Chapter 72

As the sun began to set, I dragged my tired body and gazed at the cliff leading to the river.

(Hmm, it seems like I could make a bed here. There might be a better environment further in, but... I can't walk anymore.)

The cliff was less than five meters high and existed only on one side of the river. It looked as if the ground had risen and then been eroded by the river's flow. I hadn't gone more than a kilometer from the entrance to the forest, so the location was a good condition for my plan. However, the cliff face was entirely soil, which was a concern for me.

There weren't any convenient caves like the one I stayed in for a night in the Palmera Great Forest. After several consecutive battles, my hands and feet were trembling, and I lacked the energy to search for a better environment.

(Considering the size of the orcs, a hole about three meters up should be fine...)

With that thought, I splashed into the river and began preparing to make a shelter.

"Generate a stone pillar, three meters high."

Zuzuuzu...

Since I learned that creating a stone pillar under my buttocks while sitting would allow me to be carried up more stably, I've been using this method. Sitting on the stone pillar, I rose to nearly three meters high, then focused on a part of the cliff and started digging a hole.

"Form a large hole."

Bokobokoboko...

(Hmm, it's a bit narrow and crooked.)

The hole that formed was about one meter high and two meters deep. It seemed like I could sleep there, but starting a fire and eating there felt a bit risky, and the uneven, exposed soil was particularly concerning.

However...

When I opened the status screen, my remaining mana was 29, even though I had a sword. I wanted to modify it further, but I didn't have enough mana. If I continued like this, I would fall into a deep sleep.

In the Lulub Forest, unlike the Locker Plain, I had to cast light spells while moving and hunting. Even with automatic recovery, the pace of use meant I was far from fully recovered.

(There's no choice... I'll have to endure for now and expand the shelter when my mana recovers.)

With that thought, I calculated the remaining mana and started making this.

"Generate a flat stone."

Zuzu...

"Hmm."

A voice escaped as the stone formed exactly as I imagined. The spirits must have grasped my image well.

I placed the "Orc Prime Meat" I had been carrying on my shoulder onto the large stone cutting board. I had brought about 10 kg, which was far more than I could eat alone, but it was my first orc meat and my first otherworldly barbecue. My excitement couldn't be contained, and I had greedily brought a lot.

I took out salt from the leather bag and prepared the knife to cut the meat. Before using it, I seared the knife over the fire to ensure it was hygienic. If anything happened, my "Poison Resistance" would probably handle it.

There was one more thing...

Ah! Wood! Branches! Something that burns!

Before it got dark, I hurriedly slid down the stone pillar I had made and gathered small branches from the surroundings, throwing them into the hole I had made. Branches fell into the river, but there were plenty around, so I didn't worry about it. I also threw a few larger stones into the hole to ensure I wouldn't have to go down again. I cut down a Small Wolf that attacked me while I was thinking.

(Well... at this temperature, I don't need a fur when I sleep, right? If I stripped it and used it, it would definitely smell bad.)

I wanted a mattress and a blanket, but if I started demanding that, I wouldn't be able to live like a hermit. I put the problem aside and returned to the hole with branches in both hands.

--- No, I stopped just before returning.

...

I looked up at the stone pillar I had made, and unpleasant memories of the Locker Plain, where I had raised a cage too high to reach, came back.

(Huh... calm down, me. It's okay. There's no need to panic yet.)

I checked the status screen, and my remaining mana was 15. Using a Level 2 "Earth Magic" could make me fall into a deep sleep.

(I shouldn't be happy about making a cutting board... What should I do? What should I do? What should I do...)

I hadn't thoroughly tested how much mana was consumed when creating a stone pillar of a specific height. The main reason was that I hadn't run out of mana on the Locker Plain.

(Level 1 would consume a maximum of 9 mana, so I could avoid deep sleep, but a stone pillar only 50 cm high wouldn't be enough to jump onto a 3-meter stone pillar... Should I wait for my mana to recover? If my mana recovers to 20, I can create a 1.5-meter stone pillar, which should be enough to get back down. But it's already dark. I'll only have moonlight soon... Can I deal with monsters? I probably won't die if I get ambushed, but it would be tough to defeat them...)

I hadn't expected that making a cutting board would lead to such a predicament. My thoughts were swirling.

However, in the midst of this, I suddenly remembered something.

(Come to think of it, I had forgotten about the "Night Vision" skill that the Rig Spider had, which I couldn't use. Let's see...)

I used "Scout" to check for monster presence and confirmed the status screen when it was safe.

I found "Night Vision" and read the detailed description.

"Night Vision" Level 2: Can see slightly in the dark. Mana consumption: 0

(Hmm, as expected, the description is quite brief.)

Since it didn't consume mana, I decided to try it immediately.

"Night Vision"

I felt a slight increase in light and a bit more contrast. Dark areas remained dark, but moonlit areas were a bit brighter.

(Hmm. I can't afford to fall into a deep sleep here, so I'll use "Night Vision" while waiting for my mana to recover to 20. Oh, I'll also time how long it takes to recover.)

I took out my watch from the leather bag. The watch's hands, which were hard to see in the dark, were now easier to see.

(I'll be ready for battle...)

I stood up, ready to draw my sword, leaned against the stone pillar, and focused on "Aura Sense" while checking the status screen.

As soon as the remaining mana changed to 16, I checked the watch and returned my vision to the status screen.

I then took the opportunity to review my current status.

Name: Loki (Miyako Yuto) <Salesman>

Level: 13

Skill Points Remaining: 66

Mana: 16/98 (+18) +50 when holding a sword

Strength: 47 (+20)

Intelligence: 48 (+11)

Defense: 46 (+112)

Magic Defense: 46 (+9)

Agility: 46 (+23)

Technical: 45 (+12)

Luck: 51 (+7)

Blessing: None

Title: None

Acquired Skills

◆ Combat and Tactics Skills

[Staff Mastery] Level 3 [Sword Mastery] Level 3 [Dagger Mastery] Level 1 [Provocation] Level 1 [Rage] Level 1

◆ Magic Skills

[Fire Magic] Level 2 [Earth Magic] Level 3 [Wind Magic] Level 4

◆ Job Skills

[Harvesting] Level 1 [Hunting] Level 2 [Dissection] Level 2

◆ Life Skills

[Foreign Language Understanding] Level 3 [Aura Sense] Level 3 [Field of Vision Expansion] Level 1 [Far Vision] Level 1

[Scout] Level 1 [Arithmetic] Level 1 [Memorization] Level 1 [Speed] Level 1 [Night Vision] Level 2

◆ Passive Skills

[Poison Resistance] Level 7 [Increased Automatic Mana Recovery] Level 1 [Increased Maximum Mana] Level 1

◆ Other/Special

[Divine Oracle] Level 1 [Divine Power] Level 2

◆ Other/Monster

[Charge] Level 4 [Adhesive Silk] Level 2 [Bite] Level 3

Hmm, hmm.

I left my notebook at the inn, so I couldn't see the details, but the skills of the Lulub monsters had clearly leveled up.

Well, that makes sense.

With so many monsters swarming around, hunting them would naturally level up my skills.

The only downside is that there are no monsters like the Poison Mice in the Locker Plain, which have exceptionally high-level skills...

None of the skills are super useful for constant use.

Therefore, the goal in the Lulub Forest might be better judged by how much I can level up myself rather than the skill levels.

I've already leveled up twice today.

This rate of leveling up suggests that I was below the appropriate level for this area.

At what point will the level-up rate start to slow down?

Based on the Locker Plain, it will take about half a month of continuous hunting before the level-up rate stops. If the daily experience gain drops below 10%, I'll leave this place.

For now, I'll use that as a benchmark.

However, as the number of acquired skills increases, it becomes difficult to notice which skill levels have increased.

Especially during chaotic battles, there's no time to check the announcements, so I only remember that the "Sword Mastery" skill increased.

It would be convenient if the status screen showed a "New" label next to a skill when its level increased.

But I guess that's too much to ask.

While thinking about this, my mana increased to 17, so I immediately closed the status screen and checked the watch's hands.

(Hmm? About 2 minutes and 40 seconds?)

It seemed a bit arbitrary, but considering the "Increased Automatic Mana Recovery" Level 1 and the "Granted" effect of the leather armor, this result was acceptable.

(So, about 8 more minutes. It's good to know it won't take too long... Ah, I'm so hungry...)

I muttered this while looking up at the moon, which provided a bit of light.

"I can't use [Divine Power] today."

I apologized to the goddesses, not knowing if they could hear me.