The sun filtered through the warped panes of the apothecary's windows, casting hazy golden patches across the wooden floor. Elena stood behind the counter with her sleeves rolled up and her fingers stained a faint green from handling ground nettle.
"That'll be two silver crowns," she told the middle-aged man whose shirt bore the insignia of a local courier guild. He grunted, fished out the payment, and took the satchel of medicinal salve without a word.
Elena exhaled softly. Another order completed. Her ledger was starting to look more promising, with ten orders fulfilled in the past four days. She was starting to learn which herbs fetched higher prices and which ones were mostly for show. Dockroot, for example, sounded fancy but was nearly worthless unless fermented for days.
"Virelle!" came Mistress Caldia's voice from the rear storeroom. "We're low on azurewort and dried frostpetal! You'll need to get more from the guild market later. Don't let them overcharge you again."
"Yes, Mistress," Elena called back, scribbling a note to herself.
Outside, the streets buzzed with late-morning life. She carried the empty herb basket over her arm, her coin pouch carefully tucked into her tunic. The guild market was always a swirl of shouting vendors, bargaining mages, and the smell of roasted chestnuts. Elena found herself smiling faintly. It was noisy, confusing, and sometimes exhausting—but oddly comforting.
As she passed the fountain square near the scribe's guild, something caught her attention. Two younger adventurers—barely out of their teens—stood huddled under an oak tree with a third man in light leathers. The third man's voice was sharp.
"I'm not takin' kids into the Shrouded Hollow without proper gear. Last group I took came back with mushroom spores in their lungs and frostbite on their feet."
"B-but the bounty board said it was just gathering dewcap mushrooms—" one of the teens started.
"That's what you think. Dewcap doesn't grow near the road anymore. It's migrated deeper thanks to the frost wasps."
Elena didn't mean to linger, but the words stuck in her head as she moved along. Shrouded Hollow. Bounty board. Mushroom spores.
She couldn't help but glance toward the central guild tower where the task board stood. It was filled with fluttering notes like always. Some written in neat script, others in desperate scrawl.
She paused.
Her system pinged quietly. It had been silent for days.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Optional Side Task — Gathering Herbs in Low-Risk Wild Zones — UNLOCK CONDITION: Access basic survival gear.]
Elena blinked. It was the first time the system had offered anything remotely adventurous. Until now, it had only given her learning modules, reading comprehension bonuses, and bookkeeping notifications. Nothing field-related.
[Current Inventory Check: Basic survival gear NOT detected. Task remains locked.]
[Hint: Visit appropriate guild stalls or vendors to acquire gear.]
Well. That was new.
She stood there, debating. Survival gear sounded expensive. Probably more than she could afford right now unless she gave up meals for the week. But it also made her curious.
The system had slowly become her second brain, a quiet observer nudging her with suggestions and data. Was it trying to prepare her for something?
"Elena?"
She turned, startled. It was Liora, dressed in simple brown traveling clothes, a satchel slung over one shoulder.
"Oh—hello." Elena straightened a bit too quickly.
"You looked like you were thinking very hard."
"I was… just wondering how expensive a bedroll is."
Liora blinked. "Ah. Planning to sleep on rooftops now?"
Elena smiled despite herself. "No, just… curious. The system mentioned something about field gear. I think it's nudging me to go outside the city."
Liora tilted her head. "Hmm. It's not unusual. Most beginner mages or scholars eventually hit that point. The system recognizes learning potential beyond books. But it's best to prepare before accepting those."
She reached into her satchel and handed Elena a folded slip of parchment.
"What's this?"
"A recommended equipment list for low-risk excursions. I used it when I first started. I even marked the vendors with fair prices."
Elena was touched. "Thank you."
Liora smiled, then nodded toward the bounty board. "You'll be tempted to pick something flashy—'slay frost wolves' or 'collect venom sacs'—don't. Start with herb-gathering. It's safer and still qualifies for system progression."
Elena carefully tucked the list into her basket. Her stomach churned slightly—not from fear, but from a cautious sort of excitement.
Maybe this world wasn't going to keep her behind a counter forever.
---
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Side Task List Updated. Available upon meeting gear requirement. Progression rate increases 12% in field learning modules.]
She bit her lip. Just how deep would this system take her?
For now, she had azurewort and frostpetal to buy. But maybe soon—she'd be the one picking them fresh from the Hollow.
---
"Five Coppers, Two Chickens, and a Missing Mushroom"
Elena squatted beside a basket of root vegetables, her hands dusted with soil as she helped Old Merna sort through the week's harvest. The sun shone warmly on her shoulders, and birds chirped in the distance—a deceptive calm, considering the System had pinged her with a new task barely an hour ago.
[System Task: Beginner Foraging Quest Activated]
Objective: Locate and retrieve a "Suncap Mushroom" from Greenbell Hollow.
Reward: +1 Herbalism, 20 EXP, and 5 copper crowns.
Bonus Objective: Discover a secondary edible specimen.
Time Limit: 6 hours.
Accept? [Yes] [No]
Naturally, she had clicked [Yes] with reckless curiosity.
"Hmm, that carrot's too soft. Toss it to the side," Merna grunted, jarring Elena from her thoughts.
Elena blinked. "Right. Sorry. I was... just thinking about something."
"You've been daydreaming more than usual, girl. You get enough sleep?" the elderly farmer asked, raising a wiry brow.
"Plenty," Elena lied smoothly. She stood, brushing off her hands. "Actually, I was wondering—would it be okay if I took a break for the afternoon? I have an errand near the forest."
Merna gave her a sharp look. "You're not chasing after that cheeky red-headed herbalist again, are you?"
"No! I mean—no, of course not," Elena stammered, turning red.
Merna snorted. "Good. You're still too soft to deal with girls like her. But go on, take the rest of the afternoon. Just don't bring trouble back with you."
---
Greenbell Hollow sat half an hour's walk south of the village. Elena packed a simple satchel: a waterskin, her wooden gathering knife, a few cloth wraps, and a scribbled map she'd copied from the library. She also slipped in two slices of cold meat pie from breakfast—Liora had insisted on feeding her again that morning, muttering about "skinny apprentices dropping dead in the woods."
The walk was pleasant, until the thickets grew dense and the path narrowed into twisted branches and thick ferns. Greenbell Hollow wasn't dangerous per se, but Elena remembered overhearing one of the town's herbalists mutter about getting chased by territorial squirrels.
"Suncap mushroom," Elena murmured, scanning the undergrowth. "It's supposed to glow faintly... likes shade, rotting logs, and damp spots."
She carefully stepped over a moss-covered root, her boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. The System's mini-compass projected faintly in her field of view, flickering until it pinged.
[Suncap detected: 27 meters east]
She pushed past a curtain of ferns—and gasped.
Nestled beneath a fallen log was a small cluster of luminescent golden mushrooms. They looked like little suns resting on pale stems, glowing ever so slightly in the shadows.
She crouched and began harvesting, cutting carefully at the stems and placing them in her wrap cloth.
[Item Acquired: Suncap Mushroom x3]
[Task Objective Complete – Bonus Objective Pending]
"Now for a second edible," Elena whispered.
She turned and began scanning the area. Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. She finally spotted a cluster of delicate violet-streaked mushrooms growing near the edge of a stream.
As she approached—
Something rustled.
Elena froze. The bushes parted and a blur of feathers and beady eyes darted toward her.
"By the stars!" she yelped.
Two wild chickens—yes, chickens—charged her legs with a fury that suggested their ancestors were velociraptors. She stumbled backward and hit the ground with a thud, flailing to fend them off.
A third chicken darted in from the left, snatching one of her Suncaps in its beak before sprinting off into the underbrush.
"Oh no you don't!" Elena scrambled up, chasing after it.
---
Five minutes later, Elena emerged from the thicket, triumphant, muddy, and slightly pecked, with the stolen mushroom tucked back in her bag and two very annoyed chickens in tow.
They refused to leave her alone.
"You followed me this far?!" she groaned, staring down at the pair. They clucked defiantly.
In the distance, someone laughed.
Elena turned sharply. A tall young man with a lazy grin stood by a tree, watching the chaos unfold. He wore light traveler's gear and carried a slung bag that marked him as a low-ranking adventurer.
"First time encountering forest chickens?" he asked, amused.
Elena crossed her arms. "I didn't even know forest chickens were a thing."
"They're wild. And petty. They hold grudges. One of them chased me for stealing an egg last season."
Elena sighed and muttered, "Why does this world always surprise me in the weirdest ways...?"
He stepped closer. "You're not from around here, are you?"
"No. I'm... still learning," she replied, avoiding eye contact.
"Name's Corin. Local forager, part-time adventurer. Want help getting those chickens off your trail?"
"Please."
He pulled a small pouch from his satchel, scattering something on the ground. The chickens immediately lunged at the feed, forgetting Elena entirely.
"Consider it a trade," Corin said with a grin. "What'd you find in there? If it's Suncaps, I'll buy one."
Elena hesitated, then nodded. "Five copper?"
He pulled out a small pouch and handed her the coins. "Deal."
[+5 copper crowns added]
[Bonus Objective Complete – Violetcap Mushroom identified]
[+1 Herbalism]
[+20 EXP]
[System Message: You have leveled up! Level 4 → Level 5]
New Stat Points Available: 3
Minor Perk Unlocked: "Careful Hands" – +5% gathering efficiency on delicate materials.
She blinked at the System windows and then smiled faintly. "Worth the chicken ambush, I guess."
Corin watched her curiously. "You've got that look. The 'something only I can see is happening' look."
"I—uh, just remembered something important," Elena replied hastily.
"Right. Well, be careful next time. There's worse than chickens in the Hollow. Say, do you do commissions?"
Elena tilted her head. "Commissions?"
"Foraged ingredients, herbs, rare plants. I could use help filling some requests from the guild. If you're interested."
"I'll think about it," she said slowly. "I might be helping at the alchemy shop more often soon."
"Ah, Liora's place. Then good luck," Corin said with a knowing chuckle. "She's terrifying."
Elena turned to leave, bag full, system window blinking with stats and rewards—and the two chickens clucking distantly behind her.
---
By the time she returned to the village, the sun had dipped low, casting long shadows across the cobbled streets. Liora was waiting on the shop steps, a mug of tea in her hands.
"Looks like you've been attacked by wildlife," she said, lips twitching in amusement.
"You could say that," Elena muttered, dropping the muddy satchel with a grin.
Liora reached over and plucked a small feather from Elena's hair. "I'll make tea. You tell me the story."
"Only if you promise not to laugh," Elena said.
"No promises."
---
[Elena Virelle – Status Update]
Level: 5
EXP: 10/150
Herbalism: Novice (1)
Perk: "Careful Hands" – +5% efficiency
Funds: 5 silver, 22 copper crowns
System Quests: New Daily Tasks Available
Favorability (Liora): 29/100
---
[End of Chapter 27]