Chapter 37

"Alright, since there are no more troublesome people around, I'll get back to gathering herbs."

"Mm, true enough. It’s pointless to dwell on those issues right now anyway."

Though Lisbeth had run into two unexpected faces that morning, she decided to set everything aside for now and focus on today’s task. Thanks to Natalie, most of the monsters in this forest had already been wiped out, making herb gathering much easier for her.

As time passed, Lisbeth was soon only one herb short of finishing. But before she could head to the next spot, the communication crystal Hilda had given her suddenly glowed.

"ROAR!!!!"

"Huh!?"

Staring at the flashing crystal, Lisbeth immediately had a bad feeling. When she channeled magic into it and connected the call, the first sound wasn’t Hilda’s—it was a series of fierce beast roars.

"Hey! Lisbeth, can you hear me? We’re surrounded by monsters for some reason! Hurry and save us!"

Soon, Hilda’s voice cut through, but her tone was frantic, as if she was truly in deep trouble. Lisbeth looked confused at their plea and quickly asked, "Huh? Wait! Weren’t you gathering herbs in a safe zone with few monsters? How did this happen?"

"I don’t know! These monsters don’t normally live here, but for some reason, they’ve all moved to our location. Just come quickly—I’ve set the coordinates on your crystal. Head straight here!"

"Got it."

After cutting the call, Lisbeth covered her face with her hands. She turned back toward the area where countless monsters had just died and sighed. "Sigh… If I’m not wrong, it’s because Natalie killed so many monsters here. The ones that lived here must’ve fled to other areas… and that ‘other area’ seems to be where Hilda and the others are…"

"Seriously? That’s way too coincidental. Why’d they have to go exactly where Hilda’s group is?"

Hearing this, Clothilde sighed beside her. "Alex, don’t just stand there. Go save them already."

"I know. But without using magic or Class Change, I can’t possibly fight off a horde of monsters. I need to prepare first."

As soon as she finished speaking, a massive Magic Array appeared beneath her feet. Torrents of magic erupted from her body, shaking the entire forest. Maintaining that overwhelming power, she shouted loudly: "Class Change Ability activated! Occupation selected: Rank 1—Priest!"

After selecting her class, a holy light shot up from the Magic Array, engulfing Lisbeth completely. When the glow faded, she stood there in a pure white robe.

But it wasn’t over. After completing the Class Change, Lisbeth took a deep breath and declared: "Rank-up Ability activated! Rank 2—Sage!"

Just like when she’d advanced to Grand Thief, a weapon slowly rose from the ground beneath her feet. Unlike the short sword from before, this time it was a long staff. As Lisbeth grasped it, her white robe vanished instantly, replaced by an elegant silver one.

"Alex, why did you Class Change into a healing class? No one’s injured here!"

Seeing Lisbeth as a Sage, Clothilde asked in confusion. Lisbeth simply smiled and pulled out some of the herbs she’d gathered. "To make healing medicine, of course. If I can’t boost my strength directly, I’ll at least craft potions for a long fight~"

After saying that, she laid the herbs out in a row. Tapping them with her new staff, she chanted: "Skill activated—Sacred Medicine Crafting!"

"WHOOSH!!"

As the staff touched the herbs, they floated mid-air as if alive. Empty vials appeared out of nowhere before them. The herbs dissolved into specks of light, flowing into the bottles.

Once inside, they turned into deep red liquid. There were quite a few bottles—at least ten or so.

"Done. This batch of healing potions should be enough. These sacred potions are monsters’ worst nightmare, so they can double as weapons. And if Elinest or the others get hurt, I can heal them right away."

"Huh? But Lisbeth, how will you explain where these came from? You’ve been hiding your Class Change ability. If you suddenly pull out so many potions, they’ll get suspicious."

Clothilde had a point. Hilda and the others weren’t fools—so many potions appearing out of nowhere would raise eyebrows. But Lisbeth just smiled.

"Don’t worry. I’ll say I made them from the herbs I gathered earlier, just to pass the time. If they ask how I did it without tools, I’ll call it my secret family recipe."

"Haa… Why does that sound so unreliable?"

Though shaky, Lisbeth had so many secrets already that suddenly producing potions would just seem miraculous to Hilda’s group. Realizing this, Clothilde urged her: "Fine. Then deactivate your Class Change and hurry over. If something happens to one of them, you won’t be able to face Christia later, will you?"

"Right. Let’s go."

With a final nod, Lisbeth deactivated her Class Change and sprinted toward the forest where Hilda’s group was.

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"ROAR!!!!"

Though Hilda’s group was some distance away, Lisbeth arrived quickly. Roars echoed endlessly from ahead. Looking up, she saw Hilda and the others had climbed a large tree, surrounded by about a dozen monsters.

"Ahhh! Why isn’t that idiot Lisbeth here yet?! At this rate, we’re gonna get eaten!"

"Stalos, calm down. These monsters can’t climb up yet, so stop panicking. And remember—you were a grown man once. Don’t act so pathetic."

"Hilda, if my magic and body weren’t so heavily restricted, I wouldn’t fear these monsters! The problem is, I’m a powerless little girl right now. What’s wrong with being scared?"

Watching Stalos tremble on the tree, Lisbeth almost wanted to keep watching the show. But the monsters seemed intelligent—they started attacking the tree’s roots when they couldn’t climb up.

"Mm, I did want to scare that sandwich-thief a bit longer… but since they’re really in trouble, I guess I have to step in~"

"Alex, you really hold grudges."

"Hmph! Of course! The hatred for stolen food runs deep! Anyway, there aren’t as many monsters as I thought. Less than ten shouldn’t be a problem."

After scanning the area and confirming no hidden monsters lurked nearby, Lisbeth drew the sword Hilda had given her. "Alright then… let’s go~"

Her eyes sharpened instantly as she charged at the monsters.

"WHOOSH!!!"

"ROAR!!!"

The moment she closed in, Lisbeth swung her sword, sending one monster flying. Before the others could react, she thrust the blade straight into the eye of a beast beside her, killing it in one strike.

"ROAR!!!!"

Seeing two companions fall, the Nashe monsters roared in fury. Magic surged across their bodies—they were about to cast spells. At that exact moment, Lisbeth pulled the potions she’d made from her bag and hurled them at the beasts.