CH 208

Episode 208 – Safe Area

At a quick glance, the area didn’t look much different from the previous layer, except for the fact that there were countless tents pitched all over the place. Because the Dungeon would have to be cleared all over again once you returned to the surface, there were many adventurers who slept in the Safe Area like this, just as the [Azure Alliance] did. The 10th layer was still considered to be fairly shallow, so there were many adventurers who could reach this point, which was why there were so many tents set up here.

“Many adventurers turn back at the 6th layer, so we only happened across one other party from the 7th layer and onward. But in the end, there are still so many people on the 10th floor, huh?” (Lewin)

“Yeah. This is one of the only stopping points in the Dungeon after all. A majority of the people use the Safe Area as a base from which they’d conquer the deeper layers, so naturally there would be a lot of people gathered here.” (Rosalie)

“Mhm. So what are we doing here?” (Aruna)

I wanted to hear a little more details about the Safe Area from Rosalie, who was speaking smoothly at this point, but Aruna impatiently questioned me in a way that felt like she was rushing me.

“Uhh… Actually, I wanted to use the Safe Area to gather plants.” (Lewin)

“Rejected. We’re moving on ahead,” Aruna said, immediately turning around and moving onwards as if she was planning to leave me there. I hadn’t even begun to explain yet, but just as expected, she sure was hasty.

“Please wait just a moment. There’s a proper reason for this.” (Lewin)

“Reason? Gathering plants is supposed to be some kind of big reason?” (Aruna)

“Yes. The first and foremost purpose for this is to make money.” (Lewin)

“…Make money?” (Aruna)

“That’s right. The only things I’ve acquired to this point are monster drops and one wooden chest. The Two-Mino didn’t drop anything, and considering the amount of money needed to hire Rosalie, the amount of money I currently have remaining on hand isn’t much.” (Lewin)

“That’s… I’m sorry.” (Rosalie)

“No, not at all. We had an agreement, and I was the one who had you participate in this matter. Plus, it’s not like all the money goes straight to your wallet, isn’t that right, Rosalie-san?” (Lewin)

“That’s true. I’m getting a special compensation, but it’s only 5 silver coins per day.” (Rosalie)

So that’s how it is… Since Rosalie was a Guild employee, I thought she might be getting a steady income, but if she was only receiving 5 silver coins per day, it wasn’t worth it for her.

It seemed that she had also gone out of her way to buy new tools and equipment for the Dungeon, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she was at a financial deficit right now. Given this present situation, of course speed was important, but making money was also essential.

“Isn’t it also hard for you to live on just the amount of money you earn from clearing the Dungeon, Aruna-san?” (Lewin)

“Mm. I’m working at Araku Village, but it’s still tough. But if we have the time to spare for gathering plants, we might as well continue onwards as a better way of earning money.” (Aruna)

“That’s not true. I’m something of a professional when it comes to gathering plants, so I made this proposal based on the fact that a certain degree of income can be expected.” (Lewin)

To be frank, my foremost reason for doing this wasn’t for the money, but talking about money was the easiest to understand, so I decided it was the proper topic to bring up. Well, even though it is true that I’m a little bit strapped for cash right now.

“As for the other reasons, you know how I use plants and potions for support, right?” (Lewin)

“Yeah. Your support has been helpful.” (Aruna)

“I need those materials to offer that support. I’d like to gather plants that could be useful, in addition to making money.” (Lewin)

“You can rest assured about that. I’ve already done some prior research, and the area from the 8th to 14th layers is the second most abundant environment for plants in all fifty layers. Of course the 10th layer is no exception to this fact, which is the final reason I have for wanting to gather plants on this layer.” (Lewin)

“Okay. I’m convinced. We’re wasting time, so let’s get to it.” (Aruna)

“Thank you. I’ve already got a gathering spot in mind, so please follow me.” (Lewin)

With Rosalie’s backup, I was able to successfully persuade Aruna. If this didn’t make us much money, she would probably start complaining… But I had absolute confidence that I would be able to earn some money here.

With the other two in tow, I went to the area in the vicinity of the staircase, according to the information I had received. If Tobias’s words were correct, there should be a hidden floor deep within the forest off to the right side of this staircase.

I made my way deep into the forest, pushing my way through the brush, and eventually happened across an untouched open area. The whole area before this point in the layer had been filled with tents or people, which made it unfit for gathering, but in this area, I could gather plants in peace.

“Hm. This does seem like a good place.” (Aruna)

“Yeah… I didn’t even know there was such an area on the 10th layer. It’s not shown on the monitors, so how did you know about it, Jade-san?” (Rosalie)

“I was told about this place by a certain reporter. More importantly… Let’s hurry up and start gathering plants. I would like to ask you two to collect Medical Herb and Magical Grass. Are you two able to tell them apart?” (Lewin)

“I think I can sort of tell the difference, I guess.” (Rosalie)

“I can’t.” (Aruna)

“It’s fine to take it slowly, so Rosalie-san, could you please teach her while gathering? I’m going to go deeper in to gather plants, so if you have any questions, just call for me.” (Lewin)

Alright. That should be good for now. At any rate, it would be more efficient to have the two of them gather the more easily distinguished plants like Medical Herb and Magical Grass, and then I could sort through them after they were done gathering them.

In the meantime, I’ll go around by myself and gather all kinds of plants. Unknown plants that grew only in the Dungeons or even high-level plants like the ones I saw in Green Formula… I was very excited to see what kind of plants I could find.