章節 13: Gathering Herbs
"We'll go out, gather herbs, and sell them on the market!"
"Will that work? Won't we have to rent a spot there then?"
"Not if we sell to the merchants directly. Although it might not be the best option, we have no other choice. If we go to an underground organization we will just get tricked and not receive anything in the end. So, this is the only option."
After Beta said that, they prepared to head out. Armed with their weapons, they left the inn heading in the direction of the nearby forest. "At the moment, I have Death's Touch which can't really be classified as a palm, fist, or finger attack due to its versatility, so it didn't require me to use a specific form to execute and choose according to my will. It's also a lethal attack that focuses on harming the organs, but the downside is, I have to get close to my enemy, which I would like to avoid as much as possible. I also have Phantom Kicks which lets me kick my enemies with an attack speed that makes you see phantoms, at least that's how it's supposed to be. I'm not skillful enough yet to reach that point. But I have to admit that fast, silent kicks aren't that bad. Especially in situations where my enemy gets too close for me to use my scythe. Dark Scythe seems to consist of several different styles. Each set has 32 movements. Most of them are based on speed or tricks, so it fits my hidden scythe quite well. And last but not least, my Soul River Steps. In my last fight I've noticed that it's a very good technique, but I still have to improve my skill to fully showcase its strength. I wonder if I can go back to the soul river to ponder about and improve this technique... Now my problem comes into play - I can't use all these skills in public. At least, Reaper's Touch must not be used if I can avoid it. It might be seen as something from the dark path. The last thing I want is for me and Brian to be hunted down by heretics against the dark path.", Beta mused on his way to the forest.
Once they entered the forest, Beta gave Brian some instructions so that he will be aware of what he needs to look out for. It was a huge forest with tall trees and bushes covering most of the area. At the beginning, Brian still ripped out any plant he saw and proudly showed it to Beta, who only shook his head with a wry smile. It took hours until they finally found their first useful herb, but when they did, they found a whole area filled with them. Beta didn't directly rush up because he knew that not only humans coveted herbs. But Brian got too carried away and just ran up to the herbs, ripped one out, and happily showed it to Beta again. Beta didn't know how to react to that. He didn't see anything attack Brian though, so he got closer and examined the herbs. The herbs were of good quality, so they definitely would fetch a good price. They gathered all the herbs carefully and put them into their backpacks. After scrounging the ground for a while, they still didn't stop with their goal of gathering. They not only need money for the school fees, but they also needed money for clothes and other necessities.
As they continued searching the area, they found two more of those spots, so they were quite satisfied with their haul. Beta being cautious, he couldn't help but get a bad feeling. "Why were there so many herbs? The villagers should know that you can earn good money with them, so why did no one pick them? There's something fishy! Considering that we're going deeper and deeper into the forest, we might soon encounter beasts...", Beta mumbled. He considered leaving to go back, but as he calculated earlier, with the haul they have is still not enough. And he didn't have enough time to get the money before the school starts if he stopped now. They also don't have the funds for the required expenses to wait any longer, due to every time they go out the City, they have to pay the necessary gate fee just to get in again. So, if they could get enough money in one go, the opportunity they have now would be way more efficient. Thus, Beta and Brian decided to continue picking herbs until afternoon. That's when they heard the bushes next to them rustle.
"You heard that, right?"
"It probably was a rabbit or something like that", Brian said nonchalantly.
The moment Brian said that, a green Lynx jumped out of the bush, right at Beta. He wasn't surprised at all though. Beta was already alert and expected something to happen. His constant vigilance over the past hours finally paid off. He nonchalantly struck the Lynx with his staff squarely on its head. The Lynx was unperturbed though, and just rushed back into the bush as it started to stalk them once again.
"What was that?!"
"That was a green Lynx. It's a beast. Our very first one...", Beta said with an awkward smile.
"A beast?! Now we're really done for...", Brian fretted with his eyes wide from shock.
"Not necessarily. Together, we should be able to kill it."
Although Beta met this beast for the first time, he had read about it. Coupled with their extraordinary strength and training, it definitely was possible for both of them to defeat. He would not lose his mind over such a trivial matter like Brian does. He's way too experienced in battles to be flustered over such minor thing like the opponent being a beast. He signaled Brian to brace themselves and protect each other. They stood back to back, waiting for the Lynx to attack them again.
After ten minutes with no surprise attack, just when Brian relaxed for a second, the beast jumped at him with its huge claws at the front. Brian didn't dare to take the blow, so he applied what he learned about dodging and rolled to the left as he tried to attack back by cutting it with his saber. Beta on the other hand, rolled to the right and was now opposite of Brian, pincer attacking the Lynx using his skill Dark Scythe with his new weapon. Beta wanted to keep the scythe a secret, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't use it at all. He thought it only doable to use when in dire need. Both of their slashes hit the Lynx, dealing tremendous damage to it. But that wasn't enough to kill it directly. It wasn't a beast for naught after all.
It counter attacked them with its claws and caused them to have gashing slash wounds on their bodies. It was unexpected that it could attack both sides at the same time, but that amount of damage was still tolerable for both of them. However, it suddenly accelerated and hit Beta again and again. In the earlier exchange, Beta was the one which dealt the most damage to it, infuriating it greatly. It has always been the king of that area, and now two little kids try to kill it, mocking his authority.
Beta blocked most of its attacks with his scythe and tried to injure it at the same time. Meanwhile, Brian, even though his eyes are slightly damp from the pain, he still used his saber and attacked from behind, slashing at its legs. The longer the battle lasted, the more wounds appeared on Beta and the Lynx. But it was already clear that the Lynx couldn't hold on much longer. Its attacks got slower and weaker. Of course, Beta noticed and took the opportunity as he attacked it with all his strength.
The Lynx and Beta attacked at the same time and both hits actually connected. But in the end, only one of them continued breathing - Beta. He stabbed the Lynx's head with his scythe while he faced its attack head on as it wounded him once more. "Phew... If it wasn't for my body cultivation technique, I would already be dead...", Beta contemplated. It was one of the weaker beasts, but one should never underestimate when facing it. Beta's body at the moment is coated in blood, making him look eerie. A combination of his and the Lynx's.
"Are you okay?!", Brian panicked as he saw Beta barely moving, soaked in blood.
"I'm fine. I just need some time to rest."
"Oh...Why did it only attack you?"
"In the first attack, I got a better hit on it and infuriated it. After that, it got mad because it barely penetrated my defenses."
"Eh?! That's so stupid though..."
"Well, it's only just a lower beast after all so you can't really expect too much. If we had met something stronger, we would have definitely died for sure. Also, had my defense been any worse, we would've died too. So, we are pretty lucky."
Once Beta rested enough to be able to move, he used some of the herbs in his backpack to make a paste and then spread it over his and Brian's wounds. After applying the medicine diligently, only then did he look at the body of the Lynx, with his eyes shining brightly.
"When we get back, use your beggar network to find out where the black market is. We can sell this beast for at least a few silver coins!", Beta said with a wide grin.
"Why don't we just sell it at the market like the herbs?"
"If we do that, people will know about our strength. It's always better to stay low-key and hide your strength as much as possible. You never know when you might get an enemy after all!"
"Alright. What about the herbs? Should we still sell them at the market?"
"No, we might as well sell them at the black market too. After all, it's better to not get connected to what happened here at all. We should also come back when we have time to search for its lair. Maybe we'll find something good."
It was certainly an eventful day for the both of them. So, they decided to call it a day as they stopped their conversation and slowly started preparing to go back to the city, tired, dirty, but satisfied.
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