Herbology Mission

The weather behaved quite uniformly, starting off sunny with clear skies. As midday approached, clouds gathered to create a downpour that consistently began at 13:04 and ended always at 16:13. During this time, villagers took cover, leading to a three-hour halt in commerce. It was during these moments that I took advantage of, venturing out for missions, and growing in unchecked power without drawing too much attention.

As I continued to grow, concealing my strength became inevitable. By the time I turned thirteen, I had shifted from being a prodigy to a sort of medieval celebrity. Even amidst the rain, I couldn't escape the expectant gazes people directed at me from the comfort of their homes. I walked with the feeling of being observed most of the day, hindering my growth. None of my fellow orphans showed signs of being "reborn," so I became a lone wolf, wandering around with only my thoughts for company.

I still lived in the orphanage, since at thirteen, I had no other options. Truth be told, I didn't really need to leave. One of the first things I learned in this world was that acquiring money was just as important as in my previous life, but it was much simpler here. As I completed missions, gained amulets, improved my stats, and grew in power, earning coins took a back seat. I upgraded my dagger, my attire, and of course, my jobs. Since I had no use for money, I occupied myself by giving tasks to other villagers, tasks that only they could do. I also made anonymous donations to my home and to various places where I was warmly received. I had the power to help, so I didn't sit idly by.

In the past, the few children in the orphanage used to sleep in the same large room with cream-colored walls on individual futons that were folded up at the start of the day. But over time, expansions were made to accommodate more rooms. Additionally, more study and play areas were created. It transformed from a commonplace site to my sanctuary, what I considered a home.

Among the six existing professions, the ones I had already brought to the Intermediate level were the ones I enjoyed the most. I took advantage of fishing to meditate, finding complete peace in this activity. Furthermore, by practicing fishing extensively, my Cooking skills also improved as I couldn't let the food go to waste. While my power had grown from thirty to six hundred and eighty-two over these ten years, the ten-million limit seemed unattainable. I wondered what it would take to even reach ten thousand power points. What would be the power of the Outsiders who worked with the emperor?

The storm was approaching, so I followed my usual routine of sneaking out of the orphanage to avoid the gossiping folks. I had a couple of Herbalism secondary missions I wanted to complete that day, so I wouldn't return until I achieved my goal. Noting the time when the rain was due to start, I donned my purple cape obtained from a special Tailoring mission. Its quality was impressive and it kept me well protected from the rain.

Leaving my home, I returned the potential gazes that might be peering from a couple of windows. I headed to the herbalist's store as that's where the mission began. I relished observing even the minutest details of the place's decor. To the right of the entrance on a broad wooden table, several books, a mortar, and a wide variety of dried plants were visible. In contrast, the hanging plants placed upside down on the ceiling around the store still retained some of their freshness. The counter on the left stretched from one end of the wall to the other, with an attention zone where the NPC vendor stood. The cabinet contained potions and ointments of all colors, each with specific functions. The place was a marvel to anyone's eyes due to its dream cottage style.

At that hour, only the NPC responsible for selling processed products from plants was present; the woman who taught me the profession was probably at home. There were more regular residents than NPCs; on a normal day, I could interact with about fifteen people who gave me missions or taught me about their work. This made my interactions more realistic, dependent on the availability of another human being. And yet, NPCs were stationed in places where their presence was required all the time. For instance, the master who spoke about classes and initiated the selection ceremony had to be there at any time. For some reason, this world deemed it necessary for the herbalist's shop to have a vendor twenty-four-seven, and luckily, my first mission was with him.

[Welcome to the herbalist's shop. What would you like to buy?]

A. Profession mission…

B. HP or MP potions

C. Nothing, for now, thanks

I selected the profession mission, which required me to gather some plants that grew in the western forest near the village. I had been there a couple of times, even though most missions directed me to the eastern forest rather than this one. I was excited about expanding my exploration in that grove even further. I set out in the midst of the rain, crossed the deserted market at that hour, the residential area, and the temple, and just behind the latter, I found the required location.

I checked the user interface for the active mission as I wanted to be clear about the number of plants I needed to collect. Additionally, I wanted to see pictures of how each plant looked to easily identify them.

[

Aogiri (Houttuynia cordata): 0/10

Kumazasa (Sasa veitchii): 0/10

Uwabamisō (Primula modesta): 0/10

Ashitaba (Angelica keiskei): 0/10

]

Finding Ashitaba and Uwabamisō would be easier since these were located at the entrance of the forest or even in the village gardens. I began by collecting ten of each and then ventured into the forest since both Aogiri and Kumazasa grew closer to water bodies, in the higher area of the mountains. The system provided me with their locations, and I was thankful for that since my basic level in Herbalism hadn't granted me that knowledge yet.

I looked around again with the intention of completing the mission, even if it meant moving to areas I had never been to before. I just had to be careful to stay within the permitted boundary shown on my user interface map.

I advanced through the less dense area of the woods until my short boots could no longer take a step without feeling the weight of vegetation upon them. I was sinking into the undergrowth, getting closer to a crystal-clear stream I didn't recognize. I was sure I had never gone this far, even though technically this area was still safe for Insiders.

I began to feel uneasy; the distance to find the plants specified by the mission made no sense. Could there be a glitch in the system? Just as I wondered, I heard a noise to my left. It seemed to come from an animal, although the only creature that could create such a ruckus around here would be a dungeon beast. I stopped to listen and observe for a few seconds. An eternity seemed to pass before I noticed, just a few steps from the stream, a bluish glow whose outline was gradually expanding, revealing the mystery it held behind its veil.