As for the arrows, I would consider that later. For now, let’s focus on gathering materials. I went ahead and enchanted about ten arrows. I wonder if the effects would last until the next battle or the one after.
Now what we needed were strings for the bow, grips, and decorative items. We had obtained ten acorns from the second Evil Tree Oak. I doubted these could be used for decoration.
Now, concerning the bowstring, according to the explanation Shio received, it could be made from plants or even something of biological origin. I wondered what “biological origin” meant, but I reminded myself that this was a game. It wouldn’t be strange if there were creatures capable of producing threads of the right length and strength for a bowstring. In fact, Genjuro could produce such threads.
So, would creatures like Genjuro, the Insector larva, be found here too? Or was it something else…
“Huh? That’s a monster~~ssu, right?”
“Oh… Oh, you’re right!”
Looking in the direction Shio pointed, I could see a rather distant but human-sized spider-like monster. Did Shio just spot it before it could enter Ruby’s detection range? Impressive!
Hmm, giant spiders were quite unsettling creatures. Their colors were venomous, too. Well, more importantly, it was time for some [Appraisal].
――――――――――
Race: Big Poison Spider Lv10
Job: None
Skills:
- [Fangs]
- [Web]
- [Capture]
- [Paralyzing Poison]
- [Stealth]
- [Ambush]
- [Fire Weakness]
――――――――――
Oh? This seemed like a suitable creature for bowstring material. And it was at level 10. Perhaps I should have Shio aim for a solo takedown.
“Shio, here’s your chance.”
“I got it. I’ll just step out of the party for a bit~~ssu.”
In order to earn the title of “Underdog” it was necessary to defeat a significantly higher-level enemy on your own. So, she couldn’t be on a party with us.
“The enemy will try to catch you with [Web] and [Capture]. Don’t let it hit you.”
“Got it~~ssu! …Rapid shot!”
Shio used her martial technique in [Bow Mastery] to shoot an arrow at the Big Poison Spider, which still hadn’t noticed us. Since the arrow was imbued with the fire element, it was effective against the Big Poison Spider, which had the [Fire Weakness] skill.
The damage seemed to be… around thirty percent? The level difference and whether it had evolved appeared to be significant hurdles.
“Kishikishi!”
Perhaps angered by the successful [Ambush] by a weaker opponent, the Big Poison Spider rubbed its fangs together, making a threatening sound. Then, it lifted its abdomen and aimed the tip toward Shio, releasing a stream of web.
“Whoa! It didn’t hit~~ssu…!”
Shio gracefully avoided the web shot using a forward roll and then quickly got on one knee to release another arrow. Every part of her movement was efficient and seemed to have been honed in VRS games.
“Only being able to fire single shots is a bit underwhelming~~ssu, isn’t it!”
Shio skillfully dodged the web, maintaining her composure as she steadily landed arrows on the Big Poison Spider. It might not have been as flashy as Jigoro or Genjuro, but her ability to steadily corner the enemy was impressive. Her ranking as a high-level player in VRS games, often referred to as a “devil’s realm” was clearly well-deserved.
“This is the end~~ssu!”
“Kishaaa…”
The arrows lodged in the spider’s chest and abdomen had completely depleted its health. In this manner, Shio had managed to defeat an enemy twice her level.
“Wow! There it is~~ssu, ‘Underdog’!”
“That’s great! It’s really useful, you know!”
Ruby rejoiced in Shio’s accomplishments as if they were her own. With a couple of battle maniacs among us who often faced stronger opponents, the title of “Underdog” was essential for us. It was a badge of honor that one should secure early on.
“These drops… are probably what we’re looking for,” Iris said.
“Oh?”
It seemed that Iris had already finished gathering the loot while the two of them were engrossed in conversation. And when it came to items dropped by the spider, there was only one possibility that came to mind.
――――――――――
- Big Poison Spider Warp Thread – Quality: Good, Rarity: R (Rare)
The warp thread of the Big Poison Spider is tough, flexible, and devoid of stickiness. It is often used as a material for bowstrings and high-quality clothing.
――――――――――
Oh, it was clearly mentioned as a material for bows. So, all we’ll need to do now is hunt for spiders for the bowstring materials. Iris will probably want to make it as well once she learns how from the bow craftsman.
As for the grip and decorations… for the grip, it might be some kind of leather, but I’m not sure since I lack the knowledge. Nevertheless, we should be able to acquire it by hunting the monsters here. Let’s continue our exploration like this.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
After Shio had single-handedly defeated the Big Poison Spider, we quickly reassembled our party and ventured deeper into the forest. Since then, we have defeated several Evil Trees and more Big Poison Spiders, both of which dropped intriguing items during those encounters. Here’s how it went down:
――――――――――
- Evil Tree Bark – Quality: Fair, Rarity: C (Common)
The bark of an Evil Tree is considerably tougher than ordinary trees. It conducts magic easily and serves as a material for fibers and alchemy.
- Evil Tree Timber – Quality: Good, Rarity: R (Rare)
The timber of an Evil Tree is known for its hardness and flexibility. It conducts magic easily and is used for a wide range of purposes, including bows, staffs, high-end furniture, and luxury houses.
- Big Poison Spider’s Weft Thread – Quality: Inferior, Rarity: C (Common)
The weft thread of a Big Poison Spider is robust, flexible, and sticky. Its applications are limited due to its adhesive nature.
――――――――――
All of these materials were quite fascinating. First, the bark of the Evil Tree held no value for me except as a material for my [Alchemy] skill. However, Iris seemed to find the ability to harvest fibers from the bark of great importance.
Currently, she was in the process of upgrading our armor, and it seemed like she required sturdy fibers for this task. While the weft thread from the Big Poison Spider could also be used, she had various experiments in mind, making this drop extremely appreciated.
Since we were the ones who would benefit from her efforts, I had no problems with her taking the items. I was eagerly looking forward to seeing how the equipment turned out!
Next was the Evil Tree Timber, which was also intriguing. According to Iris, any type of wood can be turned into a staff to some extent, but materials from monsters that can be used for staves are quite rare.
I had my own staff, so it was not a concern for me. However, if this knowledge became widespread, I was sure there would be a surge in players hunting down Evil Trees for these materials. It’s because this material holds such significant value.
And from the description, it seemed like it was used for high-end furniture and housing materials as well, huh? Perhaps there were other uses as well. Someday, I wanted to own a building made abundantly with the wood of the Evil Trees.
As for the last drop from the Big Poison Spider, the weft thread, it seemed that the warp thread obtained first was the rarer drop. Since then, we had harvested more than ten weft threads, while the warp threads had only dropped in meager quantities—just three bundles.
The item description mentioned its “limited applications”, but I knew a way to make the most of it through [Alchemy]. Once I got back, I would immediately try it out. I was looking forward to what I could create!
“Hmm, we’ve come quite deep~~su, but…” Shio said.
“No sign of any valuable materials,” Ruby added.
That was true. So far, there haven’t been any valuable materials. This was because, apart from the Evil Tree Oak and the Big Poison Spider encountered in this forest, everything else had been ordinary creatures like deer and boars.
No, it’s not that ordinary beast materials are useless. According to the bulletin board, most NPCs use items made from beast materials as daily necessities, so there’s always a demand for them. However, based on the bulletin board information as well, materials from monsters are said to have better performance when used for weapons compared to beast materials in the same level range.
In the case of level 10 beast materials versus level 10 monster materials, it seemed that monster materials were undoubtedly superior. Since we were planning to have a bow craftsman make a bow for Shio, I wanted to gather the best materials available in this forest. So, we continued our exploration.
“Oh, look…it’s a wild boar.”
“Since we have plenty of meat, hide, and tusks, should we leave it be~~ssu?”
The meat would serve as meals for the other members, and the products made from tusks and hides could be traded with Birdian. So, it wasn’t a waste, but we had already gathered a sufficient amount. Additionally, in FSW, there was a concept of ecosystem, so excessive hunting was discouraged.
“As for enemies we haven’t defeated yet… How about a Field Boss?”
Despite all our exploration, we couldn’t find a single monster that seemed like a Field Boss. So, the only thing left was probably a boss monster.
“That could be a possibility. Maybe it’s a quest designed to teach you the process of fully conquering a field~~ssu.”
The process of conquering a field, huh? Shiho’s guess seemed spot on. After all, we had ventured deep into the forest. Let’s just step into the boss area as it is.
“What do you think the boss of this forest could be?”
I suddenly asked the three of them. The difficulty here was close to the adjacent area of Firth. So, I assumed the boss’s level would be around or above 10, but who knows what would actually appear.
“Do you think it could be an evolved creature from the Evil Tree Oak?” Iris said.
“No, no, that would mean no valuable materials for us. Personally, I think it’s a bear~~ssu!”
Shiho confidently expressed her opinion in response to Iris, who had made a very reasonable prediction. But was her prediction likely to be wrong?
“Oh, Shi-chan, if it’s a bear, there’s already a boss in the western forest of Firth, you know?” Ruby chimed in.
“R-Really!?”
Ruby was absolutely right. That was also the first field boss I had defeated, and it was the place where I underwent the “Trial of the Azure Moon”. It was a location with various memories for me.
“So, Isam, what do you think it could be?”
“Well… maybe a boar turned into a monster?”
Somehow, I had a feeling that many field bosses were evolved versions of the enemies that appeared in their respective fields. Thinking that way, my prediction might be quite reasonable.
“…Isam-san, you’re surprisingly ordinary~~ssu” Shio remarked.
“S-surprisingly…?”
Shiho, what were your initial impressions of me? Without a doubt, Ruby had painted a rather peculiar image of me in her friend’s mind.
She must have filled her head with all sorts of things. I gave Ruby a slightly stern look, but since this avatar didn’t have eyeballs, my intention didn’t come across.
“Huh? It seems like there’s an open field ahead. Probably the boss area,” Ruby remarked.
Oh, we had already reached that far, huh? Level-wise, I couldn’t possibly lose to whatever came out, but I wanted to help Shiho and Karl gain as much experience as possible. The remaining two and me should probably focus on support.
――――――――――
You have entered the Boss Area.
――――――――――
So, we had stepped into the boss area…but I wonder whether it would be an ogre or a serpent that awaited us. It was quite the anticipation, to say the least.
“Kekyaaa!”
A shrill, ear-piercing roar echoed as a massive shadow descended from the sky. It seemed our guest had arrived. Well then, it was time to behold their esteemed presence!
――――――――――
Race: Feathered Deer Lv11
Job: Apprentice Mage Lv1
Skills:
- [Horn Strike]
- [Charge]
- [Strength Enhancement]
- [Agility Enhancement]
- [Intelligence Enhancement]
- [Wind Magic]
- [Sky Walk]
――――――――――
“Feathered Deer… I guess we were all wrong, huh.”
The field boss turned out to be a monster known as the Feathered Deer. It had an impressive set of antlers and a body covered in soft feathers, giving it the appearance of a deer with added bird features.
Its skills were mostly familiar, with one exception that piqued my curiosity. That particular skill was called [Sky Walk]. Could it be that possessing this skill allowed it to gallop through the skies?
If that were the case, it meant there was another way to move through the air besides [Flight]. Once we figure out how to acquire this skill, I might have Jigoro acquire it. Granting him three-dimensional mobility would likely make him a formidable opponent; there will possibly be no one other than Genjuro who can handle him.
“The enemy seems to be nothing more than an ordinary deer, except it can use [Wind Magic] and run through the air. So, Shiho and Karl, why don’t you two handle this?”
“Huh? Are you sure about that~~ssu?”
“Kyuu!”
Well, honestly, it’s because it seemed too weak for us to intervene; it looked like the fight could be over in an instant if we stepped in. I had a vague feeling that if I were to use [Witchcraft] it might even result in instant death…
In that case, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for FSW newcomer Shiho and the newly hatched dragon, Karl, to engage in some practical combat training. With the three of us ready to step in and help if things got dicey, there was no pressure.
“Got it~~ssu! Let’s do this, Karl-chan!”
“Kyuuuu!”
“Geeeeee!”
Karl stepped forward, with Shiho right behind him. As the two of them quickly formed an impromptu formation, the Feathered Deer charged at them with an unpleasant cry. Now, they could fight to their heart’s content!
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