I Have a Task Log

"These legs can be used to make equipment, too?" Colin curiously picked up a spider leg, the fine hairs on it making his hand itch.

"This is for eating."

"Eating?" Colin glanced at Lirel and the other companions sitting across from him. Seeing that no one had any objections, he fell silent.

’Spiders, huh? Well, at least they’re better than rats.’

Dorn then asked Orelia for her Leaf Hammer, and using it along with his own Dagger, he split the spider legs in half one by one. The parts of the legs closest to the torso were as thick as an adult’s calf, which looked a bit intimidating.

The Dwarf took a few burning pieces of wood from the existing campfire as kindling, then started a new fire with dry wood from his pack. It seemed he planned to slowly roast the spider legs.

’Then again, eating these spiders won’t attract the attention of the Spider Goddess, Lolth... right?’

Finding the thought a bit troublesome, Colin pushed aside such miscellaneous matters and focused his attention on his Task Log.

-----------------

[Mission: Deliver the Letter]

[Rating: 9 (Local Hero)]

[Rewards: Skill Level +150, Agility +1, Constitution +1, Specialty "Defense in Attack"]

-----------------

Looking at it this way, the difficulty of this battle didn’t seem as high as the last one against the Demon.

After all, the Demon from last time, plus Lil Moss and her group, were probably stronger than these Drow and the hobgoblin from a few days ago. If Battier and the others hadn’t helped, and if they hadn’t had a pile of Magic Scrolls and bombs, Colin’s party would have likely died in the Bone Repository Hall.

Colin looked at his new Specialty.

[Defense in Attack: 1. Only beings with an Intelligence higher than 13 can learn this Specialty. 2. When you initiate a melee attack, you can lower your attack accuracy in exchange for an equal boost to your Defense. For every point you decrease your hit rate, you gain one point of Defense. This can be done up to a maximum of four points. The effect of each exchange lasts for several seconds.]

Colin silently read the Specialty’s description.

’It’s probably because of the Swordsmanship duel with the Drow Warrior just now. This Specialty seems to be related to melee combat.’

’In simple terms, it’s about shifting focus from offense to defense.’

’However, given the Intelligence Attribute requirement, the actual effect is probably more complex than just shifting attention from offense to defense.’

’This ability is especially useful when there’s a huge power gap between me and my enemy. At the very least, it can help me last longer and buy time for my companions.’

’Also, when facing an enemy that can’t be defeated by Swordsmanship alone, I can use the enhanced Defense to create an opportunity to use Magic.’

Colin then looked at the two increased Attributes.

With this, his Agility and Constitution had reached 13 and 14 respectively. His body’s coordination and physical condition would be significantly enhanced as a result.

’This kind of Attribute increase is simple and blunt. All I need to know is that it’s an improvement, and there are definitely no downsides.’

Finally, Colin thought about it carefully and decided to add the Skill Level points to his Armor after completing the mission.

’Looking at the numbers alone, the Skill Level requirements to upgrade Empowerment Armor and Magic Craftsman are about the same. However, the former is a slightly higher Level, so the Specialty it grants should be better.’

This would bring Colin’s Skill Level to Empowerment Armor (Reliable) 1505/2000.

’At the same time, this understanding of armor and equipment will also feed back into a skill like Magic Craftsman, which is for making equipment. The two complement each other.’

A faint, fragrant aroma wafted over from the side.

Colin turned his head and saw that Dorn had nearly finished roasting the spider legs.

He extinguished the open flames on the firewood, leaving only smoldering embers, and then propped the spider legs up on the embers to grill.

The shells of a few spider legs served perfectly as little frying pans. The Dwarf poured some butter inside, then covered the surface with a layer of cheese, making the spider legs look much more appetizing.

Finally, Dorn took some seasoning from a salt pouch. He pinched it between his thick, short fingers and sprinkled it evenly over the food.

He picked up a few of the spider legs, handed them over, and said, "Eat up."

Ale took two of the legs, one after the other. Since Orelia was injured, she had to take care of her for the time being.

Seeing how easily she took them, Kase also stepped forward and reached out to take one.

But he was instantly scalded, grimacing in pain as he fumbled to place the food down in front of him.

He glanced at the unfazed Ale and Dorn and yelled, "Are your hands not made of flesh and blood?"

"A Dwarf’s hands aren’t afraid of heat. I have no idea what temperature is suitable for you folk," Dorn said with a shrug, then handed over another spider leg.

Colin looked at Ale and asked, "How come you’re not afraid of the heat?"

"I’m actually very sensitive to both cold and heat, but my father had a friend cast some Magic on me so I wouldn’t have to fear such things." As Ale spoke, she took out a Small Knife and began to devour the food in front of her bite by bite.

"Is it permanent?"

After swallowing the food in her mouth, Ale said, "At least, I’ve been much better since then."

"It must be nice to be rich," Colin lamented.

’Come to think of it, I don’t remember her wearing particularly thick clothes back in Snow Deer Valley either.’

As he thought, he used his Small Knife to dig a piece of meat out of the spider leg.

The melted cheese was gooey, stretching into thin strings in mid-air.

The meat inside the spider leg didn’t have the earthy or strange taste he had expected. The first thing to hit his palate was a milky fragrance from the butter and cheese, a very rich flavor.

Then there was the spider meat itself, which was similar to lobster. The snow-white fibers were very springy, and with one bite, savory juices instantly burst out, making it incredibly satisfying to eat.

After one bite, Colin immediately turned to grab a piece of hard, dry bread and the beer in his waterskin. He juggled the bread, beer, and spider leg, eating in a flurry of motion.

Kase’s eating habits weren’t much better. The guy was even chewing on the spider’s shell, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, a sight that made one’s teeth ache just from watching.

"Everyone talks about spiders and says they belong to the Drow, but actually, many Gray Dwarves have their own spider farms."

Seeing his companions devouring their food, Dorn said with some pride, "It’s just that we don’t serve spiders like gods. To us, they’re just Ordinary livestock, same as Rothe."

"I remember Rothe being similar to cattle, right? Most Underground residents raise them as livestock," Colin managed to say between bites.

"Hmph, you book-loving brat. Maybe one day you’ll be able to recite the distance from the southern-most point of the world to the northern-most."

After speaking, Dorn suddenly burst into laughter for no apparent reason. Colin, for his part, didn’t find anything funny about what he’d said.

"Um, may I be so bold as to ask a question?" Lirel said.

Colin looked at her and nodded. "Of course."

"So, why did this hidden tomb chamber appear?" she asked cautiously.