Finally, I can do some grinding. I need to make some money. I've been spending all my gold on medical bills somewhere to sleep for a couple of weeks without actually doing anything. There is only so far that 355G can take you. If anything, the only reason I've lasted this long with only the equivalent of 355 USD is because of the benefits of killing that Zombified Creeper-Monkey. 

I need to train [Discerning Eye] obviously,  and also do some fighting. So on top of the normal hunting that I do, I'm doing some fetching quests for herbs. You know, to get some training identifying stuff. 

Leo isn't happy that we are going to be doing some non-hunting quests, but it's not like we have a choice anyway. In order to rank up to a C rank adventurer, we need to get as many quests done as possible, and only doing hunting quests right now just won't cut it.

 

After looking through a bunch of herbs and harvesting them, I have no idea if my skill is any closer to leveling up. I mean, I don't even know if leveling up the skill is done through using it, or I have to get more achievements to level up the skill.

There isn't an exp bar for skills, unfortunately. If there was, that would be helpful, but not everything goes the way you want it to. Now that I think about it, I don't even have an exp bar for my overall level. 

Well, there isn't much I can do about that. Just gonna have to deal with it. Now that I have all my harvesting quests done, Leo and I can go do some kill quests! 

Earth Golems form when an area is saturated with mana for a long time, and the earth takes a humanoid form and forms basic intelligence. Basically, mana in the air concentrates and births these huge dirt monsters. There are different tiers to their strength, based on their saturation of mana. If it's not a lot, it's lesser. If it is an average amount, they are just called Earth Golems. There are more titles, such as higher, greater, king, and emperor Earth Golems.

All Earth Golems can heal indefinitely and don't get tired, so they can be a struggle to deal with, but as long as you destroy their heart or their core, you can basically one-shot kill them, just like the undead.

So back to the hunting, Leo and I are out where the map we bought at the Adventurer's Guild said the Earth Golems would be, I don't really see anything. I'm using [Tracking] and there are no signs that anything is here. I do feel a good concentration of mana, so Golems should be able to spawn here.

I feel something brush past my heel and look down, seeing a dirt hand reach for my leg. I instantly jump into the air, trying to avoid it, but the thing grabs me by my ankle and I hit the ground.

"Leo, get off the ground! They are hiding in the dirt!"

He instantly jumps into a tree, but now I'm being dragged around by this stupid monster. I cut the hand grabbing my foot off the arm and jump away before it can regrow. Ripping the still-attached dirt hand off my ankle, I look down at the ground I was just on.

I had no idea that Earth Golems could go into the ground to attack!

I need to think of a way to get them to the ground, or at least find their cores. I guess I can try using [Discerning Eye], but that has never helped me find cores before, just get information about stuff I could have learned from a book.

Well, I guess I can try.

Well, I knew it wouldn't be helpful, but why does that description feel passive-aggressive for some reason?

Well, I guess there is only one choice I can make here. One of us will lure the Earth Golems to them, and the other will finish them off. We just have to find where the core is. Normally for Lesser Earth Golems, it's in the middle of their torso, but there are variants.

"Leo, I'll lure them out of the ground, you just finish them off."

"Does that sound safe?"

"Since when do you care, you stupid cat?"

"Whatever, you dumb rabbit."

I hop down from the tree onto the ground and start running. Whatever I do, I have to keep running so that the Golems can't grab me. It seems that for the Golems to know where I am, I have to be on the ground, probably some sensory through vibrations thing.

I'm avoiding all the creepy hands that come out of the ground, but they keep coming. The only thing they are revealing is their hands. They must be protecting their cores.

I only have one idea now. I jump as high as I can into the air, using [Jumping] as well as Aura, and kick the ground as hard as I can. The ground starts to shake and the Golems are forced out of their hiding.

Wait, that actually worked. I was just guessing there. I don't know why it worked. Maybe because they are sensitive to vibrations, I overwhelmed their senses and forced them to come where the ground wasn't shaking? Well, nonetheless this is good.

Leo starts cutting them down one by one, I don't know how he knows where the cores are, but he is hitting every single one on the first try. That is impressive.

"Well, we gotta do that one more time."

"Yeah, and you are gonna be bait again."

"Oh, come on! Why me?"

"Can you hit the cores as quick as me?"

"You know, I hate how right you are."

Ugh... well, we did the same thing again. I am never taking this stupid quest again. It's high-risk, and more importantly, it's no fun. Well, whatever.

---

"Finally, we can turn in the quest! I was so done with Golems!"

"Here is the reward for your quest." This time, instead of the huge macho dude from the previous town we were in, the person doing reception seems a lot less scary. Just a normal-looking dude. 

"Thank you for taking that quest, it seems no one else would take it. The reward was too low I guess. Those Golems have been affecting trade and some children have even disappeared into the forest recently."

"Yeah... no problem..." Well, now I feel guilty. Almost enough to take another Golem quest. Not that I will. I never wanna do that again. But...

Ugh... we actually ended up taking another. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't because of the guilt trip... it's just that there were no other quests to take because Leo and I were late at taking our quests and all the good ones were taken... yeah... totally...

Anyway, we need to do this stupid quest again, so we are gonna deploy the same plan, but before that.

"So, Leo, how is it exactly that you are able to tell where the cores in the Golems are?"

"People with Sword Aura are naturally able to sense where the weak spot of what they are cutting is."

"That sounds helpful. I can't do that."

"Yeah, but apparently most people, even with Sword Aura, can't do it. They say the feeling is too faint to pinpoint the exact location. I dunno, it comes naturally to me."

You and your stupid amazing talent... grrr...

"Carrots, by the way, I got you this."

He got me something? Oh no, that is not a good smile. Why do I have a bad feeling about this...

"Take it~"

Seriously... a carrot. Now I see why he was giving me that smile... Well, I might as well... I mean I never really liked carrots, but I never hated them either.

"Thank you, I guess..."

I guess I'll take a bite... nom... seriously... why does it taste so good. Look, I know that rabbits have a naturally sweet tooth, and like sweet things, and carrots just so happen to be on that list... but... why does this actually taste so good. I already can't eat meat anymore because, you know, rabbits aren't exactly omnivores, but now carrots taste like this. My taste has changed so much from this stupid isekai. 

"Well... Leo, we need to get this quest done so let's go!"

"Yeah, okay. She really liked that hah."

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"Nope!"

---

After hunting some more Golems with nothing interesting happening, Leo and I head back to turn in the quests. 

"Here is your reward."

Yep, now I have over 1000G! Finally! I spent basically all the gold I got before I came here through living expenses while Leo and I couldn't go on any quests. Now I can afford a better weapon than this glorified kitchen knife.

"Hey Leo, now that I got some money, I'm gonna head to a weapon shop to get something better."

"Okay, I need a new sword too. My current one is getting too weak for my level."

We walk around looking for a good shop to buy weapons from, finally passing by something that might work. The shop's called "Jeff's Weapons". Can't say that the name didn't make me laugh when I saw it. It is hard to take that seriously.

We walk into the shop and look around. The weapons here are pretty high quality. I'm no weapons expert, but my [Discerning Eye] tells me that all of these weapons are at least three times better than my current weapon.

"Oh, customers. I don't get that many these days. What is it you two're looking for."

"I am looking for a better weapon than this knife I've been using, and he's looking for a better shortsword."

"Got it. Let's see... I got it, here take these."

"Thanks sir, but there is no way we can afford these weapons! The knife gives a skill, and the blade has a status effect!"

"It's fine, I'll just charge you what you can afford. I've been wanting to get these weapons off the shelf, and you guys seem like you could use them."

"Seriously?"

"Let's just say I have a good eye for these things."

Okay, well I'll take it I guess. Not only are those really good weapons, but they look sick. The Blink Knife has a transparent blade and the entire thing is white as snow. The Firey sword has an orange blade and black hilt.

"Thank you for your patronage, please come again."

"That old man was nice. Look at these weapons we got. I was only charged 900G for this!" 

"Yeah, this sword will last for a while. I wonder who that old guy was though to give these weapons out at such a cheap price."

"I dunno."