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Chapter 382: Chapter 378 ~ Secret Medicine of the Forest

Dressed in a light brown, hooded coat and cloth mask tied around the back of his head, Yuuji came to a stop after a long sprint. A small cloud of dust kicked up behind him.

Beneath the ordinary coat was a beginner’s regular leather armor. He didn’t receive any new armor from the quests he turned in in the Town of Beginnings. Just Cols and a few food items that he kept within his inventory.

Even the cloth mask wasn’t any equipment that would grant him additional defense. Its sole utility was to conceal his face.

He arrived in a small village. The sun just barely peeking out of the horizon as it set, painting the sky in twilight.

Looking around, he could see about 10 buildings. An ordinary, if a bit worn out, stone well sat in the middle of the village, surrounded by several buildings which seemed to be an inn, a weapon shop, a tool shop, and several brick houses with straw and wooden roofs.

"Ai, where’s the quest giver?"

"He’s in that building, master~!"

"Alright."

He nodded, and made his way to the largest building Ai indicated. It was two-storied, unlike the rest of the one-storied buildings around it.

Upon arriving, Yuuji knocked on the wooden doors of the building.

"Yes."

A female voice resounded from within. Older. Tired.

Then, the door opened to reveal a middle aged woman dressed in plain, if not slightly worn out clothes.

Her complexion was slightly pale, and Yuuji could see the exhaustion and worry in her eyes, despite the smile she tried to show her guest.

"Oh, hello traveler. Fancy to meet someone like you in this tiny village. We haven’t had visitors for quite a while."

Yuuji nodded politely, his lips curled into a smile she couldn’t see as it was hidden under his cloth mask.

But the missus could still see the smile in his beautiful eyes. And from the little part she could see, she could guess how extraordinary his looks were, bringing a slightly brighter smile to her thin face.

"Nice to meet you, miss. I have just arrived in this village, and I need to know where I am. I figured I could gain some answers if I come here and greet the host."

"I see. I wouldn’t have guessed you lost your way. You look quite capable."

From Yuuji’s tall, athletic physique, the sword hanging on his waist, and his coat, she expected him to be quite the experienced adventurer.

"Haha, thank you very much for the compliment. I’ve gone to the forests to hunt some monsters and only found this village after exiting it. I’ve come to see if I could perhaps acquire some provisions."

Yuuji explained. A little white lie, though not completely fictitious.

"The forest..."

The woman muttered, surprise painting her face.

Then, her smile grew, and hope seemed to alight within her eyes.

"I see! Then please, come in for a cup of water. I’m sure you are tired after your travels."

She opened the door wider and gestured for him to enter.

"Then, I will bother you. Thank you very much."

He entered into the candle lit interior of the house.

It was a simple abode, where he could clearly see everything on the floor from the entrance. The kitchen, the door to the right, and the stair leading up.

The woman led him to the dining room at the end, which was actually a part of the living room as well. There was only one circular wooden table that stood in between the living room and the kitchen.

"Please, take a seat."

"Yes. Excuse me."

He sat down. The chair squeaked slightly under the weight of an athletic young man, used to the weight of a thin, middle-aged woman.

"Here, please help yourself. You must be tired."

She placed a glass of water before him.

"I apologize... We have no food currently."

"It’s fine. Thank you very much."

Yuuji noticed the pot simmering in the kitchen. But the smell coming from it didn’t smelled like food. Instead... the faint smell of diluted herbs reached his nose.

He drank the water and finished the glass quickly. His continuous run from the Towns of Beginning that wouldn’t have affected him in the slightest if this was reality, had made him quite thirsty.

Just then, he could hear a voice. A cough.

Once. Twice. A steady sound of a young girl coughing coming from the other side of the door to the right.

The woman turned towards it, a look of concern etched on her face.

"...Is there someone sick?’

The pain on her face was all the answer he needed.

"My daughter... She had been quite sick for some time."

Yuuji could tell. This must be the quest. To help the mother with her sick daughter.

Then that smell of boiling herbs... it must be a remedy she’s trying to make to help with her daughter’s sickness.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

"Really? Will that be okay, young man?"

She turned to him, her eyes hopeful.

Then, a pop up notification appeared before him.

[Secret Medicine of the Forest]

[Would you like to accept this quest?]

Yuuji naturally accepted the quest, and nodded to the mother.

"Of course."

"Ah, thank you very much!"

She grasped his hands, shaking it vehemently as gratitude overflowed from her whole figure.

"You see, I have been trying to make medicine for my daughter. I have gathered some herbs from the edge of the forest, but I am missing one ingredient. The most important one."

An item gathering quest.

If it was simple herbs, then it would be simple. He could do it alongside other quests and simply gather them on the way.

But sometimes, item gathering quests required him to kill monsters and get specific item drops from them. And normally, they had lower drop rates than other items a monster may drop.

If unlucky, a player could spend more time with this type of quest than any other.

"I can not get it myself, for it is the ovule of a monster called "Little Nepenthes". To get it, you must kill the monster and harvest its ovule."

"Little Nepenthes..."

Yuuji muttered under his breath.

Wasn’t that the monster he used to grind this afternoon. He had killed quite a lot, and they’ve dropped quite a number of items called [Little Nepenthes’s Ovule].

"It is a rare monster, found deep in the forest. But since you have already been to the forest, you should be able to get to it more easily!"

She grasped his hand once again.

"Please, adventurer. I promise you a fitting reward for your help in saving my only daughter."

Yuuji smiled softly, seeing the hopeful and determined expression of the mother before him.

"Rest easy, miss. Perhaps... You are quite lucky today."

He accessed his inventory, and chose the [Manifest] option for the [Little Nepenthes’s Ovule].

"Could this be what you are looking for?"

A bulb the size of a small melon appeared in his hand. And at its appearance, her eyes widened in shock.

"T-This is it! This is the Little Nepenthes’s Ovule! H-How do you have it already?"

"I have been to the forest you mentioned and hunted a few monsters there. These dropped from the monster you mentioned. I wasn’t sure what I could use it for, and thought of saving it until I can sell it in town. I’m glad it could be useful to you."

Tears dropped from her tired eyes. Strength leaving her thin legs as she collapsed into Yuuji’s strong arms, holding him tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you very much!"

Yuuji stroked the woman’s back. He could feel her bones through her thin leather cloth.

"Please wait here for a moment, adventurer! I will make the medicine and return with your reward!"

The mother wiped her tears, her eyes now brimming with a light of excitement and rushed back to the kitchen with the ovule in her hands, clasping it carefully and close to her chest.

Soon, the mother returned with a bowl filled with medicine soup in her hand and hugging long steel sword with black grip within a black sheathe.

"Dear adventurer, here is my reward for you! This is my late husband’s sword. A family heirloom."

She looked to him, her eyes red, ,still brimming with tears.

"I have nothing else to give you. And though it pains me to part with it... I’m sure he would be happy if it was used to reward the person who saved his daughter than letting it collect dust."

She handed the blade to his hand, and immediately made her way to her daughter’s room.

[Received: Anneal Blade]

Yuuji barely looked at the blade and simply accepted it, letting it disappear into his inventory, before following the mother.

Entering the room, his eyes quickly gravitated towards the bed at the corner of the room under the windows.

There, a little girl laid on the bed, bathed in the afternoon sun. Pale. Sweaty.

Suffering.

"Agatha... Wake up. Mother has medicine for you that would make you feel better."

The little girl stirred, blinking her eyes a few times, before ultimately closing them. But she was now conscious, and tried lifting up her head with the help of her mother.

Then, she began feeding her a small spoonful of the medicine slowly.

The quiet slurping of the sick little girl. A mother’s patience and hope.

He knew they were NPCs in a game. He knew they were quest givers. That they’re a part of a scenario for the quest meant to reward players with exp, golds, and items.

But looking at the pitiful child now, Yuuji couldn’t help but feel pity.

If this quest was repeatable... Would she keep on suffering?

Was her ailment meant to never be curable? Was her mother meant to suffer for her daughter forever? Just so other players can take this quest and gain the rewards?

’No. Focus...’

Yuuji shook his head.

He couldn’t let such a thing affect him.

What he had to do required focus. He could let every story and scenario behind a quest line affect him so much.

’But... I hope after several repeats, she will be cured.’

He knew what his wish would mean.

Players won’t be able to access this quest anymore. And any rewards granted by it will disappear.

Denying the chance for them to grow was akin to putting them in danger. For without being able to grow stronger, level up, and obtain new items, they wouldn’t be able to survive in this cruel world. freewebnσvel.cѳm

But still...

He had Ai... No matter how intelligent she was, he knew she was artificial intelligence. He had built her himself.

But to him, she still meant much more than an object.

He couldn’t simply see her, and the "people" living in this world as mere data, binaries in a digital world.

"Hah..."

He sighed deeply. Deeper than he expected.

And in that moment, the little girl, Agatha, shined with brilliant light.

When it faded, the little girl now had a bit more color on her cheeks. Her breathing now steady as she laid down on her bed, sleeping more peacefully than ever before.

The mother let out a sigh of relief, and turned towards Yuuji once again.

"She will be fine now in time. Thank you very much once again, adventurer."

Yuuji nodded, smiling behind his cloth mask.

"You are very welcome. I’m glad to be of help."

He then turned towards the window, seeing the sun almost setting below the horizon.

The clock in his HUD told him that it was almost six pm.

"Then, I will not disturb you and the little one any longer. I wouldn’t want to disturb her sleep."

"Yes. Then, I will lead you out."

Yuuji followed after the mother as she led him out of the room and towards the entrance.

"Then, please excuse me. Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon! Thank you very much once again, dear adventurer!"

She bowed, and Yuuji waved his hand as he walked away.

"Now then... Let’s look around."

It was almost evening. But there was still time before he would retire for the day. So, he chose to explore the village a bit.

He made his way to the shops, the only two shops in the village.

He visited the weapon shop, simply perusing the wares. He didn’t plan on buying anything since the Anneal Blade he just received from Agatha’s mother had much better stat than anything sold here.

Then, he went to the tool shop, where there were more interesting wares.

"Master, there’s actually one more quest in this village. Do you want to take it?"

Ai’s voice resounded in his mind.

"Oh? Sure. There’s still time for one more quest."

"Alright~ Follow my direction, master~ We need to find the farmer!"

"Mm. Lead the way."

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AN: I hope you guys enjoy this Chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!!

Also, if you’d like to read additional Chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr_eon.com/verglasx ~!

Thank you~!