Chapter 12

Yuta stood at the well, dug a hole in the large rock that blocked it, and made a bed. There was no space to cook, so he satisfied his hunger with two slices of bread, one with carbonara sauce and one without.

The bread with carbonara sauce was delicious, but in the end, he had only eaten three slices of bread today. It was a bit depressing to have to cut back on food.

For the past two days, he had been exercising a lot, but not being able to eat enough was tough. He wanted to get a lot of food from the sea and eat until his stomach was about to burst.

There were many things to do, but he had to secure food before he collapsed from hunger. By the way, he had more things to do. If he created a mobile base and stored it in his magic bag, he could protect himself and take a break whenever he needed to.

This was something he wanted to start as soon as possible to ensure his safety. If he could cut out a large rock from the rock mountain and make it comfortable enough to live in, his actions in the land of death would be easier. He had to remember not to forget.

"Yuta, are you going to level up today?"

While finishing his meal and thinking, Sylphie spoke to him.

"Hmm, I want to level up, but... Sylphie, can you go and meet the water spirit? I won't have time to sleep."

"Don't worry about that. Spirits do sleep, but they don't have to sleep absolutely. Sometimes they don't sleep for days."

Spirits are convenient. I'm not sure if I'm envious or not. Maybe the greatest happiness is being able to sleep when you want to. Is that just because I'm human?

"Then I want to level up."

"Alright. Let's go then."

"Got it."

Following Sylphie, he smashed zombies and skeletons as soon as he found them. Skeletons were good targets because they dropped magic stones and weapons. Zombies were just smashed, and he gave up on collecting magic stones.

It felt like he was doing work. It was like grinding slimes to level up. But it was sad that his targets were zombies and skeletons. It would have been better if the targets for leveling up were more fantastical monsters.

A land where zombies and skeletons crawl around is more in the horror category than fantasy. If he hadn't met a spirit, he might have mistaken it for a panic movie world.

After thinking about trivial things, he continued to smash zombies and skeletons for about three hours and returned to the well.

"Yuta, did you level up?"

"Wait a moment. I'll check now."

He said "status" and checked the screen that appeared in front of him. This moment was always exciting no matter how many times he saw it. It was encouraging to see the results of his actions.

Name: Yuta Morin

Level: 12

HP: D

MP: D

Strength: D

Intelligence: C

Dexterity: B

Luck: B

Unique Skills:

Language Understanding

Pioneering Tools

Skills:

Living Magic

"Wow. I'm level 12 now, and my HP, MP, and Dexterity have all gone up one rank."

"Oh, then this child can make a contract with you."

"Contract..."

The young spirit was flailing her limbs and making a fuss. Was she happy about the contract?

"Shall we make the contract right away?"

"I'm grateful, but is it okay for the young spirit to make a contract with me so easily? And do we need any preparations for the contract?"

"Hehe, Yuta can talk to spirits, see them, and touch them. You're a great catch, so this child has no complaints. And there's no need to prepare for the contract. People who can only sense the presence of spirits need to prepare for the contract."

It felt like being chosen as a good property. Well, if there were no problems, that was fine. He wasn't the type to complain about easy preparations.

"By the way, what benefits do spirits get from making a contract?"

For him, there were only benefits, but for spirits, it seemed like there were only drawbacks. They had to use their power to protect the contractor, which was a lot of work.

"Spirits also have benefits. By making a contract, their connection to this world becomes stronger, and they can gain magic power to use their power, which makes it easier for them to advance in rank. In simple terms, it makes it easier for them to level up."

"Is it that attractive to take the risk of being used by a bad person?"

In a typical scenario, the contracted spirit might be overworked and get angry. Or they might lose their power at a crucial moment and get their comeuppance.

"A contract is a situation where the spirit lends its power, so if they become unhappy, they can just end the contract. It's rare to make a contract with a bad person, though."

So, if they were unhappy, they could quit. That was a very favorable contract for the spirit. If they didn't like it, they could end the contract. Spirits probably had a trial period for contracts.

"What does it feel like to transfer magic power? Is it okay if the magic power is taken all at once?"

"After making a contract, a small amount of magic power constantly flows to the spirit. As long as you don't make unreasonable requests that exceed the spirit's power, the magic power won't be taken all at once."

It felt like storing magic power all the time.

"What can a young spirit do if they use their full power?"

"It's hard to say what their full power is... but they can probably blow away this area with a storm."

Lower-level spirits had unexpectedly powerful abilities. Even though she was a young spirit.

"I see. Then, young spirit, will you make a contract with me?"

"Sure."

It was so easy. He was apparently easy to contract with, but if he had gone through a lot of trouble to make a contract with a spirit and then it was easily ended, it would be a big shock.

"Sylphie, what should I do?"

"Well, this child doesn't have an external name, so you should give her one. If she accepts the name, the contract is complete. If the spirit already has a name, it takes a bit more effort."

"Is it just giving a name? That is quite simple."

Thinking of a name was difficult. Since she was a wind spirit, a name like "Kaze" (wind) would be too simple. A fantasy name related to the wind in a foreign language would be better.

Wind in English is "Wind," so "Win"… but that's too simple. "Breeze" doesn't seem to fit a young spirit. …It's tough not knowing any other words for wind in languages other than English.

Changing direction, what about a wind-related goddess? I only know "Aura" and "Ninlil," but they seem like good names. …But thinking about it, both Aura and Ninlil had bad fates in mythology. I hesitate to give such names to a young spirit.

It's difficult. Is there a cute-sounding word related to the wind? …Storm… Wind chime… Windbell. Windbell seems good. I can't think of anything else. It also matches a young spirit who seems to laugh while flying. Yes, let's go with this.

"It's decided."

"Yuta, you were really thinking hard. Are you okay?"

I used my brain so much that I wanted to replenish my sugar. The pressure was intense, unlike naming a character in a game.

"Yeah, I couldn't give her a weird name, so I thought hard, but I think I came up with a good name."

"What name did you choose? I'm looking forward to it."

Please don't put pressure on me. I called the young spirit, who had been flying around while I was thinking, to come over.

"Your name is Windbell. Nickname Bell. It's a name taken from a glass bell that makes a beautiful sound when blown by the wind. How do you like it?"

"Windbell. Bell!"

She was smiling and repeating her name. Did she like it? The young spirit suddenly flew into my chest. I quickly hugged her, feeling her light but definite weight. What are spirits made of? There are so many mysteries.

"Bell!"

She declared while looking up at me from my arms. I just named her, so she already knew. I stroked her head and asked.

"Um, do you like it?"

"Yep."

"Hehe. I think it's a good name, Bell. The contract is now complete. Congratulations, Yuta, Bell."

"Hehe. I'm glad you like it. But I don't feel anything different even though the contract is complete. Is the contract really working?"

It would be nice if there was an event where the spirit's power flowed into me or Bell evolved into a mid-level spirit.

"It's working properly. Try asking Bell to do something. She should be able to float lightly."

Wow, an exciting event is happening. I asked the smiling Bell in my arms.

"Bell, can you float lightly?"

"Sure."

"Wow. Oh, you're floating. I'm flying now, right? Amazing. Amazing, Bell."

I was now free from the bonds of gravity. I thought I would be blown by the wind, but it was different. I could feel a gentle breeze around my body, but otherwise, I felt almost nothing. I've never experienced it, but maybe this is what it feels like to be in a zero-gravity space.

"Hehe. Bell is amazing!"

We drifted in the air for a while and then landed on the ground. I was moved. Despite the short time in this world, I had gone through a lot, but it felt like my efforts were rewarded.

"Thank you, Bell. It was very fun to fly in the sky."

"Leave it to Bell."

When I thanked Bell, she seemed happy and laughed while flying around. I felt a paternal instinct awakening.

"The contract is working properly, right?"

"Yeah. I confirmed the effect with my own body, so there's no mistake. It was an amazing experience."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. It's late, so should we rest soon?"

"What should I do? I'm probably tired, but I don't think I can sleep because of the excitement from flying. If Sylphie and Bell are okay, I want to challenge the ghosts and liches."

"Sure. Neither I nor Bell will get tired from this, but be careful not to overdo it, Yuta. You might make a mistake if you push yourself too hard."

Sylphie has a sense of authority as an older person. By the way, how old is Sylphie? Is it dangerous to ask a spirit about their age? It's better not to ask and avoid trouble. I'll pretend I didn't think of it.

"Got it. I just want to fight the ghosts and liches once and then come back."

I have a busy schedule for tomorrow. I should be able to sleep soundly after confirming the effects and being satisfied. I'm looking forward to it.

Thank you for reading.

I received a comment and changed it to something like a magic bar.

I have read all the comments, but I haven't had the time to reply, so I apologize.