Chapter 5

After checking the skill, it seemed quite cheat-like. With this skill, I should be able to escape from the rock mountain.

"Hey, Sylph. If I can use this skill to get down from the rock mountain, how long will it take to reach a place where there are people?"

"Hmm, let's see. If nothing happens, it would take about a hundred days for an ordinary person to walk, I guess? Since Yuta's level is low, it might take even longer."

"…Maybe I heard wrong. Can you tell me again?"

"A hundred days."

It seems I didn't hear wrong. A hundred days? I don't understand. How far is that? In Japan, you could probably travel from Hokkaido to Kyushu, right? There's the sea in between, though. And with my low level, it would take even longer. Can I cry now?

"Um, if it's that far, we won't have enough food. Can we find something to eat along the way?"

"Food… There's nothing edible on the land. If you take a detour and walk along the coast, you might be able to get food from the sea?"

"The sea! If a ship passes by, can we hitch a ride?"

"No, that's not possible. Ships don't pass through here. The Land of Death has nothing but minerals. There's no food, no water. It's a harsh environment, and the Land of Death is vast, so taking a detour would be even longer. There are strong monsters in the sea, making it dangerous, so no one takes the detour."

What is this? I was in a good mood after getting a cheat skill, but the environment is too harsh.

"So, to get to a place where there are people, I have to take a detour, which will take more than a hundred days, and gather food from the sea while traveling?"

"…That's right. If Yuta's magic power increases, I can contract with you and take you there, but the Land of Death is a tough environment even for monsters, so there are many special monsters, making it difficult."

Special monsters, that sounds ominous.

"Can't I contract with the sleeping young spirit maiden?"

"Lower-level spirits can only travel short distances. It's difficult for them to carry a person for a long time."

I feel like I've been transferred to a place that's inconvenient and malicious. A journey of over a hundred days while gathering food… I feel like my spirit is breaking.

"By the way, what is the Land of Death?"

"It's the barren land that covers two-thirds of this continent. It became uninhabitable for spirits after humans destroyed it in ancient wars. Even though it's like this, humans still don't stop fighting, which is the worst."

"Still fighting… Are humans at war?"

"Yes, they frequently go to war over the limited land."

What is this? After all the trouble to get there, there might be a war. I'm getting more and more bad information.

"Wait, are Sylph and the young spirit maiden okay in the Land of Death?"

"We are wind spirits. Since the wind blows even in the Land of Death, we're fine. But even if we're fine, this land won't recover."

Wind spirits are fine, but other spirits can't exist, so the Land of Death remains. Hmm, I don't want to go to a place with intense wars. I have a convenient ability like the development tool, so maybe living here is an option?

"Sylph, if I use the development tool skill and decide to live in the Land of Death, will you help me?"

"It sounds interesting, but it's not an easy place to live. Also, I can't directly help you without a contract."

"Even just being a conversation partner would be enough. Besides, I have to live in the Land of Death for at least a hundred days, so it would be easier to develop a base and live while leveling up. When I can contract, you'll take me to a place with people, right?"

"Sure, I can do that. Then, here's some advice. Create an environment where spirits can live. If you do, I can call spirits to help. The area around where spirits can live will become prosperous and comfortable."

"Is that true? Then, the people in this world should have tried to develop the Land of Death, right?"

"There have been attempts, but it's difficult to develop. Even if you work hard to create an environment, if you can't communicate with spirits, they might not come. And if you succeed, other countries will try to take it, making defense difficult… As a result, development hasn't progressed much."

It's a vicious cycle. It won't go well unless there's unification.

"So, in my case, if I can create an environment, Sylph will call spirits, so if I work hard, it should go well, right?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Alright, I've decided. Since I have a convenient ability, I'll create a comfortable living space in the Land of Death. First, I'll go to the sea to save food."

I have a considerable amount of food, but it's precious Japanese food. I need to be careful. If I had bought a lot of miso and soy sauce… I have a one-liter bottle of soy sauce and a bag of instant miso soup, so I'm saved, but twenty servings of miso soup for breakfast and dinner, and nine servings of miso soup with natto… They'll run out quickly. I need to be careful.

"Before that, we need to get down from this rock mountain. What should we do?"

Right, first, I need to escape from the rock mountain.

"I'll dig through the rock with the magic shovel. If I store the dug rock in the magic bag, it should work."

"I can only cheer you on, but do your best."

"Alright."

Cheering from a beautiful person makes me feel energized. I took out the magic shovel and started digging from the edge of the cliff. When I inserted the magic shovel into the ground, it smoothly disappeared. It's really like pudding.

The shovel doesn't feel heavy, so even when I scoop up rocks, I don't feel their weight. Moreover, if I think about storing the rock while touching it with the shovel, it gets stored. It's very convenient.

I repeated digging and storing rocks. Since I don't have to use much force, it's quite easy. However, since I'm out of shape, just the action of digging with the shovel is quite tiring.

The young spirit maiden, who had been napping, started flying around and cheering me on. It's quite soothing.

...The young spirit maiden got bored and flew away somewhere. It's lonely.

I took occasional breaks and continued digging the rocks. I only have two two-liter bottles of iced tea. I shouldn't have bought so much alcohol. I can only sip it. After what felt like three hours, I finally reached the ground. My arms and waist are in bad shape.

"Good job."

"Good job."

"Hehe, I'm quite tired. I'll take a short break before heading to the sea."

I need to build my strength. It seems that my stamina will increase as my level goes up, so leveling up first might be more efficient.

"It's almost dark. Shouldn't you prepare to rest?"

Right. Even in another world, the sun sets. Sylph's words remind me of something obvious. I thought I was being calm, but my mind wasn't working well.

"What do I need to do to prepare for rest?"

I've been camping before, but I don't have any equipment.

"Well, if you have food, you should first secure a safe place to sleep. There are monsters, so you don't want to be attacked while you're sleeping, right?"

"Right."

She waved her finger from side to side, teaching me. She seems to enjoy teaching. She's like a beautiful teacher… I'd like to see her in a suit and glasses. The young spirit maiden is also mimicking her, but I don't know how to react.

"Right… Then, I'll dig a cave in the rock mountain."

I forced my tired body to work and took out the magic shovel again to dig a hole in the rock mountain. After about twenty minutes, I managed to create a space big enough to rest. Then, I took out the magic saw, cut a rock the same size as the cave entrance, and stored it in the magic bag. Hmm, I need a fire, but there's not even grass, let alone wood. The Land of Death is scary.

"What about Sylph and the young spirit maiden? It's a bit cramped, but we can fit three people."

"We can rest anywhere by dissolving into the wind, so don't worry about us."

As expected of spirits. Dissolving into the wind is beyond my understanding. What do they do when there's no wind?

"Is that so? I have a lot of questions, so can you stay a bit longer?"

"Sure."

"Sure."

"Um… Thank you."

When I thanked her, the young spirit maiden nodded importantly… Sylph smiled wryly.

"First, I want to learn how to use life magic. Do you know how?"

"Yes, I know. If you have magic power, it's easy to learn."

So, I can use magic easily. That's exciting.

"Please teach me."

"Just point at where you want to manifest it, imagine it, and chant the spell. Simple ones are 'ember' and 'light ball.' Imagine a small flame for 'ember' and a glowing ball for 'light ball.'"

When Sylph chanted 'ember,' a small light appeared at her fingertips. It's quite simple. The spells are 'ember' and 'light ball,' which are exactly what they sound like.

"But Sylph is a wind spirit. You can use fire magic too?"

"I'm a Great Spirit. Also, anyone with magic power can use life magic, even spirits. We rarely use it, though. Well, try it."

"Hehe, I see. Got it. I'll try. Imagine… ember."

When I chanted the spell, a small flame appeared a short distance from my fingertips.

"Wow, fire. It's magic. I used magic. Amazing. I'm amazing. I'm a magician."

I suddenly felt Sylph's warm gaze and calmed down. I'm embarrassed, I got too excited.

"Amazing. Amazing."

Stop it. Young spirit maiden. Stop rolling around in the air while imitating me. It's embarrassing. I somehow calmed the young spirit maiden and learned the 'light ball' spell and some more complex life magic.

The cleaning spell is especially helpful. It's a bit difficult to imagine, but it cleans both my body and my clothes. A bath would feel better, so I want to build one when I have the time.

"Thank you, you really helped me."

"I had fun too, so it's fine. We're leaving, so you should rest now, Yuta. I'll guide you to the sea tomorrow."

I am indeed tired. I should rest now.

"Okay. Thank you. See you tomorrow."

I said goodbye to Sylph and entered the cave, setting the rock I cut earlier in front of the entrance and lying down. I have a lot to think about, but as soon as I lay down, I felt extremely sleepy. Good night.

Thank you for reading.