Qingfen Grass

"Captain, come take a look. What do you think of this quest?"

Assassin Kent pointed at the quest marked with an exclamation point on the wall.

"Let me see... an urgent quest?"

Bern carefully read through the quest description, his brow furrowing slightly.

"The reward is certainly generous... but this kind of quest is also highly unpredictable."

As an experienced veteran adventurer, normally, it was best not to accept a quest like this.

But the team's recent expenses had been rather high. After Kent and Miriam replaced their weapons, Evan's weapon was also in desperate need of replacing.

For safety reasons, Kent and Miriam, the two newcomers who had only recently joined, also needed to be equipped with at least one set of Leather Armor as soon as possible.

All of that required money. A great deal of money.

If they completed this quest, they would earn at least 10 Gold Coins, equivalent to taking on two or three ordinary quests. That would be enough to equip the two newcomers with Leather Armor.

Including the bonuses from killing monsters along the way, if their luck was not too bad, Evan's new weapon would also be covered.

And if their luck was exceptionally good and they brought this merchant's daughter back safely...

A reward of 100 Gold Coins was a huge sum even for a veteran adventurer like Bern, who had been traveling for many years.

With those 100 Gold Coins, he could visit Old Rell's shop and have him bring out the good treasures he kept hidden away. He could replace the Iron Armor he wore, which had already suffered considerable wear, with a new set, while giving the discarded old Iron Armor to Evan.

He could even spare enough to buy two precious Life Potions. To adventurers who constantly hovered on the edge of life and death, such treasures, capable of quickly healing injuries in critical moments, were practically half a life!

After pondering for a long time, Bern ultimately could not resist the temptation. He walked over to the counter and accepted the quest.

They would try it first. If it truly did not work out, they could just give up. With an experienced adventurer like him around, they should have time to retreat as soon as anything unusual appeared.

As adventurers, if they could not accept even a little risk, what kind of adventurers were they? They might as well go home and farm!

"Don't worry, Miss Camilla. I'll definitely come to you again next time I take a quest~"

After waving to his favorite receptionist, Bern turned to look across the hall. The two young people were sitting in a corner. Evan propped up his chin with one hand and leaned forward, animatedly telling Miriam something.

The short-haired girl rested the White Oak Bow on her lap, lightly pinching its string between her fingers. Evan's words seemed to go in one ear and out the other; she did not care in the slightest.

"Let's go. Time to set off."

He beckoned to the two of them. Miriam immediately rose and walked over, while Evan's excited expression froze slightly. He then reached out toward Miriam's retreating back and hurried after her.

"Wait for me, Miriam..."

The group left the Adventurer's Guild and headed straight out of town.

Along the way, Bern began introducing the details of this quest to the team, repeatedly emphasizing the important points.

"Remember, this quest may be dangerous. Stay close at all times. Don't get more than a meter apart. Keep quiet, and the moment you see my hand signal, retreat immediately!"

"Got it, got it... Uncle Bern, you say that every time."

Evan was clearly a little impatient. He had been following his uncle Bern out on adventures since he was sixteen, and nearly two years had passed. He considered himself an "old" adventurer now, no longer like a newcomer who tensed up at every rustle and went weak in the legs at the sight of a Goblin.

"Even if something unexpected happens, isn't Uncle Bern here?"

He was full of confidence in his distant uncle. "A level 0.8 class holder has practically no opponents in the outskirts of Lorraine Forest!"

Bern wanted to scold him and tell him to take things more seriously, but on second thought, his nephew was not wrong. With his strength, the monsters on the outskirts of Lorraine Forest truly posed little threat.

In another two or three years, once he had fully mastered Shield Bash, his physique should also meet the standard. Then he could officially advance into a class holder!

Thinking of such a wonderful future, a smile unconsciously formed at the corner of Bern's mouth. More than a decade of adventuring and unceasing effort were finally about to be rewarded.

"You really know how to talk. Such a smooth talker."

He laughed and scolded Evan, growing even more eager for the quest at hand.

If they could successfully obtain those 100 Gold Coins, the time until he advanced into a class holder might even be shortened by another half year.

As Lin Mo stepped into Lorraine Forest once again, he felt distinctly different from the unease and anxiety of his first visit.

Novelty... or perhaps anticipation?

The dense forest contained not only dangerous monsters, but also a rich ecosystem. For Lin Mo, who had spent nearly twenty years living in a city, such unspoiled natural scenery was extremely rare.

Of course, he did not let that relax his guard. On the contrary, because he was alone this time, and because he had encountered a monster like the Mutated Goblin last time, Lin Mo was filled with reverence for this forest. He walked with great caution every step of the way.

For most of the time when they did not encounter monsters, the countless varieties of insects around them were absolutely an adventurer's greatest enemies.

The sounds they made often left inexperienced adventurers in a constant state of alarm. Clearly, Lin Mo was as pure a newcomer as they came.

He was afraid of insects—or rather, he hated them—especially the ones with lots of legs. Just seeing them made his scalp tingle.

That was why he had invested especially heavily in Insect Repellent. Afraid he would not have enough, he had specifically bought two packets.

After applying some Insect Repellent to himself to avoid being targeted by mosquitoes nearly as large as knuckles, Lin Mo held the simple map he had bought in town in his left hand and a compass in his right, carefully comparing them.

Making someone with no sense of direction find their way was undoubtedly torture, but without convenient phone navigation, he could only study things bit by bit himself.

Fortunately, although the map he had bought was simple, this was still the outermost edge of Lorraine Forest. It contained a fair amount of detail, and with the compass confirming his direction, Lin Mo did not end up like a headless fly crashing around everywhere.

Aside from having to stop often to confirm his bearings, the journey had gone fairly smoothly overall.

"Should be close..."

After taking out the map once more to confirm his rough position, Lin Mo looked ahead. His gaze passed through the trees and fell on clusters of tall grass in the distance, covered in red berries.

Red Snake Fruit. Berries about the size of a pinky finger, with slightly rough skin. The flesh inside was soft and juicy, with a rich fragrance. Take one bite... and you could find a tree to sit beneath and wait for reincarnation.

That was right. This thing was highly poisonous.

Lin Mo closed the book, deeply grateful that he had bought this copy of Adventurer's Handbook: Plant Compendium.

Although its skin contained no poison, and theoretically he would not be poisoned as long as he did not eat it, Lin Mo still kept his distance from the plant. He deliberately took a slight detour to avoid it.

All kinds of mushrooms could occasionally be seen beneath the trees. Holding the plant compendium, Lin Mo compared them one by one and committed them to memory.

What could be eaten and what could not—such knowledge would likely come in handy in the future.

Whenever he found something edible, he casually picked it and placed it in his backpack. There were not many of them, and they did not take up much space anyway.

After walking farther ahead, Lin Mo finally saw a pale purple plant that somewhat resembled a flower. It stood alone amid the surrounding sea of grass, strikingly conspicuous.