Pick Me Up!

Chapter 24: Weakly Dungeon (3) Part 2

Later, I made my way towards the dimensional portal, carrying the spoils.

Was it possible to bring them back without placing the ingredients inside the portal? If I simply held them in my hands, would they return with me? If so, there would be no need for this arduous journey. However, if not, it would certainly pose a predicament. The Forest Queen wasn’t a monster that appeared at any given moment. Even after spending an entire day visiting the Forest of Trials, there were instances where it failed to make an appearance.

With the intention of not missing out on any rare materials, I personally carried them all the way to the dimensional portal.

I strapped the sword to my waist and held the blood-stained shield’s ring in my left hand. In my right hand, I grasped the severed head of the deer.

There was no other choice. Since I couldn’t remove the antlers, I had to cut off the neck instead. Although it was a bit challenging to sever the bones, they weren’t as tough as the antlers.

As I descended along the valley, a rustling sound caught my attention from the right. It wasn’t an animal. There was a faint scent of blood carried by the wind.

“Heii! It’s a monster!”

The man, who was in the process of moving the hind leg of the slaughtered deer, looked at me and hesitated.

“A monster?”

“Oh, uh…”

The man stumbled and stood up.

“Is that you, Han?”

“Do I need to introduce myself every time you see me?”

I dragged the severed deer head along as I moved forward. It was evident that appearances could be deceiving. My clothes were torn from the battle with the queen, and I wore a makeshift armor of deer hide, stained with the deer’s blood.

Soon, Jenna emerged from the depths of the forest. Her sleeves were also stained with blood.

“Oh, hey, oppa?”

“I’m tired, lend me a hand.”

I tossed the deer head in front of Jenna.

Roll, roll. The lifeless eyes of the dead deer gazed at Jenna.

“Why is this deer so huge?!”

“I went hunting for a big one.”

“Oh, you should have called me! I would have joined you earlier.”

“…”

Jenna held the deer’s head with both hands.

The blood stains on her dress didn’t seem to bother her.

“She’s quite a character.”

If there was one word to describe her, it would be eccentric.

That’s why I brought her along.

“How many did you catch?”

“Two deer and a wild boar. That should keep everyone in the waiting room satisfied for a while.”

“Everyone in the waiting room?”

“Yes. We don’t eat among ourselves only. But why did you bring the head? The head doesn’t taste good.”

“I brought it because of the antlers. They just wouldn’t come off.”

“Now that I think about it, this one is a female deer with antlers.”

“Can you determine the gender just by looking at the head?”

“Of course. I’ve spent a long time in the forest, you know.”

We arrived at the dimensional portal.

I first sprinkled the blood from the shield.

[‘Han(★)’ has collected ‘Queen’s Blood’.]

[Tips/In the weekly dungeon, heroes often collect rare materials.]

“Good.”josei

If it hadn’t worked, I would have meant throwing away valuable materials.

Next, I instructed Jenna to throw the head into the dimensional portal.

[‘Jenna(★)’ has collected ‘Queen’s Antlers’.]

This works too.

The head, which wasn’t recognized as an item, disappeared, and only the antlers seemed to have been transferred.

In front of the dimensional portal, three party members diligently transferred the gathered materials.

[‘Louis(★)’ has collected ‘Deer Hide’.]

[‘Jeffery(★)’ has collected ‘Wild Boar Meat’.]

[‘Owen(★)’ has collected ‘Tree Branch’…’]

Lastly, I swiftly threw in the elemental stone without anyone noticing. The collection complete message appeared.

[Ching!]

[Skill Awakening!]

[‘Jenna(★)’ has acquired the ‘Forest Hunter’ skill!]

“She’s awakening again, huh.”

The Forest Hunter skill is a passive ability that enhances combat performance in forest environments and provides bonuses to animal hunting. Considering her background of living in the forest and having a hunter as a father, I had some expectations.

Before I knew it, the materials accumulated in front of the dimensional portal were revealed.

[03:21]

“Should I catch one more?”

“Leave it. We’ll be heading back soon.”

“But how do you know all this? Are you practicing magic or something?”

“You’ll find out how soon enough.”

When a magician joins and a magic research lab is built, the research tab becomes available.

Among the research options, there is a category called “Responsiveness Research.” This research aims to improve the hero’s ability to respond to the master’s commands. The higher the research level, the clearer the hero’s understanding and ability to discern the master’s requests.

If it weren’t for me, those who came here would have wandered around cluelessly and probably returned empty-handed. I know this from my own experience as a master.

I sent them to gather resources, but they returned without anything.

If my prediction is correct, once the research is completed, the people here will soon be able to see the system as well. However, we’re not there yet.

I found a comfortable spot under the shade of a suitable tree and stretched out, resting my legs.

A refreshing breeze blew, carrying a faint scent of the recorded voice. As I relaxed, the three men also took a breather, keeping an eye on me.

Soon, a bright light enveloped us.

[Mission Complete!]

[The hero will return to the waiting room.]

[Obtained Items]

[Tree Branch x54]

[Deer…]

We returned through the dimensional rift.

Stepping out into the plaza, it was already late at night. The three men bid me farewell and disappeared into their lodgings, ready to rest.

[Tips/Want more materials? Gather the idle heroes and send them to the weekly dungeon!]

[Form a party.]

[Drag and drop heroes!]

[‘Han(★)’ will be removed from ‘Party 4’.]

[‘Jenna(★)’…]

This time, Anytng removed all the existing members from Party 4 and started forming a new party with Aaron leading the way, along with Dika and three more people.

It was a necessary measure since heroes who had already visited the weekly dungeon couldn’t go again until the next day. Of course, with special skills, they could go twice or even three times. They were referred to as “Collection Agents” and were responsible for gathering resources.

Jenna pouted and spoke up.

“I want to hunt a little more. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance.”

[‘Jenna(★)’ wishes to participate in the Forest Weekly Dungeon.]

[But she can’t. It’s not possible.]

“Anyway, I should inform Chloe-nee about this good news. We can finally enjoy a meat dish!”

“Tell her when you wake up. Get up and tell her.”

It was the perfect time to approach Chloe.

As the one in charge of cooking, she moved faster during the night and morning than others.

Yawning, I made my way back to the lodging.

Having collected the Windstone, only the Fire and Water stones remained.