Chapter 39: First Kill of a Dwarf’s Vomit

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: First Kill of a Dwarf’s Vomit

Lorin delivered a flying kick right to the shorty’s rear, sending him tumbling to the side.

"Ouch!"

Pip rolled into a ball and crashed into a nearby tree. Only then did Lorin heave a sigh of relief. He didn’t even dare to imagine the scene if he had actually slammed his hammer into the shorty.

He easily dodged the bouncing Slime Monster again. The thing’s attack speed wasn’t exactly slow, but its movements were just far too rigid.

"Find some branches! I’ll pin it to the ground."

Pip rubbed his head and stood up, looking wronged as he muttered, "Oh..."

Lorin ignored the fool. Taking a few quick steps away from the Slime Monster, he rummaged through his bag and pulled out a piece of coarse burlap. He unfurled it and stretched it tight between his hands.

"Come here, you disgusting thing!" he taunted the Slime Monster. Of course, he used the Common Language.

The Slime Monster squirmed and bounced up once more, only to be firmly caught in the burlap and slammed into the ground.

"Quick, quick, quick! Stab the branches into it!" Lorin yelled nervously.

The thing’s slime could corrode burlap, so he wouldn’t be able to hold it down for long. Besides, the texture was absolutely disgusting; he didn’t even want to describe the feeling.

"Coming, coming, coming!"

Pip scrambled over with a handful of fallen dead branches. CRACK. He snapped them in half and haphazardly stabbed them into the burlap. However, the winter mud was frozen solid. Despite his immense effort, he could only pierce it a tiny bit.

"Use the hammer! Hit it hard."

"Got it."

After a flurry of frantic scrambling, the Slime Monster was finally pinned to the ground. The two then gathered some dead branches and fallen leaves to cover it, piling them up into a pyramid shape.

With a mere thought, a flame surged from his palm. Lorin tossed a branch ignited by the Burning Hand onto the pile. The flame quickly spread, billowing black smoke and a pungent stench.

[First kill of enemy — Rotting Moss Monster]

[Reward obtained: 50 Exploration Experience]

[Current balance: 52 Exploration Experience]

Rotting Moss Monster? So that was its name. But since it yielded 50 Exploration Experience, this thing was actually on the same level as a goblin.

Lorin picked up a branch from the ground and scraped some of the slime off his sword blade. Then, he cut off a bit of the burlap and carefully wiped the blade clean before sheathing it.

"Let’s keep moving forward. The sun is about to set, and we need to find a flatter spot to set up camp," he said.

The sky gradually darkened. The lighting in the forest was poor to begin with, and now it was a murky, dusky haze.

They chose a campsite beneath a large tree. The surrounding ground was relatively level, and there were no bushes nearby.

Lorin unstrapped the newly bought roll-up tent from his backpack, unfastened the buckle, and tossed it onto the ground. The tent popped open in mid-air. The frame let out a few CLACKs before standing firmly on the ground.

"That’s way too fast!" Pip circled the tent, clicking his tongue in marvel. He reached out and poked the canvas surface. "Why didn’t we buy one to bring along last time?"

"Don’t even mention it." Lorin set his backpack at the tent entrance and then hammered the ground pegs into the dirt.

The shorty chuckled and ran off to gather firewood. Soon, a campfire was lit.

Pip took the snake they had killed earlier that day from Lorin’s backpack. He expertly skinned it and stuffed the pelt into a small bag. He cut the snake meat into two segments, used a small knife to score it with crosshatches, sprinkled on some salt, and set it over the fire to roast.

Lorin took out the compressed biscuits he had bought at the general store, smeared some apricot jam on them, and handed them to Pip.

The compressed biscuits were incredibly dry. Even with the jam, they were barely palatable and had to be washed down with water. The two could only crane their necks and gnaw on the biscuits while staring enviously at the roasting snake over the fire.

"How much longer does it need to roast? If we don’t eat it soon, it’ll get tough," Lorin said vaguely.

When it came to cooking, Pip became quite professional. Even though his drool was about to drip onto the ground, he still firmly shook his head and refused. "No. Eating undercooked snake meat easily causes disease."

"Fine."

The firewood cracked and popped. The two of them simply stared wide-eyed at the roasting snake, as if they could cook it with their gazes alone.

After a while, Lorin finally received the shorty’s official permission.

"Alright, we can eat."

Pip took the two segments of snake meat off the fire. The meat was roasted to a crisp golden brown, its edges slightly blackened, sizzling and glistening with oil.

Lorin accepted one of the pieces. It was so hot that he had to quickly juggle it between his hands just to hold onto it. Blowing on it a few times, he impatiently took a bite.

CRUNCH.

The tongues of flame had licked the outermost layer of the snake meat until it was crispy, but the meat inside remained tender and white. Meat juices mixed with the saltiness exploded in his mouth. The heat made him hiss, but he couldn’t bear to let go.

"Mmm... yer cooking ish ’ctually purty good," Lorin praised, his mouth full.

Pip had long been eating beside him, too busy to speak. He held his segment of snake meat, his face greasy from gnawing, and his cheeks bulging. From time to time, he let out satisfied hums.

BURP.

Lorin let out a full belch. He leaned comfortably against the tree trunk and used a snake rib to pick his teeth. "I’ll take the first watch tonight. You rest first."

Staying up late had been etched into his soul like an instinct. Even in this world, he habitually slept late.

"Okay."

After finishing his food, the shorty crawled right into the tent. Before long, his snoring could be heard.

Lorin leaned against the trunk in a daze for a while. When he snapped back to reality, he realized the light of the campfire had grown somewhat dim. He got up to add some more firewood. Just as he was about to find another spot to sit down, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of something glowing in the distant darkness.

He paused his movements and squinted to look closer. Confirming that his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, he went into the tent and gently patted the soundly sleeping Pip. Lorin didn’t know if it was the Silver Leaf Grass the Old Gnome had mentioned, or some demon that liked to use light to attract prey, much like an anglerfish. Waking Pip was the safest choice.

"We’ve got a situation," he said softly.

Startled awake by the voice, Pip groggily opened his eyes and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Lorin pointed to the cluster of light in the distance. The two immediately drew their weapons and, hunching over, cautiously approached it.

Only when he got close did he realize the light was peeking out from a fissure in the ground. It was a few plants with feather-like leaves, the edges gleaming with a faint silvery-white.

"This is Silver Leaf Grass." Lorin reached out and gently touched a leaf.

He had already firmly memorized the illustration on the Old Gnome’s scroll. The appearance of the Silver Leaf Grass was exactly the same as the plants before him.

"We found it?! How many are there? Let Pip see!" The shorty squeezed over.

"Six... no, seven. There’s a small one underneath."

Lorin got up, fetched his Medicinal Herb Gathering Knife from the tent, and pulled a burning stick from the campfire. By the firelight, he carefully harvested the leaves without damaging the roots below.

After harvesting them all, he counted the number of leaves in his oilcloth bag. There were a full fifty-seven leaves. Calculated at two silver coins per leaf...

"Five gold, fourteen silver. At least this trip wasn’t a waste."