“Shiiiii!”
Standing before me was an inhuman, monstrous creature with a humanoid shape.
It stood easily over two meters tall, with a broad build like that of a pro wrestler.
This muscular body was covered in blue scales, and its head bore a lizard-like face.
It was a monster known as a Lizardman.
Among the monsters that appear in this area, it wasn’t particularly strong nor particularly weak.
Since its meat is inedible, I find it rather unappetizing.
“Out of my way!”
I created three spears of water above my head and launched them simultaneously.
Two hit the Lizardman’s abdomen dead-on, stopping its movement, while the third pierced its head.
I lifted up the fallen Lizardman’s body.
If I left it here, it would only become food for other monsters, so for future considerations, it was better to collect the materials.
“It’s starting to fill up quite a bit…”
The space in front of me distorted with a soft ripple, opening in a crescent shape.
I tossed the Lizardman’s body inside.
It was a spell called “Inventorya,” one of the space-time magic spells.
The key to magic is imagination.
That’s why, in this world, space-time magic is known as one of the most difficult types of magic to master.
That’s the general understanding here since most people in this world have little knowledge of time and space. But for someone like me, who was exposed to various stories in my previous life, it’s child’s play (old saying).
After much trial and error, I figured out that if I imagined something like a certain blue robotic cat’s four-dimensional pocket or the backpack often seen in RPGs that could hold any item, I could store large amounts without worrying about space.
Since materials don’t age in Inventorya, I stash all my collected items in it.
Thanks to this, the amount of materials I have is getting quite staggering.
Incidentally, I can now use advanced magic from all elements.
Although, this is purely self-assessed based on book knowledge, so I haven’t gotten anyone’s official approval or anything.
If it turns out I’m actually an amateur at magic, that would be a little embarrassing.
Since I’ve been able to handle fights without issues, I believe I’m reasonably strong… though it’s hard to say since I have no points of comparison.
“Oh, looks like something was drawn in by the scent of blood.”
A boar-type monster known as a Great Boar appeared, attracted by the Lizardman’s scent, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips at the sight.
Among the forest monsters, the Great Boar is a prize catch.
For one thing, you can harvest a large amount of meat from just one, and it’s far tastier than any branded pork from my previous life.
From my perspective as a hungry kid, it’s a godsend—there’s no way I’d pass up on a single spare rib.
—It’s been a year since I started entering the forest.
Now, at age ten, I’d adapted to the environment surrounding the Forest of Darkness and was living a more fulfilling life than before.
“Oh… a Glockbird, huh? Its meat is quite delicious; well done.”
“Thank you very much.”
Over the past year, my standing within the household had shifted.
Until now, I had been treated as a useless freeloader, but now that I was bringing in meat, I was regarded as a “useful freeloader,” a slight upgrade.
Despite diligently contributing meat, I was still considered a freeloader.
Maybe these people see me as some sort of servant or something.
Whether they were afraid of losing my usefulness by hurting me or wary of my monster-hunting skills, Latz and my brothers no longer gave me “educational guidance” (physical).
Still, they took all the game I brought, leaving me with meals that didn’t contain a scrap of meat.
Don’t they worry about what would happen if I stopped bringing meat out of spite?
I feel more exasperated than angry at their lack of foresight.
But I’m used to it, so it doesn’t bother me anymore.
Obviously, I’m not handing over everything I catch to Latz.
So by the time I show up here, I’ve already had my real dinner.
Since I managed to catch a Great Boar today, I treated myself to a solo boar-meat festival.
To avoid suspicion, I provide enough meat to appear on the table periodically… roughly once every three days.
I offer enough for a stew to feed everyone (excluding me), but Latz grills it as a steak and devours it himself.
The remainder is divided among the others (again, excluding me).
“Mmm, monster meat is really delicious! I feel more energized these days.”
Today, Latz was happily eating a grilled Glockbird steak and drinking wine, in a good mood.
Thanks to the meat, even Sara and my brothers seemed slightly healthier.
Considering their previous diet, they were probably lacking protein.
I make sure to consume the good cuts myself, so my nutrition is fully replenished now.
Previously, I was so skinny that my bones stuck out, but now I have a healthy amount of muscle, though not enough to make me chubby. In fact, I need to burn extra calories to avoid gaining weight.
As for monster meat, the stronger the monster, the better it tastes.
Supposedly, stronger monsters have bodies imbued with more magic, which makes the meat taste better.
For the record, Great Boar meat is tastier than Glockbird.
Not that I plan to share a single bite of it.
“I feel like I’ve become a little younger myself.”
“Hah, maybe our sixth son isn’t too far off now! Gwahahaha!”
“Oh, stop it, you…”
Latz, having no concept of tact, makes comments like these without hesitation.
Meanwhile, I sat there with a disinterested look, chewing on some black bread softened in my soup.
I only attend meals to avoid unnecessary trouble, and though I could leave food unfinished, I try to eat everything to avoid suspicion about setting aside portions.
Still, the meat’s delicious, but the lack of salt when eating alone is a bit of a downside.
Using herbs I found in the forest gives it decent flavor, but for someone like me, who’s used to junk food, it just feels like it’s missing something.
I considered trading some monster materials to buy salt when a traveling merchant passed through, but if Rats found out, I’d definitely get scolded, so for now, I just have to bear with it.
That said, maybe my taste buds have adapted to the light seasoning over time, and I’m not too dissatisfied with meals that bring out the natural flavors.
If I get too used to luxury, I’ll just spoil myself, so until I’m an adult, I’ll stick with this lifestyle.
Nowadays, I’ve gotten to the point where I can hunt properly in a regular forest.
Personally, though, I still think it’s too early to take on the Demon Forest.
Last time I took a peek, there were monsters crawling around that I clearly wouldn’t be able to beat with my current abilities.
If I ever return, I want to have enough power to explore the Demon Forest freely.
After returning home, I go to my room and go through my routine of circulating mana, then expend mana by casting spells in quick succession.
Today, I’m in the mood for wind magic, so I keep using advanced wind spells.
The interesting thing about wind magic is that by compressing the air, you can give it physical attack power.
If you infuse enough mana, compress it, and shape it sharply, it becomes a blade; if you spread it wide, you can use it like a blunt hammer.
The key is that ‘enough’ mana threshold.
I carefully adjust the power, circulating the wind around the room so that it doesn’t shred the place with a wind blade or smash the furniture with a wind hammer.
Like the inside of a cyclone jet vacuum, I created a swirling wind while adjusting its direction and strength to keep any small objects from flying around.
According to the textbooks, the best way to boost your mana reserves is to use it up entirely.
I was a bit skeptical at first, but it seems to work. My mana capacity has definitely increased compared to when I first started using magic.
Even with mana that could once cause the measuring sphere to explode, it’s still growing.
These days, it’s even hard to run out of mana, so I just keep coming up with new ways to use it at home.
“Phew, finally feeling sleepy… zz…”
Incidentally, when you run out of mana, you’re hit with a powerful drowsiness. This is a symptom of mana deficiency.
In this world, mana seems essential for maintaining bodily functions, so if it drops below a certain threshold, it’s like entering sleep mode on a PC.
By intentionally putting stress on my mana organ like this, it strengthens and produces more mana.
In my past life, I’d often wake up in the middle of the night and struggled with sleep, but since I started using magic in this life, I’ve been sleeping soundly until morning.
This is yet another huge benefit of being able to use magic.
