"Young master Ron. What are we going to do in the forest this time?" Lucas asked.

"Why does it sound like you're afraid?" Aaron looked at the man once he sensed faint worry in his voice.

Lucas took a step forward and leaned towards the kid before whispering : "Maybe we shouldn't stay in the forest for too long, specifically when it's late in the afternoon and after dusk." He said these words while vigilantly looking at the surrounding area, his eyes left no tree branch or a small shrub without investigating them thoroughly!

Aaron could feel genuine agitation from his follower, "Is it because of the imminent Beast-Wave?"

"Yes," Lucas answered while keeping his hand resting on the handle of his Sword, "It is normal for stray Beasts to wander alone ahead of the Beast-Wave, these ones are mostly extremely cunning and ferocious." He maintained his state of absolute alert and kept his voice low because it wouldn't benefit anyone if these three civilians heard the news.

Lucas learned of the Beast-Wave from one of Manji's men, but he had to pay the greedy fellow 10 Silver Coins.

Now he regrets not asking his young master Ron instead of wasting his money!

"You keep paying attention and immediately warn me if one of these suckers dare come anywhere near our group," Aaron hurried his steps towards the location where he found the red colored dome of brick-like stone, "Remember to prioritize the safety of these three and only assist me when I order you to do so," Seeing Lucas about to argue with him he continued to say : "I know what I'm doing, just worry about what you need to do to keep yourself and these three safe if it like that actually happens. In the mean time keep your eyes peeled because your job as a lookout is extremely important, maybe it'd be for the best if you patrol the area in a circle of about 30 meters around our group and I'll try to make sure that these three finish things here before dusk." While thinking : 'After receiving 30+ Experience from killing each gang-member, I'm certain that doing the same to beasts would benefit me in the same way. Of course I wouldn't waste this chance when there's an opportunity for me to to get my hands on free Experience, as long as there's a few targets and my alarm-system is operating well enough... I'm sure that I can keep myself and this group of civilians safe.'

"Yes young master." Lucas nodded.

*Cough*

"Old man Vogen. Are you sure you're alright back there?" Aaron frowned when he heard the old Builder cough once again, the reason why they're moving so slow is because this guy isn't "nimble" enough when traversing the area where the forest's fauna began to thicken.

"Huff... I'm alright, no need to worry yourself young'un." Vogen replied before stopping Cassandra from saying anything.

*Snort*

Indeed this middle-aged woman didn't seem like she's satisfied with the treatment their employer is giving them.

'Humph. We're supposed to help this brat build a house, not explore the forest!' Cassandra thought while frowning deeply after noticing the pale complexion of her fellow Builder and his chaotic breath.

Tylus was standing close the the old man and seemed ready to support him if he happens to actually fall from exhaustion!

"It seem like I've been negligent of your condition old man Vogen, my sincerest apology." Aaron said while moving towards them before pointing towards the stump of the tree that fell because of him yesterday and continued to say : "We're already here, why don't you take a short break and drink some water? Here, try this fruit but don't eat the inner part where its seeds are located." He handed the elder one of the Apples because he wants him in an excellent shape, at least until his house is completed.

Cassandra nodded when she saw the kid being polite and respectful towards his elders, being mindful of his actions and others' emotions when required is one of the excellent traits any man could have.

Any smart woman would always appreciate this special quality whenever they discover one of the "rare" ones!

'I guess he's not a hopeless case after all.' She thought while watching old man Vogen take his seat and drink water before takin a bite from the strange fruit after studying it with his eyes for a few seconds.

"Huh!" Vogen was extremely surprised when he sensed the revitalizing aftereffects spread within his body once the juicy flesh of that fruit entered his mouth, his expression of shock was clearly visible and the unexpected experience left him at a loss for words.

"Alright everyone," Aaron spoke to grab the attention of Tylus and Cassandra when he noticed how things was veering off-track, "Uncle Tylus should look around at the surrounding trees and mark the trees with the highest-quality of timber, aunty Cassandra sh-"

"Just call me Cassandra." The middle-aged woman frowned before interrupting him.

Aaron nodded before continuing to say : "Cassandra it is then, now follow me." Afterwards he walked towards the area where he resumed his training yesterday.

Cassandra was shocked by the devastation done to the forest floor, a hole about a dozen meters wide and three or four meters deep was the very first feature she noticed in this location!

"W-what happened in here? Did monsters fight in here recently?" Cassandra was clearly afraid and she inched closely towards Aaron while saying that.

There isn't any shame in seeking protection from this kid after already seeing a demonstration of what he's capable of doing.

"That's not why we're here," Aaron walked towards the area where the red colored sand is buried and carefully removed the layer of black mud that covered it when he kept targeting the ground with a continuous barrage of Energy Bolt Skills, "Come check this sand, I want to hear your opinion as an expert." Afterwards he grabbed a fistful of the red sand and continued to say : "Once I heated this black mud with my flames it changed."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Cassandra raised an eyebrow, "It turned into this red sand?" She asked while using her fingers to feel the texture of this material.

Aaron felt slightly sorry for the woman after seeing her play with the red sand one day after he soaked it with his piss and thought : 'I better keep that information to myself.' And shook his head while saying : "No. Actually it became solid, it turned into a solid state of a brick-like stone and was able to withstand an attack similar to a strike of at least sledgehammer! I believe that attack would mostly break the majority of stones or at least give them a few cracks but this material only lost a layer of dust from its surface and remained completely intact."

"Then how come it is already in this state?" This time Cassandra seemed deeply intrigued by this sand and even took a sniff before frowning when the stench assaulted her nose.

"Uh! Some... "water" from my canteen fell on the dome and it crumbled on itself and became like that, I was thinking of molding this sand with other materials to create sturdy blocks and use them to build my house." Aaron quickly changed the subject once he saw the middle aged woman squint her eyes while looking at him, he immediately noticed that she already knows the reality of things and understood why Cassandra is giving him that look once she tossed the sand away and cleaned her hands by clapping them a few times.

Cassandra turned and walked towards Vogan while saying : "It's better if we ask old man Vogan for his advice, I'm much more suited to designing than building while he's the experienced one between us in choosing suitable materials."

Aaron followed her while shaking his head after seeing this middle-aged woman being embarrassed and annoyed in her own helplessness, she can't vent her emotions on her employer because she might risk her own safety if she dared to do so!

"Old man Vogen. How are you feeling?" Cassandra asked.

Vogen nodded towards Aaron while giving him a wide smile and an expression of deep gratitude before saying : "Much better, thanks to young master Ron. That fruit makes me feel like I'm ten or fifteen years younger, let's get to work already!" He was very excited and kept moving his arms and legs which was amusing to see such an energetic behavior from someone so advanced in age.

The middle-aged woman smiled before saying : "That's why we're here. Actually young master Ron showed me something "interesting earlier, that material is..."

Afterwards Cassandra explained everything there's to know about the red sand to Vogen, of course she intentionally stressed the word interesting while giving Aaron the stink-eye!

'I guess I deserve that after wronging her.' Aaron thought while shrugging his shoulders and waited to hear old man Vogen's opinion on the matter.

Vogen kept scratching his chin while sinking deep in his thoughts and Cassandra watched Lucas patrol the area and Tylus investigating the trees.

After a short silence the old man opened his mouth to say : "I need to gather some samples of that red sand first, I believe I would give you an answer come tomorrow morning."

Aaron nodded before helping the old man and stored some of that red sand within his Inventory Space.

"Whoa!" Tylus was about to investigate another tree when a few vines latched-on to his ankles and dragged him towards a nearby bush, the Carpenter lost his balance and fell to the ground before grabbing-hold of some of the surrounding tree roots to stop himself from reaching the source of that unexpected danger!

"Hold on!" Lucas shouted while sprinting towards the bush with a Sword in his hand.

Aaron remembered what old man Sid told him back in old geezer Todd's restaurant the first day they met, the most annoying thing about Carnivorous Vines is their ability to disguise themselves almost perfectly and patiently wait for days until their prey fell in their trap.

'Should I?' Aaron thought while hesitating because it would leave him almost vulnerable to surprise attacks ten seconds later once he activates Lucid nightmare!

Both of his Offensive-Skills aren't suited for him to use on enemies at close-range, while his Defensive-Skills aren't strong enough yet for him to not worry about his own safety if his enemies somehow manage to get dangerously-close to him.

"Focus on saving Tylus first," Aaron decided not to use his Control-Skill and ordered Lucas once he saw the man about to reach the bush where the Carnivorous Vine is hiding its body, "Move back at once and take cover." Afterwards he activated Mana Armor and Magic Guard before pointing his Staff towards the Bush.

*Hiss*

Aaron felt like his body was suddenly submerged into freezing cold water once he heard this voice!

'I can't move!' He thought before immediately activating Lucid Nightmare without a shred of hesitation.

System : Quest Available.

Before Aaron could find the source of this horrifying and terrible terror which attempted to immobilize him, the ringing notification from the system announced the arrival of another Quest and another window appeared in front of him.

Cassandra's traumatic past Quest Type Optional Quest Requirement Help Cassandra overcome her fear of Snakes Quest Reward Cassandra's Loyalty +3, Favorability +5, Closeness +7 Quest Difficulty Silver-Rank Quest Availability Until the Emerald Ghost-Anaconda Escapes or dies

'Damn it. There isn't enough time for me to think, there's also three more Carnivorous Vines in the area besides the one that's attacking Tylus! But the most dangerous one is this fucking Anaconda, how the fuck was it able to sneak so close on us without Lucas or me noticing anything?' Despite all these chaotic thoughts circling within his mind at lightspeed, Aaron instantly reacted as fast as possible once he targeted the Emerald Ghost-Anaconda and the four Carnivorous Vines with the Lucid Nightmare Skill which he gained after buying the Lucid Dream Earrings.

He was feeling extremely proud of himself right now after making the right decision.

The four Carnivorous Vines were instantly immobilized by the Skill and Tylus was able to free his legs from the tentacle-like branches, Lucas dragged the man as fast as he could then ducked behind the nearest tree to take cover.

"A-an Emerald Ghost-Anaconda!" The man finally noticed the 20 meters long and barrel-thick body of the Beast which is twisting around the tree behind Aaron, Vogen, and Cassandra!

The wide open jaws could almost swallow a horse in a single bite, the Arrow-shaped head was dangling less than a meter above his young master Ron and the look within the Anaconda's three eyes betrayed its confusion and fear.

Less than two seconds after Lucas saw this scene, Aaron had already fired four Energy Bolts at the Carnivorous Vines before turning to look behind him at Cassandra who fell on her butt and stared at the Anaconda's open mouth while hyperventilating.

'There's no time to waste.' He thought while grabbing the middle-aged woman by the hand then slapped her face so hard that snot and saliva scattered to the ground next to her!

"Wh-"

"I need your help, Quick. Come with me." Aaron interrupted Cassandra while dragging her and old man Vogen forcefully until they hid behind a tree before placing Cassandra's hand on the wooden Staff then his own hand on top of it while thinking : 'Please work.'

"Ah!" The middle-aged woman was startled by the two Flame Orbs that appeared at the curved end of the Staff before flying towards the mouth of this Emerald Ghost-Anaconda.

The Beast regained its freedom a split second after the two spiraling Orbs entered its jaw!