The area had once shown traces of scattered footprints, but after a few rainfalls in recent days, the specific shapes were no longer discernible.

"Guild Master, you mentioned investigating the beast rampage earlier—any results?"

"Absolutely nothing. Since that incident, there hasn't been a single trace," Makarov replied, glancing at Rhodes. "But I do have a guess now."

"Uh... I do too." Rhodes looked guilty, lowering his voice, "If it turns out the beast rampage was caused by my magic going haywire, how much would I have to compensate?"

Seeing Rhodes' worried expression, the Guild Master chuckled:

"No need to compensate at all. This area is unclaimed land—there's no way we'd pay fines to the king over such a trivial matter."

Rhodes breathed a sigh of relief, almost facing another financial crisis.

They continued deeper into the forest until they arrived at Porlyusica's residence—a treehouse.

Rhodes looked up at the bright red apples hanging from the surrounding trees, then down at the bag of apples he was holding in his left hand. He suddenly felt a little redundant.

"Guild Master..." Rhodes forced a sheepish smile, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Hahaha… So you can show this expression too—how amusing!" Makarov laughed with a mischievous grin, looking like an old child.

After laughing enough, he added, "No matter the gift, it's the thought that counts!"

"Enough noise!" The treehouse door burst open roughly, "I could hear your annoying laughter from a hundred meters away, Makarov! Can't you be quiet for once?"

Makarov greeted her with a smile, "What's wrong with being lively every now and then? It must get pretty lonely living all by yourself here, right?"

Porlyusica looked at Rhodes, "Your injuries should've healed long ago, right?"

Rhodes quickly replied, "Yes, they have. I heard that you value peace and quiet, so I didn't dare come to disturb you. I really appreciate your help and care!"

"Hmm?" Porlyusica seemed surprised by Rhodes' fluent common language but didn't ask further. She just said, "If you know, then hurry up and leave. I told you, I hate humans."

"Don't be so harsh. This kid wanted to thank you in person, so I brought him here," Makarov said, "Look, he even brought a gift for you."

Porlyusica's eyes immediately landed on the bag of bright red apples, and she glared at Makarov, "Hmph, fools raise fools."

She turned around and went inside, but left the door open.

Rhodes felt a bit awkward at her words.

However, Makarov knew that her "hmmph" wasn't aimed at Rhodes, but at himself for pulling a prank on the kid—knowing there were already apple trees here.

"Don't take it to heart, that's just how she talks." Makarov had gotten used to Porlyusica's way of expressing herself. "Come on in. If she leaves the door open, it means she's inviting us in."

Is she... tsundere?

No, no, that's too disrespectful.

Rhodes silently scolded himself for disrespecting his benefactor, following the Guild Master into the treehouse.

The interior of the treehouse was not spacious, and the furnishings were quite basic, with almost no space to walk once inside.

The floor was filled with pots of medicinal herbs and bottles of various potions.

The room contained only a bed, a desk, shelves and cabinets carved into the walls, and one single wooden stool.

Rhodes looked around, unsure of where to put his things.

Porlyusica eyed the jar in Makarov's hand, "You're here because of what you're holding, right?"

Makarov nodded, "Yes. This is some soil contaminated with venom, and I wanted you to see if there's a way to deal with it."

Porlyusica immediately asked, "Has anyone in the guild been poisoned?"

"No, just a precaution." Makarov explained the incident, and ended by complimenting Rhodes, "This kid is very cautious."

"Hmph, another fool chasing nothing but power."

With disdain on her face, Porlyusica took out a petri dish, placed some of the contaminated soil inside, and added one potion after another.

Rhodes wasn't bothered by her attitude. This elderly lady had probably experienced something that made her speak this way—maybe a companion who had hurt themselves while overpursuing power.

After a series of professional tests, Porlyusica confirmed the effects of the venom:

"A contact-type venom, which rapidly penetrates the skin once touched. Initially, there will be a stinging sensation, followed by numbness, and eventually slowed movement.

"With prolonged exposure, the venom will damage internal organs, potentially leading to death in severe cases.

"Low temperatures can slow the spread, and after baking at high temperatures, the toxicity decreases somewhat. The gas released, when inhaled in small amounts, doesn't seem to have noticeable effects."

Once her analysis was complete, Porlyusica took them outside and instructed Rhodes to summon Gromp.

She needed to collect more venom samples, secretions from the toad's mouth, and samples from the mushrooms on its back.

"Come back in a few days for the antidote. In the meantime, don't use that creature recklessly."

"Yes, thank you!"

"No need for your thanks—Makarov got himself into this mess, let him deal with it."

"Oh, alright."

Rhodes initially wanted to say that it was his own mess, but the more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

Perhaps she was referring to himself as the "mess," making the Guild Master the one who picked up the trouble? Seems there's no arguing that point.

…

On the way back, Rhodes wore a troubled expression.

Makarov asked, "Are you bothered by what Porlyusica said?"

"Not really. Miss Porlyusica... how should I put it? Although she's always complaining, she takes what you ask her to do very seriously.

"She's probably one of those people with a harsh exterior but a soft heart." Rhodes shook his head, "I was worrying about something else—I think I've gone over my monthly budget again."

Buying the gift, paying for the Poro delicacy ingredients, adding some clothes recently, plus a few pieces of workout equipment.

Money always seemed to slip through his fingers without him realizing it, and payday was still nearly two weeks away.

Back in his old life, simply skipping breakfast each day would've solved it, but now it wasn't possible—skipping breakfast would definitely affect training.

"You know, it's about time you tried taking on some requests yourself?" Makarov said with some helplessness. "If this goes on, you'll end up like Nab."

Nab was even more determined than Rhodes—he wasn't willing to work as a waiter.

"Actually, I've been wanting to try, but city jobs paid by the hour may not even compare to the guild tavern. And jobs outside the city..." Rhodes looked conflicted, "I feel like I'm not strong enough yet. Going out just doesn't feel safe."

"Being cautious is good, but at this point, more than half the people in the guild aren't your match."

The Guild Master sighed, "Have a bit more faith in yourself. You're quite strong. Magic comes from the power of one's heart—if you can't even believe in yourself, your magic will weaken."

Rhodes was startled: "So, does that mean that even if I train hard, there's still a chance I might weaken once I'm out there?"

"Is that really the point?!" Makarov couldn't help but scold Rhodes, "When we get back, ask Mira to help you pick a suitable task!"

Makarov suspected that Rhodes might have some lingering trauma from being attacked by that beast. He needed to go out, build some confidence, and gain some knowledge beyond what books could provide.

"Okay..."

Rhodes reluctantly nodded. Logically thinking, the Guild Master had no reason to lie to him or mislead him.

Maybe it was time to go out and explore? To be safe, he would ask Mira to pick an easy task, and preferably join a team for it.