The food problem was over for a long time as Lucas had the ability to find eatables from the forest. It could be said that his 'Herbalism' skill was divine in this forest filled with all kinds of stuff related to his skill.
While he and the group ate the Glimmerroot. Some outsiders like them had starved to death due to not getting out of their hiding places due to being scared.
They all sat near the camp where they had placed some small broken logs found from here and there in the forest near the shelter.
There was no fire in the camp as the Glimmerroot could be eaten raw. And if it could be eaten raw, then it was not worth taking the risk to cook it.
"It's too dry..." Sean spoke while looking at the bite-taken Glimmerroot in his hand. The inside of it was also brown in color.
"We don't have anything else so bear with it, Sean. And be respectful, you would be eating a Kobold if Lucas didn't find any of these glimmerroots." John said with seriousness, he was a bit disappointed in his kids. One was nagging as if he was the only one suffering through all this and the other had not joined them to eat and was in the corner doing something.
John kept looking at Barney who was at the other side of the shelter trying to lift those rocks with his skill. He didn't go to his son or let Ella go as it could hurt Barney's self-esteem. To be consoled by their parents would send the message that he will be not great ad they still support him.
It would only backfire, Barney was very motivated since he heard that Lucas's skill upgraded. There was one interaction between them on the way back and he only asked a single thing, about how he leveled his skill up. Since Lucas said that it might be due to the repetitive use, Barney had been practicing the whole time.
'I don't know if I should be proud or scared, he is trying something to self-grow for the first time in his whole life but...' John's mind kept going deeper and deeper in his thoughts and he was only drowning until a hand reached him.
He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ella who nodded at him, he stared at her silently thinking if she was feeling the same.
While these two were in their own world handling the problems that their family was facing. Lucas was looking at the days remaining till the phase gets completed.
[6 Days:12 hours:52 minutes:32 seconds]
"Still six and a half days till this phase end... it's taking too long... *Crunch*" Lucas said with a grumpy voice and took a huge bite of the Glimmerroot.
"Yeah, time is moving too slowly. I want to meet my brother so badly that I want to just wander around and try to find him."
"... Please don't do that."
"Haha~ Am just kidding..." Sarah said with a giggle but anyone could tell from her eyes that she was really thinking of doing that.
"Yeah young lady, it should just be a joke," Ella interjected and continued after getting her attention. "You wouldn't want your brother to find you dead by doing something stupid after 6 days after all."
"I was really joking, Gosh you just sound like my mom," Sarah said and her face got even sadder. Apparently, she was not really good at handling her emotions.
No one talked after that for a while thinking that silence would take care of everything. Everyone needed some piece of mind.
After eating, Lucas talked with John about what to do next but he was said to take some time off. John needed to spend some time with his family which Lucas respected.
He talked with Sarah about how refined his knowledge had become about 'Herbalism' now and that he was sure that if he sees some equipment used in 'Herbalism', he was sure that he could tell what its use is.
Sarah on the other hand talked of how she wanted to improve her Fireball skill, saying that it was still not enough to help everyone out properly.
After a while, they all went on their own and practiced or theorized about how they could use their skills.
Lucas directly went to the upgrade options of the shelter and was happy that the stone part was fully accomplished. The only things that were still zero were the wooden planks and the plant fiber rope.
"... The fuck?" Lucas was dumbfounded after looking at the requirements. The plant fiber rope part was the one he was the most unsure about but after his skill upgraded, it was like he knew it all along making him get weirded out.
Lucas went running out of the shelter with a somewhat creepy smile which did not go unnoticed by John.
"Where are you going, Lucas?"
"Uncle John, please be here for a while and look out, I will be back in a few!" Lucas said and went away.
Before John could say anything, Lucas was already gone.
"What will you do, honey?" Ella asked who was sitting right next to him.
"Sigh... that kid is just too reckless I tell you, but I do trust him," John said with a grunt which made Ella giggle a bit. JOhn may look tough but he was a softie inside.
Lucas decided to explore the forest in search of plant fiber. He knew that finding the necessary materials would be crucial for upgrading the shelter and improving their living conditions.
With his somewhat expertise in Herbalism, he was confident that he could identify the right plants to obtain the required fibers.
As Lucas ventured deeper into the forest but still close to the shelter, he scanned his surroundings with a keen eye. He recognized various plants and herbs, but he needed to find ones that specifically provided plant fiber.
'Yes!' he screamed in his mind.
After some time, he stumbled upon a cluster of tall, sturdy plants with long, fibrous stems.
Excitedly, Lucas approached the plants and examined their structure. He carefully plucked a few strands of fiber from one of the stems and tested its strength. Satisfied with its durability, he began gathering as much plant fiber as he could, being cautious not to damage the rest of the plant.
With a bundle of plant fiber in his hands, Lucas returned to the shelter, eager to find if he was right or not.
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Thank you for reading the chapter!
120 Power stones= 3 Bonus chapters!---31/120