Chương 61: The Botanist

"Alright, thanks anyway." Zelier put the ancient tome away. Although his hopes had been dashed, he had still gained something valuable. At the very least, he had confirmed one thing—the origin of this elven book was far more mysterious than he had imagined.

"Going to find Marcus and the others to take a quest?" Zelier suggested.

"Sure." Vaelis slung his longbow over his shoulder. …… The Adventurer's Association was as lively as ever. Zelier was starting to get addicted to this atmosphere. Thankfully, he wasn't the kind of old-fashioned mage who needed to meditate all day just to improve his strength. For him, adventure was where the real fun was. When Marcus and Grey saw Zelier walking normally again, they were equally surprised. After learning that a mage had healed his injuries, their surprise quickly turned into undisguised envy.

For adventurers like them, who lived with blades at their throats every day, injuries were a serious problem. If it wasn't a life-threatening wound, things were still manageable. The recovery ability granted by the Heart of Qi, combined with some treatment from a clinic, could slowly restore their bodies. It was painful, but survivable.

However, if they suffered a serious injury that left them crippled, then unless they had enough savings to hire an Empowering Mage to treat them personally, their adventuring career was basically over. And most adventurers simply didn't have that kind of money. Gark, for example, was still lying in bed recovering.

"Sigh… In my next life, I'm becoming a mage." Grey dragged out his words, his face full of longing.

"That's easy." Vaelis glanced at him.

"Get drunk, walk deep into Ashwood Forest, and sleep there for a night. You'll be reborn soon enough."

"That'll really let me become a mage?"

"Maybe. Though there's also a chance you'll reincarnate as a goblin and get shot dead by me." Marcus was already used to their endless verbal sparring. He simply ignored them and brought Zelier to the quest board. Their eyes swept across the countless posted requests. Eventually, one newly issued quest caught Zelier's attention. He reached out and pulled the parchment from the board.

【Undead Cleansing Request: Cemetery】 According to a report from Blackstone Town resident Madam Edelyn, she witnessed a horrifying scene at the suburban graveyard late at night: Multiple skeletons crawled out from beneath the earth and wandered endlessly throughout the cemetery. To preserve the peace of the deceased and eliminate potential threats, an adventurer party is being recruited to clear the area. Quest Rank: Low-tier (2 Stars) Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Objective: Eliminate all Skeleton Soldiers within the cemetery. Estimated number: around twenty. There is also a possibility of encountering Vile Skeletal Amalgams. Adventurers are advised to prepare themselves for combat. Reward: 10 silver coins per Skeleton Soldier eliminated. 10 gold coins for each Vile Skeletal Amalgam defeated. Association Notes: Skeleton Soldiers usually only appear during nighttime. Please plan your operation accordingly.

Additionally: Adventurers who are afraid of ghosts are advised not to participate. Vaelis leaned over and read through the request. He frowned.

"What kind of person passes by a cemetery in the middle of the night?"

"A widow, obviously." Grey shrugged.

"Dark nights and strong winds make it easier to sneak around. I've seen plenty of things like that."

"Anyone here afraid of ghosts?" Marcus asked.

"I'm fine." Zelier shrugged.

"Not really my thing." He had always been a firm believer in science. Ghosts weren't something he worried about. Although… this was another world. Maybe ghosts really did exist here. That was a little troublesome. But it didn't matter too much. If there really was a ghost, he could just blast it with an Arcane Missile. One wasn't enough? Then two.

"Depends on the ghost." Grey stroked his chin seriously.

"A male ghost is nothing special. But if it's a female ghost…" His grin widened.

"I might actually be more excited." Vaelis rolled his eyes. Marcus calculated the situation.

"Twenty or so Skeleton Soldiers, possibly a Vile Skeletal Amalgam. The four of us should be enough."

"Speaking of which, where's Cyr?" Zelier suddenly remembered the assassin. Having Cyr in the party meant they could accept higher-level quests. The rewards and experience would increase significantly as well.

"That female assassin?" Grey shrugged.

"No idea. Haven't seen her since the goblin quest."

"She probably got another job from the Assassin Guild. I'd guess she's busy preparing to slit some unlucky bastard's throat." Zelier thought about it for a moment, then abandoned the idea of using the token to visit No. 7 Dark Lane and find her. This quest didn't need Cyr anyway. Marcus took the selected request and walked toward the front desk. He noticed Aila standing there, stretching onto her tiptoes while looking in a certain direction.

"What are you looking at?" Marcus followed her gaze. He happened to see Zelier and the others.

"Ah… nothing." Aila immediately turned back.

"I was just checking on whether Mr. Zelier's injuries had recovered." She only realized Marcus had arrived after he spoke. She cleared her throat and returned to her professional expression.

"Guildmaster Hogan specifically instructed me to pay attention to this. Mages like Mr. Zelier are quite rare within the Association, so we need to provide special attention." After registering the quest members, Marcus announced that the party was disbanding temporarily. Everyone returned home to prepare. Since Skeleton Soldiers only appeared around midnight, their meeting time was set for the following evening. Dusk. The sky was painted a brilliant orange.

The four members of Marcus' squad gathered at the Blackstone Town gate right on time. The cemetery where Madam Edelyn witnessed the Skeleton Soldiers was located west of Blackstone Town, far away from Ashwood Forest. As the party traveled, their surroundings became much more open. The towering ancient trees that blocked out the sky grew fewer, replaced by gentle hills and scattered bushes. However, during their journey, Grey noticed something strange about Zelier. The young mage's eyes remained fixed on the ground.

He would walk a few steps, stop, search around, then continue again.

"What are you looking for down there?" Grey leaned over curiously.

"Did you find some money?" He lowered his head and started searching alongside Zelier.

"I'm looking for herbs." Zelier didn't even raise his head. A small purple flower growing beside the road had caught his attention. Its appearance was rather unusual. Zelier carefully dug it out with his shovel and placed it into his herb pouch.

"When did you become a botanist?" Grey asked curiously.

"You wouldn't understand." Zelier didn't bother explaining. Ever since witnessing Manlin's incredible Extraction Spell, Zelier had developed a strong interest in alchemy and potion-making. If prepared properly, potions could provide an enormous advantage during battles. The problem was that he still didn't know any potion recipes. Asking Manlin directly felt a little too suspicious. After all, on the surface, he wasn't supposed to be able to learn Empowering Magic.

He needed to find a reasonable excuse before asking his mentor for a few recipes. And so, while the party continued forward, Zelier kept stopping every now and then to collect strange plants. By the time they had gathered more than a dozen different herbs, the sky had completely darkened. The squad had finally arrived near their destination.