Chapter 18

Logging in at 12:25.

It's around four in the morning here. I'd like to try getting eight hours of sleep here once in a while.

I changed clothes and checked the wine I had been fermenting, then decided to ferment the remaining grapes again. I want to make brandy, but I don't have a still... When I go to the tool market for camping preparations, I'll check for one.

Since everyone hasn't arrived yet, I decided to take a bath. We'll be camping from now on, so I might as well take a bath while I can.

When I got out of the bath, everyone except Ochazuke, who seemed to have had the same idea and was in the other room, had gathered.

"Ochazuke, what about the inn?"

"Hmm, I don't think we can come back for at least two days, so let's not reserve a room."

"People will start moving around soon, too."

"By the way, Shin, how was the temple?"

"I got a spirit, but the mystery is still unsolved. I tried all the options in order yesterday, but it didn't work the second time!"

Maybe the solution is to go back to the beginning at the end.

"Is it not listed in the completed quests? Keep trying."

Today's menu includes croissant-like bread, boiled eggs, a salad of corn, beans, and leafy vegetables, fried potatoes cut into comb shapes with the skin on, peppered pastrami and sausages, and pumpkin soup.

I want to try making ham and sausages myself.

The market stalls don't open until after 6:00 AM, so we ate breakfast slowly and restocked on food and healing potions at the square. In my case, it's about gathering ingredients. I received wheat and hops from Petros and Kikuhime.

"I've never camped before."

I'm so inexperienced that I don't even understand the differences between tents in this world and in the real world.

"I have!"

Among us, only Leo has camping experience.

"Leave it to me!"

We bought three two-person tents that are easy to set up based on Leo's advice and our budget.

And a barbecue set.

"Hey,"

"I can tell something's off, too!"

"Hahaha! But you can carry the food as is, and there are no sleeping bags in this world, so this is what it is, right?"

"Well, there are camping grounds, villages, and places along the road where you can set up camp, so if you can secure a bed and food, it might be fine."

"If it's along the road."

Petros added the condition.

"Should I buy a robe or a cloak to use as a futon?"

"Then buy what you think you need, and meet back here in an hour."

"Got it."

We don't have a culture of going shopping together in a group. Petros and I are long-time online gaming friends, and although we've never met in person, it's the same with the others when we go out together in the real world and visit souvenir shops or exhibition rooms.

First, I bought dried herbs for insect repellent, flint, and water barrels. Even if you buy too much water, you can use it for cooking, and since empty barrels can be used, you can refill them along the way. I wondered if you could age wine in barrels, so I ended up buying ten. The containers I bought for water and cooking water in the past disappeared as particles of light when the water was used up, so these are barrels as the name suggests. Insect repellent might be unnecessary since there were no insects in the grass, but I bought it just in case.

And a still!

Having achieved my goal early, I immediately set up the still I had just bought to turn the wine into brandy.

"Sorry, can you tell me what we should bring for camping?"

Since I had some time left, I came back to the first tent shop I visited.

The meeting place is visible from here.

"Ah, you're the customer who bought from me earlier. Usually, for a small group, people buy a concealment array. I haven't been recommending them recently because many customers have been buying only tents."

"Concealment array?"

"It's an array that makes it harder for monsters to notice you. It's made of cloth and can be spread out inside the tent or hung up. Right now, thick arrays that you lay down are popular. If you're moving with a caravan or in a large group, the array's effect is outweighed by the visibility, and monsters rarely approach large groups anyway. But for a small group, it might be necessary."

The shopkeeper said that he had noticed an increase in customers not buying arrays but had stopped suggesting them because many customers didn't engage in conversation. Some people spend the night wrapped in array cloth without setting up a tent if there's no night dew or rain.

He also told us that if we set up three tents, they should be spaced apart for the array to work, and that we should cook and make a fire away from the tents.

I thought we would take turns keeping watch by the fire, but apparently, monsters that know people are around the fire will come. Unlike animals, some active monsters actively attack people. While we're all together, the monsters around here will avoid us, but it's dangerous when there are only one or two people. We were advised not to make a fire next to the tent until we gain enough confidence.

"Well, if you're setting up a tent at a campsite along the road, there's a light barrier there, so it should be fine."

It's a mystery whether there's a road where we're going.

"Anyway, let's buy an array."

I called out to everyone who had gathered in front of the shop.

The array was more expensive than the tents, but it couldn't be helped. I also bought a lamp for myself, a field lamp that provides enough light to see without leaking from the tent. Although we have dark vision, it felt a bit dull, so I ended up buying it.

All together, it was quite a splurge.

Since none of us had been there before, we decided to go north from the west gate. When we left the gate, we found a vast field of green wheat stretching from west to north. The leaves were a deep green, not the yellowish-green of rice fields in Japan, and they swayed in the wind. They would turn golden in the fall, I imagined.

"Shall we go this way?"

After walking for a while along the road to the west, we found a path through the fields leading north. We didn't know how far it went, but if we wanted to go north without using the released Secan, we had to either go off-road or hope for a fork in the road.

"Let's go!"

The man who wanted to go off-road immediately set his course north.

"Well, we planned to follow animal trails from the start."

"It's so pastoral, I can see moles."

"Should we hit them?"

"Is this mole hunting?"

"Let's avoid combat as much as possible and find a town quickly. If we cross over into the next day in the real world, we might end up logging in to the field without everyone being together."

I dampened their enthusiasm. Leo and Shin were so engrossed that they only saw a future where the day would end.

"That's true, let's avoid what we can."

That's how it was decided.

"The wheat looks like cat grass."

"Originally, it's crow barley or wheat, not cat grass."

"Really!?"

He must have thought it was a type of grass for cats...

As we walked, exchanging information about our skills and making idle conversation, we saw a forest. The path through the fields ended, and we thought we would have to go off-road, but there were signs of people having passed through the forest, and a well-trodden path led to the upstream of the river where Leo caught the Yormas, and then it ended.

"I want to go fishing!!"

"Already taking a detour."

"Sure."

"Since this river flows north, we can follow it and take a break for fishing at noon."

It probably flows a bit west and then south, and the upstream is probably where Leo caught the Yormas.

"Be careful, active monsters are starting to appear."

"I'm interested in meat."

The monsters here are deer-like, so there's hope. We ignored the goblins.

"Let's cook and eat deer meat before noon."

"Deer meat reminds me of stew."

"Grilled meat is also delicious, but it can smell if the blood isn't drained properly."

"Draining the blood, huh."

"Here, the meat turns into items, so it's convenient."

"By the way, I heard human meat tastes bad because the blood isn't drained."

"Suddenly a dark topic."

"Let's take a short break and have a snack."

"Sure."

We're moving at a pretty good pace, avoiding enemies using detection skills to match the pace of Petros and Leo, but our EP consumption is high despite not engaging in combat.

"Fishing~"

Leo, barely finishing his meal, cast his fishing line and rested while watching it.

I was eating a hot sandwich with homemade bacon and eggs and smoked cheese, and I had tomato spaghetti and gratin in my bag, but it's important to set the mood in the field. But I really want a cola! I wonder if there's a recipe for cola.

I heard that the recipe for Co○a-Cola in the real world is kept secret and not even patented, but maybe I can find a recipe for other colas in the real world...

"That looks good, can I have one?"

"Me too!"

"Me too."

"Same."

It's a level 7 sandwich. I'm still leveling up, so I'm selling anything below level 5 without hesitation. Most of my cooking hits my specialties, and I can get a level 5 rating even with level 8 recipes.

"Hmm, I tried cooking, but my specialties are 'Grilling' and 'Meat.' Why didn't I drink beer first?"

"Beer scum, man! Mine was 'Meat,' too. I wish I had joined a party before buying. Most people seem to get 'Grilling,' 'Meat,' 'Fruit,' or 'Juicing.'"

"'Meat' is harder to get, but it's good you didn't get 'Grilling.' After learning the rule, you can get 'Grilling' or 'Meat' with a two-thirds chance of eating something new. People who logged in after the game was released for a while were like that. The bulletin board had titles like 'Don't Look' and 'Spoilers Ahead.'"

The game packages are already sold out, and new players have to wait for the equipment to be upgraded due to capacity issues. In the past, servers would crash or become too slow, but with VR, there are legal safety margins, so new players can't join until the equipment is upgraded. The second wave of players will join much later.

"Mine are 'Grilling,' 'Grains,' and 'Meat.' Why didn't I order beer back then?"

"Grains are good, man! They give a bonus to alcohol. But if you buy EP recovery items before combat, you'll focus on budget and cost-effectiveness."

"Everyone is doing different things. I haven't cooked yet."

"Shin, you were in my party when you ate, so you have the same specialties as me!"

Sorry for the out-of-the-ordinary specialties.

Feeling guilty, I quietly passed out three sandwiches and bagel sandwiches each.

"Only food with a rating of 10 gives a status boost."

"I've never gotten a 10."

I can make high ratings, but mostly due to the specialty bonus, so I can't reach the highest rating. My dexterity and cooking level aren't that high.

"Homura~"

When Leo called, a fish was stuffed into my bag.

"Can't carry it, so cook it!"

I don't think I can carry it even after cooking.

Leo went back to fishing without waiting for a response.

"Let's leave when Homura finishes cooking~"

Ochazuke was the one who responded.

If I cook everything, maybe I'll get a 10 rating on one of them.

Since it's decided, I started cooking obediently.

"Grilled trout and sweet and sour carp."

"Plain."

"Would carp nabe or carp arai have been better? We don't have soy sauce or miso."

I tried both once in the real world and didn't like either. For me, freshwater fish are either sweet and sour or salt-grilled. I don't like carp nabe or carp sashimi. Actually, miso and soy sauce!!

"Leo, try to catch ayu or mountain trout!"

Same here, thank you for the suggestion.