Peter listened diligently.
"Such plants or plant products would glow like a beacon in our Mana Sense. I usually sell them to merchants when they visit to collect our recently harvested crops—" Joseph suddenly stopped, pointing ahead.
Did we find one already? Peter wondered, scanning the area for any glowing beacon he might have missed.
His eyes followed the direction Joseph was pointing toward. Among the roots protruding from the ground, he noticed movement.
A small creature, barely two feet in length, was nestled there. Soft white fur covered its entire body, and a tiny horn jutted from the middle of its forehead.
In Peter's Mana Sense, the horn glowed brightly.
"A horned rabbit," he muttered under his breath.
While Peter was busy studying the creature from afar, Joseph had already picked up a pebble from the ground.
Without hesitation, he aimed and threw it.
Before the pebble even made contact, Joseph was already in motion, dashing toward the creature like a blur. His movements were completely silent as he closed half the distance in an instant.
The pebble struck the creature's belly, sending it rolling backward from the impact. Disoriented, it struggled to regain its footing—but it was too late.
Joseph was upon it. His sword remained sheathed.
With a swift strike to the head, the creature went limp.
Peter quickly closed the distance to stay near him.
"That was brutal," he remarked, his gaze fixed on the lifeless body.
"What are you talking about? That was a quick kill," Joseph replied, picking up the creature without hesitation.
Right. I should get used to this, Peter thought, resolving to harden his heart. Life in this world wouldn't be so easy.
Shifting his focus, he asked, "Was that Shadow Step just now?"
"Yes, and the pure effect of 62 agility points," Joseph replied, placing the creature into the bag he carried.
"We'll bleed it once we get home. I don't want to attract predators with the smell of blood."
With that, he resumed walking, and Peter followed.
As they moved through the forest, Peter kept his eyes open, scanning for any herbs that glowed like the horned rabbit's.
"Why are you trying to sell these herbs to the merchants?" he asked. "I don't think anything we can find in the outskirts would amount to much. We're not low on money, as far as I know."
Joseph scratched the back of his head, considering his words.
"I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to tell your mother," he offered.
Peter raised an eyebrow but nodded. "My lips are sealed."
"In a few months, we'll have been married for fifteen years. I wanted to buy something for her to mark the occasion."
Peter blinked. "That's… that's very romantic of you."
"You know how your mother is—she keeps tabs on every single coin in our household. She'd notice if some of it suddenly disappeared."
That much was true.
"She also keeps the books for almost everyone in the village. If I bought something from them, she'd know right away," Joseph continued.
"So, I decided to exchange some wild herbs to get something nice for her from the merchants."
A comfortable silence settled between them.
"I'm sure she'll appreciate the effort," Peter said.
Joseph nodded.
They walked for another half an hour before coming to a stop.
"That's enough. We'll move sideways now and try our luck. Tomorrow, I'll go deeper with the others—I don't want to take any risks with you."
Finally, he unsheathed his sword.
The blade was clean and well-honed, its faint sheen catching the dim light that filtered through the trees. The grip, wrapped in worn but sturdy leather, fit Joseph's hand like a second skin.
The crossguard was plain, unadorned yet solid, showing no signs of rust or neglect. A few shallow nicks along the fuller hinted at years of service, but the edge remained sharp—ready.
At the pommel, a simple iron cap bore the slightest shine where Joseph's hand often rested.
He spoke while surveying the surroundings.
"Since I brought you with me to help you practice, let's divide our roles."
Peter nodded. "Okay."
"Our chances of encountering a predator are low, but I'll keep watch as we move sideways without going deeper."
Peter listened intently.
"I won't point out any herbs I find unless you fail to notice them for five minutes," Joseph continued. "You'll use your Mana Sense to gather herbs until you've drained 80% of your pool."
"I understand."
Peter's gaze swept over the landscape as they moved past thick and thin tree trunks alike. Minutes passed before he finally spotted his first herb.
Twisting vines clutched the gnarled roots like grasping fingers, their dark green leaves webbed with silver lines. As the wind passed, they shivered, releasing a faint, spicy scent that tingled in the air.
"I remember your mother telling me that you're learning about important herbs from her. This is a fairly useful one. See if you recognize it," Joseph said, sitting down by the roots and carefully collecting the herb.
"Ironbind Creeper is a parasitic species of vine. When ground into a paste, it fortifies bones, making it a popular remedy for faster healing of broken bones."
"Chewing the raw leaves grants temporary resistance to fatigue, though excessive use can cause restlessness," Peter explained, opening the bag he carried to allow Joseph to place the herb inside.
"Good. We won't be selling this one. Too useful and too common," Joseph said as Peter closed the bag.
They moved on.
Over the next three hours, they found two more herbs.
Peter spotted one of them hanging from a large boulder.
Delicate tendrils stretched from the cracks in the stone, their petals translucent like frozen glass. They caught the sunlight just right, refracting it into a halo of shifting colors, as if the plant itself drank in the light and turned it into magic.
The last herb went unnoticed by Peter—Joseph had to point it out in the end.
A single stalk stood amidst the tangled shadows, its petals shut tight.
With their search complete, they returned home.