Adventurer of Many Professions

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This time, Raymond crouched in the bushes for over an hour, but the forest remained eerily quiet. Not a single poisonous sting wasp came near, and not even a shadow of one crossed the sky.

"They've noticed something's wrong…" Raymond muttered, standing up from his hiding spot. He had anticipated this possibility, but the realization still left him disappointed. "Looks like getting that third skill point isn't happening today."

His gaze drifted to the rabbit meat he'd left out as bait. Under the scorching sun, it had dried out, its once-fresh allure now gone. Staring at it, a sudden thought struck him.

"When I was scouting earlier, I remember seeing a group of 'Rampage Rabbits.' They're low-level monsters... and social creatures."

The Rampage Rabbit was a common nuisance, barely stronger than the mutant rats Raymond had hunted before. He'd seen plenty of white porcelain-level commissions in the guild asking adventurers to exterminate them.

But the rabbits here, deeper in the mountains and far from the mines, posed no threat to the workers. As a result, no one had bothered to issue a commission to deal with them.

He glanced at the sky. The sun was still high enough, with at least three hours until nightfall.

"That's plenty of time," Raymond said to himself, his eyes gleaming with determination. He grabbed his sword, left the ruined bait behind, and headed toward the area where he had spotted the rabbits earlier.

---

By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, casting its final golden glow over the landscape, Sylph and Lorene were waiting anxiously in the cave.

The shadows outside grew longer, and the sky began to fade to deep hues of orange and purple. Sylph paced back and forth, shooting frequent glances toward the direction Raymond had disappeared hours ago.

Finally, her patience snapped. "It's nearly dark! Those poisonous sting wasps haven't moved in hours, and he's still not back!" she huffed. Her words carried a sharp edge, but her tone betrayed her underlying worry.

The White Stones that Raymond had asked her to retrieve from the mine manager were already in the cave, neatly stacked in preparation for their mission. But Raymond, who had gone to ambush the lone sting wasps, had yet to return.

Sylph clenched her fists. The longer he stayed away, the harder it was to push down her unease.

Lorene, seated nearby, noticed Sylph's concern and spoke softly, her tone calm but thoughtful. "From what we observed earlier, several of the poisonous sting wasps didn't return to their hive. That means Raymond successfully ambushed them. They must have realized they were being hunted, which is why they stopped foraging early today."

Her eyes flickered with quiet confidence. "If that's the case, Raymond should be fine."

Sylph opened her mouth, ready to respond with a sharp retort, but hesitated. Her first instinct was to deny she was worried. Yet, if she insisted on that now, it would only make her sound… well, more like a tsundere.

So instead, she wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms with a huff. "I don't know what he's so busy with! Doesn't he realize he's keeping his teammates waiting?"

With a flourish of frustration, she picked up a small stone and tossed it at another rock, the soft clink echoing in the cave.

Lorene smiled faintly but didn't say anything. She, too, was worried about Raymond, but she trusted him. For now, all they could do was wait and hope he returned before their mission began.

Lorene glanced at Sylph quietly, her curiosity piqued. There was something about Sylph's behavior that felt… different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

And then, breaking the tension, a familiar voice echoed from outside the cave.

"So, you were both worried about me after all."

The two women immediately turned toward the entrance, their faces lighting up with relief.

Raymond strode into the cave, his long sword strapped across his back. His green leather armor was streaked with blood, and in his hand was a handful of bush leaves.

Sylph, trying to hide her concern, opened her mouth, ready to make a snarky comment. But instead, she blurted out, "If you knew we were worried, why didn't you come back sooner?"

Still, her voice softened as she added, "But… it's good you're back."

Lorene, on the other hand, visibly relaxed. The tight grip she had on her magic wand loosened, and a small sigh escaped her lips. Her earlier logical analysis had been solid, but deep down, she had been genuinely afraid something might have happened to Raymond.

Seeing their reactions, Raymond felt a twinge of guilt. Scratching the back of his head, he offered an explanation. "I could've been back earlier, but I ran into a group of Rampage Rabbits on the way. So I… killed them."

"Rampage Rabbits?" Sylph repeated, her eyebrows shooting up. Her gaze drifted to the blood on his armor, and understanding dawned on her.

Lorene tilted her head, her confusion apparent. "But Rampage Rabbits live deep in the forest, far from the mine. They're not a threat. Why would you kill them?"

Raymond nodded in agreement. "You're right," he said, feigning helplessness. "But I must've accidentally wandered into their territory. As soon as they saw me, they attacked! I had no choice but to defend myself."

Of course, that was a lie.

The truth was that Raymond had gone to the rabbit colony with the specific intent of killing them. He'd known exactly what he was doing; farming them for skill points.

And it had worked.

As he stood there, he couldn't help but glance at the glowing panel in his mind, where his updated stats were displayed:

---

Name: Raymond Kelton

Age: 15

Magic Value: 546/546

Occupations: Fighter, Warrior, Craftsman, Magician, Swordsman

Skill: Bone Crushing

Skill Points: 3

Cumulative Value: 15%

---

A small, satisfied smile crossed his face. With three skill points now in hand, he was finally ready to learn 'Taunt', the skill he'd been eyeing for so long.

But for now, he kept his accomplishment to himself, focusing instead on his relieved teammates.

"Anyway," he said, breaking the silence, "let's get ready. It's almost dark, and we've got a hive to destroy."

Sylph snorted, still trying to mask her worry. "You better hope this little side quest of yours was worth it."

Raymond just smirked. 'It definitely was.'

Raymond wasn't rushing to learn the 'Taunt' skill he'd been so eager for. Tonight's hive assault was unpredictable, and he needed to remain flexible. The skill he chose to learn would depend entirely on the situation they faced.

If they were swarmed by the wasps, 'Taunt' would be invaluable to draw their attention and protect Sylph and Lorene. But if they encountered a queen bee that survived Sylph's explosive magic and was too powerful for his 'Bone Crusher' to harm, he'd need to opt for a stronger attack skill.

It was this unpredictability that forced Raymond to hold back on spending his hard-earned skill points just yet.

"Unfortunately, we only managed to kill twelve of them," he muttered to himself. "And three got away before I could finish them off."

He sighed, frustration evident in his tone.

From his observations, Raymond had confirmed a frustrating pattern: the skill point and magic value gains he earned from defeating ordinary monsters halved after each subsequent kill.

After killing the tenth Rampage Rabbit, he had noticed the diminishing returns. Just as with the mutant rats, every additional kill yielded less and less progress.

"So that's how it works," he murmured.

When he explained this to Sylph and Lorene, they both nodded in understanding.

Then Sylph asked curiously, "By the way, how many poisonous sting wasps did you manage to kill during your ambush?"

Lorene perked up at the question, her eyes fixed on Raymond.

"Only five," Raymond replied with a shrug.

"Five?!" Sylph's voice was filled with disbelief. "How did you pull that off?"

They had expected him to take down maybe one or two wasps at most. After all, the sting wasps could fly fast and high, once they were airborne, they were nearly impossible to catch.

Seeing their curiosity, Raymond recounted the methods he used, from baiting them with the rabbit meat to intentionally getting hit by a poison needle to lure them into range.

Sylph and Lorene listened with wide eyes, captivated by his ingenuity.

"That's… genius," Sylph finally admitted, her tone laced with both surprise and admiration. "I never would've thought of using the poison needle against them like that."

Lorene nodded in agreement, her voice filled with awe. "It's incredible! You made it seem so easy."

Raymond smiled faintly at their praise, though inwardly, he felt a little sheepish. 'All this effort… and it's really just for skill points and to make tonight's mission less of a nightmare.'

After all, once Sylph unleashed her 'Exploding Fireball', there wouldn't be many wasps left alive to kill.

At that moment, a thought struck him. He turned to Sylph and asked, "Did you bring the White Stones?"

"I did," she replied, pulling a small wooden box from her backpack. "I brought three. Will that be enough?"

Raymond opened the box slightly, allowing a faint glow to escape through the gap. Satisfied, he nodded. "That's perfect. Thanks."

Sylph let out a small breath of relief, then asked, "So… have you figured out how we're going to take down the wasp nest tonight?"

Lorene's gaze followed Sylph's, both of them looking at Raymond with anticipation.

Under their expectant stares, Raymond smiled and nodded.

"I have a plan."