CH 92

Episode 92 – The Third Attack

Thanks to [Iron Gear]’s escort, I managed to safely complete the first, second, and third days of plant and herb gathering. The amount of plants and herbs I collected was also quite good; by the end of the third day, I had gathered the greatest number of plants I had ever gathered in one expedition so far.

Of course I picked a huge quantity of Magical Grass, but I also found some new types of spices, namely Oregano Leaves, Fennel Leaves, and Mustard Seeds. I was also able to find one that had a “sweetness” effect, called Anise Seeds. So far, I had already found spices related to “spiciness”, “aroma”, and “umami”, but Anise Seeds were the first one I found to possess a “sweetness” effect.

(TL: Presumably, “aroma” refers to the spices like Ginger, Laurel, etc.)

There were fruits which had sweetness of course, but this was the first spice I found with that effect. To be honest, I was quite excited about these Anise Seeds because aside from that “sweetness” effect, they also had an “aroma” effect.

Aside from that, I managed to harvest 15 stalks of the highly-priced Glutamate Herb and 3 of my personal favorites, Dumbbell Weed. I had been able to collect a great variety of plants and herbs, which made me once again reaffirm in my heart that Mount Cornello was a really great place to gather plants.

There were no signs of the Angry Wolves so far, and Byrne and Porta were able to instantly defeat any other monsters that dared to approach. When we would return to the base, Lyra and Nina would put together a great meal using the monster meat and plants we gathered during the day. As a result, we were able to enjoy a truly satisfying lifestyle throughout the gathering expedition so far. I was having so much fun that I was even regretting the fact that we had to return tomorrow. Well… when I got back, I would be able to immerse myself in training again, so that was something to look forward to. While relishing in the remaining moments of this fulfilling lifestyle, I went to sleep, closing out the last day of this gathering expedition.

★　　　★　　　★

I was in a great mood as I slept comfortably, when my eyes suddenly shot open, as I sensed a terrifying presence. A sense of déjà vu washed over me as my entire body started trembling.

It’s an Angry Wolf.

Cold sweat dripped down my back as I tried to stop shaking. I had thought that there’d no way we would be attacked again, so I doubted my senses for a moment, but… this presence I was picking up on was undoubtedly an Angry Wolf.

…Damn it.

If it weren’t for this Angry Wolf, I would have been able to close out this plant and herb gathering expedition with the best results so far. I cursed out the Angry Wolf in my heart, but just sitting here wouldn’t make this situation any better.

Just like last time, I decided to immediately wake up the person sleeping next to me, Porta, and notify Byrne, who was on night watch outside.

“Porta, wake up. There’s an Angry Wolf,” I told him tersely as I shook him awake. He started with a jolt as his eyes shot open. Since Porta woke up quickly, I immediately went towards Byrne who was outside.

When I exited the tent, I saw Byrne standing guard right in front of the tent, but, just like last time, Byrne didn’t seem to notice the Angry Wolf. It was true that what I was feeling at the moment was just a “hunch”, and there were no sounds or any other external information so far. Perhaps because I was abandoned in the face of an Angry Wolf before, my body was hypersensitive to its presence.

“Byrne. There’s an Angry Wolf in the area.” (Lewin)

“Hah? There’s no way… No, come to think of it, last time you were the first to pick up on its presence―” (Byrne)

As Byrne spoke up to that point, the howl of an Angry Wolf cut through the air from deeper in the mountain. Byrne heard it clearly, so he turned to me and firmly nodded in understanding.

“Sorry Lewin, but we’re gonna have to run away again. I’m going to wake up Lyra and Nina, so go and get ready.” (Byrne)

As I left the tent with Porta, who was getting ready next to me, I once again heard the howl of an Angry Wolf echo in the night.

This time, it sounds quite close… this might turn into a fairly dangerous situation.

As I thought that, I heard another howl coming from a different direction, and then yet another one right after that, as if they were signaling to one another.

“This… is not good…” Porta said as we left the tent, his face pale. Just now, those howls were coming from three different directions, so we could tell that they were approaching with the intent to surround us.

Even worse, one of those howls was coming from further down the mountain. In other words… it was coming from the direction we had to go in order to escape. Even if this Angry Wolf wasn’t after us, we were likely to run into it either way. Thus, if we wanted to escape from this position where we were already surrounded, it would be difficult without getting into a fight with an Angry Wolf.

…I mean, with these Angry Wolves’ movements… no matter how I think about it, they’re targeting me.

Porta and I were standing there, pale-faced as we grasped the locations of the Angry Wolves in the distance, when Byrne finally came out of the tent with Lyra and Nina.

“Everyone’s ready. Let’s get out of here.” (Byrne)

When the three of them started moving, Porta and I, who had heard the howl coming from further down the mountain, stood there unmoving. The three of them turned back to look questioningly at me and Porta as I desperately tried to come up with a solution. Frantically turning the gears in my mind, I managed to come up with three options.

The first option was to sprint down the mountain and take out the Angry Wolf coming from that direction before we were completely surrounded. If I had to raise a concern about this one, it would be that there could possibly be multiple Angry Wolves in that direction. Even if it was only one, if we weren’t able to deal with it in time, then we would be surrounded and be done for. If the battle was fought on the mountain path, the Angry Wolves would definitely have the advantage.

The second option was to run in the direction from which no Angry Wolf howls were heard. The problem with this option was that the probability of disaster would increase since we wouldn’t have the end goal of descending the mountain. Plus, there was a good chance that they would eventually catch up.

The final option was to stay right here and face the Angry Wolves head on. The concern with this option was obviously that we would be confronting them. But if we were going to clash with them anyway, we had the highest chance of winning if we took the fight here. The visibility in this clearing was good so we would be able to coordinate better.

After quickly organizing my thoughts, I briefly explained the current situation and our options to the three who were still standing there with puzzled expressions.