「Ghaaa!!!」
Fuck! Even though this guy is nothing more but a walking piece of rotting tree, that one direct hit was more than enough to make me gasp for breath. Yep, its attack is definitely higher than that of the Slow Rabbit and the Needlewood's combined. Unlike the strikes of its smaller brethren, I can still feel that blow pulsating in my side and reverberating throughout my entire body.
I could hear the sound of branches cutting through the air, meaning that another strike was coming my way. I wanted to hurriedly roll to the side in a desperate attempt at evasion, but before I could do that, the thick branch was stopped dead in its tracks. Looks like Roxanne blocked the incoming strike with her shield, and then she avoided the other one that tried to hit her from the right.
I waited for the moment when the branches will go past me and launched an attack with Rush. Thanks to Durandal's HP Absorption I regained the health that I lost due that attack just now and I no longer felt like my lungs were about to burst with every breath. I tried to avoid the branch that was swiped at me from the left, and barely managed to do it, being literal inches from sustaining another injury. But at least now I know: if you watch their movements closely, even someone as sluggish as me will be able to dodge most of the attacks, it's just a matter of getting the timing right.
Roxanne blocked another strike coming her way with the shield, and I aimed my second attack at the moment where the Udowood was briefly stunned after having its attack parried. Unfortunately it didn't connect, because its second left branch forced me to halt my advance just as I was about to bring my sword down on it. Damn it, and I was this close!
Another attack was coming towards us from the right, right after the previous one. Roxanne moved swiftly and dodged it, but I couldn't avoid it in time. I was hit with another wave of dull pain, but quite ironically, this worked to my advantage, because the Udowood's movements stopped for a second again. That was the opening I needed for another Rush attack. It connected splendidly, and Durandal's blade cleaves through its body with ease. Udowood trembled, and then fell to the ground, and we were victorious once again. Eventually its body turned into the clouds of smoke and disappeared.
「Phew, we somehow managed to pull through… again.」
But this time I allowed myself to be hit by its attacks not once, but twice. No matter what, I have to get stronger so situations like that, where Roxanne has to protect me by putting herself in danger won't happen again.
「Yes. It was also good thing that master was able to get rid of its magic circle before it activated.」
「Yeah, but more than me, it is this sword that you should be thanking.」
「Y-Yes, of course. Your weapons are as amazing as you are, master.」
As I said to Roxanne, the most likely reason for the disappearance of the Udowood's magic circle was Durandal's Chant Interruption Skill.
When the smoke after the Floor Boss finally disappeared, a single leaf was left in the place it fell, just like before.
「Wait a second, Roxanne. Allow me to pick it up.」
「Oh, okay. As you wish.」
I stopped her just as she was about to pick the leaf. Now that I picked it up myself, I should have also obtained the Herbalist Job. I focused my mind and summoned the Job Settings screen. Ooooh, there it is. I have obtained the Herbalist Job. So it was just as I suspected, we really do have to pick up every single thing that monsters drop if we don't want to miss anything, and I have to be the first one to do it, otherwise Roxanne will be the one who will unlock the potential new Jobs first. Now then, what Skill does this Job have…?
Looks like it's Crude Drug Creation. If I remember correctly, leaves could be processed into something like that. In that case…
I changed my third Job to Herbalist and tried generating the Crude Drug from the Udowood's leaf in my possession, and watched as it turned into a bunch of pills in my palm.
「There. Done and done.」
「Eh?! Umm… master, amazing! That's amazing!」
Well, technically Roxanne can do it as well, but I'd have to set her Job as a Herbalist first before she could use that Skill.
「But remember: your lips are sealed.」
「R-Right, of course. Master, the longer I am with you, the more you manage to surprise me.」
Roxanne look at me obediently. The way she doesn't question anything when I'm telling her to keep more and more secrets is truly awesome. That is one of the things that I admire the most in her. After all, I am nowhere near as amazing as she is making me out to be. All that is amazing about me is that I can have multiple Jobs equipped at once, and that's it. If anything, I am an amazing fraud.
「Can you give me you leaf? I'll make some medicine as well.」
「Ah, okay.」
When I appraised the finished pills, it turned out that they are Poison Antidote Pills. So just as their name implies, they are supposed to be curing various poisonings, right? No, wait just a gosh-darn moment…!
If something as Poison Antidote Pills exist, the status of being poisoned must exist in this world as well. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any need for making Antidote Pills for the poisoning if there was no risk of getting poisoned in the firs place!
If that's the case, then coming to the Labyrinth for so long without any methods of countering poison was very reckless of me. Ridicolous even.
「Roxanne, are there any monsters that can poison you?」
「O yes, there are, quite a lot of them, actually.」
…. FUCK!
Roxanne handed me the leaf left by the first Udowood we have slaughtered.
「Can you tell me more about it?」
I need to know as much about them as I possibly can.
「Well. I don't think we will have to worry ourselves with it on the first or second floor.And even then, I don't think it will be any problem since you are so capable, master.」
「I see.」
「In the first place, there is nothing to fear unless you get hit by such a monster's attack.」
Roxanne, it makes me happy that you're the only one who thinks like that.
「You sure are wise, Roxanne.」
「T-Thank you very much.」
Next, I turned Roxanne's leaf into Antidote Pills as well. I made around ten of them from a single leaf, which I think is a lot. When I was done, all of them went into the Item Box.
「Think we could sell those to the Adventurer's Guild?」
「Absolutely. Normally, if you're a Herbalist you'd only be able to sell them to the Herbalist's Guild, but you can either sell them to the Adventurer's Guild since you do not belong to any guild yourself yet, distribute it between Party members or simply dispose of it. Actually, Adventurer's Guild is the usual place for people to buy those kinds of supplies.」
So normally you buy that stuff from the Guild rather than making it yourself, huh?
If there is the medicine that can cure poison, then there are probably all kinds of medicine that can cure all kinds of different status ailments, am I right?
It was really dumb of me not to think about them before, but what could I do? Up until a few minutes ago I had no idea those things even existed, so I guess that makes for a pretty viable excuse.