Published: August 2, 2025
Today, four chapters are updated simultaneously.
This story is the second chapter.
“Did you gather everything?”
“Of course!”
“Oh.”
It seemed that more and more students were returning, and the entire campsite was becoming lively.
“Hmm…?”
I glanced toward the window and saw a crowd gathering near the wagon.
“Checking the food supplies, huh?”
They had said they would tighten the inspections, but with so many students returning, it seemed to be taking longer than expected.
It was a bit earlier than my assigned shift, but as an instructor, I might as well start working.
“Thanks for your hard work! I’ll help!”
“That’s a relief!”
“Help me check the food supplies!”
“Got it! Next person! You can get checked here too!”
One of the students waiting in line walked over to me.
“Please.”
“Alright, understood. You gathered quite a lot.”
Using the wagon’s loading platform, I examined the contents of the bags they handed over… This person seemed to have a decent knowledge of plants. They mainly collected tree buds and edible wild grasses. However…
“Most of this is fine, but these mushrooms are no good.”
“Eh!?”
“They resemble edible red umbrella mushrooms, but please compare the underside of the caps with this genuine one.”
“Oh, they’re different!”
“Yes. The edible red umbrella mushroom has a beautifully red underside. The dull, brownish one is the poisonous russula emetica. If you eat it, it causes stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and dizziness, so you need to be careful.”
“I see…”
“For now, we’ll collect these. But you seem to be selecting only edible items otherwise, so overall, this is not a bad haul.”
“Thank you.”
“Alright, next person!”
“Yo!”
Hmm. This person also seemed to be able to tell what was edible, but their harvesting method was poor. These tree buds are edible, but you should only pick the topmost ‘terminal bud.’ If you pick the second and third buds growing beside it, you’ll increase what you have now, but you won’t be able to harvest next year.
Also, the tree itself is fragile, so you have to be careful not to break it. In fact, some bags even had branches with the second and third buds included.
As I continued explaining and warning about these issues, some students brought in non-plant items.
“Excuse me, can you teach me how to butcher game?”
“Butchering, you say? That guy over there is in charge of that.”
I pointed out another male adventurer hiding behind the wagon and sent the student over.
I was currently responsible for plants and mushrooms.
“Processing the prey starts with bleeding it out. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“But make sure to work carefully and in as safe a place as possible. The smell of blood attracts magical beasts. This time is fine, but it’s better to do it away from the campsite.”
“What if you absolutely have to do it here?”
“In that case, dig a hole and bury the blood and unwanted parts. It’s definitely better than doing nothing. And if your budget and space allow, you should buy one of these — the Bamboo Forest’s ‘deodorizing liquid.’”
Huh? That’s from my own store!?
“Deodorizing liquid?”
“Don’t you know? This year, a shop called Bamboo Forest started offering cheap laundry services. They sell it there. The powerful kind can instantly get rid of goblin blood smells, so it’s very convenient. Some beastmen started using it once and couldn’t go without it. For now, it’s only available in Gimul or Renaf where the shop is located.”
It was even used at the campsite… and I didn’t even know it, even though I sell it.
“Next person — huh?”
Was that the last student? The line was gone.
“Ryoma-kun, are you done over there?”
“Mimir-san, looks like it.”
“Then could you gather the inedible items? We want to dispose of them.”
“Understood. By the way, do you mind if I take the poisonous mushrooms we collected?”
“The poisonous mushrooms? We’re just going to dispose of them, so it’s fine… Oh, are you feeding slime?”