novelraw Chapter 153: You’re in a Good Mood Today
Chapter 153: You’re in a Good Mood Today
“Lifesaver Burger (Dish): A portable snack for adventurers. Restores stamina quickly and grants +3 Foraging skill for six hours. Requires: Bread (Dish) ×1, Cave Carrot ×1, Eggplant ×1.”
Leon had no idea how many trees he had chopped down before the system’s notification finally chimed.
As usual, the content was full of deadpan nonsense, but at least his Foraging skill had leveled up, and he had unlocked a new recipe. If the system wanted to make a big deal out of it, fine—he was the one benefiting from it, after all.
He glanced at the lumber haul in his backpack: 480 pieces of wood, 113 drops of sap, 3 pine cones, 4 maple seeds, and 6 acorns.
The seed drop rate was pretty high, especially for acorns. Planting them would grow new oak trees, and Leon could cluster them in one area to mass-produce oak resin.
That meant one thing—one day, he could brew enough to recreate the legendary Maotai Town Story.
He kept swinging his axe, determined to clear the farm of all trees before nightfall. That would also make it easier to plan the layout.
The work was monotonous, but the steady stream of materials kept him motivated. When the wood stack in his backpack hit the cap of 999 and overflowed into a second slot, Leon finally realized that even in this “real world,” the system backpack had stack limits.
Still, losing a slot or two wasn’t a big deal. With 24 slots total and not much else on him, even if wood started filling a third or fourth stack, he’d have plenty of space left.
What did disappoint him was that by the time every tree on the farm was gone, the system still hadn’t triggered another Foraging level-up. So, he headed north into the remote forest, chopping wild trees for over an hour before the system finally spoke again.“Prolonged logging has given you new insight into foraging techniques. Your Foraging skill has increased by one level.
You’ve realized that aside from wood, trees also yield sap as a resource. To collect sap from different trees, you’ve developed the Tapper. Tapper crafting recipe unlocked.”
“Tapper: Place on maple, oak, or pine trees and wait for the container to fill with sap. Requires: Wood ×40, Copper Bar ×2.”
“Phew, finally.”
Reaching Foraging level 3 and unlocking the Tapper recipe made Leon let out a long breath.
He stored his axe and rubbed his sore arm.
He had spent the entire afternoon swinging it. Even with his enhanced physique, the relentless chopping had left him drained. If it hadn’t been for his determination to hit level 3 Foraging, he would have gone home hours ago.
But it was worth it. He had reached his goal, and the effort hadn’t been in vain.
Flexing his stiff fingers, Leon checked his watch. The hands were pointing to seven.
It was completely dark now. The rain had stopped, but heavy clouds still covered the sky, hiding the stars.
“Hungry.”
Heading back toward the farm, he felt not only the ache in his arms but also a gnawing hunger. The meager energy from the salad at noon had long burned away, and right now he felt like he could eat an entire cow.
The rain might have stopped, but the firepit would still be waterlogged. Cooking would be a hassle. Since he also needed to ask Emily about the price of two crystals—one yellow, one purple—he decided to go into Pelican Town instead.
Back at his cabin, he stripped off his raincoat, changed into clean clothes, and kept his rain boots on. The roads were still muddy.
There was no way he could cycle in that muck. Even though his bike could handle a lot, post-rain mud would stop it dead. So, Leon experienced the rare joy of walking on foot again.
Half an hour later, he arrived in Pelican Town. The moment he hit the freshly repaired cobblestone streets, he hopped onto his bike and rode straight to Gus’s Stardrop Saloon.
He parked at the door, stepped inside, and called out loudly, “Gus, bring me one of everything on today’s special menu!”
His voice carried, drawing everyone’s eyes. No one seemed annoyed, though—on the contrary, they laughed and joined in.
“Gus, did you hear that? Our farmer’s starving! Get to the kitchen!”
“Hahaha, of course! Long day, huh, Leon? Have a seat, I’ll whip it up right now,” Gus replied warmly before disappearing into the kitchen.
“Leon, after you eat, how about a drink? My treat!” said Lewis, one of the regulars.
Leon glanced at the seat across from Lewis, where Marnie sat, and waved him off. “Lewis, I really can’t hold my liquor. You don’t want to find me passed out in a ditch tomorrow and hauled to the clinic by some kind stranger, do you?”
“You’re right. Staying sober’s a good thing. You’re still young—your health’s worth more than anything,” Lewis said, abandoning the idea of getting him drunk. “Go relax at the bar. I won’t bother you.”
“Mm.” Leon headed for the bar, where Emily came over to chat.
“You seem pretty cheerful today. Usually you’re not this loud when you come in.”
“Mm.” He really was in a good mood. Unlocking the Tapper meant his brewing empire had taken its first step.
“Is it because you caught a big fish today? Haley told me you reeled in a giant catfish—over two meters long—from the river outside our house,” Emily asked, handing him a cup of hot water. It had just stopped raining, and she figured the walk must’ve been chilly.
Leon’s heart skipped at her words, but his expression stayed calm. “Something like that. Did she say anything else?”
“No, just that you caught a big fish. Why? Did something else happen?” Emily asked curiously.
Leon exhaled in relief, then offered a safe version of the story. “Yeah. Before I caught it, I let her try the rod. That giant catfish nearly dragged her into the river.”
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