Chapter 23: Footsteps (4k)

The Mist Forest is located in the heart of the Aifala continent. Due to ancient, hidden legacies and its own unique natural topography, the area possesses a dense magical aura that distinguishes it from all other regions.

Naturally, this brings with it dangerous magical creatures birthed from the pale, thin mists.

Living for long periods in a high-concentration magical environment and enjoying the nourishment of abundant mana, these creatures either possess bodies far sturdier than ordinary organisms or are born with the innate ability to manipulate the laws of nature.

They occupy the highest ecological niches within the entire forest.

However, the reason they can sit firmly at the top of the pyramid is inseparable from the support of the massive base beneath them.

Within this forest, which is shrouded in thin mist all day long, there also exist a vast number of ordinary creatures that are not listed in the bestiary of magical monsters.

*Swish.*

A light breeze brushed past, and leaves fluttered down.

The brownish bark resembled several dried-up waterways, rough and riddled with cracks and furrows.

From a distance, it appeared to be nothing more than a common oak branch, the most frequent sight in the forest.

But if you were a bit more patient and observed more closely, you would gradually discover a crimson forked tongue flashing through the air, and the long, slender silhouette subtly protruding from the surface of the trunk.

It was a Rosaline Pit Viper.

The mottled light-brown patterns on its fine scales, combined with the patience and slowness characteristic of cold-blooded animals, allowed it to blend almost seamlessly into its environment.

Its long, triangular head also hinted, from a natural standpoint, at the intense toxicity possessed by this species of snake.

It waited silently.

The Mist Forest never lacked prey.

With a unique body structure capable of swallowing prey several times its own size, a length of nearly five feet, and two sharp fangs beneath its skull ready to inject venom at any moment, its prey list was not limited to frogs and lizards, but even included some small to medium-sized mammals.

And should they encounter creatures that were too large, the survival instinct deep within their blood would drive them to stay far away from this dangerous creature that controlled lethal toxins.

"Squeak."

A long-eared rat, covered in fine fur, moved cautiously through the fallen leaves.

Those clear yet foolish rodent eyes seemed to have already foretold its fate.

Approaching gradually.

There was no emotion in the pit viper's cold, vertical pupils. Its neck was arched, and its muscles were tensed.

The explosive muscle mass beneath its scales meant it would only take a fraction of a second to inject its venom into the target, followed by a constricting coil to wait for the prey's death.

Small brown scales trembled slightly under the expansion of its muscles.

This was the precursor to its attack.

Immediately,

*Whirr—*

A sharp, iron-gray light flashed momentarily through the air.

Accompanied by fine wood chips flying from the tree trunk was the long-eared rat, fleeing in panic into the depths of the bushes.

The pit viper's body remained in the same tensed, arched state it had held just before the hunt.

But its head had been sliced off by a cold, sharp blade.

"Fuck! Scared the shit out of me!"

With a heavy sense of lingering fear, Xia Nan applied slight force with his right hand, forcefully pulling the decapitating longsword out of the tree trunk.

It was now his second day back in the Mist Forest.

Contrary to his expectations, the complex environment of the forest—filled with mist and countless similar-looking trees—made it difficult to discern directions, even with a professional compass and a crude map purchased from a general store shelf.

Coupled with being alone, even the slightest movement in his surroundings made Xia Nan alert and cautious.

As a result, his progress was even slower than that of the "scum" squad he had been with before—

He hadn't realized it then, but thinking back now, it was likely because Maggie possessed some kind of professional combat skill for exploration.

Fortunately, according to his memory, the location of the Glow-Garlic Vine was not far from Valley Town; after an afternoon and half a morning of wandering, he was almost there.

Digging a small hole in the ground, Xia Nan used the tip of his sword to pick up the snake's head and toss it in with a look of disgust.

A piece of trivia he had picked up from somewhere in his previous life told him that even if a snake's head is severed, it can still open and close its jaws and inject venom due to muscle memory.

Therefore, to be safe, it was best to find a hole to bury its head to avoid being struck.

In Xia Nan's view, the most dangerous things in the Mist Forest were naturally those bizarrely shaped magical monsters; but if one were to talk about what was truly disgusting, the various snakes and insects found everywhere along the way were the undisputed culprits.

Even though he carried antitoxins and insect repellent, being bitten by one of these little things by accident was no joke.

Standing in place, he scanned his surroundings carefully.

Only after confirming there was nothing unusual did Xia Nan relax slightly. He took off his backpack and rummaged through it to find a piece of gauze.

While taking a moment to rest and recover his strength, he also carefully maintained the new longsword in his hand.

Actually, according to what Barn, the owner of the "Rock Hammer" shop, had said yesterday, unless he experienced a great battle, he only needed to maintain this sword once every three days.

But since he had just received it, even though he knew that after some time, many difficult-to-remove signs of use would appear on the blade, he couldn't help but want to keep it in its "brand new from the factory" pristine state.

The soft gauze wiped gently, clearing away the few stains on the surface of the blade.

Feeling the resilient and slightly cool sensation of the hilt in his hand, Xia Nan's thoughts drifted.

Speaking of which, as an adventurer who frequently faced various battles, a suitable weapon was almost equivalent to his second life.

Therefore, when choosing a weapon, one had to carefully confirm whether the feel and center of gravity met one's combat habits.

At the time, Xia Nan hadn't thought that much; he had simply bought the longsword with the mindset of picking up a bargain.

Looking at it now, while he couldn't say he was wrong, he should have considered it more meticulously.

Fortunately, after a day and a half of adjustment, Xia Nan could confirm that this decapitating longsword had very good compatibility with him.

It was heavier than an ordinary two-handed sword, but still within the range of his current strength;

The four-foot blade and double edge allowed [Whirlwind Slash] to exert its power perfectly;

Even its low-profile, iron-gray blade matched his aesthetic.

The current Xia Nan even felt like having a few more chance encounters just to hack a few goblins to prove the sword's sharpness.

"Uh... forget about hobgoblins," he joked to himself.

He stood up and readjusted the somewhat heavy bundle on his back.

Just as he was about to leave, his peripheral vision caught sight of the snake carcass in the fallen leaves.

As if suddenly remembering something, he pulled the somewhat crumpled [Adventurer's Handbook] from his bosom.

...

21. [An adventurer's hands should be stained with a bit of blood]

Hey! What's there to be disgusted about? Those are all fragrant, glowing gold coins!

—21.3 [Regarding those crawling things]

...Remember to remove their snake gallbladders; these can usually be sold for a good price at herb shops and alchemy stores (the specific price depends on their size and species).

Certain special types, such as the single horn on the head of an Ice-Trace Horned Snake or the shed skin of a Python, can also fetch a price.

Of course, the above only applies to ordinary creatures. For magical monsters...

...

"As expected, I almost lost out on a few more gold coins."

Xia Nan pulled a dagger from his waist and, following the example illustration in the manual, somewhat clumsily cut open the pit viper's scaled body.

"Got it!"

In his hand, covered in mucus and blood, was a dark, sac-like organ.

"A snake gallbladder from a pit viper of this size in the Mist Forest can probably sell for about 3 silver coins?"

Recalling the price list he had seen while shopping at the apothecary, he guessed in his mind.

In his previous life, Xia Nan had once heard someone ask a very interesting question.

Given the same monthly income of 5,000, why was the experience of living in the countryside versus the city worlds apart?

Prices were certainly different, but in his view, the temptations of the surrounding environment were also a major reason.

As someone who had just crossed over to this world, his mind only held the simple memories of his predecessor's eighteen years spent among wheat stalks; to him, 100 gold and 10 gold seemed to have no difference (both were huge sums).

But once Xia Nan had carried over a hundred gold coins in spoils and taken a stroll through Valley Town, seeing 500-gold potions and four-digit armor, his understanding of this world underwent a clear change.

At the very least, as he pressed the wriggling, twitching snake carcass and removed the gallbladder from the mucus and blood, his heart felt more joy at the thought of earning a few more gold coins back in town than it did disgust.

Especially considering that his total net worth was currently only 24 gold, 2 silver, and 7 copper.

Yes,

Xia Nan, who once had a net worth as high as over 130 gold coins, now had less than a fraction of that left.

The 35-gold decapitating longsword and the 10-gold leather armor were only part of the bill.

And the culprit responsible for his savings shrinking so much was currently lying quietly in the deepest, most secure, and most convenient-to-use waist pouch.

50 gold.

A full, unopened bottle of—

Healing Potion, which emitted a faint glow when shaken—

Xia Nan ultimately couldn't help himself.

After completing all the necessary preparations before heading out, he had used his remaining meager savings to add one more trump card to his adventure.

But he did not regret it.

Because he knew clearly what kind of efficacy this bottle of healing potion could provide.

A metallic luster flashed before his eyes; the iron-gray surface of the blade reflected Xia Nan's image.

As his gaze focused, translucent text appeared before him

...

[Name]: Xia Nan

[Attributes]

Strength: 6

Agility: 6

Constitution: 5

Intelligence: 5

Perception: 5

Charisma: 5

[Feat]: Cleave Master

[Skill]: Whirlwind Slash lv5 (Max)

[Equipment/Items]: Dead Line, Sturdy Decapitating Longsword, Healing Potion *1...

...

This was Xia Nan's second adventure.

But there was no doubt that compared to when he had just crossed over to this world, he had undergone a massive change, both mentally and physically.

If the current him were to return to that dark and bloody goblin cave, even if he couldn't claim a total victory, at least when he dealt with those four goblin minions, Gagu should not have completely lost his combat capability.

Tossing the still-twitching snake carcass onto the ground, Xia Nan's expression was calm as he pulled the compass and map from his bosom.

"Hmm... this direction."

As his destination drew closer, the memories that had previously seemed shrouded in mist, much like the air in the forest, gradually became clear.

His pace quickened.

After about another two hours, as Xia Nan pushed aside the dense bushes in front of him with his hands, an open clearing appeared before his eyes.

To be honest, this clearing wasn't actually that large; even including the lush vegetation at the edges, it was only about the size of a quarter of a basketball court.

But placed within the Mist Forest, filled with towering trees, it appeared exceptionally conspicuous.

In the center of the clearing stood a dark oak tree, about as wide as two people hugging it.

It couldn't be called tall, nor was it particularly majestic or thick.

Looking at its exterior, the only thing that distinguished it from the trees surrounding the clearing was the clusters of pale white vines hanging from its branches.

Xia Nan's eyes lit up.

Memories from passing by a few days ago told him that these strangely colored vines would emit tiny, firefly-like glows at night.

"Glow-Garlic Vine!"

He cheered inwardly.

However, he was in no hurry to approach.

A clearing suddenly appearing in a dense forest, eerie glowing plants, and even the potential for massive profits...

Any adventurer with even a modicum of common sense would not rush forward in such a scenario.

As someone still in the state of a novice adventurer, constantly vigilant of everything around him, Xia Nan was even more cautious.

He gripped the decapitating longsword with both hands, his half-crouched body leaning slightly forward, maintaining a posture most convenient for exerting force.

With minimal noise, he spent a full ten minutes circling the edge of the clearing.

Bushes, treetops...

Only after checking everything and confirming there were no ambushes did he turn his gaze back to the oak tree in the clearing.

His expression looked somewhat hesitant.

Forests are full of trees; although they can often obstruct one's vision, making it difficult to capture potential dangers in time, they can also serve as cover when necessary.

If there were potential enemies, entering the clearing would mean exposing his entire position to them.

After a moment of thought, Xia Nan finally made a decision.

There was no point in staying in this stalemate; he had to take the initiative!

Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward with his right foot and charged out.

He stopped abruptly just as he approached the vines.

He held the longsword horizontally, and an iron-gray cold light flashed across the blade.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

A light breeze blew, and the branches swayed with a "rustling" sound.

Realizing he had just been playing a game of wits with the air, Xia Nan decisively sheathed his sword—after all, no one else was watching, so there was no need to be embarrassed.

Then, with the greatest speed, he pulled out his dagger and cut several clusters of Glow-Garlic Vine.

After all, only he knew this location; even if he wasn't sure how this type of vine grew, he left some immature branches and leaves behind with the intention of sustainable harvesting.

In just five minutes, 32 clusters of Glow-Garlic Vine were carefully and quickly stuffed into the backpack he had specially prepared.

"Perfect!"

Tightening the somewhat heavy bundle on his back, he was just about to leave.

But then, from the woods to his right, two sets of hurried footsteps could be heard.

"Hmm!?"

(End of Chapter)