Chapter 52: Outside the Plan

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Outside the Plan

"I can probably cast it about twenty times in a row without any issues."

"Twenty times!?"

Stunned by the number, Belte’s face filled with admiration. "Galen, your talent is incredible! I know a Mage Apprentice who can cast Flame Skill, which has a similar cost, maybe ten times at most before he has to sit down and meditate—and that guy even has a Birch Wand!"

Laila, who was standing to the side, pursed her lips and muttered, "Show-off..."

Hesia pretended not to hear and didn’t bother explaining.

’They’ll see for themselves once we get to the quest location anyway.’

He had already secretly planned out his "last-hitting" strategy for this quest.

He would use the Earth Spike Technique to land the final blow on the Thorny Wild Boars whenever possible.

This would not only maximize his chances of acquiring new traits but also efficiently increase his Skill Proficiency with the Earth Spike Technique.

’But if I keep snagging the last hit, will it affect my teammates’ ability to gain their own Skill Proficiency?’

’I’m not sure how Skill Proficiency is calculated. Maybe it’s not based on the last hit?’

A flicker of concern crossed Hesia’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

’I’ll just stick with the plan for now. If someone brings it up, I’ll pretend I didn’t know and just apologize.’

Hearing Hesia’s answer, the team leader, Hulk, spoke up. "If you can really cast Earth Spike Technique twenty times in a row, that’ll be a huge help to us."

He continued, "Once we get to the village, we’ll discuss specific tactics based on the situation. By the way, if you need a Basic Magic Potion, just let me know. Don’t be shy. I have one with me."

"Thanks, Captain, but I brought my own," Hesia replied politely.

Listening in, Belte nudged Laila with his elbow and chuckled. "Hear that? That’s the Mage treatment for you. The captain’s offering him Potions. How nice...

I remember you were always going on about wanting to become a Mage when you were little, right? Too bad you studied with the Elder Mage in town for so long and couldn’t even conjure up a simple Light Technique. In the end, you had no choice but to learn archery from your dad."

Laila’s face immediately darkened. She shot him a vicious glare, let out a soft "Hmph," and stormed off, quickening her pace.

Belte finally realized he’d said the wrong thing and hurried after her. "Hey, Laila, I didn’t mean it like that... I was just joking. Being a Ranger is great! You look cool, you’re agile, and you can fight from a distance..."

He reached out to grab her arm, but Laila, as if she had eyes in the back of her head, always managed to deftly sidestep just in time, leaving Belte grasping at empty air.

"Alright, I was wrong, okay!? Look, I’ve got some high-quality venison jerky here. Want some?" Belte pulled a piece of jerky from his coat and dangled it in front of her as if trying to coax a small animal.

Laila whipped her head around, glared at him, then lifted her leg and kneed him.

"Gah..."

Amidst their bickering, noon soon approached.

The party left the plains behind as the surrounding trees grew denser. The sound of a babbling stream could be heard nearby.

Hulk scanned their surroundings and raised a hand, signaling a halt. "Let’s rest here for a bit and get something to eat before we press on. The woods ahead are thicker, and there might be small beasts or Demons. It’s important to conserve our energy."

Everyone found a place to sit and took out their rations.

Belte and Laila took out hard bread and cheese and shared them.

Zoya sat alone in the shade of a tree, nibbling on a fruit Hesia didn’t recognize.

Hulk went to tend to the Land Bird, pulling several large carrots from a saddlebag to feed it. The large bird chirped happily, GOO GOO, but seemed unsatisfied after finishing them, pecking precisely at insects on the ground with its beak.

Belte picked up his waterskin and shook it, only to find it empty. He got up to go fill it at the nearby stream.

"Wait!" Laila called out to him. "How could you forget to fill up your water in town again? The water in the streams out here isn’t clean. Who knows what’s upstream? You have to boil it before you can drink it!"

Belte looked unconcerned. "Ah, it’s not that big a deal. I heard from others that the water sources around here are clean and sweet; you don’t need to boil it. Boiling water means starting a fire, waiting for it to boil, then waiting for it to cool down... How long would that take? I’ll die of thirst by then!"

Ignoring Laila’s protests, he ran off toward the stream.

"You’re always like this! Have you already forgotten the lesson from last time when you got diarrhea so bad you nearly collapsed?"

"That was an accident! It was from eating some bad mushrooms!"

As the two continued their routine argument about "the safety of wild water sources," the party finished their rest and set out once more.

Fortunately, the rest of the journey was quite smooth.

Aside from startling a few harmless grass rabbits and squirrels, they didn’t encounter any threatening Demons.

Finally, as evening fell and the setting sun painted the sky orange, they spotted a crooked wooden sign by the side of the road, engraved with the words "Shixi Village."

A short distance further, they saw a man dressed like a villager sitting on a rock by the road, seemingly waiting for someone.

The moment he saw Hesia and the others, he immediately shot to his feet.

"Are... are you the ones sent by the Adventurer Guild?" he asked nervously. After receiving an affirmative nod from Hulk, he visibly relaxed. "That’s great! The village is just a little further ahead! I’ll... I’ll run back and tell the village chief!" With that, he turned and hurried off in the direction of the village.

As soon as they reached the village entrance, they realized something was amiss. A crowd of villagers—men and women, young and old—had gathered nearby. They seemed to be arguing, and the atmosphere was tense and anxious.

The group followed the man to the village entrance, only to find twenty to thirty people gathered there, all with anxious faces, huddled together and arguing fiercely.

An uneasy feeling crept into Hesia’s heart. ’This commotion doesn’t look like a welcoming party.’

"Since the Adventurers are here, what are we waiting for? Let’s have them go drive away those damned wild boars right now!"

"It’s almost dark! They’ve been traveling all day. We should at least let them rest for the night and deal with it tomorrow!"

"We can’t wait until tomorrow! It’s the autumn harvest, and those beasts are about to ruin all the wheat in my fields!"

"That’s right! And it’s not safe at night! The night before last, those boars charged into my chicken coop! All my chickens are gone!"

"Make them go now! My son and his family live by the stream, and they’ve been trapped there for days, unable to even leave their home."

"Yeah, Village Chief, you see..."

The villagers weren’t trying to keep their voices down, so every member of the party heard them loud and clear.

Seeing them approach, an elderly man who, despite his age, had clear and bright eyes, quickly emerged from the crowd to greet them.