As the ship's hatch lowered, a wave of warm, damp air washed over Zion.

It carried the scent of rich soil and vegetation, instantly overwhelming him as he was still getting used to the higher grade of oxygen in the atmosphere.

"Pfew," he let out, taking in a few short breaths.

Zion shook his head and pressed on.

He stepped off the hatch, his feet sinking slightly into the soil as his boots hit the ground.

"Are you getting all of this?" he asked, taking a few steps forward.

[Of course,] Uriel replied, a hint of happiness in its voice. [If you can place a measuring device a few hundred feet away from the ship, we'll be able to see the soil's exact quality and whether there are any herbs nearby.]

Zion nodded and immediately started walking, his eyes darting all across the place as the full scale of it unraveled.

'The ship is nearly 50 feet tall,' he thought, eyes wide. 'Yet these trees are at least five times its height.'

His attention was immediately drawn away from the trees as movement entered the corner of his eye.

A large jellyfish-like creature slowly drifted through the air above him, its body giving off bright yellow light. From its middle, several long, thin tentacles covered in leaves flowed down.

"What in the world is that?" he muttered, his blade pushing through his knuckles as the creature drifted down toward him.

[Don't worry, Host,] Uriel said cheerfully. [That's a Glowleaf Jellyfish. They're harmless creatures that spread pollen throughout this ecosystem and light up plants covered in shadows.]

"Really?" Zion said, surprised.

As the creature got closer, its full size became apparent, being at least two times as tall and thick as a normal human.

Zion remained on guard for a moment, but as it started drifting around him with its leaf tentacles in the air, he finally retracted his blade.

"Hey," he said, chuckling as he followed the creature's movements.

The Glowleaf Jellyfish let out a soft cry as it floated back to the top of the forest.

"Amazing," Zion said, a broad smile on his face as he continued walking forward.

Though a strange feeling settled in his stomach, as if he was being watched by something.

Zion slowly spun in a circle, scanning everything around him.

'I can't see anything, though,' he thought, shaking his head. 'Is it coming from these small creatures, then?'

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew he couldn't waste any more time either.

After walking another several dozen feet, he came to a halt and reached into his bag. There, he pulled out a metal rod, extended it, and jabbed it deep into the ground.

'That should be good, right?' he thought, placing his hands at his sides as he glanced around.

[Affirmative,] Uriel responded, its voice cold and mechanical. [Scanning now…]

Zion nodded once and started wandering around.

'Let's see if I can find some more lifeforms in the meantime,' he thought, squinting his eyes.

He took careful steps forward, approaching one of the massive trees nearby.

Then, the brush on the forest floor shifted.

Something small scurried between several larger roots ahead, disappearing the moment he focused on it.

Just as Zion glanced up again, another shape darted toward the same roots.

'Bugs?' he thought, immediately locking onto the roots. 'No, they seem slightly too large for that.'

A third creature ran for the roots.

But this time, Zion could finally get a good look at them.

"Some kind of dung beetles?" he murmured, getting down on one knee in front of the roots.

Brushing away the roots, he discovered a tunnel the size of a football, the end of which he couldn't see.

He let out a sigh and stood up, shaking his head.

"Life is everywhere," he said. "No wonder the readings were so high."

As he continued deeper into the forest, countless large plants and flowers drew his attention.

Thick roots and vines wrapped themselves around the trees, giving off a distinct blue glow. Large flowers with nearly transparent leaves covered the midsections of each trunk, raising goosebumps along Zion's arms as a strange feeling settled over him.

'It's like the complete opposite of the technological world I live in,' he thought, amazed. 'I wonder how life would've been had I been born here without any knowledge of the universe.'

[Scanning complete,] Uriel suddenly said, snapping him out of his thoughts. [Good news, Host. I'll open up a hologram now.]

With that, a blue hologram popped up in Zion's vision, detailed information rapidly appearing on it.

[We are sure to receive a great deal of money for this information,] Uriel said, its voice warm again. [This planet truly is incredibly nutritious, making it the perfect place for herbs to grow.]

Reading through the information, Zion nodded, grinning from ear to ear.

"With a planet like this, we might even earn enough to buy the resources for D-rank together with a ship."

[That's not all,] Uriel continued, a holographic map appearing in Zion's vision. [I've detected an area where the vegetation is concentrated not too many miles from here.]

Zion's smile faded just a little as his concentration shifted to the marker.

"A herb?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

[Affirmative,] Uriel replied. [Based on its energy level, it's likely a mid-grade one too.]

Zion fell silent, his gaze drifting away from the hologram as he looked back into the forest.

Normal planets grew too few herbs naturally, and their energy signatures lingered long after harvesting. This made it very easy for the Mercenary Guild to discover herbs missing after an exploration mission.

But this planet was different.

'With this much life… the ground being so rich and nutritious,' he thought, narrowing his eyes. 'Everything practically blurs together.'

A single missing herb wouldn't attract that much attention, as a lifeform from this planet could've eaten it as well.

[Correct,] Uriel said. [Though if any more disappeared around the same timeframe, we could get in trouble.]

Zion exhaled slowly.

"That's what I figured," he muttered. "But the Mercenary Guild isn't the only thing I'm worried about."

A concentrated area of nutrition and energy was practically a gathering ground for strong creatures, and he had no idea how far these creatures could've grown on such a rich planet.

He stood there for a moment longer, listening to the rustling of leaves and the animal cries as his mind churned.

Finally, he nodded.

"It would be stupid if we didn't do this," Zion said quietly. "Considering it could save us around a year of mercenary work."

A mid-rank herb could sell for millions of much-needed credits. It was practically a one-on-one exchange for a Fighter-class ship, depending on how potent it was.

And with the five-year deadline in the back of his mind, he practically couldn't refuse.

'As long as there aren't any strong C-rank creatures, I should be fine,' he thought, turning to follow the marker.

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