Chapter 6

When I woke up... it was pitch dark. Where am I? As I tried to sit up, pain shot through my body.

"Aah, it wasn't a dream. I really am in another world."

I recited the light ball spell I learned last night, and a ball of light floated up in the cave. The pain all over my body must be from yesterday's physical labor and sleeping on the hard ground.

I want a soft bed, but this land of death doesn't even have grass. The future looks bleak. I wobbled a bit as I put the entrance rock into my magic bag.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning."

As a gentle breeze blew, Sylph and the young girl spirit appeared. Spirits are amazing.

"Good morning, Sylph, young girl spirit. My body is sore from muscle pain, but I slept well because I was tired."

"That's good to hear."

You were worried about me. I appreciate it. Hmm? I'm hungry. Come to think of it, I didn't eat anything yesterday. I want to eat, but there's no microwave or cooking utensils. I guess I'll have to make do with the sweet bread I bought as a snack.

"I'm thinking of having breakfast. Do you want to eat, Sylph and young girl spirit? By the way, how do spirits eat?"

"We don't really need to eat. We can eat, but it's more like a treat."

"Is that so? Then, since it's a special occasion, why don't you try the bread from another world?"

It's precious food, but it feels awkward to eat it alone, and I want to see how you react.

"We don't need to eat, so Yuta should eat. We don't know if we'll be able to get food easily in the future."

Hmm, that's true. I wanted you to eat the sweet bread because you'd probably enjoy it... but I guess you'll eat it when we get more food. I'll have a simple breakfast with some bread. I'll save the sweet bread for later.

"Then, I'll have breakfast. I'll take two slices of bread from my magic bag and savor them. Even bread is a precious item in another world. I need to savor it."

"Wow, white bread is a luxury. It's something only nobles eat."

"Luxury!"

Young girl spirit, why do you sound so troubled?

"That's true. But why does Sylph know about what nobles eat? Do you know someone?"

"No, I don't. As a wind spirit, I can go anywhere the wind blows. I've seen a lot, so I know."

She sounds very proud. She's cute, but it feels like she's peeking... I'd better not touch that.

"That's true. I'm very grateful that Sylph knows a lot. Thank you."

"Hehe, don't worry about it. Come on, eat quickly. The sea is waiting."

Sylph might be quite simple. Oh, I shouldn't keep her waiting. I'll eat quickly. But this precious Japanese food is something to savor. Even plain bread is delicious when you savor it.

"Thank you for the meal. Sylph, young girl spirit, sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we go?"

"Yes. Ah, Yuta. Monsters might appear, so be sure to have your weapon ready. I don't think we'll miss their approach, but it's better to be cautious. And when monsters appear, Yuta will have to defeat them. You need to level up, and we can't help in battle because we haven't made a contract."

"Ah, I see. I'll do my best. I'll take out a magic hammer that's easy to use in battle."

I'm a bit nervous about fighting, but the magic hammer is very powerful. I'll try to level up. It's also light, so I can use it as a walking stick, making it a two-for-one deal.

As I walked in the direction Sylph pointed, I asked various questions.

"Hey, Sylph. How long will it take to get to the sea?"

"Hmm, not too far. At this pace, we should arrive by mid-afternoon."

It's still early morning, but we'll reach the sea by mid-afternoon. I have to push through the muscle pain.

"Got it. By the way, you said there are only wind spirits in the land of death, but since there's ground, aren't there earth spirits?"

"There is ground, but it's hard and dry, and no grass grows. The land of death, with its disrupted natural balance, is a harsh place even for earth spirits."

"Wow, just having ground isn't enough. What about light spirits or dark spirits? Are there no light or dark spirits?"

"There are, but light spirits chase the sun in the clouds, and dark spirits prefer the underground. They don't come to the land of death on purpose."

There are better places, so there's no need to come to this barren land. I thought spirits were trying to restore nature, but maybe not.

Or maybe the land of death is too harsh to restore. I walked endlessly on the cracked, reddish-brown earth. It was hot, and the towel on my head was soaked with sweat.

Sylph floated beside me, and the young girl spirit flew around freely, laughing and playing. It looked very fun and enviable.

"Can I fly like that if I make a contract with Sylph?"

"You won't be able to fly as freely as she does, but you'll be able to fly to some extent."

Really? If I make a contract, I can fly. What will that feel like? I'm excited. I need to get my magic power to B level, or I'll be in trouble if my growth stops.

"I'll do my best to make a contract quickly."

***

I'm sorry. I was getting carried away with leveling up. The monster in front of me is real. I want to punch my past self.

"Yuta, there's a monster behind that rock. We can avoid it by taking a detour. What do you want to do?"

"Can you tell what kind of monster it is? If I can beat it, I'll try to fight."

If I level up, I can make a contract. If I make a contract, I can fly. I have to do it.

"It's a Death Lizard. If you hit it with a large magic hammer, you can defeat it. But at first, it might be better to fight weaker monsters like zombies or skeletons that come out at night."

Death Lizard... a deadly lizard? What a scary name. And there's something else... there are zombies and skeletons? That's even scarier.

"Hey, are there zombies and skeletons?"

"Yes, the land of death is where a great war took place, so there are many. Most of the ruins on the surface have eroded, but there are many in underground facilities and caves, wandering at night."

I like fantasy, but I hate horror. What should I do? Especially zombies... they sound disgusting and scary.

"How big is the Death Lizard?"

"The one behind the rock is small, about as tall as your waist and as long as your height."

Better than zombies or skeletons. Since I don't feel the weight of the magic hammer, I should be able to defeat it easily.

"In that case, I'll fight the Death Lizard."

"Okay? I think you'll be fine, but be careful."

Sylph sounded worried. The young girl spirit had flown off and wasn't there.

I made the magic hammer as large as possible and carried it on my shoulder. As I approached the rock, the Death Lizard seemed to notice me and slowly came out.

Its red-black scales were a form of camouflage. It opened its large mouth, revealing sharp teeth, and made a hissing sound. It occasionally hit the ground with its tail, making a dull thud. This isn't a lizard; it's a dragon.

I stared into its reptilian eyes, but my legs were shaking. I wish I could start with zombies or skeletons. No, usually, the first enemies are slimes or goblins.

As I was spacing out, the Death Lizard seemed to lose patience and charged at me with a roar. I swung the magic hammer in a panic.

"Ah..."

The moment the magic hammer hit the Death Lizard, it flew away without any resistance.

"Good job. It was a bit clumsy, but it's your first victory. But next time, you need to aim and attack properly, not just swing wildly. It's dangerous."

Sylph smiled and spoke to me.

"Huh? Ah, yeah. I defeated it?"

"Yes, you defeated it. What's wrong?"

I swung the magic hammer without any resistance, and the Death Lizard flew away. I have no sense of accomplishment. When I told her this, Sylph explained with a puzzled look.

"You might not feel the weight, but a hammer that big hitting something will usually have that effect. If you don't feel it, try hitting the ground hard with the hammer."

I did as she said and hit the ground hard with the magic hammer. A loud boom echoed, and a blast of wind and sand hit me. It hurt. I felt the hammer stop, but I didn't feel the impact or the resistance of hitting the ground.

I put the hammer on my shoulder and looked at the ground. It was deeply gouged, as if a meteor had fallen. What is this? The power is ridiculous. Thinking about it, a huge chunk of iron moving at high speed would naturally have this effect.

"Okay, I understand, Sylph."

"I'm glad. So, from now on, stay calm and composed."

"Okay, I'll be fine next time. What should I do with that Death Lizard? Can I eat it?"

"The main food of Death Lizards is zombies and skeletons. Do you want to eat it? Normally, the skin can be sold, but it's so mangled that it's worthless. If the magic stone in the heart is intact, you can sell it in town."

I don't want to eat a lizard that eats zombies. I'll try to get the magic stone. As I approached the Death Lizard, I almost vomited. It was so mangled.

I searched the heart area with a magic crowbar-like tool, as Sylph had taught me, and found a shiny fragment.

"If you want to get magic stones and materials, you need to learn to control your attacks next time."

"...Okay."

Thank you for reading.