106-096 Visit, South Forest (1)

About 500 meters.

We went south from the place where we met Tokuoka and the others, and entered the forest from the place where no one was around.

The trees here are a little different from those in the eastern forest in that their trunks are relatively straight.

They are not as straight as the planted cedars and cypresses, but they may be of a different type from the trees in the eastern forest, where I had the impression that the branches were growing relatively freely.

The leaves, however, are much browner, and their shape is not that of coniferous trees, so there is no doubt that they are broad-leaved trees.

I'm hoping for some nuts at this time of the year. Walnuts, chestnuts...

Yuki looked at the tree and at the ground with a happy expression.

I also searched the ground, but the only thing that looked like a nut was an acorn that was less than an inch long. I don't see any walnuts or chestnuts.

It looks like it should be there. ......

What do you think?　Chestnuts and walnuts are both excellent woods and are suitable for making furniture. ....... By the way, Nao, aside from chestnuts, do you know what walnuts are?

"What?　Those wrinkled ones, right?　The hard ones.

I don't have a chance to buy walnuts with shells, but I know what they are.

If you crack them open, you'll find what's in the mixed nuts for snacks.

"I'm not wrong, but they don't grow on branches or lie on the ground, do they?

What?

No?

I was surprised to see that not only Haruka, but also Yuki and Natsuki had subtle smiles on their faces. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

The walnuts you see are the seeds. The part you eat is the kernel. That's why there is a rind attached to the surface of the shell. Some kinds of walnuts have the rind broken off and only the inside falls out. ......

Almonds are the same type. I mean, are acorns and chestnuts more of a minority among nuts?

I've never really paid attention to how nuts are grown, so I just assumed they were grown as is, but apparently not.

So how do I find them?

"Walnuts are plum-like fruits, but you might want to check the ...... tree. There's help.

"I see!

That was a blind spot.

It's easier to find the original tree than to find the small fruit.

So I checked the trees around me, and found that there were chestnut and walnut trees growing everywhere.

However, when I looked underneath them, there were no nuts on the ground. No, if you look closely, you can see rotten things eaten by insects and crushed brambles, but no nuts.

"Hey, someone's been picking these up, right?

"Well, it's not someone, it's an adventurer, for sure. Probably a request to collect nuts or something.

Walnuts are not just for eating, they can also be used to make furniture from the oil.

In other words, it's impossible to collect them in the shallow part of the forest.

There are a lot more demons than in the eastern forest, but there are no targets within my search range as soon as I enter. That means you can collect them safely. No wonder they're gone.

Collecting the nuts isn't my main goal, but let's go deeper for now. Toya and Nao, you take the reconnaissance.

Bye. It's our first time here, so be careful.

We were a little slack, but we had to be careful.

We tightened up our loose spirits a bit and proceeded through the forest in a proper formation.

It was said that there were more demons than in the eastern forest, and after a while, we caught a glimpse of a demon in our search range, but we didn't dare approach it since our goal was not to defeat it.

I quickly dealt with the goblins that were still approaching.

Yuki and Haruka also have more magic power now that they can use fire magic, so they collect the goblin's demon stones that they had left unattended until now by hitting them in the head with the "Fire Arrow".

Ordinary goblin demon stones don't sell for very much, but they still provide enough money for lunch for everyone. Hobgoblins and other higher-ranking species can sell for more than double that, so we should definitely collect them.

Well, if you have to manually remove the brain, I would hesitate, but with the Fire Arrow, you can pierce the head and collect only the magic stone, so the hurdle is a little lower.

But why do only some demons have magic stones in their heads?

I'm sure you're not the only one.

Yes. There was a goblin scout and a goblin fighter, but they weren't very strong. ......

They're not very strong, are they?

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

More importantly, they don't weigh much, so it's easy to face them.

In the case of Orcs, if they attack your body, even if you can kill them, you will be seriously injured, so you have to be careful.

As for demons, there are Branch Eater Spiders and Slash Owls, right?

Yes. However, the Branch Eater Spider isn't much of a threat if you can find it first with a search.

As the name implies, these spiders have a tendency to gnaw at tree branches, not to eat the branches themselves, but to use them as tools to hunt their prey.

First of all, they wrap sticky spider silk around the branch so that it can be easily broken.

If a monkey or some other animal gets on the branch, the branch will break and the monkey will fall down with the thread attached.

If it doesn't, the monkey will be slowed down by the damage from the fall, and when it can't move, it can be killed with its fangs.

Or, if the prey passes under the modified branch, drop the branch and hit the prey. The rest is the same as before. Add a string to restrict its movement and attack.

The former doesn't affect people as long as they don't climb trees, but the latter rarely falls prey to lumberjacks and adventurers who are acting alone.

However, this is not a serious threat because you can find the enemy first with [Search Enemies], or even if you miss them, you can quickly save them by moving with several people at a certain distance.

The Branch Eater Spider itself is not a very powerful demon if it appears within reach.

However, they are a nuisance to the forestry industry because of their tendency to eat branches. If you submit proof of defeat to the Adventurer's Guild, you will be rewarded.

It's not a large amount, but it's enough to make you think that it's okay to hunt them if you find them.　It's not a lot of money, but it's enough to make it worthwhile.

The Slash Owl isn't too strong, but I'm a little nervous about it.

Slash Owl: ......

The scary thing about the Slash Owl is that it approaches you silently from a low altitude and tears you apart.

For some reason, the outermost feathers of its wings are very sharp, and it attacks you with them as you pass by.

If you are unlucky, it will slice through your carotid artery and you will die.

They don't seem to be sharp enough to cut through thick leather, so as long as we don't get hit in the face or neck, we're fine. .......

Should I put on a neck guard or something?

Even a carotid artery won't kill you because of the healing magic. ......

That is, if your companion can react quickly enough.

You can connect the blood vessels immediately, so it's the amount of blood loss that's the problem.

I'm not sure if I can hold it with my hand when I'm cut.　There is also the possibility of losing consciousness due to anemia caused by a rapid drop in blood pressure.

Well, we'll see if it's dangerous.

"Right. No matter how fast it is, it won't be able to move tens of meters in an instant.

As long as you can catch it with your [search], you should be able to handle it.

If it moves so fast that it can't be dealt with, then the woodcutter won't be able to enter the forest even with an escort.

He should be about five meters ahead of you.

He should be about 5 meters in front of you. ......

I'm sure you'll be able to find something to help you out.

I can get a rough idea of its location thanks to my skills, but I can't see it from my place because of the tree branches in the way. Since I knew he was there, it would have been difficult to find him under normal circumstances.

"Natsuki, can you see me?

Yes, I can. ....... --What?

At my words, Natsuki looks up into the trees and quickly thrusts out his spear.

This is it.

I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I've seen it before.

It was still twitching, but it was a blow. It was a small fish, if you could find it.

But it's pretty hard to tell, isn't it?　You can't reach them with my sword even if you find them.

If you don't have a spear, you can use magic or a bow. ...... It's a bit tricky.

They're ambushers, so they can be avoided, but they're ...... a bit of a waste, aren't they?

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a number of things you can do.

I'd like to be able to kill them without evading them. Nice to meet you!

I don't mind, but ...... you'll probably have to do all the work, right?

It's not an enemy that swarms in numbers, and since Natsuki is walking ahead of you, there's no need for me to step in unless you dare.

I don't mind. It's not an enemy I have to struggle with.

You're right, it was only for a moment. I'm going to get the Stone. Give me that.

Yes.

When Toya receives the spear from Natsuki, he stomps on the spider, pulls out the spear, and collects the right paw and the magic stone as proof of defeat.

I'm sure you'll be able to make some money if it comes up often, but there aren't that many of them, are there?

I guess so. There's only one.

We've been walking for about an hour now, and we've only found one.

We've been walking for about an hour now, and we've only found one, and that was in a place not too far from our route.

This may be the effect of the bounty being offered by the city of Laffan.

Further into the city, we encountered Slash Owls, but they were not a threat either.

The first one flew straight at us, and Toya was able to knock it down easily.

The first one flew straight at him, and Toya was able to knock it down easily. If you warn them in advance, you won't end up in a situation like this.

However, when I was attacked from behind during a battle with goblins, it was a bit troublesome.

However, Haruka easily cut it off, so unless you're fighting on the edge of your seat, you shouldn't have any problems.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

"Demons are appearing more frequently, but that's about it. There are no strong demons.

We've been walking for about two hours. We killed a lot of demons, so it's not like we couldn't make money. ......

Since we have killed a good number of demons, the amount of demon stones sold will exceed 10 gold coins, but whether it is efficient or not is not clear.

In the event that you've got a few groups of goblins in your search range, it's probably not too bad if you think of it as defeating demons rather than earning money. .......

I'm not sure what the point of leveling up is, but I think it's worth it.　I'm sure you can find a lot of demons out there.　I'm sure you're aware that defeating demons can strengthen your body.

You know...

I can run a full marathon at a world record level without getting too tired.

This is the first time I've seen my physical abilities improve since I first came here, but it's clearly different compared to that time.

Unlike when I was in my original world, I am training every day, but the rate of increase is not something that can be explained by that alone.

But what does that mean even against weak demons?

It's better to defeat the stronger demons, of course, but I don't think it's useless against goblins either.　In the first place, if we are strong enough to say, "I can't get any experience with goblins! It's not as if we've gotten stronger to the point where we can't get experience with goblins.

In order to increase safety, we can spend some time in this forest to kill them.

"But it's a bleak life, isn't it, when your goal is to defeat demons?

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

As for me, as long as I don't have to collect the magic stone from the goblins, I'm okay with that. I'm not sure if it's a good idea to do this if you're trying to defeat them, but it's not a good idea to do it after they're dead.

...... Let's just go home for now. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on in the forest and how to make money, so let's go back and talk about it.

That's right. I'm going to ask Diora about it again.

It's not Diora-san in times of trouble, but I think it's best to ask the locals about these things.

We shelved our plan for the moment and headed back out of the forest.