Chapter 10

"Ugh. My body hurts. Sleeping on a rock is no good for the back. I need to improve my bedding before I end up hurting myself."

Last night, with Sylph's guidance, I spent about two hours slaying zombies and skeletons. I came back to the base, exhausted, and fell into a deep sleep. I leveled up twice, but my magic rank didn't increase.

I want to level up enough to be able to make a contract with a young girl spirit as soon as possible. Sylph also said that avoiding ghosts and liches while slaying is inefficient, so I need to try harder.

"But first, I need water and food."

I float a light ball to brighten the room. With my groggy, just-awoken mind, I think. There are too many things I need, and I'm at a loss as to what to do first. Let me organize my thoughts.

First goal: Obtain water and food. Especially water, as my alcohol supply is almost gone.

Second goal: Level up to Magic D. I need to contract with a young girl spirit to avoid being in trouble if I encounter ghosts or liches.

Third goal: Improve my bedding. Waking up with a sore body is no good.

Fourth goal: Create tableware and cooking utensils. Eating with a stick is very depressing.

These are the things I need to address urgently. The first goal is dangerous if not acted on immediately. For the second goal, I'll actively slay monsters even during the day.

For the third goal... the lack of plants is tough. For now, the only solution I can think of is to dig a hole big enough to sleep in and fill it with sand from the beach. Sand is better than rock, right? My clothes will get sandy, though.

The fourth goal is important for eating well, but compared to the risk to my life, I have to lower its priority. I'll make them when I have some free time.

That's about it. Since a sand bed can be made quickly, I'll go to the beach later and secure a lot of sand.

The inside of my mouth feels bad. I want to brush my teeth, but I don't have a brush, and I don't even have water to rinse my mouth. Should I rinse with tea? That would be wasteful and unpleasant.

...That's it! I'll cast a cleaning spell in my mouth. ...It worked well. The cleaning spell is too convenient. My mouth feels fresh and very refreshing.

I stretch and head to the kitchen, finishing my breakfast with regular bread and tea. I have one slice of bread with carbonara sauce and two regular slices left. I should keep one for when I go to town, as it might come in handy.

With the meager breakfast over, I can't afford to dilly-dally. I'll get moving. I move the rocks at the entrance and call out to Sylph.

"Good morning, Yuta."

Sylph is cool and beautiful even in the morning. It's hard to believe she has a childlike personality.

"Good morning."

The young girl spirit is full of energy. She's happily bouncing around with a big smile. I envy her youth.

"Sylph, young girl spirit, good morning."

"Yuta. What are you going to do today?"

"Um, I want to gather water and food, but especially water, as my supply is running low. What do you think is the best way to get water?"

I thought about distilling seawater to get fresh water. But even if I could make distillation equipment, the fuel to boil water would be a problem. I've gathered some driftwood, but it would run out quickly if I burned it. I need to find a way to get a lot of water.

"Water, huh. There are no natural water sources in the Land of Death. I think there's groundwater, but you'd have to dig very deep to get it. Even the water spirits have given up on this land."

Ah, so I need to dig a well. I have the tools to dig, but where should I dig to find water?

"Digging isn't a problem, but will water come out if I dig around here?"

"I don't know. Even if I asked the water spirits, they wouldn't know. It's difficult."

"Can't we bring a water spirit to investigate?"

"The Land of Death is an unpleasant place that gradually drains the power of water spirits, earth spirits, and forest spirits. They might come to the sea, but they wouldn't want to investigate on land."

What a terrible place. Do I really have to live here until I level up? I feel like giving up.

"Hmm, so I have to search for a place with water and dig by instinct. Sylph, do you know of any places nearby that used to have abundant water sources before this became the Land of Death?"

I don't know how to dowsing, so it's all by instinct.

"Well, there's a former wetland about three hours' walk from here. But I can't guarantee there will be water."

A wetland. Digging in a random place seems less promising than digging in a former wetland, even if it's three hours away.

"I'll try digging in the former wetland. Can you guide me there?"

"I'm saying it again, it was a wetland, but there's no guarantee of water. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I don't have any other leads. If there's no water, I'll think of another way."

I need to take action. Humans need water just to survive. If it comes to it, I'll dig all the way to the other side of this planet. ...Is this planet even round?

"Understood. Let's go then."

We leave the base and head for the former wetland, guided by Sylph. It's a bit disappointing to leave the sea without getting in, but I should have prioritized securing water from the start. I thought the sea would be fine without any evidence.

While walking in the heat, the young girl spirit suddenly flew away. I don't know what's going on, but since Sylph isn't worried, it should be fine. I start walking again, and the young girl spirit quickly returns.

"Yuta, look."

The young girl spirit is holding something that looks like an emerald-green marimo. It's floating even when she lets go. What is this?

"Um, what is this?"

"Spirit. It's cute."

The young girl spirit is very proud. The floating marimo... is it cute?

"Yuta, this is a floating spirit."

This marimo is a spirit too. There's a big difference from the young girl spirit.

"Hey, Sylph. If I make a contract with this spirit, can I use spirit magic?"

"That's a bit difficult. If it's an animal or insect spirit with a sense of self, we might be able to communicate, but this one just floats around, so a contract wouldn't be meaningful."

"I see. That's a bit disappointing."

I thought it would help me escape from being vulnerable to ghosts and liches, but it's not that easy. But touching it feels fluffy and addictive.

"Even floating spirits can be touched. They are very thin and ethereal, so it makes me wonder if you're really human. Maybe you have a high affinity with spirits as a person from another world?"

"I'm just touching it because it's right in front of me. I don't understand what you mean by affinity."

Since spirits are mostly invisible to others, am I just talking to myself? I need to be careful if I go to a place with people. It would be too sad to be seen as crazy after coming this far.

While petting the fluffy floating spirit, I walk towards the wetland. I'm conserving water as much as possible, but I'm sweating, and I'm afraid of dehydration. I can only take small sips, but each sip of tea makes me anxious.

***

"We're here. This used to be a large wetland."

Looking around at Sylph's words... it's just a dry, reddish-brown land like everywhere else. Time is scary.

"Even if you say it was a wetland, I wouldn't believe it if you weren't Sylph."

"You're right. Humans are scary. Yuta, cherish nature."

"I'm being killed by harsh nature right now..."

"Ah... try your best to survive."

I wish you wouldn't look away. Sylph changes the subject as I stare at her.

"So, Yuta, how are you going to dig?"

"I'll use this."

I take out the magic hand auger from my tools.

Magic Hand Auger

For digging, this is the tool. Just turn it, and it digs smoothly! Become an oil tycoon with this! It can extend up to two meters and the handle is weightless.

I'm not looking for oil. But if oil can be found, a well can be dug too.

"That's an unusual tool. How do you use it?"

Well, it is an unusual shape. There's a thin metal plate attached in a spiral below the T-shaped handle.

"Hmm? You stick it into the ground and turn the T-shaped handle, and it digs a hole."

"Wow. What a mysterious tool. It sounds interesting."

"Just watch."

I stick the hand auger into the ground and turn the handle. I extend it to its largest size, which is two meters. At this size, I need to stand on it to turn the handle.

It's a bit of a hassle to float while turning, but since it doesn't require much force, I can turn the handle even while standing. The soil that comes up from the spiral can be stored, so the digging goes smoothly.

"Can you keep watch for monsters while I dig? I'm sorry, but can you do that?"

"Got it. Good luck."

With the encouragement of Sylph and the young girl spirit, I start digging with determination. I'm not sure if the young girl spirit's encouragement is really encouragement... but if I think it is, it makes me happy.

I turn the T-shaped handle and store the soil that comes up. The digging progresses quite quickly.

If this collapses, it would be very dangerous. Hmm, there's no vibration while digging, so the risk of collapse is low, but I should still be careful.

I don't have any materials to reinforce the walls, and if I hammer the soil, it might collapse elsewhere. I should prepare a shovel. If it collapses, I can probably survive by hiding under a fully extended shovel.

I'm not sure if it will work, but since the handle is weightless, I can store the soil as I go, and I should be able to survive... probably.

If I dig a large, bowl-shaped hole, I can dig deeper without being buried, but it will take more time. If I run out of drinks and the water doesn't come out, I'll die of thirst. I need to take the risk to secure a water source.

I shoulder the shovel, suppress my fear, and start turning the handle of the hand auger. When soil occasionally falls, it sends a shiver down my spine. Water, please come out soon.

Note: The term "alcohol life" was pointed out as potentially medically problematic. I intended to express that my only drink left is alcohol, not that I am using alcohol for hydration. Thank you for your understanding.

Thank you for reading.