Chapter 17

Yamayama is tirelessly extracting stones from the rock mountain. Last night, he ate a lot of seafood, and this morning, he is also full from the seafood he had stored.

Eventually, he will get tired of seafood, but compared to when he was cutting back on food and only eating bread, his mood is completely different.

With his level and strength increased, the large rock mountain is quickly disappearing. He has successfully secured a particularly large rock for the mobile dwelling, and with the disappearance of this rock mountain, it will be the third one to vanish.

"Phew. This should be enough, right? Next, I'll go back and work on the well and the dwelling."

"I think it's enough, but isn't three rock mountains too much?" Sylphie asked with a wry smile. Indeed, he might have gotten a bit carried away, but it's not a problem to have too much, so it should be fine.

"Well, there will be some use for it. If there's any left over, we can use it to expand the space."

He called back Bell and Rain, who were playing far away, and set off towards the well.

***

They arrived at the well in less than two hours. The increase in his level seems to have positively affected his movement speed. First, he stored the large rock that was blocking the well.

"Sylphie, is Dine at the bottom of this well?"

"Yes. There's a possibility that she moved to another place through the water veins, but I think she's probably down there."

Water spirits can move through water veins. Is that convenient...? It seems a bit pointless since they can fly.

"Thanks. Should I tell her that we're back?"

"A message should be fine. Bell and Rain can do it quickly."

Oh, that's a good idea. I was a bit bothered by the stairs, but this is much easier.

"Hey, Bell! Rain! Come here for a moment!"

"What is it?"

"Quu"

The little girl and the dolphin flew over happily. This is a fantasy world.

"Tell Dine at the bottom of the well that we're back and that we'll start construction tomorrow. If she's not there, just come back."

"Mission?"

"...Yeah... It's a mission."

"Okay!"

"Quu"

He watched them happily dive into the well. Phew. Their high energy from the sea... I'll believe they'll forget it eventually.

"Sylphie, can you stop looking at me like I'm a pitiful person?"

"I'm not looking at you like that. It's just your paranoia, Yuta."

Is that so? Am I overthinking it?

"Anyway, what should we do next?"

"Ah, first, I'll secure the space. I have two hundred cubic meters of rock prepared. All I have to do is arrange them."

If I place fifty on each side, it will form a square space. That should be enough.

"Two meters should be enough to keep wandering zombies and skeletons out. But there's a possibility that something like a Death Lizard could get in."

"Hmm, I'll see how it goes after I build it. If it doesn't work, I'll think of something then."

The rocks are two meters wide, so stacking them should be fine.

"That might be a good idea."

"Then, I'll arrange them with the well at the center."

He decided on a starting point and placed the rocks.

"Wow, this is big. Do you really need this much thickness?"

Indeed, even with just one placed, it feels quite imposing.

"Well, I've never been involved in construction, so I'm going for strength."

If the ground collapses under the weight, I can just store the rocks and deal with it. It's simple.

"True, a weak structure would be worse than an overly strong one."

"Exactly. I'll just level the really uneven spots and place them."

Thud. Thud. He placed the rocks at a good pace, shaved down the protruding areas with a shovel, and filled in the depressions with soil and hammered them down.

"I'm back."

"Quu"

Oh, Bell and Rain are back.

"Thanks, both of you. Did you see Dine?"

"We did. Mission complete. We were praised."

"Quu quu. Quu"

They both seem to have accomplished their task. I should thank them and pet them.

"Thanks. You can play for now. Don't go too far."

"Okay!"

"Quu"

He watched them fly away. It seems Rain's response has slightly improved. Spirits are impressive. Let's get back to work.

***

Yeah, I managed to surround it without any gaps. There was a slight misalignment, but I adjusted it with the remaining rocks. It should be enough to prevent monsters from entering.

"This much space should be enough, right?"

This place, called the Land of Death, is just a dry, reddish-brown ground. But, it feels like home when I recognize it as my territory.

"Right. I think it's quite spacious. Being able to do this much in a short time is really an amazing ability."

"Yeah. I think it's an incredibly powerful tool. Well, if I could fly in the air, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble."

Swish, and he flew to the town. It's very convenient.

"If you contract with me, you can fly, so I think your current ability is definitely better."

Indeed, it would be difficult to obtain such a powerful tool for development no matter how much effort I put in.

"You're right. Okay, I'm motivated. Next, I'll build the mobile base."

He took out the largest rock he had secured for the mobile base and built a two-room house like the temporary base. This time, he made a fence and added a few windows to the kitchen.

He didn't want ghosts or anything to come in, so the bedroom has no windows. He placed rocks for a table and benches, and set up a stove to complete the kitchen.

For the bedroom, he placed a large rock in the center of the room and cut out the inside to hold sand. He poured the sand he had stored from the beach into the rock after purifying it. With a wooden pillow, it would be complete.

Sleeping on sand would be messy, and a wooden pillow is hard, but it's much better than sleeping on a rock. The dirt can be purified. Oh, since water is available, I can make a hot spring when it's completed. Purification cleans, but it doesn't relieve fatigue. Still...

"Hmm"

"What are you worrying about?"

"Well, it's a silly thing, but doesn't this bed look like a coffin?"

It's just a rectangular rock with the inside cut out and filled with sand... but it reminds me of a coffin.

"True, it does look a bit like a coffin, but is it really something to worry about?"

"It seems like bad luck."

In Japan, I never cared about such things, but in a world where ghosts exist, it's normal to think that bad luck can come from trivial reasons.

"Then, how about rounding the corners to give it a more rounded shape?"

"...Oh, that might change the atmosphere. I'll try it."

Following Sylphie's advice, he rounded the corners. It looks more like a capsule now. But it's a bit better this way.

"Okay, the mobile dwelling is complete. Let's call it a day and have dinner."

"What are we having tonight?"

Three consecutive days of just grilled seafood is tough. Stewed dishes make me want rice. Even though the temperature drops at night, using a pot is tough. Frying requires various ingredients, and how about fish cakes... they won't be delicious without ginger and scallions.

By the way, I haven't collected any vegetables yet. Can I get by with seaweed? No, I'm just full of anxiety. I should have bought some vegetable juice. I need to level up quickly before my body breaks down from malnutrition.

"Today... how about steamed fish?"

"It's a bit different... but will it be okay?"

"I've thought of various fish dishes, but I don't have enough vegetables or seasonings. Adding seafood to Japanese dishes would be luxurious..."

I want rice. I want seasonings. I want herbs. I want vegetables. Most of all, I want meat.

"Hey, is it possible to have Bell go shopping?"

"It's not possible because she can't materialize. Spirits can only materialize in special places. They can use magic to grab things, but it's not the same as touching them. Shopping would be almost impossible in that situation."

I thought she could carry things since she brought fish, but it's different. It's a bit complicated.

"What about having her collect things?"

"That's possible."

The possibilities are expanding.

"Oh, just getting plants would make a big difference."

"But flying a long distance while maintaining the magic to carry things would be difficult and tiring for Bell. Even with Rain's assistance, it would still be a burden."

Sylphie sighed and spoke apologetically. I remember she said it was impossible to have her carry things to town after contracting with her. It makes sense since plants are much lighter.

"Spirits can come immediately when summoned, even if they are far away. Can't they use that power to come back quickly?"

"Unfortunately, only spirits can move that way."

"Oof, it feels like I'm being tied up in a complex knot."

When things seem to be going well, something is always missing. If there is a god, they must be quite mischievous. The only way to make things work is to put a lot of strain on the little girl and the dolphin. The guilt is overwhelming.

"If I had your power, there would be no problem."

"If I could contract with a spirit, I could have them take me to town."

"Hehe, that's true. I never thought about it before, but things don't always go smoothly."

Being able to communicate so well with a spirit is quite rare. I'm sure I'll learn many things I didn't know.

"Well, I'll only ask Bell and Rain as a last resort and try to do what I can on my own."

First, I'll eat without complaining and focus on leveling up. I'll work hard to get out of this seafood-only life.

Thank you for reading.