This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 103

Hard Work

"You... We just wanted to know. Don’t think that just because you hunt alone, we should consider you so strong that we have to be scared! In fact...your hunting just now—if you hadn’t been hiding in that tree, I don’t think you would have avoided the same fate as us!" The hunter, feeling slighted, no longer spoke kindly. He openly expressed his disdain for Ellie.

He simply wanted to know who the other party was and where she came from. Hunting alone suggested she wasn’t from a powerful family. Yet, he saw her using an expensive dimensional ring to store the beast carcasses. If she were truly that strong, capable of earning enough to buy a dimensional ring, why would such a powerful person be hunting on the 1st floor? From what he saw...everything seemed contradictory!

But more than anything, he thought Ellie wasn’t truly strong but might be using a special hunting method, like staying in the tree and using long-range weapons. Additionally, it was evident that Ellie’s physique wasn’t as large as a typical man’s. The gloves she wore were small. So, in terms of physical strength, they shouldn’t be much different.

"You think so?" Ellie replied in a calm voice.

Not only did they fail to thank the person who saved their lives, but they also belittled her abilities? If she had known this would turn into a story of a farmer and a viper[PL1] [1], she might have let the wild boars trample them into the ground before intervening.

"Hey! Why did you say that!? Uh, I apologize, Sir Hunter. My friend has just been through a severe shock, and his words may be unpleasant. Please forgive him," the man who was the first to be nearly trampled apologized to Ellie immediately.

To him, causing trouble with the person who saved them was pointless. Even though he was displeased with Meya’s attempt to engage with Sir Hunter, wasn’t Meya the one at fault? He hadn’t seen any indication that the hunter was interested in Meya at all.

Or even if he was interested in Meya and she in him, so what? Hadn’t they been trying to court Meya all this time? If another person admired Meya’s beauty, it wasn’t a big deal.

But that was just his perspective. The others didn’t think the same.

"Huh!! Why apologize? I chose to speak this way on my own, not because of any shock! And not just this...there’s something else I want to ask you. Tell me. You’ve been here for a while, haven’t you? You saw us being attacked from the start, didn’t you? So why did you let those wild boars attack us!? Why didn’t you step in to help from the beginning? If you hadn’t just stood by, maybe we wouldn’t have been hurt this badly or wasted our healing potions."

"The first wild boar you hunted, I think you should share half of it. If it weren’t for waiting for those wild boars to attack us, would you have been able to kill that boar so easily? Using us to your advantage but keeping all the benefits for yourself, I think that’s completely unfair." The more he spoke, the more his selfishness showed. Even Ellie, who initially dismissed his words as mere noise, couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

She found his statements utterly absurd. Someone who was saved demanding benefits for themselves? She’d only ever seen those saved offering thanks and repayment to their savior. She had never seen such a scenario before. Oh, damn!

"I don’t think he needs to share at all. Sir Hunter saved us, how can you accuse him of using us as bait!? If Sir Hunter hadn’t helped us, we’d all be dead by now," the young woman felt deeply embarrassed by the selfish words of her group member. Not only Ellie who had never seen this, but even she was momentarily stunned.

"I agree with Meya. It’s us who owe Sir Hunter a debt of gratitude. How can you twist things like this!? Besides...the fact that we’re alive is a blessing."

"Being alive is a blessing for you, huh? That’s your business! It was obvious that the ones who were going to die weren’t me. If you want to repay him, go ahead. But for me...this hunter is just an opportunist! When he started hunting, those wild boars were already exhausted from chasing us, making it easier for him. If it weren’t for us, I don’t believe this hunter could have taken down the beasts."

"That’s right! Because they chased us for so long, I think what we did was useful. At the very least, he should share some of the resources with us."

The group of 7 began to split into two factions. Some spoke honestly and straightforwardly, while others, knowing the truth, still shamelessly demanded benefits for themselves.

Ellie watched them argue, shaking her head. Even the Nocturnal Rabbit in her pocket showed signs of anger.

"Have you decided what you’re going to do yet?" The petite woman in a man’s body asked the group, arms crossed. In truth, she didn’t care much about the 7 of them, considering she was just passing through. But who would have thought some of them could be so selfish? If she let it slide, they would likely continue to cause problems. So...instead of letting it go, she decided to let them choose their path.

"We don’t..."

"Stop! You don’t need to speak. If you don’t want anything, just stay quiet. But we want something! You need to share half of the meat with us as compensation for our hard work!" One of the selfish ones interrupted before the good one could say anything reasonable.

Their faces were full of satisfaction. If the person in front hadn’t asked this question, they would have thought there was no way to negotiate. The chance of getting a share from their awkward argument would have been slim. But what they didn’t anticipated was that the hunter asked them...so if they missed this opportunity, they’d be fools!

Without realizing it, this question was meant to judge their future. If they answered well, they wouldn’t have to face a costly lesson. However, their fate had already been decided...

"Fine. I’ll share the meat after you’ve worked hard." Hearing this, the young man’s face lit up with a satisfied smile. They didn’t notice the malicious glint in Ellie’s eyes.

"Good, so..."

"Then try harder!!" Suddenly, before they could react, yellow liquid was splashed onto their faces and bodies. The young man closest froze at first before realizing he had been splashed. By that time, Ellie had already jumped back.

"Hey! What the hell!? Why did you splash us with water all of a sudden!!"

"What is this? It smells strange."

"Ah!! This...could it be...?" Amidst the confusion, one member of the group stuttered, recognizing the familiar yellow potion bottle.

His expression caused the others to look at him seriously. They had never seen their comrade display such fear before.

"What could it be? What is it?" The man being questioned swallowed hard, trying to locate the small figure that had vanished without a trace. Tears filled his eyes as he wanted to shout, wondering if it was such a crime to merely ask for a small share? Did they deserve such severe punishment over just 10 silver coins?

"Say something already!"

"That, it’s..." As the man began to speak, his hair stood on end. A distant sound made him feel as if death was drawing closer.

"Hooom!!!" Yes! It was the roar of the large beast they had encountered earlier.

"A-A luring potion. It’s...a luring potion!!" The man who had been stuttering screamed as the sound of the large beasts’ footsteps grew nearer.

Even though they weren’t familiar with "luring potions" due to their high cost, they couldn’t possibly be unaware of this magical item worth 10 silver coins.

A luring potion, as the name suggested, attracted beasts to gather in one area. The beasts would be drawn to the scent dispersed over the area and swarmed toward it. High-level hunters often used it to gather beasts in one place to decimate them with powerful attacks, or to lure beasts away to access resources. This was typically used by apothecaries or those on herb-gathering missions.

This was the first time they had encountered someone using a luring potion on people. The cruelty of humanity was indeed everywhere, but who would have thought it would happen to them!!

As they plotted to take advantage of someone else, they became the victims instead!!

After splashing the luring potion on all 7 of them, Ellie used her speed to reach a location she had scoped out earlier. It was a steep cliff with an old path leading up. Ellie suspected this spot had been used by other hunters before, as it was a prime hunting location.

The height of this cliff was about the same as the previous tree, with a sheer drop on the backside that was impossible to climb. In front, there was an old wooden ladder, hidden by grass and vines, indicating that this place had been abandoned for some time.

She had discovered this excellent spot through her spores. If Ellie hadn’t initially intended to hunt the 6 wild boars, she would have come here to set up from the start.

The luring potion was one of the many items she had bought. Not knowing what kind of situations she would encounter, Ellie spent her money on various things, including the luring potion. She had intended to use it to divert the beasts to other directions. She had heard that wild boars liked to stay in groups, so in a situation where fighting was no longer viable, the luring potion would be a good option. Considering she didn’t want to reveal the existence of her purple mushrooms to others, hunting with them in front of people wasn’t an option. Thus, everything was well-prepared.

Unfortunately for the 7 people who had dared to trouble her, even though 2 of them tried to help, Ellie didn’t intend to let them go.

If those 2 really wanted to help her, would they have stayed silent after witnessing their friends’ selfish behavior? On the contrary...if Ellie didn’t have the luring potion or the ability to escape, would those two have allowed her to be taken advantage of?

From the beginning, their fate should have been sealed. She had saved them, giving them the chance to be rude to her. So, she decided to take that chance back...Who would save a viper only to be bitten later!?

Since she saved them, they should be grateful, not turn against her. If that’s the case, she would strike down the viper herself!

Unknowingly, Ellie felt a great calmness, even knowing she was about to kill 7 humans. In her previous era, their crime would have merited just a few days in prison...

While always remembering who she truly was, Ellie’s thoughts and decisions had gradually melded with this world...

Previously, she had said that Aman was terrifying and that his cruelty deserved to be called demonic. But now, she herself was doing the very things she once deemed terrifying...

[1] The Farmer and the Viper is one of Aesop’s Fables. It has the moral that kindness to evil will be met by betrayal and is the source of the idiom "to nourish a viper in one’s bosom".

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