Chapter 14

The Labias Lizard was, in many ways, a valuable creature.

Firstly, its hide was highly water-resistant, making it suitable for crafting early-game equipment.

Its bones, though I didn't know their exact use, sold for a decent price.

The meat, due to its tough texture, was less valuable, but not entirely worthless.

This meant that the lizard carcass sprawled before me was a gold mine.

The problem was that to convert this carcass into valuable currency, butchering skills were required.

"...I'll try it first."

While we exchanged glances, Adam rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward.

He borrowed an emergency dagger from Lirisa, plunging it with all his might into the lizard's belly and attempting to cut downwards.

No, he tried to cut, but the dagger moved only slightly before stopping.

Adam's face turned beet red, unable to hide his embarrassment at his boastful but ultimately fruitless attempt.

"This is too tough!It feels like I'm cutting through a rock, not muscle."

"Come to think of it, I think I heard that special skills are needed to butcher a Labias Lizard."

So that was it.

I had no idea.

When I was a player, one of Odin's soldiers started butchering as if it were the most natural thing in the world, so I thought it was no big deal.

It seemed that soldier simply had skills related to butchering.

"Is there anyone here with relevant experience?"

"..."

At Adam's question, everyone's gaze fixed on me as if by prearrangement.

"...What are you looking at?"

"Well... Ryan.You said you were a hunter before you became a refugee, didn't you?You were skilled at tracking in the forest...I thought you were a pretty experienced hunter.So I wondered if you might have butchering experience too..."

"...Ah."

A bead of cold sweat trickled down my back at Lilisa's words.

Wow.

So this is why they say if you lie, you eventually pay the price.

The lie I told to hide the exact value of the Dragon's Eye had come back to me like a boomerang.

Here, I had to make a decision.

To reveal the truth now, saying, 'It's true my father was a hunter, but I know nothing about hunting skills,' or to make another plausible excuse.

'Not yet.'

Even if I didn't care about others, Selina was on my mind.

Until I knew her true identity, I couldn't reveal my shortcomings.

"I'm not skilled enough when it comes to butchering.At most, I can drain blood?And I've never touched an animal this big.My father could have done it.But my father... succumbed to the White Hero's bombardment..."

Ryan's father, who was also my life's savior.

Shamelessly, I decided to use the deceased as a shield just this once.

It would have been the perfect touch if I could have shed a tear here, but unfortunately, I didn't have that level of acting skill.

"Ah..."

Even with my pathetic acting, the naive party members were speechless.

Lilisa, who was highly emotional, even had tears welling up in her eyes.

"Th-then there's nothing we can do!

Let's give up on the hide and bones and just focus on achieving our mission objective.

That sounds good.

Uhm!"

Adam, who had stepped forward, stammered, trying to change the atmosphere.

His efforts paid off, and the group focused on extracting the lizard's heart.

"I'm sorry, Ryan.I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

Midway, Lilisa tugged at my sleeve and whispered softly.

If she kept this up, I, who had tried to cover up the situation with a lie, would feel even more ashamed, so I wished she would stop.

Truly.

"Done!"Approximately five minutes later.

After a collective effort, sweating profusely, we successfully butchered the first heart.

The magic-infused heart still retained its warmth.

You have acquired the heart of the Labias Lizard.

Information: Heart of the Labias Lizard.

The heart of a lizard that inhabits only the Labias Valley, imbued with a small amount of magic.

Upon absorbing the magic, it is possible to additionally learn some of the properties of the Labias Lizard.

Magic amount: 4.

Additional effect: +1 Stamina.

Chance to awaken the Authority - 'Poison Resistance/Lv1'.

"...Haa."

I coveted it so much that a sigh escaped me naturally.

The amount of magic was just right for Stages 1-2, but what I coveted was the Authority that could be acquired probabilistically.

It wasn't an immediately flashy Authority, but resistance types were always good to have.

The reason for my sigh was that I knew Viscount Lemming would be highly unlikely to bestow the hearts upon the soldiers of Unit 707.

Undoubtedly, they would be monetized and used to upgrade his beloved airship.

The others, unaware of my thoughts, simply rejoiced at the fact that they were one step closer to achieving their goal.

"Now there are four left, I guess?"

"I thought it would take quite a while since their numbers are few.

But it was quicker than expected."

"Let's finish quickly and rest for the remaining time."

Perhaps boosted by confidence, the group set out to find the next target without resting.

I, too, forced down my surging sigh and followed behind them.

***

About six hours had passed since the mission began.

During that time, including our first encounter, we had encountered a total of four Labias Lizards.

Unfortunately, once, due to a major mistake during the butchering process, we lost one heart.

Therefore, the total number of hearts we secured was three.

Since we were somewhat fatigued, Adam decided we should rest.

"By the way, we collected them faster than I thought."

Theo muttered, looking into the bag containing the hearts.

Adam agreed.

"Indeed.I thought it would be fortunate to collect even one a day, but at this rate, couldn't we achieve our goal and return before sundown today?"

"Then, instead of returning right away, why don't we enjoy a little vacation in a safe and scenic spot before heading back?"

"That's a great idea."

With Lilisa joining in, the atmosphere became quite amiable.

In contrast, Selina's expression was serious.

"Anya."

"..."

"Anya?"

"Oh, Ryan.

Please speak."

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

At my question, Selina's eyes widened as if caught off guard.

Then, she shook her head with an awkward smile.

"I thought your intuition was excellent since we first met, and sure enough, Ryan, you can't be fooled.You knew it too, didn't you?"

"...?"

"That a problem not to be overlooked has occurred in Labias Valley."

"..."

No.

I had no idea at all.

A problem in Labias Valley not to be overlooked?

I had no idea what she was talking about.

Before I could ask a question, Selina gathered the others who had been chatting.

And with a serious expression, she began to speak.

"Actually, something has been bothering me for a while."

Lilisa began to draw something on the dirt ground using a twig.

It was a simple map of Labias Valley.

"Wow!Anya, your drawing skills are excellent!"

"Thank you.But Lilisa, could you focus on the content rather than the drawing for now?"

Selina drew a circle in the center of her drawing, which was the central part of the valley.

"This is the well-known primary habitat of the Labias Lizards."

The twig moved, making two small dots on the southern outskirts.

Then, she drew a line connecting the two dots.

"This is where the airship landed...And this is our current location.From here to here.We encountered a total of four lizards while moving a not-so-long distance.Didn't you notice anything strange?"

"...?"

The others still looked confused.

However, I understood what Selina found strange.

Rather, with such obvious hints all around, I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed, making me question my own judgment.

'What's the point of having knowledge if you don't know how to use it properly?'

Thinking that if it weren't for Selina's insight, Unit 707 might have encountered another major incident, chills ran down my spine.

"I think Ryan explaining this will give more credibility to the others.Could I ask you to do so?"

"I don't know if there's any difference between you explaining it and me explaining it...But anyway, the number of Labias Lizards is smaller than you'd think.Because of that, you have to go to the center of the valley to meet them...At least, that's how it should have been."

"But we encountered four of them in the outer regions.That's the problem, isn't it?"

Theo replied with a serious face.

Now, one by one, the members began to grasp the seriousness of the situation.

"The Labias Lizard is the apex predator of the valley, so there's no possibility of them fleeing from other apex predators.Their appearance in the outer regions suggests...I don't know what happened, but it's presumed that due to an increase in their numbers, food became scarce, causing them to spill out into the outer areas of the valley."

"Ryan!I have a question!"

Lilisa raised her hand high.

I nodded, and she bowed her head, then poured out her questions.

"Isn't it actually good if their range of activity widens? If the encounter rate increases, we can achieve our goal and return faster, right?"

"Originally, lizards don't act in groups because they compete for food.However, the outer regions of the valley are unknown territory even to the lizards.In such cases, lizards sometimes gather in groups."

"..."

Lirisa clamped her mouth shut as if she had been shocked.

Labias Lizards are extremely dangerous wild animals.

Although we were hunters and the lizards were prey, this status was only established because we had an overwhelming numerical advantage.

If the number of lizards we had to face at once increased by just one or two, the likelihood of the hunter and prey roles being reversed would significantly increase.

The amiable atmosphere, which had prevailed just moments ago due to successive successful hunts, vanished without a trace.

In its place was a heavy silence.

"We must decide."

It was Selina's pleasant and beautiful voice that broke the silence.

"Whether to continue the operation at risk, or to abandon the mission for safety and return."

She presented us with choices.

But we knew there was only one option we could choose.

Ultimately, we decided to continue the operation.

However, we proceeded with several times more caution than before.

With our nerves taut, the exploration speed slowed, and the rate at which stamina and concentration were consumed increased severalfold.

At this rate, there was a high possibility of problems arising with the operation for other reasons.

"Hold it."

Adam, who was leading the way, extended his hand.

Everyone held their breath and stopped moving.

Adam pointed straight ahead.

There was a lizard enjoying the sunbath.

Normally, Lilisa's arrow would have been shot without hesitation, but knowing that the surroundings were dangerous, instead of immediately attacking, we thoroughly scanned the area to prepare for additional threats.

And not far away, we discovered another lizard tearing at the carcass of an unknown beast.

We looked at Edam.

It was up to Adam, the field commander, to decide what to do.

"...It's a shame, but let's look for other prey."

In the end, Adam chose safety.

Everyone agreed and turned in a different direction.

At that moment.

Rustle.

A faint sound, barely audible if one wasn't concentrating, reached my ears.