Chapter 77: Gathering Materials for the Bow Part 2

“Well then, let’s set out!” Iris said.

“”Oooh!”” Shio and Ruby cheered.

“Kyuu!”

It’s great that the three of them, along with my little familiar, were in good spirits. However, there was a reason why Iris decided to join the hunt for materials alongside Ruby and Shio, and it went beyond just them inviting her.

Let’s rewind the story a bit. While I was diligently making talismans, Ruby and Shio did as I instructed and went to explain the situation to Iris. At first, Iris didn’t seem to think much of it—just something like, “Oh, a quest has come up”. But it appears her determination to accompany them solidified after hearing about the skilled bow craftsman.

According to Iris, crafting a bow requires both the skills of [Woodworking] and [Crafting] and even high-level players struggle to produce high-quality bows with both skills.

Her aim was to talk directly to the craftsman and learn his tricks. Many players had the same idea, but the bow craftsmen in the city’s weapon shops, as discovered by players, were incredibly stubborn and refused to take on apprentices.

Most likely, there was a need to trigger some kind of quest, but since that hadn’t been discovered yet, player-made bows were currently of no use. One of the reasons why some production players hoped to discover a new city as soon as possible seemed to be related to this situation.

So, the reason Iris decided to join in was that if there was a chance to seize this opportunity, she wanted to be a part of it. She’s quite resourceful in her own way.

“Alright then, shall we go? The destination is the forest to the north from here, right?”

“That’s right~~ssu! The adult Birdian called it the Orc Forest~~ssu.”

“Orcs, huh?”

Upon hearing this, Iris and Ruby seemed to display a bit of disgust at the term. Even someone like me, who wasn’t very familiar with games, recognized the term “orcs”, so I could guess what the two of them were imagining. Well, it’s true that orcs are often associated with ugly monsters and are considered the nemesis of women.

“When we find them, we’ll take them down right away!” Iris said.

“Of course!” Ruby agreed

“Absolutely~~ssu!”

“Kyu?”

As the three of them began to burn with animosity towards orcs, Karl let out a puzzled cry. Looking at the Roper with moving tentacles (Iris), the creature with nearly transparent slimy body (Ruby), and a baby bird-like creature walking on two legs (Shio), it occurred to me that Orcs weren’t really that bad. I managed to suppress an unnecessary comment that almost slipped out of my throat and, in silence, hugged Karl while stroking his head.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

Now, there was no doubt that we had arrived at the “Orc Forest.” The map also bore this name.

“It certainly seems to be the Orc Forest,” I noted.

Indeed, I’ll repeat it again; this forest was unmistakably named the “Orc Forest”. However, the name did not refer to the orc monsters but was derived from the trees themselves, specifically a type of tree known as the oak tree.

(TN: This makes sense in Japanese cuz Orc and Oak are said the same way.)

“T-this is quite confusing…”

“But it does feel reassuring in a way.”

“I mean, orcs on a floating continent just don’t seem to fit~~ssu, right?”

The women seemed to feel both disappointed and relieved, as things turned out differently than they had expected. Well, since the game didn’t have that kind of age restriction, they shouldn’t have to worry about such issues.

“However, about oak trees. I recall they’re easy to work with, aren’t they?” Ruby asked.

“Yes, that’s right. They’re used for things like building materials for houses and even in the production of whiskey and wine barrels.” Iris said.

Ooh, Iris is quite knowledgeable. I do recall hearing about oak barrels for whiskey, among other things. I wonder if they possess the same properties in the game?

“Setting aside the topic of trees, we’re in the dark about what kinds of monsters are here.”

“That’s true~~ssu. I was convinced there would be tons of orcs~~ssu.”

Indeed, Shio and Ruby had mistakenly assumed that all the creatures here were orcs, so they hadn’t asked Birdian what kinds of monsters to expect. As a result, they had no idea what might appear.

“Since they sent a Birdian chick like Shio to this place, I don’t think we’ll encounter high-level monsters… But don’t let your guard down. Ruby, I’m counting on you to stay alert.”

“You got it!”

“First-time battles always get your heart racing in any game~~ssu!”

“That’s right, Shio-chan!”

With such relaxed chatter, we ventured into the Oak Forest.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

“Isam! Fall back!”

“Whoa! That was close!”

Less than a minute after entering the forest, I received a warning from Ruby. I instinctively followed her command and jumped back. Just then, something swiftly flew from the side to where I had been standing moments ago!

“You saved me!”

“We can thank each other later! Use [Appraisal]!”

“Sure thing!”

I looked in the direction where the attack had come from. There, a single tree stood, rustling its branches without the presence of any wind. A plant-type monster, it seemed! In any case, I needed to use [Appraisal]!

――――――――――

Race: Evil Tree・Oak Lv8

Job: None

Skills:

• [Emmision]
• [Defense Enhancement]
• [Forest Magic]
• [Ambush]
• [Fire Weakness]

――――――――――

Ah, yeah. It was pretty weak, huh? It’s truly a beginner’s field. It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a low level of skill and enemy levels in single digits. Even near Birdy Perch, the creatures there surpassed level 10.

But man, Evil Tree Oak, huh? The name reminds me of the Evil Fish we fought shortly after arriving on this continent. I wonder if there are other Evil Trees aside from the Oak. It’s unclear if they’re in this forest, though.

“It’s attacking again!”

While I was lost in unrelated thoughts, Ruby’s voice brought my attention back to the enemy in front of me. Just as it seemed to shake its body, it launched something. It must have been what it fired at me earlier.

“Kyuua!”

“I won’t let you!”

At bullet-like speeds, a small object flew toward us, and Karl extended his wings to catch it. Meanwhile, Iris used her tentacles to leap forward and begin intercepting the enemy’s attacks.

I momentarily panicked, but it seemed that the attack had no power to shatter Karl’s scales and wing membranes or Iris’s scales. The impact only made a pleasant, rhythmic sound as if raindrops were hitting a tin roof.

“Is this… an acorn?”

I caught the object that had been deflected by Karl’s scales and muttered to myself. I see, this acorn seems to be the primary method of attack for this creature, using the [Emmision] skill.

However, if it’s a ranged battle, then I welcome it. Today’s main goal is gathering materials, but it also serves to strengthen the newcomer!

“Now’s our chance, Shio!”

“Understood~~ssu!”

Shio’s arrow shot straight into the Evil Tree as if it were drawn in. However, it hadn’t inflicted much damage. The enemy’s health had barely decreased.

“Uuu, no good~~ssu. My own weapon doesn’t have enough firepower~~ssu…”

Saying that, Shio slumped her shoulders. Dealing with a higher-ranked enemy like this, armed only with her starting bow and arrows, was proving to be quite difficult due to the monster’s [Defense Enhancement] skill.

“Fire Enchantment. Shio, how about now?”

Well, if I were to enchant her, then that should do the trick. I applied a fire element with Fire Enchantment to Shio’s bow. With this, she should at least get some minimal firepower, right?

“Thanks a lot~~ssu! Teiyyy!”

Shio’s next arrow flew with a trailing red tail and pierced the Evil Tree Oak. Now, let’s see how this works.

“Gigigigigiiii!”

Oh, this time it’s noticeable! Did she shave off about ten percent of its health? It seems that when you enchant the bow with an element, it transfers to the arrows you shoot as well. That’s an interesting discovery, although it’s probably already on the bulletin boards.

“Ooh, it’s working~~ssu!”

“Yeah. Finish it off like this and try to earn as much experience as possible.”

“Got it~~su!”

In FSW, precise numerical data is often uncertain, and this naturally extends to experience points. However, when battling in a party, there were some fairly consistent findings regarding the distribution of experience points and the associated ratios. Broadly speaking, it seems to be determined by factors such as the “amount of enemy health depleted”, “number of successful attacks on the enemy”, “number of times the enemy’s attacks are taken”, and “whether the final blow was delivered or not”.

More precisely, it appears that my [Enchantment] and Ruby’s ability to detect enemies also influence the ratios to some extent, but the most significant factors are the four mentioned above. Therefore, to efficiently earn experience points for Shio, it’s best to have her defeat enemies on her own as much as possible.

“This should do it!”

“Giiii…”

The Evil Tree Oak, which had previously been bustling with branch movements, now resembled a motionless hedgehog, all thanks to the arrow Shio had just released.

“Alright, it’s down.”

“Oh! I leveled up~~ssu!”

“That means you’re level 5! ‘Underdog’ is useful, and you should get it early.”

“…Enemies that are more than 5 levels higher shouldn’t be easy to defeat, though, right?” Iris said.

Iris’s subtle remark seemed to have gone unnoticed by the two of them. Well, then, it’s my turn this time to see what I can loot. I wonder what will drop?

――――――――――

• Evil Tree Nut – Quality: Fair, Rarity: C (Common )

A fruit produced by the Evil Tree.

While the skin is tough, the inside is edible and can also be used as a raw material for potions.

――――――――――

The nuts from the Evil Tree monster, in other words, acorns, dropped in a quantity of ten. Is this considered a set of ten, or can the number vary? It’s a mystery. To confirm, I’ll need to defeat more Evil Tree Oaks.

Moreover, I couldn’t help but think that the drops might include something more substantial, like parts of the tree itself, perhaps? Since I’ll be here for a while longer, I might as well investigate.

“Ah, Isam-san. I’ve got a little question~~ssu.”

“Hm? What’s up?”

“About the battle we just had, you added the Fire Enchantment to my bow, right? Can you also apply it to my arrows?”

Huh? She wants me to apply to the arrow rather than the bow?

“Well, you probably know that I play VRS games, right~~ssu? There are quite a few people that use things like elemental arrows~~ssu and stuff like that.”

Elemental arrows, huh? I see. If she can imbue attributes onto arrows and maintain them, then she can adapt to enemy weaknesses even when I’m not present. This would certainly expand our tactical options.

“Alright. Let’s give it a try right away. Hand me an arrow.”

“Yes~~ssu.”

“Fire Enchantment.”

I used my [Enchantment] skill on the offered arrow. The arrow did indeed seem to take on a fiery glow.

“Ooh!”

“It worked!”

Ruby and Iris, who had been watching with interest, exclaimed happily. However, I couldn’t relax just yet.

“No, we need to test its effectiveness in actual combat. Plus, [Enchantment] has a time limit…”

I couldn’t maintain this state indefinitely. So even if I were to mass-produce arrows with attributes right now, they would eventually return to normal arrows as time passed. That wouldn’t make much sense, would it?

However, if the power was greater than when the enchantment was attached to the bow, then things would change. I needed to consider finding a way to sustain the attribute state somehow.

“Got it! Ruby, are there any enemies nearby?”

“Wait a moment… Yes, there are. The same one as earlier, in the forward two o’clock direction!”

Let’s see… Oh, there they are, indeed. It’s pretty obvious because they’re unnaturally shaking the branches. Are they really trying to hide?

“Well then, I’ll give this arrow a try right away!”

Saying that, Shio released an arrow imbued with the fire element. To my surprise, it emitted a much stronger radiance than when it was attached to the bow.

“Gigigi!?”

Whoa! The Evil Tree Oak has lost about 70% of its health!? Shio seemed to have the [Ambush] skill, but even considering that, the firepower appeared to be higher than before.

“Gishii!”

“Kyu Kyu!”

“I won’t let you!”

The Evil Tree Oak, much like the one we defeated earlier, started firing acorns indiscriminately. While Karl and Iris defended against them, Shio fired arrows. Of course, they were the arrows I had imbued with the fire element.

“Gii…!”

Indeed, with arrows imbued in this manner, it seems we can bring it down in just two shots, taking into account the [Ambush] skill. The power has increased significantly compared to when the enchantment was attached to the bow.

“I need to seriously consider how to use this effectively…”

I realized that enchanting arrows was more effective than the bow itself. However, arrows were still expendable, even if you could recover some of them to a certain extent. Plus, in the current situation, I had to use [Enchantment] every time, and in that case, it would be more powerful to simply cast magic spells.

So maybe Shio learning [Enchantment] could be a solution, but if she were to gain proficiency in both bow and magic, it would likely take quite a bit of time. It was safe to say that balancing both was tricky.

Now, how should I go about solving this…