Chapter 34

I've heard the main points of what to watch out for, should we go level up now? I call out to Bell, Rain, Turu, and Tamamo, who are playfully rolling around. They've really become close in just a moment.

"Everyone, let's go."

"Okay!"

"Quack!"

"...Yeah."

Turu reluctantly moves away from Tamamo. It seems Turu is a mohair after all.

"Tamamo, I'll leave the field to you. Sylph, can you guide us?"

I pet Tamamo's head, who looks a bit sad, and we set off. It's a small nest, but it's my first time, so I need to put in some effort.

"It's about a thirty-minute walk from here."

"Surprisingly close. I didn't notice it at all."

"We haven't been near the location of the nest. Also, we've been defeating a lot of the low-level monsters that wander around at night, so there shouldn't be many left."

That's right, since it's near the base, we've been crushing them without hesitation whenever we find them. With fewer of them, it should be perfect for our first attempt. Oh, I need to warn Bell and the others.

"Bell, Rain, Turu. We'll be fighting underground more often from now on, so try not to cause too much damage to the surroundings."

"Got it!"

"Quack!"

"Yeah."

They listen well when I ask them. It'll be fine. I don't want to be suddenly hit by a flurry of wind blades or anything.

"Here it is."

I check the spot Sylph points to and see a crack in the ground, with signs that something has entered and exited. It's probably zombies or skeletons.

"This is a space that was created by chance, so it's narrow inside. Be careful, as monsters will appear immediately."

"By chance? Are there places that aren't by chance?"

"Yes, there are. There are old mine caves and fortresses that have been swallowed by the earth, but those are more troublesome because they've been touched by humans."

"Hehe, it would be nice to experience those before making a contract."

"That's hard to say. All we can do is pray that your magic power grows significantly."

Sylph's encouraging smile is dazzling. Yeah, my physical strength is growing well, but I'm a bit worried about reaching B.

"Will you wait inside, Bell? Help me if I'm in danger."

"Okay!" They casually go inside... It's really a cheat that they can't be seen. Even if they clear everything inside, I'll still get experience points. But it hurts to rely entirely on children and small animals.

Also, if I can't fight myself, I'll be looked down upon when we go to town. Since we've been fighting a lot, it seems we're easy targets. If I leave everything to Bell and the others, I won't be able to enjoy this world.

"Then, I'm going in."

"Don't get careless and get hurt, even if it's easy."

It's apparently going to be easy. Am I strong? I don't really know since I don't have anything to compare myself to.

"Understood."

I shrink my hammer and carefully descend into the crack. The zombies and skeletons must have cleared the path, as it's surprisingly easy to go down. It feels like a steep slope.

"Whoa!"

A zombie suddenly appeared in a space where the light from the crack doesn't reach. I reflexively enlarge my hammer and smash it. In response to the sound, zombies and skeletons start to gather. There are fewer of them, but are they multiplying on their own?

I swing my hammer left and right, sending the zombies and skeletons flying. ...Since I'm crushing skeletons and zombies together, I'll give up on the magic stones. I don't have the courage to sort through that mess.

I want to fight proper monsters soon. Goblins, orcs, dragons... How about dragons? If I have a contract with Sylph, can I beat them? Dine mentioned that she launched a sea dragon high into the sky, so maybe I can.

There are many of them, but they fly away with one swing, so it's not much different from usual. It's not much different, but... There are a lot of them, and the battle doesn't end quickly, so the stench is unbearable. Tears are welling up, and I feel like I'm going to vomit.

When the reinforcements stop, I move deeper in... It's surprisingly narrow. So many of them were packed into a space less than twenty meters square... Like a packed train? A packed train of zombies and skeletons... Just thinking about it makes my spine shiver.

On a raised part of the room, there are two skeletons in tattered leather armor. In the center, there is one skeleton in tattered armor. Those must be the Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Soldiers.

As I approach, they slowly come down. They're trying to give off a big catch vibe... According to Sylph, Skeleton Knights are no different from the low-level monsters, but I'll be careful just in case.

They split into three directions, the Skeleton Soldiers on both sides ready their spears, and the Skeleton Knight in the center slowly draws its sword. It's supposed to be a tense scene, but I lose my composure with Bell and the others cheering me on.

The Skeleton Soldiers on both sides thrust their spears at the same time, so I swing my hammer to deflect them... The hands holding the spears also flew off.

I was momentarily stunned, but the Skeleton Knight in the center charged, so I smash it from above, making sure not to hit the ground.

Turning to the Skeleton Soldier that lost both hands, I crush it as well. It was easier than I thought. The smell is terrible. I'll take the magic stones from the Skeleton Knight and Skeleton Soldier and escape.

"Good job. I was watching from here, and it was easy for you."

"Yuta, you're so strong!"

"Quack!"

"Congratulations."

"Hehe, I managed somehow. The smell is really tough, though."

I cast a cleaning spell all over my body, but the stubborn smell lingers, and my mood drops a bit.

"Hmm, there's not much you can do about that. Most nests have a mix of skeletons and zombies."

I feel even more reluctant, but it's for a fun life in this world. This is where I need to put in the effort.

"Well, it's just the smell, so I'll endure. I'm not tired at all, so let's go to the next one."

"Understood. We'll start with the nearby ones. After we've cleared them, we'll move on to larger nests from tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you."

Today, I destroyed four more monster nests before nightfall. There were ghosts and wraiths, but Bell and the others easily took care of them, so there were no problems.

The biggest issue is the nests dominated by Zombie Knights. There's no reward other than experience points, and the smell is terrible, so my spirit is dampened.

If I had the determination to take magic stones from zombies, the large number would be a good source of funds when we go to town, but I just can't bring myself to do it.

General-class monsters are said to have high value, so if I defeat one, I'll take the stone no matter what, but for Knight-class... It's impossible, I'll give up.

Also, according to Sylph, today's training was to get used to the nests, so we chose small nests with few Knights and Soldiers, which is why my level didn't go up.

From tomorrow, we'll visit places with more Soldiers and Knights and gain experience fighting Archers and Mages.

Once I get used to that, we'll go on an expedition to the ruins of a fortress a bit further away, where we'll tackle a large nest with Soldiers and Knights as low-level monsters to level up quickly. There are too many undead. How many are there?

My mood drops as I return to the spring base, hearing the plan. I know it's necessary, but the thought of a large nest full of undead brings my spirits down.

"Ku!"

As I enter the base, Tamamo jumps on me. She must have been lonely. She immediately runs off to play with Bell and the others, leaving me feeling a bit lonely.

"Yuta, welcome back."

"Back."

"Yuta, welcome back."

Dine, Nomos, and Dolly greet me. It feels a bit wasteful to have the three Great Spirits on watch.

"Back. Did anything happen?"

"Nothing at all. It was peaceful."

Dine is completely relaxed. I'm not in a position to say anything, but it's a bit worrying.

"I see. Thanks. Let's have dinner. Dolly, what about you? The other Great Spirits got tired of the fish, but we have plenty of seafood."

"Hehe, I'll join you today."

"I see. Don't overdo it. I'll try my best to make a dish that everyone will enjoy."

It seems that at the Great Spirit level, they get tired of ordinary seafood. I can only make a man's meal, but I want to impress the Great Spirits.

There's no need to force themselves to eat, so they don't get hungry. I understand why they stop eating anything that's not delicious. The lower-level spirits like Bell and the others haven't gotten used to eating, so they happily eat.

But how do spirits that can't materialize eat until they get tired? I'm special, so I can sit at the table with spirits, but usually, they can only be sensed, so can they even be served food? It's a mystery.

"That's great. I'm looking forward to it."

"Looking forward to it. It depends on the ingredients available in this world, though."

"Oh, if it's plants, I can tell you what they are."

"Really? Even processed ones?"

If so, I want Dolly to confirm the ingredients I brought from Japan.

"Even processed ones, I might be able to tell you what they are if I taste them."

That would be a big help. First, rice. I want to dig into a steaming bowl of white rice. Soybeans would be good too. There are many variations with soy sauce, miso, tofu, and edamame. I don't know if I can make them, but having the ingredients makes a big difference.

"Please, next time."

She nodded in agreement. Dolly, you're reliable. Today, only grilled seafood, but Bell and the others were happy to eat it. Tamamo also ate happily, and the dining table became lively again.

Thank you for reading.