"This is the grassland where we often receive requests."

"Wow, it's really a wide-open plain."

"It's just a grassland, like any other. Tetsuya, you're being dramatic."

Well, for someone from the city in my previous world, this kind of scenery is impressive. In Japan, such wide plains exist only in places like Hokkaido, at least in my mind.

In front of me, a vast green plain stretches out. It's about a 30-minute walk from the town, and since the path is a straight one, it seems unlikely we'll get lost on the way back.

"If you're lucky, you can hunt horned rabbits or Liger birds around here. Their meat is tasty, and horned rabbit fur can be sold as a material. Plus, they won’t attack unless provoked, so it's a safe area."

As expected from a starting town, it seems there aren't many dangerous monsters here.

"Occasionally, slimes do appear, and they will attack, but you can defeat them easily by stabbing their core. They're slow, so it's easy to run away."

"I see."

Horned rabbits and Liger birds… I've never heard of such creatures before. Slimes, at least, are familiar, and it seems they're weak monsters in this world.

"We only come to the plains for hunting requests for horned rabbits or Liger birds. Generally, forest requests pay better, although they are slightly more dangerous."

I see. So beginners mostly stick to the plains, where it’s safer, and gain experience before moving on to the more dangerous forests.

"Alright, let's split into two groups and start gathering the herbs for the request."

We split into two teams: Roya and Nicole in one, and me, Lilia, and Fal in the other to search for medicinal herbs.

"Hey, there's some over here! Come take a look."

"Wow, so this is what a medicinal herb looks like."

I followed Fal’s voice and found a plant that looked like a large version of mugwort.

"These days, it's rare to see someone who hasn't come across medicinal herbs. They have a strong vitality and can be found everywhere in forests and plains. Despite being common, they’re useful in various ways, so there’s always demand," Lilia explained.

"If you pull them out by the roots like this, new herbs will grow back in time."

...Tough as weeds, I see.

After gathering herbs for a while, we regrouped with Roya and the others.

"Alright, we’ve gathered about one-third of the required herbs. Now let’s head to the forest."

"Yes!"

In about an hour, we managed to collect a decent amount of medicinal herbs. We didn’t encounter any monsters, confirming that the plains are indeed very safe. Next, we set out on a 30-minute walk toward the forest.

"Let’s take a 30-minute break before entering the forest."

I’ve been on the move since morning and, as someone who hasn’t exercised recently, I’m starting to feel worn out. On the other hand, the others show no signs of fatigue. Adventurers sure have stamina.

"What’s that you're eating, Roya?"

"Oh, it's dried meat, like the kind you had before. We eat it with bread and cheese, but it’s pretty tough. It’s better if you lightly roast it, but starting a fire is a hassle."

"How do you normally start a fire?"

"If there’s a mage who can use fire magic, that’s the easiest way, but not many can do that. Usually, we rub sticks together to ignite the fire."

It seems that in this world, mages who can use fire magic are relatively rare. Still, magic… I haven’t seen any magic being used since I arrived here. Magic is a hallmark of fantasy worlds, so I hope to witness it someday.

"Alternatively, we can use flint to start a fire, but it requires some skill, and even the cheapest flint costs at least three gold coins. It's not something most rookie adventurers can afford."

Three gold coins—sounds pricey. Maybe flint isn’t easy to find in this world.

Lilia showed me the flint commonly used here. It looked like the type you see in Edo period dramas, with a large stone and a metal striker. Since Lilia only has one arm, she stabilizes the stone with her foot while striking it with her right hand. Apparently, it’s quite a task.

"That’s where this comes in—dah dah da daah—the 'Fire Starter' and some 'hemp twine!'"

"Dah dah…?"

"Yeah, you can ignore that part."

It’s become my signature.

"This here is a Fire Starter—a smaller version of flint. Help me gather some dry leaves and sticks, will you?"

We all gathered dry leaves and sticks near the forest entrance.

"This hemp twine can be unraveled into fine strands to use as tinder. You can fray it with a knife to make it fluffy. Once it’s fluffy like this, you use this metal rod, called a ferrocerium rod, and strike it with this striker.

"In the beginning, it's easier to strike a large portion of the rod. Gather the metal shavings, and then strike the rod strongly toward the shavings!"

"Whoa!!"

After a few strikes, the hemp twine caught fire. The Fire Starter works by shaving off magnesium or ferrocerium, metals that ignite at a relatively low temperature, and then striking the rod to create sparks that ignite the metal shavings.

The key to successfully starting a fire is fraying the hemp twine finely to make it more flammable, shaving off enough of the rod, and striking the rod firmly to generate sparks.