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/A few minutes later…/
[Quest complete!]
[Pink Snake skin x1
2%*2=4% XP]
After the snake was dealt with, Edimund left the trio and went to continue with his responsibilities.
He had a lot to do, be it helping the others or making sure other creatures such as the snake were kept far away from the crops.
"Okay, now that were are done with that matter... It's time to proceed." Said Testros
"First, Dale, you can now leave the flag holder behind."
/Thud!/
Without a single shred of hesitation, Dale stuck the spear onto the ground.
"I feel much better now…"
He stretched his arms and even jumped a few times, feeling as if he was on the verge of becoming a bird.
"Enough of that, focus."
"I imagine you brought your spear with you?" He asked as he rolled his eyes
"Yes I did. I wouldn't go to an expedition without proper gear..."
Dale opened his inventory and took out his dark iron spear, resting it on his shoulders.
Compared to the flag holder, this one felt as light as a feather…
"Okay, so from now on, we'll start our wilderness training."
With a nod, Dale followed behind the two old men with his dark spear on his shoulder…
…
/At the same time back in the village…/
Back in the alchemist shop…
"Um… Mn… Hm?"
"Are you up? Now now, there is no need to be hasty." Tina said as she helped Yumi sit on the bed
"When did I…"
'I drank the Elixir and then... A bath...'
"A few minutes after you got into the bathtub." She said with a smile
"Oh no… I'm so sorry."
But Tina simply gave her a head pat and replied:
"There is no need to apologize for such a minor thing, instead, why don't you take a look at this?" She asked Yumi as she gave her a hand mirror
"This is!... I…"
'This is me?...'
As she saw her reflection, her rosy face, and her shiny and glossy hair… There were no more signs of her neglection towards her body anymore.
She couldn't help but remember the past when she used to be pampered by her father.
And unconsciously, a small tear fell from one of her eyes.
"Now now, it's okay child." Tina said as she hugged Yumi
The two remained like that for a minute before Tina said:
"The Elixir worked perfectly, all of your bodily problems have been fixed but…"
/GROWL!/
Yumi's stomach suddenly thundered, making her face go red.
Tina smiled, expecting this to happen.
"Despite your change, your body is still extremely frail if not weaker than before. The nutrients necessary for this change were present in the Elixir, but not all."
"So for the next few days, there won't be any heavy exercise, and you'll have to eat at least 3 meals a day to make up for the lost mass."
"But… 3 meals is a bit…"
"No buts, it has already been decided, you need to fatten up a bit." Tina said as she got up from her chair
"I'll bring up your first meal, something light for starters, so make sure to rest a bit more…"
But before she left the room she said:
"If you want to be useful and repay us, at least make sure you can properly walk around and smile first."
/Clack…/
She closed the door, leaving Yumi alone.
"..."
'Useful huh...'
She looked at a table next to her bed, filled to the brim with alchemical items and tools, those were the things she was using prior to her transformation…
'She's right, I can't be useful to anyone if I can't even move...'
She closed her eyes and rested her head on the bed, deciding to relax for the first time in a long while.
…
/Around 4 hours later in the forest…/
"Dale? Are you paying attention?" Asked Testros
"Yes sir!"
"Good, then, as I was saying..."
"..."
Dale focused his gaze on Testros actions, just as he had been doing for the last few hours.
During these last 4 hours, Dale learned a lot about how to maneuver and act in the forest.
From its dangers... To its more fascinating aspects.
He first learned how to collect herbs:
"See this plant? It's extremely venomous, but it's pretty useful as an alchemical product, to collect it, you just need to dig a bit and pull…" Testros said as he crouched
He learned how to avoid and prevent ambushes:
"Be careful of those vines, oftentimes there's a 'Vessel Snake' living in them, very very venomous…" Misgurd mentioned as he pointed at a tree
And most importantly, how to hunt:
"See these marks? They come from a Smooth horn Deer. I didn't expect to see one today..."
"Follow me, let's see if we can hunt one today…" Misgurd said with a smile
And how to avoid putting himself in an awkward situation…
"Be careful of how you swing your spear, no side or diagonal slashes, else your spear may hit a tree or get trapped in these many vines and plants."
"Make sure to always bring a knife with you, like this one in my hand." Testros said as he cut a vine with his large knife
"Today we didn't bring a bow, but your training will include basic archery, so be prepared for that."
"..."
"For now, let's rest."
"?"
'Already?...'
Dale may be young and filled with energy, but the same can't be said for both Misgurd and Testros, who after 4 hours of walking around a thick forest, ended up tired.
So they looked for a safe spot, and they eventually found it.
A cave near a few trees…
After checking that there were no denizens inside, they set up a small camp and rested.
"The forest is extremely dangerous, but if you know where and how, you can easily live off it without needing to hunt anything." Misgurd said as he tried to lit up a fire
"For exemple, this cave seems safe, but I already pinpointed 6 possible dangers, can you tell me what they are?" Asked Testros to Dale
"6?... Okay Uh…"
He started to look around the place, and after a while, he said:
"Okay, I see a strange moss over there, I remember you told me it was a bit poisonous…"
"I see several old cocoons of insects on that wall over there, and I remember you telling me those are also pretty nasty due to their painful bite."
"This means this cave is a breeding ground for them… And uh… I see a few tracks on the ground, but I don't know what those are…"
"Is that all you see?" Asked Testros
"Unfortunately yes."
"Look at that rock down there, next to it, do you see a red object?"
"That is a Crimson tongue Centipede, next to it on the ceiling is an exotic cobweb, the insect in it isn't aggressive at all but most are like that, if you end up approaching it, it will certainly attack you."
"What?... Damn." Dale said as he shook his head
"Lastly, the tracks you saw on the ground aren't from a single creature, but a pair, however, they won't be coming back as the tracks are quite old, at least 2 weeks old." Testros said as he looked at Misgurd
"It's done." Misgurd said as he took a piece of burning fire
"What are you two doing?" Dale asked
"Remember Dale, fire is your friend, especially the smell some burning things make…" Said Testros as he threw a burning piece of wood into the back of the cave
"!"
Soon enough, dozens of insects started to scatter, trying to stay far away from that piece of wood…
"Wh-What…"
'Were there so many from the beginning?'
"In the forest, insects are everywhere. So you opt to become used to them or leave."
"But that doesn't mean you have to accept being bitten by them, as there are many ways of preventing that."
The two continued to spread the smell caused by the burning wood all around the place, making dozens of strange insects flee from their location.
Dale learned that the smell would remain for quite a long time, making most insects and even animals avoid them.
He was glad for what he learned today, and he was sure there was still a lot more to learn.
/Half an hour later…/
"Alright! Enough rest." Said Misgurd
"Time for the next part of your training dale."
"I'm ready."
"For this, you'll be tracking and hunting a… Pig." Said Misgurd
"Pig?"
"Pig is just an euphemism, you'll be hunting a Moss Rock." Replied Testros
"You're no fun…"
"Moss rock?"
"It's a massive boar that stays in hibernation during 70% of its life. It has a thick gray skin akin to stone."
"Because of this, moss tends to grow around its body, making it look like a rock from afar. You'll be hunting one of these."
"Okay… But how?"
"Moss Rocks are pretty common, and they are also pretty docile."
"We tried to domesticate them once, but because of their lifestyle of eating and going into hibernation, they aren't really suitable as cattle." Said Testros
"Although they fatten fast, they can take many years to grow into an adult or even reproduce."
"They have little meat unless you hunt one right after it fattens up, something that is rather hard."
"To track them, it's pretty simple as they usually try to hide inside caves and compact places…"
"That didn't help me much." Dale said as he got up from the ground
'So every rock is a possible contested?... Fine, I'll check all of them!'
He looked around the cavern and inspected each rock, kicking and punching each one of them…
"Dale, just because we are in a cavern, that doesn't mean there is one here…" Misgurd said with a smile
But Dale ignored him and kicked each of the rocks, and once he was done, Misgurd said with a mocking tone:
"Had enough of beating those poor rocks?"
"I was just making sure…"
/Crack…/
"?! You told me they were common but I didn't expect them to be so common..." Dale said ironicaly
"Don't fuck with me…"
"Hohoho!…"
Dale was surprised, Misgurd was in disbelief, and Testros laughed wildly…
The rock had actually risen!
Gray skin and 2 pairs of legs and a pair of tusks…
It was the perfect depiction of a boar!
"I found one." Dale said in a monotone
"Don't speak kid..."
'Fuck...'
"What are you waiting for then? Hunt it!" Testros said
/SQUEAK!/
The boar made a strange noise and kicked the ground with its hoof in anger, trying to have Dale and the other two back off.
"Sorry, little one…"
But Dale did not retreat.
/SQUEAK!/
It's time to hunt!
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Notes