n

n

nKrow ultimately decided to put off decimating monster nests for now, in favor of village quests and scouting the surrounding lands.

nThe lands below Cerkanst were thankfully not as dramatic as the highlands. Though the peaks were high and the valleys low, they were hills and shallows in comparison.

nAt least here, in the borderlands, his definition of 'mountain' wasn't constantly getting updated.

nThe semi-official word was that the Urla Mountains had peaks three times higher than Mount Everest. Amazing. The fact that the king in Velkenbragg didn't freeze on his throne was proof enough that Zushkenar was a magical world.

nKrow skidded down a rain smoothened boulder and flipped onto a flat rock lower down.

nHe'd seen what looked like round blue leaves as he was passing by earlier.

nHaving scouted now more than twenty kilometers out from Cerkanst, he was more confident that he could gather enough gold for all his plans after the craft update.

nHe'd seen a family of Silverbeard Red Martens playing around in the tree branches earlier.

nIn a nearby river, an entire shiver of Icetower Riversharks had surfaced briefly, startling him into nearly becoming a Krow-shaped snack to a passel of shark pups. He'd nearly forgotten to modify the place-mark that his Ghostcaller scouts had tagged on the Map.

nHe leaned off the flat rock.

nHah, it was Blueshade Roundgrass!

n

"Map, mark green, silver.

" A corresponding mark appeared on the Map, indicating his current location. Green for plant, silver for average profit currently.

nThe blue circular leaves were used in several potions of mid-level importance – the General Antidote was one, actually.

nKrow stretched. Should he go further and see what monsters and plants came out at nightfall at this distance from Cerkanst?

nIn his explorations, from when he decided to stay in the village until now, he had five silver-gold nests marked in his map. Silver-gold for good profit.

nHe also had two pure gold marks, one plant green, one predator red. Gold for excellent profit.

nSome marks were within violet circles, which indicated the target would only be seen after nightfall.

nSo far, Krow didn't have any marks for the shadowbeasts that came out after moonset.

nHe looked toward the cliff.

nIf he went back to Cerkanst now, he had time to take a few quests.

nHe nodded. Enough exploring for today. He double-jumped for a branch above him, then tree-hopped toward Cerkanst.

nThe tree line ended some kilometers before the cliffs that held the village. It would still take him an hour to return. He threw a grapplehook and flipped over the trunk of a leaning tree. A twist of the wrist and the hook shook free, disappeared back into his Inventory.

nHe skated sideways down a moss-covered branch, grinning, used the momentum to fling himself into the air in the direction of the next tree.

nAlways so exhilarating to let his DEX and Acrobat skills out to play.

nHe jumped down the tree branches and landed on a rock. There was a ghost-scouted monster nest nearby that he hadn't checked out yet.

nOne last nest.

nHe stepped into a clearing and saw…his eyes widened.

n

"Stop!

" He yelled the word as quietly as he could.

nThe girl paused, hand in the air. When she looked over, he gestured her urgently backward.

nShe tilted her head in confusion.

nSince he stepped into the clearing, he didn't take his eyes off the monsters just standing there casually.

nLong red tops, like chili peppers upside down, thick and squat stems that looked like they were made out of iridescent crystal.

nThe whole looking like a bunch of simple mushrooms. At their base, Redsilk Algae spread outward like blood gushing out of the feet of monuments.

nOf course, they weren't mushrooms.

nPeppercap Toads, also known unofficially as Firework Toads. Because if you disturbed one, the colorful explosion that transpired would be your last tribute and also the grand farewell of your funeral.

nTwelve peppercaps rose upward.

nSix Toads.

nThe girl huffed at his gesturing, still reached to touch the stem.

nWas he going to lose his first life in Redlands because someone thought a peppercap toad was shiny?

n

"What kind of herbalist are you?!

" he whisper-yelled.

nHe recognized her. Menrike, his erstwhile guide, who abandoned him cruelly on the streets of Cerkanst after one minute of being a guide.

nShe glared back.

"I have good eyes, aunt said so! What do you, a hunter, know about mushrooms?

"

n

"Mushrooms!?

"

nAn amateur herbalist.

nShkav.

n

"Oh,

" he said in normal tones.

"We're going to die.

"

nEven if he ran away as fast as he could, once she touched that Toad, its defense mechanism would explode, saturating the forest for kilometers around in a cloud of pretty, sparkling poison.

nThat was the fallout if just one woke up.

nBut six?

nThe girl, who undoubtedly heard him, judging from the small huff she made, ignored him.

n

"Menrike,

" a calm voice, still as a mountain lake, sounded. Somehow, it stilled the girl's advance.

"Leave that alone and come here.

"

nKrow glanced to the left briefly, to see a draculkar with eyes fixed on the peppercaps.

nAt least someone here knew the danger!

n

"But aunt…

"

n

"Now, child.

"

nMenrike sighed, turned around.

nThis was one way to give him an appreciation of how draculkar were only officially adult when they reached the age of twenty-five. Despite her height, Menrike was, in human terms, a pre-teen.

nHe would appreciate the detail gone into each character later, as the contrast with the responsibility of the younger Talebrech was curious.

nRight now, there were more important concerns.

nKrow didn't take his eyes off the mushrooms. Menrike was now passing close to the last of the ones arrayed in the clearing.

nHe started to breathe.

nThen Menrike slipped.

n

"Child!

"

nKrow double-jumped forward, grabbed Menrike by the arm. He used the momentum of her fall and another double-jump to twist mid-air and throw her toward her aunt.

nIn the same motion, he brought out all the Paralyzing Mist Vials he could and broke all of them.

nHe only had Minor Vials. Peppercap Toads were not one-serpens monsters. He broke more.

nHe brought out his last crate and kicked it open. Ten Vials, twenty.

nThe air filled with paralyzing mist.

nIn the shadow of those peppercaps that were the ears of each monster, Krow saw up close how the Toads woke up.

n*

nChapter End

n*

nNote:

nPlease don't copy and post on other sites.

nIf you see this work on other websites, know that the author Jin Daoran posts exclusively on webnovel(dot)com.. If you like the story, please support this misfortunate author by voting and reviewing on webnovel(dot)com. Thanks!

n