Chapter 55: Reward for the Sweeping Mission
What the hell?!
Lance almost couldn’t stop himself from cursing out loud.
’I can gain progress just from looking at her feet? What in the world are the system’s criteria? Isn’t this a little too... much?!’
He quickly averted his gaze, afraid that if he kept looking, the system would pop up with another strange notification. His lifelong reputation would be utterly ruined.
"Shopkeeper!"
Lance turned and shouted toward the counter.
"Bring me a pair of thick-soled, anti-slip, high leather boots in this size. The kind with iron nails in the soles."
While the shopkeeper was looking for the shoes, Lance snuck a peek at the new research panel.
Biological Illustrated Guide: Sub-human Species·Half-Elf
Current Research Progress: Level 1 (2/10)
’Only ten points of progress to level up?’
An idea sparked in Lance’s mind.
’At this absurd growth rate, if I just observe her a bit more over the next few days...’
’Maybe I can max out this Illustrated Guide before this internship is even over?’
Once Cecilia changed into the heavy but sturdy leather boots, much of her pampered, young-lady air was concealed.
Next, Lance took her to the general store next door to purchase basic equipment like a gathering pouch, a waterskin, and insect-repellent powder.
Finally, Lance stuffed the small leather shoes she had taken off into her new backpack.
"Carry it yourself."
With all preparations complete.
By now, Cecilia had lost all of her previous refined appearance.
She was wrapped in a large, slightly worn brown cloak, its hood pulled down low to hide her conspicuous white hair and pointed ears.
On her feet were dust-covered high leather boots, and on her back was a bulging, old canvas bag.
Aside from the small part of her face visible outside the shadows, which remained fair and delicate, she already looked the part of a rookie Adventurer.
This appearance should have looked somewhat shabby, but to Lance’s eyes, it was surprisingly pleasing.
After all, in the wild, only such an inconspicuous outfit would help one survive longer.
"Let’s go."
Lance wasted no time on pleasantries. Without even giving the girl time to get used to her new shoes, he turned and led her briskly back to the Adventurer’s Guild.
This time, Lance didn’t hesitate in the slightest, walking straight toward the quest board covered in low-level commissions.
His gaze swept over the parchments like a hawk’s, a swift optimal route forming in his mind.
RIP. RIP.
With a few crisp tearing sounds, he neatly ripped three commission slips from the board.
Register, stamp, depart.
The whole process was as smooth as flowing water, without a single wasted word.
By the time a flustered Cecilia had finished signing her name, before she could even catch her breath, Lance had already picked up his pack and was striding out the door.
Cecilia could only clutch her backpack and stumble after him, spinning like a top that had just been whipped.
Only after they had passed through the gates of Gray Rock Town and stepped onto the gravel road leading to the forest did Lance’s pace slow slightly.
"Listen up. I’m only saying this once."
Lance said without turning his head.
"I’ve accepted three quests this time: [Gather Moonlight Moss], [Gather Streamlight Stone], and [Clear Stone Crab Shallow Beach]."
Cecilia hurriedly perked up her pointed ears, afraid of missing a single word.
"Lately, the Magic Power inside the forest has remained in a state of turmoil, which has caused an abnormal surge in the breeding rate of the Stone Shell River Crabs downstream from Stone Crab Shallow Beach."
"Although this type of Demon isn’t very aggressive, they are extremely territorial. Once their numbers grow too large, they will block off large sections of the river."
"The surging population has led to the blockage of various shallow beach areas, which in turn directly cuts off the gathering routes for several symbiotic resources in the vicinity."
"Therefore, the Guild has commissioned us to clear out the adult Stone Shell River Crabs. We only need to deal with fifteen of them."
After all, a complete extermination quest wouldn’t be assigned to a single Adventurer; each Adventurer who takes the quest is responsible for a portion.
Cecilia nodded, only half-understanding, and tried her best to memorize every word.
Lance continued:
"The so-called Streamlight Stone is a supplementary material for Low Tier Light Alchemy Tools. It’s hidden beneath the pebbles on the creek banks..."
As Lance spoke, the once-dry book Knowledge seemed to come to life.
He broke down complex Mineralogy characteristics and Monster Ecology Knowledge into the simplest, most direct survival experience, instilling it into Cecilia’s mind bit by bit.
The girl listened, captivated, her initial nervousness dissipating considerably.
Lance glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
’Actually, the combination of these three quests was the result of his careful calculations.’
’The growing environment for Moonlight Moss is in a shady area near Stone Crab Shallow Beach. The locations for all three quests overlap perfectly, so there’s no need to take any detours.’
’More importantly...’
’...gathering Moonlight Moss was the real welcome gift he had prepared for this young lady today.’
’The places where that moss grows are notoriously filthy, covered in rotting leaves and sludge.’
’It would help her get a clear picture of the environment Adventurers deal with every day.’
’As for the other two quests, those were side benefits Lance had saved for himself.’
’The Stone Shell River Crab was the next target on his system’s [Biological Research] list.’
’This Demon was numerous and posed little individual threat, making it the perfect target for grinding data.’
One after the other, the two of them stepped into the bounds of Copper Creek Forest.
A familiar, translucent screen popped up before Lance’s eyes.
[Current Area: Outskirts of Copper Creek Forest - Calm (Green)]
The environmental stability of the outer area had returned to normal. It seemed the previous major cleanup had indeed produced immediate results.
Lance’s gaze shifted down to his quest log.
Sure enough, the three newly accepted quests were now listed there.
The rewards for the two gathering quests were still the unchangeable [10 Skill Experience, 10 Knowledge Experience].
The appearance of a commission for an extermination quest delighted Lance.
[Current Commission: Clear Stone Crab Shallow Beach]
[Reward: 6 Skill Experience for each adult Stone Shell River Crab killed]
The moment he saw that line of text, Lance’s steps faltered almost imperceptibly.
’Only Skill Experience?’
’No Knowledge Experience?’
Still, that fit the nature of an extermination quest. Pure slaughter would naturally lead to an improvement in combat techniques.
’Six experience points per crab.’
The number made a fire light up in Lance’s heart.
He had far too many Skills to grind right now. Whether it was the [Azure Dragon Extreme Intent Style] he had just learned or his Swordsmanship and Archery, which weren’t maxed out yet, they all required a massive amount of experience.
Training on his own was too slow, and he also had to squeeze in time to make Potions for money when he got back.
A quest like this, which allowed for rapidly accumulating experience by farming monsters, was like a time-management Divine Artifact tailor-made for him.
However, Lance still had a sliver of doubt.
’I wonder if this system has a level-scaling penalty mechanism.’
’It’s just like in a game where a max-level character gets no experience for killing mobs in a Newbie Village. As my own power grows, will the returns from these Low Level Demons diminish?’
’That’s something that will take time to verify.’