Chapter 79
As for the arrows, we'll think about them later. For now, let's focus on gathering materials. I went ahead and imbued about ten arrows. The effect should last through the next two battles, I think.
What we need are the bowstring and grip, plus an item to use as decoration. The second Evil Tree Oak also dropped ten acorns. I doubt those will work as decorations.
First, regarding the bowstring: according to the explanation Shio received, it can be made from either a plant or something derived from a living creature. I wondered what “derived from a living creature” meant, but this is a game. It wouldn't be strange for there to be creatures that produced thread of suitable length and strength for bowstrings. In fact, Genzuro can spit thread like that.
In that case, will creatures like Insector Larvae, the same kind as Genzuro, appear here? Or perhaps something else...
"Hm? Isn't that a monster?"
"Eh... oh, you're right!"
When I looked closely in the direction Shio was pointing, I saw a human-sized spider monster, though it was quite far away. Had she spotted it before it entered Ruby's detection range? Amazing!
Hmm, giant spiders really are rather disgusting. Its coloring is poisonous-looking, too. Still, more importantly, 【Appraisal】.
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Race: Big Poison Spider Lv10
Job: None
Skills: 【Fangs】
【Thread】
【Capture】
【Paralysis Poison】
【Stealth】
【Ambush】
【Fire Attribute Weakness】
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Oh? This looks like a monster whose materials could be used for a bowstring. And it's level 10, to boot. Shall we have Shio try to defeat it alone?
"Shio, this is your chance."
"I know. That's why I'm going to leave the party for a little while."
To obtain the Title 'Usurpation,' you have to defeat an enemy several levels above you by yourself. Therefore, you can't be in a party.
"The enemy will probably try to catch you with 【Thread】 and 【Capture】. Don't get hit, all right?"
"Understood! ...Rapid Fire!"
Shio used an Archery art to fire an arrow at the Big Poison Spider, which still hadn't noticed us. The arrow was imbued with the Fire Attribute, making it effective against the Big Poison Spider, which had 【Fire Attribute Weakness】.
The damage was... about thirty percent, I think? The gap in level, along with the difference between having evolved and not having evolved, seemed to be a major obstacle.
"Kishi-kishi!"
Perhaps angered at being ambushed by an inferior opponent, the Big Poison Spider rubbed its fangs together, making an intimidating sound. Then it lifted its abdomen and aimed the tip at Shio before spraying out thread.
"Whoops! Didn't hit me... did it!"
Shio elegantly dodged the thread with a forward-rolling breakfall, then immediately dropped to one knee and fired her next arrow. There wasn't a single wasted movement in the sequence. This had to be a technique honed through VRS.
"Being able to fire only one arrow at a time is a little unsatisfying, you know!"
Shio dodged every strand of thread and steadily landed arrows on the Big Poison Spider, all while looking completely at ease. She lacked the flashiness of Jigoro or Genzuro, but her skill at reliably cornering an enemy was truly impressive. Her ability as a ranked player in VRS, a place said to be a demon realm, clearly wasn't for show.
"This is the last one!"
"Kishaaa..."
The arrow lodged at the joint between the Big Poison Spider's thorax and abdomen completely drained its health. And so, Shio defeated an enemy twice her level.
"Oh! I got 'Usurpation'!"
"Good for you! It's really useful, after all!"
Ruby was as happy about Shio's achievement as if it were her own. Since we had two people who loved fighting, we often fought enemies above our level, making 'Usurpation' practically essential for us. There was no harm in obtaining it early.
"The drop is... probably what we were looking for."
"Oh?"
While the two of them were getting excited, Iris seemed to have finished harvesting the materials. If the thing we wanted was something a spider dropped, there was only one likely possibility.
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Big Poison Spider's Warp Thread Quality: Good Rarity: R (Rare)
The strong, supple, and non-sticky warp thread of a Big Poison Spider.
It is used as material for bowstrings and high-end clothing.
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Oh, it clearly says that it's a material for bows. So, for bowstrings, we just need to hunt spiders. Iris will probably want to make something after asking the bowyer how to do it, so let's hunt a good number of them.
That leaves the grip and decoration... When you think of a grip, it would probably be some kind of hide, right? I don't know because I lack the knowledge, but we should be able to obtain something by hunting the monsters here. Let's continue exploring.
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We immediately re-formed the party after Shio defeated the Big Poison Spider alone, then continued deeper into the forest. Since then, we had defeated several Evil Tree Oaks and Big Poison Spiders, and both had dropped some interesting items. They were as follows.
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Evil Tree Bark Quality: Fair Rarity: C (Common)
The bark of an Evil Tree, considerably sturdier than that of an ordinary tree.
It conducts magic easily and can be used as material for fibers and alchemy.
Evil Tree Log Quality: Good Rarity: R (Rare)
The log of an Evil Tree, hard and resilient.
It conducts magic easily and has a wide range of uses, including bows, staffs, high-end furniture, and luxury homes.
Big Poison Spider's Weft Thread Quality: Poor Rarity: C (Common)
The strong, supple, and sticky weft thread of a Big Poison Spider.
Its uses are limited because it is adhesive.
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All of these are interesting materials. First, the Evil Tree Bark has value to me only as a material for 【Alchemy】. For Iris, however, being able to extract fibers from it is apparently extremely important.
She is currently making new armor for us, and apparently needs strong fibers in the process. Big Poison Spider Warp Thread can also be used, but she has several things she wants to try, so she was very grateful for this drop.
We'll be relying on her work, so it isn't someone else's concern. I can't wait to see what kind of equipment she creates!
Next is the Evil Tree Log, which is interesting as well. According to Iris, almost any kind of wood can be made into a staff, but monster materials that can be turned into staffs are apparently rare.
I already have a staff of my own, so it isn't a problem for me. But once this becomes known, players will surely begin overhunting Evil Trees. The material is valuable enough to warrant that kind of attention.
And it can be used for high-end furniture and houses? There are probably other uses as well. Someday, I'd like to own a building made extensively from Evil Tree materials.
As for the Big Poison Spider's Weft Thread, it seems the Warp Thread we obtained first was the rare drop. Since then, we've collected more than ten bundles of Weft Thread, while only three bundles of Warp Thread have dropped.
The description says its uses are limited, but I know a way to put it to use through 【Alchemy】. I'll try making something as soon as we get back. I can't wait to see what it becomes!
"We've come pretty far into the forest, but..."
"Nothing that looks like it could be used for a grip has dropped, huh...?"
Exactly. So far, we hadn't found any item that looked suitable for a grip. The reason was that, aside from the Evil Tree Oaks and Big Poison Spiders, the only creatures we'd encountered in this forest were ordinary beasts such as deer and boars.
It's not that materials from ordinary beasts are useless. According to the forums, most NPCs use products made from beast materials as everyday goods, so there is always demand for them. However, according to the same forum sources, within the same level range, monster materials result in better equipment performance than beast materials.
In other words, between materials from a level 10 beast and a level 10 monster, the monster's materials are definitely superior. Since we were having a bowyer make the bow, we wanted to gather the best materials available in this forest. That's why we continued exploring.
"Oh, that's... a boar."
"It has plenty of meat, hide, and fangs. We can leave it alone, right?"
The meat would serve as food for everyone except me, and Birdians would trade with us for goods made from its fangs and hide. So it wouldn't be a waste, but we had already gathered enough. Besides, FSW had the concept of an ecosystem, so overhunting was strictly forbidden.
"The only enemy we haven't defeated would be... the field boss, maybe?"
Despite exploring this much, we hadn't found even one monster that looked like it could be the one. If so, the only thing left was probably the boss.
"That could be it. Maybe this is a quest meant to teach us how to completely clear a field."
The process of clearing a field, huh? Shio's prediction was probably right on the mark. We had already come deep into the forest anyway, so we might as well enter the boss area.
"What do you think the boss of this forest will be?"
I suddenly found myself curious and asked the other three. This area's difficulty was close to the zones adjoining Fars. In that case, the boss would probably be around level 10 or a little higher, but what would appear?
"Wouldn't it be a monster that evolved from an Evil Tree Oak?"
"No, no, then it wouldn't drop anything we could use for a grip. I think it'll be a bear!"
Iris gave a perfectly sensible prediction, while Shio stated her own opinion in a confident tone. However, I was fairly sure her prediction was wrong.
"Oh, Shii-chan, there's already a bear acting as a boss in the forest west of Fars, you know?"
"R-Really!?"
Ruby was right. That had been the first field boss I defeated, and it was also where I underwent the 'Azure Moon's Trial.' It was a place with all sorts of connections to me.
"Then what do you think it'll be, Izaam-san?"
"Let's see... Maybe a boar that became a monster?"
For some reason, I felt that field bosses were often evolved versions of enemies that appeared in their respective fields. If so, my prediction was perfectly reasonable, wasn't it?
"...Izaam-san, you're surprisingly normal."
"Oh, what's that supposed to mean?"
Shio, what did you think I was? And the person who had definitely caused her to form such a strange image of me was Ruby.
Ruby must have filled her head with all sorts of true and false stories. I gave Ruby a reproachful stare, but this avatar had no eyeballs, so my intentions failed to get through.
"Hmm? I can see an open area ahead. That must be the boss area."
Oh? Had we already come that far? We couldn't possibly lose to anything here in terms of level, but if possible, I wanted Shio and Karu to earn as much experience as they could. The other three of us should focus on supporting them.
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You have entered the boss area.
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And so we stepped into the boss area... Who knew what would come out—a demon or a snake? Either way, I was looking forward to it.
"Kekyaaaaaaa!!!"
A large shadow descended from the sky with a high-pitched, ear-splitting cry. It seemed our guest had arrived. Then, shall we take a look at its face?
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Race: Feather Deer Lv11
Job: Apprentice Mage Lv1
Skills: 【Horns】
【Charge】
【Strength Boost】
【Agility Boost】
【Intelligence Boost】
【Wind Magic】
【Air Walk】
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"Feather Deer... So everyone was wrong."
The boss was a deer monster called a Feather Deer. It looked like a large deer with magnificent antlers, its entire body covered in soft-looking feathers. It was a deer with birdlike features added to it—that was the impression it gave.
Aside from one, all of its Skills were ones we already knew. But that one unknown Skill was extremely intriguing. It was called 【Air Walk】. Could I assume that possessing it allowed the user to run through the air?
If so, there would be a way to move through the air besides 【Flight】. If we can figure out how to acquire it, I'd have Jigoro train in it. Giving that man three-dimensional mobility might make it so no one except Genzuro could stand against him, though.
"Other than being able to use 【Wind Magic】 and run through the air, the enemy doesn't seem any different from an ordinary deer. So Shio and Karu, you two handle it."
"Really? Is that okay?"
"Kyu!"
Well, to be honest, it was simply too weak. If we joined in, the fight would probably be over in an instant. I even had a feeling that instant death through 【Dark Arts】 might work...
In that case, it should be ideal practical training for Shio, an FSW beginner, and Karu, a newborn Young Dragon. There were three of us who could jump in if things became dangerous, so they could take it easy.
"Got it! Let's do this, Karu-chan!"
"Kyuoo!"
"Gehhhhhhh!"
Karu moved to the front, with Shio taking position behind it. Just as the two of them established their makeshift formation, the Feather Deer charged with an ugly cry. Go on, fight to your heart's content!