Chapter 40
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: 7. Greenback Forest
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With the students' permission, I rummage through the magic pouch to find the necessary items.
First, it's important to drill a hole in that log barricade.
It doesn't need to be big.
Small, just enough to throw potions through...
"Ah, here it is."
Wood Corrosion Liquid.
Made based on the bodily fluids of Mountain Slimes that mainly consume and decompose plants or wood.
It's something that corrodes plants and wood.
Originally, adventurers rarely use it because it's for dealing with landslides or when lumberjacks need to cut down massive trees that are too tough to chop.
Good thing I made it just in case.
Luckily, I had Mountain Slime fluids on hand.
"Schneiro, could you check if there are no goblins beyond the barricade?"
"Y-Yeah, this side."
To avoid being immediately spotted if I drill a hole in the log barricade, I head to a spot with no goblins as much as possible.
I could feel the students peeking from behind, curious about what I was doing.
Wood Corrosion Liquid might be a bit unfamiliar even to adventurers.
Unless you're up against plant-type monsters like Ents, there's hardly any need for it.
Swish—
I carefully uncork the potion and sprinkle it lightly over the log barricade.
Then.
Sizzle...
Just like metal dipped in acid, the wood bubbled up and began melting away slowly.
"Whoa..."
"What is that?"
The students marveled at the sight.
"Wood Corrosion Liquid, huh. Haven't seen it in action in ages."
Even Teacher Rasen peered at it with interest.
He seemed to have seen it before and probably used it himself.
But it's not exactly common.
"Yes. It's mainly for corroding trees or plants. The effect is as you see. By the way, it works on plant-type monsters like Ents or Carnibal Roses too."
"I see."
"Amazing..."
"......"
They had the vibe of seasoned adventurers, but they still had things they didn't know.
Feels good to broaden the horizons of these future great adventurers.
Sizzle—
While having student Schneiro keep checking with detection magic to make sure we weren't spotted, I drill the hole in the log.
A small hole just big enough for two human heads finally broke through, revealing the inside of the fortress.
"Now we're widening the hole?"
Student Kyumel asked.
Hm, I did plan to enlarge it for infiltration.
But not yet.
Otherwise, we'd end up fighting all 300 goblins head-on.
"First, use this."
I rummage through the magic pouch, pull out some masks, and hand them over.
"This is...?"
"A mask...?"
It's a bit big to call it just a mask.
It covers the entire face.
The material is rubber, clinging tightly to seal out external air.
The eye area has a transparent panel for visibility.
And around the mouth is a thick filter to purify the air.
"Hmm... not just a regular mask—it's a gas mask for blocking poison."
"Gas mask?"
"Ah, the kind used for scouting toxic zones."
"Yes. It has a purification filter that scrubs poison from the air."
Even Teacher Rasen seemed to be seeing one for the first time.
Those with strong mana can form a mana barrier around themselves to block poison anyway.
No need for it in toxic zones or polluted areas.
But for someone like me with weak mana—or in situations where mana can't be used—this gas mask is essential.
I made the purification filters myself using Clean Mush, so the performance is guaranteed.
Well... these students have plenty of mana, so they might not need them.
But they're probably not used to combat in toxic or polluted air yet.
I figured wearing them would let them focus purely on the fight.
"...Are you going to spray poison?"
The students who'd received the gas masks asked in surprise.
Well... they weren't wrong. I could spray real poison.
I have explosive potions loaded with a deadly toxin that could paralyze goblins with a single breath.
If I maxed out the volume and range, covering the entire fortress wouldn't be impossible.
But using something like that deep in a forest felt wrong.
If the wind carried the poison, it could harm nearby villages.
And it would have a serious impact on other monsters, plants, and animals around.
Unless it was a hopeless situation with no other options, things weren't that dire.
Besides, this request was meant for the students to take the lead.
I couldn't just wipe them out with deadly poison.
"It's not severe poison. Just makes your eyes sting and breathing tough? The effects wear off in an hour or two."
A chemical mix of Tarcoss grass leaves—which irritate mucous membranes like eyes and nose—and Lumil roots, which ramp up bodily fluid secretion.
It's called tear gas because your eyes sting so bad, the tears just keep pouring.
As I told the students, effects last about one or two hours.
Reactions are stinging eyes, tears and snot gushing out.
It's barely effective if you're prepared even a little.
But caught off guard? Total panic.
"...Such a thing exists?"
"Alchemy is wild... potions for everything. Corroding wood... stinging eyes..."
It really is amazing.
If I hadn't read about it in books, I wouldn't have even known these things existed.
At first, I thought spending time on this stuff was better used on mainstream potions like healing or fire potions.
But as I learned about adventurers, the world's terrains, monsters, and endless situations...
I realized you need all sorts of potions and consumables to handle that many variables.
Sure, most can be solved with mana and magic—but what if you can't use mana?
Or if you're like me and can't wield it well?
That's why I made tear gas, gas masks, and wood corrosion liquid.
And look—even these kids with temporary A-rank adventurer badges are putting it to good use right now.
"It's pretty chaotic in there. With the effect lasting an hour or two... we can probably mop them up."
I smiled and said that to the students, and they nodded.
"We'll clear it fast."
Peering through the hole, it was just as expected—someone had been badly hurt.
The goblins' movements were seriously disorganized.
Tear gas going off in this mess? Total pandemonium.
"This gas mask is wild. First time using one."
"......"
I confirmed the students had their masks on, then put mine on too.
Teacher Rasen would protect his breathing and eyes with mana anyway, so he skipped it.
All set...
"Throwing."
I ready a potion bottle of pure tear gas liquid, plus a fire potion to ignite it and turn it to gas on release.
This much should blanket the whole fortress.
Sorry to any passersby or animals nearby... but they'll recover quick if they get clear.
Fling—
I hurl the potion bottle through the hole in the log barricade.
Hard, so it flies far and bursts in the fortress center.
"Grek?"
"Kyak?"
The goblins spot the incoming bottle and cock their heads.
Too late now.
Crash—fwoosh.
The fire potion shatters, igniting on friction.
Flames spread fast, boiling the tear gas liquid in the other bottle.
The liquid turns to gas, volume exploding.
Boom!
Tear potion detonates, gas billowing out at insane speed.
"Kueeek?!"
"Kyaaak?!"
They jump at the explosion.
But the real freakout is just starting.
While the goblins are distracted, eyes glued that way...
Splash! Splash!
I douse the log barricade with wood corrosion liquid.
Time to widen the hole so they can pass.
Sizzle—!
Spraying a ton at once, it eats through fast.
Mountain Slime fluid is rare and pricey, but damn effective.
"Keeeeek?!"
"Kyaaak! Kyak!"
The effect's kicking in—goblins near the gas start losing it first.
Fluids gushing from their bulging eyes and noses, rubbing them like mad.
Bad move.
Rubbing just grinds the particles into the mucosa, ramping up the agony.
"Kek?!"
"Kiek!"
Panicking, the goblins swarm out to check the commotion.
They'll be tear gas chowder soon enough.
Perfect. Hole's open.
Gas blanketing the fortress now.
"Alright, head in, students."
I turned and said that.
"......"
"Ah, y-yeah."
For some reason, the students had been standing there dazed, but they snapped to and started slipping through the log hole.
...What?
Was the gas mask not working?
Nah, they seem fine, sprinting off okay.
...Ah, wait.
Did I... overdo it?