Chapter 16: Granny Lizzie’s Reminder and Gaining Experience

It was nighttime—

A sky full of stars.

The night was unexpectedly bright, with twinkling stars and radiant moonlight. Such a scene felt almost otherworldly to Lyle, who couldn't even catch a glimpse of the starry sky back in his previous life, even when venturing into the countryside.

Crackling! Crackling!

The campfire burned brightly, its flames dancing and producing a crackling sound.

Nfirea sat by the campfire, examining a few herbs in his hands. Occasionally, he would sniff them or even take a small bite to taste.

Granny Lizzie stood a short distance away by the carriage, inspecting the herbs stored within.

In the Rock team, apart from the leader, Dosari, and the twin brothers, Rand and Bask, the rest stood guard outside the defensive perimeter.

The other two had already scouted the surrounding area.

Currently, they were camping in the wilderness.

According to Captain Dosari's earlier suggestion, there was a nearby village where they could spend the night.

However, the elderly saint—Granny Lizzie—had declined. She didn't want to take a detour.

Given that the carriage carried a chest of precious herbs purchased from the capital, it was imperative to return to E-Rantel as quickly as possible to begin refining them.

Thus, some towns along the route had been skipped entirely.

This decision, of course, added to the risks of the journey. Normally, such a choice would provoke dissatisfaction among adventurers.

After all, adventurers and clients were in a cooperative relationship. If the client made unreasonable demands, the adventurers could terminate the commission mid-journey—though this would require paying a hefty fine to the Adventurer's Guild.

Yet, in this case, things were different.

Upon learning that Granny Lizzie was the owner of a renowned apothecary in E-Rantel and hailed as the city's best alchemist, any initial dissatisfaction from the Rock team vanished. On the contrary, they became even more diligent in their duties.

This practical mindset left Lyle impressed with the Rock team.

Lyle sat by the campfire, observing Nfirea as he carefully studied the herbs.

Nfirea held a thumb-length, root-like herb, took a small bite, and then spat out the piece.

"So, it's bitter root. It's impossible to distinguish it from megan by appearance alone," Nfirea remarked.

Noticing Lyle's gaze, Nfirea explained, "This herb is called bitter root. It looks identical to megan. You can only tell the difference by tasting it.

"They have entirely different uses. Bitter root is excellent for brewing alcohol and has some detoxifying properties, making it a basic ingredient for antidotes.

"Megan, on the other hand, has a bitter yet slightly sweet flavor. It's primarily used as a base for healing potions."

Nfirea's usual shyness faded as he spoke passionately about herbs, even sounding more confident.

"I see," Lyle nodded, wearing an attentive expression.

In truth, he was hoping to gain the Alchemist profession by learning about herbs. So far, though, his attribute panel hadn't shown any updates.

"Are you interested in herbs, Lyle?" Nfirea asked, his bright blue eyes fixed on him.

"I am," Lyle admitted.

"Humph!"

Before Nfirea could say more, a sharp voice interrupted.

Granny Lizzie approached with her hands behind her back, her tone carrying a hint of reprimand.

"Nfirea, stop flaunting your shallow knowledge.

"Tasting with your mouth is the most basic and crude method of identification. Don't you have a nose to smell?"

"I understand, Granny," Nfirea muttered, lowering his head in embarrassment.

Lyle averted his gaze, unsure if Lizzie's criticism of Nfirea was also a veiled warning to him.

In this world, where knowledge was tightly restricted, asking Nfirea about herbs might indeed have been inappropriate.

"Don't be so tense."

"I may be a bit stingy, but I'm not unreasonable," Lizzie said calmly, looking at Lyle.

Uh…

Her admitting to being stingy was unexpected. Still, Lyle knew better than to say anything in response.

"You think you can make healing potions just by learning the properties of a few herbs? Dream on.

"If you have some talent in magical arts, don't waste your energy on other pursuits like martial arts or herbology. It's a waste of time."

Lizzie's words were clearly well-intentioned, but they still caught Lyle off guard. Regaining his composure, he quickly replied, "Thank you, Lady Bareare."

Lizzie's expression softened noticeably at his polite address, seemingly pleased.

The surname "Bareare" was something Lyle had learned from Nfirea during their conversations, though he had already known it beforehand.

Thud. Thud.

The sound of footsteps interrupted their exchange.

It was the twin brothers, Rand and Bask, returning from scouting the area. Their relaxed expressions relieved the tension in the rest of the Rock team.

"Humph… Humph."

A faint groan came from Rand's back.

Rand was carrying a wild boar that easily weighed over 200 pounds, yet he seemed completely at ease.

"Got lucky. Managed to catch a wild boar. Looks like we'll eat well tonight," he said.

"Shot through the forehead with an arrow and still alive?"

"Hey, Bask, your archery has improved again," Rand teased, glancing at the bloodied hole in the boar's forehead.

"It's just a boar," Bask chuckled.

Thud!

Rand walked over to the campfire and tossed the wild boar onto the ground with a dull thud.

"It's still breathing," Rand said to Lyle with a grin, pointing to a spot on the boar's neck. "Strike here, and it'll be an instant kill."

"Thanks," Lyle said, standing up and approaching the dying boar.

Lizzie had been determined to return to E-Rantel as quickly as possible, and while they had brought ample supplies, they didn't account for the needs of the Rock team and Lyle.

Thus, the adventurers supplemented their provisions through hunting.

During these hunts, Lyle had asked to deliver the final blow to their prey whenever possible.

His stated reason was that he wanted to familiarize himself with bloodshed, as he aspired to become an adventurer.

The Rock team found this explanation plausible. Lyle's lack of tools or basic awareness for survival clearly marked him as a complete novice.

As a result, they readily allowed him to practice on the animals they hunted.

Now, gripping a dagger, Lyle walked to the twitching boar.

Without hesitation, he raised the blade and plunged it into the spot Rand had indicated.