14 Wild Herbs, Wild Crops, and First Hunt

Dressed to forage, carrying her trusty rucksack, and with her ever-loyal weapon on her hip, Elaina once again decided to venture to the forest. With the almanac floating beside her, she started to look for new stuff that was present on the ground and trees.

"Hmmm, according to the almanac, there are some wild berries nearby that I can harvest but I am not seeing it. Am I in the wrong place or maybe it was deeper into the forest?"

Elaina continues her search for various stuff on the ground, in trees, and even in the bushes. So far, she has gathered the usual medicinal herbs that she found the other day. She even found a few edible mushrooms as well that she plans to sell.

As she continued to look for any forageables, she soon spotted something on the ground.

"Tracks... these are splotches of blood. Now that I have checked it, it seems to be going towards the farm. Perhaps this was from the cat that took residence inside the dog house?"

 Elaina examined the tracks and based on the tracks alone, she discovered a few traces that seemed to belong to its attacker. With Elaina's experiences in hunting, she already developed her way of identifying tracks of monsters and animals and determining them. So this isn't something new for her.

"Bigger tracks. Compared to the size of the cat back on the farm, these tracks are much bigger. A wolf? No, this is much bigger, perhaps a Dire Wolf or maybe a Kobold. If that is the case, I will have to hunt it as they might bring trouble to my farm in the future and maybe they will even cause damage to my crops."

Before she could continue to move, the god's message once again appeared.

"Great timing. If you want to hunt a monster safely and passively, how about buying stuff in our shop? We can help you in exchange for some Farm Points!"

"Good idea, but I don't need it. Great way to advertise things though, but I think it was a shameless plug coming from you just so I can waste my farm points. I will think about it but right now, I don't need it."

"But it is much easier if you use our..."

"Nope. Thanks for the offer but I think I am good for now."

"We can put it up on sale! 90 percent off! You won't regret it!"

"You know, I would have been tempted if you added 10 percent more to that discount, maybe I will."

"Then that only means we are giving it for free!"

"Exactly. But if I have to buy it, I would rather not waste my Farm Points, okay? I can hunt just fine."

"..." the god was speechless by Elaina's response but this god didn't force her anymore after offering it.

As for Elaina, she didn't need it right now but she is thinking about buying it in the future. Getting a passive game would be appreciated especially if she is already in her late months of pregnancy. For now, she doesn't have to use it.

Elaina continues to track down the tracks left by the monster she suspected to be a dire wolf while keeping her eyes on forageables. She also put some signs on the trees and the grounds for her trail so that she wouldn't get lost later if it got dark.

As she continued tracking it, she soon stumbled across a field full of flowers and some herbs that she had not expected to find. Not only that but she also found a few of those bushes that contained wild berries.

"Sweet!" Elaina smiled as she happened to find the field. Not only this place is full of forageables, but the flowers present are also beautiful and fresh as well.

But as soon as she steps into the flower field, the hairs on her body start to rise, prompting her to reach for her sword. The flower field looks inviting but after the feeling comes to her, it is a trap.

"So that is the game of the monster huh?" Elaina muttered to herself as she saw the markings that she was tracking earlier present nearby.

Removing her rucksack and putting it nearby for safekeeping, she grabbed one of the citrus fruits that she managed to get earlier and readied them. As for the reason she decided to use it as something she will use later on during the fight.

She steps into the flower field, and her body is ready for anything that she might come across.

As soon as she got near the center, something leaped up from the ground and tried to ambush her. However, this ambush failed as Elaina had already anticipated this one. Quickly retreating, she pulls out her sword and enters a combat stance as she looks at the enemy before her.

"A hybrid Direwolf? I wasn't expecting to meet one here," Elaina observed the Direwolf in the distance.

Direwolves are big and have black fur. They are much bigger than normal wolves making them more of a menace when someone faces one. Hybrid Direwolves on the other hand are not as big as the regular Direwolves, but they are considered as the baby variant of the original Direwolf. However, compared to the Direwolves, they have a glaring difference, not just in appearance but in their methods of fighting and hunting.

The reason they are called Hybrid Direwolves is due to their innate ability to use elemental attacks and based on their ways of fighting, also determines their type as well. As to what kind of hybrid Elaina is currently facing right now, it is an Earth Variant Hybrid Direwolf. The fact it emerged from the ground just revealed its element to her.

"Not bad, I guess. However, it has been a while since I have fought hard again. And I can't do the more complicated attacks I can do since I am pregnant which is why you will not suffer too badly. However, I do need food tonight and you are perfect enough for me," Elaina said as she licked her lips in anticipation.

The Direwolf seems to have noticed this and felt a bit of fear with the human in front of it. However, since it was a beast, its primal instinct was to attack.

But to Elaina, the Direwolf is predictable. Despite being an elemental Direwolf, Elaina's swift and flowing moves from her sword easily cut through the Direwolf's skin, allowing Elaina to cut the remaining life of the monster. As she delivers the final blow, blood sputters out from the slice wound which then causes the death of the monster.

Although the battle ended in Elaina's favor and she won, Elaina sighed as she wiped off the blood on her face.

"It seems I got sloppier than before. That attack shouldn't have blood splatter at all."

Using the vines and making them as makeshift ropes, she carries the remains of the Direwolf back home. With the items on her rucksack and the Direwolf as an additional reward, Elaina hit it off for her second day as well.

On her way back, she didn't forget the fruits and brought back a few of them with her. She even put back the citrus fruit she found earlier and was intending to use during the battle but since it didn't happen, it is now back to her loot.

As she was heading back, she spotted a few peculiar leaves sprouting on the ground. It wasn't there when she passed earlier so seeing it on her way back home was surprising for Elaina.

"How come I missed these?" Elaina used her trowel and dug up the leaves which soon revealed to be some wild spring onions. They also looked big and juicy as well, which made Elaina more surprised that she missed it earlier.

"Guess it is my lucky day!" Elaina happily dug up all of the remaining spring onions and filled up her rucksack to the brim once more.

"Even without harvesting my crops just yet, this felt like I have already harvested my own crops too. I wonder how much money will I get if I ship all of these?"

Fully loaded, Elaina follows the trail to return to the farm, not realizing that the soil she previously dug up slowly fills back up like it was never dug up in the first place. Not only that but a new crop started to grow as well on its place. However, Elaina has once again didn't notice that as she is already far from the location to even observe the changes.