Chapter 48

After finishing the conversation, I went outside.

The Zunana grass, either because it had been cut into pieces or because I hadn't picked it one by one, was now measured in kilograms.

It amounted to 100 kg. At 10 grams per plant, that's 10,000 plants.

I probably can't consume it all, so I'll sell as much as I can and think about what to do with the rest later.

Maybe I should try extracting only the active ingredients? ...But I don't really feel it has much practical value.

Even if a small amount of medicine contains the same active ingredients as a large amount, it would just hit the limit.

Well, the first day of logging has been successfully completed, but will I continue this for two years...

It seems like a waste to spend two years just doing routine work in a different world.

Can't I shorten it somehow? I'll think about it a bit.

First, I need to analyze the reasons why logging takes so long.

The first issue is dealing with the monsters.

If I cut down the trees, and the monsters escape before I do, the monsters that have lost their homes will flow into the town.

Since the duration of the countermeasures is limited, I can only log for about five hours a day.

The second issue is the logging speed itself.

Even if the monster problem is solved, cutting only about 1/20th of a square kilometer in five hours means it would take half a year to reclaim Broken even if I logged for 20 hours a day.

In this case, increasing the flight speed could double the current rate.

I might have to sacrifice some Zunana grass.

That's about it.

To achieve this, I need to dispose of a large number of trees along with the monsters.

Is there anything I can use to achieve this?

...Oh, I remember, I have excess mana.

I haven't been logging for more than five hours, and even during that time, I haven't used more than half of my mana.

Maybe I should store mana all day and then release it all at once in the forest.

I could also boost my normal five hours of logging. It would be more efficient than using pure mana.

Regarding the method...

Burning or exploding might be effective.

If it can burn, it would be the easiest, but since it doesn't, maybe exploding is better?

There's a barrier spell, so using it in combination might be powerful.

However, I shouldn't do something like that without permission, so I should consult someone.

I'll prepare the mana just in case.

I'll imagine an explosion, not a fire spell, but a pure explosion from a magic tool.

And a barrier spell to contain the explosion.

Both should be possible with a magic tool, and it's easy to visualize.

It's a big help to be confident in their existence.

I don't know how long I can store the mana, but I'll allocate it 3:1 for the explosion and the barrier. Of course, the barrier will break, but it doesn't need to hold.

It's enough if part of the blast reflects and destroys everything at a low altitude.

I'll activate the barrier 30 cm above the ground, with the bottom facing the ground, and trigger a large number of explosions just above the ground.

I'll try to keep the usable mana until tomorrow and hope it stays.

The next morning, the mana was stored, as if my prayers had been answered.

I can't check, but I feel it.

I'll go to the guild to get permission.

I arrived at the guild. The mayor was awake.

"I want to try destroying the trees with a large spell. Is that okay?"

"A large spell? How powerful? I've never heard of a spell that can fell those trees."

"Are they that hard? What about burning them?"

I thought there might be some reason they haven't been burned, but I'll ask just in case.

Burning would be the easiest.

"It's impossible. After cutting them down, they become hollow and easier to burn in three days, but standing trees in a monster's territory won't burn."

It's not a problem of forest fires; they simply don't burn.

"I don't know how powerful a spell would be needed to crush them, but I'd like to try various spells at the beginning of today's logging. Is that okay?"

"Of course. If you can fell the trees, I'll give you a reward. If not, you can continue logging or give up and return. I can't ask for more than cheap logging."

Great, I'll give it a full try.

In the morning, I went to the guild as I did yesterday.

The same order was given to the mayor, and I started my action.

Unlike yesterday, I flew into the forest a bit deeper.

The range of collateral damage might be wider today.

It's been about 15 hours since I started storing mana. My available mana is 530,000.

It's actually around 540,000, but that's a minor detail.

First, I'll do a test 2 kilometers into the forest.

I prepared a barrier spell using 12 mana and an explosion spell using 48 mana in a 10m x 10m area.

The explosion spell seems to be a projectile, but from what I've heard, the caster's spells can pass through the barrier.

Otherwise, mages couldn't use barriers from magic tools.

Anyway, let's do a test shot. It's only about the mana of a strong mage, but I have high INT and a barrier-contained explosion spell.

I activated the barrier 30 cm above the ground and fired four projectiles, each using 12 mana, then retreated.

The white spheres of the explosion spell passed through the barrier as expected and hit the ground.

The inside of the barrier turned black, and a moment later, the barrier broke and a loud explosion occurred.

A few moments later, the trees fell. It seems to have worked.

After the experiment, a Black Wolf that I had ignored fell.

Its legs were blown off, and it was blown away by the destruction of the barrier.

The power is impressive, and surprisingly, it didn't use much mana.

Unlike the explosions I've seen before, it didn't turn red, so it might be a simple explosion without heat expansion.

In any case, I've confirmed that this spell works.

Next, I'll scale it up and blast the area.

I need to change the procedure to prevent the monsters from breaking the barrier before the explosion.

First, I'll put away my blade staff and intentionally slow down the spell.

Then, I'll rise into the air and fire about 10,000 projectiles at the ground.

In a square about 1 km on each side, evenly.

Even though they are projectiles, they don't have a physical form, so I can store mana without forming a shape, and they only become projectiles when fired.

This allows them to fly without interference.

I could have used this for bird hunting.

I'll intercept the projectiles flying in a cluster and deploy the barrier 5 cm above the highest point of the flat ground, then retreat.

Immediately after impact, a deafening explosion resounded.

The forest floor turned black, and the trees and monsters were launched into the air.

Then the trees fell, and the monsters dropped.

The once green forest is now a black wasteland, with torn grass and fallen trees.

With the dead monsters, it's a hellish scene.

The destructive power is truly impressive.

I think I heard the sound of a level-up mixed with the explosion, so I might be even stronger from tomorrow.

The Zunana grass is gone, but that's inevitable.

It's a relatively abundant resource anyway.

Due to the terrain, about 10 trees remained in one spot, but I cut them down and completed the 1 km square logging.

Checking my guild card, the number of trees is a surprising 42,562.

If the reward per tree is reduced to one-tenth, I just need to log 20 times as much!

It feels more like demolition by explosion than logging, but since the guild card allows it, it's fine.

I'll also quickly collect the monsters—most of which have lost their legs and have damage to their abdomens, but some parts are still usable—and the particularly hard wood, then return to town.

I started the usual grass cutting and logging.

It's less efficient, but I can collect Zunana grass and the mana cost is good.

Since I'm not using full mana, I'll save the excess for tomorrow's explosion.

After about four hours, a much smaller explosion sound was heard compared to the forest blast.

I finished logging, hunted some monsters, and returned to the guild.

"The explosion was successful."

I said, handing my guild card to the staff member who was waiting with the mayor.

"We heard a tremendous explosion from deep in the forest. ...45,000 trees!?"

"Yes, about 1 km square, all at once with magic."

"Amazing... Amazing, but... How much mana did you use?"

"Roughly... about the same as 10,000 mages?"

If one mage has about 54 mana, that's a bit strong.

"...Alright, I understand that humans can't do this. Can you do the same tomorrow?"

"Yes, that's the plan."

I don't want to be treated like I'm not human.

To me, running 20 hours to Fotoren is more than enough to be considered non-human.

"I knew you were extraordinary, but this much? It looks like we can finish logging to Broken in 30 days."

"Probably 30 to 40 days. What will you do after logging?"

"We'll burn the cut trees as soon as they can burn, then gradually reclaim the area. Once we reclaim the Broken site, we'll rebuild the frontline base."

We'll rebuild it.

The walls are probably gone anyway.

I don't know how they'll build during monster attacks, but they'll manage somehow.

They'll push the front line and build behind it.

However, the narrowest point between the monster territory and our side is Broken, and it gets wider from there, so reclaiming it might be difficult.

But that's fine.

Construction is not my specialty, so the experts will handle it when the time comes.

I don't need to do everything myself.

For now, I'll focus on using mana and status to destroy the forest.

"I understand. So, I just need to log and explode, right?"

"That's right. I'm counting on you."

We'll think about the rest when the time comes.