24 Volume 1 Chapter 24: Lost Adventurers
After the end of that brief skirmish, we rounded up all the bones on the ground. Going through the calculation with a unique formula in my head, I came to the conclusion that this could make enough [Bonemeal] to sustain the three of us in the secret base for a week.
... Huh? You think it's less than you'd expected? Well, this is the normal amount if we add into the fact that we want Grace and Melon to eat well.
Melon, who is a close range fighter, especially needs to have a heavily regulated diet for better physical fitness. Her physical fitness will reflect on her performance in battle, and we don't want her to get hurt simply because we neglected to feed her, right?
... Also, she is fifteen, and still in the growing phase where people could potentially shoot up like grass stalks. Racially speaking, I have no idea whether fifteen is still counted to be 'growing' for Lizardkin, but probably? Yeah? Maybe?
The equipment that the Zombies were wearing were all poorly maintained - not that a zombie would be able to do that. But in any case, it's too badly damaged for us to make any use of it.
From the appearance of the stuff, I think it's safe to assume that they were a party of adventurers. We also found the special name tags that only registered adventurers would own.
The zombies did not die recently, so they probably aren't the group of adventurers that were hired recently to solve the case. Judging from the age of the gear, it's safe to say that they died a couple of decades ago.
Another fact that supports this assessment is that the special tags used a design that was popular thirty years ago.
I managed to discern that because I've learned a lot more than just sewing in the village. I've also learned some necessary knowledge for appraisers, a bit of archeology, and other stuff.
Other people in the village would probably focus only on one profession, but I'm not like that, and they think it's not good to spread out my field of knowledge to such an extent - Anway, back to the topic.
The jungle... looks okay. There doesn't seem to be any problems yet, but I did learn something after that skirmish.
It's not wise to judge someone's level of strength based on their 'levels'. There are other factors to include, like skills.
A normal [Tablet of Appraisal] can only reveal what the skill's "types' ' are, and not the level of the skills. If I only think about levels, eventually I would end up facing someone like Melon whose strength is not really represented by it.
Should I buy an upgrade for my tablet? Is it possible to do modifications? It would be nice to know more about myself and have accurate information about my partners.
... I'm overthinking, and I'm off topic again. Back to the subject.
We might know more about the jungle if we go deeper, into the withered grounds.
"Let's keep going." I told Melon and Grace. At the same time, I looted all the equipment and placed them into my [Inventory].
It might be possible to find out more information about these dead adventurers. We have the special tags, and perhaps we could erect a cenotaph for them?
Their spirits haven't been put to rest, and have wandered for at least twenty years... I truly pity them.
"Uhm... Master?"
"Yes, Melon?"
"I hear the sounds of battle, and there is also the smell of blood in that direction. Should we take a look?" Melon pointed to the east.
"Eh? Seriously?"
I didn't detect anything with my [Mini-map], and it has the range of a hundred meters. I didn't expect Melon to have such keen senses.
And... sounds of combat?
"It feels like... four individuals are fighting. According to the vibration, they are probably fighting very fiercely."
"Vibration?" Hang on, she has keen enough senses to exceed the range of a hundred meters, AND she can sense vibration? You've been holding out on me Melon my dear.
"... I neglected to inform you that I've started to become sensitive to all kinds of vibrations. I apologize if I have inconvenienced you."
"Ooh - So you awakened a skill, good for you. Aw man, I also want to get new skills..." Was it because of the training with dummies? Must find out more when we head back.
"If only I could let you have my skill... it would be great for your master."
"... Walson is great regardless." Grace, who has been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke.
"Ahaha. I was just joking." We were moving while chattering.
Normally, when people say 'moving' from one place to another, they mean that they walked.
But all three of us are using our own methods of travel to go deeper into the jungle.
Melon was up ahead, swiftly leaping from one tree to another.
Grace had a bit of trouble using her teleportation, since the environment is extremely humid and saps her strength. The cool down of the ability has noticeably lengthened, but staying together with us is not hard at all.
I took out my special invention from the [Inventory] while I was watching the two of them move through the jungle like the wind.
I remodeled the [Dispenser] into a [Mini-dispenser].
By combining my talents in weaving with this little thing, I have been able to shoot sticky strings made out of [Spiderwebs].
It is shaped like a forearm guard, and I wear one on each arm. I'm also wearing [Suction Gloves].
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(There is that feeling again! Stop mocking my naming sense!)
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These [Suction Gloves] allow me to stick to walls with my hands and help when climbing vertically.
Their appearance is deceiving, since they look like normal gloves, but each finger has a small special magic stone on it.
Truthfully... the magic stones aren't really 'special' per se. It's just that they are the type used for household cleaning.
It imitates the function of a vacuum cleaner and sucks up dust when magical energy is given. Those are the common types, and the ones on my gloves are custom-ordered magic stones with upgraded vacant absorption.
Despite being custom-ordered, they still come in pretty cheap. It only took me a few wolf-skins worth of money to buy them. Although I had no trouble on the monetary side, I was given looks of bafflement and perplexion by the people in the village, like they thought I was funny in the head.
Anyway, it gives me enough suction to hold my weight and stick to surfaces. Thus, allowing me to climb walls with relative ease.
Yes, you read that right. RELATIVE. Climbing walls this way still demands a big amount of muscle strength to pull off.
But my level is high enough for me to do it, so it's not too troublesome.
Aaaaaand you guessed right! The inspiration came from my previous life on earth, from the person that shoots sticky webs and climbs walls, swings from one building to another while wearing a red and blue bodysuit.
This method of movement needs very precise control.
As you all recall, I have already made this thing a few chapters ago, which was approximately half a year ago.
I've been practicing for six months, and let me tell you, it wasn't a nice experience at all.
I fell, then I fell the next time, I fell the other times, I fell again, then I fell again some more.
And yes, you can substitute all the "fell" from the previous sentence with "fail".
But now I have finally done it!
.
.
*Readers gives Walson skeptic looks*
.
.
Okay... fine! I have only managed to become proficient enough to swing from big structures to another.
*Grumble Grumble*
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"Oh! Oh! Oh! I can see them!" I caught up to Melon with my smooth acrobatics (*readers gives Walson skeptic looks AGAIN*) and managed to see four figures fighting in the distance with my [Mini-map].
"... No matter how many times I see it, I still think Master is a genius for coming up this method of travel. Mmph!" Melon praised me, then stopped on top of a tree to look out into the distance.
"... Walson is amazing."
"Don't flatter me, I'm gonna blush." It feels nice to have one's ego stroked. Ehehehe.
Being able to imitate scenes in comic books is great, but actually being able to do it is a whole different story. Comic book fans always dream of doing the things that superheroes in comic books do, they would kill for this kind of thing.
The three of us stood on the tree tops, looking fifty meters in front of us, at the scene where four people were fighting against a gigantic snake.
[Lawrence_LV29_HP:49/452_Status: Snake Venom (III)_Title: None]
[Mirabella_LV30_HP:11/284_Status: Coma, {Elvenized}_Title: None]
[Gabab_LV32_HP:172/576_Status: Normal_Title: None]
[Kulontan_LV27_HP:97/256_Status: Normal_Title: None]
From the look of their gear, they are adventurers alright. The party composition is... The female lying on the ground in a coma has a staff on the ground nearby and looks like a [Mage]. Then there is another person who is rolling on the ground in anguish... Haven't seen that one fight yet, but I guess it's a [Fighter]?
There are two more people at the front of the formation, and its a middle-aged male with a big shield, and another male - who is much younger than the previous one - running distractions on the side with twin daggers.
As for the enemy...
[Huge Amanra_LV36_HP:1568/2253_Status: Curse of the Wither (I)_Title: None]
Holy crap! The snake that is very colorful and vibrant barely lost half of its health!
The adventurers are definitely in big trouble. If this goes on, they're gonna get wiped.
And two of them are already incapacitated, it doesn't look like they could just retreat.
"What do we do, Master?" "... Can we save them?"
Both Melon and Grace spoke.
Is there any reason not to save them? Of course we will do something. It would be sinful if we just stay here and turn a blind eye to this.
"Grace, don't approach. Distract it for me." It's probably not a good idea to spread the knowledge of Grace's teleportation ability, even if the situation is a bit dire.
"Master, does this mean you will confront it by yourself?" Oh my, I can't just let the spotlight stay on the two of you all the time. I also want to show the girls my strength.
"Yeah. Melon, standby for now."
Melon's hand-to-hand combat is still too freakishly strong, it would be better if I handled this.
With that said, I shot a sticky spider string to the tree trunk on the side, and leapt off the tree.
At the same time, a massive amount of "razor wind" air blades assaulted the [Huge Amanra].
Alright! I just need to let Grace grab its attention for now.
The adventurers at the bottom seem to be clueless to what is going on. As I swung down from the tree, I shot another sticky string and pulled the twin dagger wielder away from the snake's range.
"Well met! Goodnight!" I threw a bottle of [Milk] that forcibly reverted one's status to "Normal" towards the incapacitated adventurers, watching it shatter and splatter them with white liquid.
As the shield warrior started to turn towards me, I shot him a face full of sticky web to block his vision, then proceeded to pull him closer to his comrades.
Using a powdered quick-sedative made from the spores of [Slumbershroom], I put them directly to sleep.
Sorry~ Although I'm helping, I don't really want to show you guys what I can do with my various inventions.
I turned my gaze to the distracted [Huge Amanra].
Despite having been assaulted by Grace's "Razor Wind", the air blades cannot cut into its durable scales, thus doing nothing except distracting it.
But that's okay.
I shot a sticky string and watched it attach onto the side of the snake's head, and forcefully yanked it to make the snake turn towards me.
"Sraaaaaaaaa!" The [Huge Amanra] immediately started to fling its head around madly, and I cut the string before I was pulled away.
The special string I have made was made by using the [Crafting Table] and three spider strings. Spider strings are already durable on their own, but my kind is on a whole new level. It wouldn't have broken under normal circumstances.
"Yes yes yes, I love you too." Watching the furious snake hissing angrily at me with its mouth wide open, I threw a stick of dynamite directly into it.
With another string shot, I closed the snake mouth.
Then, it promptly exploded with a bang.
{Party has gained 4720 EXP}
"Goodnight." I said to the headless snake , that line was…..
Okay, that line was reaaaalllyyyy lame.
... I'm feeling embarrassed.
"Grace, can you help me out here? Send them back to our secret base please?" I waved towards the Ender-girl.
