Making Ointment at Home

[Wilderness Survival LV1 (68/400)]

Compared with other introductory subjects, this one had a much higher starting experience value because of Lance's recent hands-on exploration in the wilderness.

On top of that, Wilderness Survival was a comprehensive field of knowledge. It was not especially deep, and the threshold for leveling it up was relatively low.

Level one only required 400 experience points.

As experience flowed in, he felt as though his brain had grown.

Lance could clearly feel the once-vague bits of knowledge in his mind rapidly linking together.

The previously isolated knowledge from [Monster Ecology] actually began to interact with [Wilderness Survival].

A great deal of knowledge—how to use the environment to evade monsters' sense of smell, how to quickly build a concealed shelter in a damp rainforest, and how to tell whether a water source had been contaminated by monsters—was imprinted into his mind like instinct.

The sensation of having knowledge poured directly into his brain was simply addictive.

"If only I'd had a cheat like this back when I was taking exams at school."

Lance could not help grumbling inwardly, though his steps became lighter and more confident.

When he entered the forest and stepped onto the soft humus, his gaze remained fixed on the system panel in the corner of his vision.

This forest did not feel right to him today.

The entry representing the environment's condition still displayed "Restless."

But unlike the last few times, the originally pure green text now faintly carried a strange shade of blue across half of it.

It was a sign that the condition was about to change.

Clearly, although the imposing vanguard had cleared out the major threats, the huge commotion they caused had further stirred up the forest's unrest.

[Current Area: Outer Copper Creek Forest, Restless (blue-green gradient)]

[Restless: The fluctuation range of Environmental Stability in this area is adjusted to 10%. There is a 30% chance of obtaining extra gains while gathering. Stamina consumption increases by 10%.]

A ten-percent fluctuation range.

That meant greater uncertainty in the environment.

Compared with his previous visits to Copper Creek Forest, when he would only occasionally encounter a few wandering monsters, today's skirmishes were far more frequent.

Twng!

The bowstring trembled with a crisp sound.

A feathered arrow turned into a gray streak and pierced through layers of branches and leaves.

It was followed by a dull impact and the sharp crack of some kind of chitinous shell shattering.

Thick green fluid splattered out, scattering over the leaf-covered ground.

Twenty-five meters away, a grayish-brown spider as large as an adult's chest had been nailed firmly to a tree trunk by the arrow.

It was a Webweaver Spider.

This monster had eight long, hairy legs, which were now thrashing violently as it tried to wrench itself free from the shaft.

More and more green bodily fluid poured from the wound, winding down the trunk.

After barely a dozen seconds, the spider's struggles grew weaker. Its long legs twitched feebly a few times before finally drooping completely.

Lance did not approach immediately.

He waited quietly where he was until he was sure there was no other movement nearby and the system displayed a notification.

[Insect Species · Webweaver Spider: Research Progress +1]

Only after seeing that message did Lance let out a breath and stride forward.

He reached out, gripped the arrow shaft, and yanked it from the tree trunk.

Looking at the mangled clump of flesh on the arrowhead, Lance showed a hint of regret.

"It was still a little off."

According to the knowledge recorded in [Monster Anatomy],

the only two valuable materials on a Webweaver Spider were its abdominal venom sac and the silk sac at its rear.

The former could be used to make paralysis poison, while the latter was an excellent material for high-tensile bowstrings and specialized ropes.

Unfortunately, while his arrow had accurately struck a vital point, it had also punctured the fragile venom sac.

Dark green venom had already seeped into the silk sac, corroding the originally snow-white spider silk into a complete mess.

Both materials were thoroughly ruined.

"I still need to practice my archery accuracy."

Lance shook his head and wiped the arrowhead with a cloth, feeling somewhat pained.

These spiders loved hiding in the shadows of the canopy to launch ambushes.

Whenever prey passed beneath them, they would drop from above and spit out highly adhesive silk to bind the prey's limbs or directly cover its eyes.

Once an adventurer panicked, they would pounce and tear at them with venomous fangs.

The best way to deal with such treacherous predators was to kill them with ranged attacks before they could get close.

Once dragged into close combat, the omnipresent sticky silk would become an enormous headache.

That was why Lance had immediately begun searching the moment Environmental Stability suddenly dropped to 50%, and why he had decisively used his bow the instant he found the target.

He would never give the other side a chance to get close.

Lance vigilantly surveyed his surroundings.

This spider was clearly not native to this area.

There were no web traps woven around it. It looked more like a refugee that had just been driven from its nest and was fleeing in panic.

"Looks like I oversimplified things."

Lance silently reviewed the situation in his mind.

He had originally thought that following behind the vanguard would let him enjoy the benefits of their sweep.

But he had overlooked a crucial ecological principle.

Although the vanguard had flattened those conspicuous large monster strongholds, they had also stirred up a hornet's nest.

They could not guarantee the extermination of every monster, especially with Grayrock Town currently lacking mage-class professionals.

The monsters that had originally lived deeper in the forest had lost their nests. To survive, they could only flee madly toward the outskirts.

And as the follow-up forces advanced, they also took on the task of sorting through those monsters again.

"I still lack experience. I misjudged the situation."

Lance glanced at his hunting record.

He had not been in the mountains gathering for long, yet the frequency of combat had already been frightening.

One thick-skinned Tusked Boar, three disgusting Corrosive Slimes, and five lone Goblins that had crawled out of who knew what corner.

Plus the spider in front of him.

The intensity of combat over just half a day was higher than all his previous trips into the mountains combined.

Lance opened the gathering bag at his waist and took stock of today's harvest.

Although combat had been frequent, he had already gathered enough Silverflake Grass for the commission.

As for the Blood-Clotting Moss he cared about most, combined with the stock he had already stored at home, he had a rather considerable amount.

Lance rapidly calculated in his mind.

Making one small jar of Lance-Brand Special Hemostatic Ointment required roughly a quarter ounce of moss powder.

With his current material reserves, he could make around one hundred and fifty finished jars at most.

After deducting costs from the planned selling price, if he sold the entire batch at a net profit of fifteen copper coins per jar,

it would bring him roughly twenty-three silver coins in net profit.

Seeing Environmental Stability continue to fluctuate, Lance did not hesitate in the slightest and decisively stopped advancing deeper into the forest.

There was no end to making money.

In such chaotic circumstances, greed was often the fastest route to hell.

"Some other time."

Lance efficiently slung his shortbow over his back, pulled his hood lower, and turned toward the safe route he had taken in, heading for the edge of the forest.

Time to go home and make ointment.

But!

An accident still happened!

He ran into someone who had fled back from the vanguard's front line.