a skilled user, a bow’s rate of fire and power were in no way inferior to a crossbow’s.

Heeding the expert’s advice, Lance ultimately chose a Hazelwood Short Bow.

The bow cost him 50 Copper Coins.

But the real sting was the cost of the arrows.

These finished, wooden-shafted Feathered Arrows cost a whole Copper Coin each.

Lance gritted his teeth and bought fifty of them at once.

They were consumables, and he knew he would inevitably break or lose a great many while he was learning.

He didn’t get ahead of himself and buy a more powerful hunting bow.

This Hazelwood Short Bow only had an effective range of about thirty paces, but for a beginner like him who had never even touched a bow, that was more than enough.

With his current skill level, he wouldn’t be able to hit anything accurately at a greater distance anyway.

His shopping was done.

Lance returned to his quarters.

It was less a place to live and more a rather cramped, single attic room.

The room was tiny, with just enough space for a hard plank bed and a square wooden table with a chipped corner.

The only window was set into the slanted ceiling, barely letting in a sliver of the midday sun.

Though the walls had been whitewashed, the paint couldn’t mask the distinct, musty smell of old wood.

For this "pigeon coop," a room so small it was hard to even turn around in, the rent was a staggering 4 Silver Coins per month.

By Gray Rock Town’s standards, this price was by no means cheap.

But Lance paid it gladly.

This was because it was located just behind a bustling commercial street, less than ten meters from the town guard’s patrol route.

The area was surrounded by taverns and inns that were open all night, keeping the streets brightly lit even in the dead of night.

The body’s previous owner had died precisely because he’d been cheap, renting a place on the edge of the seedy slums, which gave that Thief the perfect opportunity.

In Lance’s eyes, trading money for safety was a bargain well worth making.

Once he had more money to spare, he could think about moving to a detached house with a private courtyard.

Lance shrugged off his satchel and took out the soggy clump of Blood Coagulation Moss.

He flipped open his copy of Basic Botany and Simple Potion Making and began processing the material according to the steps inside.

Since he had no professional Alchemy Vessels on hand, he couldn’t use the extraction method.

Instead, he found a clean linen cloth, painstakingly picked the dirt and impurities from the moss, and then spread it out on the airy windowsill to dry.

This type of moss grew near waterfalls and had an extremely high water content, with a thick, sticky sap.

This primitive air-drying method would take at least three days or so.

Throughout the process, he would have to remember to turn it frequently to prevent it from getting damp and growing mold.

If it molded, all the materials he had painstakingly gathered would be completely ruined.

Once that was done, Lance sat on the edge of his bed and habitually summoned the system panel, preparing to check the research progress on the hemostatic ointment recipe.

However, the moment the panel appeared, his eyes were drawn to an icon beside it that had suddenly lit up.

The previously grayed-out Biological Research tab was now emitting a faint glow.

Lance froze for a second before it hit him.

Not only had he encountered Demons today, he had personally slain four Goblins.

This had apparently triggered the system’s unlock condition.

A clear line of text materialized in his vision.

[System Notification: Valid biological sample detected. The Biological Research module has been activated.]

As he focused his mind, a new page slowly unfolded.

In the formerly empty Illustrated Guide, the first card was now lit up.

The card depicted a short, green, ferocious-looking creature holding a bone club, with detailed information listed beside it.

Creature Entry: Demon·Goblin

Current Research Progress: Level 1 (4/20)

The number "4" undoubtedly corresponded to the four Wandering Souls who had fallen to his sword today.

In other words, he only needed to kill sixteen more of these green-skinned monsters to fill the progress bar for the first stage.

’Doesn’t seem too difficult,’ Lance thought, rubbing his chin.

According to his memories of the game this was based on, players received a special reward whenever their research level for a specific creature increased.

After reaching Level 3 in research, it was possible to draw that creature’s Racial Talent.

Although Goblins were mired at the very bottom of the Demon pecking order, that didn’t mean they were completely useless.

Quite the opposite. To have survived and propagated like weeds in this cruel world, they possessed certain talents that even humans would envy.

For example, a Talent called Low Light Vision.

A creature with this ability could make the most of even the faintest light.

Even deep inside a dim cave, their vision was as clear as a human’s on an overcast day.

For an Adventurer who often needed to delve into the Underground City or operate at night, it was practically a Divine Skill.