When the sun peeked over the horizon, Liam's eyes shot open. Sleeping on the dirt had not been as bad as he had suspected, though his entire body ached. Living as a drill sergeant had softened him.

He stood and stretched out. Then, he checked to make sure his dagger was at his waist. Yes, it was there. That was good.

“I should check my status now... was too tired last night.” Liam mumbled to himself.

Status

Name: Liam Foxworth

Age: 33

Primary Class: Thief (Lv.4)

Species: Human

Lv. 4

Available Classes:

Class Description:

HP

127/127

Warrior

Physical melee class

MP

0/0

Strength

15

Dexterity

23

Agility

19

Intelligence

8

Wisdom

15

Charisma

3.1

Luck

2

Available Stat Points:

3

“Looks like it got updated again...” Liam muttered in observation. “Well, enough of that. Time to go out and actually bring some bacon home this time.”

After confirming that no one was around, he returned the blanket to his inventory. Before closing the inventory screen, he pulled out his last apple. If he did not hunt down any food or monster parts, then he would likely starve. However, just before going to sleep, he had concocted the plan of returning to the scene of the ant slaughter to pick up remains that might sell.

Rubbing his chin, he considered going straight out. However, he decided to return to the Adventurer Guild to find out if he could pry some more information from Cici or another receptionist.

Upon entering the building, he discovered that the atmosphere was very different from the previous day. Several staff members were running to and fro. A few people with disheartened expressions stood in line. Compared to his previous visit, the place gave off a much more serious vibe.

Although he was curious about the change in atmosphere, he ignored it and walked to the back of the line.

Seems like there is only one receptionist this time. It's not Cici, either. Hmm...

When it was finally his turn, he walked to the counter and was greeted by a young woman with silky black hair tied into a bun. She looked at him with kind, leather-colored eyes and asked, “My name is Cassandra. How can I help you?”

“Hmm... right. Would it be possible to get some sort of information about monsters in the area?” Liam asked.

“Well,” Cassandra answered, “we give out a bestiary to those who officially join the Adventure Guild. Otherwise, it will cost you one silver.”

At the woman's answer, Liam pursed his lips in mild frustration. He did not want to officially join until he was sure it would supply his needs. Potentially, he would be fine on his own. The only problem was the monsters.

“So, what if I happen to come across a horde of Myrmekes and a Giant?” Liam asked. He only knew the name for the giant ants thanks to his notifications.

“Eh? Are you talking about the giant that was spotted yesterday?” Cassandra asked in return.

In response, Liam nodded. “I happened to come across both of those yesterday.”

“By Sanguis... and you are still alive?”

“Got lucky.” Liam answered. “Anyway, wouldn't you feel bad if I died because I didn't understand the beasts out there when you could have given me that bestiary?”

Cassandra stared dumbfounded at Liam. He was obviously trying to guilt-trip her into giving away something for free, but it was working. “Umm... you could join the guild...” she suggested.

“I would rather not do that until I'm sure I can live off of it.” Liam retorted.

“Ugh... well, I'm not supposed to give out free stuff...” Cassandra said while averting her gaze.

Got her. “You would be raising my chances of survival.” Liam said. Perhaps he was being pushy, but anything to increase his odds was worth pursuing.

“I guess just one won't hurt... as long as you don't tell anyone...”

“I have no one to tell.” Liam said. That line is getting old, fast.

While eyeing Liam, she pulled out a book no bigger than the average novel. The cover was made of plain leather, and it only had an etching of some sort of beast on the front.

“Thanks. I appreciate your kindness.” Liam said while retrieving the bestiary from Cassandra's hands. Since she was grasping it tightly enough to cause him grief, Liam assumed she was hesitating... a lot.

“Tch...”

“That's a tad bit unprofessional.” Liam said.

“Hard to be professional when I'm basically getting swindled.” Cassandra retorted.

“No, no. You are increasing my chances of survival. Big difference.” Liam said. “Anyway, thanks. Hopefully, I'll be back later with monster parts.”

“Sure. Hope you don't die.”

“Me too.”

With that, Liam left the innocent receptionist to bask in her loss. Yes, it felt good to get something for free, and legally to boot.

While glaring at Liam's back, Cassandra muttered, “Isn't he the guy from yesterday? Yeah, he is, isn't he. So, you flirt with Cecilia, then take advantage of me... I'll make sure to return the favor...”

* * * * *

Taking the same path as the previous day, Liam meandered toward the area where the giant ants had perished. Upon reaching the area, he placed his hand over his lips in frustration. He was not the only one there. Actually, there were at least a few hundred people stealing his spoils. In fact, there was hardly anything left.

He quickly surveyed the area. Right off the bat, he noticed people throwing things into an invisible inventory. All of the idiots doing that drew heaps of attention toward themselves. Nearby, Liam heard things like:

“When did spatial magic become so easy?”

“Who are these new people?”

“Tch... they can carry all that and I can't even steal any of it...”

Yeah, I better not use my inventory where others can see me. But, damn, I should have just come out here right away...

Since there was nothing left to obtain, Liam decided to return to the ant nest. Hopefully, the nest would be empty, and he would be able to find some useful stuff. Ants collected random things, including food.

While heading into the forest, he glanced at a group of people to the right who were investigating a slew of broken trees. Obviously, the giant had torn its way through the forest. There was even a trail made of splotches of yellow blood. Based on the blood, the giant had not escaped unscathed.

Leaving the people behind, Liam sauntered into the forest. Once he was sure nobody was following, he broke into a crouch run toward the ant nest. If there was one thing he could take pride in, it was his sense of direction.

Before long, he arrived at the rocky area and easily located the nest. Unwilling to simply waltz in, he pulled the same stunt as the previous night. He threw a rock into the cave and waited for a response.

...Nothing.

Feeling more confident, he scuttled down the hill. He peeked inside, only to discover that the inside of the cave was pitch-black further in.

Guess I'll make a torch...

He ran back up the hill to gather what he needed. A quick search yielded all the necessary ingredients for a basic torch. He laid out several good-sized sticks next to a pine tree. One by one, he used his dagger to fray the ends. Once that was done, he cut the trunk of the pine tree. Using the sap that oozed from the cut, he attached hundreds of dry pine needles to the frayed ends.

“Alright. That will do quite nicely.”

Now that he was prepared, he tossed seven of the eight torches into his inventory and returned to the cave entrance with an unlit torch in one hand and kindling in the other. On the slope, he looked for a rock that might contain quartz. After several minutes, he finally found one. Using another rock, he broke it into smaller pieces. He could have used the flint he had stolen, but it would be a waste when there were so many supplies at hand.

Once he had a sharp enough piece, he pulled out his dagger. Although it was regrettable, he had no other steel to create a spark. He could always pilfer-, er, obtain another one at a later date.

He held a piece of fungus against the quartz and swiped the blade against the stone. A few tries later, the fungus caught a spark and began smoking. He wrapped up the fungus in his bundle of tinder and blew into it from below until the tinder caught fire. When it did, he swiftly lit the torch.

“Good. Time to explore.”

Experience in Crafting Skill recognized.

Adjusting skills.