Chapter 7

Deciding to give up on the Death Lizard materials and move forward.

"By the way, Yuta, how's your level?"

Oh, I forgot the original purpose amidst the sudden gruesome scene. I fought to level up.

"I'll check it now."

I called up the status screen and checked it with Sylph.

Status

Name: Yuta Morinaka

Level: 7

HP: E

MP: E

Strength: D

Intelligence: C

Dexterity: C

Luck: B

Unique Skills

Language Understanding

Pioneering Tools

Skills

Life Magic

Oh, I'm at level 7. The average level for small children is 3, so I've surpassed that. Only HP, MP, and Strength have increased. Is this it?

"Sylph, I've gone up six levels, but only HP, MP, and Strength have increased. Is this it?"

"Yes, that's it. To put it simply, there's a range even within the same E. When you exceed that range, you move up to D. So even if you level up, the display won't change unless you exceed that range."

I see, it's a broad classification. There seems to be a significant difference between a D close to C and a D close to E. It's time to head towards the sea. I'll talk to Sylph while walking.

"I still need to go up three more levels to make a contract with Sylph. Hey, Sylph, if I go up one more level, I can make a contract with the young girl spirit, right? If I make a contract with the young girl spirit, I won't be able to make a contract with you, right?"

"No, it's fine. As long as the spirit wants it and there's no problem with your magic, there's no limit to the number of contracts. Normally, it's not that easy to make a contract with a spirit, but since Yuta can see and talk to spirits, you have a significant advantage."

"By the way, I was told that touching a spirit is amazing. Is it useful?"

"Hmm, if a high-level spirit materializes, you can touch them, but weak spirits can't materialize, so being able to touch weak spirits might be a unique ability."

Is that an advantage?

"What are the ranks of spirits?"

"Those that just float around or transform into animals or insects are Floating Spirits. Above them are Low Spirits, Mid Spirits, High Spirits, and Great Spirits. The Spirit King is the top of each attribute, and there's only one per attribute. However, it's not a strict hierarchy since there's no organization. For the Spirit King, it's more of a guideline for their power."

...Sylph is a Great Spirit, right? That young girl spirit, bringing such a big catch is impressive.

"Sylph is a great spirit, right?"

"Yes, she is. Since she's at the level of being worshipped, Yuta should feel honored."

She puffed out her chest proudly. The young girl spirit had also appeared and was puffing out her chest next to her. Spirits of the wind seem to get easily excited, despite their cool and beautiful appearance.

"Got it. Once we have a base, I'll make a statue of Sylph and offer my gratitude every day."

"Since I'm right in front of you, offer your gratitude directly."

"Sure."

"That's right. I'm grateful now, but I'll offer my gratitude more directly once we settle down."

Sylph and the young girl spirit nodded in satisfaction. I've received a lot of help, so I need to show my gratitude as much as possible.

***

"The sea!"

"The sea!"

A beautiful, clear sea spread out before us. After defeating the Death Lizard, we hurried forward, avoiding monsters to reach our destination. We rushed to secure a base, not because we were afraid of monsters.

"Yuta, we haven't arrived yet. If we walk for about thirty more minutes, we'll reach the beach. Let's go there."

"A beach. Can we swim?"

"Yes, you can swim. But it's better to stay in the shallow areas. Deeper waters are dangerous because large sea monsters appear."

"I don't want to be attacked by a monster in the water. But if we can swim in the shallow areas, that's enough."

Excited, we walked to the beach. Wow, it's beautiful. The sea is shallow, with few waves and a light blue color. I thought the beach would be reddish-brown, but the white sand surprised me.

White sand is made of coral and the remains of microorganisms, right? Well, as long as it's beautiful, that's fine.

"Great place."

"Yes, I think it's the most beautiful place in the Land of Death."

"Beautiful."

"Hey, there are trees."

Deep in the beach, several pieces of driftwood had washed ashore. I was incredibly moved. Just ordinary trees, but they looked like treasure. After just one day of walking on a land without plants, I was this moved. Plants are important.

"Yuta, Yuta, calm down."

"Ah, sorry. Sylph, I was surprisingly moved."

"That might be the case, but getting excited over driftwood and looking like you're about to disappear is dangerous. Try to stay calm."

You're right. I can make excuses since there's no one around, but there's no need to put on a show, so I'll accept it.

"Okay, I'll be careful. I'll start collecting the driftwood right away."

I approached the pile of driftwood, touched it with my hands, and stored it in my magic bag. Oh, there's bamboo. If there's bamboo, there might be bamboo shoots. I want to eat bamboo shoot rice. Is there rice in this world? If not, that would be tough.

The young girl spirit touched the wood I was touching and seemed to be enjoying the feeling of it disappearing. She was flailing her arms and legs with joy each time.

"Is it fun?"

"Huh?"

The young girl spirit looked at me with a puzzled face. Did I ask something difficult?

"Is it fun to see the wood disappear?"

"Yes, it goes poof."

I don't really understand, but if it's fun, that's good. Several large trees and many bamboo stalks had washed ashore. It's like finding a treasure. Even small branches that might not be useful are valuable as fuel here. I can't waste them.

"Phew. Collection complete. Now we have some wood and fuel."

"Good job."

"Hehe, that's great. What should we do next? Should we go into the sea to gather food?"

"Ah, food is a concern, but zombies and skeletons come out at night. I want to create a safe base nearby."

I didn't realize this yesterday because we were in a cave, but I don't want to rest in a place where zombies and skeletons wander.

"How will we create the base?"

How... I don't know. The safest place would be to dig a cave in a rock mountain, but living in a cramped space would be tough.

I see, I'll create a staircase with the magic saw on the rock mountain and build a base at a high enough position. The magic saw can cut through rock like tofu. I can use the upper part of the rock mountain for stone materials.

"I think I'll create a base on that rock mountain. Are there any monsters there?"

"Wait a moment. ...No, it seems there aren't any."

She didn't seem to do anything, but she can check even from a distance. Impressive, a Great Spirit of the Wind.

We walked for about ten minutes, drawn by the sparkling sea, and arrived at the rock mountain. It's a good location, not too far from the sea.

"Sylph, I'm thinking of creating a staircase. Will monsters climb up the stairs?"

"Yes, zombies and skeletons can climb stairs, and other monsters can climb if they have a foothold."

"I see. What should I do?"

"How about making the staircase detachable and storable? You can extend it only when you need to go in and out."

"Good idea. Thanks, Sylph."

Alright, I'll start by making a detachable staircase. A width of one meter should be enough, but without a handrail, I'll make it one and a half meters wide.

I extended the magic saw to one and a half meters and started cutting the stairs. As described, it cuts like tofu. It's hard to cut straight, and I need to be careful not to cut too much. Cheating is great.

I created a staircase up to about three meters high and separated it from the rock mountain. Yes, it can be stored. Next, I'll create stairs up to the middle of the rock mountain.

I cut and stored the rock repeatedly. It feels a bit easier than yesterday, maybe due to the level-up effect.

"Phew. Sylph, is this enough?"

When the detached stairs are combined, they are about six meters high. If I make it too high, it will be difficult to go up and down.

"I think it's good. Large monsters can't live in the Land of Death, so I don't think any monsters can climb this high."

"Okay. I'll leave the part where the house will be and turn the rest into stone."

If I leave the upper part, it might collapse when I dig out the rock.

"Okay, good luck."

"Thanks."

With the encouragement of the beautiful and young spirits, I cut and stored the stone. I'm not sure if I'll use it later, but since there's no capacity limit, it's fine to store it. It took about three hours to cut down the rock mountain except for the part that will be used.

"I knew the tool was special, but seeing the rock mountain dismantled in a short time is still surprising."

"Hehe, but this is a world with magic, right? There might be people who can blow up rock mountains."

"Hmm, how should I put it? Indeed, there are people who can do this level of destruction with attacks, but it's amazing that a single tool among pioneering tools can do such a big job."

There are many such people... The other world is scary.

"Indeed, it's convenient. It has offensive power, and I feel like I can survive somehow."

"Yes, with that much power, you could work with good treatment in a country."

Really? A civil servant life... It might be good.

"But that's if we can safely reach a place with people. For now, I'll focus on building a base to survive."

"That's a good idea."

"Okay. I just need to build the room, so I'll finish it before it gets dark."

I'll try to at least get the basic structure done.

Thank you for reading.