Chapter 11 : Stability Plummeting
Chapter 11: Stability Plummeting
In this society built upon swords and magic, wealth and risk were like a pair of twin brothers, forever tightly intertwined.
Those wealthy merchants renowned across the continent were often powerful professionals themselves.
Only with enough strength to guard one’s vault could wealth truly belong to its owner.
Lance understood this principle deeply.
Therefore, he would never miss any opportunity to strengthen himself within a controllable range.
……
It was another rest day.
Lance once again stood fully armed at the entrance of Copper Creek Forest.
This time, he had accepted a commission to collect the sap of Silverleaf Vines.
This was a fundamental material used to produce “Grayleaf Tincture,” one of the most common antidote potions on the market.
This plant had extremely strict requirements for environmental humidity and usually only grew on ancient oak trees near Whispering Waterfall.
Because potion shops had a huge demand for this material, the Adventurers’ Guild would periodically send people to clear the route leading to the collection area.
Theoretically, that place was an absolute safe zone, with no need to worry about encountering monsters.
But that was only in theory.
Recently, the internal magical turbulence within Copper Creek Forest had caused even the outer regions to become unpredictable and treacherous.
The once most sought-after Coppercap Mushrooms gathering missions had long been snatched up. After weighing his options repeatedly, Lance selected this seemingly safest task from among many.
This was already the optimal choice he had calculated after comparing seven or eight gathering commissions.
After all, since he had chosen to become an Adventurer, it was impossible to completely avoid all risks.
As long as the risk remained within a controllable range, it was worth attempting.
After all, he still had that system ability that allowed him to observe Environmental Stability.
However, the moment Lance stepped into Copper Creek Forest, the system notification that popped up gave him a harsh wake-up call.
【Current Area: Restless (Green) Outer Region of Copper Creek Forest】
【Restless (Green): The fluctuation range of Environmental Stability in this area is adjusted to 5%. There is a 20% chance of obtaining additional rewards during gathering, and stamina consumption increases by 10%】
【Current Commission: Collect Silverleaf Vine Sap (0/10), Reward: Skill Experience 10, Knowledge Experience 10】
Lance ignored the increase in stamina consumption entirely.
For someone with 【Hvergelmir’s Surge】, stamina was practically infinite.
What truly made him uneasy was that fluctuation range.
The previously stable 1% variation had now become a massive 5% swing.
This meant danger could arrive without warning, drastically reducing his reaction time.
It seemed the reports circulating within the guild had not exaggerated anything.
Recently, the forest was in a period of magical disorder. While resources had become more abundant, monster activity had also grown increasingly frenzied.
This also explained the shocking incident of Gnolls and Goblins cooperating in an attack.
At the thought of Goblins, an undisguised look of disgust appeared on Lance’s face.
This type of monster was nothing short of a tumor within the ecosystem.
According to the records in “Copper Creek Forest Monster Handbook,” the Goblin race relied on an astonishing—almost terrifying—reproduction rate to survive against predators and harsh environments.
Female Goblins had an absurdly short gestation period of only two to three months, and each litter could produce around eight offspring.
Even more frightening, these young could reach adulthood and gain reproductive capability in just three years.
Among all intelligent species, this reproductive efficiency was absolutely at the top.
Compared to them, humans reproduced at a pace no faster than turtles.
Adventurers might just wipe out one tribe, yet within less than a year, a new clan would sprout like weeds in another dark corner.
Moreover, the largest Goblin populations were never on the surface.
They lived underground, in a tangled, labyrinth-like dark world.
What humans could do was only periodically clear out the wanderers on the surface to prevent overpopulation.
“Disgusting and troublesome creatures.”
Lance cursed inwardly.
Not only that, Goblins had extremely unstable genetics and often mutated into terrifying subspecies.
These variants were absolutely deadly threats to ordinary Adventurers.
While reviewing the knowledge he had crammed recently, Lance remained vigilant, observing his surroundings.
He casually gathered some low-value herbs along the way, constantly keeping an eye on the fluctuating value displayed on his retina.
Fortunately, the journey was uneventful.
By the time he reached the vicinity of the gathering point, everything around him was silent.
Few Adventurers dared to venture this deep during this period. Today in particular, he hadn’t seen a single soul along the way.
Teams with even a bit of strength had already taken on higher-paying extermination missions to suppress the rampaging monsters.
Lance stopped in front of an ancient oak tree that required three people to encircle it.
Several thick, dark green vines coiled tightly around the trunk like snakes. Their distinctive heart-shaped leaves shimmered with silver veins under the sunlight filtering through the canopy.
This was precisely how the Silverleaf Vine got its name.
Lance drew his short sword and gently cut open the vine’s outer layer.
A slightly viscous, transparent sap slowly flowed out, and a faint sour odor immediately filled the air.
He quickly took out a prepared glass bottle to collect it.
While waiting for the bottle to fill, his eyes flicked toward the Environmental Stability value every few seconds.
Luckily, his fortune held.
Until all ten small bottles were filled, nothing unusual occurred around him.
【Commission Completed: Collect Vine Sap (30/30)】
【Rewards Obtained: Skill Experience 10, Knowledge Experience 10】
Lance carefully wrapped each glass bottle with cloth to prevent them from colliding and breaking during intense movement.
After storing the spoils in the pouch at his waist, he did not leave immediately.
Since he was already here, he might as well check out the nearby waterfall.
One reason was that his hands were sticky from collecting sap and needed cleaning.
The other was that he remembered a plant called Coagulation Moss, which liked to grow on decaying wood near waterfalls.
He glanced at the value.
72%.
Not particularly high, but still within a safe range in a Restless area.
Lance quickly made his way to Whispering Waterfall.
Mist filled the air, and numerous fallen logs covered in moss lay scattered along the shore.
Using the botanical knowledge he had recently learned, he carefully identified different types of moss.
Soon enough, he discovered a patch of plant resembling red velvet growing in the shaded side of a massive decaying log.
When scraped off, it felt sticky, with fine white mycelium attached at the base, and it carried a faint metallic scent when brought close.
It was precisely the core material used to produce Hemostatic Ointment.
【Knowledge: Botany +1】
An unexpected gain.
As expected, practice was the best teacher.
Delighted, Lance was just about to harvest a large amount.
However, at that very moment, he instinctively glanced at the corner of his vision.
The value, which had been relatively stable in the green range, had suddenly dropped to 67% without any warning.
Lance’s expression changed instantly.
He abandoned the idea of continuing the harvest, grabbed the moss he had just scraped, stuffed it into his bag, and turned to leave.
Greed was the greatest original sin of Adventurers.
The moment this value began to fluctuate, leaving was the only path to survival.
But he had barely run a dozen meters in the direction he came from.
The value not only failed to recover—it began to plummet like an out-of-control elevator.
62%.
57%.
52%.
Lance abruptly halted, a layer of cold sweat instantly forming on his back.
If he had entered a dangerous zone, then retreating should have caused the value to rise again.
But now, no matter which direction he moved, the value kept dropping.
There could only be one explanation.
It wasn’t that he had run into danger.
It was that danger was closing in on him.
He was surrounded.