Chapter 28: Filling the Knowledge Panel
Seeing Lance turn around, Damian revealed an extrely happy smile.
He quickly walked up the steps, then stopped two steps away from Lance and bowed deeply.
“Senior!”
The boy straightened up, his tone brimming with barely concealed excitent.
“I followed your advice and joined an experienced party to learn. The captain valued my foundation in swordsmanship and assigned
as the team’s secondary attacker.”
“Thank you for scolding
back then. After moving with the team during this period, I finally understood how much there is to learn to beco a qualified adventurer.”
At this point, Damian scratched his head a little awkwardly.
“The captain even taught
how to track Goblins based on the moisture level of their droppings……”
Though slightly embarrassed, his eyes shone as he shared his experiences.
From coordinating with teammates to encircle lone Goblins, to narrowly escaping death during a Gnoll ambush, to setting traps to deal with a frenzied, mutated wild boar—
Lance did not interrupt him.
The hand that had instinctively rested on his sword hilt quietly relaxed.
He could tell that the so-called captain was willing to teach the boy life-saving skills like tracking, which ant he truly treated him as a teammate rather than disposable bait.
A party willing to nurture newcors like this was considered a high-quality team among adventurers.
It ant they had long-term plans and goals.
Only after Damian finished speaking did he look at Lance with an expectant gaze, like a puppy seeking praise.
“Since that captain is willing to teach you, it ans you’ve t good people.”
Lance spoke in a gentle tone.
“Learn well. These are things that can save your life at critical monts.”
As he spoke, he reached out and lightly patted Damian’s shoulder, which, though not broad, had grown much sturdier.
This simple action seed to give Damian imnse courage.
The boy took a deep breath, as if making so kind of decision.
“Um… I still don’t know how to address you, Senior.”
“If it weren’t for what you said back then, I might have already rushed foolishly into Copper Creek Forest and died.”
Lance fell silent for a mont.
The shadow beneath his hood obscured his expression.
“Just call
Raven.”
“Raven……”
Damian murmured the codena twice, firmly engraving it into his mory.
Then he fumbled around in the worn pouch at his waist.
It was a pendant woven from thick blue hemp rope. The craftsmanship was far from skillful—crooked and uneven, almost painful to look at.
At the end of the knot hung a smoothly polished white pebble, upon which a crude symbol resembling a charm had been drawn.
“Senior Raven, this is for you.”
“Thank you for teaching
how to live as an adventurer.”
“The way you scolded
back then… was really like my older brother.”
At the ntion of his departed family mber, Damian’s face no longer carried the grief and anger from before, but instead showed a trace of relief.
The boy was gradually learning to move forward while carrying those mories.
“This is a return-ho knot from our hotown tradition. It represents safety. My brother used to weave one for
every ti I went out.”
Damian smiled brightly.
“I made this a long ti ago. I’ve been looking for you at the Adventurers’ Guild for several days but couldn’t find you. Luckily, I ran into you before departure today.”
“Otherwise, I would have already left with the vanguard.”
He handed the charm-like object toward Lance.
“I also hope that every ti you go on a mission, you’ll return safely.”
Lance was montarily stunned.
Through the shadow of his hood, he looked at the poorly made knot, then at the boy’s hopeful eyes.
He did not refuse.
Lance reached out, took the knot, and hung it on the clasp of his waist pouch.
The bright blue rope clashed with his worn brown-gray leather armor, yet sohow stood out vividly.
“The craftsmanship really isn’t great.”
Lance comnted, though there was a hint of a smile in his voice.
“But the sentint isn’t bad.”
“Stay alive.”
“Don’t be reckless in the forest. You only have one life.”
Damian nodded vigorously and responded loudly, “Yes! Senior Raven!”
At that mont, a shout ca from afar.
“Damian! What are you dawdling for! We’re about to depart!”
Lance looked over and saw a well-equipped Adventurer Party forming up in the distance. Several seasoned warriors were waving in this direction.
“Got it! I’m coming!”
Damian responded, then turned back to say goodbye.
“Senior Raven, I’m heading back!”
“Wait.”
Lance suddenly called out.
Under the boy’s puzzled gaze, Lance took out an unlabelled small clay jar from his waist pouch and tossed it over.
“Catch.”
Damian fumbled but managed to catch the jar, looking confused.
“This is a hemostatic ointnt I made myself. Its effect is roughly comparable to Troll’s Blood on the market.”
Lance explained.
“You can use it for external injuries. Use it sparingly.”
Damian tightly gripped the jar, a wide smile spreading across his face as he waved his arm vigorously.
“Thank you! I’ll survive like a cockroach!”
Watching the boy run off cheerfully, Lance lowered his head and touched the blue rope knot at his waist, which swayed with his movent.
Like a cockroach, huh?
This kid really learned fast.
In this unfamiliar world, beyond exchanges of interests, it seed that other kinds of bonds were beginning to form.
Perhaps what was called a sense of belonging slowly grew from these seemingly insignificant human connections.
……
Only after the massive vanguard force had left for half an hour did Lance set off with his pack.
With the vanguard clearing the path ahead, wandering monsters along the way would be dealt with, making his journey much easier.
As he headed toward Copper Creek Forest, he summoned the system panel.
【Knowledge Experience: 30】
This was the accumulation he had earned through diligently completing gathering tasks during this period.
It was the perfect ti to allocate his points while heading into the mountains.
Lance’s gaze swept across the panel.
The once sparse knowledge panel had now beco richly filled.
【Knowledge: Botany LV1, Monster Anatomy LV1, Monster Ecology LV1, Pharmacology LV1, Wilderness Survival LV1, Mineralogy LV1】
These were all the wealth brought to him by those three expensive books.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lance willed it, investing all 30 precious points of Knowledge Experience into 【Wilderness Survival】.
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