Chapter 54: Gathering Materials for a Quill Pen

Ren’s eyes suddenly fell on a small, unglazed clay jar with a lid placed near the window. It was used to burn insect-repelling incense during the summer.

“Oh—that might work.”

There was a similar incense jar in his room. The edge of the lid was slightly chipped, but it seemed usable for making char cloth.

“I’ll make the char cloth first, then start a fire… hmm… maybe I should hunt first.”

Ren thought through the steps:

Hunt a bird-type magical beast and get feathers.

Start a fire by the riverbank.

Stuff cloth into the incense jar and place it in the campfire.

Stick the feathers into the fire’s ashes.

Once the jar cools, the char cloth is done.

Cut the hardened feathers to make a quill pen.

“Looks like I can make both the quill pen and char cloth in one go! Alright!”

Excited, Ren returned to his room to grab the incense jar.

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Arriving at the grasslands, he looked up at the sky. In the distance, he could see a three-eyed eagle flying.

“…Still, if I’m going to make a quill, I’d rather use beautiful feathers.”

The eagle’s flight feathers might work, but ideally, he wanted something more vibrant. Ren pulled out a memo.

▪️ Rainbow-Tail Feather Bird

Traits: A small magical beast with tail feathers that shimmer in rainbow colors. The hues change depending on the angle of light.

Temperament: Timid but fast.

▪️ Azure Wind Swift

Traits: A wind-attribute magical beast with translucent blue feathers.

Temperament: Flies in flocks and excels in aerial combat.

▪️ Golden Thread Cockatrice (Juvenile)

Traits: Golden feathers. A high-level magical beast, but juveniles are relatively weak.

Temperament: Highly cautious.

▪️ Luminous Owl

Traits: Feathers that faintly glow at night.

Temperament: Quiet and intelligent.

He had made a list of bird-type monsters with beautiful feathers.

“Rainbow-colored feathers would be amazing… Rainbow-Tail Feather Bird—that name is cool too!”

Ren nodded to himself and stepped toward the forest.

“Rainbow-Tail Feather Bird… there wasn’t any info on where it lives… Since it’s timid, I’m guessing it’s in the shallower areas…”

Crunching through fallen leaves, he entered the forest. This was his second time there—he no longer hesitated. Making sure not to forget to bury marker item boxes along the way, he stayed alert to his surroundings.

He sensed something in the bushes ahead. Quickly, Ren grabbed his bow.

A shadow flickered—he fired an arrow.

“Ki!”

Rustle.

Rustle rustle!

Multiple magical beasts scattered in all directions as if bursting outward. They were about knee-high. At a glance, they looked like small fang rats.

“…There were that many…?”

He had only sensed one presence, so seeing so many scatter sent a chill down his spine.

When he approached where he had fired, he found a large rat about knee-high with his arrow lodged in its body, twitching. As he cautiously moved closer and reached for his knife, he sensed movement nearby again. Startled, he looked around and caught a glimpse of small fang rats moving through the underbrush.

“That’s creepy…”

Grabbing a stone, he threw it toward the direction of the movement.

Rustle rustle!

The small fang rats fled.

“Can’t let my guard down…”

He stored the rat in his item box, then, staying alert, drove his knife into its neck to finish it off.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bird landing on a tree branch.

(A bird!)

He quickly raised his bow.