Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 7: Environmental Stability

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Environmental Stability

As the logging cart’s wooden wheels rumbled over the last stretch of gravel road, Lance arrived at Stump Camp on the edge of the forest.

Though called a camp, it was more like a makeshift market that had sprung up on its own.

Several covered wagons from Gray Rock Town were parked by the roadside. Townspeople who had arrived early were hawking steaming hot broth and cheap black bread to the Adventurers passing by.

The air was filled with the aroma of food.

Small groups of Adventurers sat gathered around enormous dead tree stumps, exchanging intelligence or looking for temporary teammates.

Most of the people hanging around here were low-level Adventurers like Lance, who had no Professional Level.

As for the true Professional Level Adventurers, unless they had accepted a special commission from the Guild, they would have long since headed straight for the more lucrative—and more dangerous—Underground City.

Non-Professional Adventurers could also go to the Underground City, but there was a strict rule.

All newcomers must first complete enough basic quests in Copper Creek Forest to prove they could survive. Only then were they eligible to apply for entry into the Underground City.

It was an unforgiving but effective barrier, weeding out the overconfident hotheads who didn’t know their own limits.

Lance actually quite appreciated this.

Compared to the garbage companies in his past life that would squeeze their employees for all they were worth, the Gray Rock Town Adventurer’s Guild clearly knew how to value its resources.

After all, the dead can’t continue to create value.

"Excuse me, are you looking for a team?"

A young voice came from not far away.

Lance looked toward the voice and saw a young Adventurer with a Two-Handed Greatsword on his back extending an invitation to someone.

The young man had thick brows, large eyes, and short blond hair. He radiated the brash, fearless energy of youth.

He wasn’t annoyed when rejected; he just smiled politely and moved on to his next prospect.

His gaze swept across the crowd and soon landed on Lance, his eyes immediately lighting up.

At that moment, Lance was clad in a full set of Reinforced Leather Armor and a Half-Covered Hood. With a Short Sword at his hip and a Round Shield on his back, he stood alone, exuding a calm, unapproachable aura.

The young man quickly hurried over, his face beaming with an enthusiastic smile.

"Hey there!"

The sudden, booming voice startled Lance, who had been surveying his surroundings. He subconsciously took a step back, his hand flying to the hilt of his sword.

Seeing Lance’s wary reaction, the young man scratched his head sheepishly.

"Whoa, sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you."

"I’m Kael. Judging by your gear, you must be on an extermination quest. Are you by yourself?"

"My team is planning to clear out a small Goblin nest today, and we’re looking for a skilled hand to anchor the group. Would you be interested?"

"Even if your extermination quest isn’t for Goblins, it’s no problem. I can give you half of my bonus reward."

"I have a rookie on my team, so I need an experienced Adventurer to provide a solid backbone."

Lance looked in the direction he was pointing.

Not far off, two men and a woman stood in the shade of a tree. The men were dressed in standard Warrior garb, while the lone woman carried a Short Bow.

’As expected. It’s rare to see any of the prestigious Magic Professionals in a low-level party.’

"We all came here from nearby towns because of the special bounty proclamation. We make our living culling Goblins for rewards, so we’re all very experienced with them."

Kael was very sincere.

But Lance shook his head without hesitation.

’Are you kidding me? My goal today is to pick mushrooms. I’m definitely not provoking any living, moving creatures.’

Seeing Lance refuse, Kael looked disappointed but didn’t press the issue.

Before he left, he was kind enough to offer a warning.

"Sorry to have bothered you. But if you’re on a gathering quest, make sure you avoid the creek area to the west."

"When I arrived this morning, I heard a band of Gnoll scavengers has been roaming around there lately. They’re very dangerous."

With that, he flashed a wide smile, waved goodbye, and jogged back to his team.

’What a cheerful Adventurer.’

Watching the young team recede into the distance, Lance couldn’t help but muse to himself.

’Guess not all Adventurers are murdering thieves. There are some good people out there after all.’

That friendly tip slightly improved his impression of the profession.

Lance didn’t linger at the camp. He tightened the pack on his back and, following the quest map’s directions, plunged into the dense Copper Creek Forest.

According to his intel, the plant known as the Copper Hat Mushroom had over twenty known growth spots in these woods.

However, the very moment his feet touched the soft humus of the forest floor...

...a system panel popped up before his eyes without any warning.

[Loading map affixes...]

[Current Area: Outskirts of Copper Creek Forest - Placid (Green)]

[Environmental Stability: 97%]

[Current Quest: Collect Copper Hat Mushrooms (0/30) | Reward: 10 Skill Experience, 10 Knowledge Experience]

Staring at the string of familiar yet alien text, Lance froze in place.

’Isn’t this from that game from my past life?’

’It came over with me!’

Lance tried to focus his consciousness on the green "Placid" affix.

A detailed explanation immediately appeared.

[Placid (Green): The flow of Magic Power in this area is calm. While active on this map, Mental Anomaly Resistance +15%, Stamina Consumption Rate reduced by 5%.]

’Just as I thought!’

’The classic Map Affix System is still here.’

Lance recalled that in the game, some absurdly difficult affixes could double resource yields, but they came with terrifying side effects.

For example, sadistic settings like ’Successful gathering triggers a small-scale explosion.’

The ’Placid’ affix never appeared in the game, either. It must be a rational adaptation for the real world.

It didn’t have any of those troll affixes designed purely to frustrate players.

But what made Lance truly ecstatic was the next line.

[Environmental Stability: 97%]

In the game, when Environmental Stability dropped below 50%, it meant monsters were about to spawn nearby, triggering a forced encounter.

Applied to the real world...

...this was an incredibly sensitive danger radar.

As long as he kept his eye on this number, a continuous drop in stability would mean a Demon or some other danger was approaching.

He could use this information advantage to slip away and make an emergency retreat long before the danger even manifested.

With this, as long as he didn’t do anything stupid, getting ambushed was practically impossible.

The game’s original designers didn’t include a minimap, using this system instead.

It was designed to function like a compass, helping players find high-risk zones to challenge rare Demons and, incidentally, collect some... strange defeat CGs.

But in Lance’s hands...

This thing was a life-saving Protective Talisman.

’I’m so glad you’re still here!’

Lance gazed at the green 97%, a number that represented absolute safety, and couldn’t help but sing the praises of that game in his heart.

When Lance arrived at the first gathering point marked on the map, a number of Adventurers were already there.

Seeing the fully-armed Lance approach, the people bent over and searching around the tree stumps visibly froze for a moment.

Many of them were new Adventurers who had recently migrated from the surrounding towns and villages.

Looking at their shabby gear, Lance truly understood how fortunate he had been to have a stable job at the Guild and to have saved up enough for his starting capital.

Many low-level Adventurers had to empty their family’s savings just to scrape together enough money to learn a single Skilled Level Combat Skill.

As for gear, forget about Reinforced Leather Armor with inlaid iron plates like Lance wore.

They couldn’t even bring themselves to buy simple Hardened Leather Goods.

Like the few people before him, they wore nothing more than multi-layered burlap tunics stuffed with thick cotton padding, meant only to prevent scratches from thorns while pushing through the undergrowth.

As Lance approached, a flicker of wariness was evident in their eyes.