Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 29: Going Home to Make Ointment

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Going Home to Make Ointment

[Wilderness Survival Level 1 (68/400)]

Compared to his other novice-level skills, this one started with significantly more experience points thanks to Lance’s recent hands-on exploration in the wild.

Moreover, Wilderness Survival was a composite skill, not particularly deep, so the threshold to level it up was relatively low.

Level 1 only required 400 experience points.

As the experience points flowed in, he felt his mind expanding.

Lance could clearly feel once-fuzzy points of knowledge in his mind rapidly connecting.

His previously isolated knowledge of Monster Ecology now actively linked up with Wilderness Survival.

A vast amount of information—techniques for using the environment to evade a Demon’s sense of smell, how to quickly build a hidden shelter in a damp rainforest, and how to tell if a water source was contaminated by Demons—was imprinted in his brain as if by instinct.

The sensation of having knowledge poured directly into his brain was simply addictive.

’If only I’d had this kind of cheat ability back when I had school exams,’ Lance grumbled to himself, his steps growing lighter and more confident.

As he entered the forest, treading on the soft humus, his gaze remained locked on the system panel in the corner of his retina.

The forest didn’t give him a good feeling today.

The entry representing the environmental status still read "Agitated."

But unlike the previous times, the once pure green text now had a strange blue hue bleeding into it.

It was a sign that the status was about to change.

Apparently, while the large Vanguard Team up ahead had cleared out the main threats, the massive commotion they caused had only further stirred up the forest’s unrest.

[Current Area: Agitated (Blue-Green Gradient) Outer Copper Creek Forest]

[Agitated: Environmental stability in this area now fluctuates by ±10%. 30% chance of extra yield when gathering. Stamina consumption increased by 10%.]

A ten percent fluctuation range.

That meant more environmental uncertainty.

Unlike his last two trips to Copper Creek Forest, where he would only occasionally encounter a few wandering Demons, the battles today were far more frequent.

TWANG!

The bowstring vibrated with a crisp sound.

A feathered arrow became a gray streak of light, piercing through layers of leaves and branches.

It was immediately followed by a dull thud, accompanied by the sharp crack of a chitinous shell shattering.

Viscous green fluid splattered out, spattering across the leaf-strewn ground.

Twenty-five meters away, a grayish-brown spider the size of an adult’s chest cavity was pinned fast to the bark of a tree by the sharp arrow.

It was a Web-Spider.

The Demon had eight long, hairy legs, and it was struggling violently, trying to free itself from the arrow’s shaft.

More and more green fluid gushed from the wound, trickling down the tree trunk.

After just ten-odd seconds, the spider’s struggles weakened. Its long legs twitched feebly a few times before finally going limp.

Lance didn’t approach immediately.

He waited quietly where he stood until he was sure there was no other movement nearby and a system notification popped up.

[Insect-type Web-Spider: Research Progress +1]

Only after seeing this message did Lance let out a sigh of relief and hurry forward.

He grabbed the arrow’s shaft and pulled it forcefully from the tree trunk.

Looking at the messy pulp of flesh on the arrowhead, Lance’s face showed a hint of regret.

’Still a little off.’

According to the knowledge recorded in his mind from Demon Anatomy, the only two valuable materials on a Web-Spider were the poison sac in its abdomen and the silk sac in its rear.

The former could be used to create Paralyzing Poison, while the latter was an excellent material for crafting High-Strength Bowstrings and Special Ropes.

Unfortunately, although his arrow had precisely hit a vital spot, it had also pierced the fragile poison sac.

The dark green venom had now seeped into the silk sac, corroding the once-pristine white silk into a complete mess.

Both materials were a total loss.

’I still need to practice the precision of my Archery.’

Lance shook his head, wincing slightly as he wiped the arrowhead with a cloth.

These spiders loved to hide in the shadows of the tree canopy and launch sneak attacks.

As soon as prey passed by, they would drop from above, spitting out extremely sticky silk to entangle the prey’s limbs or paste their eyes shut.

Once an Adventurer panicked, the spiders would pounce and bite with their venomous fangs.

The best way to deal with such insidious predators was to kill them with a ranged attack before they could get close.

If you were dragged into close combat, their ubiquitous, sticky silk would become an absolute nightmare.

That was why Lance had immediately started searching the moment he saw the environmental stability suddenly plummet to 50%, and why he had decisively used his bow and arrow the instant he spotted his target.

He would give it no chance to get close.

Lance scanned his surroundings warily.

This spider was clearly not native to this area.

There were no web traps woven nearby. It looked more like a refugee that had just been driven out of its nest and was in a state of panicked flight.

’Looks like I oversimplified things.’

Lance silently reviewed the situation in his mind.

He had originally thought that by following behind the Vanguard Team, he could reap the benefits of their sweep.

But he had overlooked a crucial ecological principle.

While the Vanguard Team had flattened the conspicuous lairs of large Demons, they had also kicked the hornet’s nest.

They couldn’t guarantee the annihilation of all Demons, especially with Gray Rock Town’s current shortage of Mage Professionals.

The Demons that had originally dwelled in the depths lost their nests and could only flee frantically toward the outer forest to survive.

And the follow-up forces, as they advanced, were tasked with culling these scattered Demons.

’Still not enough experience. I misjudged the situation.’

Lance glanced at his hunting log.

He hadn’t been in the mountains gathering for long, yet the frequency of combat was frighteningly high.

One tough-hided Tusked Boar, three disgusting Corrosive Slimes, and five straggler Goblins that had crawled out from who knows where.

And now this spider.

The intensity of combat in just half a day was higher than his last few trips to the mountains combined.

Lance opened the gathering pouch at his waist and took stock of his haul for the day.

Although the fighting was frequent, he had managed to gather all the Silver Flake Grass needed for the commission.

As for the Blood Coagulation Moss he valued most, the amount was quite considerable when added to the stock he had hoarded at home.

Lance quickly did some mental calculations.

To make one small jar of Lance Brand Special Hemostatic Ointment, he needed about a quarter ounce of moss powder.

With his current supply of materials, he could, at a generous estimate, produce about one hundred fifty jars of the finished product.

After subtracting costs from the projected selling price, selling the entire batch at a net profit of 15 Copper Coins per jar would bring him a total net profit of about twenty-three Silver Coins.

Seeing that the environmental stability value was still fluctuating constantly, Lance didn’t hesitate for a second, decisively halting his advance deeper into the forest.

There was always more money to be made.

In a chaotic situation like this, greed was often a shortcut to hell.

’Another time.’

Lance deftly slung the Short Bow onto his back, pulled his hood low, and turned to follow the safe route he’d taken on his way in, heading back out of the forest.

Time to go home and make ointment.

But!

The unexpected still happened!

He ran into people fleeing back from the Vanguard Team’s front line.