In another world, gathering medicinal herbs usually involves searching for them in areas where only weak monsters appear, prioritizing safety and fulfilling requests efficiently.
Even gathering herbs can build stamina, so even if you don’t defeat monsters, your level will eventually increase. The level is treated as a “sum of experiences,” so as long as you work daily, even a craftsman can level up.
However, if you only gather herbs, your level won’t continue to rise indefinitely. Even after many years, you might hit a ceiling at level 5. Without undertaking high-difficulty tasks like seeking legendary herbs in remote areas, you won’t gain any further experience.
“The back mountain behind the school was like a remote area… that’s no joke.”
The part that was simplified on the map. As I followed the path around the back of the mountain, the forest grew increasingly dense.
Even in such a place, there were streetlights, though it seemed odd that power lines connected through this jungle-like area.
There must be some safety measures in place to prevent getting lost in the back mountain. Although it was said to be an herb-growing area, there were too many plants other than herbs.
With the encyclopedia installed on my smartphone, I could identify the herbs. However, the data for uncollected herbs was limited, implying that I should verify them myself rather than being provided with all the information at once.
“Hmm… is this the ‘herb’? It looks just like ‘Amami grass’…”
Name: Amami Grass
Notes: It has a wide reproductive range and can be eaten as it is. If you overlook its greenish taste, the edible parts have a bit of calories.
Value: 0 Bronze
(Could this be something you eat to avoid starvation…?)
I took a small bite of the leaf; it wasn’t as bad as I expected. Some of the grass seemed to have been gnawed on, probably by herbivores in the vicinity.
“This is also Amami grass… huh?”
As I searched through the grass, I found signs that some plants had been uprooted.
(Animals pulled them out…? No, that’s not it. There are traces of people being here.)
Come to think of it, a new student said they went out to “investigate something”—could they have come in the same direction?
Should I go a bit further or turn back? If the uprooted plants were herbs, then there’s a higher chance of finding more by proceeding—thinking this, I pushed forward, parting the grass with my gloved hand.
“—Kya!”
“Huh…?”
I heard what sounded like a scream from ahead—then someone suddenly jumped out in front of me.
(Woah…!?)
Falling backward and hitting the back of my head would be no joke—I remembered the skill I had just learned how to use.
“Activate Skill ‘Fixation’: The spatial coordinates of the target object will be fixed.”
“Ugh… somehow managed…”
I used ‘Fixation’ on the grass to prevent a fall—there was some impact, but the backpack I was carrying absorbed most of it.
“Ah…”
“Oh… that surprised me.”
“…!!”
The person I caught jumped away from me. I sat up and deactivated the ‘Fixation’ on the grass.
What surprised me was the outfit of the person who jumped out. They were fully equipped, as if they were about to remove a beehive, fully guarded from head to toe.
Indeed, in this dense jungle-like place, it wasn’t strange to be this prepared—I convinced myself.
“Are you… the first-year student like me?”
A quiet voice murmured from behind the visor covering their face. It was a cute, clear voice—probably a girl, though it was hard to tell due to the full gear.
Besides the voice, there was another reason I could tell it was a girl, but that’s something I’ll keep to myself. Some things are better forgotten.
“So, you’re the person Akizuki-san mentioned.”
“I think so.”
“Uh, so… can you tell me what happened?”
“Something jumped out, and I got scared. I think it was a monster.”
“A monster… they can appear outside dungeons too, huh?”
Monsters appearing along the route during a herb gathering request—if you avoid them, it’s not a problem. But the person in the protective suit had been gripping the edge of my clothes.
“…Should we head back?”
“No, not necessarily. Was the monster dangerous?”
“It was small, so I couldn’t tell. It was round, and its eyes were glowing.”
It could be a small animal instead of a monster, but it would be startling if it suddenly appeared from the darkness. Should we call it a day—or not? I haven’t found any herbs yet.
“I came here to gather herbs. Did you also come here for that?”
She nodded. If that’s the case, I want her to safely take some herbs back—if it’s not too intrusive.
“Alright, shall we search together?”
“…Is that okay?”
“Of course. We’re in the same dorm… wait…”
I hadn’t thought deeply about it, but there are girls in Shizunami-sou—this realization hit me hard.
(Akizuki-san never mentioned that… or did she think it wasn’t necessary? No, it was definitely necessary.)
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking. Alright, let’s find those herbs.”
“I found one, but I got scared earlier and…”
“You dropped it? Let’s retrieve it then…”
Through the grass, I found the herb—it was larger than I expected and looked hard to carry back even if it was just one. It resembled Amami grass but was several times bigger.
I now understood why a single herb could be worth 5 bronze even at regular prices. Carrying it back on foot would be tough—I’d want to believe that even bringing back part of it counts as one herb.
“Should we find another and each carry one?”
Under normal circumstances, it would be the only option due to its bulk. If only we had a cart to carry it, but bringing one here would be a challenge.
“Right.”
“?”
The limitation of carrying capacity is a burden.
I should have a way to solve this—I think it’s time to try my second skill.
