Looking at the poor horned-armored-bear-thing or armored bear how Fiona named it being slowly sliced by oversized wasps with their sharp-looking claws, I could not help but let out a small sigh. 

’At least now I know for what these claws were used. And apparently, knowing it doesn't help me with anything.’

I closed my eyes for a second and took in a good chunk of air before to let it out slowly in an attempt to calm myself a little. 

I didn't know if that worked or not but I could not waste any more time. Due to my modifications, once the arrow is out I had no choice but to fire it. 

With a swish sound, the arrow darted from my bow and shortly afterward bloomed in a huge ball of fire. This time, I was sure to send my mana through the arrow with a little delay to not burn myself or something. It worked quite good. 

As the arrow hit the dead bear right between the unsuspecting wasps, the whole thing was engulfed in flames for several seconds after which four burning wasps attempted to take flight in random directions just to crash into the ground shortly afterward. 

Turning my head to look at Fiona, she already started to run toward the closest one with her sword in hand. No matter how many times I saw it, I was amazed at how fast she was every time. 

If I were to compare with something, I'd say somehow at a professional athlete level. Maybe that didn't feel much at first sight but imagine that coming from a 14 years old girl who for some reasons looked younger than that...

As she came closer to the struggling wasp, she quickly stepped on his side and smug her sword down. The wasp head was severed in one go after which she run to the next one.

I was a little surprised at how easy she finished it. I didn't expect her to lose, not even to have problems dealing with it but that was a little too easy. I expected for the wasp to at least try to fight back somehow. 

Seeing her doing pretty much the same thing to the next one I suddenly got an idea as to why the wasps weren't fighting back so I stepped out of the cover and cautiously approach one of them.

When I got around seven or eight meters to it, my hypothesis was basically confirmed. I didn't know if the wasp could hear me or sense me somehow but it surely couldn't see me anymore. 

’If your unprotected bowl-sized eyes were hit by a flame like that... Yeah, not much to comment here.’

In fact, there was a bluish liquid dripping from them.

Determining that it was dangerous to delay our stay here any further, I took one of my normal arrows and hit it right through his right eye to damage his brain.

’If it even has something like that.’

 Luckily, the wasp frantically struggled for several seconds before slowing down and stopping to move soon afterward. 

[*Ding: You have killed level 18 Giant Wasp!] 

[*Ding: {Apprentice Bow Technique} reached level 4!]

’At least his death wasn't pointless.’

Somehow, the tense situation from several minutes ago turned out in this one-sided slaughter... It was almost laughable. 

The sole detriment was that we couldn't help but damage the eyes with this method. That bluish liquid was very useful in alchemy or so I heard from the receptionist at the guild. 

It wasn't my case, but for someone with limited space, you had to know which parts were useful and which not.

A pair of eyes were around 2 silver coins but with the huge amount from the quest, the price would surely drop a little. If I were to take into consideration that they were damaged too, I doubted we could take even 1 silver coin for a pair. 

[*Ding: You have reached level 27!]

” Huh? ”

’What the hell... Ahh, no... Wait a moment.’

” Heeh... So, that was the case. ” I let out these words as I turned my head to Fiona who just killed the last wasp. 

I had a hunch about it but now I was sure. Even though I wasn't the one who killed the wasp, I took some experience too for damaging it. Just that was harder to figure out since just the one who killed it received the announcement. 

’Status’

----------------------------

• Name: Elizabeth 
• Level: 27
• Race: Elven
• Sex: Female
• Age:  17
• ----------
• Vitality:  103
• Power:  72
• Dexterity:  40
• Spirit:  85
• Mana: 280
• ----------

• <Skills>

Racial skills:

1. [Child of the Forest]
2. [Elemental Magic Affinity]
3. [Enchanted Senses]
4. [Superior Bow Technique]

  Normal skills:

1. [Appraisal 5] 
2. [Apprentice Enchanter 5] 
3. [Apprentice Blacksmith 2]
4. [Apprentice Spear Technique 2]
5. [Apprentice Bow Technique 4]
6. [Mana Manipulation 5]
7. [Fire Manipulation 5]
8. [Earth Manipulation 1]
9. [Wind Manipulation 1]

Passive skills:

1. [Amissi Common Language]
2. [Elven Language]
3.  [Odder’s Black Ring Bound of Blood]

----------------------------

Yup. My bow technique got another level up. I was quite proud of it actually. Unlike the whole level up system where you kill things and grow, to level up skills wasn't that simple.

It was called skill for a reason. You couldn't magically gain knowledge, experience, and use better that particular skill out of nowhere. 

For example, I managed to increase my [Apprentice Bow Technique] to level 4 because my arrow wouldn't have gone through its hard carapace so I aimed at his weak point. 

If I were to shot arrow after arrow until his carapace broke down, it was most likely to not gain any level up from it despite the end result being the same.

It counted less that I killed the wasp but was more important the way I killed it. What mattered was that I gained something from it. 

I could instinctively tell that the new increase in level would help me to focus better on my enemy weakness from now since that was what I aimed for.

The skill was more about guiding and helping to refine what you already achieved and less about giving you everything out of nowhere. It was somehow a testimony of your talent and hard work.

” Muffufufufu... ”

” Lizza! ”

” Ohh, yeah... Sorry, Fio. I'll come right now. ”

Storing away my prey, I quickly made a tour around the place and retrieved the rest of them, the mutilated bear included. 

” Umu. Not bad. Not bad at all, Fio. ”

” Mm. ”

” You did great. I'm proud of you. ”

” M-Mm. ”

She was so easy to guess. Her waging tail was so obvious that I almost let you a laugh. 

I couldn't help but think that she looked adorable even though mere moments earlier she was severing giant wasp heads with a sword. If I were to think like this, maybe my definition of adorable was a bit strange... 

’But who minds small details like these, right?’

” If all is good we should get moving... Oh, you kept a pair of wasp claws? ”

” Mm. I'll put them in the rucksack. Also, you should put your helmet, Lizza. ”

” Ohh, yeah... I forgot about it. ”

Before to leave the city I made Sara make me an improvised leather helmet. Since we weren't the only people taking this quest, there were chances of meeting other adventurers. 

It was plainly obvious that I couldn't use my normal hat and the hood wasn't a viable option either. 

Taking out the helmet and looking at it, I chuckled at what I saw. Since the time was limited she couldn't help but improvise something at the last minute. There wasn't enough time for a real helmet so we took something resembling a fez for the interior and placed the leather as a covering. She additionally made the leather run down on the sides and in the back, letting just the front uncovered to look more like a genuine one. 

” How do I look? ”

” Mm. Lizza looks great. ”

” Yeah, it feels a little uncomfortable but I think I can manage somehow. ” I said and tried to adjust it somehow to be more comfortable.

She got back to take our rucksack and put the pair of wasp claws in it. Outside of their utility as a material, we need to take them back as proof of subjugation. We could simply stock them in the ring but if we already decided to keep the rucksack for appearances, it was weird to not have at least several claws in it as well. 

’Then, I suppose we should get moving?’

.

.

.

As the day passed, we had quite a few encounters with the wasps. To call it an emergency wasn't incorrect, they were pretty much everywhere. 

And the frequency at which we encountered them and the number of individuals in a group was growing as we approached their nest. 

It was pretty easy to figure out the nest. While the free ones didn't have a special pattern and seemed to simply wander around searching for food, the ones who were loaded with prey headed always in the same direction. 

As night arrived, we stumbled upon another problem. These guys didn't seem to have an off button. They were active at night the same way as on daylight. 

I should have figured at least that much because in their nest was mostly dark all the time. They probably had some kind of night vision as well. 

We solved the problem surprisingly easy though. If we stay hidden and keep quiet, we were pretty much safe. Because we approached their base, the other monsters weren't a problem either. They had been wiped out by the wasps already. 

In the next two days, we started to especially target the loaded groups since these were easy targets. If I were to make a rough estimation, we managed to kill around a hundred wasps in total. 

Fiona gained another two levels since she was the one who gave the decisive blow. She reached level 32 already. I managed to gain just another level but that didn't bother me. 

I was more excited because my [Mana Manipulation] and [Fire Manipulation] gained two levels each and on top of that, another one for [Apprentice Bow Technique]. Even Fiona seemed to be visible more skilled with her sword. I assumed that she managed to get some levels in that too.

The situation was looking very good. And maybe that was the cause I got injured on the fourth day. 

When all went smoothly, you tend to let your guard down. A basic rule. But it was at the moment I experienced it on my own skin that I truly understand how true that was. 

 I managed to make it out pretty cheap, some superficial bruises and scratches and a slight wound on my left arm, but that was because I was lucky and managed to react in time. 

After I shot a group of three wasps who were returning to the nest, I was too preoccupied with the outcome to notice that a stray wasp was attracted by the noise approaching from my back. 

When I noticed it, the wasp was already too close to shot an arrow at it so I let go of the bow and took out my spear in an attempt to fend off the charging wasp. 

Since the spear basically came out of tin air, the wasp didn't manage to avoid it and ended pierced by it through his mouth. The problem was that I couldn't do much about the high speed with which the wasp came at me so it ended up crashing into me and sending me several meters rolling through the ground. 

” Ouch, is that really necessary, Fio? ”

” It is. Don't struggle anymore and let me change the bandage one more time. ”

” But it's almost closed. Isn't that enough? ”

” It's not. Even in the raw form, applying this on the wound will raise your natural regeneration by several times. As the wound looks like, we need to apply it at least one more time to be healed completely. ”

” Ugh... Fine, fine... It couldn't be helped. I need to be in good shape if we were to encounter another group while I'm still wounded. Go ahead and... Ouch... What... No, ouch... at least let me finish my self-encouraging speech. ”

I tried to protest against the unfair treatment but she wasn't moved at all by it. I wonder from where popped this unyielding demon and where disappeared my adorable and friendly fluff...

Moving my sight around the place in an attempt to forget about the pain, it landed on the discarded bandages who got removed from my hand.

I couldn't help but look with hatred at the mixture of green and red that was lingering on them. I would be extremely thankful that we had such a great thing with us if not for the intense pain it causes.  

” It will help you, Lizza. You don't have my vitality so we have to use more on you. ”

” I know, I know... I'm actually quite amazed at how effective it is. ”

” Mm. I used the best ones we have right now. ”

*sigh* 

Looking at her, it seemed that the unyielding demon disappeared with the last change of bandages and was replaced with a teary fluff once again. 

” Thank you, Fio. ” I said and moved my other hand to pat her head slowly. 

” Mm. ”

There was a saying about the fact that friends, family or other types of people that share a close relationship didn't need to thanks each other, but I didn't think so. 

’Isn’t that weird to not show your appreciation to the closest people to you?’

Even though you wouldn't thank them for every small thing, I believed that it was just right to do so when you truly feel like doing it.

” By the way Fio, you didn't tell me that these herbs were that effective... ”

” Hm!? Didn't I say that these were medicinal herbs? ”

” Yeah, you did, but you didn't tell me that these were that potent. ” I said and took another glance at the bandages. 

After we started our journey to this place she would come to me with different plants claiming that they were medicinal plants. We kept them since space wasn't a problem for us but with all the rush in the city, I completely forget about them.

” Now that I think about it, you collected several herbs these days as well. ”

” Mm. I got one rare too. The blue one... Didn't I show it to you too? ”

” A rare one, huh? Ehm... You said you used the best ones for my arm. Just to be sure, how valuable was that one? ”

” Around 2-3 silver each. But the quality and freshness count as well. ”

” And we used both of them for a small wound... It should be much effective used correctly, no? ” 

” Umm, sorry, Lizza... I used to collect herbs in the past so I know which one is good but I don't know much about alchemy... I just know this one works even raw, but... ”

” Oh, don't worry, Fio... You saved me by just knowing that so it's good enough. ”

” Mm. But... Shouldn't you know about alchemy Lizza? Isn't alchemy... umm, your race thing? ”

” Ugh... Yeah, I suppose it is... But outside of enchanting, I don't know much... ”

” Mm. I'm sorry. ”

” Huh? For what? ”

” Lizza said she didn't grow in the elven forest... I'm sorry. ”

” Ah, no, no, no, no. It's fine, that doesn't matter anymore. I already said that... Actually, no.  ” 

’At this rate, I'll end up throwing at her even more lies. I can't tell her everything since that will just unnecessary complete the situation, but at least I should trust her a little more.’

” Are you upset, Lizza? ” 

” No. Actually, I should be the one to apologize to you, Fio. ”

” Huh? Why? No. Lizza didn't do anything wrong. ”

” I... ” 

I tried to figure a way to say it, but I couldn't tell her that I lied to her either. With her emotional instability that was out of the question.

” Fio, remember when we first met and I said that I didn't grow up in the elven forest? ”

” Mm. ”

” Umm, yeah... Obviously, you know... You just said that a few moments earlier... ”

” Lizza? ”

” Anyway... What I didn't tell you is that I didn't interact with other people either... And I don't know that much about a lot of stuff. ”

” Mm. I saw that sometimes Lizza acts weird. ”

’How blunt... She has no tact at all.’

*cough*  *cough*

” It's more than that, Fio. When I said that I didn't interact with other people, I mean I didn't do it at all. And the truth is that I met you not so long after I left ’my home’. You are the first person I met after that. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. ”

” T-The first? ”

” Umm... Fio? ”

” I-I was the first? ”

” Y-Yeah, so my knowledge about everything is probably even worse than you imagine. ”

” Fiona was the first person Lizza met? ”

” Yes, I'm sorry I didn't tell you till now. But that's not what is important. What is important is that I don't know a lot of stuff so I want you to teach me... If you want to... ”

” Yes! Fiona was the first! ”

” Whaaa... Ouch, my hand still hurt. What are you doing? Get down... Sto... stop. ”

” Ehehehe... I was the first. ”

”Fio? Fio... Are you listening? ”

” Fiona was first. ”

’Oh no! I think I broke her...’