Apocalypse Arrives: I Become a Powerhouse by Scavenging

After that, Moira Lynch continuously pointed out the locations of the Fire Burning Grass.

Seeing how she found one with every try, the others stopped their own clueless searching. They all gathered around Moira Lynch, waiting for her command to rush forward and claim the Fire Burning Grass.

Thanks to Moira Lynch’s help, the amount of Fire Burning Grass they collected increased at a rapid pace.

Previously, these people hadn’t said anything about Moira Lynch’s slacking, but they still felt a little resentful. They only held their tongues because of her status as a B-rank adventurer and Hugh Finch’s competence.

After this, everyone was completely won over.

"This is great! At this rate, we’ll be able to complete the gathering quest today," one person said happily.

Although the quest they had accepted wasn’t considered dangerous, that didn’t mean there were no risks at all. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have required adventurers of B-rank or higher.

Even if they were lucky and encountered no danger, the sheer exhaustion from the journey was more than enough for them to handle.

The three people in the distance noticed this scene. Aiden Hayes slowly opened his eyes, his sharp gaze fixed on Moira Lynch, who was effortlessly directing the others. A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes.

Finally, thanks to everyone’s efforts, the gathering quest was successfully completed before nightfall.

Looking at the Fire Burning Grass and Red Rock Crystals everyone had brought back, Aiden Hayes checked that the quality was fine and reached out to put them away, but Moira Lynch stopped him.

Aiden Hayes’s hand froze in midair. He turned to look at Moira Lynch, seeming not to have processed what just happened.

Seeing this, Eri was the first to speak. "Moira Lynch, what do you think you’re doing? Hurry up and give the Red Rock Crystals and Fire Burning Grass to Aiden Hayes for safekeeping."

Moira Lynch stored everything in her space, then said to Eri, "Didn’t we already assign tasks before we set out? I was in charge of gathering. That being the case, it’s only natural that I hold on to the things we gathered."

After hearing Moira Lynch’s words, the expression on Eri’s face froze for a moment before returning to normal. "You’re not wrong, but we’re a team. Aiden Hayes is the highest-ranked among us, so he should be the one to keep these items."

Hearing Eri say this, Aiden Hayes, who was standing to the side, shot Moira Lynch an arrogant look. His expression seemed to say he was waiting for her to deliver the items into his hands.

Now, someone else might have fallen for this, but Moira Lynch wasn’t buying it.

"If we’re such a team, then why didn’t you come over and help just now?" Moira Lynch retorted.

Eri’s voice faltered. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

At this, Kent chimed in from the side, "Everyone collected these things together. Even if you want to hold them yourself, you should at least get everyone else’s approval."

Kent said this deliberately to muddy the waters and make the others think Moira Lynch had ill intentions.

However, Moira Lynch replied with righteous confidence, "Why should I need their approval? Hugh Finch dug out every single Red Rock Crystal, and while they may have picked the Fire Burning Grass, I was the one who found it. Without me, could you all have finished the quest this quickly?"

Moira Lynch’s words were spoken with conviction, as she was, after all, only stating the facts.

Those who had been feeling a little dissatisfied after hearing Kent’s words instantly calmed down after hearing what Moira Lynch had to say.

Besides, in their view, what difference did it make who held the items?

They figured it was better for Moira Lynch to hold them than Aiden Hayes. At least the young girl Moira seemed harmless, unlike Aiden, who looked difficult to get along with from a single glance.

"Enough!" Aiden Hayes suddenly snapped, rebuking both Eri and Kent. He then gave Moira Lynch a deep look and continued, "Since you want to hold on to them, then fine, you can keep them. But let me make one thing clear: if anything happens to them along the way, we won’t be held responsible."

Moira Lynch nodded, looking as fearless as a newborn calf. "Don’t worry. Even if something happens to me, nothing will happen to them."

The argument ended with Moira Lynch’s victory. After all, the items were already in her hands. As long as she refused to hand them over, there was nothing the others could do, no matter how much they argued.

Seeing Moira Lynch’s confident expression, a faint, mocking smile played on Aiden Hayes’s lips. "I hope you’re still this confident when the time comes."

"It’s already late. We’ll set out again tomorrow."

Thanks to the help from Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch, they had finished the quest ahead of schedule, leaving them with plenty of time.

That night, Moira Lynch and Hugh Finch sat close together, their eyes closed.

"Why didn’t you want to give the items to that Aiden Hayes guy earlier?" Hugh Finch asked.

From what Hugh Finch knew of Moira Lynch, she hated trouble more than anything. Now that the gathering quest was complete, she normally wouldn’t have cared who was holding the items.

"Did you notice something was off?"

"No, I just didn’t want to give them the items. I was afraid they’d swap them out for something else on the way," Moira Lynch said honestly.

"Swap them out? They can do that?" Hugh Finch’s voice was filled with surprise.

"Why not? It happens all the time among adventurers. It’s like a colleague giving you a file to deliver to your boss. After you hand it over, the boss finds it’s a complete mess. You go to confront your colleague, but they just say it wasn’t like that when they gave it to you."

"What if, when we get to our destination, they’ve swapped the Red Rock Crystals we worked so hard to find with a batch of fakes? Who could we possibly turn to for help then?"

After hearing Moira Lynch’s reasoning, Hugh Finch said, "They wouldn’t go that far, would they? It’s not just us and them here. There are other people, right? They’d be witnesses."

Moira Lynch laughed drily. "How naive. You said it yourself earlier: this quest requires B-rank adventurers or higher. I brought you along, so take a guess—who do you think brought the rest of them?"

"Those other adventurers might not be in league with them, and they might not know what their group is planning, but if something really does happen, do you honestly think they’ll take our side?"

"Besides, Aiden Hayes is an A-rank adventurer. Even if The Adventurer’s Guild investigates, they’re more likely to believe the word of an A-rank. If it comes to that, we won’t be able to defend ourselves."

Hugh Finch thought Moira Lynch was exaggerating a little, and even seemed a bit paranoid. Still, he had to admit she had a point. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"And more importantly," Moira Lynch said in a completely certain tone, "my woman’s intuition is telling me those people are up to no good."

Hugh Finch: ...

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