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  Chapter 8: Lucky Veridith

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  Alright, that should just about do it,” Marlyno decred as they pleted the paperwork for their ission and stocked up on supplies. The group made their way to the city gates.

  “By the way, was that preliminary work really that troublesome? You all look utterly exhausted,” Marlyno remarked, gng at the weary faisako and Farkonia.

  ...

  One hour ter...

  “Well, it’s not my fault! The captain insists on nitpig every little detail; I feel like my legs are about to give out…”

  “Indeed. But there’s no way around it; budgets are crucial. We have to pare everything carefully and save wherever we ,"

  “I’d rather take that money and i in a nice, fy bed…” Mira mumbled, her eyelids heavy with sleep despite the fact that it was still broad daylight.

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s not your issue; it’s on us,” Farkonia reassured her.

  Just moments before, they had been struggling to keep Aris from charging off to wreak havoc. Fortunately, they had agreed upoain straints before leaving the Abyss, and Aris was willing to adhere to their accord and thus listened; otherwise, the duo wouldn't have been able to rein her in.

  “Is that so…? Alright the’s move out.”

  ...

  Their current ission sisted of two routiasks: fing for herbs to brew potions and hunting wild boars in the viity. Sih missions were located in the same area, they decided to tackle them simultaneously to save time.

  “Is this the one?” Veridith asked, plug a herb from the ground.

  “Yes, exactly. We o gather about thirty of these.”

  “That’s simple enough!” Before Marlyno could respond, Veridith was off with a small sa her head, rag out into the field.

  “…Oh dear, if only it were that easy.”

  The herb they were after, known as Hethel Grass, featured three heart-shaped leaves and was essential for crafting healing potions. However, the pnts were not only small but also randomly scattered over an area. Back when they were a trio, it took them aire day just to locate thirty spes.

  “Looks like we have no choice but to split our efforts. You all go hunt for the wild boars,” Marlyno suggested.

  “Sure thing.”

  Those tasked with hunting the boars were primarily close-bat fighters, including Elyssa.

  “I always thought Miss Diana was the warrior type, yet she turns out to be a mage?” someone mused.

  “Ugh, that dense knucklehead might not be very sharp, but magic is her only forte. Holy, I’m still baffled as to how she ma,” Elyssa replied, rolling her eyes.

  Elyssa etite, with abaster skin that bordered on uhy, and she wore a dark, frilly dress. In trast, Diana usually donned more practical attire, making it uandable that one might misstrue their roles.

  “From your to sounds like you two don’t get along very well. You’re not reted, are you?” Farkonia teased.

  “Ha? Who’s reted to her? She’s just a scatterbrained fool I happeo bump into. Not only is she often too starving to fight, but she also mao pull some truly ridiculous antics. We’re only stig together because we keep running into one another.”

  “Ah… I see.”

  Though Elyssa tried to sound indifferent, Farkonia caught a trace of a smile tugging at the ers of her mouth.

  “Ining!”

  The sudden shout snapped everyone’s attention back to their task. A robust wild boar, its tusks gleaming, charged into view.

  “Let me take the lead,” Elyssa announced, stepping forward and drawing a slender sword from her side.

  The bde shone a dark crimson, resembling an ornate cross adorned with intricate carvings. Most strikihe delicate red roses entwined around the sword’s hilt.

  Sensing the aggression, the wild boar stomped its hooves and charged at Elyssa, fury in its eyes.

  “Let the weak ones lie where they fall,” Elyssa donned a steely gaze.

  As the beast luowards her, her form vanished in an instant, reappearing behind the boar.

  Sptter!

  Blood spewed from the boar’s body, painting the surrounding flora in a gruesome hue. With a mere loss of crimson, the creature colpsed, lifeless.

  “Ugh… how foul…” Elyssa grimaced, ping her nose in distaste.

  “…Well, no need for bloodletting now.”

  Watg Elyssa’s swift ahal execution reminded Aris of their previous hunts, where they ehe borious process of bleeding out their quarry to partake in the feast. Occasionally, they had enlisted Pupu to hasten the process, but even with that, much time was wasted.

  It was indeed a skill vital for survival in both domestid wilderness settings.

  “And what now?”

  Another shout drew their attention again.

  In the distance, another wild boar made its appearance, but this one was far rger than the ohat now y dead. T above them, its eyes glowed with a feral fieress.

  “Look out!”

  Before they could strategize, the massive beast barreled towards them, its speed surpassing that of the previous boar—and even some weaker monsters.

  Yet, even with its bulk and speed, it posed hreat.

  Farkonia merely released a fra of her palpable aura, and in an instant, the creature seemed to freeze, terror overtaking it. The remaining iia of its charge carried less than three meters past her before it crumpled, utterly unscious.

  “...How peculiar?” Farkonia mused, the enormous boar, looking fused. She sensed a hint of ferocity emanating from it, which perhaps expined why it had charged them despite witnessing the brutal demise of its kin. Generally, creatures, whether beast or fiend, would prioritize their own survival, making this reckless behavior baffling.

  “I’ll report this oddity to the guild once we return. We’ve harvested enough for our tasks,” Elyssa stated as she began stashing the boar's lifeless form into her ste pouch. Farkonia followed suit with the other boar, employing her own magiaterialize a subspace.

  “Looks like we speime than anticipated. Let’s head back quickly and assist with the herb gathering, or we might be at it until sundown.”

  Though the distao town was not great, dusk brought with it its share of dangers.

  Upon arriving back at the herb gathering site, they were greeted by an ued sight: most of their rades were sitting idly, looking rather despo.

  “Ah, you’re back…” Marlyno observed, sensing the mood.

  “Weren’t you supposed to be gathering herbs? Judging by those expressions, I take it someone’s already ed the pce out?” she inquired.

  “Erm… quite the opposite, actually. Allow me to show you,” one of them replied.

  Marlyno opened her ste and produeatly bound bundles of herbs.

  “I suspeething’s amiss. Veridith mao find over thirty on her own, and…” she poiowards a distance, where Veridith was engaged in an animated discussion with Sisi, who seemed utterly absorbed in a wild notion. In Veridith' hand was an unusually striking spe of the Hethel Grass.

  “She… found a mutated Hethel Grass,” Marlyno murmured.

  A closer iion revealed that the pnt in Veridith’ grasp boasted not three, but four leaves—a rare sight indeed.

  “They say a mutated Hethel Grass appears only on every ten thousand spes, yet she stumbled upon one so effortlessly. We struggled just to collect thirty of the ordinary variety all day!”

  As Marlyno spoke, a wave of existential ption washed over her, leavio pohe incredulity of it all.

  ShoujoDirector