That said, such low-level essence food would only have a decent effect if they ate enough. Hopefully, after a few slices each, it was enough.
He even handed them a water package, which they gulped down. They all managed to take a few gulps.
Was it just them or was the water inside a lot more than it seemed?
Finn smiled. Of course, it had more water. The waterskin he got from the [Newbie Package] might look like it could hold a liter at best, but it could actually hold a gallon, which was more than three times that. Not that he’d say so out loud, of course.
After drinking, they ate the rest of the jerky. When it was all finished, they even licked their fingers, and only then did they realize how impolite they had been.
"Thank you," they said, and also awkwardly apologized for their rudeness.
"Like I said, it looks like you need it. As a fellow person, all I did was to share what I already have," he said with a handsome brotherly grin.
He looked quite cool, and the young men and goblins’ eyes sparkled full of admiration.
Finn hadn’t seen humans in a while now, so he was truly happy to help.
"You can relax a bit, really," he told them, pointing at a few rocks and clearings at the side. "You could barely stand."
"But..."
"As long as you’re in this area, awakened monsters won’t attack," he said. "My repellent still has a few hours to go and I’m planning on maximizing it."
At this, the group finally relaxed and they watched the man kneel down again, gathering leaves, plants, and even uprooting some plants.
The goblins approached him first. "Can we help?"
"Thanks, but you should take this time to rest. I might call you just before we leave, but for now, just sit still and maybe nap," Finn said, waving them away. "Anyway, I also need to practice my farming skills."
The others stared. Farming skills?
’Farming’ and the ’danger zone’ were two things they never heard together unless ’farming’ referred to farming monsters used by toughened level fighters and above, when they meant killing awakened-level monsters to sell cores.
In the end, the group decided to sit down and rest. They would never think they would feel relaxed in the forest, let alone in the Forest of Beasts.
They could hear distant roars, though they could tell some monsters had already left, and they were very impressed by the quality of the repellents.
Most repellants they knew would only keep monsters away for a while, and some monsters could still pass through, especially if it was a large mob.
Large mobs had a mass that could influence the movement of the air and, therefore, the direction of the repellent’s scent. This repellent seemed to have a heavy density, relatively unaffected by the changes in the winds.
They knew about beast repellents and had even been in groups that used some, but those were nobles’ groups. These potions were very expensive and rare, after all.
The joint hunting group they had been in also had repellents, though they’d be used on the way home when people’s energy was already low.
As they rested, they couldn’t help but look at Finn, a man seeming to have the lowest level of awakening, but who was foraging alone in the middle of the danger zone. He must not be an ordinary person!
They wanted to ask him more questions, but the relaxed atmosphere (and the fact that their stomachs weren’t eating compressing into themselves) quickly made them feel lethargic.
It seemed like all the tiredness they had pushed down the past few days finally caught up to them.
Their eyelids felt heavier one by one, and—with Ren as the last one—all of them fell asleep.
...
About two hours later—
"BEEEPPP!"
They all flinched awake, with varying levels of alertness.
The goblins rolled around, shivering, before going into a defensive fetal position. Zachary was in a daze, still half asleep, Aaron was imbalanced and fell down, his face rubbing on the soil before recovering, and Ren was kneeling but was ready to attack.
Finn smirked, enjoying messing with the kids. "It’s been two hours. Did you sleep well?"
"T-two hours?" They all flinched, surprised. To think they fell asleep so carelessly in the danger zone!
"Anyway, now that you’re awake, I’d like your help to maximize the remaining hour my repellent application has.
He then looked at the lots of forage he still had to carry, and it would be a pity to leave so much behind. He had already taken quite a few out and piled them into a small hill. Now he just needed some logistics to transfer them out.
He looked at the young men resting. "Listen, kids, if you can make a basket this big and help me carry some of this stuff, I’ll treat you to one essence meal each!"
At the mention of basket-weaving, the boys felt awkward. "This..."
"I’m afraid my talent lies elsewhere," Ren said. He would still do the task, of course, but he wanted to manage expectations.
Aaron looked proud. "I’ve never done a chore in my life."
It was here that the two goblins raised their hands. "...we...we can help."
Finn nodded. He heard they were quite dextrous, so he was expecting them to, but he wanted them to volunteer, so here they were.
They watched as the goblins proficiently gathered the small branches, vines, and other materials. Even if they were limping, they were really hardworking. Finn reckoned that even if they were crawling, they could still work with the same quality.
Goblins were so interesting.
In terms of appearance, they were similar to how they were depicted in movies, except they were kind of...cute? They were green and small, but their eyes were large, black beads. He felt like they’d be less scary if they actually gained a bit of weight.
As for the other three, they...did their best.
They followed after the goblins’ handiwork to the best they could, but unless they were holding their weapons, it felt like they had two left hands or something. In the end, what they ended up doing was the inner lining of the big baskets, as well as some rough containers for smaller things.
Anyway, a couple of minutes later, large durable baskets made with soft branches and vines appeared, and their quality was far superior to his pitiful creations. It was quite impressive.
Finn’s eyes sparkled when he looked at them. He was tempted to offer them a job but stopped himself, for now. After all, he didn’t know them nor what their affiliations were.
While they finished the baskets, he looked at the boys. "When the little ones finish the baskets, I want you to carefully place my loot in them and carry them. My house is not far, about 30 minutes from here, if you know where to look. I’ll cook you a meal there. The beds, if you wanna sleep there, aren’t free though!"
They looked at him before they looked around, confirming that they were decidedly deep into the forest.
Did he just say ’his house’? Thirty minutes away?