Chapter 30: Meat Please!
He probably should hunt while there was still some sun. What time did he get here anyway? How long did he have until sunset? He should’ve taken note of the changes in the sky to have an idea, at least.
He knew they were around, considering he had encountered a few while running away.
They were still a bit scary and would definitely hurt him if he got bitten. However, he had gone against actual beasts, so suddenly those little things didn’t seem so scary anymore.
He also knew that they were very, very fast and there was no way he’d catch it if he went after it. He supposed that was how they survived in this forest with monsters.
He was a hiker, and he had helped his dad hunt when he was a kid, so he did know how to hunt. Not to mention, there was a point in his life when he travelled across the country on foot, alone, as a kid, even when the roads passed through kilometers of forests.
After some thought, he decided to make traps. He didn’t dare underestimate the animals, even if they were dormant like he was, so he knew he had to be a bit more creative with his traps.
He went to the sap tree as an idea came to him.
According to the descriptions, the sap caused muscle softness. It affected him, a big man, and also had some effects on the beasts. It was safe to say that it should have greater effects on the small critters, at least for a while.
It wasn’t poisonous either, so he didn’t worry about eating the meat. Even if the description could be lacking, the Poison Blocker would’ve warned him if it was truly dangerous.
Anyway, he took a bit more of the sap to collect using one of the bowls from the kitchen. He looked around the protected area and gathered some larger branches loose enough to take. There were also some outside, but he refused to put his hand out carelessly when he could help it.
As much as he could, he’d use a stick to pull it in instead. There were also vine-like plants here and there, and he used those as ropes.
Using the [Ingredient Scan], he checked the plants he came in contact with, not only to protect himself, but also because he was curious
Pang already reassured him that the ’system’ interface was calibrated according to the Innkeeper, so the language and wording used would be straightforward and could be taken as they were.
That said, the interface was also quite different depending on the Innkeeper as well, apparently. The cultivation Innkeeper had scrolls appearing out of nowhere, while the interstellar one was similar to his, except it was much more technical-looking. If he were an avid gamer, Finn reckoned his interface would’ve looked closer to that, too.
Anyway, while he rummaged around the plants within his territory, he found a few interesting new plants as well.
[Ivara Vine: Crawler plant variety that is fairly common in forests. Its gel is edible and has a sweet citrus taste. It also has mild sedative and relaxant properties.]
[Surgefern: A low-growing, wide-spreading fern that amplifies the natural repelling effects of the Sapsurge Tree. Its fronds can be bundled or burned to enhance protection. Surgefern typically grows near Sapsurge Trees, feeding on the excess toxins produced by their sap.]
The former one, he grabbed to use as a rope for his traps. Who’d have thought it’d be edible and had so much use? He had to admit he was curious about how it tasted.
He made something called a one-way gate trap. It had narrow vertical posts with flexible hinges. It was arranged in a way that the prey could easily push them in and enter the trap, but they wouldn’t be able to go out because the posts would only swing in one direction.
He also didn’t make such a big trap that it would capture animals that would just destroy it.
This was one of the few traps his dad taught him back then. Their inn was in the countryside, after all, and they were not too close to the main areas and were closer to the undeveloped and dense forest zones instead.
Although there was a market, a lot of the food they offered was meat they captured themselves and greens they foraged or gardened themselves.
His parents were very hands-on in raising him. They wanted him to be smart and good and also ready to take over the inn. It would normally be a bit much for a kid his age, but they made things fun, and they never forced him in a way that he’d hate the activity.
His heart clenched at the memory, but he pushed it down as he assembled the trap.
He made two. He wanted to see which small critters could enter the barrier, so he also made another trap within it. One would be placed outside the barrier, and the other would be right inside.
After that, he put a bit of the sap and mixed it with crushed surgefern leaves and covered the interior of the cage with it. He squeezed a bit of brightpear water to keep it from evaporating too quickly. He confirmed it was working of course, using his [Ingredients Sense], which obviously worked for any plants regardless of whether he’d eat them.
He also added some sturdy leaves on the floor of the trap and doused them with the sap, too. It had limited effects on him, a big man, but hopefully, it was as effective as a temporary paralysis potion with the small animals.
He gulped, looking longingly at the traps he set.
Please bring me some meat!