The Exiled Knight Takes Up Life as an Adventurer — A Former Captain's Secret Power and His Carefree Days in a Distant Land - Chapter 10

“Alright, time to start collecting.”

I had arrived at Kaen Forest, the designated collection area.

Today’s target herbs were five in total:

Bittermount Herb (Kusura), Hempgrass (Mao), Fire Peachgrass (Ozuk), White Grapefruit (Torhi), and Ginseng Root (Jirot).

I needed two Kirks of each.

In terms of difficulty, this quest was about on par with the easiest E-rank jobs.

However, Ginseng Root Jirot was notoriously tricky—it was hard to locate, and you had to dig to extract it, so most adventurers avoided it.

But I happened to know a spot where Jirot grew in the wild.

A secret place I’d never told anyone.

That’s why I always snatched up these herb collection quests the moment I spotted Jirot on the list.

“Information is everything. Makes it easy to earn with little effort.”

I walked deeper into the forest and began gathering the simpler herbs first—Kusura, Mao, and Ozuk.

These were commonly found in most forests and were used in all sorts of medical treatments.

One by one, I placed them into the basket strapped to my back.

“That should do it.”

Next was White Grapefruit, Torhi.

I headed further into the forest and picked the fruits directly from a Torhi tree.

“Nice—these look like good ones.”

Torhi fruits were about thirty Sedelt in diameter.

Two of these should be more than enough.

As old man Arajji had mentioned earlier, Torhi harvested this time of year were especially delicious.

I grabbed a couple—one for myself, one for the old man.

“Alright, last up is Ginseng Root Jirot.”

Sunlight streamed through the canopy above as I looked up at the forest.

The sun had just passed overhead.

It was early summer, which meant long days.

Plenty of time left.

I made my way toward the hidden spot where Jirot grew.

Once I reached the location, I drew my gathering dagger, Cortello, from my belt.

Cortello was a kind of short utility knife—an essential tool for adventurers used in gathering materials.

Its tip was sharp, and its blade was wide, allowing it to stab, slice, scrape, and dig—very versatile.

“Ugh, this is gonna kill my back…”

Crouching down, I began to dig with Cortello.

Jirot grows straight down into the earth, so I had to carefully dig around it to avoid snapping the root.

“Ughh… my back… my back…”

After collecting three roots, I took a break.

I sat at the base of a large tree and leaned against it like a chair with a backrest.

“Man… once you’re past thirty, even simple gathering gets rough. I just need one more root, but I’m beat.”

I took a swig from my canteen and wiped the sweat from my brow with a towel.

Suddenly, all the birds in the area scattered at once.

“Hm? What’s going on?”

I heard rustling leaves and snapping twigs.

“An animal?”

I crouched low and turned my gaze toward the source of the sound.

About fifty Medelts ahead, I saw a large, black figure.

“A Brown-Tusked Boar, maybe?”

No… it was too big for that.

“Wait, that’s… That’s a—C-Clawfang Bear! That’s the one from the quest request!”

It was the C-rank monster Clawfang Bear Berua.

I immediately held my breath and ducked into the brush.

But that thing had a keen sense of smell.

It wouldn’t be long before it noticed me.

“Tch. This is bad. Once a Clawfang Bear locks on to prey, it won’t stop chasing until one of you is dead.”

I quickly pulled my Raphil thread spool from my belt and tied a large loop at the end.

I ran the loop through a low-hanging branch on the tree I’d been resting against and spread it out across the forest floor.

Then I pulled one of the Torhi fruits from my basket and placed it in the center of the loop.

Using the Raphil, I had set up a makeshift snare trap.

Now, to bind the Clawfang Bear.

“So… he already noticed me. No chance of escaping now.”

The Clawfang Bear, Berua, began approaching slowly, as if carefully sizing me up.

It was only thirty Medelts away.

“He’s coming!”

Suddenly, the Clawfang Bear charged straight at me.

They say its burst speed can rival that of a horse.

I focused entirely on the White Grapefruit, Torhi, placed at the center of the trap.

The moment it stepped on the fruit was the cue to pull the Raphil thread.

Too early or too late, and I’d be dead.

“Just a bit closer…”

The Clawfang Bear stepped squarely on the Torhi fruit.

It burst beneath its foot, juice splattering in every direction.

That was the signal. I yanked the Raphil with everything I had.

“Got it!”

The thread looped around the Clawfang Bear’s right leg and tightened.

Caught off guard, the bear slipped and crashed to the ground.

Gritting my teeth, I threw my full weight into pulling the Raphil.

“Ughhh—he’s heavy!”

For a moment, the force lifted my body off the ground—but I quickly dropped my center of gravity and pulled downward, using my weight to my advantage.

In turn, the massive bear began to rise slightly off the ground.

“Damn it, stop thrashing!”

“GUGOOOHH!! GUGOOOOHH!!”

Snared by one leg, the Clawfang Bear swung its enormous claws wildly.

But I didn’t stop. I kept pulling the Raphil with all I had.

“He’s so heavy! Gah—my back!”

The Clawfang Bear was roughly three Medelts long, but with its arms stretched out, it could easily reach five.

“Huff… huff… heavy as hell…”

When I finally managed to pull the beast fully into the air, I tied the Raphil securely around a thick nearby tree.

The Raphil thread was strong enough to restrain even a large monster.

“Hah… hah… there… that should do it…”

Breathing heavily, I rested both hands on my knees and tried to catch my breath.

“Alright… time to finish this.”

Even suspended in the air, the Clawfang Bear was still thrashing.

If one of those claws hit me, it would take my head clean off.

I drew my longsword and waited for the right moment.

“Now!”

As soon as the bear’s movement paused, I slashed downward—cutting its throat clean open.

A spray of bl00d gushed out like a fountain.

“Perfect bloodletting. Clawfang Bear makes for a good stew, you know.”

Upside down, bl00d poured steadily from its neck.

“Well, I still need one more Ginseng Root, Jirot.”

I headed back to the spot and started digging again.

“Ughh… finally done. Between Jirot and the Clawfang Bear, this day’s been murder on my back.”

When I returned to the bear, it had stopped moving completely.

“Alright. Time to head back to the guild. I’ll drop off the herbs, then come back with a dismantler and a transporter.”

With that, I left the forest and made my way back to town.